The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Cole Porter’s song is on point this week, “It’s too darn hot.”

It’s too hot when even the dandelions popping up in the garden are dying from the heat. I thought those weeds were invincible; evidently, even they have a heat tolerance level. The weeds we planned to blast with Roundup are slowly turning brown and withering away. It saves breathing in some poison for the moment.

Mugsy is not adapting well to the heat. Usually, he is anxious to join me on a walk or go outside to run around and chase his tennis balls and other random toys, but lately, he seems content to lounge around the house and enjoy the air conditioning. When he sees me opening the door, he runs the other way.

I am grateful that our house naturally stays cool in the summer heat. But yesterday’s heat was a deal breaker. With no breeze and the sun blaring, I gave in and turned on the AC, and gulped at what the next electric bill will be.

Luckily our grocery bill is slightly lower because we have some garden bounty.

I am still in the learning phase of gardening. Here are a few things I have figured out for this year’s harvest:

After a fantastic year of zucchini (my first spring), in the past two years, the bugs appear no matter where I plant them. Zucchini may be banned from our future gardens.

The cute tomatoes in the seed catalog that looked like little litchi nuts have lethal thorns which don’t soften as they grow—another non-returner.

Spinach needs to be grown, picked, and eaten before it goes to seed and becomes inedible.

Cilantro is the same as spinach, here today, gone tomorrow. But at least you can harvest the coriander seeds and use them in various dishes.

Peppers so far, are doing well. The few that have appeared look very green and healthy. I have high hopes for them.

Strawberries were petit but flavorful. I am hoping they get bigger next year.

Amaranth is beautiful; unfortunately, it has no culinary purpose. It won’t be a returning guest. The same goes for the borage I planted. Pretty, but useless.

Tomatoes are beginning to ripen. I picked two and ate them right off the vine. I hope to have some more, but my guess is I’ll be buying tomatoes.

String Beans are the same as the tomatoes, few and far between. I pick and eat them on the spot.

Carrots have been short and fat and others long and skinny, all useable.

Cabbage has been my biggest success this year. I made a large batch of coleslaw yesterday, using my green and red cabbage, carrots, homemade mayonnaise, and dressing. My proudest garden moment this year.

The heat will probably take a toll on a good portion of this year’s garden. But at least there have been a few successes. And like most things, I will have forgotten the failures by next spring and start again. (Even zucchini is possible).

We are heading to Seattle this weekend for a family event. My family let me know there was a heat wave, and temperatures could reach the eighties. I tried hard not to laugh and went into my happy dance. It will be a much-appreciated break from the 100-plus temperatures here and watching my garden shrivel.