A strange summer

What a vegetable garden year, 2021. What was supposed to be a beautiful summer became one of abundant rain, wind gusts and exceptionally a ray of sunshine. Many people are worried about tomatoes that have turned brown. Whether they can still be saved. Unfortunately, this usually indicates the fungus, Phytophtora infestans, which is very persistent and can ruin your tomato crop in no time. Or there are vegetable gardeners with white deposits on the leaves of their zucchini and pumpkin plants. In this case it is mildew, a fungus that prevents the photosynthesis and thus the energy supply of the plants from running smoothly. Others, in turn, suffered from snail infestation. Because of the wet weather, snails like to move to your crops and eat everything bare in no time. Especially crops with tender and tasty leaves, such as lettuce, chard and fresh herbs, have to suffer.

Why a greenhouse in a rainy summer?

A greenhouse protects your plants from strong winds and rain. Moreover, thanks to the greenhouse, the sun’s rays become even better and more efficient: on a rainy summer day, one ray of sunshine is enough to raise the temperature to 30 degrees or more, ideal for growing crops that like it hot like red pointed peppers, sweet potatoes, peppers and tomatoes. By using an ACD^® thermometer, I can accurately track how warm it has become during the day (maximum temperature), but I can also see at a glance what the temperature has been during the night. These temperatures are automatically recorded, and by an easy push on the reset button, the values are set back to zero. Handy right?

The vegetable garden in August

August is also an ideal month to prepare for the fall. For example, you can sow winter cauliflower. For this I use sowing trays that I fill with organic potting soil and I place 1 seed in 1 hole. This way I don’t have to prick out and separate roots later. You can also sow plenty of lettuce and even radishes. The latter you can by the way in your greenhouse all year round. You can also still enjoy flowers this month: the dahlias are in full bloom, but other cut flowers such as cosmos and lathyrus are also still doing well. Pick flowers regularly to stimulate the plants to produce new ones.

Written by Sofie Maes

Outdoor person with a passion for natural vegetable gardening with quality materials and products. Fond of tomatoes, peppers and pumpkins of all shapes and colors. Chicken lover and cuddler, the eggs are a nice touch. Enjoys getting her hands dirty with her 2 daughters and then cooking delicious meals with the bountiful harvest.

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