Early Harvests

Fresh greens for salad have been coming in since early June--several varieties of lettuce (Red Sails always the most reliable, Plato the tastiest), spinach, beet greens, arugula. Time to replant the arugula and some lettuce--which will have to be shaded as it doesn't do well above 70 degrees F. Broccoli heads have formed and will be ready soon. The snap peas have been wonderful this past week. I put up about four quarts of spinach and three of snap peas thus far. It's time to plant some more snap beans for harvest in late August/early September. The apples are coming along well enough, and I need to trim back the grass and weed growth around the trunks of the young trees, to discourage the borers, which are the most destructive among the pests for these trees. In the fall I may find the time to whitewash the trunks, following the latest advice from Fedco's apple tree expert, John Bunker. This is an old practice; I think you can find it documented in nineteenth century French paintings.