i've been grazing the latest round of strawberries (in the northern hemisphere), some climbing beans, cherry tomatoes (not yet frosted out). i'm coming close to determining when too many applies to strawberry plants... this season i've shared many with the local critters with plenty to spare. i like this arrangement much better than in previous seasons where i was jealous and would guard the patch. to extend the strawberry grazing season use ever-bearing plants in the mix along with day neutral and alpine varieties (if your site can support them). also, for helping to beat the heat it helps to interplant iwith beans or peas in the middle of summer. mulch, use shredded bark (the kind that doesn't have added dyes), they love it. pine needles are ok too, i alternate years with leaves, pine needles, shredded bark, wood chips. always planting beans and peas for nitrogen and shade. sometimes also add soybeans, but these act as a herd plant (the strawberries send runners away from them as they shade so heavily around here). my favorite spring time graze is to pull up garlic early and eat it like a green onion. i now plan on planting extra cloves deeper (to blanch more of the stem) to have a steady supply for next spring. these are much easier to grow for me than bunching onions. i always have a huge amount of extra cloves to plant or tops from garlic. this is a good use for some of them.
My skin is changing colour unsure wether its from the sun or too many strawberries Bit quite in the harvest area have tons of strawberries frozen lots for later jam and cooking treats . Cucumbers are terrific (tried hard last yr the mildew beat me) ,Bush pumpkins are nearly ready as is the first of the corn , Oakleaf lettuce , garden looks pretty bare but there is always something if I look hard enough . Steady Tomatoes had some very cold nights awhile ago I recon messed with the flower set . Stone fruit are very light on apparently seasonal lots of Sth Australia reporting the same . Steady supply of butter beans , still have some oranges hanging on the trees , citrus are great nothing worries them here . View attachment 2228
