Measuring Up: July 2013

July was a bit of a transition month in the garden this year.  The spring harvest lingered into the beginning of the month this year: juicy strawberries, crisp sugar snap peas, and of course the traditional last picking of the rhubarb on the 4th of July. 

Gradually, things picked up a bit.  The purple beans started to produce, there were multiple times I just walked out the back door to snip a little thyme, cilantro, or mint, and the first of the summer squash appeared.

And before I knew it, there was actual variety in the garden harvest!  There were beautiful heads of broccoli, bunches of basil, and sweet, tender scallions in the mix. 

And the quantities increased along with the variety, with bowls full of raspberries, long slender zucchini, huge turnips, and the first bite-sized carrots! 

The transition brought us right to the first ripe tomatoes and peppers by the end of the month; a sure sign that summer has finally arrived!

This year especially, July feels a little bittersweet.  On one hand, it starts to feels like summer is already slowly slipping away.  On the other hand, most things in the garden are just getting started:     

Things are slowly starting to catching up from the slow start to the season, but I think it will be at least another month, if not two, until it feels "caught up."  As long as the transition keeps moving in the right direction, I'm a happy gardenert!