Grow with Grace: Order in the Garden, Tomato, Tomahto & Cocktail Concoctions

Here we are in the middle of August. That neat, orderly garden you planted back in May is probably looking a whole lot more chaotic now. What to do to bring the garden and its harvest joy back?

I know. Anyone with a garden is pretty much toiled out right now. A bunch of rain at the beginning of the month really spurred growth, and Jersey heat and humidity can make working in the garden a whole lot less fun. Many gardens — and their keepers — start to languish.

End-of-summer vacations, back-to-school planning, and plain old exhaustion can make these last few weeks in the garden feel more like a chore than a joy. Sure, we still love the fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit, but the work we couldn’t wait to do in May feels a whole lot different in August.

This week, I’m offering a few tips to keep your enthusiasm up and avoid garden burnout with some harvesting partying and recipe tips. Let’s dig in!

WHAM!

At this time of year, I WHAM: Water. Harvest. And Maintain.

Water

Wake me up before you go-go … Okay, so that’s an earworm. But worms are good for gardens!

If your garden needs water, do it first thing in the morning. Between pop-up thunderstorms and wildly inaccurate weather forecasts, figuring out how much water your garden actually needs can be a challenge. A good rule of thumb is about an inch and a half of water per week. Of course, during stretches of extreme heat or wind, your soil will dry out faster, and containers dry out faster still.

The best moisture meter? Your finger. Stick it in the soil and use your best judgment.

Harvest

Pick vegetables as soon as they’re ready. If heavy rain is in the forecast, go ahead and harvest tomatoes a little early and let them finish ripening indoors. Yes, pick them!

Those cracks, scars, and burst tomatoes that everyone’s been asking about? They’re almost always Mother Nature’s fault after periods of heavy rain. The tomatoes will taste just as good if you let them finish ripening on the counter.

If you find yourself with more produce than you can use, please consider donating it to Lunch Break or another local food pantry. Fresh vegetables are always appreciated.

Maintain

Let’s be honest — maintenance is nobody’s favorite job when it’s 90 degrees with Jersey humidity.

Instead of trying to tackle the whole garden at once, I pick one bed each day to weed, prune, and tie up. Fifteen or twenty minutes is manageable. Three hours in the August sun? Not so much.

I guess I’m a few decades late, but I’ve finally figured out that cramming isn’t a great way to go through life — even if it was how I made it through Rumson Country Day.

Garden Mix Tape

As a child of the ’80s, I love a good mix tape. I know, it’s a playlist now, but tomato, tomahto. So put on some music while you WHAM.

Garden Party

Don’t forget to actually enjoy the space you’ve worked so hard to create.

Make yourself a cold drink, wander through the garden, and pluck a fresh herb or two while you’re at it. I love a little basil in my tonic. I also love a little gin in my tonic … Fresh mint in iced tea — or a mojito — can’t be beat, either.

If you’re growing berries, now’s the time to enjoy the rewards. My 4×4 raspberry bed is producing nearly a pint every day — not counting what mysteriously disappears while I’m picking.

I freeze extras on sheet pans before bagging them, but my favorite use is raspberry shrub — a drinking vinegar that’s surprisingly simple to make. Combine one pint of raspberries, 16 ounces of Prosecco (white wine) vinegar, and ¾ cup of sugar. Refrigerate for five days, then strain through cheesecloth. It keeps for months in the refrigerator and is wonderful mixed with sparkling water, cocktails, or even whisked into a vinaigrette.

Lately, my favorite evening cocktail has been one I call The Bramble: one part raspberry shrub, two parts bourbon, a half part amaretto, a dash of orange bitters, and a few fresh basil leaves muddled in the glass before adding ice.

It’s the perfect way to sit back, admire what you’ve grown, and remind yourself why all that watering, harvesting, and maintaining is worth it.

Until next week, I’m off to toil in the soil! Cheers!

Grace