This week we closed the stack window in the ceiling of our little home in the barn. In doing so, we switched from working to stay cool to working to stay warm, and we marked the unofficial end to another summer in Alabama. Today’s podcast is a comprehensive postmortem on the season from perspectives both human and horticultural.
The summer came and went without a moment when temperatures hit the century mark, but high humidity made many days plenty miserable. As usual, though, we coped reasonably well in our little home; we ran the window unit air conditioner a total of about 10 hours during the summer. This season was good for spring peas, tomatoes, beans, squash, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, sweet potatoes, edamame, and purple hull peas. We lay out why we think this year was another rough one for melons and corn and only so-so for strawberries. Over in the orchard, we had our best year ever with apples, muscadines, persimmons, and blueberries. On the downside, we got no peaches, no plums, almost no pears, and few figs. And I’m about ready to grab all the blackberries and throw them in the pond.
Listen – 20:54
Amanda planted these purple hull peas in July, and they’re peaking here in the waning days of the growing season. The trellis is loaded, so it’s a good thing we love peas!