While the summer air made its way through Connecticut, carrots, onions, snow peas, and kale peeked through the dirt. Armed with a handy dandy post hammer, a four-foot ladder, and measuring tape, Emily and I successfully built a stable trellis system to support the growing snow peas in just two days! The addition of a tiller, new ventilation system for the hoop house and an irrigation system made the planting, weeding, and seeding processes efficient and enjoyable, even on hot and humid days.

Thanks to a kind donation from Jim Luce, Supervisor of Grounds at Connecticut College, of about seven different pepper plants, we yielded a spicy crop last summer. The types of peppers ranged from Habanero to Jamaican Hot Chocolate to Devil’s Tongue. Jim also donated eight zucchini squashes, which successfully filled a whole bed. We eliminated the raised beds at the entrance of the garden, making room for about 47 and a half beds full of popcorn corn, tomatoes, summer squash, carrots, snow peas, and kale. We also planted marigolds including African Tururu, African Special and Mexican Aztec Marigolds and three different types of sunflowers: Mammoth Sunflower, Sunshine Sunflower and Velvet Queen Sunflower.

Strategically aligned onions grew beside those beautiful sunflowers, which reached a foot prior to their harvest. Basil, meaning “king” in Greek, filled several beds. With a 184 plants, Basil certainly ruled the garden and produced delicious pesto. We look forward to another great summer season next year. In the meantime, taste the fruits of our fall labor in Harris and get involved harvesting this fall!