Days 53 - 59 Crazy Weather!!

First of all I want to say that while during the summer months I was able to post daily or every other day, now that my son is in Kindergarten and I have started teaching again, I am going to start posting on a weekly basis. My goal of harvesting something for the table each and every day has not changed and I will continue to keep tabs on the daily harvests. I really want to show that this can be done in our fine climate!!

The title...it has been a crazy weather week. All summer it has been the summer that never happened...or perhaps the best summer weather that anybody could ever ask for! Cool mornings, sunny afternoons in the 80's, then cooling in the evenings. Never a need for the energy sucking air conditioner for we have had the perfect cooling each evening. This all ended on Monday and for 3 days we had sunny mornings and temperatures in the mid-100's. What a shock for the garden. I can see the effect on the cucumbers, zuchinni, and the citrus trees. It might mark the end of the cukes and zukes and time will tell whether the citrus will be affected.

Something that I have done since 2005 is keep a spreadsheet about the fruit trees in the yard. I keep tabs on when the tree was planted and the following on a yearly basis:
1) Date of pruning
2) Date of bud break
3) Date of first harvest
4) Amount of fruit (light, medium, heavy)
5) Quality of fruit

I also keep tabs on any weather pattern that defined the year.

It is amazing how regular trees are in their bud break. I can almost predict to the day when our trees will start budding out and I am curious if this will change with the predicted climate change coming to a neighborhood near you!!

Harvested over the past week:

Day 53
1) Two bunches of Chard ($6.00)
2) Basket of cherry tomatoes ($2.00)

Day 54
1) Nine cucumbers ($11.00)
2) One apple (Red delicious) ($1.00)
3) 1 pound pickling cukes ($2.00)

Day 55
1) 2 1/2 pounds green grapes ($5.00)
2) One apple ($1.00)
3) One pound tomatoes ($2.00)
4) Two zuchinni ($2.50)

Day 56
1) 1 3/4 pounds green grapes ($3.50)
2) one apple ($0.50)

Day 57
1) 1 pound tomatoes ($2.00)
2) Two zuchinni ($2.00)
3) Five cucumbers ($4.50)
4) 3/4 pounds pickling cucumbers ($1.50)
5) Basket of Strawberries ($2.00)

Day 58
1) Two apples ($1.00)
2) Two bunches of chard ($6.00)

Day 59
1) Two tomatoes ($1.00)
2) One pound green grapes ($2.00)

Weekly harvest: $58.50

Total Produce Harvested (Year-to-Date): $456.50
Total Honey Harvested (Year-to-Date): $220.00
Expenses (Year-to-Date): $26.00