I love this time of summer when every week there is significant growth and change in the garden. The tomatoes and peppers are starting to fill out and all of the beans are up! I decided to use straw again to mulch the tomatoes as it keeps their leaves so much cleaner and locks the moisture in for longer. And now that the chickens are being kept out of the garden this year, the straw should stay in place all summer! I've had bad luck with cucumbers and broccoli over the past couple years, but so far this year they are both off to a good start! The first round of radishes are almost done now and the second round has just come up! I'm hoping to ferment a quart of them later this week, as it's hard for us to use all of them in the short window of time that they are all ready to be harvested and eaten. The lettuce, greens, kale, and herbs on our deck are also starting to fill out and be ready to use! There is nothing quite like walking out to the deck to gather salad ingredients right before dinner. It's one of my favorite things about summer!

How about you? What things have you starting harvesting in your gardens this week?