The summer crops are really coming along now.
5 Golden Nugget Pumpkins
The pumpkin harvest continued this week, although the plants are suffering with untreated powdery mildew. I picked 5, and chose a lucky one to be my seed donor for next year’s crop. I didn’t specifically hand pollinate this one, but I’m willing to trust the bees this time. I hope they chose a good ‘daddy’ pumpkin and not one of the zucchinis or rockmelon.
20 Lebanese Eggplant
These are producing a bumper harvest. I could have picked another 10 or so today, but I’ve held off for later in the week.
1 lettuce + extra leaves
400g Green Dwarf Beans
The beans are still producing, but slowing down a little I think. I’d like to get enough from them to make a few jars of dilly beans shortly.
2 Cucumbers ‘double yield’
Still not producing with the vigour I hoped, but another 2 fruit nonetheless.
3 carrots
I always have a supply of carrots in the garden. I store them in the ground and just pull them as needed. We are blessed with a climate that allows year-round production and very few pests. I’m eternally grateful that we don’t suffer the horrible carrot fly that many of you in the northern hemisphere seem to struggle with.
1 onion
I found an onion hiding under the beetroot that I have let go to seed. Not big, but I’m sure it will be tasty.
3 tomatoes
The tomatoes are finally getting there, although the frequent (sometimes torrential) rain neccessitates picking the fruit under-ripe. It is so disheartening to have near perfect fruit split just before harvest because of a sudden downpour.
2 cobs of corn
The corn is finally here! The kids and I picked 2 cobs this afternoon for dinner tonight. It was totally delicious and visually close to perfect in a way that home-grown corn rarely is (for me, anyway).
As soon as we brought the corn in from the garden Little D started begging me for it. More corn please Mummy! More corn, please!!I eventually gave in and gave him his half-cob before dinner, but that spelled disaster once everyone else started eating. I tried to salvage the situation by giving him a small can of corn kernels from the pantry, and that just made it even clearer how superior freshly-picked corn is to the canned variety.
Other happenings
On inspecting the garden this afternoon I noticed that the apple tree I just harvested from (Dwarf Tropical Anna) is in full flower again!
Its pollinating partner (Dwarf Golden Dorset) doesn’t have a single flower so if it sets any fruit it will be lucky, but it just shows how strange our cold summer has been. I’ve been disappointed that the Granny Smith / Pink Lady (multigraft) tree hasn’t flowered for me this year, so I guess my faithful Anna is trying to make up for it.
Happy harvests everyone! Head on over to Daphne’s Dandelions to see what other people are harvesting across the world.
500m2 in Sydney 
Hooray for corn! I think T wants to try some fresh corn too 🙂
I’m hoping that the remaining cobs fatten up – most of them are looking pretty lean!
Wow that corns looks picture perfect! Yum! It sounds like you are having the kind of summer we had last year. Everything was so much cooler than normal last year for us.
This is an awesome harvest! You are harvesting pumpkins, eggplant, corn, lettuce, and carrots all at the same time!!! How did you manage that?! I don’t think that our climate will allow for it, but I am willing to try…lol
It’s pretty normal for us here. The variety of pumpkin is a bush type and crops earlier than the standard pumpkins. My normal pumpkins are only just setting fruit now.
Beautiful harvest and that corn looks so good. This year I’m growing more corn than in the past. I hope it is as good.
Thanks Daphne. It really is a treat, harvesting at this time of year.
C~O~R~N…. NOMNOMNOM…. Oh My!!!! I’m drooling here!
Lovely harvest and picture perfect corn. Cute kids.
Thanks Norma, they are cuter when they are asleep ;P
Great harvest. I’m interested to know more about those pumpkins. Will you be using them for pies and other baking!
Your corn looks perfect. I wish we could get ours to look that great!!
Hi Rick – I have a photo of the plant in another post here https://500m2.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/tuesday-night-vego-pumpkin-and-ricotta-gnocchi-with-pesto/
In Australia we don’t tend to use pumpkins for pies, but sometimes we make breads and scones with them. These ones have edible skin, so are suitable for stuffing and roasting whole. Otherwise they are great for peeling, cubing and then roasting for use in warm salads, pasta or as a side dish.
beautiful corn…you are making me want for summer!
Thanks Jennie 🙂
Why didn’t I plant corn this year? Its interesting that your cucumbers aren’t fruiting that much – I would have thought they would have like the wet. Still 2 is Ok and a lot more than the 0 pumpkins I have, or indeed the 0 eggplant. Actually isn’t it interesting how different our harvests are despite both being on the Eatern side of OZ. If only I’d planted the corn….actually it usually like more sun than I can give it so I still would have been jealous of yours…..
I think the cucumbers are my own fault. I’ve failed to trellice them properly and I’ve given them no attention. The mildew is the killer.
The rest of my corn is looking a bit small. I’m sure it will taste OK, but probably not as plump as those first 2 cobs. Might need to decrease the planting density next year or increase the fertiliser.
I would have thought that the corn needs more sun that it is getting even on the southern corner of my block with no shading at all. I think if we get a hotter year next year I will have more luck.
Apart from the golden nuggets, my other 2 pumpkins haven’t set fruit yet either. They are in the backyard though, and get a lot of shade. I have more eggplants in the backyard too and they haven’t fruited yet, so full sun seems to be the key.
Welcome back – I trust the farmstay was a restful holiday? So nice that you came back to a good harvest and just need to head out back to get dinner all ready!
Thanks Lilian – We go away with 3 other families over Australia Day. I’m not sure any holiday with as many children as adults can ever be restful, but the other parents were very kind to me. As my pregnancy progresses I’m getting more tired.
What a lovely harvest; your corn looks terrific, mine tends to get earworms. How funny and strange about your apple tree blooming again. Tho I have Granny Smith that some years will have a few branches that bloom late in the fall if the weather is whacky; of course they never set any fruit. Partly it seems to depend on if the tree got too dry in the summer then a flush of rain brings on the blooms. If I’m good about watering then it’s doesn’t happen.
Thanks Mary. I’m hoping that the tree is just too young. I only planted it during the year, but I would have thought it would have at least put out a bloom or two. I have a soft spot for Granny Smith because it was ‘invented’ less than a kilometre away. Granny Smith was my neighbour!
I failed to mention that both of my cobs had earworms too, but they hadn’t really reached the cob yet. The chickens loved them!
What a great harvest! I love reading about your harvest as I anxiously await for spring. 🙂
Lynn