Part IV · Crop by crop

Every crop has its own story

Sixteen field pages carry the complete planting, feeding, watering, pest, harvest, yield, and next-year record.

The 2026 crop ledger

Choose a crop record

Read each vegetable independently, then follow the next-record link to move through the full garden in sequence.

01

Tomatoes

Flowering & sizing

Main tomatoes stayed vigorous through August 22 with increasing visible fruit set; volunteer cherry tomatoes supplied another harvest while many green clusters and flowers remained.

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02

Cucumbers

Renewed vine growth

Cucumbers became one of the garden’s most regular harvests, then shifted toward renewed production as established new growth held four to five small cucumbers by August 21.

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03

Green beans

Third flush + first succession

The first row became the 2026 garden champion with a first-ever third flush; part was harvested August 21 while the first intentional succession continued flowering and podding.

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04

Zucchini

Two confirmed · one likely

After two questionable fruit aborted August 21, two different zucchini were confirmed successfully pollinated August 22 and a likely third continued developing.

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05

Summer squash

Three fruit confirmed

Three squash were confirmed successfully pollinated by August 21–22 while younger female fruit and abundant male flowers continued on vigorous vines.

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06

Okra

Frequent young pods

A slow warm-season start gave way to tender pods harvested every few days through mid-August.

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07

Banana peppers

Harvesting

The first peppers of the year arrived July 2 and continued into mixed harvest baskets through the month.

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08

Baby bell peppers

Compact harvests

The compact bell variety continued setting fruit and supplied two baby bells in the August 14 harvest.

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09

Broccoli

One fall plant survives browsing

Seven fall broccoli transplants established with strong center growth through August 22, but animal browsing reduced the planting to one survivor by September 2.

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10

Cauliflower

Unchanged · lesson crop

Cauliflower remained visibly unchanged through August 20 and became the season's most frustrating crop—an honest lesson in pest pressure, timing, and unmet expectations.

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11

Carrots

Harvest ready · soil wet

A physical tunnel protected new top growth, and an August 17 test pull produced a large healthy-looking carrot.

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12

Onions

Harvested & curing

Onions were harvested gradually as their tops fell, ending with the last standing bulb in late July and a basement curing period.

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13

Garlic

Harvested · small bulbs

Garlic was harvested August 17; early-spring planting produced small bulbs that mostly did not divide into cloves.

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14

Potatoes

Harvested & curing

Potatoes moved through hilling, aphid treatment, soap-damaged tops, harvest, and curing—an unusually complete problem-to-pantry arc.

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15

Lettuce

All five rows germinated

After the spring crop finished, all five direct-sown fall lettuce rows germinated by August 22 in the compost-amended, straw-covered bed.

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16

Spinach

All three rows germinated

Spring spinach supplied greens and a seed-saving lesson; all three new fall rows germinated by August 22 after emerging a day behind lettuce.

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Part VSee what actually workedOpen fifteen methods with the why, observed result, and next-season refinement.