Raspberries and garlic

I maintain that raspberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow in the backyard garden. That said, the one task that takes some effort is clearing out the old canes. They are easy to spot, being brown against the green of the new canes.

This year's harvest was a bit disappointing, which I attribute to last year's late and overly enthusiastic pruning. This year I decided to be timely, and once the old canes were out, left most of the new canes intact, removing only those that were damaged and/or sickly looking.

My raspberry patch is wrapped in unfolded tomato cages (to provide support) and poultry netting (to keep the rabbits out). Part of the clean up includes unwrapping the poultry netting and trimming around the raised bed; also, removing some volunteer trumpet vine. (Never plant trumpet vine near a garden bed.)

Raspberry bed cleanup coincided with the garlic harvest this summer. Garlic is another super easy crop to grow. There were absolutely zero failures this year; every clove grew into an appropriately sized bulb for its type. The bulbs will cure in the shed for a month or so, then I'll trim the tops and relocate them to the garage.

The woodchuck wars continue. After destroying most of the fading broccoli plants (but ignoring the cabbage - WUWT?), the critter moved on to the kale. I found the latest breach and placed some pavers on either side of the fence, in hopes the damn critter cannot work its way around them.

One problem with all the poultry netting around the garden is that it occasionally snags me. Good thing I have had a recent tetanus shot.

The onions are starting to topple, the potatoes to die back, the corn to plump. And there have been zukes, cukes, and cherry tomatoes to enjoy. It must be August.