Kim McMahill

Garden production for 2026 wasn’t a complete failure, but I’ve definitely done better. I think the biggest issue was a cold and very windy late spring and early summer followed by a month in the upper 90’s to over 100. Tomatoes, corn, and cabbage were the winners. Beans, zucchini, and Big Jim chili peppers were the biggest losers. Cucumbers were doing okay until the voles found them. Apparently they love little cucumbers. Lettuce and peas were average, so at least we had lots of fresh salad greens during a time when I wouldn’t have been comfortable purchasing lettuce from the store. Despite the marginal success this year, I still enjoyed the garden and I’m already planning for next year.

In Above the Abyss , book 2 in the series, the residents of Beartooth construct cold frames along the side of one of the log structures to help them continue to grow greens year-round after the first stratospheric aerosol injection lowers the temperatures at their high-elevation home. In agriculture and gardening, cold frames are transparent-roofed enclosures, generally built low to the ground . The transparent top allows sunlight in and prevents heat from escaping, particularly at night. Cold frames are a great way to extend the growing season in areas with short seasons.

The garden is all but done for the season. Only a few hardy plants remain. I had decent production despite an odd summer. I had to plant a couple weeks later than usual due to cold overnight temperatures. It stayed cool and rained pretty much the entire month of June. July and August turned hot, some days reaching over 100 degrees. I had a good harvest of beans, bell peppers, lettuce, cabbage, and chilis/peppers (Anaheim, Serrano, Jalapeno). I got enough corn, tomatoes, zucchini, peas, and cucumbers to enjoy, but not enough to brag about. And, the brussel sprouts never matured. The one big surprise was our grape vines. It’s our vines fourth year and we finally got enough wine grapes to attempt a few bottles of wine. Overall, I’m satisfied, but I’m already looking forward to gardening season 2024.

I’ve posted a lot about my garden this summer. This is the first year since growing up helping my mom with giant gardens that I haven’t had to rely on small raised beds. I’ve always made the most of those small plots, but this year I had enough space for everything I wanted. I think I can do even better next year by different crop placement, altering some planting times, and more soil amendment but overall, it was a great year. So, here’s where it ended up: Lettuce - produced enough to last two families until September. Peas – snacked on fresh while grazing in the garden and froze six bags. Green beans - enjoyed all the fresh we could eat and froze about ten bags. Cucumbers - made many salads and two batches of refrigerator pickles. Bok Choy and spinach – all we could eat through July. Potatoes - dug about fifteen pounds that we’ll store for use throughout the winter. Corn - had about five meals of fresh corn on the cob (got a late start, which we’ll remedy next year). ...

The time has come to concede defeat and admit that summer has passed. Everything from my yard that is in a pot has been moved into the greenhouse. I don’t plan on heating it, but suspect I can eke out another month or two of fresh herbs and cherry tomatoes by moving them in. There are few things I enjoy more than gardening, so I’m thankful my husband installed a greenhouse to enable me to experience the joy just a little bit longer.

I’m always stunned by the resilience of zucchini. About four weeks ago my garden got absolutely destroyed by hail. I was certain it was done for the season, but I didn’t pull much in hopes there was a spark of life left in those shredded vines and stems. Most succumbed to the beating, but not the zucchini. It’s back against the odds and we’ll get to enjoy the bounty again until the first frost. Zucchini after August hail Zucchini in early September

Gardening is one of my passions. I love coaxing life out of the soil and the opportunity to eat fresh produce in which I have total control over production is comforting. I know for a fact there where no chemical fertilizers or pesticides anywhere near my garden. By August, the bounty of the land is amazing and it brings me great joy.

This is the first summer in three years that the birds haven’t eaten all the small tart cherries on the tree in my backyard before the fruit was ripe enough to pick. For some reason they decided to show mercy on me and left enough to make syrup. Though, I now understand why people just buy pancake syrup in the grocery store. It was quite the process to turn this colander of fruit into a quart of syrup. Despite the effort, I got a lot of satisfaction knowing that the cherries came from my yard, and for that, the pancakes only tasted better.

My favorite part of summer is my garden. I enjoy coaxing life out of seeds and cooking seasonally with the fruits of my labor. It isn’t always easy gardening at a mile high, but that makes the effort all the more rewarding. The garden has already survived a hail storm, brutal winds, and now heat in the mid to upper nineties. Despite that, I’m pleased with the progress.

I'm always bragging on my tiny garden. As usual I have tomatoes galore, zucchini, cucumbers, and lettuce, but this year I decided to ditch the beans and go with sweet peas. I had a difficult time ever getting enough beans at the same stage of maturity to cook up. But, since I prefer peas raw and fresh as opposed to cooked, problem solved. Since July I've had a steady stream of healthy snack straight from the garden. I may have gotten a little carried away and they've taken over, but they'll soon be gone, leaving plenty of room for the rest of the plants to dominate.

This year’s tomato harvest is much later than I’m used to due to the higher elevation here in Colorado, but the tomatoes are even more beautiful than ever.  I just wanted to share nature’s work of art. I’m always amazed at how much joy a garden can bring.

I’ve gotten a great deal of enjoyment out of my yard this summer. It is so full of fragrant and beautiful flowers and trees that I wanted to share it with all of you. Unfortunately, a mere photo is powerless to convey the color, aromas, and feeling of serenity that I feel as I wander the stone paths winding through the vibrant blossoms.