August is pretty light on holidays, so I’m just going to write about some crops that are coming into season this month:

• Cucumbers: This month, Adam and I are growing cucumbers for the first time!  Our favorite variety is the Boston pickler, which started producing within only a few weeks of being planted in the ground.  Another benefit:  Animals are less likely to eat the flowers than those of zucchini and other squash, so each plant will yield a large crop!
• Zucchini and Summer Squash: Sometimes zucchini yields can be diminished due to animals eating the flowers, but the plants are usually prolific enough to still produce a good yield.  If it looks like you’re losing too many flowers, try building a chicken-wire cage around the plants that covers all sides (including above).  This should keep out most animals, but still allow pollinators.
• Chili Peppers: The current varieties we’re growing this year are banana peppers, chiles de arból, Anaheim peppers, and jalapeños (we had a habanero at one point, but an animal made off with it.)  We started these peppers from seed last August and grew them in the basement over winter, so by the time we planted them in July they were ready to produce!  A note on color:  If you are growing a pepper that may be eaten while green or red (like a jalapeño or anaheim), do not panic if your peppers turn black.  This is the transitional color when a pepper is ripening.
• Tomatoes: This year we’re trying out more varieties than ever!  We’re trying 4 different varieties of cherry tomatoes, 1 medium tomato, and 3 large tomato varieties.  My favorites are “Sweet Million”, which is one of the most prolific varieties of cherry tomato, and “Sungold”, which is a delicious yellow cherry variety that has already produced a few ripe tomatoes this summer.
• Corn: In August the Midwest corn harvest begins to come in, and is celebrated across the region with a variety of festivals.  Many of these festivals have rides and live music, with as much beer and sweet corn as revelers can stomach!  Other common events include craft fairs and animal shows.
• Watermelon: In Wisconsin, August is the best month for watermelon.  Be sure to eat as much as you can!

Happy August!