We have been waiting patiently since April for our favorite summer crops to ripen enough to pluck off the plant and eat and we are finally there! This past month has been a turning point for tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, eggplants and more. The number one thing we’ve been hearing from our gardeners for the past 2 weeks has been “when will my tomatoes ripen? Have I done something wrong?”. No! This year, for some reason, tomatoes ripened late. But now, they are coming in hot. Every where I turn there are tomatoes. Red, green, purple, paste, slicing, cherry. You name it and there are some coming off the vine ready to be turned into a delicious meal or snack.

Another popular saying is “I can’t believe I grew this!”. During the month of July, we had garden visits where we visited 45 gardening families in 20 or so days. Each and every gardener expressed a version of this. One gardener harvested over 100lbs of food in June, which is something she’s never done before. Another gardener said she’d never been able to keep stuff alive throughout the whole season until this year. It is such a joy to see so many people becoming successful gardeners and learning the true joy of growing your own food.

Here’s a glimpse into the beautiful community of Build It Up 2021:

     

 

   

Many of our gardeners have been trying new things this year! From creating pollinator gardens to growing new vegetables to creating their dream canning kitchen. It’s been an adventure and we can’t wait to see what they produce and to journey with them for the rest of the year.

     

See you next month!