Sprout Farm Newsletter August 8, 2026 sproutfarm.net open 9-5 daily

Hello Everyone,

Has anyone tried to cook a meal with one of those solar ovens? If there was ever a time for outdoor cooking, it was this week. The temperature is challenging enough but the humidity is truly uncomfortable. Some of the plants are beginning to complain. Our summer squash is diminishing due to powdery mildew or something similar and the new plants are looking pretty small in comparison. Jay says we are getting a few more tomatoes but we're still picking from the greenhouse with the tall tomato plants. We are surprised by the nice growth on these plants as they usually fall prey to disease long before August. I was out scouting for horn worms last night and saw three and picked offs two. When I went to relocate the ladder I surprised a skunk, nothing serious but we both went our separate ways. The wildlife continues to thrive and we keep a bowl of fresh water by the back steps for any stray cat that happens to need a drink.

The last of the veggie plants went into the compost pile this week and the benches were stacked up so we can do a deep cleaning of the front yard. Jay predicts the chrysanthemums will begin to crack color around Sept. 1st. We will bring them out when they show color because it is easier to see the flower than it is to find and read a plant tag. By the time they are on display, the tag is buried somewhere around the base of the plant and pretty much invisible.

Here are some very brief garden suggestions.

'As the gardening to-do list starts to get crossed off, begin to think about next year. Make notes while things are still blooming. Figure out which plants may need to be moved or divided. Also, order spring bulbs. If you’ve had your amaryllis outside, now is the time to bring them in.

Sow lettuce, greens, carrots, beets, and turnips for a second chance crop. Mulch around the root systems to retain water and keep them cool. Keep an eye out for pests and act immediately to eradicate them. Fill in bare spots in the lawn by sowing mixed grass seed.'

Speaking of turnips, we have started to transplant our Eastham turnip seedlings. We wintered over one turnip plant and it grew to over four feet tall before it fell over. We forgot about it as it was totally engulfed in weeds. When we pulled back the weeds we saw that the seed heads had matured and that turnip seedlings were covering the ground like a green mat. Fortunately, there was still an abundance of seeds for collecting and now we have seedlings from '25 and '26 growing in the garden. None of our off-Cape farm friends are excited about Eastham turnip so this must be a local thing.

Sauchuk Farm corn has been very popular and I made a second trip today to make sure everyone got corn and no one pulled in a saw that dreaded, “Sorry, Corn Sold Out” sign. Some of you may have purchased white corn for the first time when we were temporally out of the butter and sugar corn. The parking lot was a little crowded at times and I told Rylan to turn down the volume on the driveway alert or it would drive him crazy. It broadcasts into our living room and the farm stand register area when someone enters and exits the parking lot. He said that was a big improvement.

The kitten report: The kittens will be three weeks old tomorrow. They are just getting their sea legs under them. They go forwards and backwards with the same confusion. Any sideways movement is purely accidental. They have been living is a dark room, under a low piece of furniture for so long that any ordinary light draws them out to investigate the world. They don't go far, maybe less than two feet from the desk, before they turn around and stumble back under the desk where they curl up with their litter mates. Mom is calm and quiet unless she is really hungry but we have a routine; if you walk into the room, you feed the cat. She likes that arrangement. We expect she will keep the kittens there for at least another week. We are spoiling her by running the air conditioner all the time to keep her comfortable. When mama's happy, everyone's happy and that includes her five kittens.

That's all the news for now. Stop by and see what we have growing for you,

Jay and Phyllis Sprout