TGG Market Forecast 8/22: Mother Nature has entered the Chat

Saturday, August 22, 2026

I’m going to be completely honest this week: the garden and I are not exactly on speaking terms.

After what feels like weeks of rain, the weeds are thriving, the pests have apparently invited all of their friends, and the amount of produce coming out of the garden is nowhere near what I expected to be harvesting by late August.

Earlier this week, I went out to finally  tackle some neglected cool-weather beds and discovered approximately 47 million cabbage worms, caterpillars and eggs hanging out in my kale. Two hours later, the kale bed was cleaned out and I was seriously reconsidering this whole organic gardening thing. 😂

So no, this isn’t going to be one of those look at this overflowing late-summer harvest! weeks.

But it is real life in the garden. And that counts too.

🌦️ This Week’s Forecast

Garden outlook: Slightly frazzled with a 100% chance of weeds.

The combination of heavy rain, storms, heat and humidity has made this a challenging stretch in the garden. Things are growing, just not always the things I planted. The weeds are especially pleased with themselves.

The tomatoes are slowly coming along, peppers are still producing, and I’m hopeful I’ll have enough variety to put together one Taste of the Garden Basket for Saturday.

Maybe.

We’ll call that one garden pending. 😂

🍅 Fresh from the Garden

Saturday’s produce table will likely be a little smaller than usual, but I’m hoping to have:

• Fresh tomatoes, depending on what ripens between now and Saturday

• Bell peppers

• Hot banana peppers

• Possibly one Taste of the Garden Basket filled with whatever the garden decides to give me

  
  

And the tomatoes have been a whole adventure of their own this week.

If you’ve ever wondered why tomatoes suddenly split after a big rain, it’s basically because the plant takes up water faster than the tomato’s skin can stretch. The inside of the tomato expands quickly and... crack.

With all the rain we’ve had lately, I’ve been trying to sneak out between downpours and pick anything that’s starting to ripen before Mother Nature turns it into a tomato water balloon. 😂

So some tomatoes are getting picked a little earlier than I normally would and finishing their ripening inside, which is much better than finding them split wide open the next morning.

And honestly, there’s something kind of fun about the Taste of the Garden baskets on weeks like this. They really are a snapshot of exactly what’s growing here at TGG right now.

This week, that snapshot may just be a little... selective. 😂

🍞 Where Are the Baked Goods?

You may notice something missing from the market this Saturday.

I’m taking the week off from baking.

The baked goods haven’t been moving at the market the way I’d hoped, and rather than keep baking just because “that’s what I do on Fridays,” I’ve been working on a different system that I think will make a lot more sense for both me and everyone who loves the TGG treats.

Think more choices, less guessing and a way to make sure your favorites are waiting for you when you want them.

I’m still putting the pieces together, but I’ll be sharing all the details soon. 👀

🌿 A Little Homegrown Wellness

August has been our Homegrown Wellness Month, and maybe this week’s version of wellness is a little less about herbs, vegetables and healthy recipes.

Maybe it’s knowing when something isn’t working and being willing to change it.

The garden isn’t producing what I expected.

The baked goods need a different system.

My to-do list and the weeds are both completely unreasonable.

And instead of trying to force all of it into the picture I had in my head for August, I’m adjusting.

There will always be another tomato. Another loaf of pear bread. Another garden season.

Hopefully fewer cabbage worms.

🍐 See You Saturday!

The garden table may be a little lighter this week, but there will still be plenty to browse around the market.

Along with whatever tomatoes, peppers and garden goodies make it through the week, we’ll have fresh eggs, pears, our luffa soaps, Tomato Salt and Spicy Pepper Salt, summer simmer pot kits, and a full shelf of preserves.

That includes favorites like Salted Caramel Pear Butter, Jalapeño Jelly, Basil Banana Pepper Jelly, Blackberry Jalapeño Jam, Berry Best Friends Jam, Clover Jelly and more.

So even if the garden is being dramatic, the market definitely isn’t empty. 😂

Saturday, August 22

10 AM–1 PM

Come see what survived the rain, the weeds, the bugs...me!

When you arrive, drive past the house and find us across from the barn. (6280 Brantford Rd, Dayton, OH 45414)