June First Update

The Garden has been thriving this year. Warm days help that process.

 

We've been eating lettuce and Kale from this year's plantings for several weeks. I've already re-planted lettuce for a second crop.

 

Looks like broccoli and other brassicas (in the foreground) are doing real well too. All of this garden was started in the greenhouse and transplanted outside.

 

Big sunflower in the middle looks like it's strong, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, the peas. Been eating them for a week. We put them on the front of the garden this year, to make grazing easier for guests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picked the first burpless cucumber today. Seems early, but I'm ok with that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First lemon cucumber. These are the very definition of summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year, we're growing three kind of tomatoes.

• Chocolate cherry for the cherry tomatoes.
• Brandywine for slicing tomatoes.
• San Marzano for cooking.

The Chocolate cherries are the first to get ready. These will be ready to eat in a week, and I'm just now getting flowers on the others.

 

The Chocolate cherries are all in hanging pots. The others are all in the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First zucchini. It's too small to pick today, but it'll be huge in a week. Hoping to pick it before that. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 And I'm growing watermelons again. They're earlier this year than the cantaloupes. We'll see how they turn out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mid May Garden Status

 

The garden seems to be doing pretty well now. We're eating the lettuce and kale, and the leeks from last fall. Peas are flowering.

 

It's pretty well "in" now. Tomatoes are looking so much better than before.

 

I've decided that even when it's a warm spring and it's possible to put in the tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers early, it's probably not a good idea to. They benefit from the additional time in the greenhouse, and prefer to go into the bed mid May.

 

Mixing things up more than usual. Planting cucumbers and tomatoes and the occasional pepper in among the garlic (and to a lesser extent, among the leeks and onions). Looking to see how that goes.

 

Planted the second crop of carrots and lettuce today. Don't want to run out.

 

Set out a watermelon this week. That ought to be fun. Have another in a hanging pot. Will be fun to compare.

 

Also put out what I believe is a cantaloupe, but may be an Armenian cucumber. Fairly optimistic on these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Flower

 

The first flower of the vegetable garden this year is on a cucumber still in the greenhouse! (The ones outside aren't doing this well!)

 

Note that the apple trees blossomed a couple of weeks ago, but they're not in the veggie garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring Planting (Mostly Done)

All of the tomatoes and pea beds were in the ground by 4/20 2016. Added a couple (brandywine) tomatoes to the herb garden 4/24.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beet seeds went in weeks ago. Beet sprouts going strong. Some uneven spots, so I transplanted some starts into the gaps. 4/22.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transplanted the Dill into the garden. 4/20. Next

to beets, next to garlic, between lettuce and carrots (which are actually starting to germinate!).

 

 

 

 

 

Lettuce and Kale starts went in the ground by 4/16 2016. As soon as the irrigation system was done. I'll add broccoli, kohlrabi and maybe some others later; sprouts aren't ready.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transplanted cucumbers into the garlic beds 4/22. Looks like there might be room for daylight between the garlic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transplanted zucchini to the peas bed 4/10; Carnival squash and Hokkaido (German) pumpkins 4/22.

 

 

 

 

 

Replaced a sage plant with a Rosemary start 4/24. Going to be a fine shrub.

 

 

I may put some shallots out next weekend (seeds started indoors a month ago); I have 8 shallots from sets (expensive!).

I expect I'll wait another couple of weeks before putting basil in the Basil Box. Or I may make a cold frame for it. I have 3 kinds of starts (mammoth sweet, Thai, lemon), but I'll probably load the box with mostly one: mammoth sweet.

 

 

 

 

Hanging Planter of Salsa (and other goodies)

 

I've got a hanging planter of salsa.

 

On top: cilantro and onions.

Coming out the sides: tomatoes (chocolate cherry), more cilantro, and a bell pepper.

 

Might be fun.

 



 

Other hanging pots (all still in the greenhouse, but they'll all go outside later):

• Lemon cucumbers (x3)
• Cantaloupes (x2)
• Watermelon
• Cherry tomatoes (x3)

And there will be more to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Underground Irrigation

I added underground irrigation to several beds.

 

The technology is pretty simple: soaker hose, buried a few inches. The upstream end has a couple of feet of regular hose for connections, and the far end has a cap. The hose has a quick-connect for hookup.

 

The beds:

• The Salad Bed (Brassicas, lettuce, etc)
• The Tomato & Peppers Bed
• The Peas & Squash

These three are on the perimeter: when I water with the overhead sprinkler, either I turn it up enough to water the neighbor's yard as well, but it gets all my garden, or I turn it down enough to focus on my garden, and the perimeter is a little under-covered.

 

We've theoretically solved that concern.

 

 

In addition, I'm also covering:

• The Herb Garden
• The Basil Box
• Sue's Flower Bed

And just to keep it cool, the herbs & basil can also be sourced from one of the rain barrels. Cool.

 

I have one wet spot in the Tomato and Peppers bed. I think I need to patch a spot in the soaker hose. Or bury it a little deeper there. I'll get there.

 

For now, I think this is a good start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Got the Waterfall Going

We're not done.

But we've turned a corner.