What's going on in the garden now? Here's what Larry's been up to while I was at the writers conference this weekend:
The peas and spinach are finished and the chickens enjoyed the pulled-up vines and greens. He put the last of the peas in the freezer and put away the pea trellis.
The tomatoes are staked, pruned and mulched.
More cucumbers, lettuce, radishes, basil and nasturtiums are planted.
All the gardens are tilled and hoed.
The onion tops are bent down to start drying so we can pull them for storage.
Next on the to-do list?
Continue spraying the grapes for black rot. If we don't spray, we get no grapes at all. With the wet weather, the blight is likely to be bad this year.
The beans are in full bloom so we'll be picking in a week or so, I think. That means canning time. The beets are close to being ready to pull too. I haven't checked on the carrots yet but they were planted later.
The mulberries are almost gone and I did not get any put up. However the birds and the grandchildren enjoyed them, and I have quite a few jars of jam left from last year's crop.
The new strawberry patch needs to be weeded and the new asparagus plants need to be hoed.
The last flower bed still needs to be planted. I have put out very few annuals and no marigolds which seems very odd. My gardening time is usually in May but this year's rain precluded a lot of the things I normally do. Now that we're into June, storytelling will be keeping me out of the garden in my off-work time. So this year, what's done at this point is pretty much all that will get done.
I am disappointed in my herb garden--many seeds did not germinate, the dogs dug up what was doing well, and it just looks yucky. I am thinking about moving it to a new, sunnier location next year and finding fencing that will keep the dogs out.
That's all the news that isn't in the gardens at this point. What's going on in your garden?
It's been raining here all week so everything in the garden has been growing like crazy...including the weeds unfortunately. I won't be able to get out and pull them until Thursday or Friday at the earliest, oh well.
ReplyDeleteI'm tired just reading about yours. We worked in our garden yesterday. We tilled and hoed and everything looks really good. But ours is not as far along as yours. the only thing ready to eat is the lettuce and onions.
ReplyDeleteAsparagus gone...
ReplyDeleteStrawberries soon...
Corns about 2 inches high..
This Is Michigan!!
I know how you feel, Liz. Larry keeps up with the vegetables but the flower beds are mine and I am in trouble there. Too much rain can be a problem for the plants too, because nutrients leach out and bugs move in.
ReplyDeleteMine would not be in good shape at all, Janet, if it depended on me this year! Larry has really been into it and that's why they're so good. Of course, I'm the "director"--I say when to plant what, what needs mulch, what to pull out and replant, and all that. Except for the tomatoes--there Larry really knows what he's doing.
G-Man, I wish sometimes we could go backwards and have strawberries and asparagus again! Those tastes are truly Spring.
My veggie garden--2 tomatoes, one upside-down and one "Husky cherry"is half and half. The cherry looks great, has blossoms and some small tomatoes on it. The upside-down has grown only a little, and all off to one side seeking the sun. My daylily beds are in full bud, just waiting for the right time; the oakleaf hydrangea and Annabelle hydrangea are in full white glory. We're supposed to get 90 degree weather by end of the week.
ReplyDeleteSounds as though Larry was busy while you were away. I don't grow vegetables but have gooseberries nearly ready to pick and a lot of herbs. It's been wet here too so everything is lush and all the early flowering plants need cuttting back now, some will give just nice fresh young foliage but others will produce a second crop of flowers. There's always work to do in a garden:)
ReplyDelete!~!@!%$#%$# Ground hog!!!!! tm
ReplyDeleteHmmm...that said a lot in a few words, tm.
ReplyDeleteMimi, your tomatoes remind me of my mother's herb garden. When she could no longer get out in the garden she put her herbs in containers on the back porch. They thrived with her daily attention. I think about how we will manage as we get older, because gardening will always be important to me. I'm thinking raised beds near the house perhaps, and containers on the deck.
Sounds lovely! Our 'garden' this year is a strawberry that managed to emerge from a neglected compost pile.
ReplyDeleteSuperb strawberries!!
(our garden's taking a year off....)
Between being sick and the never ending rain showers, it's been a job keeping up with the weeds this year. But I'll keep plugging along. Looks like the Mr. is doing a great job!
ReplyDeleteIt looks beautiful and there is something to be said of a man who can garden and manage to put some away in the freezer. Al would have tried just eating all of it!
ReplyDeleteFunny, Cathy! He loves to grow a gardenadn this year he has really put his mind to it. I hope to have plenty in the freezer and cellar this year. We did well last year with fruits, but not as many veggies put up as i'd like. We were okay because of what I'd done the year before, but we're down pretty far on beans and tomatoes.
ReplyDelete