Tuesday Tidings-Garden Update

Spring has bowed to summer here,

or so it seems.

The temps have been in the mid to high 80's already.

It may be a long, hot summer.

Here's what's growing around Maple Hill this week.

The peas are filling out.

The pods are tough, but the innards are juicy and sweet.

Next time we sow these, we'll try a different variety.

The shallots were just planted on the 10th.

I think they like it here.

The pumpkins are making progess.

I'm not sure how they'll do under the lemon tree,

but with the heat we're having,

they may appreciate the shade.

These were grown from seed, as most of our plants are.

The San Marzano tomatoes need to be thinned.

They will probably be taken out of the square-foot garden

as they take up too much valuable space.

These are the favored tomatoes for making homemade gravy.

The turtle beans took only a couple of days to pop up.

These are a new crop for us.

We love black beans in so many dishes!

They were planted on the 5th of April.

They are surrounding one of our bamboo teepees.

 Unfortunately, something's been making a meal out of the leaves.

I plan to spend some time today

trying to figure out what it is.

I'm hoping that some soap spray will deter further damage.

 

Beets are sprouting.
These are the Chioggia variety.
They will be striped.

The Prizetaker leeks are getting a good start in a container.

The Blue Lake Beans had been direct sown last year,
but nothing ever happened with them.
This year, we decided to start transplants
to see if it makes a difference.
They are a bush variety, so no staking is necessary.
These took only 5 days to pop up.

Two types of potting soil were purchased to try a little experiment.

Of course, now that I have the perfect soil mix recipe,

I'll be making my own concoction.

Both are organic mixtures,

both were planted in tp rolls

on the same day and watered at the same time.

This tomato variety was chosen 

because it's recommended for Southern climates.

The seeds are from last year,

so I'm hoping they're still viable.

We'll see which one pops up first.

Last week, the garlic was harvested.

This was a first-time crop for me,

but I'll definitely be growing it from now on.

We use it every day, and it's so easy to store.

Here, it's drying outside for a few days 

before we bring it inside for use.

The native petunias are blooming all over the place.

They are being used extensively 

in the blue garden out front.

(I'll have an update on that in a later post.)

The morning glories are a welcome sight 

at the start of each day.

The butterfly garden is abundant with phlox, 

cosmos and a variety of other lovelies.

Another plant that I plan to use more in the garden

is this native grass.

We have it around our sprinkler pump,

but I'd love to use it elsewhere.

Seeds have been saved to do just that.

The grass alone is lovely, swaying in the breeze,

and the delicate white and yellow flowers are a bonus.

Another native, this beautyberry,

will soon be loaded with purple berries 

for the birds to enjoy.

These cornflowers were a surprise.
They must have reseeded themselves.
I'm happy that they did!

These lil' critters are always welcome here.

The johnny-jump-ups are making their reappearance.

It's so nice to look out onto the patio 

and see them looking so cheery.

This week I decided to deliver a couple of our 
native salvia plants to neighbors
as part of our Sandy Hook Kindness Chain project.
I wrote the name of the plant on the back,
along with its requirements.
This was made more fun by doing it anonymously.
Love doing stuff like that!!!

Hoping that today you are enjoying 
the wonders of nature in your neck of the woods.