May 2, 2012

Looks like it might be a successful Spring

written by Yvonne

Update on: Berries

It is so wonderful to watch the blackberries coming in. They are right next to the driveway so we get to monitor their progress daily.


As you can see, there are lots of them...


AND some of them are turning red!  (This photo makes them seem redder then they are in real life.)


It has been confirmed - we ended up with three blackberry plants and only one raspberry (instead of two of each).  This is the one that looked different from the others and is indeed raspberries.  And guess what...


some of THEM are turning red!!


The blueberries are more like greenberries at the moment.  They're small, but we'll take 'em!


Update on: Seedlings

The largest sprouts in the back are sunflowers. The smaller ones in the front are a variety of wildflowers.


Here we have some melons, and a few peppers.  In the back row are some spring veggies (lettuces and broccoli) that are too late to put out.  They look good here, but it will be far too hot for these guys to survive.


Some herbs are still coming along. Now that we've hit the high 80s/low 90s, these rest of these guys will hopefully start taking off.  If new sprouts don't come up by this weekend, I'll replant.


Some new onion seeds that were planted a few weeks ago have come up.


Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes.


Update on: Garden

Struggling basil. Plenty of time to start some more so I'm not worried.


Oregano, some of which I used the other day.


Scapes on the tops of our garlic. Last year we harvested them, but didn't know how to use them. I found some recipes and this year, we're using 'em. Basically use them as you would garlic but the flavor will be more mild. My plan? Pesto. If they aren't around long enough for the basil to mature, I'll make a parsley-based petso.


The broccoli and cauliflower are disappointing once again. No signs of the actual vegetable and now that it's hot, we'll have to pull them out soon.  Anyone have tips on growing this stuff?  I suspect we are trying to grow them in the wrong season. I know I said this was the last time I was going to try it, but I think I'll try again for fall/winter.


We'll be eating as much of this in the next week or so as possibly because it too will bolt soon.


Thyme, dill and cilantro are doing fine.


Each week the squash plants seem to double in size.


Even these two squash plants that had been damaged in the cold have sprouted new leaves so I think they're going to be OK as well.


The radishs are just about done. I'll pull the remaining four or five and we'll have those in our salads this week.


Spinach is just barely showing signs of bolting so the race is on to use it up by this weekend.


The largest chard plant on the left has bolted but I think I can get one or two more dishes out of them before pulling them up this weekend.


Marjoram.


Finally looked in our garden layout to see what the heck this is - chamomile!


One okra hanging on (among a ton of weeds).  It won't be long before this becomes a 10 foot tree.


Cow peas (and a lot of weeds) struggling, but still there. One week it looks like it's not going to make it, then new leaves show up.  We'll see what happens.


Last week the first snow pea blossoms showed up and this week...


PEAS!!!  There were enough for a handful to snack on.  The plants aren't nearly as tall as they were last year, but that may be because of the type of trellis we're using this year vs. last.


Carrot tops (and lots of weeds) looking good.


Kale.


Beet greens are looking good, but I noticed some of the bulbs have popped out out of the ground.  I stuck them back in hopes they'll hang on and get bigger.


The sad, yellow thing in the upper right and lower left corners were cucumbers.  Luckily, there are seeds that have spouted in the min-greenhouse so all is not lost.


Cooking, Putting Up, and Other Such Stuff


Dinner last night was sauted chard, garlic, lemon juice, and a can of chick peas tossed with cork-screw pasta and feta.


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