Well it has been a while since I last posted. It just never seems like there is time to sit down and write. The time since may just flew by!
We are at that stage now that is most interesting. A great deal of the vegetables are growing nicely but it remains to be seen how well they form up. Will some bug or blight make an attack on us! The weather lately has been perfect for blight so I have been spraying with Bordo Mix & yes it is considered an organic application. Bordo is a mixture of copper sulfate and hydrated lime & sodium carbonate. I just hope I started spraying soon enough!
The spinach season this year was spectacular if I do say so myself. It has taken me quite a while to learn to grow spinach with success and this year was the pinnacle. Sadly with the warm weather the season is almost over and I have been cutting back the plants and putting the spinach bed to rest for the season. I will once again attempt to plant in August for fall spinach. I have never had any success with this but I am told it is the best spinach ever if you can grow it!
We are now in the lettuce/pea season. This looks like it will be a short season for the peas. The heat has caused them all, even the later beds to form peas quickly. I have had to pick and refrigerate as they just cannot stay on the plants until next weeks distribution. There appears to be a good amount but it will be a quick blast I think. Lettuce took forever to come on but it is on now with strength. The reddish Sangria, the green Buttercrunch, The Lolla Red, the green Black Seeded Simpson the glossy Vesey's Bright Mix & Hope Seeds Mesculan Mixture are all up and doing well. These usually stand up well in the heat and I have new beds planted to keep the lettuce season prolonged. The Romaine is just beginning to form heads so it should be in distribution soon.
The carrot season is just around the corner. I have picked a baby carrot and it was delicious! The early Broccoli has not yet started to form but it should be soon. Tomatoes are in blossom but no fruit is set as yet. The celery and celeriac are both looking good so far but still a long ways to go for them. Green beans are looking very good but not in blossom just yet. Peppers are in blossom but still a long ways to go. Onions look very good and we should have sometime in August. Cucumbers are so so. I have had trouble the last 2 years and not sure why. They are coming but it has been a struggle . The zucchini plants are getting big but no blossom as yet. Cabbage is coming along but has quite a ways to go. Kohlrabi is almost ready to start picking and beets are forming but need a week maybe two. Some of the Buttercup squash has started to blossom and the Butternut squash should start soon. We transplanted basil plants last week so should have basil in a while. The eggplants are doing quite well but it remains to be seen if we will have anything to show.
The washouts have been melons and regular turnips are very spotty this year. I thought the parsnips would be a washout also but some are coming so we will have a taste.
I just finished planting the mid season garden yesterday. Green beans, carrots varieties of lettuce, late broccoli (going to try anyway) radish (iffy if this heat continues) and will plant some purple top turnips after this rain subsides.
So I am picking, hoeing, feeding, watching, mulching and mulching, killing potato bugs as we have a few but it will get worse, trust me! Slug searching and snail hunting. Well okay it my not sound like fun to you but nothing warms the cockles of my heart more than a bucket full of dead slugs! Well a pot full of potato bugs is also heart warming. What, play golf and miss all this? Bite your tongue, or even better a crunchy juicy purple top turnip yummmm must run out to the garden.....
If you want to see more pictures of the gardens go to http://furlongfoto.blogspot.com/2010/04/vegetable-garden-2010.html
the link is on this blog.
