To read more about how my garden is growing this season check out my past Garden Journals from this season:
Since the last installment the garden is off and running. We have had some really hot and some really cool but mostly dry days. Hoping for some rain tomorrow!Mister took the lead with tilling the space and putting in the fence posts. We rented a tiller from the local hardware store and we had a neighbor with some aged horse manure so we tilled, amended, and put down some weed barrier. A propane torch made fast work of making the holes and also helped avoid the barrier fraying and helps us be more likely to use it in the future.
Asparagus/ Strawberries
I planted these together and they are coming up. I know we wont see any this year but it’s a great exercise in patience as we watch them come up and hopefully spread runners and fill up with fruit and harvest next year the future years.
Carrots
These guys arent looking so good. I tried to be very diligent to keep them evenly moist to help ensure germination. I’m not sure why I have so few sprouting but we’ll go with it and try for a second planting after these are harvested.
Potatoes
In my excitement during ordering in January I accidentally ordered a lot more potatoes than I needed. Fortunately I sold them to a neighbor. The seed potatoes I did plant are taking off nicely. We are keeping them mulched with straw to help keep some weeds down and I am on the look out for any signs of blight like I dealt with last year.
Onions
I am seeing how much water onions need! I have seen a nice bounce back as i upped the water and much less shriveled looking little sprouts.
Raddish
These cuties are just about ready to harvest as they peek out of the soil. We’ll enjoy them this week on salads and sandwiches.
Cabbages
I started these from seed and they are doing well. There are some small spots of pest damage but overall they are growing nicely.
Peas and beans
I had to plant all of these twice and they are finally taking off. The Flambo beans I’m growing to dry are finally coming up too. I will be getting a trellis set up for them this week.
Broccoli/Cauliflower
I started broccoli from seed and they got really leggy. I ended up planting them but they just didnt do much. I grabbed some at the garden center and they are off nicely. One is out performing the others, not sure what is going right for this one compared to the others!
Zucchini
Another row I had to plant twice. I realized I was not paying attention to the depth I planted these seeds at. Silly little lesson but these are coming up and i will be using a tomato cage or another system of vertical planting for these.
Tomatoes
These are ready for some heat and frankly look really puny. I may learn a lesson of just buying seedlings in the future. Mine have just never taken off well compared to the seedlings I have purchased. We’ll see!
Cucumbers
I started these from seed and they got too big too fast and they stalled as they waited to go in the ground. They are bouncing back nicely though and we are seeing some nice fresh leaves pup up as they enjoy the heat and space to stretch out. I used tomato cages last year for my cukes and they did very well. I’m growing a few different varieties, suyo long, picklers and lemon cucumbers. I’m excited to make some pickles!
Peppers
We bought a six pack of the smaller variety of bell peppers. Last year we enjoyed growing some red bell peppers but they never actually ripened to red so I thought maybe a smaller variety would help them out.
Lettuce/Spinach/Kale
I direct sowed all of these and though they are coming up they are hobbling along. I am not sure if it was too late to start them because we had some warm temps earlier than usual. I didnt have good luck with these three last year either, will make notes because I have grown lettuce in the past and it was never this challenging for me.
Herbs
Basil is perking up and starting to take off. I need to remember to top it off more often and encourage more branching. Dill was a major fail after two tries at direct sowing. Not sure what I did/didnt do but I will see if the garden center has some as I want it for pickles. I was given some rosemary from a neighbor so I’ll get that in the ground soon too.
Flowers
I am really excited how the flowers are going. We inherited amazing perennials here and I am out cutting for arrangements as often as I can. I really enjoyed planting the containers this year. I have supertunias, super bells, coleus, purple fountain grass, dusty miller, raspberry ice petunias, gomphrena, and a couple of boxwoods. They are coming along nicely and starting to spill over the containers nicely. I tried dahlias for the first time and just when I gave up on them they poked up from the soil so I’m very excited. We planted a bunch of sunflowers along the fence line which I’m excited to see with the red barn behind.
Well, there you have it! I have already learned to remember how much patience gardening takes. I have so enjoyed watering, weeding, and seeing the growth already happening. To see a video tour swing over to my Instagram. I hope your garden is going well, thanks for stopping by!
