The past two weeks have been very busy and there has been little time to work in the garden, and even less time to write about it.  

But we have accomplished a number of projects and there are many developments to update you, the curious reader.

We completed both our trellis for the cucumbers as well as the compost bin (finally).  

The peas are in need of bigger stakes to keep them in line.  They are presently dripping with pea pods.  

The corn is getting taller and we will be thinning the rows to 1 plant per foot.  I applied a spray of fish/seaweed fertilizer to the seedlings as corn is a very heavy feeder.  I also planted pumpkins next to the corn stand which should grow in and around the plants (maybe dissuade raccoons from sampling the corn).  

In front of the corn (and elsewhere) I transplanted some of the many sunflower seedlings from the cold frame.

The tomatoes continue to grow in their cages without any sign of blight.  I have not yet decided to apply copper spray to prevent it.  While it is approved for organic use, it is kind of nasty stuff and I would stop applying it by the time the plant begin to flower.  But for now they are all looking very healthy.

The peppers and eggplant however are a slightly different story.  I jumped the gun in putting them into the ground and they have pretty much just sat there waiting for some hotter weather.  It still is getting down in the low 50s at night and we cover them with pots when it gets that low.  We also have a problem with flea beetles.  They are chewing pin sized holes in the eggplant leaves.  I could have/should have waited until it was really warm to set them out.  Then they would have been less susceptible.  I am cultivating around the plants and hopefully the birds will help me out.  Otherwise I will consider using spinosad which would be nice not to use as it hurts the bees, but should be fine at this point since there is no reason for a bee to hang around my tiny seedlings.

The broccoli is getting bigger and bigger and I have seeded more broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower in the 2nd cold frame.

We packed away the bolting spinach in the freezer for later use and are working through our kale which is becoming a menace to the salad rows beside it.

The herb garden is filling up slowly.  Mostly through plants I brought home from Allandale, but the parsley, coriander and garlic are all doing well from seed.

I had my first beet yesterday and it was on the small side, but very good and sweet and crunchy.  We will be harvesting more of the beets and the carrots toward the end of the month.  There are newly sowed rows of both vegetables to give us a harvest late in the summer.

plus, I had my first blueberry.

Peas

Strawberry

                  Broccoli

Carrots

Beet

                 Tomato

Cucumbers

Swallow House

Soy Beans

The cucumber/soy bean/asparagus bean bed is planted and the trellis is assembled but not put in.  Our neighbor who plants corn came over yesterday and we planted our back corner bed full of sweet corn.  I also planted two hills of pumpkin seeds that will weave their way into the corn crop and grow up within it.  We left a space in front of the corn rows and I transplanted some of the sunflower seedlings at about 18" intervals.  

I have a some different varieties of tomato and eggplant from Allandale that I am going to grow in containers, for kicks.

Some of the eggplant in the garden is riddled with pin holes which I need to research to find the culprit.  I sprayed them with some insecticidal soap along with the peppers which all had a black fly perched on their small leaves.

The peas began to flower this weekend and so I think we can expect the harvest within the month.

caged tomatoes

kale all grown up, in need of a thinning/harvest

Many New Things

We just got back from a weekend away and returned to a thriving garden thanks to some neighbors and relatives. 

On Friday, Charlotte and I worked until after dark to plant up the eggplant and pepper seedlings to complete the 20' x 6' bed that also contains the tomato plants.  We have 12 tomato plants, 6 eggplant and 16 peppers.   

The two pre-existing shaded beds are cleared and full of wildflower seed from Garden in the Woods.  We shall see what comes up.

Our sunflower seeds are putting out their true leaves and I think I will transplant them sometime this week.

Sadly, we lost all of our cucumber seedlings to a hot day last week while we were at work.  We managed to salvage one from the lot, but it was very upsetting.  I told the farmer at work about it and he said that he lost all of his cuke seedlings as well that day (on a much larger scale).  I will start the cucumbers by seed then and build a trellis for them to grow up.   I will plant our soy beans in the same bed.

News from the herb bed is that our garlic is tall and hopefully doing well underground, our coriander is prolific and a few of the nasturtium we sowed are up.  I count one dill plant so far, and a handful of what I hope is parsley.

Another unfortunate mass slaughter was a closed cold frame that destroyed the extra tomato and pepper seedlings, along with the basil.  There are too many hours between 9 and 5 for things to go wrong.

tonight's dinner

peas

  

First Harvest

This past Friday we enjoyed our first harvest of arugula.  We had a salad including dried cranberries, goat cheese and toasted sunflower seeds with a balsamic vinaigrette.  And yesterday we had another monster salad including our first spinach, lettuce, more arugula and "sassy salad" mix.  Delicious.

Today I am clearing out the two pre-existing garden beds that are partly shaded under the neighbors maple tree.  Tomorrow I hope to visit the New England Wild Flower Society's Garden in the Woods in Framingham and bring home some native plants or seeds to fill them in.  

I pruned back the giant forsythia bush at the back of the property to uncover a beautifully blooming clematis climbing up the back fence from the neighbors property.

On Saturday we talked about corn with a man who lives a few blocks away, with a giant section of his property devoted to vegetable gardening.  He grows a number of different varieties and would like to grow one variety up here. 

Hence, we are now reorganizing the plan and will now be growing corn in the far corner of the property (previously assigned to squash and pumpkins) and will be creating two new beds; one for our squash, and one for our cucumbers.

Tonight the temperature will go all the way down to 42 degrees and so I am reluctant to transplant our tomatoes, peppers and eggplant today.  

radish   

strawberry

blueberry

Close Up Vegetables

Just an update after the spell of wet weather we've been having...

Here is our arugula, likely to be the first harvest.  I've been sneaking bites as I pass by.  It is deliciously spicy.  I just planted another row so hopefully we won't have to wait too long once this row runs out.

A broccoli seedling next to my hand for scale.  All but two or three of our broccoli, brussel sprout and cauliflower seedlings are thriving.  The wind is blowing today and hopefully will leave them even stronger.

An adolescent lettuce.  We hear the ferrel cats in the area are big lettuce fans, but so far all are intact.

A row of spinach.  We have two younger rows which I hope mature before the weather gets too hot.

We are getting in desperate need of a new, larger compost bin to deal with our ever increasing pile of sod and other yard scraps.

Red onions started from a set interspersed with radishes.  I am not sure if it was the best idea as there is only 3" between the onions.  But the radishes should be ready to harvest before the onions grow too big.  (that was the idea at least)

Barely visible newly germinated kale seedlings.

One of the Blueberry bushes (left) and the pruned peach tree (right).

We are preparing a home for the squash plants and created a perennial border which still needs filling.  We put in a dicentra, some irises, peonies, daylillies, tulips and a few others scavenged from different areas of garden on the property.

Bed Prep

Over the past few days Charlotte and I have begun bed preparations for the tomato, pepper and eggplant seedlings growing up in the basement. 

The first step was to remove the sod.  We did it with a shovel and pick on the other beds which was incredibly tedious.  With the broadfork, however, we did the whole bed in an hour or two on Saturday morning. 

Next, I added the prescribed amount of ground lime (20 lb: 100 square feet) for neutralizing the soil; fertilizer (the same pro-gro/bonemeal combination as with the other beds); and compost, for all the wonderful benefits it provides.

Remaining tasks are to get even more compost, then set up the soaker hose which will water from below, losing less to evaporation and avoiding disease that comes with wet leaves and fruit.  I will mulch on top of the hose and around the plant either with plastic (which will also heat the soil faster, or with some organic material (I've been collecting grass clippings).

I brought a broken container of fish/seaweed fertilizer home from the farm which I diluted in water and sprayed on the foliage of all the col crops, lettuces, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and basil.  I will continue to apply it every few weeks depending on the vegetable.

I've cleared out the back corner of the yard where I will make hills for summer squash, zucchini, pumpkin and winter squash, all bordered by perennials.

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

from A Prayer in Spring by Robert Frost