I haven't written anything here since mid-May, but I have been out in the garden. We've had lots of lettuce; spinach as both a salad and as a cooked vegetable; some early red potatoes grown in the greenhouse; carrots from the greenhouse; and a few young carrots started outside. We had our first meal of broccoli last week, and of course radishes.
3 sisters
The jungle shown above is the 3 sisters garden. It's a 14 foot diameter circle with corn, beans to climb the corn stalks and squash for a ground cover. Behind that is a backdrop of 6 foot sunflowers.
East Garden
This is the East garden, formerly known as NY, PA, AL and GA. From back to front is sweet corn, pumpkin, cucumbers, broccoli with cabbage peeking up in the front. These are the same cabbage that the chickens ate the day after I transplanted them, but they mostly recovered, and are only a little behind the ones I planted in the South garden. The blank space is where the green beans didn't sprout. We should have a second meal of broccoli this week or next.
South Garden
This is the South garden, formerly known as Puerto Rico and Martinique. The Kennebec potatoes on the right continue another 15 feet to the right. In spite of being planted late, they're doing well, and some are starting to flower. To the left of the potatoes is cabbage which should be ready in about 2 weeks; beets, not too long now; acorn squash for fall; and carrots that will come soon. Out of sight to the left are 2 watermelon plants. The vines are growing well, but no blossoms yet.
Potatoes not so great
In front of the greenhouse are tomatoes, a few small green ones and lots of blossoms. In front of those are red and Yukon gold potatoes. They look stunted, so the yield will probably be low compared to the Kennebecs in the South garden. The white flowery plants on the right are radishes. The flowers will produce seed pods which are great in a salad.
Recycled Futon Frame
The North garden, formerly known as MN, has 5 foot sunflowers in the back and tomatoes in the front. The tomato cage pictured is made from the frame of Jeremiah's old futon. I love it when things recycle so easily.
Garlic, Carrots, Peas and Onions
On the north side of the 3 sisters and the sunflowers are these garlic and carrots. I'll be cutting those seed pods off the garlic for a salad tomorrow or the next day. We've eaten some of the carrots, but they're still only 5 to 6 inches long and not very thick. They'll be better in a few weeks. To the right of the carrots are peas. We'll have the first of them for supper either tomorrow or the next day. Behind the garlic are onions I started in the greenhouse, and more that I sewed directly in the garden.
Not pictured is the California garden, which is half corn and squash, and half spinach, with a little lettuce. As we've eaten all the spinach and lettuce, I've tilled up that half. I'll probably plant some more spinach and lettuce in that space. Also not pictured is the strawberry patch and the asparagus patch, which both came in late and feeble. Both are full of weeds now, and don't look very pretty.
In spite of, or maybe because of a few disappointments and the late start this spring, the small successes are giving me plenty of enjoyment. I will eventually be getting those weeds out of the asparagus and the strawberries.
