Coming up Roses
Well, maybe not roses, but certainly fruits and veggies are starting to make their annual appearance. This, despite lots of rainy days followed by one or two very hot days and then back to rainy days.
A weekend trip to North Carolina, followed by a week long trip to Ohio (due to my mother in law having a stroke) postponed any meaningful garden activity, other than picking lots of lettuce and some of the second crop of peas.
Now, back in full action, weeding will be the main task, but along with that, I am continuing to update filling empty spots with some pepper seedlings that have not grown much while in containers and tomatoes that have been in containers since early May. I also started some cantaloupe and more kale.
For the first time in quite a few years, the blueberries look like they will be a bumper crop. We have had issues with winter moths for some time now, but they were not around this winter. Fortunately, I had hesitated in uprooting the blueberry bushes, thus giving them another opportunity to blossom and produce some nice fruit. Even my father's bushes, that never seemed to produce very much are now filled with a good amount of berries. It will be a battle with the birds, but I will be out every day picking and eating the blue ones as they come into season in the next few weeks. We have midseason and late season berries, so I am hopeful the birds will not overtake the crop.
The peaches are also doing very well (keeping my fingers crossed). My father's peach tree on the side of the patio is not as full as last year, but still has a decent crop. The one on our side is loaded up, along with a newer white peach tree that is producing a crop for the first time. I also have two plum trees, planted for my father, that are producing some plumbs for the first time. It has taken four years for this to happen.
The currants are ok as well, but the birds are feasting on them. Still I am getting my share, as I am the only one that likes them in the family. The gooseberries are not quite ready yet, but look decent as well.
Today I picked our first cucumber, with lots and lots of others coming along quickly. I have them going up a string net and I expect that in a few more days, there will be an abundance of cukes to eat. I also picked the first summer squash that Tabitha took, as that is one of her favorite veggies. The broccoli is also coming in, but not the nice round heads I am used to getting. Not sure if that is from the wet weather or the seed. I am hoping the ones I planted back in January will look better. They are almost ready to get some heads, but are a bit behind the early ones that I bought and started in the greenhouse.
As I was weeding, I accidentally took up a Norland red potato and had that with some butter tonight for dinner. It was medium sized, so I am guessing more will be on their way, as well.
I have lots more weeding to do, along with continuing to clip back on tomato suckers and also tying them up so they don't fall all over the place. The mosquitoes are quite intense, making the work out there a bit annoying. I am using Cutters, but these guys don't seem to mind the stuff and come right at me.
I will try and post some photos in the next few days. Still lots of work to also do in the flower gardens with plenty of mulch to still move. I hope that it won't get too hot to do that chore, as I would like to get that done as soon as possible.
A weekend trip to North Carolina, followed by a week long trip to Ohio (due to my mother in law having a stroke) postponed any meaningful garden activity, other than picking lots of lettuce and some of the second crop of peas.
Now, back in full action, weeding will be the main task, but along with that, I am continuing to update filling empty spots with some pepper seedlings that have not grown much while in containers and tomatoes that have been in containers since early May. I also started some cantaloupe and more kale.
For the first time in quite a few years, the blueberries look like they will be a bumper crop. We have had issues with winter moths for some time now, but they were not around this winter. Fortunately, I had hesitated in uprooting the blueberry bushes, thus giving them another opportunity to blossom and produce some nice fruit. Even my father's bushes, that never seemed to produce very much are now filled with a good amount of berries. It will be a battle with the birds, but I will be out every day picking and eating the blue ones as they come into season in the next few weeks. We have midseason and late season berries, so I am hopeful the birds will not overtake the crop.
The peaches are also doing very well (keeping my fingers crossed). My father's peach tree on the side of the patio is not as full as last year, but still has a decent crop. The one on our side is loaded up, along with a newer white peach tree that is producing a crop for the first time. I also have two plum trees, planted for my father, that are producing some plumbs for the first time. It has taken four years for this to happen.
The currants are ok as well, but the birds are feasting on them. Still I am getting my share, as I am the only one that likes them in the family. The gooseberries are not quite ready yet, but look decent as well.
Today I picked our first cucumber, with lots and lots of others coming along quickly. I have them going up a string net and I expect that in a few more days, there will be an abundance of cukes to eat. I also picked the first summer squash that Tabitha took, as that is one of her favorite veggies. The broccoli is also coming in, but not the nice round heads I am used to getting. Not sure if that is from the wet weather or the seed. I am hoping the ones I planted back in January will look better. They are almost ready to get some heads, but are a bit behind the early ones that I bought and started in the greenhouse.
As I was weeding, I accidentally took up a Norland red potato and had that with some butter tonight for dinner. It was medium sized, so I am guessing more will be on their way, as well.
I have lots more weeding to do, along with continuing to clip back on tomato suckers and also tying them up so they don't fall all over the place. The mosquitoes are quite intense, making the work out there a bit annoying. I am using Cutters, but these guys don't seem to mind the stuff and come right at me.
I will try and post some photos in the next few days. Still lots of work to also do in the flower gardens with plenty of mulch to still move. I hope that it won't get too hot to do that chore, as I would like to get that done as soon as possible.
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