With so much happening in the religious family sized garden lately, I thought I’d share a peek at my kitchen garden this morning. Gardening in Maine {zone 6a} is really quite nice.
I feel like here in Maine I am able to grow way more vegetables than I was able to in Washington. Even though the season is shorter here, the days seem longer, warmer and more ideal for growing vegetables.
The chives are beginning to bloom! And the bees LOVE the chives. Gardening in Maine {zone 6a} is so easy!! When I noticed the bees buzzing around the chives like mad last year, I started a bunch more chives seeds in flats.
This spring I planted the new batch of chive plants on the other side of the kitchen garden {right up against the house}. I figure by this time next year they’ll be as big as the ones we have now.
That should keep the bees busy early in the season, don’t you think?
The peonies are getting close. I didn’t pick them last year, but this year I’m looking forward to enjoying a nice big bouquet of them in the kitchen.
We also had our first poppy bloom yesterday.
And the garlic is looking really nice too.
As well as the spinach.
Apparently mulching with seaweed was a good idea. 😉 Everything is thriving.
The thyme is back again this year.
And we’ve got lettuce greens growing in containers on the porch.
But the most exciting thing happening in the kitchen garden right now, are the French breakfast radishes. I harvested the first radish last night and oh boy was it a good one!
How are things growing in YOUR garden these days? Are you past salad season yet? Are any of you harvesting tomatoes yet? Oh how I wish I was!!
Have a great weekend everyone,
~Mavis
Diana near Atlanta says
I’ve been harvesting mostly fruit and salad greens – strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, lettuce, swiss chard, spinach (greens in Greenstalks – LOVE those things!) and carrots (which I grow in pots year round).
The Roma tomatoes have lots of tomatoes on them and all of the other tomato plants have tons of flowers.
I’ve even spotted quite a few baby cucumbers on my ‘pickle’ cucumber vines.
As I was watering last night, I spotted about 5 zucchinis ready to pick. I think this year will be a bumper crop, lol.
There are several branches with figs on them starting to grow.
The watermelon vines are growing, but rather slowly.
The bottle gourd vines are growing quickly with really thick vines – no flowers yet.
The pie pumpkin vines are growing and have flowers – hopefully one will pollinate soon.
Harvested the garlic last week and they’re resting for a few weeks. Geez, are they pungent when first pulled, lol. I beefed up their growing tubs with compost and fertilizer and planted corn seeds. Let’s see if that experiment works.
Onions seem to be doing ok, but nothing is really bulbing up yet.
Green beans, green beans, green beans! I was able to get 20 plants in my little railing planter and they are COVERED in beans. Most will be ready to pick in a few days. Then I’ll start round 2!
There are lemons on my Meyer tree and several other of my potted citrus trees are blooming. Hopefully I’ll get a few oranges and grapefruit yet.
Potatoes are flowering. Keeping them watered in this heat is a bit of a challenge, but I’m hoping for a good crop. Sweet potatoes are vining well.
This has been a really good year, so far. We’ve had a much cooler spring than last year and it’s been pleasant to go outside and work. I think it has helped a lot with getting the plants started and not stressed with the heat so quickly.
Rosemary says
Salad season is over for us (N. Florida). We have a bunch of tomatoes but none of them are ripe yet. The corn is doing well, and I can see the ears are forming (they are still small) and so far, 2 of my sunflowers have bloomed. We only got one radish out of all that I planted but it was good! And we have gotten one bell pepper so far (and that was good as well). The eggplants have a bunch of flowers, but no eggplants have formed yet. We have cucumbers growing and there is one that is almost ready to be picked. And lastly, I picked 2 green beans . . . there are some small ones on the plants, and I hope we can get a bunch of them eventually. Can’t do much with 2 green beans . . . All in all, I think things are going pretty good. I am learning what works and what doesn’t work in the topless greenhouse. I already have ideas for next year!
Margo says
It’s been weirdly chilly here (So. Cal.) and we haven’t had a real sunny day in over a month. Mostly cloudy, maybe some sunshine in the later afternoon. Most of my plants are growing well enough, but slowly. Everything is behind where it normally would be at this time of year. That said, I’m harvesting scallions, a few squash, Mikado turnips and radish. My onions didn’t bulb up and my garlic also wasn’t too robust, Do have peppers, cukes, green beans, and lots of tomatoes growing, and the herb bed seems to be happy. I’m sure we’ll probably go straight to hot weather when this “June Gloom” (we have May Gray and June Gloom most years, but not as persistent as this year) is over and we’ll all be complaining about the heat!
Mary Ann says
It’s been crazy, right? Memorial Day weekend used to always be hot in So Cal. Nothing feels normal about our weather lately! I’m in Westminster and felt lucky that we actually got up to 70F yesterday! Currently, the 10 day forecast shows mid to upper 60s and cloudy every day. Ugh.
My garden is doing well, for the most part. Peppers are struggling, though. Only harvested oregano so far, but green beans will start any day now, lots of little green fruits on the majority of my 65 tomato plants, flowers on the cucumbers, but no flowers on the zucchini yet. Looks like plums will be later than normal this year, too.
Never thought I’d be jealous of people having warmer weather than us! LOL
Laurie says
I’m in San Diego and my garden is just stagnating. I have some herbs and the sugar snap peas are coming along but most of the seeds I put in the ground have either been eaten or haven’t come up. I’ve switched it up a bit and put some things in pots and they’ve actually started to sprout. I keep telling myself that we have a long growing season but it’s frustrating.
Michelle says
I love your kitchen garden updates, thank you for sharing!
Do you find that you have more ants in your home having peonies in your yard? We used to have peonies at our old place, but we don’t have any in this yard. We have problems with ants as it is, and my husband thinks that peonies in the yard might make it worse. I’m wondering if the ants will just stay on the peonies. I just love them and would love to plant some at this house.
Diane says
My garden got invaded by rabbits. So my time right now is playing defense to keep them away. Apparently they love peas and sprouting broccoli. I am super discouraged by this event.
Costco has some kind of rabbit deterrent. Has anyone out there tried it?
Bonnie in GA says
I wonder if the fake owls work? I think people use to put human hair out in places around gardens. It keeps some animals away.
A. Weiland says
Mavis on her own island, it’s looking very affordable! Woah: You can buy this stunning Scottish castle for just $37,000….you can buy this Scottish Castle. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/you-can-buy-this-scottish-castle-for-37000-dollars
Carla M Edwards says
Just that little catch of $15 million to restore the castle.
Jill says
Is your kitchen garden in your front or back yard? It’s doing great!
Mavis Butterfield says
The front yard. 🙂
Mary says
My garlic too is thriving. I’ve picked rhubarb, thyme and oregano (can’t remember the last time I bought those things at a grocery store- so easy to grow and dry), spinach and kale. The peonies came out the other day as did the poppies. But we’re in for at least a week of sweltering, no rain weather (interior of BC) and that isn’t going to help with the growing.
Sue S. says
Just purchased tomato plants, herbs, and some flowers. We have container plants only and I’m late getting them out. It’s a bumper-crop year on the Cape for rabbits.
They’re scampering everywhere. I only hope not to see an eagle or falcon, or owl swoop down and grab one.
Poppy K says
Pro tip: you can use the chive flowers to make chive blossom infused vinegar. Just nip off a bunch (more blossoms = more flavor) of the flowers and put them in a jar with vinegar. I store the jar for a couple of weeks and then strain out the flowers. The vinegar gets a lovely light purple color and has a wonderful onion-y flavor. It’s great in salad dressings!
Kim says
Harvested and canned 13 pounds of green beans this week. Will pick again in the morning.
Onions and red potatoes will be ready in a couple weeks, I think.
Tomatoes not until July.
Still praying for rain in TX.
Mavis Butterfield says
Way to go on the green beans!! I think I’m going to can mine this year instead of freezing them.
Lynda Silver says
Ants and Peonies have a happy, natural, and necessary symbiotic relationship. “The Ants are with us”, as a philisophical master gardening friend of mine says.
All you have to do to keep ants out of the house, and on the Peonies, is to leave your freshly picked bouquet outside in a container of water for an hr. or more. The ants will leave!!! and probably head right back to the Peony plants!
Enjoy your large bouquet of Peonies in the house, Mavis! I am enjoying the aroma of my Great Grandmother’s Peony, Festiva Maxima. She had a long border in front of her old house, and as a young child I enjoyed the drive up her laneway. I could smell those peonies as soon as we started up the long laneway. The scent transports me right back to another time! How I love gardens!!!
Amber from Southern Ontario Canada, zone 4B, wish I had 6!
Julie says
Haven’t had any luck with fake owls. Apparently you have to keep moving them around to get any success with them.
The only worthwhile deterrent is a good fence.
Ellen Rhinehart says
Hello “neighbor”, Zone 4b (Harmony) and what a soggy week, though we did need the rain. I took today off work so I can get some seedlings transplanted during this lull before the next storm later this morning. I’m definitely behind you in the perennial plants, having just moved back home two years ago so it’s nice to see your peonies and poppies. I don’t have a greenhouse, thought about building one, but I found winter sowing this past winter and what a great process.
I can relate to the “feeling old”, I’m 68 and think I have muscles now that I never had before. So glad I found you.