Yesterday it was like 90 degrees at our place and I’m pretty sure I drank at least a gallon of water. It was crazy! Luckily though we had a nice breeze most of the day so it wasn’t too bad. Without that breeze though… holy cow it would have been rough.
Today the high is only supposed to get up to 82 thank goodness. I just might have to make a trip to the ice cream stand for a scoop {or two} of toasted coconut ice cream.
In gardening news… one of our poppy plants is blooming and they are PINK!!! I have always wanted to grow pink poppies and well, here they are. I couldn’t be more excited!
I also noticed there are ants all over the peony buds. Which can only mean one thing… they are only days away from flowering. I was hoping for creamy white blossoms and I think that’s what we’re going to get. 🙂
Rather than tilling up a strip of land this summer and planting lupine seeds, I decided to start my seeds in pots and then next summer, I’ll transplant them along the front of the property for a nice blue wildflower border. I thought this was much smarter than spending all summer trying to keep a giant patch of land weeded so the seeds could get a good start.
I also started round 2 of the butternut squash seeds. I planted the first batch of seeds along the picket fence that surrounds our current vegetable garden. Even though I think it will give us plenty of squash for this winter, I’d like to turn our current vegetable garden into a flower garden next summer, so I thought I’d try growing something in the field {where we’ll be planting next summer’s vegetable garden}.
And well, butternuts are pretty much one of the easiest set it and for get it vegetables I could think of to grow. So once the seeds pop up and get some true leaves on them, I’ll till up a small patch of earth over in the field and give that space a whirl.
Experimenting… it’s one of my favorite things about gardening.
Our tomato plants… they’re making a comeback. I was a little worried that I planted them too early but they seem to be doing okay.
The pepper plants are starting to get little buds on them.
And the radishes are coming along nicely.
We should be picking fresh lettuce in about a week or two.
The spinach hasn’t been as lucky though. What was I thinking planting it in the front in direct sunlight? I don’t know whether I should pull it all out now and plant some basil seeds instead, or just leave it be and see what happens.
And last but not least… our first zucchini plants are starting to make an appearance. Wahooo!
But what’s going on at YOUR place? How has the weather been? Are they helping your crops or slowing things down? Curious minds want to know.
Have a great day everyone, and don’t forget to stay hydrated.
~Mavis
Kim says
I don’t understand what you are doing with the lupines. Once they sprout, what happens next, if you are not transplanting them until next spring.
We plan a trip to Maine inSeptember. I presume we will not see the famous lupines that time of year?
We have had 6 weeks of heavy rain in our suburb of Dallas, TX. Our 40x 60 ft. garden looks so sad. Thankful we have grocery stores. Heaven help us if we were solely dependent on our gardens.
Mavis Butterfield says
I am growing them in pots this year and will transplant them to their spot in the yard next spring.
Kim says
I think the small size of those pots is what confused me. I assumed they would not flourish without more room for their roots.
laura says
hi mavis!
I am gardening in southern California (zone 9b) and got the garden going later than is optimal…oh well… I have picked 3 small cucumbers and one small zucchini so far! and the weather has been hot then cool as normal for this time of year so I guess that leaves me as my gardens worst enemy! every year is an educational experience!!
Trava says
Southwest Minnesota gardener and we are HOT (95+ every day for the past week with no changes predicted) and DRY (grass is brown in the yard)! I am watering my garden like crazy and things are coming along nicely for now but it could be a less than stellar crop if the weather doesn’t break soon!
Toni says
I live in Minnesota and the heat is setting records. It’s terrible!!! Upper 90s for what feels like weeks and no rain. I am tired of watering the garden! And the chickens are miserable. I have been putting ice in their water everyday in the afternoon and giving them frozen fruit as snacks. The garden seems to be loving it though. As for the rest of us, we are trying to stay cool indoors.
Annette says
Can you harvest the poppy seeds, shown in the picture, to use in baking?
Elle says
Zone 6. Everything is in and starting to grow. Harvest won’t start for another 6 weeks….at least!
Tomatoes, peppers-variety, eggplant, spaghetti squash and volunteered up is cilantro, oregano and thyme.
Amy B says
Central Iowa has been HOT! 90s and no rain. A few weeks ago we had frost warnings. My garden isn’t doing well because of all the crazy temperatures. Hopefully we get some rain soon!
LindaT says
You can have some of our rain. We live in SW Ohio and we got 5” last Thursday and it has poured again today. Forecast: rain. Outlast frost date is May 15 but it was 28 degrees on May 17. My garden has had it!
Lynn Y. says
Those pink poppies are just plain lovely! I hope you are getting better weather than we are here in northern Illinois as we are in a terrible drought.
Mimi says
The pink poppies are gorgeous!
I struggle with spinach for some reason – good luck with yours.
Here in the Willamette Valley we are in harvest mode. It’s fun to count the number of homegrown items on our dinner plates: lettuce, potatoes, green onions, strawberries, beets, carrots and pea pods so far.
Dianne says
Hi Mavis,
Love the pink poppies. They are gorgeous. Such a nice pink. Did you direct sow or did you plant from starters? Do you plant in Fall for next season or in the Spring zone 6A.
Camp Butterfield is really shaping up! Everything looks so good!
Thanks
Julie says
I’m interested in why you don’t plant your spinich in direct sun……I have planted it in direct sun for the whole 25+ years I have been gardening. The only difference is that I plant mine way early….like in March or earlier sometimes…in zone 5 . Just interesting what different zones do!!
Diane says
Here in TN, we went from the 90s and no rain to low 80s and rain every single day. I have lots to plant in two flower beds – coneflowers, lantanas, 3 kinds of basil, catnip, oregano, hillside pinks, zinnias, and milkweed. I try to plant flowers that my bees will like! A huge part of my backyard was completely turned over back in November for field lines, and now I am waiting excitedly for the bee-friendly seed mix I planted to grow! Red and white clover, sanfoin, vetch, alfalfa, partridge pea, and wildflowers. Fingers crossed!
Diana says
Every time I see your snip of the temps, I drool. I’ve lived in GA, zone 8a, for the last 40 years and have always hated the heat and humidity. Why do I stay? I have no idea. Many moons ago, I dreamed of retiring to New Hampshire (I went there several times for work and fell in love). I am now retired and have been contemplating a move for the last year to get away from this heat. The dread around fixing up, selling and packing up is what has me frozen here. I’ve got 3 houses I’d have to do that with and do it by myself. It’s a tad overwhelming, to say the least.
But now, I’m dreaming of a trip to Wyoming and Montana to sleep under the big sky and look at the stars. And I’m dreaming of a trip to Maine, to see if I could really handle all of the snow (I was raised in Michigan, so I think I could). But the relatively cool summers are what I’m really dreaming of…
Thank you for the inspiration…