Today is going to be another wet and soggy day here in the Pacific Northwest but here is the view from the back of the main garden. A few years ago we installed 16 raised garden beds and ever since then I just can’t stay out of the dirt.
Mr. Gnome Guy #9 is from Miami, Florida and he has been doing a fantastic job guarding our sugar snap peas. The pea vines should begin climbing up the teepee poles any day now.
The garlic is coming along nicely and should be ready to harvest in late June or early July.
Artichokes. Lucy has a horrible habit of running though the artichoke bed and tearing off a leaf as she passes through. What a total stinker!
The square foot garden so far has 9 of 32 squares planted. I think I’ll try and get outside this weekend and plant a few more. Every time I walk by I stop and stare and wonder where on earth I am going to place the tomato plants. I still have not figured out how many should be planted or which ones I’ll stick in there.
Onions and radishes, companion planting is cool!
Radish leaves. I wish I could remember which variety this is. I planted 5 different types this year.
Cabbage and radishes.
On days like today, I wish there was some sort of fast forward button I could push and it would be June. The plants need sunshine and warmer temperatures to thrive, not this wet and windy weather we’ve been having lately.
Growing food is cool, there is no doubt about it. But waiting to plant all your seeds is tough!
How is YOUR garden growing? Have you planted any seeds lately? Do I dare ask if you have harvested anything yet?
~Mavis
michelle g-b says
Gah. I am just not motivated yet! It’s cold & wet & the weeds & slugs are rampant! I have 23 tomato plants, 18 peppers & 3 eggplant under lights in the house just waiting for warm weather. I’m kind of in the same boat! I admire your determination…. but I’m just not there yet.
crlzmmr says
I harvested one strawberry. It was delicious.
Stephanie says
I live in sunny So Cal and this week we harvested lettuce, swiss chard, collard greens, and loquats. Also the kids harvested and ate 2 sugar snap peas and 2 carrots 🙂
Molly Leber says
Mavis your gardens look wonderful for April! Your artichokes are definitely bigger than mine. I’m up in Arlington, so it’s a little cooler. About the tomatoes…I would suggest to only plant determinate varieties in the beds. Especially the square foot beds! I have made the mistake of planting a rampant cherry variety and it turned into Godzilla and took over! Now the indeterminate varieties stay potted on my deck…and the kids love to graze on them and keep hem in check.
Mavis says
I think I might grow the Cherokee Purple ones in the square foot garden. The plant itself never seems to get too big.
pat Lewis says
Got our 2 potato towers planted but still have about 5 more pounds of seed potatoes left over! Will need to build mor towers! Cold here in Ohio today but we planted cabbage, radishes, onions, broccoli, Swiss chard, spinach and lettuces and put up our pea tower and planted peas around it!
While we were working outside, we had a little fire going in the chiminea to warm us up as well as to clear up some of the little branches in the yard from the winter!
Dale Ann says
In the greenhouse the plants are doing wonderful, and I’ve harvested 11 tomatoes, plus some rosemary and sage from plants that spend year round there.
Outside (Duluth, Minnesota area)…all I can say is snow, snow, go away! Come again next winter! Thursday, Friday, and this morning produced another 12 inches…with more forecast for tomorrow and Monday.
Minnesota and snow go together…but…this is not normal! April should be a warming up and melting month!
Brittany says
I was SO excited about my artichokes last year and they didn’t make it through the winter. I read up on how to keep them warm when it got cold and I thought they would be fine but only one came back. and it’s really not even back. There are a few green leaves showing. I’m so frustrated and sad as artichokes are one of our favorites! How do you ensure they come back each year? 🙁
We’re also huge fans of asparagus so I’m thinking of doing that but I’m so impatient. The 3 year wait thing kinda discourages me.
Margery says
I love my raised beds as it has been easier to train kids and pets ( except the chickens) to stay out of them. I would look on training Lucy to stay out of the beds otherwise it’s going to be a long summer. The nice thing with the raised beds it gives them a visual of where not to be.
My son just finished building me 5 more.
Lucy says
Mavis & friends
I have 12 raised bed gardens here in Colorado and I love them, the problem I have is how to water them?? I ran soaker hoses in each bed, but never have enought time to go out and switch the hose between each of the soakers in the beds. Is there a better way?
Any ideas would be appreciated 🙂
Isabel Conger says
Here in the Colorado Rockies, we just got 2.5 feet of snow in 3 days! Love reading what you are doing, but it is kind of a tease as our last freeze isn’t until June. I am a novice and have very short seasons to try to learn!
Mavis says
Wow! I had no idea it snowed up until June!!! 🙁