Gardening in Coastal Maine – The Kitchen Garden. From the sky, our little kitchen garden doesn’t look very exciting.
But when you’re right smack in the middle of it, the garden looks completely different! 🙂
I think my favorite thing in the garden right now are the cabbages all lined up along the path. My guess is we’re about 3-4 weeks away from plates of fried cabbage and bacon on our table.
The rhubarb crowns we planted about 2 months ago are really starting to look nice.
And the parsley at the end of the row is nearly ready to harvest. Fresh herbs… You just can’t beat them.
A few of the peonies are in bloom along the fence. I decided not to pick any this year though. Maybe next year once their roots are a bit more established.
I’ve already harvested and dehydrated 2 batches of chives in my dehydrator. I think I’ll harvest another round today as chives are such a nice addition to soups and casseroles. Especially during the winter months.
Remember the potatoes I started growing in grow bags not too long ago. Well, it looks like they’re thriving. It will be interesting to see how many we end up with in such a small and confined space.
Tomatoes and radishes. {Once I harvest the radishes I’ll plant beet seeds down the center}.
I have peppers with lettuce {and then cilantro} growing in the center garden bed.
And cucumbers and {hopefully a few zucchini plants} in the last bed. Once I harvest the cucumbers I think I’ll plant carrots, parsnips or turnips in that space. Some sort of root vegetable. I’m just not sure what yet.
I know parsnips like a bit of frost, so maybe I’ll plant those.
I also have a little bit of thyme growing at the end of the cucumber bed.
And check it out! Earlier this spring I planted a row of asparagus along the back fence and while the first spears have already begun to bloom, more stalks are beginning to pop through the soil. How cool is that?
We won’t be able to harvest any of them for another two years…. but still. I don’t think we’ll ever have to purchase asparagus again once we do start harvesting. 😉
And last but not least, carrots. I planted these last night but now I can’t remember WHERE I planted them! Gaaa. I guess I’ll have to wait a week or two to find out. 😉
Gardening. It’s full of surprises. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Here’s to another productive day out in the yard.
~Mavis
Nancy Settel says
oh Mavis I would go for the parsnips! I never had a parsnip in my life until several years ago when I started roasting a few big trays of mixed veggies at the beginning of the week to serve through out the week. I fell in love with them and they keep oh so long in the fridge (uncooked). Recently just kind of made up a smooth thick creamy soup with them and boy are we in love with that. In fact making up more today we like to keep soup going in the fridge year round to get lots of veggies in us. Your garden looks amazing.
JudyB says
A few years ago I added parsnips to mashed potatoes and, Oh my goodness! It made the potatoes taste even more rich and potato-y! If you decide to grow some I would recommend trying it.
Cindy Miller says
Your garden looks amazing! My garden is my first on this property. It is either really behind or not doing well. My tomato and cauliflower are doing the best. When you dehydrated your chives, how long did you put them in for and did you cut them into pieces after? 🙂
Mavis Butterfield says
1 think they were in there about 6 hours at 135 degrees. I did not do a single layer. I didn’t cut them cut. Just broke them in half and stuffed in jars.
Diane says
Mavis, what kind of dehydrator do you have?
Mavis Butterfield says
COSORI Food Dehydrator
Wendy says
Just got through working in our garden. We are getting squash, bell peppers, hot peppers, and cucumbers. I also froze basil yesterday to put in the freezer for the salsa I make at the end of summer. Our five rows of black-eyed peas are starting to bloom. Picking blueberries and blackberries everyday. I made some blackberry jam. Yesterday I made three batches of blueberry muffins to freeze. It is supposed to get up to 99 today so I have given everything a really good watering early this morning. We have a well so right now we can water the garden and animals for the cost of the electricity to run the well-pump. After this garden stops producing we will pull it up and plant another five rows of black-eyed peas, turnip greens, cabbage, broccoli, and I’m going to try brussel sprouts this year. I am going to pull out the dehydrater today to put in basil instead of freezing. I am looking at the garden as my summer/fall job. I am looking at the garden/canning/freezing as my summer/fall job. What it is producing is probably more than I could make money-wise somewhere else.
Mavis Butterfield says
Are you drying your black eyed peas?
Wendy says
No, I cook them until about half done and then freeze in quart bags. They make their own broth. (in the South we call it “pot likker”) :). Then I just defrost and cook for about 30 more minutes. Delicious with corn bread.
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks for the info Wendy. 🙂
Linda says
Just curious Wendy,
What state do you live in? I’m in MS- still somewhat new at gardening & was wondering about planting the peas. I’d like to harvest some things this fall also so I was wondering if peas would be an option.
Wendy says
I’m in Alabama. We have done two crops of black-eyed peas for years now. You can search your Gardening Zone and should be able to find info as to when you can plant. We generally pull up the peas once they first planting has spent-usually around the last week of July or first of August and then immediately plant the second crop. Of course, the amount of sunshine and heat in August and September will play a big part in the harvest. But as you know, it is usually hot hot hot here in the Lower South until October. 🙂
Linda says
Thanks for the information Wendy!!!
Dee Patterson says
Don’t forget you might be able to find a crop or flower you could plant under trees, the Arabic nations have been doing so for ages.
In Spain, there’s gardens with plants growing just fine under trees, it’s the only shade they can find .
Julie V says
Yes, I’m trying to learn to coordinate my plantings so when space becomes open I have something else to plant in that spot… I’m Zone 5b and am looking forward to fall planting though summer has just officially arrived.
Christie says
What kind of fertilizer do you use? My plants don’t look nearly as healthy as yours!
Mavis Butterfield says
I don’t use anything. I am mulching with seaweed in the religious family garden plot though. I guess we’ll if there is a difference.
Katie C says
Your garden is so beautiful! I’m closeish to your old stomping grounds in the PNW, Mavis, and this spring has been so cold, everything is stunted in growth. Just the last few days, things have warmed up and everything is ready to get growing, so snow peas, strawberries, lettuce, chives, and green onions should be in our bellies pretty soon, and we’ve enjoyed lots of pretty blooms on our flowers. My garden is very small this year, but it has been fun. I’ve also got a cucamelon going, which the kids and I are VERY excited about.
Thanks for sharing! I always love your posts.
Jeanine says
Mavis…do you have any critters coming around checking out your garden? Did you put up some sort of fencing or fishing line? I have roses, sunflowers, flowers, in my garden and the dear found an opening and got in. They chomped down many plants. So disappointing. So, we are looking for the break and doing some adjustments to keep the deer out! I’ve had to cover a lot of plants to protect them. Bunny rabbits as well! So far so good for the butternut squash, zucchini, basil, tomato plants, zinnias, and herbs. Everyday there is something to do. Today I need to water. Yesterday it was 100 degrees and many plants were wilting.
Mavis Butterfield says
Not yet {fingers crossed}. I am going to put up some fishing line soom though for the deer. There is really nothing I can do to keep any rabbits or anything else out as teh area is just too big and electric fencing {or any other sort of fencing} would cost a fortune.
Susan H. says
My garden is struggling some due to groundhogs. Last year just putting garlic powder around seemed to work but this year rain kept washing it away. I am putting garlic oil saturated cotton balls in plastic bottles that I cut a few holes in. Placed a couple in the bean patch and so far so good! This works for cats but use peppermint oil instead.
Diane says
Peppermint oil on cotton balls inside a plastic bottle will repel cats? My neighbor has three cats and I am disgusted that they all use my flowerbeds! Gross! And how many bottles would I need, such as how many feet apart? I’m currently sprinkling coffee grounds on the beds as I’ve heard that repels cats also. Thank you!
Susan H. says
I was able to put the bottles several feet apart since cats have strong sense of smell. Using green soda bottles help them blend in the garden.
suzanne says
My cabbage is getting close as well looks like one might bolt as its growing taller rather than wider. Just harvested some celtuce. First time growing it. Tastes a bit like a mild seed free cuke with a potato finish. Good texture, slightly soft. I’ll sauté them for dinner before deciding if I’ll grow again next year.
Amber says
Once my garlic is harvested, I’ll be sticking some carrots into the ground for a fall harvest. Planning on doing some cold weather crops at the end of summer (peas, radishes, lettuce, and spinach) for some fall harvests as well.
My herbs in planters are desolate (dang bunnies), but my tomatoes plants are looking wonderful, peas are doing well, peppers look happy, and everything else is coming along swimmingly.
Amanda K says
I can’t get over the potatoes! Are those from the huge bag you showed us how to store them? Or are these the fingerling potatoes? Anyway I’m impressed.
Here in Flagstaff I’ve got zucchini and corn coming up and my peppers are a no show
Mavis Butterfield says
I wrote about them here: https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/gardening-in-coastal-maine-planting-zone-6a-may/ They were only planted 5 weeks ago! Holy cow. 🙂
Heather says
In northern Nevada: We have been dealing with late frost (way later than expected) so our zucchini, yellow squash and pepper plants lost their top leaves. Hopefully they will rebound soon. Peas really didn’t like the wind or cold weather so we aren’t sure if they are going to make it. Garlic and onions are doing great. I am interested in your potatoes. I would rather plant pieces with eyes than composting them so I might plant some of those next year assuming we have water.
Tracy says
Mavis, go ahead and cut your peonies. Cutting the blooms will actually help redirect all that energy into root development instead of blooms and going to seed.
Erica says
This is just my third year with this garden, so everything is an experiment. I’m growing peas, pole beans, bush beans, cherry peppers, jalapeños, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, San Marzano tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, potatoes and baby watermelon. The critters ate my carrot tops. Everything is in raised beds and pots so I’m trying to grow everything as vertically as possible. I don’t have much room left, but I have lots more green beans and my family loves them so as soon as there’s room anywhere that’s what I’ll plant.
Angela says
Mavis, how do you keep the weeds out of your vegetable beds?
Anne says
I am wondering this too!
Gigi says
My uncle loves asparagus so much he planted probably a 15×20 asparagus patch. They freeze a lot too and make cheese asparagus soup throughout the year. He has the plot away from his normal garden. Asparagus is deer resistant, so you could always do a third plot. I bet the tractor needs something to do.
Margo says
Your garden is not just functional but pleasing to the eye. I have a Cosori dehydrator as well and have been using to dry cherry tomatoes. I cut them in half, sprinkle with a little dried oregano and basil and dehydrate at 165 for about 5-6 hours. Fantastic savory little morsels good by themselves or thrown into a pot of sauce or stew. Dried some bell peppers and zucchini this year also. Already do veggies, but haven’t tried chives yet, not sure why, I have lots of onion and garlic chives that need to harvested. I’ll give it a shot.
Terri Lindeke says
Meanwhile in Washington State we are just reaching temperatures over 60… and it is nearly July. Seriously. I have a great strawberry patch…. but only little green berries. Have not even attempted to plant more… those that have .. have nada growing.
I’m not complaining – so much of the country is burning up in 100+ temperatures. Those don’t go well for people who live in Western Washington. We’re supposed to get warmer weather now… but it is late for so much.
My flower gardens are doing really well…
Enjoy your weekend
Jenn says
We had just one perfectly ripe berry here in our suburb near Seattle. One. 🙂 But the raspberry and blackberry flowers are abundant this year! With a bit of warmer weather I think it’ll be a great berry year!
But our poor basil is an inch tall. We planted it in April. The replacement greenhouse cover came last week. Hopefully it’ll help come autumn.