Hello and Happy Wednesday!
It’s hard to believe that our garden was only created a month ago but here we are, already harvesting our first veggies.
Yesterday I pulled up our first radish and oh my was it lovely. I also placed an order for a few more seed packets because Botanical Interests is having a 40% off summer seed sale and I thought it might be fun to try and grow a few things under a cold frame or row covers this fall.
I’m not sure how far into the winter I’ll be able to harvest veggies, I haven’t quite figured that part out yet, but I know I still have time before I’ll need to start cabbage, broccoli, turnip and carrots seeds so there’s that. 😉
I’ve always said that part of the fun of gardening is experimenting, and well, this winter I guess we’ll see what we can grow in the frozen tundra here in Maine.
The mesclun lettuce is up and I’d say we’re about a week away from our first home grown salad mix.
And the peas! They’ve finally begun to cling to the trellis, which is a good thing!
And the pole beans are on their way too.
This year we have tomatoes growing in both cages and on poles and I wonder which system will work out best. If only I had a greenhouse, I could grow them from floor to ceiling. Wouldn’t that be fun!
Baby basil. Finally getting their first set of true leaves. I think next week I’ll plant another row because seriously, you can never have enough basil {or pesto}.
And the butternut squash 2.0 seeds that I planted last week… about half of them are up. I’ll be planting those in the field once I get an area cleared as sort of a trial run to see how well they do over in that spot, and to make sure we want to till up a giant space for a big garden {and most likely install a greenhouse} next year.
And the zinnias I started from seeds, those are coming up too! I think I’ll plant them by the mail box this year for a little burst of color.
And those peonies I dug up and transplanted about 6 weeks ago… they are getting ready to bloom. Pink! I was hoping for creamy white ones, but pink will work too. 🙂
And last but not least, those 1 gallon Bloomstruck hydrangeas we planted two months ago, they’re blooming as well. I know they won’t get super big and bushy this year {or next} but I think once they hit around the three year mark I’ll be close to that dreamy white picket fence with hydrangeas spilling over look I’m going for.
Gardening, it’s a process. And I’m so happy to be in a place where I’ll finally get to see it all unfold. 🙂
Life is good.
So how is YOUR garden doing these days? What have you been harvesting lately? More than radishes I hope.
Have a great day everyone, stay awesome.
~Mavis
Laura reinhart says
Zone5 western NY I have baby tomatoes, eggplant and pepper blossoms, baby basil and zucchini. I also grow plumeria and this year a meyer lemon for fun. The fairy polyantha rose and I’ve ordered some david austin roses. This year we are building a pergola over our front door and I will train roses over it.
Mavis Butterfield says
I just looked up plumeria. VERY pretty! 😉
debbie in alaska says
Plumeria smells so pretty
Susie Janov says
Laura, I’m so curious how the heck you grow plumeria so far north! I’m in Florida & have about 16 plumeria right now, but even in Zone 9b, it’s a little iffy when the temps drop in the winter. Do you keep them indoors or in a greenhouse? What varieties do you have? My newest are Metallica, Strawberry Waterfalls (buds just showed up on the inflo today!), Musk Rainbow, Mardi Gras, Scarlett Night, and I just planted a Fireblast cutting. I’d love to hear what you have & how you do it in NY! 🙂
Linda T says
I am in southern Ohio. We went to Florida 3 winters ago and I got a piece of plumeria out of roadside cleanup. It is 3 ft tall with 3 limbs now, but we have been bringing it inside in the winter. I know it is colder in NY. Are you bringing yours in too?
Mel says
In zone 7A (coastal Southern Maryland), here’s where things stand for us:
1. Peas and Beans: I just pulled our pea vines so that our green beans could use the trellises. We have three beds with 2 types of beans in each (Alabama black-eyed lima, Rattlesnake Pole, Greasy Grits, Kentucky Wonder Wax, Chinese Red Noodle Beans, and Cherokee Trail of Tears).
2. Tomatoes: I installed my new tomato trellis system in our raised beds on Sunday, and I think it might actually work! The plants are only about 4-5′ right now, but it seems like the trellis will keep them secure and off the ground but still within reach for picking. I’m also experimenting with growing some extra tomato plants in buckets this year. They got a later start, but they are growing fast, and I’m really happy with the cages I bought for them, so I’m looking forward to seeing how they do. I probably need to go fertilize them though. I also have one dwarf tomato that already has tomatoes turning red. In total, we have 37 tomato plants.
3. Herbs: We have tons of herbs growing, but I haven’t had much time to cook with them since I’m working this summer and life is generally crazy right now, so I hope I get a chance to do more of that soon. I did make chervil butter and froze it, and we tried out Vietnamese Coriander on nachos in place of cilantro. Our basil is exploding too. We have so many neat types of herbs growing, and the layout for that part of the garden is working so much better, so I’m counting that as a win even if I can’t use them all this year.
4. Flowers. I’m slowly easing into incorporating more flowers into the garden. This year we had snapdragons, lantana, black and blue sage, forget me nots, zinnia, alyssum, dwarf phlox, milkweek, purple coneflower, bee balm, and cardinal flower. They’re all doing pretty well, but they aren’t all flowering yet.
5. Miscellaneous: Our garlic didn’t make it (first time ever), but we are switching out that bed anyway. Our potatoes are doing pretty well, and our blackberries and blueberries are starting to ripen. My husband also bought raspberry canes, but he still needs to build a bed for them. Our cucumbers are taking over their trellis but not quite producing yet, and our peppers are leafing out but are still pretty small.
Mavis Butterfield says
What do you do with your flowers Mel? I have a hard time planting flowers unless I’m going to cut them and bring them in the house{I know I’m weird that way}.
Also, have you ever tried growing Sugar Magnolia Snap Pea Seeds? The pods edible and purple! I just ordered a few packets to sow for my fall peas.
Mel says
I haven’t tried Sugar Magnolia, but I tried to get seeds this year, and they were sold out! It’s too hot around here now, but I might try again next year.
I actually have a really hard time incorporating flowers because I really don’t know what to do with them! I avoid cut flowers in summer because we have so many bugs, and bouquets tend bring them into the house. So, this year I decided to just mix flowers into the herb garden in order to support pollinators. I have a few varieties of non-herb flowers in there to fill it out, but lots of herbs have attractive flowers (lantana, catmint, Cinnamon basil, bee balm, etc.) that bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love, so I mostly stuck with those. Herbs also tend to respond well to pruning, so it’s easy enough to just walk through and pinch everything back to keep them neat and tidy.
I also made the herb/flower garden modular by growing almost everything in pots, so I can easily rearrange them if something grows taller than expected, swap out anything that dies or gets too ratty looking, etc., and there’s no weeding necessary. When everything starts to die back in the fall, I’m going to replace all the annual herbs with pansies and other cool weather annual flowers so the blooms keep going.
Nancy says
How effective is your picket fence in keeping out squirrels, rabbits, and deer? Considering this for a future garden! Thanks
Mavis Butterfield says
So far so good {knock on wood}. The true test will be when the tomatoes and beans are ripe. 🙂 Stay tuned…
Kippy says
So very happy you told us about Botanical Interests earlier this spring! I ordered lots of seed varieties from them. The peas are just about to flower, the kale is leafing out and the loofah is coming up.
Bridget says
I 2nd your comment about Botanicals Interest. I ordered several items from them. My loofah is also coming up and doing well! I’m in Mississippi zone 7b.
Pam says
Here in Michigan I’ve been harvesting lettuce, radishes and garlic scapes! My spinach is just getting big enough to harvest and I’ve noticed yesterday that I have some peas that should be ready in another day or two. I love my garden goodies!!
Indio says
I think fedco sells seeds for short growing season. They mature faster than zone 8 plants.
Diana says
Hi Mavis!
Zone 8a, Georgia here.
Blueberries are ripening and I’ve been getting a handful or so each day. Nice to snack on while working in the garden.
Blackberries were abundant and are just about done.
Strawberries are still going, but the bugs keep getting them before I do, dang it.
I’m getting to the point where in ground gardening is difficult for me, so I’m going to all potted or raised gardens this year. All of the below are being grown in nursery cans (2-3 gallon) or large glazed pottery.
My first cherry tomato (variety Black Cherry) is just about ready to pick. I have a couple of JetStar tomatoes and they are both full of fruit – a couple are beginning to ripen.
I harvested garlic and potatoes (40+ lbs!) this week. All were in nursery cans.
My first bell pepper is about ready to pick.
Onions are just about ready to harvest.
I’ve got cucumbers coming in (Gerkin – gonna try baby pickles this year) and sweet potatoes potted up and growing.
Basil is just about ready to harvest and I’m going to start more seeds this week.
Planted peanuts yesterday.
Carrots are up and I’m experimenting with trying to grow iceberg lettuce. It usually does terrible here in the South, but I’m gonna try a couple of things and see if I can get it going.
Whew! Didn’t realize I had that much going on! LOL!
I’m looking forward to seeing how you do with your garden this year.