Last night I took a walk around the garden and snapped a few photos, and it’s a good thing I did it then. This morning, it’s raining cats and dogs, and unless it clears up later this afternoon, I think I’ll just stay indoors today and work on a few projects instead of playing in the garden.
The broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage are huge. I’m a little worried about the cabbage though, I may have planted them a bit to close. But I am starting too see little heads of cabbage in the center, so maybe I’ll be okay. We’ll see.
The Bull’s Blood Heirloom Beets are starting to create a nice border around the caged heirloom tomatoes in this garden box. I like to be able to maximize my growing space, so this year I have created borders around all of my tomato beds. Beets, carrots, radish, and chard are what I have companion planted so far.
This pallet garden is filled with broccoli and beets. I think I need to find a small wooden board and nail it to the end of the pallet to hold the dirt in.
The kale plant I picked a few weeks ago has grown back. I think this time around I’ll try the kale soup recipe from Olive Garden everybody was raving about last time around.
These days , the greenhouse is getting harder and harder to walk in to. The tomato plants I had growing in the corners of the greenhouse had to be pulled inward a bit last night. I guess I didn’t really account for walking space. Ha Ha Ha. I may have to hire my little {8 year old} neighbor girl to water, weed and pick veggies in there this summer.
And last but not least, here is a view of the 16 garden boxes from the greenhouse. With the exception of just a few seeds, everything has been planted. So now we just wait. For sun.
Mavis wants to know…
How is your garden growing this week? Have you planted anything new lately?
Today, How to Grow More Vegetables, now in its fully revised and updated 8th edition, is the go-to reference for food growers at every level: from home gardeners dedicated to nurturing their backyard edibles in maximum harmony with nature’s cycles, to small-scale commercial producers interested in optimizing soil fertility and increasing plant productivity. Whether you hope to harvest your first tomatoes next summer or are planning to grow enough to feed your whole family in years to come, How to Grow More Vegetables is your indispensable sustainable garden guide. ~Amazon
Sarah says
Wow Mavis! Looking great! I’m so jealous of your greenhouse.
I planted three new tomato plants this week, and tried your border idea with carrots and radishes. I have five other tomato plants that have tons of baby tomatoes. A few big tomatoes should be ready to pick here in a few days. SO EXCITED FOR MY FIRST TOMATO. I’ve been harvesting tons of greens, carrots, beets, etc., but I’m ready for tomatoes.
Have you thought of any plants you wish you planted or plan to plant next year? Just curious because I usually come up with a few around this time of the spring/summer.
Keep up the good work!
Mavis says
I just wish I had more room to work with so I could grow more stuff. 🙂
Tiffany says
Not sure where you live, but since you’re close enough to Puyallup to go to the fair a couple weeks ago, you must be in the Pacific NW. As am I. Or should I say, in the rainy, soggy Pacific NW. We planted our garden last weekend and I swear it is literally drowning out there. I hope the sun comes out soon.
Susan says
Same here in SW WA !
We have 2 rows of radishes, 3 hills of squash and a couple of tomato plants and that is it for now. Things are growing slowly in this wet, cold weather we are having.
It is too wet to plant.
Kathy says
Looking awesome! My garden is going to be so much cooler next year after watching what you’ve done. 🙂
One question – what do you use to repel slugs and cabbage worms? My brussicas get DEMOLISHED, no matter what I try! I have two ducks, but they trample all over everything, so I don’t give them access to my garden (even though I know they love slugs…although most of my slugs seem to come out at night). Hmmm….
Jenn says
Hi Kathy 🙂 You may want to try spraying leftover coffee to deter the slugs. Maybe even sprinkle a circle of coffe grounds and spray the rest with leftover coffee to try and stop them. My FIL does this and swears by it.
No help on cabbage worms 🙁 I haven’t grown any cabbage yet.
Meghan says
My husband’s military, and we’re currently stationed in Anchorage, Alaska. I have to say, this the toughest growing climate I’ve ever lived in! The ground really is just too cold to grow much in. I even started most things indoors super early, but nothing seems to be jumping at the chance to grow. I do have peas, herbs, and flowers in vertically growing pallets that are doing pretty well, but my in-ground items are hardly doing anything. Boo hoo! My raised beds aren’t doing too bad, but still not the drastic growth you think of when you picture all the daylight we get! Thankfully my carrots and beets started peeking out this week. Hopefully they’ll mature before our super short growing season passes by!
Mavis says
Boo hoo is right. I wish I had advise for growing food in Alaska.
Jenn says
Which ones are the brussel sprouts? I would love to grow them but I’m nervous! Are they hard to grow? Anyone have issues with them?
Mavis says
The back in the far right behind the cabbage. This is the first year I have grown them. So far so good. 🙂
Erin @ Simply Frugal Mom says
I just love your garden tours, Mavis. Your blog is so inspiring to see what us city dwellers can grow. I have everything planted in my garden now and I’m ready for some sunshine so everything starts growing. I’m a little worried about all the rain we have been having (I’m in the Seattle area, too) but hopefully everything will drain properly.
I did a garden tour of my garden on my blog today as well. Feel free to stop by 🙂
http://www.simplyfrugalmom.com/2012/06/07/yet-another-garden-update/
Mavis says
I did and your broccoli looks great! Keep up the great work.
Mavis says
Crazy crazy crazy. I’m going to have to try that.
Lise scovill says
Well I am currently in Norway on vacation, been here for 3 weeks and going home on Tuesday. Was looking forward to my garden and going home and picking lots of peas and strawberries that my husband has been telling me about until he called this morning. 9 baby rabbits had gotten lose and since I have netting v
Over my garden we though they where safe BUT the smart bunnies jumped up on the netting to hold it down and then had themselves a lovely meal. EVERYTHING is gone, the broccolie, tomatoes the top of the carrots (which hopefully will still grow under the dirt) the strawberries and all the sugar peas have been eaten up…l wonder if it’s to late to start all over again???? He didn’t say anything about the lettuce and cauliflower but I assume when he said everything was gone he meant everything!!!! Yeah for going on vacation
Mavis says
Tell me about Norway. What are you doing there? I want to visit norway someday. I’ve heard it’s beautiful. What city are you staying in?
Lise scovill says
I it absolutely beautiful here. My mom bough a house out on one of the islands in the south and it’s incredible. I took my two kids under two here 3 weeks ago and going home in 2 days. Very sad day but excited to we husband again. We are in a city called fredrikstad, it’s about an hour south of Oslo. The weather is nice, the temp in the ocean is perfect and I cAnt wait to get home and try to rescue some of my garden 🙂 its going to be an un healthy summer if I can’t get anything out of it, cause I started the garden cause we are in a bad e onomic situation. Oh well I’ve eaten plenty of Norwegian strawberries lol
Heather S. says
It looks like you should have your own book! Everything looks great. We had a little bit of a cold spell here in Reno and my tomatoes froze 🙁 I went and picked up a couple more plants (I only have one garden box), but didn’t find the same varieties. I’m still excited and hopeful to pick something this year – other than a few strawberries that never seem to make it even into the house because my youngest always eats them as soon as they are picked! Love the pictures!!!
Christy says
random question…I’ve noticed in some of your garden update post pics that your raised beds look like they’re elevated on one side to have the bed sit flat…is that the case (or is it just an optical illusion)? If so, how did you do it? I’m trying to decide if I should even my raised beds or just go with the flow?
:: C