After months of waiting to garden… I’m already a whole month in! This year I’m playing things a little more chill and not updating or tracking as much. Here’s what’s going on:
Big picture
My community plot as of June 26
Flower power
This year I invested a little more in planting flowers (and also in not pulling up volunteer flowers), and it has been a lovely way to start the season. I started echinacea (coneflower) from seed last winter, grew it in the plot, and it never bloomed. This year it came back strong and has just started to bloom! It’s so exciting. Other favorites that I did this year: cactus flower zinnias, Kilimanjaro white marigold, calendula zeolights, glorious gleam and Alaska nasturtiums. I also had lots of mixed bachelor buttons and larkspur pop up and provide pollinator party spots and lovely early season color. I’m about ready to remove the volunteers to give my main plants more sun.
Milestones
Eggplant! I’m growing these for the first time this year and just spotted the first blossom! I have no idea what to expect with these guys.
Sugar snap peas! I’ve returned to the reliable mammoth melting sugar peas. I’m getting like 10 peas a day at this point. I’m hoping they keep it up before getting too hot and calling it a season.
Squashes! All of my squash are in the ground- acorn, honey nut, zuchini, and something else I forgot. Zucchini looks happy.
Luffa! Trying this one again for the second season. Tragically ended early last year, this one is about waist tall and looking good so far.
Beets, chard – just starting to harvest greens.
Pea haul!Early harvestThis is what an eggplant blossom looks like!Teeny tiny luffa babeLuffa vineZucchiniHoney nut squash
This weekend was the first community garden workday of the 2024 season. Things are officially kicking off!
Community garden work
We got some massive yardage of compost delivered to the garden and worked delivering it to each plot via wheelbarrow. This is typical every year, and is included in the garden fees. It’s a great trigger to start working in the dirt and get going in plot cleanup and prep for the summer.
We also have some water storage tanks that we can use until the water gets turned on for the season, and our local fire station graciously drove their truck over and emptied out their water tank to help us refill them.
This year I’ve learned that many of my plot neighbors are new to the garden! They all seem really nice, and I’m excited to see what they grow!
We’re also sponsored my one of my favorite restaurants this season, and they catered our first work day with burritos and spuds and pancakes (oh my!).
My plot
I’m in the same plot this year, planning to lay it out similarly, with a few modifications.
New low tunnel
I upgraded my low tunnel to be a little more substantial, and taller so I can work inside it easier. I’ve also moved my path so I can get into the tunnel from both sides. I built it from pex and pvc, with some hardware and round clips to hold the cover. So far my design is going ok, but I had major sway when 3 pvc pipes are placed on top (when the curtains are ope ), so I’ve improvised som internal bracing “cables”. We’ll see how it holds up. I’m trying to test it before I get plants in there.
New favorite tool pvc cutterFoundationFrameFrameLeaningggggggTie backTie backs on both ends to keep things in line
Layout plan
Old layout (north)Old layout (east)New layout (north)New layout (east)
Basically the plan this year is three N-S running rows/sections, and still have tall trellises along the north edge. I rearranged the paths and leveled things out. Feeling fairly organized for now.
What survived the winter?
Echinacea! I put two of these plants in from seed last year. They grew but never bloomed. I hoped but didn’t not expect them to come back- and they made it!
Tulips and crocuses- I tried out bulbs last fall, watered them once or twice, tucked them in with a blanket of mulch / leaves, and I was delighted then decided to pop up this spring. Tulips appeared to be delicious to bunnies, but they were resilient enough to persist.
Garlic- my friend had 6 extra garlic cloves in the fall. I stuck them in when I did the tulips and crocuses, tucked them in, and every last one of them made it. I have 6 hard-neck garlic plants thriving in the corner of my plot. I’ll get to try garlic scales for the first time hopefully.
Aspara”Gus” – small but loyal bunch of asparagus.
Rhu”Barbara” – RIP Barb. My rhubarb that suffered last season didn’t even pop up this year.
Miscellaneous seedlings. I have an army of baby dill plants reporting for duty, and several bachelor buttons and larkspur that re-seeded from my neighbors.
Tomatoes (currant, cherry, pink ping pong, sun gold, San marzano Roma)
Peppers (poblano, biquinho, some others)
Flowers (calendula, white marigolds, zinnias)
Eggplant (got free seeds, giving it a try)
Herbs (basil, parsley)
Luffa (one seed germinated, everyone pray for the baby plant)
Sweet potato slips
Leeks
Green onions
Shallots
That’s it for now. I’m going to be unable to do much for a few weeks so I’m pausing my operations. Up next is starting some squash, and getting root veg and snap peas in the ground.
Happy gardening! Hope your season is off to a good start too!
Things are winding down even more this month, but a few things are still going. I’m mostly waiting on winter squash, leeks, remaining beets and carrots, Lima beans, and parsnips! The parsnips are getting big but I’ve read that they get better after the first frost, so I’m not touching them.
Carrots
Carrot haul from the last few weeks of septemberLots of greensBuggy mess at the tops of some carrots!Hairy carrot
I’ve pulled up some carrots in the last month. These are a rainbow mix I direct sowed May 1. By coincidence mostly yellow ones are ready to be picked. So far they’re been mostly big and straight. I noticed a lot of ants around them, and a lot of little gray bugs around the tops that look like some kind of aphids. Regardless of the bug population they seem healthy root to leaf.
Tomatoes
Tomato haulMy tiny currant tomatoes still going strongTomato surplusDrying tomatoes
Tomatoes are still going strong! Slowing down a bit because temps are getting cooler at night, but I still get a few every time I visit the garden. Still having trouble with fruit splitting, but less since it has rained less and I’ve gone to water less often.
I tried drying tomatoes. It took at least 24 hours in the oven and they ended up bitter. Maybe I need to cut out the stem / core before I dry them. We’ll try again. At least the house smelled like roasted tomatoes for a few days.
Squash and cucumbers
Zuchini took a big nose dive and didn’t really recover from high heat and powdery mildew. Recently got some weird shaped romanesco squash. Gonna go ahead and say zuchini season is probably over.
Winter squash (butternut and honeynut) are still doing ok I don’t expect a large yield this year. I have hopes of getting one of each. Next year I need to start them earlier.
Etc
A few Lima beansBrussels sproutsGreensGreensBeetsBeetsPeppersPepper
ROAD TRIP 