Back from Boston! - Garden Update

Peas. Everywhere, peas!

I left for a week, and the garden went NUTS!

It was a hot week, mostly in the 80s, with lots of rain and a good amount of sunshine.

Sean did an admirable job of keeping up with the house and plants on his own.

Even still, the peas ended up strangling one another, the tomato trellis proved to be a 2-person job, and the garden is now home to a sneaky rodent who nibbles on our strawberries and Swiss Chard when we're not looking!

Here are some photos from this morning...

Sean finished the gate! Lovely, isn't it?

Radishes are blooming on the left, and I'm coaxing the Sweet William to spread on the right.

Beans have taken well to their lattice trellis, and so far the three eggplant seedlings have kept their tops.
Three other eggplants in pots were eaten by a rogue rodent.

These Little Marvel Peas are supposed to grow in a more bush-like manner.
These guys, however, are nearly as tall as the regular vine peas. They've nearly grasped the tree!

These Champion English shelling peas are said to reach 12 feet!
They doubled over in strong winds, a few days ago, but seem to have recovered.

Rascally peas are trying to strangle out any competition, including these mysterious Star Lilies!
I'm glad I'll get to see them bloom, as I thought I'd miss it while I was away.

I'm a big fan of peas, but these sky-high Amish Snap Peas are getting a bit wild...

What was our early spring salad bed is now transitioning into a "whatever fits" garden bed.
We've pulled the spinach, which had gone to seed, and replaced it with Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts and other odds and ends.

Straggler radishes, soon to be pulled.

This 10-foot tomato bed is doing well!
Trellising is always an experiment. This time we're using T-Posts and Red Brand goat & sheep fencing. If we don't add the final row of fence soon, these tomatoes will be wild, indeed!

We've been rich in Strawberries this week. Delish!

This is our Hugelkultur Bed! More on this later.
It's full of gourds - Summer Squashes, Pumpkins, Melons and more.

Tomatoes Headed to Market! - Garden Update

I'm a nervous plant mamma this morning, as I prepare to send my tomato plants to market. I started far too many seeds this spring! We've planted about 30 tomatoes in the garden (a dozen varieties - all heirloom organic), which left me with 2 dozen extra plants in need of good homes.

The first dozen went fast, as did my extra egg plants and some peppers. These tomato remainders are headed to the South Lansing Farmers Market, and will be sold by our friend at the Clover Row Gardens booth (along with delicious homemade breads and herbs). I'm nervous! I hope these little plants find good homes. I'm sending along a nice tablecloth, in hopes that they'll stand out.

 

I'm also sending along a few extra Crimson Rambler Morning Glory plants, which Sean said I'm ABSOLUTELY NOT allowed to plant in the garden. Spoilsport!

Quick Garden Update:
 - The Hugelkultur bed is a success! Our summer squashes, pumpkins, melons and radishes are growing well, and loving this hot and rainy weather. A Hugelkultur tutorial post is forthcoming.
 - All new apple trees seem to have survived their planting, and are thriving. We have 9 trees, but the "official" definition of an orchard is 10 trees. So, what do we have, a "planned grouping" of apple trees? This seems like reason enough to get just one more...
 - Peas everywhere! Daily, I find myself glaring at the pea trellises. They're trying to strangle one another, and doing a damn good job of it.
 - Last weekend we installed DRIP IRRIGATION. It's pretty fabulous.
 - At long last, I've created a Facebook page to showcase the fruits of our labors. You can find photos of what we're doing, what we're making and what's growing at www.facebook.com/BartonGardens.
 - IT'S TOO HOT! This spring became summer too quickly, and our salads suffer for it. The spinach is bolting and slightly bitter. The radishes are sending up shoots, eating up their own tasty roots in the process. The lettuce stands strong, thus far, but I suspect it will go to seed, soon. This weekend I'm planting an interesting, hot-weather spinach variety. Wish me luck!