Dates be damned, summer has started. Any time of year featuring 90 to 100 degree weather cannot be called spring. Now that the monsoon season has ceased and the sweltering days if summer are underway, I spent the weekend digging into the dirt and getting the garden ready.
Wonder Boy and I tilled out garden and worked in lots of compost. In our raised bed I have planted beets, radishes and four varieties of green beans. We have two Topsy Turvies® with tomatoes hanging from our porch and they’re doing great. Next up is planting two types of hot peppers, squash and two kinds of kale. Then I think we’ll fill up all of our pots with tomato plants and peppers.
As awesome and chic as I think the backyard garden looks, the reality is that our backyard only gets sun in certain spots. (In fact, we’re contemplating giving up even trying to plant things in one large portion of our garden. Instead? Hammock! Not bad, right? Unfortunately, hammocks are a little more expensive than seeds so we need to save up.) To make up for this gardening redistribution, potted veggies are going to be out in full force along our driveway and the kale and squash are going to be in the front yard, I think.
All of this is in addition to the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) we joined this summer. I picked up the first shipment this weekend: kale, mint, garlic shoots, green onions and more.
Welcome, Summer. I’ve missed you.
Mandy
It is great! Our carrots, corn and cilantro are sprouting. The first tomato just made an appearance and we have small broccoli bites and the start of a green pepper. No signs of strawberries or blueberries though. Jonah will be disappointed.
Kate
Did you do them all by seed? Veggies are hard because they can take so long to harvest – I don’t think anything we planted can be harvested until end of July or, more likely, August. If you pull of corn or broccoli though, I’m jealous. I‘ve planted corn several times because I think it would be so funny. I get it to about knee-high and then it goes kaput. Any chance Jonah likes to weed? Because if he’s satisfied by crops of weeds, I can hook him up!
Mandy
Yes, the corn, carrots and cilantro are from seed. The rest were starters. I was surprised to see the broccoli actually looking like broccoli this early. We’ll see about the corn. I didn’t realize how much real estate it takes up for so little yield.
Unfortunately, Jonah is not a weeder. I tried. It’s a no go:)