Monday, June 17, 2013

I'm Wearing Out My Sweatshirt

It's not from wearing it so much, but rather from putting it on and taking it off so frequently.

Our weather has been wildly fluctuating from really warm to really cool.  Plus we've been having on and off showers for a couple of days.  Yesterday we got 1/2" (along with some powerful thunder boomers) which was good because we've not had any moisture for some time.  Today's rain measured only 2/10ths of an inch.

Garden report . . . 

Our strawberries are blossoming their little heads off and I was thinking we'd have to set up the sprinkler because they definitely need the moisture to make berries.  Now they should be okay at least for a while.
 


The shell peas aren't quite big enough yet to grab on to their trellis.  But they should be happy in the cool weather.  Come on, you little legumes, grow!


My first radishes, planted 23 days ago with alternate rows of lettuce, Swiss chard and spinach, should be forming crispy, crunchy round orbs . . . but they're not.


Surprisingly, the zucchini seeds are sprouted and doing well . . . inside their own little greenhouse.


The Brussels sprouts look good.  They're about 8" tall.


The bed of salad greens is finally coming into its own and we now have enough for our daily tossed salad.

The forecast for tonight is down to 38°.  Okay, I'd call that cool enough. 

Where's my sweatshirt?

17 comments:

Carolyn said...

Your weather is just wrong. Plain wrong. At least you'll have peas & lettuce. My peas (which, admittedly, I did plant late) are practically shriveled up & screaming for shade during the mid-day sun! Weeds abound though, of course.

Tombstone Livestock said...

Nothing wrong with your weather, enjoy it, wish it would cool off enough I would need a sweatshirt.

Lisa said...

LOVE your garden photos! All your beds and plants look so lovingly tended. Neat greenhouse idea. Sweatshirt? You've got to be kidding though I know you're not. We're in sauna bath weather mode and it is miserably muggy and hot much of the days. Weed growing weather.

Sue said...

Rollercoaster rides with the temps! I saw in our forecast we're supposed to hit the upper 30's (bet my sweet potatoes won't like that!) and the 90's by early next week. Oh joy.

Your lettuce bed looks fantastic. My only wish around these parts is that we could have our own tomatoes with the lettuce. Ha!--in our dreams. By the time the maters are ready, my lettuce has bolted like a horse in a thunderstorm. Dream big, I always say.

Amy Dingmann said...

The weather is just ridiculous, but your garden looks great! I say we all take up a collection to buy you a new sweatshirt? Or wait...next years weather will be ridiculous in a completely new and different way, right? ;)

Mama Pea said...

Carolyn - Some year you should try planting your peas in December. They might mature before your hot weather then! We all sure do have our own, unique gardening challenges, don't we?

Mama Pea said...

Tombstone Livestock - I think of you EVERY TIME I post something about the coolness of our weather this summer. Or when we get rain . . . any rain at all. (Bet you have a lot better tan than I do though.)

Mama Pea said...

Lisa - I know it's all in what we get used to but when I AM in hot, muggy weather, my body (and brain!) slows down to just slightly above comatose. I bet that sauna bath weather sweats lots of toxins out of your body! You're probably healthier than I am bundled in my sweatshirt!

Mama Pea said...

Sue - You are my shoulder to cry on because I think your temps are most like ours. Still, your garden always looks better than mine. (Mother Nature always liked you best!) Yeah, coordinating lettuce AND tomatoes from the garden is 'bout near impossible. Heck, tomatoes from the garden for me are 'bout near impossible!

Mama Pea said...

Amy - We Minnie-sodans just have to learn to roll with it. I've heard the farmers down your way are having a hard time of it with this cold weather. All the more reason we've gotta try (try, try and try again!) to grow as much as we can of our own stuff, eh?

Susan said...

Your garden sure looks good, though. What do you use to mulch your lettuces? I wouldn't dare leave mine unfenced, as the bunnies abound (in every way) and would wipe out the lot if given five minutes. I finally settled on the cold frame, covered with floating row cloth, held down by the glass panes on end. It ain't easy. We have had the same thing. While I do enjoy the nice sleeping weather, I start out with three layers and then I'm panting by noon.

Mama Pea said...

Susan - The salad greens are mulched with grass clippings. The only thing that saves my garden is the 7' high deer fencing around the whole area. Knock, knock on wood, but we've never had a rabbit get into the garden. Or deer, thank heavens! The deer would wipe us out in one night. So the pumpkin patch, the field garden, the raised beds, strawberry, raspberry and blueberry areas, along with the fruit trees are all within this fenced in area. Can't garden without that protection up here.

Cat Eye Cottage said...

Every thing looks great to me, especially your salad greens bed. And, I love your mini-greenhouse.

Mama Pea said...

The Weekend Homesteader - Well, thank you! It just seems everything is growing soooo slowly this year. (But maybe I think that every year at this time!)

Lisa said...

This year seems to be getting to me more and I've gotten to where I'm so tired of sweating (and stinking!) feels like I'm just more indoors this year. Didn't even get the tomatoes staked and it really looks like a jungle out there and that's just gonna have to be okay. Hmmm, good point about the brain.... Yeah... have to remember that one!

Sparkless said...

Oh goodness I thought you said you were "wearing only your sweatshirt", which was going to lead me to some comment about where were your pants. I had it all written until I came back and noticed I had read the title wrong. LOL!
We didn't plant any lettuce this year because the stuff we planted last year was so bitter no one wanted to eat it. But your lettuce looks so good I want to plant some now.

Mama Pea said...

Sparkless - Eeek. Too many bugs to run around in the garden without pants on. ;o}

Yes, I really hate it when conditions are such that the lettuce is bitter by the time it's ready to be harvested. I think our very cool (and wet) weather this year has been good for salad greens anyway . . . the lettuce and spinach and Swiss chard just about melt in your mouth. It is soooo good!