Friday, June 23, 2017

How Does Your Garden Grow?

In my case, very slowly.  Our cool, wet June weather without much warmth or sunshine is keeping everything in the garden from taking off as I wish it would.


I hilled our potatoes for the first time yesterday, June 22nd.  Last year I hilled them for the second and last time on June 25th.  In the picture above, the row on the right is done, the one in the middle is half done, and the row on the left hasn't been worked on at all.


This is the third year of our asparagus which means we could harvest spears for a one month period which ended a week ago yesterday.  So now we're letting the spears go to ferns to feed the roots for next year.  We didn't have enough asparagus to freeze this year as we ate it nearly every day and shared some with others.  It was delish and enjoyed to the utmost.


You'd think our weather would be conducive to peas growing well, but it seems to me that neither the sugar snap peas (above on trellis) are as far along as they should be, nor are the shell peas (below).


These guys germinated really well, grew about five or six inches high . . . and are on hold at that point.


My Brussels sprouts are doing well.  Looking healthy, but not very tall yet.


The yellow and green beans are complaining it's been a little on the cool side for their liking.  Although they did germinate, they're not looking very healthy or vibrant right now.


Everyone warns to be careful where you plant mint as it will spread and take over your acreage.  I'd like it to just take over this bed.  But that's not happening with any speed.  It came up kinda spotty this year and you can see the far end of the bed had nothing in it until I put in two new plants.  Come on you little mint plants.  Purchasing a year's worth of peppermint for Papa Pea's daily morning mug of tea is expensive!

19 comments:

Susan said...

Thanks for the reminder vis a vis my potatoes! Time for tire #2! We had a wet, cold spring so my plants are behind, too. Lots of trouble germinating beets and chard. Never had trouble before.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

My peppermint is in a pot, and should be in a raised bed. Hubby and I found a tutorial of a raised bed, with a hinged top, we want to build for next year. My mullein died in the one pot too. Sigh. My peas are not very tall, but are producing like crazy.

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

It will all catch up. I'm wondering if my potatoes will rot in the ground with all this rain. -Jenn

gld said...

You need a start of my mint. I planted it last year and it has already filled the whiskey barrel planter. Glad I put it there.

My garden should be called the garden that isn't. I have a row of tomatoes that are looking very good with small green tomatoes, and 5 eggplants....plus a few hills of volunteer potatoes. That is it. My tiller will be in the shop for 3 more weeks....makes 5 weeks total. Ridiculous! We will survive.

Mama Pea said...

Susan - Same here with beets! Usually, every single seed I plant sprouts ten little shoots, but not this year. Seeded the bare spots for a second time and some have sprouted. Swiss chard did okay.

Mama Pea said...

Kristina - Yay for the producing peas . . . short or not!

Mama Pea said...

Jenn - 'Twould be a shame for your potatoes to rot. But if they've already sent up greenery, I don't think they will. Hopefully, the water will just keep draining down, down, down. Fingers crossed.

Mama Pea said...

Glenda - Did you deliberately cut down on your garden size this year? I know you've been crazy busy with your MIL's estate business. Or is it because of your tiller that is in the shop? You're such a fantastic baker that you and Max could live on good homemade bread all winter! Might not be the healthiest diet . . .

P.S. Send your mint-on-steroids this way. ;o)

Leigh said...

I'm so impressed with how neat and tidy your garden looks! We've had plenty of rain with heat to go with it, so everything is out of control, LOL.

Mama Pea said...

Thanks, Leigh, but only neat and tidy 'cause not much is growing yet! We had rain all day yesterday and today is, so far, bringing more of the same. Still cool, but couldn't be better for our wood working. Not good for most of the garden. I'm considering covering the whole area with full-spectrum fluorescent lighting and heat lamps!

Rain said...

Everything looks great to me!! I'm with you though, on the stalling. I just need some sunshine, not only for the garden but for my soul!!! I do have some peas already though...which surprised the heck out of me. I was just pruning the tomatoes yesterday and I saw something...wow, peas. First time ever, now I need to figure out when I can pluck'em!

Mama Pea said...

Rain - You have peas?!? Good goin'! Are these shell peas or sugar snap peas?

Rain said...

Yes! I have peas!! The package says "garden peas", they are the shell peas. I'm not a big fan but Alex loves them so I thought I'd give them a go! I'll post a photo tonight.

Mama Pea said...

If you just have a few of them, they will be wonderful thrown raw in salads or scrambled eggs or your wonderful quiches or just eaten out of hand. Can hardly wait for ours.

Sandy Livesay said...

Mama Pea,

You'll get to the left row of potatoes when you can. I can't wait until harvest time on those potatoes....your going to have a lot!!!

Using feedlot panels as vine trellis makes like so much easier. I like how you've combined two panel together in a straight row instead of an arch. I'm going to have to do that this next season, it makes it easier to harvest.

I'm wondering if it's that particular seed of beans because when I planted my yellow beans several years back they really looked terrible and didn't produce like they should.

Mint tea, just love it. Yes, I agree the mint is expensive in the store. Come on mint....grow!! Do you use the mint right out of the garden for your husbands tea, or do you dehydrate the mint first.

Hugs,
Sandy

MrsDuncanMahogany said...

My garden is very laggy still! We had mostly rain all weekend and things are starting to look a little mossy. We need sun which we currently have outside my office window but the warmth is not there!

And they are calling for more rain middle of this week! I might just join your ducks for a splash about the pool!

Mama Pea said...

Sandy - I dehydrate the mint before he uses it. That's why my goal is to have a year's supply dried and put by. Haven't even come close yet though in the past couple of years I've been trying. :o(

P.S. I went out and finished the potato hilling that same day. (Good girl, good girl.)

Mama Pea said...

MrsDM - You and I continue to have the same kind of weather! An inch and a half in our rain gauge yesterday morning . . . and more scheduled to start about noon today. Ugh.

harada57 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.