We have been getting the compost turned, giving the raised beds some extra composted manure and getting everything ready for the seedlings to go out. Hopefully this weekend we will have everything in the backyard garden and will only have the big garden left to work on. Our lettuces are ready, so our first salad from the garden is coming shortly...the kale and spinach have taken a beating though from the squirrels, for some reason they want to dig them up. I added a lovely aluminum pie plate on a stick to scare them a bit and it works until the plate gets free. I hate having what looks like junk hanging in my garden, but I also don't want the groundhog eating my lettuce and the squirrels digging up my other greens! The seedlings are holding on even though I have had some dampening off and the garlic spray seems to be helping some of them. I was glad that we put in grow lights for them because it has been so cloudy and rainy for the past couple weeks, although you can tell we had s...
Yesterday was the first day of Summer, and most of the garden is doing well. It has been providing us with salad greens for the past couple of weeks, along with fresh kale. The early salads were and Asian mix, and if I had the seed packet, I would tell you what was in it, but I don't. It was spicier lettuces that showed up early and began flowering recently. One day it wasn't, then it looked like it might and them boom! Flowers. Jen is leaving them around for the bees while we plot where we are going to plant the next round of lettuce. Aside from the Asian mix, we have some buttery soft lettuces, and again I don't know what the names are. I'm sure Jen could tell you but I can't. Those are not flowering and seem to be a never-ending source of fresh salad greens. Its been pretty great and we'll be planing more of those. Greens are easy though they grow early, and you eat them. What's really cool is the salad turnips were ready, and we ate some already. Look ...
Well, a quick update on pests and the weather. Aphids are decreasing in numbers after hitting them with "Safer Soap" from Paris Farmers Union. An approved for organic garden option that appears to get approval from lots of people. Squirrels have been hiding out and not digging in the garden, probably due to the horrible weeks of rain. Which brings me to our worst "pest" so far, the rain! We lost our melons (there is still one pathetic looking vine, but I think it will not produce melons before it gets too late. We lost our kale, lettuce and spinach to the rain as well, just started getting yellow, it did not mature correctly and got bitter while still small. We tore it all up and stared new this weekend. Hopefully this will get us going into the next weather pattern ans we will get more sun and better looking crops. The tomatoes, basil, and peppers are looking a little weak as well, but the couple days of sun gave them a boost. Cabbages, broccoli, brussel sprout...
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