This morning’s yarden walk at the NSSL!

I’ve been busy this morning, so I thought I’d share a little update. I’ll start at the front bed and walk in a circle. You should be able follow along from previous pictures. 🙂 I weeded the front beds, since it’s now clear what’s grass and what’s garlic. Mmmm garlic. I grow four kinds, I like it so much and it’s very easy. Best to plant in fall and then harvest in the following year.

I’m pretty excited about the scapes! Garlic scapes are the young stems, and I’ve posted a better picture below. Those may soon be in a stir fry. Look at the curl of the scape, and note the white part at the end. This is what will eventually make garlic bulblets. I usually replant them, but I saw a great post on the Lillie House blog about using them in cooking. I may do that!

I lost a blueberry bush over the winter so I bought two more from a guy on Westnedge Hill who periodically sells beautiful plants for $10. It’s a ridiculous deal so I planted an Aurora and an Earliblue this morning. I have berries forming on the Duke bushes. You can see the garlic behind them. This is why my yarden looks a mess but it’s all living happily together and producing.

The tomato wall dream is probably not going to fly. I have nice plants doing well, but given our weird weather (monsoon, then desert) this spring, I’m being cautious in my optimism.

The corn in the apple box is up, I pulled a ton of grass out today. I’m hoping I end up with some tasty ears in a couple months.

The bed under the walnut tree is taking off. A couple weeks ago I planted and things are sprouting up. The cucumbers, Mardi Gras beans, and sugar baby watermelons are coming on. The spaghetti squash is hanging in there, but I think there may be too much shade. We shall see. The yellow onions are beginning to annoy me. They should be very happy and they’re putzing along and not doing much. Ingrates.

The potatoes took some hits with the previously mentioned bizarre spring. We had stupid rains right after I planted and I think some drowned.. I’m down to four each on the Kennebec and the Yukon Gold.

The Waltham butternut squash I planted in the bed in front of the raspberries has sprouted. I’m going to have a ton of it, but it keeps well. The red onions are pissing me off, much like the yellow onions are.

The raised beds need weeding but that’s a job for tomorrow, maybe. I was distracted by the ripe strawberries, though. Yummy!!

Here’s a little primer on how easy it is to grow lettuce. You throw seeds on the ground and throw dirt on them and walk away. Two or three weeks later, May 30:

Witness June 30:

And finally, today:

Anyone can garden, and I’m proof. It’s hot sweaty work sometimes, but when your neighbor comes over to talk to you about gardening and brings you seeds, and when you can offer them a couple of fresh strawberries, that’s the best. It makes me so happy to work in the dirt.

What’s going on in your gardens?