June 05, 2019
What an incredible spring we're having. My son and I both have ripe zucchini. Zucchini before Father's Day is a record breaker for me. He's got ripe tomatoes and peppers. I've got an orange tomato that will surely ripen within a few days blowing"ripe tomato by the 4th of July" out of the water..
The second refrigerator has spinach, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, asparagus, lettuce and chard in it. The cabbage has formed heads, the beans have blossoms, and I've got a half inch cucumber. We are having three veggies at dinner every night and have cut out the rice or potato. There is no doubt that successful veggie gardeners eat more healthy food than the average citizen..
June 06, 2019
The artichokes seemed to have zipped right along this year. They hastily put out two blushes of chokes and started wilting their leaves and looking emaciated. That pyradactyl look was not pleasing to me this year. It might have been the heat. Judging from everything else in the garden we've had an exceptionally warm spring. I cut the artichoke stems off four inches above the ground to stimulate new growth and was reminded that I should divide the plants every three to four years..
I've procrastinated for years but I think the chokes are getting smaller so this winter I'll try to decide where to put new plants. The garden structure as it is limits my choices. I've been remiss. I might try planting some outside the garden because they are deer resistant..
June 07, 2019
I find myself walking more slowly through the garden lately. It's all planted and time to admire. Patches of corn, rows of cabbage, mounds of melons and squash. The pea vines, three feet tall, thick, dark green, covered in ripening peas and flowers, crisp and succulent, full of shadows, are in and of themselves a wonder to observe. The newly planted lettuce and spinach seem like they would like shade from the harsh heat of the mid day sun..
They look too delicate growing in the same environment as the spaghetti squash, which is billowing upward like a cumulus cloud. The cauliflower are ripening quickly, providing a new row for the bush beans. The Brussels sprouts are forming little heads in the crotches of the leaves, looking perfectly normal to the untraind eye, but I know they are up to some sort of devious behavior as in all years past..
