Saturday, May 22, 2010

First harvest

Well, the only casualty from that frost was one basil plant. I had it covered, but it still turned black and died. Other than that, everything else survived.

As of today, the garden is fully planted -- every square is occupied. I transplanted my peppers, squash and cucumbers, as well as direct sowed more carrots, radishes and cilantro. I also planted some cucumber seeds in my pea squares because I read somewhere that by the time the cucs needs the trellis, the peas are finished. I'm experimenting with that this year, since it would maximize the space and trellis usage if it works.

Harvested our first crops today -- 6 radishes and enough lettuce for 3 servings of salad. I forgot how much better homegrown lettuce tastes versus store-bought lettuce.

I'm still trying to figure out what to do about staking my front-row tomatoes as well as my cucs and squash. They want $2.50/ea. for basic wooden garden stakes at the store. And since I'd need about 15, I'm trying to figure out a free or cheap way to stake the remaining plants. I'd build more of my EMT trellises, but the plants in question are pretty close to their northern neighbors, and I was hoping to go with something smaller and simpler to avoid shade issues. I'll keep thinking. Still another couple weeks before anything is large enough to need the trellis.

Leafminers having a field day with my spinach again this year. Tried covering them with cheese cloth, but the birds destroyed that (I guess trying to use it for nest material). I just hope they leave enough alone for use to actually eat some spinach.

Overview:


Lettuce, spinach, carrots, onions, broc, parsley, tomatoes:


Radishes, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, beets, squash, cauli, carrots, peas, beans:

2 comments:

  1. Wow! You've got room for so much more than you did last year. I'm glad it's all working out for you.

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  2. Everything is looking so great, Luke! I'm so jealous!

    I'm thinking of the raised beds, and thought of using cement blocks instead of wood. Have you ever considered that? I'm wondering what the pros and cons are. I could use the holes along the edges for herbs, etc.

    Hope you get a really great crop this year!!!!

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