Last May was a big harvest month, with potatoes, zucchini, onions, and quite a lot of green beans coming into the kitchen, but this year those crops will be pushed into June. However, things could be worse. I have heard from plenty of gardeners who already are contending with disease issues -- from the cool, wet weather -- in their gardens. Other gardeners also have said that some seeds that were planted rotted before they could germinate.
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| Currently, it's a mix of cool and warm season crops. |
The slugs have begun to make an appearance, but they aren't in the lettuces at this point. If the rain doesn't let up, I expect a population explosion.
In the meantime, I will just enjoy what I have. The tomato plants are growing slowly in the cool spring weather, but they look healthy, and they are flowering. The lettuces are in Great Shape, which means there is salad with supper, salad with lunch, and more the next day, and the next.
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| Last beet of the season. PHOTO/Amy W. |
There are a few carrots left in the ground, but not many, and the radishes are almost all harvested, too. The peas are starting to make, and I'm looking forward to including those in our meals, but everything is running behind -- and not just compared to last year, when everything was freakishly early.
One of the great things about gardening is that there is so much to think about. I am never bored!
When do you put carrot and beet seeds in the ground? I planted those for the first time this year and I'm afraid I was late getting them in the ground. About a third of my tomatoes look pitiful. The plants just sat and drowned and now the leaves look bug eaten. But most are looking pretty good. I'm going to replace a few this weekend if dry enough. I got another 1/2 " of rained dumped in about 20 minutes yesterday afternoon. Most of my green beans sprouted but I need to reseed the corn - it looks to be about 60%. I think the seeds just washed away or got totally waterlogged. It is an interesting year for sure.
ReplyDeleteHi Barbara! If you didn't plant your carrots and beets in late March or early April, the next good opportunity is in August (for a fall crop). They do better in terms root formation when started either in very early spring or in late summer or early fall (if planted in late September, the roots might not be ready to harvest until spring).
ReplyDeleteI have spoken with a few people whose corn seeds rotted in the cool wet soil, so I'm not surprised that yours didn't all come up. It would be very ungrateful of me to complain about the rain when we didn't have enough for so long, but what we've had does seem a bit over-the-top.
The forecast for the long weekend looks clear, though, so we should all be able to get the rest of our summer crops planted. At least, that's the dream! Sorry that the tomato plants are struggling. Maybe a few days of clear, warm weather will perk them up. Hope you have a great gardening weekend!
I did get carrots and beet seeds in the ground late March - the last week. I actually pulled 8 little tasty beets to roast and slice into spinach salad night before last. I don't think the carrots are ready yet though. The ground has been really cool.
ReplyDeleteI think I will sow some more in August.