Hi!
Fun time in the garden – the next four – eight weeks have a large number of the warm season crops come in. There are a large number of cherry tomato varieties that are on the vines as this is written, as well as some of the bell peppers and some Cozumel (mild) hot peppers. The seed people say, “This very early Caribe-type pepper produces attractive and tasty 4 inch long blonde fruit that matures through a sunset of rosy orange tones to a final red color. Thick walled and juicy, the flavor develops from mildly spicy to fruity balanced with tingly fire.” Personally, that is way over the top of prose for a pepper. Right now, they are blonde and so probably “mildly spicy.” Logically, the redder they get the hotter they get.
Summer squash, eggplant, good lettuce, and a rather continual supply of giant chard leaf – white and red. The herbs this year are pretty diverse; the mint and Oregano are new for us. There are new dill plants coming out too. It was fun to see on the FB group a couple of members using the red, white and (purple) blue new potatoes for their 4th celebration.
The cut flower garden really has kicked in. It survived the Great Heat Storm of 2021 far better than the open Rose blooms, and was well accepted by the snap dragon lovers in the group.
This month will be the middle of the season – 10 weeks is in July. The next big seeding cycle will be for the fall root crops as well as those that will over-winter. In previous years the over-wintered carrots have not done super well due to a rot that affects them, small black rings that cut right through the carrot. The seed catalog people have a ‘fall and winter garden’ section which will be used to try and come up with a better winter variety, probably three different ones. The trick is that Carrots are the very dickens to sprout in hot dry weather, and won’t grow well in heat. It is a fine art.
The surprise last winter is the parsnips made great soup through the winter. They were seeded late, and needed to be in a deeper bed with protection from being waterlogged. That said, there will be a bigger planting this month with a better over-wintering location. There are better choices for over wintered onions as well. The Walla Walla over-wintering did not impress; there are a couple of specific bulb onions that can be harvested as greens in the fall and winter and will bulb in May/June.
Some of you on the “monthly update” have been Extended season members to get winter squash or Sweet Potatoes. It would be helpful for planning purposes to know if that is an intention for this season as well. The Sweet Potatoes are kicking into gear right now, and will have some large vines for those who enjoyed them last year.
Once again, it is going well here. Raspberries and Boysenberries are going out now, other fruits will be coming.
Hope you are having a great summer!
