tarting off with the usual complaint about “how different this year is,” but bear with it – there is good stuff coming.
There are six rows of green beans, six rows of potatoes, four rows of sweet corn, a lot of rows of squash, some new cabbage – it has been a busy time here. The hard part is mostly over, albeit there are four more bean trellis to put up – the one in the picture has the most aggressive beans (the ones on the left) which are already up about 3′. None of the other rows are even close. Spuds and corn are also doing great – and the cabbage is really (if you can accept that thought) pretty.
This is kinda a make-up year – last year was so cold so long that the winter squash, corn and beans never really had a chance. But check out that Red Kuri squash plant! it is rocking it. Now, the fun thing is all the other varieties that are coming on. A really new type is called Gill’s “Gold Pippin” which is a “personal size winter squash with the alleged “best tasting” epithet that seed catalogs are so fond of expounding. That said, the really interesting thing is that half a pippin is a portion for a single person, and works well for those of you using the personal share boxes. Of course the amazing giant “Candy Roaster” is coming on too.
The fly in the ointment of course is that none of these cool things are ready this week. Although, of course, the above yellow summer squash has a itty bitty fruit on it (look closely) and three or four more buds – and we all know how fast those summer squash grow. There are so many plants that the cows and horses will be getting their share.
The potatoes are flowering, but the web is confident that does not mean that there are any baby potatoes. That said, in week 7 there will be a potato excavation.
So – lots coming on, including some dessert peaches and figs. Those figs keep teasing with how big they are – however, they are hard as green rocks. Sigh. Hang in there, warm season crops are coming soon! Really!
Here’s what actually is available this week:
| Lettuce | Cegolaine (new crop) continues, with some new leaf green lettuce whose varietal name is lost in time – but tastes pretty good. |
| Brassicas | Small leaf Kale… yep, that’s it for now. New cabbage is out there a month or so. |
| Roots | Beets. Well, there are a few ready to go. It is infuriating to have beets in the ground so long (three months) and to have so few. That plot is Not Good for Beets. 🙁 |
| Greens | Arugula is really kicking in. Some of you are known to love it, if you don’t want it, speak up. Trying to keep out the coarse stems, but it is so thick… |
| Herbs | Cilantro, Parsley, Chives, Mint, Oregano, Basil. Basil is especially nice, Cilantro and Parsley are giving up soon for Summer. If you want more than a sprig of something, speak up. |
| Misc | There were exactly four ripe tomatoes earlier this week – cherries. More to come – it is pretty obvious why setting tomatoes outside is a slower process, the ones inside are also lagging due to inadequate root development before being set out (root bound). They are coming. Potatoes – TBD. Maybe that itty bitty summer squash will be 4-6″ by Friday – it is possible with summer squash. |
Flower of the week is Roses- there are a LOT of very pretty roses. That said, there are a lot of Zinnias and Snapdragons..
