I've been planting out more of the summer vegetables in the past week. Here's the bed where I planted the tomatoes just 10 days ago.
The tomatoes now have some "Sweetie Baby" romaine to keep them company.
And some "Apollo" broccoli and "Lark's Tongue" kale. The edge of the bed is also home for some "Summer Romance" sweet alyssum seedlings with some "Parade" scallions filling the gaps.
Look how much the tomatoes have already grown! They do like their "greenhouse". The daytime temperatures have been topping out in the mid-50ºF's to high-60ºF's lately with nighttime temperatures down in the low 40ºF's. The tomatoes would not be this happy if they were left to shiver outside unprotected. I think the investment in the greenhouse plastic is a good one.
On the other side of the main path, the "Oregon Sugar Pod II" snow peas are loving the cool weather (pretty normal weather actually, perhaps just a tad cooler than usual).
I spotted the first flowers this morning! Snow peas soon...
The "Rolande" filet beans have been blooming for the past week.
The first baby beans are showing off.
The Greek "Gigante" runner beans are climbing their trellises.
And they are forming the first clusters of flower buds.
The "Super Sugar Snap" peas are just starting to take off.
And here's the newest addition to the legume family collection, "Neckarkönigin" green beans. Well, I actually grew these last year, but they were at their prime when I was on vacation and by the time I got home most of the beans were overdeveloped. I hope to get to try them at their best this summer.
The "Green Fingers" Persian cucumbers and "Tasty Green" Japanese cucumbers are being coddled in their own little water bottle cloches. Both of these cucumbers were wonderful last year, disease resistant, prolific, and most important, tasty. Beyond them are a couple of cloches protecting new seedlings of "Da Fiore" zucchini, back again for year 3 or is it 4.
The soil for the newest bed hasn't been delivered yet, I've been working with my contractor to find just the right stuff. He brought a sample yesterday that is up to snuff so I hope to get the bed filled next week. Just in time, the babies in my little makeshift greenhouse are ready to go!
I have 3 varieties of eggplant - one of my favorite varieties "Diamond" and a couple of new varieties, "Kamo" and "Salangana". And then there's the peppers that are too numerous to identify in this post but you can read up on them here.
And elsewhere around the garden... These pots were full of peppers last year but this year I switched them over to herbs. From left to right are Texas Tarragon, Purple Sage, Lemon Verbena, Syrian Oregano, Garden Sage, and Tarragon. It will be handy to have these close to the kitchen.
And I also planted up a couple of pots of "Profuma di Genova" sweet basil, my favorite variety. I'll use the potted basil for regular snipping but I also have more plants to put into the vegetable garden to allow to get big enough to harvest large amounts for pesto.
And I'm really happy to report that I had a few Crimson Flowering Favas survive the rat attacks last autumn so I'll be able to renew my seed stock.
Can you identify what the plant ties are made from?
With luck I'll have enough seeds to share this year. Stay tuned...
Hope your summer vegetable garden is off to a great start!
The plant ties are nylons (pantyhose). Use them often in my own garden!
ReplyDeleteEverything is looking absolutely beautiful and yes, those tomatoes are definitely happy campers in their greenhouse conditions. I keep my tomatoes under cover for the first part of the season when it is more rainy, chill, and the weather is just more unpredictable. I think it makes a huge difference in how much they keep growing despite the potential set backs the weather could provide.
There's no fooling you! Old runned pantyhose make great ties. I don't have to wear them much anymore so I don't use them much, but they are handy to have around when you run (ha ha) out of garden ties.
DeleteI expect to be keeping the tomatoes under cover for at least another month but by the end of June it should be warm enough to put the plastic away until next spring.
Your snow peas look much prettier than mine but I guess the important thing is I've been eating yummy sugar peas and it doesn't matter so much what they look like.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like your garden is really coming along. I love that you looked at your soil before you approved it. I never did that. I did grill the people on the phone about mine, but I never actually saw it before it was dumped here.
ReplyDeleteMichelle,
ReplyDeleteThe garden looks great! I can never understand how you can be in zone 9 and we are in zone 7. Our sugar snap peas are finished, they were yummy. If we used plastic on our garden right now the plants would be cooked....
Your garden is off to a fabulous start! I wish I had been as diligent as you this spring. I'm playing catch-up now in the garden.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks so healthy. I have never grown fava beans and generally buy them at the farmer's market. What a cool looking plant it is, I think I will try them next year.
ReplyDeleteYou pole beans are so healthy too, I had some planted but unfortunately we have had a lot of grasshoppers this year and they really chewed them to bits so I pulled them out.
Thanks for sharing a piece of your life. More power to your blog!
ReplyDeleteEverything looks wonderful, Michelle! I can never wrap my head around how different our climates are, even within the same state.
ReplyDeleteI use pantyhose too - great plant ties. Your new beds are looking fabulous - you must be so proud of all your hard work.
ReplyDeleteA little different coverage, pantyhose! But old t-shirts are a great idea, I've got a bunch of ratty old ones sitting in the rag bag.
ReplyDeleteI tear up old t-shirts, too, and any other old fabric, to make plant ties - why buy them? Your tomato plants are looking good in their night-time shelter - much needed if you are still getting low temperatures at night. As always, I'm very impressed by the range of plants you grow!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of seeds to share, thank you so much for the kale seeds! I can't wait to try them. Everything in your garden looks wonderful. The tomato cages remind me strongly of the humidity fitted sheets I used in my garden in Arizona; it was so dry they'd dessicate without help. Although it's a different problem, the solution looks similar!
ReplyDeleteNice healthy plants are getting a good start. I have to reseed my Rolande beans, it's getting hot and dry here, they are not germinating or the birds ate the seedlings, couldn't tell.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed going through your posts, and it is interesting to see how things are growing in your area. Here in Georgia we have been getting a mixture of a few hot days, cool rainy days, and some cool nights. Not our normal temps and my garden is growing slow. Past years have been a lot hotter. I look forward to reading more in the future!
ReplyDeleteUlrike