Spring Update #2

Tomatoes: x3 Viva Italia, x1 Amish Paste, X1 Roma, X1 Grape, X1 Early Girl

Onions/Garlics: Scaling back from last year. ~20 Storage, ~20 Cippolinni, 7 Red Torpedo. Have the sweet onions in a pot waking up, deciding on where to plunk them. 90% of garlics doing well. A couple have corkscrew greens which I presume is a virus or some such... have to check that out.

Greens: The endives are awesome; will start harvesting this week. Don't know what will replace them... maybe kales. Spinaches crowed-out by the endives... lesson learned. The window box with asst lettuces also about ready to harvest. Have reloads in the middle bed.

Peppers: 1 each Purple Bell, Mini Bell, Long cayenne in the middle bed.

Cole: The broccoli are starting to head. Lots of leaves, but nothing from the cauliflower yet. Still haven't planted kale.

Peas/Beans: Will planted green beans in regular spot again this weekend. Sugar Snap Peas starting to peek in 3-gallon pot w/integrated cage on north side next to window well.

Berries/grapes: The blueberries are dropping their blossoms and starting to set. The x2 gooseberry shrubs are fully awake and exploding; will have fruit from both this year already! The x2 red lake currants are also very happy in their 2-gallon pots while waiting for a permanent spot. Don't see any flowers on either yet. Ordered x2 Black Currants from Jungs; planted both in shaded bed on w. side; both still very dormant... will see if they wake up! The heavy pruning of the grape vines seems to have paid off, with vigorous growth from both and many more clusters than last year. Will still do extra stem pruning on both towards the ideal of one main stem at each trellis. All x3 Nanking Bush Cherry woke up, in pots on the s. side garden, waiting for me to get a clue.

Asparagus: Only half as many spears up as normal, with none harvested. Hmmm....

Squash: Since all the blackberries in the ½-barrel froze, I'm switching it to annuals. Planted a zucchini, a Delicata, and a Butternut. The zuc will grow forward into the yard; the other two will trellis on the picket fence... delicate towards the asparagus, Butternut towards the west. Trying out the permaculture idea that squash are suitable for moderate light what with their large leaves and all (I have seen them VERY happy climbing up in the canopy of fruit trees).

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After the wonderfully wet first half of spring, things have been a bit drier lately. Nothing in the last week, and nothing substantial predicted for the next. Will do the first lawn watering of the season this weekend.

Spring Update

Not only an early spring, but a very wet one as well...

Last frost reached out to Mother's Day, so couldn't make too early a use of the warmer days.

Gooseberries in place (1 on s. side, 1 just north of Comfrey plant along fence). The Red Currants are in containers now (both woke up just fine) with exact homes TBD, and the 3 Nanking Bush Cherries are in Azalea pots wondering if they were ordered impulsively.

Order 2 "Ben Curan" Black Currant shrubs from Jung's yesterday, after realizing over the last 2 weeks that BCs are among the most shade-tolerant Ribes. Will try them along the fence in the high-shade area under the pine overhangs.

Lagging on getting the Red Torpedo onions in, since I made a point to give the garlics enough room this year, plus I have Broccoli and Cauliflower at the other end of the bed. Might put the Torps in the middle of 7 tomato spots... need to decide very soon. Have 20 Cippolini and 20 LTS onions in and growing.

The Elliot Blueberry I purchased last year and never planted is still hanging in, and actually doing well considering it was completely above ground all winter. Will at least re-pot it to a larger container.

The lettuces are doing well, have the smallest bed co-planted w/spinach.

Started 6 massive Sunflowers to interplant between the tomato spots, and will (try to) use as bean towers.

Done with frosts now, so plan to get squash planted in the next week or two. Think I'll try 3 varieties in the ½-barrel: zuchinni for spilling forward into the year, Delicata to trail on the fence towards the Asparagus, and Butternut to trail on the fence towards the west.

Have done NOTHING with the middle bed yet. Will probably be home to pepper plants. Has the chives now, and a straggler Blackberry coming up!

I see lots of worms by flashlight when I come home at midnight-thirty and check on the yard. Looks like they're happy.