May 25, 2019

What's Growing, What's Not

Daylilies have just begun blooming.

May has been a month of harvesting the last of the winter garden and planting for summer. The fall and winter garden have pretty much wound down.

Garlic has been harvested

Multiplier onions are next

Sugar beets and kale are still growing.

The kale is Lacinato, an heirloom variety and new for me. A keeper!

It's mild, tender, and tasty. Here's some sauteed with carrots and onions.

I don't remember what lettuce this is. but I
want seed from it because it never got bitter.

For the summer garden I've been busy getting growing things in the ground.

I had about three dozen tomato starts.

They've all been planted and most are doing very well. 

I transplanted pepper starts too.

Do you remember the survivor strawberries Dan found last January and I transplanted in the hoop house?

My one little bed has done very well.

We didn't get many, but it was enough for a
couple of batches of strawberry pancakes.

Some of my potted potatoes.

Potatoes plants grown from grocery store organic potatoes.

I planted cowpeas in the potato bed.

My rice is doing well, though I admit I pamper it. I worry that our current hot, dry spell may be unhappy for it.

Loto rice, a short variety.

Cho Seun Zo Saeng grows taller.

Other things that are doing well:

Crabapples

Starks Moonglow Pears. They are sweet and spicy.

Hops. I say it's doing well but I lost 2 out of 3
plants. Here's hoping this one is a female!

One of our hay patches with sorghum-sudangrass. 

Some things haven't done very well.

Only a couple of cucumber plants came up so I replanted.

I had to replant my corn too.

Still to plant:

Sweet potato slips. They'll go in soon. The potted flower
was a mother's day gift from my oldest granddaughter.

This one was from my youngest granddaughter.

I don't know what they are but it's perfect to grace my barn bench.


So there's what's growing (or trying to grow) around our homestead. How about you?

34 comments:

Michelle said...

Everything planted in our little garden is doing well so far, except for a poor germination rate in the zucchini. Only one plant is up so far, but since my guys aren't fans, I probably won't plant more. My husband planted mixes lettuces he thought, but half the plants are kale, which he hates. I planted six more before I knew that because I love it, so now I'll have PLENTY!

Mark Shaw said...

We have potatoes, garlic, red onions, strawberries, radish, spring onion, broad beans, peas, chillies, lettuce, black cherry, yellow pear and bulgarian red tomatoes, peppers, beetroot, melons, red cabbage, basil, coriander and parsnips. All seem to be doing well except my melons, time for more research I think.

Leigh said...

Michelle, what kind of kale do you plant? The different varieties have very different flavors. I never much cared for the Curly Scotch kale that most people plant, it's too strong in flavor. I found the Siberian Dwarf to be really tasty; milder and almost nutty. The Lacinato is even better! You'd never know you were eating kale. Maybe your sheep would enjoy the extra as a treat? My goats like it. In fact, I grow extra for them.

Leigh said...

Mark, that's a fantastic variety of yummy things to grow. Most of them seem to be cooler type weather veggies, except the tomatoes and melons. I'd be interested in the kind of growing season you have in Bulgaria.

Sam I Am...... said...

I'm still planting but my seedlings got damp off so no no there. I ended up buying some plants and am planting today. Di I ask you about those multiplier onions before? Do they come up each year? I think a friend of mine had some kind of onion behind his garage and they never bought onions as they just kept reproducing. They weren't always big onions but they were enough.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Well, our garden should have been planted by now, but we have been struggling with rain here. Farmers are not even in the fields yet, and are as behind as we are. I have gotten 68 tomato plants in the ground, and pots planted, and flower seeds dropped. I am praying we get a break in the weather Sunday and Monday.

Leigh said...

Sam, yes, the multiplier onions come up every year. Usually I try to harvest all I can in the spring, save out the biggest and best bulbs, and replant those in the fall. If I miss any, they come back on their own. The bulbs grow in clumps, not singly like globe onions, so that may be a way to help identify. Mine aren't terribly big, but I believe that has a lot to do with the variety.

Kristina, we had an unusually soggy April, which put me behind the planting power curve. Then we always seem to go to too much rain to too little. Haven't figure out yet how to beat that! I hope you get some good planting weather soon.

wyomingheart said...

Morning Leigh! I was wondering if you have ever tried to make vinegar from crabapples...besides jelly I don't know what their use would be. The garden is doing great, but darn dry spell has me dragging hoses...dang it. My peaches and cream corn is doing fantastic, but my bodacious corn is pitiful, with only one out of ten seeds sprouting. Worse part about that is, I can't figure out why. The peanuts are looking good, as are the cabbage, turnips, tomatoes, onions, peppers, sugar snap peas and cucumbers, broccoli and cauliflower. I haven't planted any squash or beans yet, but intend to this coming week. That's about it!

J.L. Murphey said...

Ax far as the cockeyed garden goes,not much is going or growing except for weeds

Leigh said...

Wyomingheart, I'm growing the crabapples primarily for pectin! One year I tried to make jelly with just the crabs and sugar, but didn't really understand what I was supposed to be looking for to get the jell stage. I ended up with hard candy! I find it easier to make jams and jellies from homemade pectin, so that's my first use. I would like to learn to make my own vinegar, though. It's on my to-learn list.

Jo, ha! I can so relate! That's one of the problems with living in an area that has relatively mild winters. Some things either never stop growing and others get a jump start.

Michelle said...

Leigh, the six I bought are Redbor, and Rick got a couple Lacinato in his mix. I actually prefer the curly kale, but we don't have any of that. The most vigorous has BIG, kind of bristly leaves. I suppose it might not even be kale, but I've used it as such!

Mike Yukon said...

You have quite a variety of goodies to eat. I hope they all grow better than expected. We're looking forward to the progress and harvesting.

Renee Nefe said...

of course we had a snow storm last week so the apple tree took a good hit. While I didnt notice, hubby pulled two branches down from it. it was in full bloom, so I expect that there won't be any apples this year. The strawberries and onions are doing well and there is either parsley or a single carrot back there. the oregano and thyme are both doing well also. I plan to head to the nursery and pick up some veggies to put out next week. It will be fun setting up for frost and hail protection.

Mama Pea said...

Loved seeing all your pictures! (Yep, as I've said before, we live in different worlds! My garden remains almost bare so far. Too cool here yet.)

Garlic is up and strong, planted last fall. I have my three beds of storage onions in and almost a full bed of radishes. Peppermint is starting to show, the strawberry plants are good and I just received 50 new plants that will go in this weekend, I hope.

I planted Sweet Peas by a trellis, and four just received fruit trees are in big pots for this summer (I think). I have multiplier onions that were given to me last year and they were the first green and growing thing to pop up. Funny that we can both grow them, huh?

Chives are starting to get blossom buds, the comfrey is about 8" tall.

Lacinato kale is my favorite, too! That's all I grow anymore.

Leigh said...

Michelle, I'm not familiar with the Redbor but love the Lacinato. Still, we all have different likes and dislikes. That's what keeps things interesting!

Mike, I just hope we can keep it all watered. It looks like another hot, dry summer, so that's always the big concern.

Renee, hail seems to be your worst gardening nightmare! I hope the weather (and the birds) are kind to you this year.

Mama Pea, 50 more strawberry plants! That's fantastic. Nice to hear you're getting some things in the ground. I wish we could trade our weather to even things out for both of us. :)

Chris said...

If most of it's looking promising,then you're on a good roll! Here's hoping the elements cooperate for the rest of the growing season. You can never tell, what the weather can throw into the mix.

I had a few surprises in my garden recently, which really took my breath away. After the hot, dry summer we just finished, I wasn't expecting anything to produce in the garden. I was expecting nothing short of carnage, lol. So I look forward to sharing those wonderful surprises, on my blog.

I've never heard of a "spicy" pear though. Starks Moonglow. Sounds incredibly interesting. Is it a low-chill variety?

Powell River Books said...

We are finally heading home tomorrow. Will get back to the cabin on Monday. It's been such a long time away this winter and spring. I look forward to seeing how things are in the garden and the cabin. I grow dwarf curly green kale. I love the meaty texture that holds up well to the saute pan. I like to make mine stir fried with either diced sweet potato or carrots if I don't have any potatoes. - Margy

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

Heat and humidity is starting to eat us up here. I am waiting for my sweet potato slips to arrive.

Cozy Thyme Cottage said...

Your garden looks wonderful. We have had a lot of cold and rainy weather mixed with hot. My things are growing but my lacinato kale is not growing very much and had some yellow leaves on the bottom. I am thinking too much rain. Need to try planting some more. Nancy

Leigh said...

Chris, that's so exciting to hear you had some successes in your garden. So few things do well in hot, dry weather!

The Moonglow must be a low-chill variety. I don't recall specifically, but I always look for varieties that do well in the South (which is probably why my cherry never produces much, how could it with a name like "North Star!")

Margy, how exciting to be finally heading home. I love the idea of stir frying kale with sweet potatoes. I will definitely try that next year.

TB, I so hope you aren't plagued with relentless heat this summer. Indeed, I hope the same for us!

Nancy, it's great to hear from you! You have the opposite problem - too much rain! That's just as challenging as not enough, but after flip-flopping the past several years, I'd rather have too much than too little.

Goatldi said...

To date I have had my strawberry harvest. I have two large containers that originally held cattle minerals and salt. Well cleaned I planted my early crop strawberries in them. I put them out after the worst of the regurgitating winter weather. I got a nice crop for me, myself and I. Very sweet and ate off the plants for the most part as I watered or did whatever in the garden area.

A friend gifted me with two smaller but large enough for me raised beds. I got some tomatoes Cherokee heritage and Sunburst along with a half dozen red sweet onions in one. The second has two rows of bush beans, two of carrots and one of radishes. I lost all of my 23 garlic plants to the snow and 100 year floods. But the rosemary and two lavender flourish.

I also have two pots , one of each variety of tomato's. And a token pot of catnip on the deck table. So I don't have to worry about the cats gnawing on potentially tummy upsetting plants. I also have my remaining two blueberry plants with a nice amount of berries coming on. One is an early variety and the other a bit later. A small pot of chives graces the front porch and makes a nice addition to many a meal.

My honeysuckle has gone crazy and the whole area smells wonderful. We began with the lilac , then the honeysuckle and star jasmine kicked in. A paradise for the sense of scent to be certain. The almond tree has about two dozen almonds but both plums bit it from our amazing winter weather. My lemon is hanging in as is the peach tree. Both a year old this year.

I am sort of in a holding pattern with the farm for sale. Don't want to do too much but don't want to do nothing.

Mark Shaw said...

Still not sure ourselves yet but I think from late february/march to about September.

Pam said...

I love seeing your garden. Spring and early summer is always so pretty when everythis is blooming and coming in. LOVED the pic of the one little potted plant on the bench. Very cute.

Leigh said...

Goatldi, whether or not to plant anything that would be a tough call since you hopefully will be moved before a harvest. Your buyers may appreciate a bit of a garden though. Do you have any perennials you plan to take with you?

Mark, that sounds like a very nice growing season. It does take awhile to become familiar with the seasons and their quirks in a new place.

Pam, thank you! I just love that little bit of color greeting me every time I head to the barn. :)

Rose said...

Fun to see all this...

Rain said...

Oh the potatoes are looking great! And wow on the strawberries!!! Lovely! Pampering is a good thing. I'm going to be pampering my entire garden from top to bottom this season...more than usual. I ordered a soil testing kit to check out what I can do to help my ground crops this year too. My lettuces are growing really well in the window, but I can't wait until the weather gets warmer so I can plant more in the ground. They grow tall and lanky in the window (not complaining!!) but I would love to have a whole head of lettuce soon!!!

Goatldi said...

Do goats count? 😉

Ed said...

Other than our deck planter with some spices, we aren't growing a garden this year for the first time. With my mom gone and my dad out hiking the AT, I didn't want to have drive 80 miles round trip to tend to our family garden myself and so it didn't get planted. It is probably just as well as it has been pretty much a pit of mud since early March. I've lost count but we've gotten somewhere around 8 inches of rain in the last two weeks and another three inches are on the way today and tomorrow. Rice would be easy to grow this year!

Susan said...

Leigh, I wish I could give you my hops vines! I planted one scrawny vine some years ago, and now it is taking over. What did you have in mind for using your hops? I just got everything in the ground, so I am hoping that most of it thrives. If all of it thrives, I think I have created a market garden!

Kathy said...

Hmm. Your hops vine looks very different from mine. Is it a specific variety?
Mine was one I got as a start from a hops that my grandmother planted in about the 1930s I would guess. I have no clue what variety this plant is, but I have had it here for about 40 years. It is living in a pretty forbidding climate, but thrives and covers my fence every year. And that is mostly what I use it for. Most years it does make hops. I do notice that it is a bit harder to transplant that some other things. I expect some that I transplant not to survive to make good vines.

Leigh said...

Rose, so many good things to share this time of year. :)

Rain, your plans sound really good. Everything you learn about gardening now will help so much when you get your own place!

Ed, I wish you could send some of your rain our way. We could use it! 80 miles is a lot of driving for a garden! But potted herbs and spices are still a very good thing.

Susan, I've had a terrible time getting hops to grow! I have a book with a recipe for making yeast (for baking) from hops. So that's my main motivation. I have several herb formulae that use hops too. I just hope that one plant does well!

Kathy, probably is a different variety. I don't recall exactly, but I think mine are cascade. The one I have I planted from seed. It looks pretty good so far! How neat that your hops is originally from your grandmother. That's really special. :)

Leigh said...

Goatldi, yes! ;)

The Wykeham Observer said...

It seems just about everything looks healthy. I just think some years are better than others for potatoes. I have been adding a lot of rotted white oak leaves to my garden each year, I've heard the high acid is liked by potatoes, and it seems to help. I try to rotate them around each year too. But I am no expert. Phil

Leigh said...

Phil, if your method is successful, then you don't have to be an expert! I think you're right, though, about some years being better for things than others.