April 30, 2016

The Garden at the End of April

I've got the winter veggies finishing up, spring ones coming up, and some things still to plant. Here's a little photo tour of my garden at the end of April

Almost ready to harvest is 

my garlic

I've been picking strawberries for awhile now and having a great harvest.

Still getting lettuce, although the days are hot so I'm sure that's soon to end.

Jerusalem artichokes are strong. The greens make good goat treats.

Hoop house cabbage is flowering. This is the first time
I've had cabbage flower & I'm looking forward to seeds.

Kale is flowering and Swiss chard will soon too.

I've got two kinds of tomatoes this year. I got seeds from
Kris for an heirloom Italian paste, and bought Homestead
 tomato plants (also heirloom) from the feed store.

With the tomatoes I have basil that I started early. Also marigolds
and multiplier onions, although neither of these are up yet.

Cucumbers are sprouting

As are cantaloupe

and bush beans

I didn't get many slips from my sweet potato, so
maybe I'll buy some more if I can find them around.

My raspberry plants are leafing out beautifully and starting to
 bloom. So I have high hopes of a good year for raspberries!

Behind the raspberries you see what looks like a blank field of dirt. We just finished planting pasture forage there for the does.

Planted but yet to make an appearance: popcorn, okra, onions, potatoes, and sunflowers.

How about you? Is your gardening season in full swing yet? Or are you still waiting on the weather? Do tell!

30 comments:

jewlz said...

Put a dozen more raspberries in, half a dozen trees, and another 50 or so strawberries & berry bushes. Followed immediately by hail storms and days of rain. Think it's all survived so far.

Leigh said...

You've been busy! Sounds like a good investment in your land. And I think I'd prefer too much rain to not enough, even though it can be worrisome.

Debbie - Mountain Mama said...

We are anxiously waiting on the weather here but seedlings are coming along nicely indoors! Your garden looks fantastic - I would like to put in raspberries but I think the Bears would get them all before me!

Leigh said...

Bears, oh my. Critters always do help themselves to whatever the humans are growing, bears and otherwise.

Kris said...

Hey Leigh, see you've sprouted those heirloom paste tomatoes. I've got 4 plants started in the basement right now too. Will be interesting to see how they work for us. Your garden is going so strong this early. I lust after those homegrown strawberries! Up here it's only 36F this morning. More low nighttime temps of the same for the next week. Never got past 45F yesterday. Very depressing. Ah well, your pic sure perked me up. :-D

Erika keller said...

Wow, your garden is way ahead! The So far I have onions, broccoli, and cauliflower planted. We can't plant anything like tomatoes or melons until mid May at least.

DFW said...

Looking good Leigh!

Farmer Barb said...

I'm road building. Only the self sowers and the fruit bushes will be giving me anything for a while. Set a good crop of blackcurrants, black gooseberries, josta berries and Orus 8 blackcurrant/gooseberry crosses. Raspberries are just sending up canes and blueberries are beginning to flower. Arugula is everywhere. The bees are doing their job. Yea! We had to be re-queened because the bees were getting very aggressive. My keeper got 4 or more stings every visit!

Leigh said...

Kris, yes, I got about a dozen of those paste tomatoes and am really looking forward to trying them. Strawberries this year are divine! I hope your temps warm up soon. And I hope ours don't. :) I never welcome those upper 90s of summer.

Leigh said...

An early garden is an advantage of living in the south. The summer heat, however, is another matter!

Leigh said...

Thanks Deb!

Leigh said...

Road building sounds like you're about back to normal! Yay! All your fruit plantings sound wonderful. Can't have too much fruit. And sometimes big projects take priority over smaller garden things. It's just that way.

I'm in the process of requeening one of my hives too. But for the opposite reason! Hoping to have a post on that in a couple of days.

Mike Yukon said...

Looks great! Wish I had your green thumb.

kymber said...

Leigh - your garden looks beautiful!!! i have 52 tomatoes and 28 peppers in the greenhouse in the house - all of the tomatoes are up and going strong, the peppers are taking their sweet time - no matter tho, because we have 13 pepper plants that we overwintered in the house and they have already started to flower - woohoo! i have a bunch of herbs, brassicas, spinaches and lettuces coming up in the out door greenhouse. we transplanted a bunch of brassicas that we overwintered in the outdoor greenhouse. also planted outdoors was garlic and year old carrots that we plan to let go to seed. tomorrow is another day and there will be more planting - peas and onions, radishes and beets. that's about it. again - your garden is beautiful and gives me inspiration!

sending love. your friend,
kymber

Renee Nefe said...

still waiting! :'(

Mama Pea said...

Oh Leigh, you are so far ahead of us in your gardening season! I just took the mulch off our strawberries, garlic and asparagus within the last couple of days. Still finding frozen water on the poultry dishes in the morning and although we're getting a bit more sun, it's still not very warm. Maybe reaching the low 50s on a good day. But our time is coming. It really is!!

Tricky Wolf said...

We've nominated you for a leibster award, check out our page to see the details :)

Cozy Thyme Cottage said...

Strawberries already! I was thinking your weather was about the same as ours but was mistaken. Had to look to see where you are from! Isn't it great to be getting lots of things from the garden! Nancy

Leigh said...

Thanks Mike! Although I don't think I actually have a green thumb. I'm just trying to cooperate with mother nature. :)

Leigh said...

Wow, Kymber, you and Jam are way over me!

Leigh said...

I know, I saw that snow! LOL

Leigh said...

I have to admit I'm glad to be done with winter! But I don't look forward to the summer heat. I know you'll probably be glad for it though.

Leigh said...

That is so kind, thank you!

Leigh said...

Nancy, we're just far enough south to get a lot of heat, close enough to the gulf to get a lot of humidity, and close enough to the mountains to turn convention upside-down!

Harry Flashman said...

We started out with a small garden this year. We bought the plants already growing in small mesh "pots" that you just put in the hole when you plant. Not practical for anything large scale but this is just a trial voyage for us.

Kev Alviti said...

You guys must be a least a month ahead over there. I'm harvesting purple sprouting broccoli but not much else yet.got loads planted though!

Leigh said...

Harry, what a great trial voyage! I sincerely hope it's a huge success. There's nothing finer than eating food you've grown yourself. I love those plantable pots. I think the plants do better because they don't go though any shock.

Leigh said...

Interesting how different our planting seasons are around the world! I've never tried purple broccoli. Do you like it?

Lynda said...

Looks awesome. One helpful hint, though...leave your garlic until the tops start to brown and die back. This will usually be late June or even July. Earlier than that and you will get a lot smaller garlic.

Leigh said...

Good advice. The only thing I would add is to focus on the "start to turn" and not wait until the leaves are completely brown and died back. It's a lot harder to find it all when that happens. Ask me how I know. ;)