What's Growing?

It's a jungle in there so I've switched my plot photo standpoint to the other side. Now the strawberries, leeks, carrots, and basil are in the front and the squash, monster bean plants, and tomatoes are in the rear. Everything is doing great except the squash- I had a huge squash bug infestation last week that may wind up killing the plants. Sigh. I can never seem to grow squash. It's always something. I can only hope that the baby praying mantis I keep spotting on the carrots goes two doors down and feasts on the bugs. 

If he does, I just might get to eat this butternut. 

Otherwise, I'll just have to be content with lots of yellow pear tomatoes- I've got three volunteer plants from last year. 

This was the final lettuce harvest. I pulled the plants and put in more seeds in their place. I'm trying for a fall crop. 

Carrots, the kale that won't quit, and my first muncher cucumber made a delicious chopped salad. Lettuce? Who needs it!  

More carrots, more kale, and a mint plant that snuck into my plot came home last week. 

 

And more!  Just waiting for the tomatoes and more cucumbers to come now. 

Here's a view of the jungle this week. 

Garden Update

I was able to harvest 2 radicchio heads and we ate them sautéed over pasta with some sautéed onions and goat cheese - one of our go to easy dinners. Now all the radicchio has bolted and some is even flowering. Who knew they had such pretty blue flowers? 

The entire community garden is in full flower these days and every time I'm in there I snap some photos of the blooms. 

I'm really into the bold colors - colors that you just can't believe Mother Nature has on her palette. 

More on the jungle a little later!

Making Do With A Small Garden

As usual, I've got my plot packed with plants and things are a little crowded. Ever read those plant spacing recommendations on the back of seed packets? I don't. There just isn't enough square footage in my bed to allow each plant their ideal real estate. So, my plants get very cozy with their neighbors. 

Radicchio and kale share an end of the bed. I chopped the kale way down the other day to give the radicchio a fighting chance. If it doesn't work, it might be time to pull the kale altogether. I've harvested a ton already and I can tell Josh isn't so impressed by all my creative techniques for incorporating it into almost every meal (yes, green smoothies are a regular occurrence here).

Six little cucumber plants are next to the kale and radicchio. My plan is to train them up some cages and get them out of the way. It's a small, burpless variety, similar to the kind that come packed 5 in a tray at the grocery store. My theory is that smaller cucumbers come from smaller plants. 

A few bush bean plants share a corner with a miniature musk Mellon. I'll train the melon up a trellis and the beans will work the floor. When the beans stop producing as well, I'll snip the plants off at the soil and let the roots fix nitrogen into the soil, hopefully assisting the melon to mature. 

So there is a some rationale to the crowding and the rest is just my way of dealing with a garden that is a bit smaller than I'd like. 

What does the rest of the garden look like?  

This is the view from our new picnic deck, overlooking a plot that's been planted with zucchini, eggplant, and a fairy garden. 

Beyond that are plots filled with dreams, aspirations, and weeds. 

Salad Season

Our long and lovely spring has given us ideal conditions for growing salad greens... and strawberries!  This is the first year that I've had bountiful yields of both. 

One thing I changed this year was purchasing individual varieties of lettuce seeds instead of a mix. I alternated rows of colorful red and green leaf lettuces instead of planting a field of mixed greens.  Not only does this make for a pretty neat looking striped area in the garden bed, but it also makes it a little easier to see what's working and what isn't. And this year, everything is working!  I haven't bought salad greens in over a month and I've had greens to share too. 

This is also the first year that I've gotten a decent strawberry crop from my 6 plants. I know it takes a couple years for strawberries to get going, and the wait has finally paid off. On several occasions I've picked a big handful of red, juicy, sweet berry "candy" from Mother Nature. Last year I never got more than a berry a visit, so this is a triumph in my book. 

The garden is now off and running after a late start. Here's what it's looked like over the past month:

At the start of May, the lettuce in the foreground was just beginning, the strawberries in the top right were covered in white blooms, and that unstoppable kale in the upper left was already going strong. 

By mid May, the lettuce was ready for some thinning, I picked our first handful of berries, and the overwintered kale was flowering. 

Now I have loads of lettuce, the berries are slowing, and I seriously trimmed the runaway kale to make room for radicchio heads underneath. 

What else is growing? Carrots, leeks, garlic, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, dill, melon, and winter squash. Yes, I garden in a very small space. Yes, I make the most of it. 

More Beautiful Blooms

This will be the last in the series of Presby Memorial Iris Garden photos. Enjoy the beauty, color, and variety!  

Presby Memorial Iris Garden in Bloom

Peak bloom at Presby Memorial Iris Garden in Upper Montclair NJ was this past weekend. If you didn't get there, I'm sure the 100,000 plus blooms will still be going strong this whole week. Go visit! It's beautiful. Iris come in a rainbow of colors, some have spots or stripes, and some are extra frilly. 

They sell plants at the show and they have a charming little gift shop too. Don't forget to stop by the donation booth on your way in, organizations like these survive on the dedication of their members and the support of the public. Let's keep this garden gem going for future generations to enjoy!

It's Iris Season at Presby Memorial Iris Garden

If you're in the New York City metro area and you love iris, flowers, or just strolling around in beautiful surroundings, it's time to visit the Presby Memorial Iris Garden in  Upper Montclair NJ. The gardens are home to 14,000 irises of about 3,000 varieties, producing 100,000 blooms annually. It is an amazing sight to behold. 

When to Plant the Garden? Now!

In our neighborhood, the daffodils are done, the cherries have leafed out, but the late tulips are still going strong. 

Last year's kale is happier than ever and that means Mao Mao's getting lots of little kale nibbles before dinner. Yes, our cat is a big fan of greens. I am too, so our human salads are getting a big supplement from the garden lately. 

Three varieties of lettuce are also sprouting in the plot. I've harvested leaves from the red romaine but the others are taking their time. This photo is from last week. We're getting closer to harvest size this week. 

What else is growing? Two varieties of carrots are up. The strawberry plants have an abundance of blossoms. I transplanted about a dozen leeks from the windowsill "greenhouse" to the plot.  I repotted a dozen pepper plants into bigger containers to encourage more growth and hope to keep a few on the fire escape. The radicchio plants are looking good but are getting a little crowded with the kale. I might have to chop the kale monster down a bit. 

It was a very cold and long winter but we're finally deep into spring. And now that Mothers Day is upon us, it is officially safe to get planting. I see a trip to the garden center in my future. The tomato seedings are calling my name. 

When to Sow Lettuce Seeds

When should I sow lettuce and carrot seeds? Now! I did three rows of lettuce and two rows of carrots yesterday in 40• temps because I knew it was going to be rainy today and 60• and sunny all weekend. 

It's not very springlike in the garden just yet, but after this weekend I expect a lot of blooming daffodils and some very happy over wintered kale. Yes, my Ragged Jack kale survived our very cold winter and is sprouting again.

Inside my greenhouse (apartment window) the leek and pepper seedings are flourishing. I may have overdone the leeks, but that just means that my sister and mother will get some!

Now go plant those lettuce and carrot seeds!