this week in our garden

aside from some winter squashes, pumpkins, and beans that we plan to plant in a neighbor's yard since we've run out of room in our own, everything is pretty much in place.  the peas are finally starting to fruit, the strawberries are still cranking out about 2-3 cups of fruit per day from our two beds, which have so far yielded many handfuls of still-warm-from-the-sun snacks along with 2.5 batches (about a dozen jars) of jam.  the raspberries are full of developing berries, the tomatoes are growing strong, all 21 of them, and I'm picking off the flowers they set out because I want them to get a bit more rooted before they start all of that.  the garlic looks like we're a few weeks out from harvesting it, the pinto beans are growing, the annual flower bed that I put in the area that we think is full of some sort of fungal disease (fusarium wilt maybe? all of our tomatoes in that area wilted within a few days last year, with no other signs of damage or disease) is looking good- a mix of sunflowers, zinnias, marigold, calendula, cosmos.....  the second generation of greens have been planted, cucumbers have their true leaves and will hopefully soon start growing up their trellis.

committing to keeping a garden journal this year has been quite helpful, especially in terms of keeping track of the bees and how they are doing.  here is a complete (I think) list of what's growing in and around the garden:

basil (sweet and thai)
parsely
potatoes
peppers (carmen, serrano, and golden bell)
tomatoes (green zebra, amish paste, principe borghese, rosa de berne, sungold, brandywine)
onions (varsity, rosa di milano, new york early)
shallots
garlic
parsnips
beets
carrots
spinach
tomatillos
canteloupe
watermelon
cucumber
peas (sugarsnap and shell)
beans (pinto, yellow wax, and masai haricot verts)
strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, fig, apple, pear, plum (latter 2 not yet fruiting)
summer squashes (yellow and zucchini)
winter squashes (butternut, long island cheese, new england pie pumpkin, chinese pumpkins)
dwarf lemon and lime trees

I'm thinking we (Mike) need to get up on the roof to take a photo of the garden from above.  it's that time of year where everything is green and growing and we are starting to really be able to eat more from the garden.  which is of course so very satisfying.  I've added a couple flower beds around here and there, gradually claiming more of the lawn for something more useful or lovely than just grass.  though truly, our yard is about an even mix of clover and grass, and if we had our way it'd be all clover.  the bees love it.  as they do the tulip poplars that are currently flowering.  speaking of the bees, yesterday we added another super to the new hive.  we haven't actually seen a new queen in there, but they are really rocking it out and filling frame after frame with golden shiny honey.  another few days and we'll go looking in the brood box for eggs.  if there are eggs, there is a queen.  or I suppose a laying worker, which isn't what we want, but either way they'll work it out.

the chicks are going on 8 weeks and now spending their nights out in the chicken tractor.  they have even found it themselves the last three evenings, after a few days of confused roosting attempts near the garage gate.  (they were in there before)

good medicine, gardening and such.



*playing along with amanda for her 'this week in my garden' series