74. Spring Crops Out, Here Comes Summer

Happy Fathers Day to all the dad’s out there. It’s been a few weeks since I have posted mainly because life has been busy and pulled me away from the garden more so than I wished it would. There’s lots to discuss from the past few weeks so let’s get into it.

Last we talked about the garden was Memorial Day weekend, it was cool and rainy but since then temps have been average for our area, warm but not too hot yet which is nice. We haven’t had a day that the temps reached 90 degrees yet so my plants are loving it. The weeds have definitely began so keeping on top of those has been a priority for me. Also, the time of year has begun where I have to tie up my tomatoes and keep them pruned. I feel like I’m doing a better job at staying on top of that this year than in year’s past. Fruit are starting to form and I can’t wait for the first one to ripen.

I told you awhile back that I planted snapdragon plugs that I purchased. They have been in bloom for a couple weeks now and they are simply one of the most beautiful flowers I’ve ever grown. Sunflowers will always be my favorite but these are a close second. I was able to sell some of my crop off so that was a rewarding feeling. I have two varieties and as I am writing this, the first is beginning to fizzle and the second is about to burst into bloom. Speaking of sunflowers though, I have noticed that the deer are eating the ones I planted in the open garden. The reason we have as big of a fence as what we do is because we know deer roam the field where our garden is. I knew this could be a problem in the open field but I was hopeful they wouldn’t mess with it. I was wrong.. I plan to try to replant but know that they probably will get eaten again. I do have a deer repellant that I could try to sprinkle around the garden but we’ll see what ends up happening.

We have reached the point in the year where most of the spring planted crops are done or coming to harvest. I have been slowly pulling those out as I get time and replacing them with heat loving plants. I have realized that there are certain crops that love the heat so I try to lean into those this time of year. It makes gardening in the heat of the summer so much more enjoyable. My peas have all been harvested and canned (I got 4 pints). I was hoping for a little more of a harvest but I’m still happy with what I got. I planted cowpeas (or black eyed peas) in their place.

Other crops that have began to slowly come out of the garden are my leeks. I will pull one plant, bring it into the house and dehydrate it after its been chopped up. This was a new crop for me this year and one I know won’t all get used up at the same time so I’ll keep it and use on it as I can. Leeks are closely related to onions, think of them as a more mild version of onions. Speaking of onions, some of mine have began to be ready to be harvested. You know they’re ready when the tops flop over. I have been pulling them and curing them as they come ready. I still have some really big ones that haven’t flopped yet so I’m leaving those until they do. Onions are such a rewarding crop for me to grow and one that will last us all year. I also have my garlic harvested and curing as well. This year was a weird year for my garlic but it taught me a lot. More on that later.

I have also been harvesting potatoes as I need them in the kitchen. In the past, I have harvested them all at the same time and tried storing them. I don’t have a root cellar so it’s challenging to keep them all good for long. I also tried to save them all for winter instead of using them fresh. This year I told myself to just use them as they come ready. It’s been working well and they taste amazing fresh out of the ground.

Last couple updates, we got some more new chicks…again. Our broody hen ended up not hatching any chicks. I believe it was more our fault than anything because we moved her nest last minute. We should have done it sooner. These are maran chicks so they will lay chocolate brown eggs. So far they seem happy and it will be awhile before we have eggs. Also, I am super hopeful for a great bean harvest because my plants are absolutely loaded with blooms. I have still yet to get enough of a harvest to last us a full year so I am hoping this year is the one we achieve that. I hope your garden is growing well friends, we’ll talk soon.

Until Next Time, Happy Gardening!