Lilies, basil and lettuce

The "ditch lilies" (as DeAnne likes to call them) appear to be blooming everywhere except our yard, but will soon add some much needed color to our front gardens along with the pink spirea.

The lettuce that was planted several weeks ago continues to grow at a rapid pace. We will probably start harvesting that next week. I checked on the basil that was planted at the beginning of June under plastic covers and found 13 seedlings. I transplanted them to an even spacing and they are now growing along with the garlic, onions and cherry tomatoes in one frame.

I realized last night as I was watering the garden that we don't have nearly as many beets and carrots growing as we would use. I am planning to start an entire frame of them soon for a fall crop. I have noticed that the beets that were planted next to kale are in most cases stunted due to shade.

We harvested two carrots recently and continue to harvest lots of lettuce and kale. The peas are pretty much finished with four pods harvested yesterday. I believe that we can begin harvesting onions and garlic and have enough to provide for our needs for a while.

Once again, the ground is drying out here in WNY and there is mostly sunshine in the forecast. Remember to keep your plants and trees watered.

Growth spurt

Just yesterday I reported that the lettuce was about an inch tall -- make that two inches tall! It appears to have doubled in size in just two days. At this rate, we will be harvesting new lettuce by the end of next week. I placed shade cloth over the lettuce since the forecasters are calling for temperatures in the 90's over the next couple of days. We have been harvesting and giving it away to avoid any of it going to seed. There remains still half of the original closely planted frame and about four nice heads in the other frame.

I apologize for the lack of photos. My daughters took both cameras to camp, but DeAnne did snap a photo of the lettuce in the sink this morning. She said it was so pretty, it looked like rays of green sunlight radiating from the bowl. I will post the photo as soon as she sends it over.

The grape vines are also growing like crazy. I need to setup the guide wires soon to begin to train them horizontally.

This morning, I opened the window shade to find a bunny gnawing on some grass in our front yard. He then hopped over next to our statue of St. Francis.

That time of year

Well, it seems to be that time of year, when the bulk of seed starting is completed and the weeds become a constant menace on the borders of the garden. Over the past few years, I notice that my blog entries become less frequent at this time each year. How many photos of lettuce do I need to take, anyway? But, I do love my lettuce.

I kept things fairly simple this year, focusing on crops that I know we will eat and that are relatively easy to grow. We have benefited mostly from the lettuce, kale, peas and strawberries so far. The chard and spinach seem to have missed the starting gun. We are waiting for carrots, beets, garlic and onions to finish maturing.

The lettuce that we planted a couple of weeks ago is about an inch tall. Only about a third of the seeds that I planted made it this far, so I transplanted them into a four plant per square arrangement. This will give us 64 plants from which to harvest in another three weeks or so. I love how easy lettuce is to grow. It doesn't mind being transplanted and can be harvested little by little, or the entire head can be taken and will sometimes regrow.

The early peas are about finished and will be replaced by cherry tomato plants. The peas that were ravaged by the woodchuck are recovering and flowering. I will plant some pole beans there when they are finished.

I have had some difficulty getting basil started in the garden. I think that they are being eaten as soon as they emerge even though I have placed protective covers. I am going to experiment with making soil blocks from sand and Bumper Crop and try starting these indoors.

Our peas taste good, but they are nowhere near as sweet as I remember my grandparent's peas. Same goes for the carrots. I am planning to test my soil to see if something is deficient. I have read that phosphorous and calcium in the soil are important for imparting sweetness to vegetables.

Next year, I would like to build a couple of extra tall frames and try growing potatoes.

Catawba trees, roses, pink spirea, harebell, daisies and hosta are flowering, lilies are almost there. The peonies are done flowering, but the foliage is very pretty. Yesterday, I saw two dark-eyed juncos feeding a fledgling that had just left the nest.

Lettuce, strawberries and woodchucks

I built another garden frame and planted about 150 lettuce. We haven't kept up very well with the last batch, but it will soon be going to seed. I will need to harvest more aggressively in the future. I will do one more frame full of lettuce in another six to eight weeks, after the Solstice, and see if it will last through the fall and winter.

We had our largest harvest of strawberries over the weekend, more than eighty from one frame and seventeen that were past ripe. If we double that next year, with the new frame, we should have enough to make some preserves.

Two baby woodchucks appeared this week. We will post a picture as soon as we can sneak up close enough. They are too cute. Hopefully, they will remain cute and not become nuisances.

The irises are almost finished blooming, just a handful left. The peonies seem to be in the their final bloom.