Cool weather returns

This weekend brought a welcome relief from temperatures in the 80's. Perhaps strange that I would welcome clouds and lower temperatures, but my productivity outdoors does take a hit when the comfortable working hours are reduced to before 10 am and after 6pm, not to mention the struggle to keep plants well-watered and from going to seed prematurely.

This weekend was productive. I managed to clear all of the frames of abundant maple seeds, signs of a "mast year" when trees produce an abundance of fruit. I also weeded, removed excess parsley and mizuna plants, finished the final trellis and replanted several lettuce that were suffering from overcrowding. I harvested about a dozen choi with the intention of turning half of them into sauerkraut and eating the rest fresh.

In addition to the choi, I harvested mint, Italian and curly parsley, kale, and the first Super Sugar Snap pea pods. The peas were not very sweet, hopefully they will improve when allowed to grow to full edible plumpness.

Zucchini, Blue Lake green beans, slicing cucumbers and basil were planted out. I would have planted out the tomatoes also, but decided to wait until after the forecast thunderstorms.

It looks like my beets have a serious infestation of leaf miners. This is the first year that I have recognized and learned about them (http://freespiritgardens.org/leaf-miners-and-garden-loss/).

I noted several events that should have occurred around Memorial Day that I would like to remember for future years:

• it would have been the ideal weekend to plant out tomatoes and peppers if I had the space available (3 cherry toms in grow box, 2-3 cherokee purple in grow box, 6-8 more in frames)
• I should plan to do a lot of processing on that weekend (tabouli/parsley, salsa/cilantro/onions, sauerkraut-kimchi/chinese cabbage (choi), mint tea/dehydrate leaves) and then succession plant
• the weather may turn hot, it would be best to have all of the irrigation systems in place by then
• it would be a good weekend to start more lettuce and other greens for midsummer (using elevated seed starting bed inside greenhouse entrance) [Note from the future (7/25): I still have plenty of lettuce, kale and chard so later in June/early July may be better for starting more lettuce)
• keep the gardens covered with Agribon until after the maple seeds have fallen [and beyond for insect control]
• trellises will be needed by then

Choi/mint harvest

Most of the garden frames

Leaf miner damage to beets