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.