Guess it's time for a garden report to join everyone else's.
Checking the corn and beans: The corn stepped up its growth and now is slightly ahead of the beans so will wait to see if any unwinding is necessary which, right now, it appears it won't be. Corn up to my knees and a little higher. Will be planting more corn this week for a later crop which should be coming on as these are finishing, but I'll plant the beans after the corn sticks its heads through.
Tomato portion: On the 4th, I just had to pick two almost-ripe Stupice tomatoes and eat them, not the best but a lot better than store bought. The much more ripe one I ate today was much, much better. Mmmmmm. On the
6th, my granddaughters were over. I had seen two ripe cherry tomatoes earlier in the morning so I directed them there for one each. The 4-year-old ate hers right away, but the 2-year-old held hers in her mouth, even through eating berries, and saved it for an hour or so before eating it; she was quite funny with her chipmunk cheek.Oodles of green tomatoes, soon to be ripe. How's "oodles" for a technical term?
Peppers: eaten two small sweet bell peppers
Beets: eaten a few tiny ones fresh but not ready for anything but thinning
Carrots: not developed enough to pull yet
Cantaloupe: one small cantaloupe looking good (two inches across)
Moon & Stars watermelon: Blossoms only, no babies yet
Danish Queen squash: Several small squash forming
Beans and peas: not yet blooming but looking good
Potatoes: I had some growing in the raised bed I built last spring. Because I'm taking it out to put one in properly, all level and everything, I moved the plants growing there into barrels. One plant had some good sized potatoes on it which I picked and had for breakfast with eggs and bacon. It seemed really odd to "pick" potatoes, but that's what I did with the roots hanging there during transplanting. One can only imagine how big they'd have gotten if I'd left them on the plant.
One thing I've learned this last couple of years about potatoes . . . once you plant them somewhere, you will always have potatoes there!
I found a basket of potatoes that was forgotten last fall and will plant them for whatever they can do. They won't be in the regular garden so may not flourish because of neglect, but one never knows. They have a better chance of bearing fruit in the ground than in a basket, for sure.
Sunflowers: Birds planted them and they are growing all over the place. Many will be transplanted to along the fence outside the yard as I did last year.
Cucumbers: Small cucumbers, mostly babies but one getting to an eatable size
Basil: two plants, both doing well but still smallish
Berries: Loganberries, boysenberries are ripening, put some in milkshakes already. Strawberry plants mostly destroyed by chickens over winter, will put in raised beds and protect in the future.
Mulberries: Tree is still spindly like last year when it was new here, but tall and loaded with berries which are getting darker. I swear, it looks like as many berries as leaves.
Paw paw trees: Purchased last year and planted in the ground earlier this spring, growing good and maybe in another five years will bear fruit.
Grapes: Plants have been moved twice for sure and are vining out nicely this year so perhaps there will be a small amount of fruit next year.
Kiwi: Some fruit forming, third spring for them in the ground. Wasn't expecting any fruit this year as the male is downwind from the female and the plants 12 feet apart, but Nature figures it out (and I had done a little hand pollinating).
Apples: Small crop, lots of worm houses again. :-(
Cherries: never saw a ripe one so the birds must be happy
Pears: lots of babies forming
Plums: light crop but they are there
Herbs: All doing very well. Chicken goes on sale and I buy the limit, usually three, and cook it with lots and lots of herbs . . . delicious chicken for salad, sandwiches, soup, etc. I've finally learned the difference of cooking the veggies for soup in the stock and do that now whenever possible.
Bird house gourds: only got two to sprout and both are now in the garden and seem to be going to make it.
Luffa: Forgot I had the seed and will still plant it.
Location: Portland, Oregon, area (Pacific Northwest, United States)
That's all that comes to mind right now. Overall, I'm pleased considering I got a late start this year.
Glenna