We have been really lucky with the chard this year. One little pot of starts and so far 3 dinners from it, and still lots more out there. Wish I had planted more brocolli rabe too, but have been having some troubles with it bolting. Perhaps starting the rabe indoors a month earlier, and getting it in the ground in April instead of May would have made all the difference. Will try to get a fall crop later in the season, start seeds next month?
The carrots are coming along but still have lots of time left to go. The radishes are doing great and I have already eaten a few on salads. The fingerling & Yukon gold potatoes are doing well, but I need to get out and mound around them today. I hae been most excited about the lettuce this year. Granted, when the weather gets real hot it will all likely bolt, but so far I have been able to grow my own lettuce for the past month and new additional crops have been planted for continued harvest potential.
The corn has been a complete and total bust this year. I think the robins must have stolen the seed. I have started another package of Early Sunglow (63days), in flats on the deck. It probably won’t have enough time, but we’ll give it a go.
I finally got down to planting the seed potatoes today when I got home from work. I hope its not to late in the season. I haven’t planted potatoes for years. I think they are great fun except for the worms they tend to get. I’ve already forgotten which varieties they are. Best I can remember is that one batch came from Cenex, something yellow, and the other from the food coop, an organic red potato.
I also spent some time potting up tomatoes in the greenhouse this evening. I still have several that have not been planted outside. The row that was transplanted to the garden a couple of weeks ago is not doing much yet either.
The record-breaking heat last week wasn’t completely helpful. Both the spinach and the frilly endive are bolting now. I picked a couple of endive plants when I first noticed the change in growth habit night before last and cooked them for dinner. Nothing fancy, just chopped and boiled till wilted, then tossed with butter and freshly grated nutmeg. They were still quite good, though maybe a little more bitter. Today they look even worse with their tall, elongated centers. Not sure they’re edible anymore. Will need to plant them much earlier next year, while the weather is still cool.
Aproximately three weeks ago we planted three varieties of sweet corn directly into the garden, Early Sunglow (63 days), Bodacious (75 days), and Golden Jubilee (87 days). The Early Sunglow came up fastest and strongest, Bodacious had the lowest germination rate. Each variety was planted in a 12 by 12 foot section with the row seeder. The remaining seeds were broadcast in a tray of soil in the greenhouse. The greenhouse seeds came up the fastest and grew like gangbusters. Today Bob planted the greenhouse starts into the garden to fill out the places where nothing had sprouted. In the meanwhile the seeds planted outside have really outgrown the greenhouse starts. I hope the new kids will survive the transplant.
The three of us got together at Christianson’s today for a pond seminar, nice people, interesting topic and some good ideas. Of course while we were there we had to shop around. This is such a fabulous nursery! So many beautiful flowers! We also walked through the display garden at La Conner Flats, even more great ideas there. Couldn’t wait to get home and work on my own garden.
The Swiss Chard was purchased as started seeds in a 4 by 2 inch pot. The seedlings were super easy to separate and plant individually, only problem, there were just so many of them. I knew I was planting them too close together, but I couldn’t imagine that they would all survive the transplant. Last month I began thinning by harvesting the larger plants that were creating the most crowding to use in the kitchen. The quality has been excellent! I did a search on Foodnetwork and found a very tasty recipe and have been preparing them that way every since. I’m sure going to miss them when they’re gone.
Started from seed in pods on the deck (outdoors). Planted in the garden May 3rd. Harvested all June 1. Snipped off florets and larger leaves with scissors, left roots in ground and smaller leaves for possible second harvest?
