Things are starting to happen fast and furious in the garden these days. The amount of growth that has taken place in just the last week is quite remarkable. The early spring has definitely made a difference in how far along many things are, and yet others seem more on pace for a "normal" year. It's been interesting to observe. Here are just a few things from the past week in the garden:
Tomatoes
I have half a dozen plants that are already setting fruit! I knew I had several cherry tomatoes starting out, but somehow missed that the Indigo Rose (pictured), Fresh Salsa, and Orange Wellington had set fruit for several days. My early varieties, Sub Arctic Plenty and Bloody Butcher, were just planted in the community garden plot, but they've already taken off nicely; they should catch up in no time. The Sun Gold wins the award for the most green tomatoes and blossoms; that one is going to be a producer!
Pea Blossoms
I feel like I've been waiting an eternity for the pea blossoms to appear! The Sugar Snap Peas have grown up
the fence about 3-4' feet now, and are just starting to blossom. I found the first one on Sunday evening. Last night there were two. This morning I counted another half dozen buds that will be flowering soon. The peas are within reach!
The corkscrew turns and wild curves of the garlic scapes have returned to the garden once again, marking the beginning of the end for the garlic. The harvest is looking promising, with thick strong stalks; I'm anxious to see what lies beneath the surface of the soil. In the meantime, I'm eagerly anticipating the first batch of
garlic scape pesto.
Peppers
The heat this past week has been good for the pepper plants. Even the little Topepo Rosso peppers that germinated 42 days after planting are catching up. The Jalapeno and Cyklon peppers are blossoming and setting on peppers already. The Santa Fe Grande looks like it will be next. I need to replace my one and only transplant casualty: one of my Sweet Banana peppers, which just never took off and eventually shriveled up to nothing.
Blackeyed Peas
This was one of my most anticipated trials of this year's garden, and one that has definitely been a learning process. After planting these--twice--in the west garden with nothing to show for my efforts (not one single sprout, just a few mushy peas rotting in the ground), I had resigned myself to the possibility that maybe they just wouldn't grow this far north. In one last act of desperation, I threw what was left of the packet of seed into a short row in the community garden plot and what do you know? They germinated! Turns out, they need very warm soil to germinate. I'm making notes for next year...
Raspberries
The raspberry canes have been loaded with flowers and lots of buzzing pollinators of different shapes and sizes. From the berries that are already forming to the bud that have yet to open, I think this is shaping up to be a pretty sizable early crop - not to shabby! It makes me wonder if the fall crop will be extra abundant as well.
What's growing in your garden right now?
Labels: cowpeas, garlic, peas, peppers, raspberries, tomatoes
