Late Spring

The weather continues to be warm, and we had a good steady rain one night this week. So it's definitely summer-crop planting time at the farm.

We'd love to just sit and look at the roses, but there's work to be done!

We brought over my small electric tiller, and we fluffed up the soil in the new patch, after one last pass for Johnson grass roots. The area is 12 x 15, giving us room for four wide rows with plenty of space between.

After I tilled and raked, Rick and Rick started setting in the seedlings. These were started in Rick C's attic, and finished in the greenhouse. Both the tomatoes and the peppers were started in paper pots, and transplanted to 1-gallons (tomatoes) and beer cup (peppers) pots. A few of the specialty peppers were still in their small pots, as they were started later. I bought the non-Tangerine tomato starts from Al Vogel, for $10.35 and two peppermints (I was short on the change, but he accepted the peppermints instead!)

Rick finishes up the last of the tomatoes. If we call this bed C, and number from east to west (same as the rest of the garden), we have tomatoes in C1 and C2, and peppers in C3, C4, and C5 (which is just a snippet behind the water standpipe). From front to back, C1 is: Sungold (right on the corner, for easy snacking), 2 San Marzanos, 2 Early Girls, and a Better Boy. C2 is all Tangerines. C3 is 5 Biker Billys and 4 Big Jims. C4 is 2 Cuban Seasoning peppers, 3 Serranos, 2 Pasilla, 2 Orange Fogos (orange Thai), and a Cayenna. Row C5 has two Red Thai.

That was enough work for one day! Fortunately, I'd planted the zucchinis and pumpkins on Thursday evening. I put two Gray Zucchini (best for zuch bread) in row 3A by the broccoli.

At the end of 6A, I planted the three varieties from Renee's seeds, from left to right: Jade, Gold, Emerald.

Then I crammed some more around the 7A behind the poppies.

The pumpkin patch, in Row 0, has one each of Galeaux, Triamble, Autumn Gold (jackolantern type), and Spookie (pie type).

And, we finally put the potatoes in 4A.

The roses are in full bloom everywhere, and the favas are chest high.

At our house, they're even taller!

The mandarin is blooming like crazy, and putting out lots of new growth.

And the Red Hot Poker is blooming.

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What We're Eating
Salad! We have lots of lettuce

And I made a nice rye loaf to go with.

We even had the first fava hummus, from the earliest pods on our plants.
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