Please someone tell my garden that it's June first! I swear it thinks it's April 1 instead. Aside from the calendar, Spring has yet to visit the Pacific Northwet. I'm posting this because I saw a post on another blog I read about all the things that should be going on in the garden right now and unfortunately, most of them are right for the calendar, but wrong for the weather. The funniest is that I should be starting seeds indoors for my broccoli and cauliflower Fall crops when I still have my spring crops up there. I have yet to plant out my succession plantings because it's pointless. The first planting is not growing at all and just being nibbled at by slugs. I have carrots that overwintered and are going to seed, but I haven't pulled them because I'm feeding them bit by bit to my hens and I don't need the room until I plant out my brassicas. Aside from that the entire bed of carrots I've planted have yet to germinate. I'm about to give up hope on them and plant again as my brother's just started coming up (finally!). Oh, and my cool weather peas... what did germinate have grown a total of 3 inches. I haven't even found the need to set up the trellis for them. Insanity reigns in June.
About the only thing growing in the garden is my salad bed. It seems my lettuces are growing, albeit slowly. But we have been harvesting them for salads and garnishes etc.
As for my tomatoes, they haven't grown at all, despite regular doses of fish emulsion. I'm trying, but the best I can get is I have one plant that flowered under lights that is finally setting fruit... three tomatoes.
Lastly, I know I'm behind on planting out my cucumbers and squash, but really, what's the point? I don't have a greenhouse to grow them in, they don't transplant well (cukes that is), and even if they do germinate (big if), chances are they'll never grow. I'm feeling a bit disappointed by this garden season.
I hope your garden is doing better.
About the only thing growing in the garden is my salad bed. It seems my lettuces are growing, albeit slowly. But we have been harvesting them for salads and garnishes etc.
As for my tomatoes, they haven't grown at all, despite regular doses of fish emulsion. I'm trying, but the best I can get is I have one plant that flowered under lights that is finally setting fruit... three tomatoes.
Lastly, I know I'm behind on planting out my cucumbers and squash, but really, what's the point? I don't have a greenhouse to grow them in, they don't transplant well (cukes that is), and even if they do germinate (big if), chances are they'll never grow. I'm feeling a bit disappointed by this garden season.
I hope your garden is doing better.
HA, my peas look exactly like yours, and my tomatoes are far far worse...in fact I just killed at least three plants. I was hoping that all the water and cool weather would mean a better harvest later even with the slow start because we wouldn't have that super-hot dead-time in the middle of summer (I'm in Pittsburgh) but nooooooooooo...we get hit by temps in the mid 90's in MAY.
ReplyDeleteThis does not bode well.
I feel your pain! It should be sunny and in the 80s here, and we can;t hardly get out of the 60s most days. Today it was practically a cloudburst, with thunder and lightening, and 63 degrees at dinner time. My peppers are just sitting there, doing nothing. Tomatoes are finally beginning to put on some growth, if they didn't get drowned tonight. Slugs are consuming much of my garden. Bummer! Well, at least we have lettuce.
ReplyDeleteI still remember our summer of '09. Summer didn't start until July sometime. June was rainy and in the 60s. Blech! I hope you get some warmth soon.
ReplyDeleteFor cucumbers: I've been starting cucurbits inside for years. The whole family transplants fine as long as you're careful. I'm starting some melons today because the seeds apparently just rotted outdoors in my unusually cool spring. I use big 4-inch pots and germinate them indoors on a heating pad. If the weather is okay for them to go outside, I put the pot outside as soon as it germinates and then I transplant when it has its first true leaf. Just be careful to transplant the whole block of soil together, minimizing any root disturbance (if you have a soil blocker, that's even better than a four inch pot). The only problems I've run into were when I let them get a bit too big and leggy growing indoors under lights(because the garden was way too wet to dig in and prepare the soil.) That set some back, but they eventually perked up and took off when I fertilized.
ReplyDeleteYour lettuce bed is gorgeous! It's doing great!
oh, and I had HAIL yesterday in Sacramento, CA. Hail in June! It's just not right!
ReplyDeleteI've given up on cucumbers, mine never work here, they just get moldy. My spinach never came up, twice... and I wonder if it's just too late to put it in again, it will probably be too hot in a month? Or am I just dreaming about that? At least you have tomatoes! Mine are just flowers, but I have high hopes. As I do every year... even though they never do well! I guess I'll just be happy to have salad greens and strawberries and a few green beans. But wow, is it ever slow growing this year. Even the grass seeds I put down in my front yard have not sprouted. I think the birds all ate them before it ever got warm enough for them to sprout.
ReplyDeleteWell It's going to be 100F here in Memphis, TN tomorrow with tons of humidity.
ReplyDeleteI know tomatoes need warm soil, have you thought about watering with warmer water to help heat the soil? Or maybe painting one side of your container black to absorb heat? Then when it does get hot outside you can rotate the blue side towards the sun so it doesn't get too hot?
Chin up Sinfonian! Your lettuce/salad bed looks gorgeous and the season is still quite salvagable. Cucumbers and other squash do just fine being started indoors and planted out. I almost always do that to get a jump on the season - although this year my cucumber transplants all gave in to the cold and heavy rains and died and I had to direct seed just a week ago some replacements. The forecast for the next few days shows a warm up so if you got some things in the ground they will have a more hospitable soil temp for quick germination.
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