Spring Garden 2010
18 Days Old - We've had such a spate of hot weather that it's going to be interesting to see what happens in the next week, when the weather is supposed to get sort of back to normal, again. Peas are just starting to climb the supports. Sage is full of new growth. Broccoli has firmly rooted and is putting out the shading leaves. Onions are over 6". Radishes are beginning to fatten up. Lettuce is still trying to decide what to do with this hot weather. Chives had flowers pinched after pix was taken.
This is my first year with strazzberries, that hybrid cross between a raspberry and a strawberry. All have been planted beneath my Cherry, Apricot/Almond, Peach trees, but only the strazzberries have shot up and started producing some berries. I've already picked off the flowers, once. The strawberries seem to know that there's going to be another cold snap and are waiting for the all clear!
This is the first apricot/almond from this 2-yr-old semi-dwarf tree I planted two years ago. I was told not to expect too many in the first season of fruiting, but that the following year would be a real crop. I'm just tickled that it's growing! Isn't it adorable!
And, here's the first crop of Elberta peaches on my four-year-old semi-dwarf tree. This tree is filled with clusters of young peaches and I'm going to have to cull them out so that the fruit will be nice and large. The orchard is starting to develop quite nicely. The apple tree has long enough branches for me to start espaliering them. Will be ready to bear fruit, next year.Little by little, I'm finishing up the "feed me" gardening and will be able to refocus on the landscaping changes. That's going to take some serious focusing because I want it to be right and not lose any of the good stuff already in place. Will have to start studying that end of the catalogs for inspiration.
28 Days Old - Well, we've weathered the really hot days (for this part of NC) and back to some cooler ones. Every seed seems to have made it and the only questionable place is where the neighbor's cat assumed I had built the garden for him. He rearranged some of the 'birthing sheets' in the middle section, so there's a true salad growing there! I think I'll be able to take the chicken wire down in another week, or so, before the peas get a stranglehold on it. (Things grow fast in this garden.)
If you look close, you can see the radishes are just a few days away from harvesting. Unlike other years, I've pretty much sown my spring vegetables and the next planting will be for summer crops. The extra seeds will go in during mid- to late-August for a nice fall harvest. The onions tops are already 10 inches tall and the chard has definitely made an appearance. I'm already tasting the salads. Yum.
If you look close, you can see the radishes are just a few days away from harvesting. Unlike other years, I've pretty much sown my spring vegetables and the next planting will be for summer crops. The extra seeds will go in during mid- to late-August for a nice fall harvest. The onions tops are already 10 inches tall and the chard has definitely made an appearance. I'm already tasting the salads. Yum.
I´ve never heard of strazzberies before! So they have actually managed to cross breed them!! Sounds exiting! I´ve also never heard of Apricot/almond! I´ve heard about a Peach/almond but those fruits were unedible, but these can be eaten if I guess right? I love hearing about, for me, new plants and trees :-)
ReplyDeleteI think my nectarine is completely dead after this cold winter. I was hoping for a fruit this summer since it flowered for the first time last year. But it was surprising that it survived six years in my climate(I had sown it myself).
But I´m happy to say that my american grape still is alive :-) Well I shouldn´t perhaps be surprised since it most probably is the hardiest grape there is.
It´s to early to sow anything here yet, but perhaps in late May anyway :-)
Have a great day now!
I appreciate all your great and insightful posts on gardening, and the information you share is affirmation and support for my own premier experience in backyard veggies. I've begun to get excited with the arrival of the first results and feel a deep content with this new beginning, thinking quietly - these seedlings are my future sustenance! Thank you Sharlene.
ReplyDeleteWow! Your garden is so much farther along than mine!! I've had chives planted for three weeks and they haven't sprouted at all!! Maybe I got a bad batch of seeds?
ReplyDeleteMy sweet peas and beets are just starting to show as well but my mesclun and spinach is doing great!
Your chives are huge! I have had mine indoors over the winter and they are in desperate need of some warm summer sun. Great pictures! Good luck.
ReplyDeleteGardening already? I am so jealous! And what is this strazzberry you speak of? I think I would love that.
ReplyDeleteHere from LBS. Thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday!
@Christer and Angie: Strazzberries are a cross that they've been able to stabilize. The plant actually grows like the strawberry and is probably 10" to 12" in height when peaking. The fruit is a delicate touch of the raspberries bite with the sweetness of the strawberry. Very yummy. A friend had them and I was so intrigued that I had to grow my own.
ReplyDeleteThe Apricot/Almond I'm growing is the only apricot with an edible nut. The rest are poisonous, so you do have to be sure you have the right tree. (I buy from Stark Bros. here in the US). This, of course, means I can't throw anything away that falls to the ground! Sorry about your nectarine, but the grapes will help you forget! (If you make some yummy wine!)
@powderate: Thanks for stopping by! I think knowing that you'll be eating what you've worked over is the 'bestest' feeling in the world! And, nothing tastes better than veggies only 20 minutes old!
@Krista: That's the beauty of an intensive garden. One year, my neighbor and I planted on the same day. Three weeks later, my plants were thigh high and hers were just about five inches high. The fastness of the growth and the closeness of the plantings help reduce bug infestations and act as its own mulch protection. A great combination.
@Casey: The chives stay in the garden and because it's so high, the soil stays warmer, making it a perfect place to winter over.
OOh I am excited to hear about the strazzberries!! We cannot even begin planting until after this weekend (It snowed a little over the weekend--uggh)
ReplyDeletestrazzberries???? I'm so intrigued! Never heard of those. Can I order some from you? teehehe
ReplyDelete~melody~
Your beautifully grown fruit and veggies are making me hungry. Wish I could garden again. I started an ambitious perennial garden project when my kids were young. My flowers bloomed and grew as the deer chomped and feasted away until not much was left. After decimating 1200 tulip bulbs, I knew my battle against my hungry bambi visitors was a losing one so I threw in the towel... Thanks for letting me live vicariously through your garden and thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
E
I miss being able to have a garden. I am envious.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Christina, it's interesting to watch the Strazzberries grow and hard to separate them from the strawberries until you put them in your mouth.
ReplyDelete@6feetover: The Strazzberries are a new hybrid. They grow like strawberries but having a little more zing in their taste. This is my first year with it in full form and I'm getting excited. They're just starting to change color...you can't rush 'em.
eof777 and D.Ryan: Come back anytime and enjoy the changes. I try to post new things about the gardens so folks can see how easy this type of gardening can be.
Wow! We can't even plant a garden here yet. Maybe May long weekend, if the nice weather keeps up. Would love to grow some strawberries and raspberry plants and maybe some herbs, but that's all we have room for at our place. Your garden looks so great! It reminds me of my parents, their garden always is a fantastic one every year! Happy SITS Day to you too!
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