Strawberry Harvest Begins

I (weeded) and picked my first round of strawberries. I froze two quarts and David and I ate one. The patch looks real good with at least two more pickings. The cool weather has been a blessing for the lettuce, which we are still eating . I have had two meals of spinach. Other greens (mustard, collard, chard and kale) are coming along and will be ready soon. My broccoli and cabbage from seed are slow going? Not sure if they have enough time. My struggle this year is with bunnies. They ate a lot of peas and half my broccoli seedlings raised from seeds. What are you gonna do? I have most everything covered in chicken wire and netting, but they still tend to get through and under somehow. I have to go buy some more netting. My snow peas have been blooming a week and should make some peas real soon. The shelling peas are blooming also. Carrots, potato and radish are up and onions need weeding. We planted nine rows of beans for drying: pinto, red, white, and black. Like all home grown foods, they taste much better. If it is not too wet we will do some summer plantings on the weekend, I'll keep you posted.

sunflowers

opps! the wire info was for Jan, not you Nancy! Good to see you found your way to the blog!

Happy Mothers Day, mothers! and what a glorious day it is!!

About the sunflowers, Nancy, you may try putting some chicken wire, tomato cages, or the like over the seed and let them get up a ways before pulling the wire off. I'm guessing some bird is eating the seed or the young sprouts...we know how good sprouts are! I LOVE your pics!

Last Falls spinach has bolted, flowering now, so the leaves are much smaller, we pull it up as we harvest to make room for something else (I'm always in need of more space this time of year!)Normally I'd let it go to seed but last year was a bumper crop, so I have plenty. March's planting is ready to pick now too. Spinach anyone??

Sno peas started blooming last week, the sugar snap shouldn't be far behind! Yea! Beets and carrots broke ground during last week rains...and did it rain. Everything else is looking pretty good. This year more than others I've noticed my timing has been better getting seeds or transplants in the ground...sowing seeds before the rain and transplanting between the showers or on cloudy evenings. I think it does make a difference.

The fringed phallicia is the tallest and most robust I've ever seen it! Must be all the rain. The larkspur, butter wort or wild mustard (I have to look it up) and thimble flower are waning, just a few stragglers. The wood poppy is getting her second wind as we are past peak.

Love to all my fellow gardeners, Michael

Lenore's Garden is Online

Lenore will be posting soon!!!!with all her garden updates.