The consistent warm summer days are here. And since it is a warm summer, we are also getting the “not cool” but not too warm summer nights. These are June nights, not August nights!
In the permanent garden the berries are fading except the strawberries that really like the summer; they are going to town! So glad I waited for the Albion variety out of Davis! Sweet! There are a few blueberries hanging on. But…there are new blackberry flowers and some little starts. So if it doesn’t go over 100F for a week or so, we might eke out a few more blackberries!The kiwi berries are truly growing this summer but will take until next year to fruit- hopefully! The grapes are also growing like mad and sending out small bunches. And the tomatoes we planted out in the permanent garden are finally perking up and getting thicker and making flowers! Yay for those who eat that yucky fruit. They like them!
Dave hang the flowering pots for me along the edge of the front porch, and it is so great to see flowers everywhere. He just planted his seeds in the flower bed so hopefully by the baby shower, we will have flowers everywhere! Of course the squash flowers in the planting bins also pop with their giant orangey flowers! I also just planted flowers wherever and whenever while waiting for bins to get set up etc, so I’m loving all the crazy color masses.
The herb bin is also starting to go to town. The basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme is growing so well, but the cilantro bolted (I’m waiting for the seeds to just reseed themselves), and the parsley still hangs on.
And then the bins….wow, summer is amazing. Plant life is amazing. Pollinators are amazing! Let’s start with the Lakota squash. After the takeover of last summer, we planned better for these 20+’ vines. Their bin is on the end and headed out towards the barn uninterrupted! The fruit is already setting and as big around as a large grapefruit. They won’t finish until late August or so. The family loved how sweet these are and I love sitting in the Egg chair just watching them grow! Sacramento Valley has to be a squash capital because I grow so many kinds besides the Lakota. We have butternut and Delicata growing up the trellises, Patty pans looking like little starships, and then both zucchini and yellow summer squash being harvested daily. They grow soooo fast! The green beans have just started to flower and are actively climbing that trellis with tendrils waving in the wind. There are only a few Honeydews started but they are also actively climbing their trellis and sending vines everywhere. I had planned on letting the watermelon grow out within the pepper plants but again, they are growing so fast I had to cut some of them to protect the peppers! We’ve harvested 3 pickling cucumbers so far and there are many little gherkin sized ones coming on strong. I’ve harvested several radishes and we will have to see how they hang on- I picked the variety (Crimson Giants) that is supposed to be heat resistant but not so sure there. The carrots are also growing well and we should get our first harvest of those in a few weeks. Even the pumpkin on a stick have finally sprouted so we can see how that goes in this wind. The slowest growers are the peppers and tomatillos and they start to grow so slowly, but are getting thicker stems and more leaves. The bell peppers I bought from Green Acres are starting to flower and I think two of the ones I tried to grow from seed (May 10) might finally be sprouting. Those aren’t Matt and Jenny’s favorite but Cherie and Eric like them and they do have a ton of vitamin C. So all in all…it’s going well right now. Baby and I (and Papa) now have to pick the squash to take to Mama and Dada each evening as he heads home after school. I absolutely love that- it was my dream for this place. I’m already planning a winter garden out there in the bins to keep us going year round!
And finally, the last of the winter crops have been picked. The garlic was full sized (first time for that) and the onions are drying. I can’t wait to figure out next winters plantings. Anyhoo, I need to go water and do my thing out here. I LOVE being outside!
