May has been perfect. The mornings were unusually cool compared to past years so working in the garden has been pure bliss!
Everything has been planted. All that is left is to wait for the plants to grow and to fill in any empty spaces caused by harvesting.
We have been busy.
Last month I said I could never have too many onions. Well, perhaps that was rash. It appears a wee bit too many onion bulbs were purchased and added to the strawberry bed.
The Red Pontiac potatoes finally figured out it was time to sprout like the other varieties. It took them long enough to wake up. They seem to be producing enough tubers to push up above the soil so more leaves were raked and added.
The next group was placed beside Swiss Chard. The row appears crowded but that is only until the chard leaves are picked or the tomatoes grow taller. Either way, they're fine.
Sweet potatoes are sharing this row with the tomatoes.
This is my first time growing Six-week Purple Hull peas. They are supposed to be ready in six weeks, hence their name so I don't know if this combination will work.
The Golden Napa Cabbages are long gone leaving the garlic behind in this bed. These were the grocery store-purchased late-planted tossed-out-in-winter ones. Nothing was expected to survive so anything produced will be a blessing. Sugar beets for the fall will be put in the empty space.
It has always been difficult for me to grow broccoli because the stems rot. An old farmer told me it was caused by a boron deficiency in the soil. He said if I sprinkled a little Borax laundry detergent around the roots, it would solve the problem. That old wive's tale is now officially declared a success.
The broccoli growth surprised me and spread over the beets shading them from sunlight. Decent size broccoli has never been something my garden produced.
To give the beets sunlight, every broccoli leaf but one on each plant was stripped away, shredded into a huge broccoli coleslaw salad, and served to company. I fed a hungry gaggle of guys, the beets had a sudden growth spurt, and...
...hidden florets were discovered! It was a win-win-win!
Those with long vines (Spaghetti, Honeyboat Delicata, Georgia Candy Roaster) will go up the corral fence.
The borer-resistant varieties will be planted in other areas (c. moschata). The scent trap is up and ready with TWO scent bombs and sticky paper strong enough to hold a mouse. This is not overkill.
