May's Garden (2023)

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 strawberries have managed the crowding quite well. Next time I will be less enthusiastic (maybe). Comparing the flavor of four different varieties has been a surprise. One kind has failed miserably and is about to be ripped out. Another produced three strawberries that were candy sweet. I am eagerly awaiting the establishment of their roots for more rewards. 

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.

Staggering the planting dates for the tomatoes in hopes of spreading the harvest workload seems to be working well. The first group of assorted seedlings was put beside the corral fence with carrots. 

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.

This row is next to the early spring beets and it is almost their harvest time.  A banana melon is lurking in the shadows to take their place.

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. 

Another new crop growing this year is Iceberg Lettuce. It could always be bought for $.69 at the grocery store. However, after I saw the price skyrocket to $7.50 during the winter, seeds were quickly ordered and now they are sharing this row with tomatoes. 

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!

Once again, I will try to grow yellow squash. Never before have I succeeded. Never. Yet again, I will valiantly ride out to battle the twice-in-a-season hatchings of hungry squash vine borers which swarm in from the field beside my garden. For me, squash has been impossible.

This year's battle plan will be to put the vulnerable varieties (C. pepo, C. maxima) together close to the scent trap and to run them up support poles so inspection and treatment of the vines will be easier.  With so much planted, hopefully, I will get at least something.

Those with long vines (Spaghetti, Honeyboat Delicata, Georgia Candy Roaster) will go up the corral fence.

The bush yellow squash will be supported by stakes from junk found hidden in the back of the shed. 

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. 

We have worked hard this month and are ready for feasting. Let the canning, freezing, dehydrating, fermenting, pickling, and jelly-making begin!

Last Month's April Garden (2023)

Last Year's May Garden (2022)

Through the Garden Gate