Garden Update... Summer Lovin'

This spring was perfect for gardening; warm start, good amount of rain, happy plants.

My proudest accomplishment so far is my tomato "jungle." The 8 tomato plants (4 varieties) that I started from seed are doing amazing!!

So far I have harvested and eaten all the peas; tore them down last weekend, they were shading and encroaching on the tomatoes. We also had a great early harvest of radishes, with which I made quick pickled radishes.

We've had one Baby Gonzalez cabbage, with quite a few more to come soon.

Even had one beautiful Chioggia beet!

Onions are starting to look almost big enough to pick! And I had so many that some I planted really close and have been using like scallions, cutting the green parts as needed! 

Onions forming nice bulbs!

This bed has (left-right) Onions, Carrots (f), Beets (b) Golden and Chioggia, Cabbages, Cauliflower, Swiss Chard & Basil (not visible), some interplanted lettuce

Tomatoes :)

Green Beans
(Bush on left, Pole on right) 

Tomato Jungle, Peppers, Eggplants,
Cucumbers, Round Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Sugar Pumpkins

Yes, the tomato plants are taller than me!

 Looking forward to some delicious harvests coming soon! All ready picking beans everyday!

Early Spring

So, spring has sprung, and quickly!! I've been in garden mode since late winter, planning, re-planning! I've been using my newly acquired Excel skills to make spreadsheets (not the intended goal, but it's coming in handy!)

Here's a screenshot of my planting guide:

And here's my garden layout:

With the beautiful weather we've had Ben & I have all ready taken a few nice hikes. Last night we had a salad of daylilly shoots, garlic mustard greens and dandelion greens all foraged from a hike yesterday! I'll add a picture when Ben gets home with the camera! I am actually hoping for a little rain as I reminisce about the wonderful Morels I found last year!

As far as the gardening goes.... I started seedlings indoors in Feb and March. Eggplants, peppers (Cubannell and Cherry), tomatoes (five varieties), cabbage (Baby Gonzales) and cauliflower (Rainbow Mix). They're doing well and growing fast now that it's warmer in the basement under their lights!

Here they are on March 16:

And here on March 22:

Outside, our two 4'x8' beds were installed and prepared last fall:

 I added a little compost and ash (for potassium) and got to planting on St. Patrick's Day! Peas, radishes, lettuce, spinach, swiss chard and beets are in! 

Here are the radish sprouts:

And my newly made pea trellis:

Yesterday I got my onion sets in:

And even a few pretty flowers are coming up from the bulbs:

Stay tuned for more, I'm growing, foraging and cooking up a feast this year!

A few pics... More to come :)

 Cucumbers!

 Swiss Chard and Pole Beans (Growing on Fence)

 Pumpkin Patch! No babies yet...

 All ready harvested this Round Zucchini! It got about 1" wider.

 Cubanells, my favorite peppers! Also have had a few jalapenos all ready!

 Sun Gold Cherry doing GREAT!

 Heirloom Tomatoes!

Carrots, just starting to peek their shoulders up... will have a close up soon!


PS: Please read about the Oak Park Michigan case!
Oak Park Front Yard Garden...

Garden Update 6/13

Harvested all the lettuce yesterday!

Monster Tomato! Golden Cherry from the nursery... got a nice cluster of buds!

These tomatoes I started from seed! Heirloom "Early Red Cheif"

Potatoes I pulled from the compost bin where they were trying to grow!

Heirloom "Top Crop" Green Beans. Bush type, growing intensively in a container!

And all ready lot's of little bean flowers!

Ridiculously fast growing radishes. "Cherry Belle"

Planted from seed only a few weeks ago and almost fat enough to harvest! I don't even know if I like radishes!

Basil... also from seed! Gonna be making some pesto in a few weeks!

Started this Chive and Thyme from seed. Eventually they will live in the back garden!

Jalapeno Babies!

Recently started "Kentucky Wonder" mix of green and wax beans! Pole type will cover that fence soon!

Pumpkins! Lost one to wind, still 2 healthy ones!

A  new cucumber "Spacemaster" that can be grown in hanging planters!

In the center of this photo is a big Horseradish plant Ben's friend gave us last year! I almost pulled it out thinking it was weeds but looks like we will have a bumper crop! Sinus cleanser anyone?

 So far so good, I'd say!

Ben's muscles and my green thumb will have us eating good soon enough!
We've all ready been eating salads for a few months, and peas too (though our crop was sad... will plant more for fall!) But this is what they looked like!

Fresh garden peas quickly blanched then sauteed in butter with shallots and kosher salt!