And then it was June... in New England

I've been harvesting strawberries from last years' plants for the last week - I'm very excited, because this year's plants, which were bare root little sticks when they arrived are going to bear fruit this year! I didn't expect that. I know that proper gardening techniques say I should prevent them from having fruit this year, but I'm not that grown up!

My raspberry canes, which arrived looking like dead sticks, are all looking happy and healthy. My peas have been coming along very slowly, but they are coming along.

The most exciting thing for me is my tomatoes. All my seedlings were tiny. Two weeks ago, some of them didn't even have their first true leaves. I wasn't transplanting them because they were so little, and it turned out that they were so little because I hadn't transplanted them into bigger pots.

So I did transplant them into bigger pots, and they started to grow, and then I moved them outside into beds. In the meantime I had bought some tomato plants, because I didn't want to end up with nothing. I can tell that my tiny guys are definitely going to catch up, so I am really, really happy! First of all, the ones from seeds are my babies! Second of all, in terms of numbers and types, I can't replace everything that I started from seeds!

I am quite behind in a number of other areas, but I have enough stuff going well, that I feel much, much better than I did this time last year - I remember saying to DH on the first of June - Dammit! Summer's over!

Ooooh Martha, lucky you harvesting strawberries. Mine are still green but I'm hopeful I'll be eating some in a couple weeks.

My tomatoes are really looking lush and growing. Some already have blossoms so I bagged them to isolate for seed saving later. The rains haven't hurt one bit. Today its raining again so not having to water by hand is a blessing.

I harvested spinach yesterday and some lettuce leaves along with parsley and chives. The Swiss chard is big enough for some harvesting but no one wants any yet. I covered over with milk jugs, the young zuke and watermelon seedlings to retain heat last night when it dropped into the 40s (and will all week long) in hopes they won't be slowed too much from the cool nites.

Like you, I'm really enjoy the first of June. Its come in with all shades of green.



The long view of my garden yesterday, June 1st, with the strawberry patch along the front.

I thought my tomatoes and peppers were tiny too, I up potted them and started leaving them out more and it rained on them almost everyday for a week and they shot right up. I also bought "just incase plants". All of my babies are spending the night on the deck tonight and tomorrow I will be planting some tomatoes (a few weeks earlier than I am used to), and will start some squash, and cukes along side my transplants as quiltbea has me curious of how fast the seeds will catch up to my transplants.

And then it was June... and I lit my wood stove... 52*F here this afternoon. It's snowing in the mountains... Hmmmm..... wonder why my tomatoes aren't coming along

camprn wrote:And then it was June... and I lit my wood stove... 52*F here this afternoon. It's snowing in the mountains... Hmmmm..... wonder why my tomatoes aren't coming along

Are you kidding me

It's 94 here today!

RoOsTeR wrote:

camprn wrote:And then it was June... and I lit my wood stove... 52*F here this afternoon. It's snowing in the mountains... Hmmmm..... wonder why my tomatoes aren't coming along

Are you kidding me

It's 94 here today!

I see that, on the weather map, I am thinking of all my garden peeps allover the country struggling with wicked hot and dry conditions, wild fires, etc.... all of which can be life threatening. I hope you all take care... our time will come, here in New England.

We've had nothing but rain and drizzle the last 4 days and in checking my garden, everything is lookin' fine. The tomatoes seem to be growing a little and are very green and fresh looking. The only problem seems to be the corn which isn't germinating in either my SFG or my comm garden rows. The seeds may have rotted from too much rain lately and if that's the case, I'll be sowing more seeds this weekend when the rain finally lets up. I'll be better able to take stock of any lasting damage then. Since 6/1 we've had 5 and 6 tenths inches of rain.

Here in Maine days in the low 60s or mid 50s and nights all in the 40s this past week. My eggplants were put back under the lights and are still in their solo cups. They just aren't getting a chance yet this year. The good news is the wells and underground springs are full. There's always a good side to everything.

quiltbea wrote: The good news is the wells and underground springs are full. There's always a good side to everything.

+1

I hate the flea beetle destructor!

I heard that radishes attract the flea beetle but don't get hurt by them? Next year I'm going to plant radishes and see if I can lure the flea beetles away.

You all sound much more positive than I feel about this rain and cold weather. Yes, woodstove fire every day lately, and it's June. But this weekend it looks to be in the 80s.

This evening the sky cleared and I finally felt relief. So I sacrificed 2 bottles of beer and made 7 slug cups in the garden. And now it's pouring outside. I don't know how the sky could have gone from clear to pouring so quickly.

My tomatoes, which I bought at the local greenhouse, aren't looking too spunky in this cool weather, and neither are the peppers. Then this weekend the local library had their annual plant sale (I didn't realize they had veggies) and I bought some beautiful tomato plants for "just-in-case"rs. Hope they do well.

And my leaves continue to get mutilated, I think by a combo of slugs and flea beetle. I heard garlic spray will help with flea beetles.

My beer traps are probably a waste now tho.

I'm thinking next year when I get my grow station up and running, it will help to have the veggie plants bigger and more robust when I put them out, they may stand up better to bugs.

I keep coming to the forum to post my beer trap results and keep getting caught up in reading threads (the neat one I read today on worm tubes - wow) and then forget to post.

So I put 7 beer cups out last night for slugs, and then it rained, so I figured - oh well. But this morning there were still about 10-15 slugs in each cup. There are probably thousands of slugs in the garden, so I'll have to pour them some more bubbly tonight if it doesn't rain, since apparently they don't like flat beer, only the good stuff.

Anyway - woohoo - even with that many slugs I probably saved a cauliflower leaf or 2.

nh gardener.... I hope that's really cheap beer!!

So far my stuff is doing ok except for the chipmunks who keep digging holes and eating my seeds !! I ordered several traps will be here in a few days

My peppers are going the slowest, but my tomatoes all have blossoms, and my squash and melons are going crazy. I will definitely have to figure out a better way to handle them for next year. I got a late start on my potatoes, but they are visible now and my new asparagus crowns aredd growing well too. Now is just pick the bugs and wait.... sigh:roll:

Read a tip in Mother Earth News - to keep chipmunks from eating your melons, slip cheap pantyhose over them while they're small, and as they grow, the nylon stretches, and apparently the critters won't try to chew thru it.

Another good chipmunk repellent might be the box cover out of mesh wire I believe that Mel has in his book - I was reading that the other day, looked interesting, you just lift that cover right on and off the box.

Or cheaper yet, netting. Apparently the sun can still get thru.

Oh, it was 2 bottles of my $.60 each Buds. I wonder how frequently I have to replenish the beer traps. Anyone know?

We started out with a good day here on June 6th, temps in the 60sF all day, so took a friend shopping for things she needed. Came home and tried to find a hot fudge sauce recipe I had but couldn't so found another online that is as close as I can find to my favorite one. Will try that today. I need a supply in the fridge.

Finally got myself together, took the eggplants out along with my garden plan, cut back the mizuna, arugula and bekana in the A-frame to make room for reaching, and the rains cama down again. So I trotted back to the house with my eggplant transplants for another day. Darn it.

At least the brassicas are doing well in my garden:



Above: My Packman variety of Broccoli seem to be doing the best. Nice uniform heads forming and healthy leaves all over.



Above: In the brassica bed the Violet Queen cauliflowers are forming little purple heads and the Apollo broccoli here aren't as nice as the Packmans. They are separating so I'll be cutting them right away.



Above bed: The snow peas with darker green leaves on the left are slower to grow than the sugar peas on the right yet they were sown the same date. Chives and onion sets are going gangbusters as are the Bright Lights Swiss chard and my Pak Choi. You can just see the ferny tops of the carrots at the left end.



Above: I found blossoms starting on my Pablano Ancho hot pepper so bagged it this morning. Also bagged a Hungarian Hot Wax and a sweet Big Bertha pepper. Does anyone know if the Big Bertha is a hybrid or not? I bought it and it didn't tell on the label. I'll save seeds if its open-pollinated or an heirloom. So all in all, I'm happy with my garden to date. Still no sign of the Golden Bantam corn germinating but I'll wait til Sat to reseed if needed. I hope everyone is having good luck with their beds even after all the rain, rain, rain. I've been lucky myself.

Wow - your broccoli looks beautiful! Did you grow that from seed?

I'm going to keep a lookout for netting for next year - probably won't do it this year, but the way my leaves are getting eaten, it might be the best thing. Good thing about this compact gardening is you can realistically net it all.

Oh, and I never even thought of making fudge sauce - great idea! (Who knew it doesn't only come from a store?)

I've got one of those.

This says its a hybrid.
http://www.totallytomato.com/dp.asp?pID=03116&c=37&p=Big+Bertha+Hybrid+Pepper

@llama momma.....Thanks for the info on Big Bertha. Too bad it's not OP. I guess I'll have to buy seeds next year if I really like it.

@NHGardner.....I attribute no holey leaves to the Agribon light weight row cover I put over it. I just removed it today to see how things were growing under the cover. It sure helps keep off the pests.

Veggies made it thru all the rain without needing to be blow dried. *whew*

I noticed that my romaine is forming heads. Does that mean I should pick them?



How do you tell if something it about ready to bolt?
CC

Yup it's time to harvest the largest heads, they will soon get ready to bolt.

After the dry winter and warm spring that has advanced our season by at least two weeks, we have had much cooler weather and rain almost daily for at least the past two weeks....

Good for the brassicas, peas and such...

Cabbages and Brussels sprouts to the right


peas and shallots, sorry it's blurry, there was a storm rolling in and the light was dim.


potatoes and garlic


the carrot jungle, time to thin again


Sweet potato terrace


The tomato nursery


overview


This is not a swarm but everyday at about 4 pm the new bees come out to orient and learn how to fly.

Wow camp! Everything looks so lush and green.

wow all the gardens here look great!!

hugs

rose

Beautiful photos, Camprn! Thanks for sharing those. The bees are so cute! We can't have bees here or I would. But there seems to be a swarm at the end of my driveway living inside an old railroad tie. shhhhhhh...

How'd your carrots get so huge already? When did you plant those?

Love your tomato 'nursery'. Guess mine could be called that too.

Do you have bigger toms elsewhere? I don't...

CC

CapeCoddess wrote:Beautiful photos, Camprn! Thanks for sharing those. The bees are so cute! We can't have bees here or I would. But there seems to be a swarm at the end of my driveway living inside an old railroad tie. shhhhhhh...

How'd your carrots get so huge already? When did you plant those?

Love your tomato 'nursery'. Guess mine could be called that too.

Do you have bigger toms elsewhere? I don't...

CC

THanks Rooster and CC. I really think the carrot growth is mostly attributable to the wet and warmish weather and homemade compost. I think it's going to be a good carrot and beet year.

I have a few other store bought tomatoes, a purple Cherokee and San Marzano and a few tomatillos waiting for a permanent space. The ones in the nursery are Gilberties grown from seed and being slow this year. I think they will come along nicely when the weather gets warmer. I am hoping for a bit of a growth spurt in the next 5 days, the predicted temps are around 80F.

camprn - does your netting keep the slugs out? I'm having a terrible time with slugs ripping apart my cauliflower, and even the onions.

You have a green thumb. My veggies aren't half the growth that yours are. Except the peas, those are doing pretty well. And the potatoes are growing out of the beds - I have the boards ready to put together for layer 2. But the carrots never grew and I planted twice. I wonder if it's because of the leaves I put on there last fall - I think they were oak, and now I'm hearing not to put oak leaves on as mulch. The lettuce didn't go anywhere either. I'll have to replant both when this rain is over.