New England, June 2015

I'm frequently surprised to see people planting peas so late. They seem like a fall/spring crop to me and here we are in summer.

We have a nice long spring here on the Cape, Marc. My pea vines are at the top of the trellises and are just forming fruits now. The plants will be done and pulled mid July.  Some lettuces are starting to bolt and others are still quite happy. I just pulled out most of the spinach the other day and planted bush beans, but I still have one sq of spinach that I'm eating off of.

I'm at that in between stage where EVERYthing grows right now.  Getting ready to plant more seeds of lettuce, beats, carrots and parsley today.

Lyndeeloo, my raspberries are doing great! They're nowhere near the size of yours yet but they are so healthy!

Isn't it funny CC how everything all of a sudden starts deciding to grow? LOL. 

We had rain last night! Apparently just shy of 0.2", but I'll take it. Can't wait to see how the plants liked it outside.

Not seeing garlic scapes yet. But strawberries are starting to ripen! And there are bumble bees all over the wild raspberries! It's like an airport when you walk by those.....

Got the carrots planted early this morning but then the wind picked up and big black clouds came over. Everything started blowing sideways! It was so windy that I couldn't plant anything else and had to go inside. I went out later to check on the garden with the wind still blowing and the peas were being ripped right off the trellis and broken over. the poor little tomato plant stems were being blown around so horribly that they now in big holes, almost to the point of being pulled out of the ground.I got so stressed that I started eating peas then ended up putting burlap windbreakers up everywhere, even around the garlic as they were almost laying flat on the mm.
It was crazy! Found out later, while out clothes pinning up some of the poor broken pea branches, that a cold front had gone through. Sure doesn't feel like it though.

While I was stuck in the house I got another Mellis built. One down, 2 more to go.

Gosh CapeC, that's terrible.  You have such a lovely garden and do so well every year I'm surprised to hear this.  I hope most of your crops make it thru the next few days.

We were lucky that we got a quarter inch of rain last nite and today it got back to 79F again and sunny.  The crops and flowers are loving it.  I was even surprised to see new blueberries on a couple of my bushes.  Not many so maybe they made it thru the birds feeding time.  I've got to hunt up my bird netting or put some insect barrier over them tomorrow.  Not enuf energy left today to do it.

There are more blossoms on the sugar snaps and the cukes are sticking their heads up a little further today.  I'm pleased.

Wow CC, that must have been some wind! I really like your burlap windbreakers.

It's not easy to garden. I can see why farmers' kids decided to head for jobs instead of staying on the farm. My grandparents were Dust Bowl farmers, in South Dakota. They ended up giving it up and moving to New Jersey. I have a lot of interesting info on it in the family history book.

If it ain't one thing, it's another, eh?

Wow sorry you had so much trouble with the wind blowing through. I hope you don't lose too much. Tomatoes at least are usually pretty darn tough and often come back from miserable conditions to thrive. I'll cross my fingers for you.

 Wow, CC, that sounds awful.  How is the garden looking this morning?

Marc Iverson wrote:I'm frequently surprised to see people planting peas so late.  They seem like a fall/spring crop to me and here we are in summer.

Mark, you're forgetting that you're talking to folks that just barely got out of winter.  I had a frost on June 7th.  This *is* our Spring. It lasts all of about 2 weeks. 

I went out this morning to remove the windbreakers but the mosquitoes were so bad I had to do a rush job. It looks like the broken P branches are not going to make it as they were all limp. I left the wind breaker around the garlic since it's always being blown at least a little bit. A lot of them are still laying down. Later today maybe I'll prop them up then compost them and hope they are ok. And I'll compost around the tomato plants to try to firm up the MM a bit and then start weaving them on to the trellis. Other than looking wind blown and being badly need of water, everything else looks really good. That was some freaky little wind cell. Yup, if it ain't one thing it's another. Keeps us on our toes.

Heading to the big city of Hyannis now for a Traders / Home Depot / BJs run, then home to water water water...

CC, your raspberries are looking great! Hope everything comes back after that wind storm! Mother Nature certainly keeps us on our toes!

QB the cukes and peas are looking good. I'll  have to try starting some outdoors next year.

mollyhespra wrote:

Marc Iverson wrote:I'm frequently surprised to see people planting peas so late.  They seem like a fall/spring crop to me and here we are in summer.

Mark, you're forgetting that you're talking to folks that just barely got out of winter.  I had a frost on June 7th.  This *is* our Spring. It lasts all of about 2 weeks. 

This is exactly why I am trying broccoli as a fall crop this year.  Our 2 week spring is not long enough to get broccoli before the heat sets in, then they either bolt overnight or do nothing, and I mean NOTHING for 2 months and then when you are pulling the volunteer sunflowers you find a broccoli that is flowering - no big leaves or stems to alert you it is still alive in the jungle, just suddenly a fluffy puff of tiny little yellow flowers!  At least in the fall we generally have 3 weeks.....

Yippee....The 2 little Totem tomatoes I have in my covered bed are producing their first tomatoes.

Here's my first plant with 2 babies.

and here's the 2nd plant with another tomato growing.

Tomato babies! Pass out the cigars!

AAAWWwwww...  They're so cute!  Congratulations, Quiltbea!

Yay QB!  That little green house is worth every penny.  How big to Totems get before you can pick them?

Before the big wind the other day, I planted carrots on the grid around these tomatoes:

So now my summer garden is filled in:
... so I can sit back and....start cleaning out the seriously neglected perennial gardens??? ugh  

CC

Ooh! Planting carrots around tomatoes. I like that idea. I may just do that.

I've been cleaning the perennial flower beds. So far I've spent hours cutting tiger lilies at the base. (easier than digging them up) (wow do they multiply) The cut greens have made a huge pile of compostable material that I've layered into my new row beds. Also been cutting out the new blackberry brambles that have sprung up.

Such nice, steady showers today.

Just spitting here...we MAY get our predicted .06" when it's all over, but my gauge won't register that so we'll never know. So glad I'm sticking to my watering schedule no matter what rumors abound. I finished up yesterday watering just this morning.

Lilly brought me a chippy today. One down and who knows how many to go. hehe

CC please send your chippie trapper my way! 

QB, congrats  on  the  little ones!

Well the rain gauge reads 2 1/2 inches since last night. Wow! I can see the plants growing if I stand still long enough. Some plants have doubled in size in 2 days. I  just can't  get  over it.

Tonight for dinner we had our first harvest of contender green beans, a salad from our romaine lettuce and radishes and strawberries for dessert. I had forgotten how amazing  fresh picked green beans are.     Saw the first humming bird at the feeder tonight. Dinner and a show all from my own backyard.

The tomatoes I started in February in the cold basement are now starting to produce.

https://i.servimg.com/u/f18/18/27/78/72/firstt10.jpg

This one is itty bitty.

https://i.servimg.com/u/f18/18/27/78/72/tinyto10.jpg

And this one is in a pot in the greenhouse with the windows open so someone could get in there and pollinate it and so it doesn't get too hot.

https://i.servimg.com/u/f18/18/27/78/72/greenh10.jpg

That's it so far, just three.

lyndeeloo wrote:CC please send your chippie trapper my way! 

QB, congrats  on  the  little ones!

Well the rain gauge reads 2 1/2 inches since last night. Wow! I can see the plants growing if I stand still long enough. Some plants have doubled in size in 2 days. I  just can't  get  over it.

Tonight for dinner we had our first harvest of contender green beans, a salad from our romaine lettuce and radishes and strawberries for dessert. I had forgotten how amazing  fresh picked green beans are.     Saw the first humming bird at the feeder tonight. Dinner and a show all from my own backyard.

Contender is from Territorial Seeds, right? I've been enjoying their seeds, but our local outlet stopped carrying them.

The ones that made it into the house:

Has anyone else noticed that Sugar Snap peas taste better than Super Sugar Snap?  The Supers produce a week or so sooner but...

CapeC....I thought the same thing last year when I grew both, so this year I'm only growing the Sugar Snaps.  I didn't want to waste the space on something not as tasty as a proven winner in my garden.

New here. Love seeing everyone's gardens & what they are growing. 

I'm having a hard time uploading pictures 

CAgirlinMA wrote:New here. Love seeing everyone's gardens & what they are growing. 

I'm having a hard time uploading pictures 

Hi CA! This forum is a lot of fun and full of great info.  Are you doing SFG?  Where in MA are you?
You may have already found it but if not, if you click on HOME at the top, then HOW TO, there are threads that tell you how to post photos.  Also, the search feature at the top left is very helpful as there are lots of threads on lots of different topics.

My wi-fi is down today so I'm on a dial up modem.  Soooooo slow, so I won't be able to help you out much but there are lots of others here that will jump in thru out the day.  Just ask and you shall most likely receive. lol

CC

Hi CC,

I'm in Duxbury & have been sq. foot gardening for 5 years. I absolutely LOVE it.



This crazy mess is my compost pile. All winter & spring we threw compost into this box.I meant to take some seedlings out of here, but time got away from me. Yesterday, I took out 27 tomato seedlings & 39 bell peppers.. I kept a few for myself but it sure is overwhelming. This bed now has 6 different types of squash plants & 8 volunteer sunflowers. It's going to be a surprise to see what I can get from this bed.




This is my cool season bed with broccoli, 5 different lettuces, spinach, green onions, thyme & arugula.



My 2nd cool season bed has pretty much the same as the 1st one with the exception of a few volunteer sunflowers popping up. There's also a few nasturtiums.



Gotta love the garlic bed with peas along the back. I read that I shouldn't put peas & garlic together, but I haven't had any issues with it.


Both of these beds(front of picture & behind it) have potatoes.



it's really been a terrific gardening season for me. So excited to share with all of you & get some new ideas.