Harvest Monday - The End of May

The snow peas are producing! A favorite spring time crop. We had some on a salad with lettuce from Greens and Jeans garden and another night steamed.
I also had harvests of lettuce and green onions which you've seen photos of previously.

The hot weather is here so the tomatoes, peppers, eggplants are growing well. Won't be long before I'm picking string beans.

Check out what others are picking at this time at Daphne's Dandelions.

Just Some Photos

The last iris to bloom is the pale lavender one.

See how it contrasts with the deep purple.

The elusive peony that I have had for many years. I brought it to this house in 2006 but it hasn't bloomed until this year.

One of three front planters starting to fill in. Love that green of the sweet potato vine. Other than hanging pots and here, I can't grow sweet potato if the ground hog can reach it.

Knock out rose knocking itself out. Must be the bath of fish emulsion, epsom salt, ammonia, liquid detergent and water that did the trick.

Finally, the irises around the pond are in full array.

See other gardens sights at hostess Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Flora Thursday.

Arghh!#@*! Those Bandits!

This season of growing I was feeling pretty good that I had mastered the balance of me versus marauding animals and that it was in my favor for a change. I had a wake up call this morning when my eyes fell on this scene on the deck.

I had had an inkling that raccoons (has to be them) had shown an interest in my pots on Monday when I found the largest one in disarray. It wasn't dumped but some of the plants were uprooted and the self watering indicator straw was out. I put it back together without thinking that it was the precursor for more destruction.

They must be looking for grubs and the potting soil is easy to dig in. They must also be frustrated to find no grubs because it is potting soil.

This morning I will repair the damage as best I can and take on another line of defense. Moth balls. Each pot will get one, even the ones they haven't touched, yet. If I have enough I'll be placing them around the vegetable garden fence line just in case they get ideas and want to dig in the rich composted soil of my vegetable garden. And I did check there this morning and they weren't there last night but there are many more summer nights for them to sneak in.

Those bandits! I had intended to do a Wordless Wednesday post today. It will have to wait. Garden damage control awaits me.

Harvest Monday - Green is the Theme

Welcome to my Harvest Monday post. Green continues to be the theme of what I harvest.
Here's the last of the spinach. It has been a prolific producer especially the planting from the fall. I think I will plant more in the fall so I'll have an even bigger harvest in spring 2012. The spring planting didn't grow as well and it was the same variety, too.

Lettuce is doing well, too and I will continue to harvest the bib and baby leaf lettuce.

My onions are slowly being thinned. Here are some I pulled for a stir fry.

Saturday I planted 3 cubanelle, and 3 new ace peppers and 3 eggplants in what was the lettuce and spinach bed. To do it I pulled the straggling spring planted spinach and transplanted the baby leaf lettuce. Wilderness at Growing and Cooking suggested I spray the leaves with a mix of 1 T. epsom salts to 1 gal. of water which I did. She said the peppers would green up and I'd save the flowers.

So here's the promise of things to come: a cubanelle pepper,

eggplant,

a new ace pepper,

zucchini,

more zucchini (these were transplanted into the mound where the first batch didn't germinate),

sweet 100 cherry tomato,

string beans,

tomatoes!

See what others have harvested by going to Daphne's Dandelions - the host of Harvest Monday.

A Walk and An Update

Come take a walk with me. I rode to the top of the lane with Dan and walked back with the recycle bin. Here is the top of the lane looking down towards my destination.

One of the houses along the lane is this one built in 1808. It was home to a Quaker family when it first was built.

There's a lovely old stone wall on the left as I pass the 1808 house.

Passed the house the lane gets steeper.

Everything is lush and green from all our rain.

Almost to my driveway, it's ahead on the left.

Here is our marker. You can see the surprise lily on the right. There are astillbes and foxglove growing. I planted a young red bud tree here too.

The wetlands are to my right as I start walking on my driveway.

The first of many turns in the drive.

Another turn ahead.

One of the few straight almost level sections. There are young sycamore trees growing along the right.

Ahead is the glen. Our house is on the edge of it at the top. The tree on the ground covered with vines is a walnut cut down by Dan. It was dead.

Another view of the glen. Isn't it like a cathedral?

On my right is the wetlands where the skunk cabbage has grown very large.

Another turn - the steep part starts.

Another view of the wetlands.

I huff and puff on this stretch.

Sometimes I turn and walk up backwards and here's what I look back on.

First sight of the house.

Almost at the top.

I made it.

A quick stop by the vegetable garden to see how well

everything is growing. Peas are in full bloom.

A tomato bud is spotted.

Beans are growing.

Cucumbers have germinated.

Another tomato bud.

Close up of the peas' blossoms.

Lettuce is growing well. Spinach on the right has almost all been pulled.

On to look for other blossoms in the gardens. Pinks by the pond.

Miniature garden is looking lovely.

White iris has shown itself.

A single purple among the gold irises. It will have to be moved to a new spot.

Lupine is starting its bloom.

Deep purple iris are still in fine form.

Everything is very wet. More rain on its way.

Knock out rose joining the bloom parade.

Clematis close up.

Hanging basket is starting to fill out.

Thanks to HolleyGarden for helping me find Cottage Flora Thursdays.