Garden State

So it’s been a long time since I’ve posted an update on the state of my garden.  Overall, things are going well, but the abnormal Indiana weather in May definitely caused some problems.  Also, it took me a good week to do some serious weeding when we got back from Paris.  Some weeds had gotten so large it was hard to tell if they were things I planted or not!

Let’s start with what is going/went well:

We harvested a nice-sized crop of peas that we’re still eating through.  Truthfully, their mostly for Eliza since they used to be her favorite, and she’s actually enjoying the rediscovery even though she’d rather eat other foods (carbs!) instead of vegetables.

I’m devouring our second round of radishes with a third round to come in a few more weeks (hopefully).

Our herbs are apparently on steroids, judging from our 5 foot dill and cilantro and basil (we limited our herbs this year since we still have tons saved from last year).  Also, the mint is taking over…anyone need some?

As usual, the various lettuces we planted are thriving and no matter how much we eat, we hardly make a dent.  We have a variety of green leaf, romaine, arugula, and spinach.

Yes, the arugula has gone crazy, too.  This year we planted three different kinds of chard (rainbow, dark green, light green), and so far they have all been equally delicious (honestly I can’t tell them apart by taste once wilted).

We already have green onions ready to eat, and the leeks nearby are making good progress (better than last year’s which I planted far too close together).

Our okra is also coming in well, pretty much on pace with last year.  This time we planted two kinds, the standard green from last year and some red okra.  The red are growing the best, I think.

Two different kinds of green beans are growing in the garden, both of the “bush bean” variety (not pole beans).  One batch only grew sparsely but are pretty much ready to eat.  The other batch is growing really well, but still quite skinny.

Finally, our raspberry bush is about 10 times larger than last year (with tons of new plants springing up) and we’ve been able to eat a handful of berries that have already ripened.  Eliza loves them!  The bush is an ever-bearing variety, which means berries form every year (as opposed to every other year), but usually a little later in the season than regular raspberry bushes.  I’m thinking we should plant some more berry varieties for future years.

We also have corn growing steadily as well as a couple types of tomatoes, but they still have a while to go (our tomato plants have had a slow start).

So what isn’t going well?  I don’t think any of the pepper plants (from seed) have made it.  Last year we had dozens of jalapeno plants, a few poblanos, and two bell pepper plants, all from seed.  This year it was a bust, both from seed and the starts I transferred from the house in May.  The tomato starts I tried from scratch also didn’t make it once I transferred them outside.  Also, I planted a batch of cucumber seeds, and only one plant has made it.  I planted another round about 10 days ago, so I’m hoping those do better, but it means more than likely we won’t have cucumbers until late summer (if at all).  Other failures: lemon grass – it just won’t grow in this climate despite my best efforts.