Things have been dry here. Not quite bone-dry, but given that the 10-day weather forecast is devoid of rain - and that's been pretty much par for the course - it's about as drastic a difference from last year as we might imagine.1 Warmer than average. Dry enough to keep all but the most vigorous weeds down. Full of (minor) mistakes. The kind you learn from, but aren't interesting enough to explain to a second person.2
But, hey, it's a garden!
Is this impressive? I have no idea. It's green, though, and already producing food. Peas, radishes, turnips, and broccoli raab are mostly through. Not these, though:
Radish seedpods. Rat-tailed Radish. In the world of seed catalogs, that's an unusual name. They crunch like snap peas, but taste like radishes. I prefer them raw, because cooking seems to eliminate the radish spiciness.
What makes them especially appealing is that, unlike other related vegetables, bolting to seed is a good thing. Usually, hot weather results in plants like radishes becoming woody, staying small, and turning bitter before they plump to a size worth harvesting. Problem solved.
Peas haven't been thrilled with hot weather, but we've had a decent harvest anyhow.
Not enough peas to freeze for the future, but plenty to enjoy fresh. The plants and trellis come out of the ground this weekend to make room for more soybeans.
Other plants happy that summer's here? Tomatoes in flower:
Shiso that refused to germinate3 last year, but sprouted in a forgotten planter:
And this one:
Bonus points if you can identify it.4
Flowers are thriving, too. Hydrangeas that we planted two years ago are finally flowering, despite the limited shade we're able to provide:
And the hops planted last year are producing cones enough to harvest:
* * * * *
12009 was very cold, very wet, and the sort of year that benefitted certain vegetables (say, peas) and frustrated others. (Hey, eggplant!)
2That said, I've been taking notes for next year. Of course.
3Shiso is one of those finicky seeds that requires a chilling period to set the germination machinery going. I've never had good luck with them. After this, though, I'm planning to plant lavender seeds in a planter and leave it on the deck all winter, just to see if I get some viable seedlings come next spring.
4Momordica charantia. Bitter melon. If you haven't learned to love it, you really should.
2 comments:
Nice update! I was wondering whether you won the battle with the deer.
My deck is currently requiring 4 fillups of my 13L watering can every night. But everything is pretty ridiculously happy in this heat...
Deer vs. gardener is, so far, leaning to a win for gardener. Perhaps the fence is helping, or perhaps they're fully gorged on all of the fallen apples. We lost a major branch on one tree - nineteen or twenty years old by my count - and it's been a bounty for them. The tree's probably bound for firewood, unfortunately.
We're spending a great deal of time watering, but that's what it takes. We'll have our first ripe tomatoes in a few days, and everything else - nearly - is going gangbusters. Blueberries, raspberries, and very soon peaches, too. (I'm damn excited.)
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