Garden Doings

Peas, beats and carrots

We've been eating out of our garden for about 2 weeks now.  The radishes are almost done, we're swamped with salad greens, and just starting to eat kale.  That's about 2 weeks ahead of last year, and way ahead of where we were in 2011 (click here).  Last year our garden did not look about the same until two weeks later (click here).  I'd say we are 2 or 3 weeks ahead of normal - except for the potatoes which seem to keep to the exact same schedule every year.

This year I kept things simple with lots of carrots, lettuce, beats and peas in the raised beds.  I added cilantro in with the salad greens and that seems to have been a good idea.  The main garden and raised beds next door are full of potatoes while the planters around the house have kale.  I planted radishes beside the potatoes and kale knowing that they would be all gone by the end of June and that the other plants could fill in the vacated space.

Another new trick that I discovered this year was to let the beach peat for the potatoes sprout weeds.  The beach peat is full of lamb's quarter seeds, and are a 'weed' that I think tastes better than spinach!  In years past I pondered how I could get lambs quarter into my garden (click here), and now I finally figured it out.  Lambs quarter is just like spinach except it does not bolt or make your mouth feel raw with oxialic acid.

On another seasonal note - I noticed that the first salmonberries are almost ripe.  I can't remember ever eating salmonberries prior to July, and this year it looks like we'll beat the beginning of summer.  I found the almost ripe berries with the kids on Sunday.  Nora called dibs on the berry pictured.  Patrick

Beat, lettuce (with cilantro mixed in) and carrots

Potato beds with lambs quarter 'weeds' and radishes at one side

Salmonberry on Sunday

Same berry yesterday - it ought to be ready to eat by this afternoon.  Nora has called dibs on the first berry of the season.