Sunday, June 30, 2013

June 30 Heat Wave

Well, looks like summer has arrived with a bang ............ this weather should help with tomatoes and cucumbers, but the lettuce is starting to suffer tip burn from the heat
Have a look at our cucumbers, they are all growing so well .......... Poona Keera, Salad Bush, Diva and Sabre

only two of us at the garden this morning, so we watered deeply, tied up our tomatoes, harvested enough greens for a big salad and called it a day ...........

Happy Canada Day to all!!


Saturday, June 29, 2013

June 23 Looking Good

Getting a nice harvest from our Amish Deer Tongue lettuce and mesclun mix
and the raspberry harvest begins ...........

Sowed: short row of French Breaskfast radish; resowed carrots due to poor germination - Berlicuummer; also Lungo Fiorentino zucchini; and more Red Russian x Redbor kale

hopefully our mesclun bed will provide a few more harvests through the approaching heatwave - at least the zinnias should be happy

both the beans and tomatoes seem to be enjoying their new soil

Thursday, June 20, 2013

June 16 Garden Update

Garden is looking good ........... and we have nice fruit set on our earliest tomato - Kimberley
the self-seeded nasturtium is starting to bloom ............ petals can be added to salads for colour and leaves provide a spicy note
We also added two new trellises for our cucumbers in bed 1 and the Black Krim and Stupice tomatoes ........check out our newly germinated beans too!
  Our mixed green cutting bed is looking good, with zinnias just showing along the back
The earlier planted beans and potatoes are taking over their beds .............. almost time for a potato harvest, and the bush beans should be flowering soon

Sunday, June 9, 2013

June 9 The Garden is Full

Good day at the garden today, even if we did get caught in a brief rain storm ...........

Planted another bed full of green bush beans - thought we'd try a comparison of Valentino, Lynx and Maxibel

Harvested Amish Deer Tongue Lettuce to make room for cucumbers, two plants of each:  Diva, Saber, Poona Kheera and Salad Bush.  Both Diva and Saber are parthenocarpic - have all female flowers and do not require any pollination.


The Russian Blue potatoes are flowering - a few more weeks for baby potatoes

Even spotted a lovely bunch of strawberries

The tomatoes are looking fabulous, with fruit set on Kimberley

And have a look at this critter ..... a ladybug pupa at 7 days .....  discovered a fascinating website re the life cycle of the ladybug http://www.hmrprint.com/helensphotos/LADYBUGS.html

Now the beds are fully planted, so time to take a wee breather and think about our fall and winter crops - check out Linda Gilkeson's articles on winter gardening ........

http://www.saltspringenergystrategy.org/food.htm

Sunday, June 2, 2013

June 2 - Productive Day at the Garden

The lettuce is heading toward harvest, and next week we hope to add cucumbers as companions; the beans show good germination two weeks after sowing

Lots accomplsihed in the garden this week, and a good turn out of volunteers ......... the flower bed gets a new look

Finally time to put out the peppers, a nice variety of sweet peppers:  Melrose, Gypsy and Purple Beauty and one hot pepper:  Mucho Nacho

Large cloche moved from tomatoes to peppers

Also planted Pixie cabbage, parsnips and purple beans

And our newest member took some time to smell the flowers

Next week our last bed will be planted with more bush beans, then time to start thinking about our winter crops!!