Flowers – Nine by Eighteen

June Lull

SabineJune 16, 20252 Replies

Just five days until the official beginning of summer, and things have been slow in the garden. The weather has been cycling from the mid-60s to the upper 80s back to the low 60s, which has been stressing the plants, so everything seems to grow slower. Nevertheless, the plants are getting bigger, the zucchini is starting to flower, and I have my first summer flowers – self-seeding Calendula (also known as pot marigold). Those happy little flowers will bloom until the first frost.

The lettuces have been benefiting from the cold weather. The tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and basil not so much. In fact, I lost all but one of my slicing cucumber plants. Not sure what happened there. It is going to be warm again starting in two days, with temperatures predicted to be in the mid-90s early next week. I hope the plants can tolerate those changes.

All Planted

SabineJune 3, 20251 Reply

This morning, I (almost) finished planting my plot. Everything is now in the ground, except the sweet potatoes and okra (I will wait a few more days), and I still have to sow flowers and cilantro. I planted 5 cucamelon plants, 5 pickling cucumbers, 4 slicing cucumbers, 1 zucchini, 4 delicata squash and 3 butternut squash. I also planted two jalapenos, which were a gift. The Sweet Thai basil was planted in between the lettuce seedlings, and the Siam Thai basil along the border of my bed, next to the tomatoes. I also moved some calendulas to different spots in the plot, staked the tomatoes and secured the plants to the stakes with garden velcro. I harvested a handful of strawberries, yay! Usually the slugs, birds or pill bugs get there before I do.

*Pots, cells and trays for187 (now planted) seedlings – all washed and ready to go into storage until next spring. I have still 31 seedlings to plant.*

2025 Garden Plot

SabineMay 28, 20252 Replies

This morning, I planted my tomatoes (11 plants total, 8 varieties). I interplanted them with Italian basil (6 plants) and marigolds (5 plants). I also sowed nasturtium (Alaska Red Shades). I still have to plant the Thai basil, leeks, curcubites and flowers (strawflowers, gomphrena) as well as sow cilantro and flowers (borage, cosmos, zinnias, more nasturtium). I also harvested my two overwintered leeks. The rhubarb is still going strong (three harvests so far), the garlic looks great and the shallots are coming up as well.

Back Porch in Early May

SabineMay 6, 20252 Replies

*Radishes (and arugula; to be followed by basil and parsley)*

*Arugula (to be followed by ? …, perhaps more lettuce)*

*Asparagus and sprouting cosmos (the asparagus will die down and the flowers will take over. I will plant more cosmos and zinnias and perhaps nasturtium)*

*Lettuces (to be followed by Thai pepper, Thai basil and nasturtium)*

*Seedlings, hardening off (ready to go in the ground, but I am waiting until we have water at the garden)*

First Harvest

SabineMay 2, 20251 Reply

*Rhubarb flower – so pretty I cut them and put them in a vase*

First harvest of the year! This is my new rhubarb’s third year and the plant is thriving. I cut the flowers for decoration and pulled a good number of stalks. So many more to go! I see a lot of strawberry rhubarb galettes in my near future (recipe here). After four years, I am so excited to finally grow enough rhubarb again for baking!

Preparing the Plot for Spring

SabineApril 24, 2025Leave a Reply

This morning, I spent a couple of hours in the garden weeding, spreading compost and replacing the hay in my plot. It is now ready for planting. For the first time in years, I have not been planting peas, which I would have done mid to late March. The last couple of years were just demoralizing with the birds getting all the peas in the end. And I don’t feel like dealing with bird netting. I might transplant my lettuce seedlings tomorrow (they have been hardening on the porch for a few days), which would be a good time as rain is in the forecast for the day after. So, currently, I have garlic, rhubarb and strawberries coming in, and a lot of calendulas, which self-sowed from last year (they can be seen right behind the timber border to the left). I will thin them once they are a little bigger and plant them in different spots around the plot and also outside the community garden.

Mid-April

SabineApril 24, 20251 Reply

*Tulips in the communal bed outside the garden*

Repotting Tomatoes

SabineApril 19, 20252 Replies

On this sunny and warm Saturday afternoon, I repotted all my 24 tomato plants. I had started them on March 16, and they definitely had outgrown their little cells. Here again are the varieties: I have two each of Scotia (E), Stupice (E), Green Zebra (M), Ailsa Craig (M), Brimmer Pink* (M), Ananas Noire (L), Black Krim (L) and Dr. Wyche’s Yellow (L) plus 4 each of Mountain Magic (M) and Peacevine Cherry tomatoes (M) [E=early, M=mid-season, L=late tomato]. The 8 cherry tomato plants will go in the communal bed outside the community garden for the whole neighborhood to enjoy.

* One of the Brimmer Pink plants is a different variety (the one seen to the right in the front row) as it is a potato leaf-type, and Brimmer Pink has “regular” tomato leaves. We shall see the mystery unfold.

*Current dining table plant operation. Not much space left and I still have to start the curcubites.*

Shades of Green – April Update

SabineApril 15, 20251 Reply

*Seedling jungle* *(from top left: Thai basil, Thai peppers, kale, leeks, flat parsley*. *Swiss chard, sweet alyssum, strawflower, gomphrena, Thai basil, Italian basil. Okra, lettuces, tomatoes. Also growing but not shown: marigolds and Zinnias)*

Repotting Seedlings and More Seed Starting

SabineMarch 25, 20252 Replies

*Re-potted kale, Thai peppers and Thai basil (plus leeks in the far left corner)*

Today, I re-potted my kale, Thai hot peppers and Sweet Thai basil seedlings. They had outgrown their little seedling cells. The kale and peppers were started on February 16, the basil on March 1.

*Okra in our community garden, September 2020*

I also started more seedlings: Siam Queen Thai basil (6 cells), Italian basil, Clemson Spineless okra (6) and 6 cells each Merlot lettuce, Allstar Gourmet lettuce mix (Johnny’s), and Salanova green butterhead lettuce (Johnny’s), plus more flowers: Crackerjack mixed marigold (12), Oriental Nights Alyssum (6) and Tall Double Mix strawflower (6). It is my first time growing okra. The okra and flowers are for the communal bed, but I may keep an okra plant or two as they are just so beautiful (even though I am not particularly fond of eating them).