how all my plants are doing-

My beets are looking nice- healthier than ever I think. Some of the leaves get pale, bleached-looking patches I've read this is probably leaf miner and the best thing to do is just remove those leaves, throwing away the bugs on them in the process. I've been doing that and the incidents of bleach-patched leaves is reducing.

Carrots are also nice and thick now. Added more straw mulch and there's few weeds. Those bits I had pulled up earlier thinking they were carrots, turns out is a sedge. Still pulling some.

Tomatoes are planted out, around the tokyo bekana. About twice a week I cut all the tokyo bek (it grows back quickly) and we eat it sauteed in butter and salt. After cutting out the worst bits with slug holes, it's just enough for one side dish. I ought to set a slug trap again- the coffee grounds doesn't seem to be much deterrent.

Some of my tomato plants had yellowing leaves (see just lower left of center) at the end of their time in pots. But the new leaves are growing in a healthier green- as you can see on the upper part of this plant- so I think they'll be okay. There are some flowers appearing (top right)!

We have begun eating the chard:

Lettuces and tatsoi are starting to bolt, we're having a few days in the eighties now. The last cutting I took of lettuce was a bit bitter, blanched that out in cold water all day to make it edible, but now they're at end. On the right in bed 5, lavender on the near side of it is awfully scraggly- it suffered this past winter- but after flowering I will cut it back and hope it regrows nicer. 

On the far end, sorrel is overwhelming the bit of lemon balm. Which is okay, I never really use the lemon balm. Sorrel is sending up flower stalks which I regularly cut off. I will probably have to divide this plant soon, it's getting too big! There's green onions there in the middle and some sculpit, but too small to see from the overhead shot.

and the lower center plant is purple clematis climbing the deck post- just at the end of its bloom time

Turnips are doing okay here in bed 9, but collards remain small. I think it is because I made the mistake of putting layer sticks and wood bits over the cardboard when I started this bed years ago- nothing has done well in 8 or 9 since. Why do people recommend that so much? It definitely hasn't work for me. Other sources tell me that wood buried in the garden bed can tie up nitrogen for five to seven years! I am not positive of course, that's the reason my plants falter in this bed (tomatos did poorly here several years ago) but I'm not repeating the experiment.

In that round repurposed planter in the corner, I've put out the hyssop.

More later

itty bitty asparagus

Three more asparagus in the sowing tray finally grew big enough I could plant them out. 

Still very small! 

I only have four, but that's just enough for starters. I moved the one that was already in bed 1, sideways a foot to make them evenly spaced (so that spot isn't as dark because already had some mulch down).

While working there, pulled more weeds from the path behind/around bed 1 (mostly mock strawberry, wood sorrel and dandelion) and found some of my 'trap plant' coming back- the copperleaf. I left those.

To make room for the asparagus babies, I dug up on a cloudy afternoon all the shiso and moved them to bed 7. Just to have something growing in there.

more garden work

on structure- soon there will be fence! Gah, this is taking me so long. I've mowed as short as possible around the bed perimeter, laid down cardboard 

(it felt fitting, but also sad, to cut up this pretty floral-patterned box for part of the smothering)

and then mulch. This is where the fence will go. 

Startling how much tidier and more purposeful my garden looks with just a mulched boundary. I intend to smother and mulch the paths between the beds as well. Here you can see my nepitella on the outside edge of bed 4- 

doing nicely!

Where the border goes around corner angle, I roughly transplanted pink turtlehead a while back- and they all did just fine with that move. Mulched them with leaves- 

and planted the blue lobelia here. Not sure if it's the best spot, will see.

Also put in the star-eyed grass on the other side, flanking the rosemary.

Photos don't do justice to how pretty these little flowers are.

brick edges

I've been doing a lot of work the past few weeks to replace old rotting wooden edges (railroad ties and fence posts) from beds 7 and 8 with concrete bricks to match the rest of the garden. First was all the work to waterproof seal and paint the bricks- two layers each on all sides, with time to dry between and periodic shifting into the house to avoid rain. Then waiting days for another dry spell to do more painting. Finally was able to set them in place. Here's a few work-in-progress pictures.

Bed 7 on the right is already redone, bed 8 on the left kinda out of picture has the old edges pulled off (long sides- the short ends previously had bricks)- and in the corner here you can see my pretty purple clematis!

Bed 8 with the sides removed and the mulch heaped up out of the way-

and complete!

7 done and 8 incomplete-

7 and 8 both done-

Here's bed 8 with lettuces and peas in the foreground (of bed 6)

I finished the job on a morning sprinkling rain but due to thunderstorm heavy in the afternoon- didn't want the raised built-up-with-riches soil to start washing away so I worked in the mud. Thus the bricks got dirty.

7 and 8 redone in the background, 9 in the foreground with young collard greens, leeks and turnips- and rosemary right up front. (It's the only one survived the winter- my other rosemary plant on the opposite end of the garden died).

So nice to have the beds all finally matching! And solid, and will last for decades. They are not perfectly straight, but much tidier than the old bricks- as you can see in some of the photos where the wobbly edge of bed 6 is across the way from bed 8- but that's merely asthetic, not a functional issue and it's easy enough to level them out when I care enough to find time.

Next structural project for the garden is to actually put the fence in- hence the red flags marking where an underground wire lies.

tomato plants

are in the ground! A bit sad-looking as it was a colder day, but better than shock from the heat. And it rained soon after.

what we ate today

out of the garden- rosemary on salmon (with a garlic butter sauce), and tokyo bekana (chinese cabbage) as a side. (Paired with carrots and brown rice cooked in chicken stock. It was delicious!

tiny fronds and green

Got a photo of my tiny baby asparagus plant.

Lettuces from the garden!

notes on planting

Didn't take any pictures. From their seedling trays I potted up basil, summer savory, parsley and hyssop. The summer savory, only my saved seed grew. None of the older, bought seed. Also the sage never germinated. I guess those seeds are finally too old, too. Planted out into the garden bunching green onions (only three, into bed 5 w/the herbs) and one very tiny asparagus plant. It is skinnier than a toothpick and only 2" tall but already looking ferny. Into bed 1. The second tray of asparagus has three more tiny spears coming up- I had no idea they would be so small. Especially as the seed looked good sized- reminded me of onion seed. 

On the smaller sideyard I planted out what looked very like obedient plant- in fact I put it next to those obedient plants alongside the joe pye. But then looked up its tag later on: symphotrichum. It's not obedient plant, it's an aster. Well, I'll see how it looks and maybe move it again next spring. 

On the larger sideyard I put out those plants that came up in and alongside bed 7 which I think are from a flower mix- but not the ones which I suspect are ragweed. Have been finding more and more of those all over the garden. More likely they are ragweed than something I once planted on purpose.

cat damage

It is still just cold enough at night that I bring my tomatoes in, or keep them in all day round the clock- they've grown so tall no space under the cage so I had to prop it up on children's building blocks. Must be really happy in the mini greenhouse, because other tomato plants that have been in the coldframe right next to it, half the height and a bit yellowing on lower leaves. Unfortunately, my cat Eliza won't leave plants alone. Even the pot of wheatgrass I have just for her, I have to keep out of her reach and give access too just for five or ten minutes every other day- she chews it down to nothing. She's been sticking her paw through the cage bars, pulling the green bean stems towards her, and eating the leaves off!

Half of these had leaves. It's very frustrating. I had to put plastic panels against the cage sides to prevent her from ruining all of them.

I've also had to re-think my garden fence plans (no it's not built yet). It was going to border the lower deck in a way that would allow the cats access to the ground there, under the deck and through the garden. Now I'm going to just fence a loop around to the edge of the stairs, and access the garden myself from under the deck (I don't think a rabbit will go in via that way, the squirrel might?) Cats are confined to the deck only- and the gate at top of stairs. I've put short fencing around the lower railings so they don't lean out so far- always afraid they might try to jump one day.

They really enjoy being out there and Eliza begs sometimes, pawing the glass and meowing hopefully.

planted out

a few things- two plants from the swap that I actually knew where I wanted to put them- rattlesnake-master plant (on the left) and what looks pretty certain is a monarda (bee balm).

The shiso (perilla) I put in bed 1 on the right side. Going to put my initial asparagus (if it survives) on the other side. Easy to move the perilla next year if I get more asparagus going.

Still don't know what these are- identification assists online tell me it is ragweed- and might be, as it's in several beds scattered through the garden. I was hoping it was a flower that self-seeded.

Here's more of it

Feel that's more likely with these ones, that were only in bed 7 on the side and the grass just over the edge- where seed from a plant would have fallen.

Incidentally, I've re-numbered the beds in my head (and on paper). Because I never plant anything in bed 5- the little square one- it just has rue. So I'm skipping that one now, and what was once bed 6 is now 5 (the herbs), bed 7 is now 6 (lengthwise to the decking underside) and so on. Ending with 9.

timing

I was delighted and surprised this morning to find that one aspargus seed has germinated! It's so small the camera can barely focus. 

Also my green beans are emerging. Lined up under the mesh boxes on my window bench now.

This is a problem- it might be too early. They could get too big before it's warm enough to plant out. I'll have to see. I can't plant the green bean seed straight in the ground (as is usually recommended) because the squirrels watch me, dig them straight up and eat them. I have to sprout them indoors, plant outside as soon as they have first true leaves. It's tricky, but has worked for me in the past.

Here's hoping we don't get another hard frost predicted. Supposedly that was the last one, earlier this week.

And my asparagus are way late. I should have sowed them in Jan or Feb, ready to plant outside in March or early April latest. Now it's going to be May or June when I set them out and could get too hot for the young plants, but I'm not sure I haven't grown these before.

cold

Last night a serious freeze. All the more tender plants came inside again- 

tomatoes fill the cage

sharing space with some of the new things I haven't figured out where to plant yet- the asters, lobelia, blue-eyed grass and rattlesnake-master

In the smaller cage on the bench, seedling trays where summer savory

and hyssop- so very tiny!- have just come up. Basil also began to sprout

Outside I had already put in the ground some obedient plants, and they were very droopy so put cloches over- it helped them perk up immediately as you can see the next morning

and then I also covered them one more night to save from the freeze and they did fine