I didn't get a chance to post after I worked in the garden on the twentieth, so I will fill you in now! The mounds for the pumpkins and watermelon are all set up and ready to have the seedlings planted in them. I also made two zucchini mounds and planted seeds. Because of the sorry state of the baby cabbage plants, I decided to try planting seeds directly in the ground. Two of the three cabbage seedlings I had put in the ground are still there, and I am thinking they might actually continue to grow. The third one bit the dust, and all but one seedling out on the porch has died. I think I may have put them out a bit too soon and they just were not strong enough to make it. At least I know what not to do now!
May 24th:
I have yet to get the watermelon and pumpkin seedlings in the ground, but they are still doing really well out on the porch. It may have something to do with the insanely hot and humid weather we have been getting recently. As I stated earlier, Wisconsin weather is a bit unpredictable, and this month has seen everything from freezing temps at night, to a high of 91 degrees Fahrenheit! It is 11:30pm right now and it is still 80 and humid out there. I wouldn't be surprised if the plants are wondering what is going on. First we dropped to below average temps for May and now we are up to above average temps! I tell you the weather just can't make up it's mind!
Because of the steamy temperatures, the weed forest that was starting to take hold in the uncovered portions of my garden has grown significantly. Thus I braved the heat to get some weeding done. I have found that the weed roots come out the best when the soil is wet, so I did the weeding after watering my plants. There is still a lot to do, but I have at least made a significant dent, and the black plastic is saving me a LOT of work. It was a very wise investment and I plan on continuing my use in the years ahead.
Another indicator that the weather has been a boon to growth is three bean plants that came up and are already a few inches tall! The fact that they came up and the other bean seeds I planted at the same time have not yet, may mean I have some re-planting to do. Regardless I was pretty excited to see that there was one plant up, let alone three! And it was practically an over-night occurrence too, so that was a surprise. Their appearance at least lets me know that the seeds are not duds and that it is safe to plant more. All the other plants out there, the lettuce, spinach, carrots, radishes, beets, and even some leeks (Yay!), are growing rather rapidly. I am putting a link to more photos from the 20th and today, and you will be able to see a comparison of the lettuce bin from today and the 17th. The amount of growth is pretty significant, and I can't wait to start picking some for dinner!
As I mentioned above, the leeks look better. I have hope that they will persevere. Still crossing my fingers though, as they are VERY slender and still rather fragile. On the other end of the spectrum I harvested some radishes today! The ones I picked were getting a bit large and starting to interfere with their neighbors. More will be harvested in the next few days. The final thing I did before heading in today was plant some sunflower plants along our tall yard fence in the back. They are not the kind you get edible seed from, but they will still grow to around six feet tall and will add some beauty! I planted some last year, and I really enjoyed them. And besides, I think I have enough produce as it is! Sometimes it is just nice to have something for viewing. And so I leave you with just that, something for viewing! Enjoy!
^-------Click Me!!
No comments:
Post a Comment