Late Start.....

[jal_ut]

I planted some the first week of May, then the weather went nuts, and my seed rotted in the ground or came up and promptly got frozen. So, starting over in June. Some things just now coming up, and my garden still looks like a bare plot. Its supposed to be warm this week, maybe it will get going?

[imafan26]

I am glad I am not the only one. I finally cleared most of my garden but I still haven't planted it yet.

[jasonvanorder]

Weather has been off here too. just picked up some pepper plats today and those are the last thing to go in. Planted most of the seed last weekend. potatoes and onions are doing great and loving all the rain we had. Tomato plants looked a bit sad when planted but are coming back nicely. And you saw the monster rhubarb already so no issues there.

[Taiji]

This has been one weird spring down here too. We had a freak hailstorm only about 3 wks. ago. May and June are usually the 2 driest months of the year here so that was a surprise. It shattered the leaves of everything I had out, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, potatoes, broccoli, etc. We don't usually have storms like that until the summer rains beginning in July. Then, a few days later, a heavy freeze came, so all the peppers and tomatoes had to be replanted anyway.

Then had a few days with the temp shooting up to 100. Now, forecast calls for overnight lows this coming week at 45 degrees some nights. Still, things seem to be growing well again now. (visualize icon here of fingers crossed)

[applestar]

Hard to complain about my own crazy weather although 85°F at this time of the night in early-mid June is definitely not normal. I'm managing to plant stuff and they are growing and harvest of one kind or other are coming in.

I hope all of your gardens will manage to be productive even if not in the normal way. Undoubtedly some things will do better and others will not.

[jal_ut]

That's gardening. Plant in good faith and hope. Usually a harvest will come. It is never without its ups and downs though. Here this morning I dumped 0.03 inch out of the rain gauge. I see some corn just coming up. The fall planted garlic looking good and spring planted onion sets just coming up. The spinach did well in all that cool weather.

[digitS']

Those ups and downs of weather are the best reasons I can think of to plant a diverse garden. Even within one species, several varieties will perform differently depending on what they have to go through before harvest.

For monocrop farms, there is crop insurance.

For the gardener, there is depth to the bench. (my sports analogy of the day .)

Of course, it depends on the size of both the garden and the seed inventory. Seed viability only lasts so long. I run into some problems there each year but I've long been willing to buy more seed than I need for a single season. If I had a tiny garden and limited variety in it, I imagine that I'd have problems sustaining an interest in gardening faced with inevitable disappointments. Maybe ... but, I'd need performance champions.

Steve
However: You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result. ~ Gandhi

[jal_ut]

Good Sunday Morning! Thunder and lightning and rain as I write this. If my garden doesn't grow, it won't be lack of water.

[jal_ut]

Woo Hoo, after three days of rain looks like we will have some sunshine. Maybe things will grow a little?

[jasonvanorder]

Jal send some of that rain this way! Had a hill of cucumbers yesterday just start to come up. After being in the sun all day there was nothing left of them. And that was after a good cool watering in the morning. The sun has been so harsh I can water every morning and its like a dust bowl by evening.

[CLC]

Jal send some of that rain this way! Had a hill of cucumbers yesterday just start to come up. After being in the sun all day there was nothing left of them. And that was after a good cool watering in the morning. The sun has been so harsh I can water every morning and its like a dust bowl by evening.

Sounds like our sandy Michigan soil for sure! I pretty much have to water every day unless we get a 1/2" or more of rain. I'm right on Lake Michigan, (also 6a) so heat is not often a problem here. I struggle more with heavy winds and not enough warmth for peppers and tomatoes to want to grow. A half mile inland at the start of our road is usually 7-10 degrees warmer.

[joed2323]

Rough summer as well.

My corn is finally 3-4 inches tall.

I'm thinking of sowing another 4 rows of corn so I can spread my corn harvest.

I planted carrots and cucumber seed. And I still do not see any indication of carrots??? What gives? Is it too hot for them to grow or what?

Its been in 80s here.

And recently had about a week of off and on rain every evening...

[digitS']

Carrots can take as much as 3 weeks to show up after sowing in my garden. Unfortunately, that is a lot of time for tiny seedlings only 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch below the soil surface to dry out and die!

If that is a problem, and it certainly is in my fast-draining soil, pelletted carrot seed may be an answer.

I have to hit a sowing "window of opportunity" sometime in April for a good start in the carrot patch. However, with pellets, I have sown carrot seed right past the last day of spring.

Steve

[sunflower13]

Same here for me. If the frost doesn't kill my plants tonight, it will be a miracle. A week ago it was 95 now barely 60 with frost tonight. I would cover them but I don't live near my garden and have to deal with thieves so all I can do is hope and pray . I wonder what the rest of summer will be like. So strange. Here's hoping we all will recover and have some nice steady weather!

[rainbowgardener]

Rough summer as well.

My corn is finally 3-4 inches tall.

..

Just have to gloat a little now that I am a new Southerner. This was my corn, six days ago:

(I don't know why the picture is sideways, but if you click on it, it straightens up)

[jal_ut]

Today I planted a few more rows of corn and a row of peas. I have no idea if peas will make it planting this late. Its apt to get hot any minute?

[applestar]

Did you plant beans, too? It sounds like you are going to have to "hedge your bets" -- just plant them all and hope some of them will make it to harvest.

DigitS mentioned almost getting frost yesterday -- is that a possibility for you as well? Very unusual; weather patterns we all seem to be having....

[Gary350]

James I plant Alaska Snow Peas here in TN August 15th. We get first frost the end of Oct about Halloween. A few weeks of frost does not hurt the peas but if the temperature gets below 20 degrees it kills the plants. I wish I had some of your summer weather it is going to be 100 degrees again today. We had a big storm last night with 60 mph wind and flash flood after 9 days of no rain the garden will be mud for several days, many plants are flat on the ground they usually straighten themselves up in 2 or 3 days, it is good I got my other corn crop planted.

[sunflower13]

Fingers crossed for you that it is a long summer into fall!

[jal_ut]

Today picked a bucketful of leaf lettuce, and some asparagus, then turned the water on. (I use sprinkler irrigation)

Oh, no frost lately.

[jal_ut]

88 degrees today, now maybe the corn will grow?

[jal_ut]

Father's Day Moon

What is it they say about planting in the light of the moon?

[jal_ut]

Good Monday Morning and welcome to Summer!

The Nanking Cherry is blooming.

[applestar]

Father's Day Moon

What is it they say about planting in the light of the moon?

Beautiful! I was watching that moon too, last night. Three fireflies too.

[jal_ut]

Just went out and weeded 2 rows of corn. That was almost too much in this 93 degree weather. Have to wait till sunset and go grab a couple more? Pictures? I use my cell phone a lot for pictures. When I went shopping for a phone, I was looking for the one with the best camera in it. It has been good, but lately something went wrong and I can't get the pics off it. Guess its time for a new phone?

[jal_ut]

OK, got a new cell phone. Now just have to learn how to use it.

Went out and picked a bit of asparagus. This will be the last of it for this season. Now it must grow up and have some time in the sun to make food for the roots and next years crop. Also got a few more garlic scapes. It is near time to pull the garlic.

[jal_ut]

Things are starting to shape up.....

[digitS']

June was a difficult growing month, here. Record heat early, near-frost in the middle of the month, back in the nineties late, and lots of wind throughout!

I'm not sure if anything is where I could have expected it to be. It may not have blown anything away but nothing liked all that wind ... cool season crops had a difficult time with the heat and warm season crops had trouble with the cold.

Then there were gardener errors - like, maybe even trying to grow some things! Or, turning on the sprinklers with 15' of coverage on the windward and 50' of coverage on the leeward ...

Steve

[jal_ut]

Beautiful sunny day 72 degrees. I went out and weeded a couple of rows, then got the little Troybilt and ran it between the rows to clean up the large spaces. Whew, worked up a sweat! I have corn up to my shirt pockets yet no tassels. I am thinking about planting some carrot seed to see if it will germinate in July. Some fall carrots would be nice.

[jal_ut]

I do have some beans, four rows, but they don't want to grow. I have four different plantings of corn. The youngest is just ten inches tall. None of it has tasseled yet. OK, yesterday I did plant carrot seeds, and a few lettuce, spinach and radish seeds. Then turned on the water. (sprinklers) I know those seeds are cool weather types. It will be interesting to see if it will germinate. 90 degrees here today, sunny and breezy.

[Taiji]

I planted some radish seeds about 4 or 5 days ago and they sprouted quick and easy! It's been consistently upper 90's here and dry as a bone. I even missed a couple of days keeping the little bed moist. Variety was Champion.

[jal_ut]

Home

[jal_ut]

Cooler here today. I went out and pulled weeds for a while. Its 70 degrees F. Clear skies. Not a cloud in sight.