Off and growing

The veggie garden is looking beautiful.  I can't say as much for other parts of our yard, but oh well.  I'm celebrating my victories where I can get them.

To anyone else's eye, I admit, the garden may not look so lovely.  But I know what's there and what will be there.  And anticipating what is to come is part of its beauty for me. 

I am loving what I can see right now, too -- the fresh, bright green of baby spring plants contrasted against the dark soil.  There's still a lot of soil to see because the plants are only getting started, but I won't complain.  It's May 6 and my veggie garden is well on its way for the first spring in more years than I can count.  As of today, I have occupied nearly all my dirt.

Five raised beds in all -- raspberries in the back -- shelling peas are popping up under the toasty grower behind the cauliflower starts.  Broccolini went into the soil that is covered by burlap here.

bolting parsley, etc.

The herbs, which overwintered nicely, are thriving.  The thyme is putting on its tender spring leaves, the parsley is actually bolting and must be replaced, the lovage is taking over, chives are just about blooming.  New this year:  a curry plant and some tarragon.  Basil seeds will get planted this week.

lovage

raspberries setting blooms

 

The raspberries look healthy and like we're going to get a beautiful crop.  They have multiplied before my eyes.  We have only lived in the house two years and somehow I already have an entire bed of them!  The newest berry addition this spring: 10 strawberry plants -- honeoeye and tristar.

strawberries and onions

As for the veggies, I have 50 walla walla sweets, starts of butter crunch lettuce, sugar snap peas (going strong) and shelling peas just breaking through the soil, zinnias and cosmos and chard just sprouting.  A hand full of cauliflower starts, and 18 broccolini starts that Wyatt and I began from seeds about a month ago.  I've tucked some corn in one of the beds, but nothing has sprouted yet. 

sugar snaps climbing twig supports

broccolini starts that got planted this weekend

Turns out, we will also have beans.  Lots of them.  I caught Wyatt with a mostly-empty package of string bean seeds from last year's seed bag . . . he was tucking one bean at a time into the soil anywhere he could find open space.  I've taught him to plant by placing a seed on the soil, then pushing it underground with his finger.  At 16-months-old, he's pretty fond of doing the same things over and over and over . . . and then clapping for himself.  So, well, we have Wyatt's beans to look forward to as well.

The only things still to plant before June will be beets and radishes.   And a couple tomatoes in pots starting the end of the month.

Other than that, I hope to start eating what we're growing soon.  Lettuce is close.  The sugar snap peas are almost blooming so it shouldn't be too long before we have some of those . . .  In the meantime, I'll make some chive blossom vinegar for my pantry.

My little garden helper busy tasting dirt from the pots on the deck.  No beans planted there . . . that I know of.