June Garden Update

With all the rain, everything is doing pretty good!  We are starting the hot and dry season now, when most things don't produce.  But we had a good month in May!

●●● Currently Harvesting

Cilantro

The last of the cilantro is dropping its seeds.  I should be able to pull it up any day now!

Onions

Planted from sets: Jan 20
Days to harvest:  4 months (Actual date:  May 20)

I have one lone onion left in the garden.  I pulled two out last week, but most have been curing in the garage for two weeks, and I just trimmed them and put them in the fridge.  

Carrots
Snacking Carrots "Rotild" from Renee's Garden
Planted from seed:  Jan 20
Days to germinate: 10-20 (Actual:19 days February 8)
Days to Harvest:  70 (April 19)

Sunshine Carrots (Yellow and Orange mix)
Planted from seed:  Jan 20
Days to Germinate: 10 - 20 days  (Actual: 19 days February 8th)
Days to Harvest:  88  (May 7th based on germination)

The sunshine carrots still continue to be small.  The snacking carrots have been ready to go for a couple of weeks.  I just haven't needed that many carrots.  I am hoping to make carrot cake muffins next week, and use them up (or freeze some extra muffins)  They probably need to come out of the ground now that it is warming up!

Blackberries
I am so excited.  We picked our first blackberries off the bush -- every.  We picked the first couple three weeks ago. And then another small batch the next week. Last week we gathered up about a cup and a half.

I am starting to think the advice I got from NG was wrong. The brown stuff is some sort of fungus, but it seems to respond to the Serenade.  The fruit that I did get often has small brown spots on it, but they taste great.  They are quite tart, so i cooked them up in a cobbler, and they were fantastic.

Cucumber
Homemade Pickles from Botanical Interests
Planted:  March 20
Days to emerge: 5 - 10 days (March 25 - March 30)  Actual date:  March 25
Days to Harvest: 55 days (May 14)

These have been wonderful.  I sprayed some Serenade on them in the early weeks, and I think it really helped. They need another dose now, because they are starting to wither again.

So far, we've made four jars of pickles out of these babies... and they rock!

Peppers - Sweet and Jalapeno
Jalapeno Hot
Planted: March 20

Matures in 65 - 80 days (May 24 - June 8)
I have made one batch of jalapeno poppers so far, and I have enough on the plant to make another batch this weekend.  This plant is doing really well!

California Wonder Sweet Bell Pepper
Planted:  March 20
Matures in 75 days (June 3)
I have gotten very little from this plant.  In fact, it still remains very tiny.  I pulled one small pepper off for a salad, but other than that -- nothing.

Potatoes
Seed potatoes planted: February 19
Yukon, Ratte and Red

Days to harvest:  Early May to mid-May, guessing from last year

I didn't get quite the harvest I expected.  I think there might still be a large number in the ground.  I need to get in there and pull the last of the plants up, dig the area out, and start something else there.

Tomatoes
Plants planted March 7th
Days to harvest: 55 - 75 days (May 2 - May 22)

Celebrity, Firework, Yellow Pear, Roma

I have not gotten any Celebrity tomatoes yet.  There are two on the plant, but these seem to produce a lot less and a lot slower than the other varieties.

The Firework was my first producer, and has given us a large number of tomatoes, with many more to come.  

The two Roma plans are producing nicely.  I have pulled a couple off, and have a bunch more that should be ready to go in the next week.

As with last year, the Yellow Pear is a great producer.  It has made a very large plant.  I have pulled maybe a dozen tomatoes off already, but if this plant is like last year, it will continue to produce all through the summer (fingers crossed!)


Peaches 
Our one peach producing tree produced a much smaller number of peaches this year. It seemed like many of the peaches were bruised, eaten or went bad somehow.  But the ones we did get were delicious.

Next year, we'd like to look into how to protect them from the wildlife a bit better, as well as to keep them from going mushy on the tree.

●●● Planted since last update

Jack o'lantern pumpkin
Planted: Late May
Days to harvest:  

Honey Rock Melon
Planted: Late May
Days to Harvest:  80 days

This plant has already died :o(

Watermelon Sugar Baby
Planted: Late May
Days to Harvest:  75 days

Hale's Best Cantaloupe
Planted: Late May
Days to Harvest:  85 days

Green Nutmeg Cantaloupe
Planted: Late May
Days to Harvest:  83 days

Eggplant

Planted:  No clue?

●●● Hoping to plant soon

I would like to put in three or four more pumpkins, but other than that, not much.  Maybe an okra plant or two?

●●● Hoping to harvest in July

Leeks
Planted: March 8th
Days to mature: 75 - 120 days (Mid may)

Yeah - not sure what I've got going on here.  Not sure when these guys should be full grown.  Maybe they already are?

Sweet Potato - Beauregard
Planted:  April 18th
Days to harvest:  90 (July 17)

These are established and growing.  They were defoliated early, so I am not expecting them until late July or more likely in August.

Eggplant
They are just now starting to bloom.

Tomatillo

I know these guys don't produce until late in summer.  They have grown big and look really great, but no sign of any fruit.

Zucchini
Black Beauty Zucchini from Botanical Interests
Days to emerge: 5 - 10 days (March 25 - March 30) (Actual:  March 29)
Days to Harvest: 55 days (May 14)

The zucchini are growing well, but for some reason, they just aren't fruiting. Not sure if it is the location, soil, shade or what.  I have never had this problem before.  Vine Borers don't seem to be a problem yet, but with no fruit, they still aren't worth much :o(



●●● Hoping to harvest in August