Spring in the Garden

So, the garden is underway. Here's the progress as of May 15:



Not-so-early peas (planted March 15). It seems like they take forever to get started, but once they take off, things go quickly. These are blossoming now, so we should be eating peas in two weeks, unless the weather gets hot, in which case they'll be tough and bland. Cross your fingers.

Red Potatoes just broke ground last weekend, and are already 4 inches tall. It will be time for the first hilling Saturday.



Broccoli (left), which was started from seed under lights, and transplanted in early March, is looking great and just starting to form heads. We'll be harvesting by next week. Romaine lettuce, front right is ready to eat, and just like every other year, I need to recruit more salad lovers to get through it before it bolts in the coming heat. Radishes (back right) are sizing up nicely, and arugula (middle right) is too tangy for the kids, but I like the bite it adds to my salad.



Garlic (back) and spinach (front) planted in November under the cold frame are doing well. This is the last week for this crop of spinach, and there is no way I am going to get through it by myself. I need rabbits or something.



Ultimate Opener Tomato, planted in March under the cold frame, with blossoms. It doesn't look like I'll be eating tomatoes in May like I'd hoped, but early June looks pretty hopeful.


Here is Megan, demonstrating my newest toy, the Earthway Precision Garden Seeder. This little baby opens the furrow, drops the seed in at predetermined spacing, pulls the soil over the seed, and firms the soil. Here, she's planting sweet corn. I hope someday to get a turn to use it. Luckily she goes to school in the afternoons, so that's my chance.


Now to brag about the fruit.

This is the himrod grapevine, which gave us 25 pounds of green table grapes last summer, it's first fruiting year. I'm excited to see how much we get this year.


The peach blossoms survived the frost, and have little fuzzy green footballs all over the branches.

This is the MacIntosh apple. I am so excited, because this is the first year it has bloomed since being planted in spring 2003.


And here are the first sweet cherries! Granted, there are only about a dozen fruits on the entire tree, and the birds are likely to get to them before we do, but aren't they just the cutest things you've ever seen?!

Okay, I'm done boring you for now. But I'll be posting more pictures when the corn comes up!