in the gardens ~ early july

Two weeks ago in the big garden…

Today in the garden…

when you are five, walking between the garlic beds is like walking in a forest

first ripe tomato…our earliest ever!

the squash patch is just beginning…good manure makes them grow wonderfully

Full garden season has arrived with most of the space planted…for now. When the garlic is harvested in the next few weeks, we will seed some carrots, beets, parsnips and beans. I have learned to do a lot of successive planting to reap as much as I can from our beds…which means a lot of things beginning when others are finishing. I do like it this way as I stay on top of the weeding and maintenance…there is always something to be done out there.

The kids and I started a hugelkultur bed a few weeks ago, though we are still a ways off from planting anything in it. Perhaps we will just get it made this season and plant it next year.

Roots ~ the garlic is finishing up and the bulbs look huge! A good garlic season with the lovely weather here. Onions are coming along nicely, though I notice one strain is better than another.

Leaf ~ Always eating the greens…spinach is finished but the chard is prolific. One good sized bed is a huge amount for our family of five…and we eat a lot of greens! We have begun eating basil here and there, but truth be told, we are finishing last year’s pesto still. Kale is another green crop we are eating plenty of, with salads every night.

Flower ~ Ohhh, the flowers! The foxgloves are on their way out as the poppies exploded everywhere, especially in Huckley’s garden. They are so pretty, nodding in the breeze. I forgot to plant the sweet peas in the tipi, so maybe we can put some scarlet runners in there for the kids to make their secret garden fort. Other flowers appearing in our bouquets are the roses, daisies, calendula, valerian, lavender, cosmos, Sweet William’s and the zinnias and bee balm are not far behind. In my dye garden, there are french chamomile, marigolds, and the hollyhocks are soon to open.

Fruit ~ Fruit season has begun with the raspberries turning a delcious red and the blueberries plumping up ~ they won’t be long! We are eating so many cherries that our fingertips are stained a dark purple. In the greenhouse, there are a few small ripe tomatoes hanging from a basket…I think they are Tumblers. It is fun having the hanging basket of tomatoes, but not too practical as it dries out awfully quickly and needs lots of water. We also ate two small cucumbers which were deliciously sweet and tasty. We are still eating peas and have them nearly every dinner, lightly steamed with butter and salt…so so good! I am hoping to build our strawberry bed soon as I really miss having a strawberry patch…we are buying berries to make jam!

Preserving ~ I have dried lots of spinach and kale for our gallon jar of Backyard Greens, while Sunshine is drying catnip for some kitty toys she is making for our fall fair. I made cherry and blueberry liqueurs that will sit for a few months before I strain them. An elderflower tincture is on the counter and we are making St. John’s wort oil for salves. Already, we have a few bags of pesto pucks (I freeze pesto in muffin tins) in the freezer along with some spinach and cherries. Oh, this season is just beginning!

Meanwhile, on our way from the big garden and greenhouse up to the house and flower garden, we pass our big cherry tree…I spy three kids in a tree…