Notes on a Late Garden

As was the case in other parts of the country, our weather here was cold very late into spring.  I ended up planting most of my garden at the end of April rather than the beginning with some seeds that prefer warmer soil being held until the beginning of May. 

First, the permaculture part of our setup is looking good.  I have already harvested several gallons of strawberries.  I'll probably end up with two or three more gallons this evening and Sunday.  They will probably start tapering off sometime next week, but I will have a lot of frozen strawberries when they are done.  Not long after the strawberries finish, I will begin the blackberry harvest.  We look to have a decent crop again this year.  The canes are already loaded with green berries and more forming. 

One thing I won't have this year is Santa Rosa plums.  My plum tree blossomed during a fairly cold interval, and the bees were not flying.  The apple trees, though, are in good shape with lots of fruit.  I may even get a pear or two off my still-developing pear tree.  I have thinned the fruit off it as it can't bear much of a load yet.  I also brutally thinned my nectarine tree.  It was shattered and severely "pruned" by high winds last summer but looks to survive and make a comeback. 

I added three new seedless grape vines this spring, but only one has survived.  Our established vines are promising a good crop, and I almost have my wife convinced to let me plant a full acre or so of grapes.  Of course, I have thought that before.

Finally, I planted asparagus last year, and my bed made it through the winter.  It looks healthy.  I will add some manure and look forward to some home-grown asparagus next year.  

This year, instead of planting Irish potatoes, we set out sweet potato plants -- substantially more expensive.  If I get a good enough crop, I may try to sprout and propagate my own sweet potatoes next year.  We'll see how that goes.  If, after harvest, sweet potatoes are cured, they develop a lot more sweetness and flavor, and they will keep well in a cellar-type environment through the winter, providing a relatively dense source of calories and nutrients. Plus they are native to the Americas and have the cool Thanksgiving factor. 

My wife has gone insane with regard to winter squash.  She picked up four or five heirloom varieties and wants to save the seeds.  This has created something of a logistical nightmare in laying out the garden.  At one point I considered adding a couple of plots in the field east of the pond, but she finally agreed to limit the planting to only four varieties plus one zucchini type, and I was able to separate those sufficiently -- I think -- in the existing space. 

Winter squash, like buttercup and vegetable spaghetti, do store pretty well and make an interesting side dish with lots of fiber, flavor, nutrients, and often well-received variation.

I have a lot of beans out, including some kidney beans for drying.  I'll plant black beans in some areas as stuff is harvested.  Then we have all the regular "summer" crops like cucumbers, cantaloupes, tomatoes, and peppers.  I have two varieties of watermelon planted.  The best success I've had with watermelon was from Chilean Blackseed, but my wife -- watermelon connoisseur that she is -- was not happy with those.  Perhaps we will have an assessment in a couple of months.