Harvest Monday - 18 May 2020

Hello for the first time this season! Like so many, we've had a cool spring so far, and for us it seems to be the new normal. Lately the days have been pleasant, but the nights cool down considerably. Anything I've sown or transplanted is growing very slowly, and they are all "cool-season" crops, but I guess they still need warmth to really take off.

Even the asparagus is poky. But last there was something to harvest and share at Harvest Monday.

I could have waited to cut the smaller ones, but I didn't want the bigger one to get woody.

A day later I discovered this overachiever:

How did I miss it? It was growing amid some raspberry vines that had spread to the asparagus.

Anyway, good to savor something from the garden.

I've been using the cool weather to really get going on some tasks that will make the late-May planting rush easier. The biggest project was to build five new 3x10 raised beds. This time I used real cedar, which is super-expensive, but hopefully will last for years. We got five cubic yards of loam/compost delivered and filled the beds. Already I've planted artichokes in two of them.

I also used cedar to replace a 4x12 bed,, which is to the left in the back row. We had a tree service do some work here repairing storm damage (broken pine nearly hit the house in an ice storm). We used the results from their woodchipper to refresh the paths in the fenced garden. Looks nice.

Out in the field garden I've got things in the ground, and am all set for planting dry beans when it finally warms up sufficiently. In the background is a row of garlic, doing well, then two rows of sunflowers (planted), then three rows of beans, then two rows of potatoes (planted). Then I don't know what yet, maybe some pole beans on tipis?

And I also rebuilt the bed that houses the kitchen herb garden. I used pressure-treated lumber for this.

I've mentioned before that we have two struggling pear trees, that were planted in the wrong location and get heavy shade from the spruces next to them. I was happy to see they have more flowers than I can remember.

Pear trees in bloom

So, lots going on, and lots of work to do in the next few weeks. Thank you for reading, and thanks to Dave at happyacres.blog for hosting Harvest Monday.