gardening

Recently we had some thunderstorms (circa two weeks ago?) and ever since then my garden has started growing out of control! Tomatoes and peas everywhere! It is so satisfying to go and check daily, and see how everything is coming along!

The peas have gotten so tall they don’t even fit in the frame! Also, you may notice something missing from the first update. The broccoli is gone! I finally gave it the boot. It had the same problem as last year where the plant itself grew huge but there were just NO florets. Whereas my mother-in-law has these teeny plants with HUGE florets on them. Why not me?! But the main reason I dug it up was the leaves were so big they were smothering my carrots, and that was a no-no. Two carrots didn’t make it (too small, not enough time to flesh out) but at least the rest are doing well.

The lettuce is doing so great! I’ve already harvested three huge bunches (each one lasted about a full week, and we use it daily), and then I just harvested all this lettuce after taking the pics. Hoping to get at least two or three more bunches out of it!

The peas are just going nuts. They apparently don’t care that they’ve run out of trellis to grow on, and just keep going up, up, up! They are now taller than my 6′ 2″ hubby. As for when I pick them, it varies. If I want to use them in a stir fry, I’ll pick them when they are skinny like this. They crisp up so nicely in the pan that way. If I want them as a fresh snack to much, or for a salad, I wait until the peas get fatter and then that have a great crisp crunch!

My tomatoes are also getting giant again. After the big thunderstorm day we had, they got so big they tipped completely over, so as you can see we reinforced the metal cages with a little wood corral system that is working quite nicely. One big branch did snap off in the collapse, but I’ve still got plenty of tomatoes coming in! Four more bunches like the ones pictured! YUM!

I can’t wait for those tomatoes to ripen up. . .I have so many plans for sauces to try out and can! I definitely can’t wait to have a second bed for squashes next year, and I think I’ll try peppers instead of broccoli next year too. I really dislike peppers, but my hubs loves them and hopefully we can get the little on board with them too. Also, sunflowers!! They are just so big and happy; my yard must have some.

If you garden (veggie or flower), what’s your favorite thing to grow?

We’re halfway through May, and all my plants are going strong. . .at least I think so! I just transplanted my marigold, tomato, and broccoli plants into bigger pots as they had outgrown their starters, and I’m not too sure how happy they were with the transition. Some are looking just a little droopy. . .but I’m hoping they’ll perk back up.

Marigolds

Our potted radishes are doing great. . .I’m hoping they’ll have enough room in there!

Tomato plant. . .only a little droopy.

More tomato plants.

And a broccoli plant on the droopish side.

Only time will tell I suppose! I can’t wait to make our garden bed, and then be ready to plant them outside.

From left to right, top to bottom: Parsley, basil, sage, catnip, rosemary, oregano, mint, and thyme.

My mother in law got me these beauties for Mother’s Day – so many new herbs! We have a little bed right near our front stoop, so I planted some outside, and have kept some inside in pots.

I kept the mint, catnip, thyme, and rosemary inside after repotting them.

I love having fresh herbs to cook with! And my kitties love having their own catnip plant to rub on and love. I’m definitely going to try drying my own herbs this year too.

Basil is getting big!

Lavender is getting tall.

My windowsill Mason jar herbs that we started from seeds seem to being doing alright. The basil is getting quite big, and the lavender is coming along nicely. But I am worried about root rot given the lack of drainage. At the same time, I’m worried if I try to transplant them into regular pots, too many roots will tear and I’ll just kill the poor little things! Thoughts or suggestions?? I’d love any input!

-Kayly