In The Garden Now

The Front Yard Farmer

Here are some tips and observations to help you along with your gardens.

Clearly this has been an aby-normal spring thus far, although all this rain is great and we haven't had to worry about watering, its been unusually cold too.
This causes me to be concerned about a few things, but grateful for others.

Firstly, if you are growing cool weather crops like; lettuce, greens, peas, broccoli, etc. this has been a terrific season. These crops love the cool weather and last a lot longer . Usually by now these types of plants begin to bolt (more on this later).

Broccoli has their heads and are getting sizable and ready for harvest. Because of the low temperatures, the heads are able to get pretty big before going to flower, which hot sunny days will stimulate. Remember when you cut that large head of broccoli, leave the plant and for the rest of the summer you will be able to harvest the little broccoli shoots, these will produce the rest of the summer every few days, if left too long these too will go to flower and try to set seeds.

The down side of this cooler weather is a lot of the plants are growing at a poky rate. Tomatoes and peppers especially love those hot sunny days, so you may notice that your plants are slow to get moving. Keep in mind that the soil too needs to be warm too and its still not there. But not to worry, it will warm up and when the sun finally comes out you'll notice rapid growth all around.

So... what you may ask is bolting? This is when your plant begins to set its seed. If this was a typical NJ spring, cool weather crops would be starting to set their seeds already. For instance when spinach wants to bolt you'll notice that the leaves begin to shape shift, getting more pointed and a center stalk will shoot up, shortly thereafter you will begin to see flowers and finally seeds.

This year I have left a few things to go to seed, like my chard, carrots, beets and spinach (all from plants that I put in last fall). Simply leaving one plant of each is enough for you to gather for the next season.

I would encourage you all to let at least one plant from your groups of plantings to go to seed. Firstly, so you can see what the full cycle of the plant looks like, and the obvious which is to collect your seeds for the following season. If you are so inclined, share with other gardeners. This way too you are closing the loop as a keeper of the seed, to be self sufficient and not reliant on buying your seeds each season. This simple act connects us to all the gardeners and farmers who came before us who kept strains of plants going for centuries.

If you haven't yet staked your tomatoes, do it now. If you planned on doing a space saving option in your raised bed boxes, get that trellis up for the climbing beans and cucumbers as well.

If a crop such as lettuce has reached the end of its cycle, yank it out, put down some compost and put in another crop, such as bush beans.

If this is your first season of gardening keep these few things in mind;
this is a year for learning, if something fails, yank it out and try something else.
Be observant, make an effort to be in the garden everyday, see whats new, different or disturbing, the plants are our best teachers, they will show you what you need to know. Be curious, get up close and be nosey, check under the leaves, what insects do you see? Is it beneficial or is it an intruder?

Remember, your garden is a work in progress, ever changing and always in need of attention. Enter with an open heart and see 'what is'. Yes, it might be weedy but there is something to learn from the weeds as well. If left alone the plants will just do what they do, make flowers fruits in hopes of reproducing themselves. Anyway you proceed in the garden surprises are guaranteed to arise. Enjoy this little ecosystem,!

In the green,

Wendy
www.thefrontyardfarmer.net