Kicking off the summer

The weekend has barely started, round these parts Memorial Day weekend is pretty much the first gardening weekend of the year. We were within a few degrees of frost a few days ago, but otherwise, summer is basically here in full swing. So many plants have bloomed early, I know the soil is good and warm and I’m not worried that this is also about a week early to get started.

I’ve put in a few weeks at the CSA already, at first I was super motivated to do that in conjunction with growing tons of stuff here too…. but an afternoon of turning 100 foot long beds really put the scale and scope of the CSA Farm into perspective. Oh, how I’ll be rolling in the veggies before too long…

BUT… seeing the empty spaces in the yard, and the seed swap forced me to toss out all my many years old seeds and picked up new ones… and seeing the variety of organic heirloom tomatoes sold nearby…. I briefly forgot how exhausting farming can be. (not that i’ve done little more than scratch the surface.)

But at home, I’m “just gardening”, no prob!

Barely an hour into this long holiday weekend I’ve planted 4 varieties of tomatoes. Green Zebra, German Striped, Cherokee Purple and Yellow Pear Cherry. I also have some ‘sweetie’ cherry tomatoes to start from seed. So one of them will be red! According to phrenology, the time is right to plant tomatoes when lily-of-the-valley is in full bloom, which was about two weeks earlier than normal this year… but that should still be just fine. Going to have a nice mix of slicers and cherries to complement what I get at the CSA!

Prepped a couple self watering containers for two of the above tomatoes and another for some banana peppers (courtesy of the seed swap) and basil. Got to have some basil with the tomatoes. Also some nice mozzarella, imagine that’s a full shade plant. ;)

Still going to prep a couple spots for carrots, and figure out where the pumpkins, ‘rouge vif d’etamps’ (cinderalla) won’t take over the yard, as well as some of the pumpkin or butternut seeds I saved last fall.

I’m also going to try to sneak out and get a few more plants if I can get away with it. My herbs didn’t like it indoors this winter too much. The rosemary wouldn’t have made it outside, but the sage and oregano should have been just fine. I think I want to grow some more stevia to use it fresh in sun tea.

I also planted some flowers for us to eat – nasturtiums, and some for the butterflies. (A butterfly blend – some sort of flowering milkweed.) We already had some milkweed that I’d practically, finally, pulled out, and then I read it was one of the biggies for butterflies. Also planted some perennials ‘foxglove’, ‘lupines’, and I forget what else to help bring in the birds and beneficials. – My wife tells me that at least one of my birdhouses is occupied. Goldfinch.

I was also pleased to see that one of the small (teeny tiny) white oak saplings I got from my parents yard did survive the move. 1 out of 2 did at least. I’ve read that blueberries like it under/near pines and oaks, but not maples…(which I have coming out of my ears, they’re like weeds. Seriously.) So I’m trying to create a nice little haven for some blueberries – which thrive in the woods up the hill from me, or so I’m told.

So much for deferring to the CSA for most of our produce needs and freeing up some time this year. Well, they will be providing with chard, taters, sweet taters, broccoli, lettuce, corn, kale, strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries (I just never get berries here) and lots more good stuff… I just can’t bear not to have some amount of an edible landscape outside my door.

off to brainstorm some more self-watering containers, and a compost/waterer I read about last year. Will post pictures as I get the yard cleaned up and things start happening – or if I can catch the birds in action!

Happy Memorial Day!

-- southern NH. - smack dab in the middle of 5a and 5b - with lots of shade and full sun, in all the wrong places.