It is "Officially" Summer Now and Very Welcome!

Today was a bit rainy so I am inside taking a gardening break and thought it was time for a Garden Blog update. The almost perfect weather year continues in Saco ME.Even though the vast gardens here continues  to trigger endless gardening work, I am happy and confident of the harvest already at hand and to come in the weeks and months ahead.

The Field Garden strawberry beds had their first productive year and I ended up with 18 quarts of tasty berries in this early harvest year. The Raised Bed Garden with the two very mature strawberry beds is now taking over the ripe berry duty so the harvest continues. 21 jars of jam, frozen berries and some strawberry- rhubarb pies and lots of simple berry eating has already happened with the first 18 quarts. Fresh rhubarb has been picked once and is about to yield the second harvest.

The Raised Bed Garden has already yielded broccoli raab (rapini), turnip greens, radishes, lettuce and arugula and soon some fresh peas will be captured. The blueberry harvest due to begin in late July looks VERY promising. The 100 plus garlic plants have produced curly scapes and when the plants turn yellow/brown that harvest can begin, also in July. I am anxious to see how big the garlic heads will be as the manure rich Field Garden might just produce the best results for me to date. I am still using garlic in the kitchen from last year's harvest. 

I reluctantly  stopped harvesting asparagus after a solid month of good eating. For the health of the plants and next year's crop one can't be greedy after all. I planted a new row of plants this year as well so the volume of harvest in two year should simply be spectacular. 

The weeding burdens are relentless though, especially in the Field Garden. as it is a long term task to let gardening dominate that 120 feet by 85 foot garden created there after decades of weed growing freedom.  I continue to try to keep on top of it and to add more wood chips to the garden paths. The power company was busily cutting branches along Ferry Road recently to protect the power lines and I scored two huge loads of their wood chips. I have enough for the next couple of years for sure now. They offer me a free weed barrier, source of nutritional mulch as it breaks down over time and a visual appear to paths and flower beds.

So now I am waiting, watching and working hard hoping the 60 tomato plants, rows of onions and potatoes and sweet potatoes, many variety of beans and countless other vegetables grow and grow. The flower beds don't wait until July and after to satisfy though, for phase two of the year's blooms now abound. Some new plantings near the front porch complete the new look just fine thanks to Julian's hard work on his Father's Day visit.

The Memorial Day Report

  The Memorial Day holiday prompted a full week's stay for Julian, Roxi, Cotton and Roxi's dad, Ken visiting from St. Louis So Ferry Road saw a burst of activity and lots of fun and good eating. As per usual Julian and Roxi did tons of work on the homestead.  Planting, pruning, weeding, lilacs adding fragrance to several rooms inside, meat cooking in the smoker, and domino playing late in the evening. Cotton, now three months short of his third birthday had a ball, endlessly digging in the sandbox. He rarely stopped running in the yard, playing, or looking for worms and spiders to take a nap. As the photo below shows he once fell asleep on my lap looking at videos on the computer. He is a busy boy and a joy.

The flowerbeds by the deck always are revitalized and improved by the creative energy of Julian and Roxi as these photos certainly show. The pond received a new pump and fountain as well. No chipmunk has moved into Roxi's little hobbit hole but time will tell.  Their visit lasted long enough to sample the first pickings of strawberries, arriving about two weeks early this year. They enjoyed the first rhubarb pies and the taste of home grown asparagus a couple times.  Since they left last Thursday I have picked more strawberries and the first radishes. An abundance of lettuce, broccoli raab and the first turnip greens are due for pickings shortly.

A major home improvement has been accomplished this spring...a new roof on the house! Yes, a new 30 year shingling of the roof was completed this past week by a great local contractor that may well be the regular handy man I will turn to in the months and years ahead for other projects as needed. I think the "sandlewood" color is a good addition to the look of the place.

The continuing good weather with a nice mix of rain, sun and warming days gives all indication for a great garden year. The next few weeks will focus on more and more vegetable planting and weeding as well as the beginning of the canning season with strawberry jam. The potatoes, onions and sweet potato beds look especially promising and now there are 33 tomato plants in cages and counting, for more need to be added.  The various perennials are starting to show their colors with the first roses, peonies, lupine, irises and other bursting forth. All the winter pondering and anticipation of spring and summer is at hand!