Time to Catch Up!

Despite having no posts since March, and despite a cold and dry spring, and despite being very busy about other things, and having just been gone for a week, there is a garden! Jim and I got back from a visit to Washington and Oregon that started on last Wednesday and ended today. It was a family reunion kind of thing, and Jim met several 3rd or 4th cousins he didn't even know existed until a year or so ago. We had fun meeting them at Lewisville County Park not too far from Battle Ground, Washington. It was a two-day train trip there and another one back. What an amazing expanse of country we covered. Much beauty, some pathetic sights of run-down ranches and towns progressing to ghostly status. I noticed the gardens when we arrived at the place along the Columbia Gorge where rainfall supports them. Gorgeous market gardens, vineyards and orchards line the Washington side of the Gorge - which is the side the Amtrak trains travel.

As we rolled and rocked along, I missed the garden we had only just finished planting the weekend before we left. Wondered how it would be doing, would anything be up when we got home? What would the weather be? Would it rain? All those little seeds and plants committed to the soil and rain and wind and sun - would they have the right combination of these ingredients needed to germinate and start growing?

The answer was clear today. Almost everything has sprouted or taken hold. The weather has been warm and rainy and humid, so everything in the garden, including millions of weeds, has been growing well. The seeds we planted a week ago or less have sprouted, carrots, corn, green beans, snow peas, swiss chard, turnips, and some lettuce. The lettuce planted a few weeks ago in the cold frames is now ready to harvest, and more than ready from the plants set out even earlier. We have lots of potato plants that had barely sprouted at all a week ago, but are turning into real-sized plants now. The radishes are growing, the onion sets starting to look healthy and spikey. Some of the Bella peppers (Italian hot peppers) must have been cut off by cutworms, but there are still three plants left. The purchased transplants - jalepeno and ancho peppers look wonderful and we also have two different kinds of cabbages planted. I started seeds for an early red cabbage and purchased some white cabbage starts. Some of the tomatoes I started have already produced blossoms! This is an amazing time of year.

Now the weeding begins, early morning tomorrow and for as many days as I can manage. The flower beds are a total mess, but they go on the schedule too, and I'll just do what is possible. Anyone who wants to volunteer to weed will benefit in the long run! I'm off to figure out a weeding schedule now. Pictures soon.