Wowsers. June is here and the gardens are offering bush beans, squash, peas, tomatoes, leafy greens, strawberries, and plenty of seed for the fall or next spring's sowing. Lots of pictures, I only shared about half!!  Sorry for the dates being out of order and the quantity, always happens when I get behind updating. Enjoy!

June 5th Bee Balm about to bloom

June 5th update on the Arctic Kiwi, smooth kiwi that doesnt need tropical climates, actually can get below freezing and survive. Male and Female vines are needed though.

June 5th view of the Red Russian Kale seed harvested this spring. This way about 2/3 of what was out there, maybe even 1/2. I left some for reseeding, some for the birds, and scattered some into other garden plots to encourage volunteer plants.

May 10th view of the Iris we grew from seed, scavenged late 2013 from Compassionate Expressions where we eloped this year.

May 10th view of a rose blooming in the orchard.

 

June 5th view of the Cilantro seed almost ready to harvest.

June 5th view of the coneflower. The spiral in the center is captivating is it not?! It the blueprint for life, the golden ratio, Fibonacci sequence, all harmonious life embodies this pattern.

June 5th view of the pomegranate bloom or fruit?

May 9th view of the aquaponics table. Snow peas going vertical, kales and pac choys with buckwheat blooming.

May 9th view of our first bush beans forming.

May 9th view of a blueberry bush in the orchard.

May 9th view of the strongest blueberry bush in the orchard.

May 9th view of buckwheat forming seed after being pollinated.

May 9th view of the Casperita Pumpkins growing near the compost. A Pac choy or two put in, with marigold and dill seed sprinkled too.

May 10th view of the Craig's Crimson Cherry tree, so amazed how well she did growing back from the root mass two winters back.

May 9th view of the cilantro, blooming, and red russian kale seed forming up.

May 9th view of the coneflower before she opened recently.

May 9th view of the Black Iroquois Sweet Corn sprouting.

May 9th view of the corn in the front mound, once sand and fire ant condo, now growing food.

May 9th view of the little leaf cucumber. I didnt do the best job of balancing the soil as I did with the Lemon cucumber last year. It shows, but still getting cucumbers!

May 9th view of the celeste fig coming back to life, before pruned.

May 9th view of more life coming forth in the front mound, this is oregano. Oil of oregano is very beneficial to the body and health. I greatly enjoy seeing it grow so happily in a once abandoned chunk of land.

May 9th view of how pawpaws are not deer resistant. She is doing much better now, even though the deer came back again after the growth filled back in.

May 9th view of the peaches forming up. Picked them today, June 5th!

May 9th view of the red russian kale seed forming. Over the past week I took afternoon trips out to the garden to snip the dried seed pods, from the bottom up as the ripened. After resting in a paper bag for a couple days, I opened each pod and stripped the seeds out. Previously pictured was the result, small black red russian kale seeds (note all brassicas seed appears this way when ripe, broccoli, cauliflower, pac choy, kales, brussel sprouts).

May 9th view of the Laxton Shelling peas forming up. Notice the elongated shape and bountiful number of peas within of decent size so young.

May 9th, the shelling peas didnt go very vertical for some reason.

May 9th view of the three sister mound in the front corner of the mulch plot. The yellow crookneck squash were transplanted, but the corn and sunflower were seeded in the center.

May 9th view of a Mammoth Snow Pea. Wider, smaller peas at start. This is the time to pick snow peas, before they get tough. The entire pea and pod is edible when picked at this size, before peas fill out.

May 9th, the snow peas went vertical, fast, and produced significantly better then the shelling peas.

May 9th the purple sweet potatoes are popping from the mulch!

May 9th view of Valerian blooming, kiwis yearning for more soil and paw paws getting some foliage this year.

June 5th view of the three sister mound, corn silks forming, buckwheat blooming and seeding, squash blooming and setting.

June 5th view of the burgundy bush beans going crazy.

June 5th view of the casperita pumpkins and pac choy.

June 5th view of the little Casperita's forming.

June 5th, the cats are about to go into feral mode, the catnip is about to bloom. This particular plant was a neglected transplant at a garden store, and we put her into the bare sand last spring. She didnt look to good going into winter and by January the cats had rubbed, laid on, and eaten the plant down to the soil level. The roots must have loved the sandy soil here in the coastal plain, because this year is engulfing the hand chair!

June 5th update on the three sisters planter. The corn is about the right height to be planting the pole beans and squash. I may plant a couple pole beans, but as one can see I planted bush beans already. The time to plant pole beans is very specific, or they will outgrow the corn. I doubt I will put squash in this planter, instead I am throwing marigold and buckwheat seed on the soil level when I find ripe seed looking to be cast into the wind.

June 5th view of the cucumber, struggling, but still alive.

June 5th view of fungus proudly making the first steps in the microbe to plant to animal and back cycle. The recent quality rain has helped the gardens thrive. Our well water is heavy in iron and I am now seeing/finally observing the implications it has on the plants and soil as opposed to rain water.

June 5th capture of green onion flowering as it starts the journey towards reproduction.

May 9th view of the Iris we grew from seed, scavenged late 2013 from Compassionate Expressions where we eloped this year.

June 5th view of the mulch plot. To those following the posts, I did use about 500 seedballs on this plot. I think due to our sparatic rain and too much compost in the seedball mix most did not germinate. Some did, clovers, brassicas, even some melons, oregano, even tomatoes all germinated via seedballs. Just not in the quantity I had hoped. The other problem was the way I laid the mulch. I attempted to lasagna bed this area, laying cardboard at ground level, compost/heated woodchip mulch on top to hold it down. Then I put about 18" of leaf material on top followed by another 2" of compost/heatedwoodchip mulch. I should have stopped there and just thickened the compost/mulch layer. Instead I took straw bales and laid them on top with the compost/mulch on top again. I think this created too much organic matter to break down. Some plants are doing well, but they seem to be species that send deep roots, through the unbroken down organic matter. The idea is to have organic matter to encourage earthworms and soil microbes, but too much seems to cause a stagnating effect where only monsoon rain can reignite the process. Stick to just cardboard for grass/weed stopping, then 6 to 8" of mulched branches and leaves. The heated and resold as compost mulch from most landscaping companies is pretty lacking of life due to the heat needed to call it 'compost'.  If companies only had the intention and ethics Pfeiffer did in california during 1950-52. Turning 100 tons of garbage into compost that rocked the profits of chemical agriculture so fast he only managed to be open for two years before being threatened by corporations into shutting down.. in my eyes, that equates to the right path for humanity, not where we find ourselves today, filling landfills with waste while buying miraclegro(miraclekill)..

May 9th view of the peone blooming.

June 5th view of the purple sweet potatoes coming up in the mulch plot.

June 5th squash deva smiling towards the sun. An arugula microgreen bloom made it through the canopy.

June 5th view of the crookneck squash forming up.

June 5th update on the raised beds. Our first year learning we paid out the wazoo for soils amendments from lowes and never established or knew of crop rotation. These bush beans really show how not paying attention to something so simple can cripple the soil. I have had cover crops growing on the soil to try to bring balance and figured beans might help put nitrogen in from the air, but the soil clearly seems to be struggling. A soil test would be the proper fix.  Addressing a ph problem, then mineral content can something go together. If the ph is low and so is calcium, then lime will be suggested but can take up to a year to fully activate in the soil. If the ph is low and calcium isnt needed, gypsum is used. Local gardening cooperatives or extensions do soil tests, but I find paying the extra bit for a garden store to do one can often yield a wider mineral survey and a better recommendation for how to amend the soil with the soil test results.

June 5th, this bed is in the same boat, but I let the vetch and clover grow longer before cutting it and using it for mulch around the tomato transplants. I am honestly blown away by the vitality these plants seem to show for being grown in soil similar to the bush beans previously pictured. Maybe it has something to do with letting the vetch and clover go another month before cutting down. Maybe the minerals the cover crops drew up from the soil and are depositing as they break down on the soil surface are just what the tomatoes needed. Time will tell and I will be observing as it passes by.

June 5th view of hairy vetch. It is toxic for human consumption, but a great cover crop. The roots dig deep and wide pulling up minerals not found in the first few feet of soil most annual crops thrive within. The blooms are perfect size for honey bees and a stunning shade of purple. The coolest thing to me personally is how their seeds form. Picture are the fading blooms with the seed pods forming next to them on another vine. Eventually the green pods turn cylindrical and black. Imagine how a snow pea is harvest at this very stage, when the pods get to their largest, but peas or seed the smallest. Shelling peas are ready when the peas are largest but not drying shells. Vetch readily seeds after both stages, when the pods transform shape and color! Note, some call Vetch invasive but that depends on your perspective of the plant and its role in Nature combined with food production and soil fertility. As with clover, vetch is welcome in the soil I steward over. Would you rather have a yard of clover or sand spurs? Weeds are only lowly if we view them as such. Overpower one, sandspurs, with another, dutch white clover, and you might be surprised.. the clover fixes nitrogen into the soil from the air, it also stays below 18" in height, usually less, perfect for orchards and those not wanting to mow a lawn. Weeds also are trying to replenish the void minerals in the soil, they can tell you want the soil lacks. After the weeds grow from multiple generations, the grass grows rich. We cut the grass and prevent the bushes from growing, trees from sprouting and the forest from establishing.. the ironic idea of cutting the grass and weeding does what good for the planet and soil we depend on?

May 20 view of the harvests expected in spring and early summer.. shelling peas in the front, bush beans in the middle, and snow peas in the back. YUM!