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If I were REALLY dependent on my garden, I'd probably die in the next couple weeks.
This time last year I was already harvesting a few spring things. The "wild" greens I cultivate were being eaten and put away in the freezer. This year, they are only big enough to garnish a plate.
My seedlings started indoors in February are puny still. I could barely get them any sun or warmth. I went outside in my coat this morning. Normally we have have already needed the air conditioner. It has been so cold and cloudy.
My tomatoes are about two inches tall and still purplish from the cold. When warm weather finally gets here, they will just barely be big enough to set a few blossoms, but the plants will be too small to sustain the fruit. So if I pick off the blossoms to let the plant mature more, then when the next flush of flowering comes, the weather will be too hot and humid for viable pollen, and so no fruit will set anyway.
My celery (first time to try it) has already been nibbled by something out, there--I suspect the baby rabbits I've been seeing. Plus, I bought a stalk of celery at the store that had excess growth plates/nodes and a realized that probably happens when the celery lodges over as a seedling and begins to root along the length of the initial stem. Lodging is exactly what my celery seedlings did in the cloudy weather, unable to grow stoutly. So if I get any celery, it will probably be pretty weird stalks.
I still have sweet potatoes from last year in storage, but I wanted to plant more. The shop where I normally buy slips tells me theirs are too small to sell yet---and believe me, that shop often sells seedling two days post emergence with the seed leaves not yet even fully open. I think the shop is just hoping it will finally get sunny and warm enough to actually start the things. Sweet potatoes like it hot. Had I known, I could have started my own slips in a hot frame.
The peppers and eggplants are languishing. I don't think they have expanded their roots at all since I set them out, which means that once normally hot weather gets here, they will suffer.
The Roma beans are probably rotting in the ground. They too need warm soil or they will be decimated, at least.
The beets? Oh good grief. I accidentally let them go through the washing machine in my shirt pocket. They were in a mylar envelope though. I think they might still be good, if I did not wash in hot water and thus steam them. But I probably did, because my garden clothes get so dirty hot water is the only solution. By now, I should be eating the thinnings, but I don't see any seedlings yet.
None of my spring quickies like peas and mustard greens got planted, because it was too wet. Raining, and raining in addition to all that cold.
I did get a few cabbages and kolhrabi in the ground--ones I started indoors. But they are just sitting there. The ones I seeded directly are nowhere to be seen.
The onion patch is full of bindweed and nutgrass. I lost my carrot seeds. ??? I planted dill in the front yard and the letter carriers keep tromping it despite mu putting up a barrier to keep feet out of that bed. Basil from two packets gave me no seedlings. Again, I think it is the cold. I'll try that again later.
The agastache is smaller than my index fingernail , yet one I spotted that cam up in the lawn is about 2 and a half inches across. May have to rescue and transplant that little guy.
Oh well, whine, whine, whine...I could go on, right? At least on these days when it stops raining, I can still get some exercise working hard on what appears to be nothing at all.
But how about for you?
Is it a bad garden year where you are so far?
This time last year I was already harvesting a few spring things. The "wild" greens I cultivate were being eaten and put away in the freezer. This year, they are only big enough to garnish a plate.
My seedlings started indoors in February are puny still. I could barely get them any sun or warmth. I went outside in my coat this morning. Normally we have have already needed the air conditioner. It has been so cold and cloudy.
My tomatoes are about two inches tall and still purplish from the cold. When warm weather finally gets here, they will just barely be big enough to set a few blossoms, but the plants will be too small to sustain the fruit. So if I pick off the blossoms to let the plant mature more, then when the next flush of flowering comes, the weather will be too hot and humid for viable pollen, and so no fruit will set anyway.
My celery (first time to try it) has already been nibbled by something out, there--I suspect the baby rabbits I've been seeing. Plus, I bought a stalk of celery at the store that had excess growth plates/nodes and a realized that probably happens when the celery lodges over as a seedling and begins to root along the length of the initial stem. Lodging is exactly what my celery seedlings did in the cloudy weather, unable to grow stoutly. So if I get any celery, it will probably be pretty weird stalks.
I still have sweet potatoes from last year in storage, but I wanted to plant more. The shop where I normally buy slips tells me theirs are too small to sell yet---and believe me, that shop often sells seedling two days post emergence with the seed leaves not yet even fully open. I think the shop is just hoping it will finally get sunny and warm enough to actually start the things. Sweet potatoes like it hot. Had I known, I could have started my own slips in a hot frame.
The peppers and eggplants are languishing. I don't think they have expanded their roots at all since I set them out, which means that once normally hot weather gets here, they will suffer.
The Roma beans are probably rotting in the ground. They too need warm soil or they will be decimated, at least.
The beets? Oh good grief. I accidentally let them go through the washing machine in my shirt pocket. They were in a mylar envelope though. I think they might still be good, if I did not wash in hot water and thus steam them. But I probably did, because my garden clothes get so dirty hot water is the only solution. By now, I should be eating the thinnings, but I don't see any seedlings yet.
None of my spring quickies like peas and mustard greens got planted, because it was too wet. Raining, and raining in addition to all that cold.
I did get a few cabbages and kolhrabi in the ground--ones I started indoors. But they are just sitting there. The ones I seeded directly are nowhere to be seen.
The onion patch is full of bindweed and nutgrass. I lost my carrot seeds. ??? I planted dill in the front yard and the letter carriers keep tromping it despite mu putting up a barrier to keep feet out of that bed. Basil from two packets gave me no seedlings. Again, I think it is the cold. I'll try that again later.
The agastache is smaller than my index fingernail , yet one I spotted that cam up in the lawn is about 2 and a half inches across. May have to rescue and transplant that little guy.
Oh well, whine, whine, whine...I could go on, right? At least on these days when it stops raining, I can still get some exercise working hard on what appears to be nothing at all.
But how about for you?
Is it a bad garden year where you are so far?
Sorry you're having such a time of it. Other than losing the one tomato vine I think I'm doing okay w/my tomatoes. I didn't plant any other groceries this year. Only flowers and tomatoes.
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