Garden Chores

Planted a bed of Dixie Lee Butter Peas in place of the crook neck and zucchini squash I pulled up yesterday due to invasion of the squash snatchers.

Harvested the basil and made a big batch of luscious pesto. Cut all the big rainbow chard leaves; Washed and prepared them for cooking tonight.

Thinned the carrots.

Picked the wineberries.

Made sure the pole beans were running in an organized manner.

Make Room for Okra

I decided to pull the rest of the beets. The roots aren't getting any bigger, and it's about time for the okra (planted between the rows of beets) to take off. I roasted the roots and prepared one last recipe of Harvard Beets - my favorite - then cooked the greens up with a splash of vinegar.

Promise and Problem

Blossoms and baby squash... my mouth is watering already! But not so fast... the squash bugs have invaded. I'm afraid these plants are doomed.

Treats and Trials

Today I picked the first two Early Girl tomatoes and the first fig of the season. Got 2 quarts of wineberries. Made a second batch of wineberry jam.

I noticed that the squash bugs have taken up residence in the yellow squash and zucchini. May not get any fruit from these plants. That makes me mad!

Today's Garden Chores...

Made 7 pints of wineberry jam this morning from berries picked yesterday.

Picked today's wineberries and black raspberries. Checked for blueberries and hybrid blackberries. Not quite ready.

Planted the "Sun Gold" cherry tomato plant purchased at the tailgate market in Asheville this past weekend.

Guided the running pole beans onto string.

Dug the Yukon Gold potatoes. Their plants had died back. Boiled some for supper. Heavenly!

Pulled more beets. Ate the greens for supper.

Berries Rule!

The wineberries are coming in strong. Thank goodness Abi was here to pick this weekend! She picked about 6 cups while we were away. She and I picked enough today for one batch of jam. I've prepared the berries; will turn them into jam tomorrow. The black raspberries are down to a good handful per day - enough for our cereal in the morning. The blackberries and blueberries are just starting.

The "Early Girls" are turning red. Real tomatoes, soon! There were a few purple snap beans which I added to a pot of soup this afternoon. The squash are blossoming. The golden yukons are dying back. The pole beans are about to run. The beets need to be dug. The okra is ready to take off. Rouse is ready to cut down some trees. I'm ready to agree. We need more sun!

I Love My Berries!

The black raspberries are coming in slowly, but surely... I picked 1 cup today. They're a little soggy with all the rain, but there're still plenty of unripe berries on the bush. We need some sunny days. In the meantime, the wineberry canes are loaded with berries! They're starting to ripen now. I picked 2 cups this morning. The blueberries are not far behind. By the time we get back from Asheville Sunday evening there should be plenty to pick, if the birds don't beat us to it.

Speaking of rain... We got another 3/4 inch last night. Temperatures are expected to rise today. 90's - Here we come! I'm expecting big changes in the garden while we're away the next few days.

I pulled up the lettuce leftovers. We sure have enjoyed the fresh salads. Cooler temperatures this spring (and my shady garden) allowed for a longer season of sweet lettuce. I harvested more beets today, too. Now that the summer is heating up, the okra should take off. Time to get the beets out of the way. I still left the ones with "baby" roots, though. All in good time.