Tomatoes have been transplanted into 4" pots during the first weeks of May. Now they are in 5 to 6 inch pots and I have posted them to sell - 20 plants. As of this writing, I've sold them all. Peppers are in 4 inch pots, posted and I have sold them all. I let go of sweet, mildly hot and very hot peppers. The perennials have been either transplanted into pots or have been directly transplanted outside.
Under the cold frame glass, lettuce, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts have matured and now are planted out into the garden. Another set of lettuces have been planted this week. The cold frame lettuces are about ready to be picked. The goal is to plant lettuce seeds every 3-4 weeks. The seeds are in and with a hot day like today, I wanted to be sure to water them before I called it a day.
I've been digging the weeds out of the raspberry bed for this past month. It is a very huge chore. Now it's done and they are growing well. I have two rows of about 25 ft. We planted 3 new high bush blueberry plants near the rain garden. These have blueberries and so do my existing plants which are quietly growing at the south end of our hillside garden. Our strawberries are showing that they have fruit. Within the next week or two I will have to cover them with netting before they begin to ripen.
The peas, now, are approaching about knee high (for short knees) for this end of May. Wow!
The end of May, for the North East is drastically different than the first of May. Memorial weekend is the outdoor-planting weekend. Annual flowers are bought and planted into garden urns, window boxes and garden planters. Vegetables started from greenhouses are scooped up and plunked into readied raised garden beds for "instant" harvest. I am sorry that I haven't given the blow-by-blow of how all this unfolds. I, too, have been very busy trying to keep up. (I, also, work in a garden nursery center). May is also the next to last month for planting shrubs, trees and perennials. We were very busy with these very important home accents. I would love to see what folks are doing with all the lovely plants they purchase and the dreams that they have planted. What is your priority when it comes to home 'accents' and plantings? Is your vegetable garden the priority?
Do I have my window boxes filled with colorful Geraniums? Do I have my tomatoes planted with my peppers from the greenhouse? Do I have my carrots, beets, squashes and cucumbers planted by now? Do I have my herbs planted? Do I have my... ? Without time to spare, well-intended gardeners rush out to the neighborhood nurseries for plants. I am grateful for this and it's ok to purchase someone else.s seedlings. I managed to grow and sell, tomatoes, peppers, and a few herbs from my home-based efforts. Ok, I am just a new-bee. But, do I have my own garden "done"? No. I've been too busy. Busy taking care of the other wonderful folks out there trying to get there gardens going. It's ok. It will all come together. Don't rush. Make sure that what you plant is cared for and can be cared for so that you get what you set out to get from your initial efforts.
What's next? I confess, I am behind. I have many seeds to plant directly into the garden. Too many to mention. My plants from seed that I have started, I mentioned, I have now planted; Oregon Spring Tomato, Bobcat Tomato, Rutgars Tomato, Beaver Dam Pepper, Matchbox Pepper, Sweet Pepper- all organic. I have planted my potato seed, shallot and onion sets, though I have more sets to find places- darn! Dill, Basil, Cilantro, Chervil are all beautiful and wonderfully loved herbs. They have been all put on into the garden. I have put out my medicinal herbs that I had started indoors: Chamomile, Calundula, Milk Thistle, Lovage, and Marshmallow. Blue Vervain, Motherwort, Echinaca, are close to follow. Back to vegetables, I also have cabbage,broccoli, brussel sprout,celery, leeks, parley and kale plants that I have planted.
I have been harvesting my overwintered spinach and kale. I have been harvesting chives. They are all sooo beautiful. I have been harvesting our peppermint for peppermint tea. I had harvested Dandelion flowers and leaves and packed them into organic apple cider earlier this spring which I am now using for salads. I have been harvesting red clover blossoms that I intend to dry and keep for teas. I have harvested burdock root that I have grated and dried for soups.
May is almost past. Yet, it is the beginning of the gardening season in New England, as we know it. This year the season came very early and some folks jumped on it almost too early for comfort. I took the traditional dates and stuck to those. No harm either way. More to come. I have leeks, radishes, lettuces, the Cole crops, to report on. We planted an eightish by 16 ish block of corn this year for the first time. The horseradish is coming back. I am so pleased. My cabbages got a bug that loved to eat its leaves. I bought cabbages to replace these. Not great but ok. Tomatoes, peppers are planted. (I think I already mentioned this. I must be pretty pleased.) Herbs mentioned above are outdoors, the strawberries are making fruit, as well as the blueberries. The apples have very tiny green apples. We sprayed them again with a Neem oil/soap mix this weekend. Ahhhh.... there's more... anybody want to come and help out???
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