What’s happening in the garden this week: July 7-13
Waiting for summer's big show of tomatoes, cukes, squash and beans
Waiting, watching
We’ve entered the interregnum, the time in the vegetable garden when most of the leafy green plants of spring and early summer have had their day. Spring planted lettuce is gone, withered or bolted. Broccoli plants are woody, asking to be pulled to make room for something else. So we wait with great anticipation. The tomato vines are filling with small green fruit, slowly and steadily growing. The squash and zucchini plants are expanding inexorably toward their summer heft. One pencil-thin yellow squash has emerged with more, plenty more, to come. The cucumber and pole bean vines are winding their way up the trellis. Tiny peppers are peeking from amid the leaves. There’s a flower on one of the eggplants, holding its own promise.
Staying busy
There’s still plenty to do. Watering first and foremost in the oppressive heat that’s characterized the first few weeks of summer. Tying and training tomato vines, judiciously pruning their suckers to keep them tidy. Keeping an eye out for summer pests like aphids, cutworms, flea beetles, cabbage moths and others, intervening when you have to. That said, in my experience I’ve found most plants will survive minor bug munching. Natural predators like lacewings, praying mantis, ladybugs and wasps help keep things under control as well.
Making room
I’ve pulled a lot of bolted lettuce and spent broccoli plants from the beds to make room for fall plantings. In the coming days I’ll throw down a one-inch layer of compost in the areas they’ve vacated and begin planting vegetables for fall. A few weeks ago I started more kale, cabbage and broccoli plants under grow lights in the basement, along with collards, beets and lettuce. I’ve also started some fennel and leeks that I hope to plant once they’re bigger.
Carrots
I’m trying (once again) to grow carrots for the fall. I’m using space in one of the raised galvanized steel beds that until this week was occupied by our garlic plants. You can read about the garlic harvest here. I added some compost to the bed and planted four rows of carrots – Danvers, Koral and Scarlet Nantes varieties – along with two rows of Daikon radish, which I’ve never grown before. The soil is rich and loose and should make a good home for the carrots. I covered the bed with a piece of burlap cloth, which I wet down. This is a technique I’ve tried before to help keep the carrot seeds moist. I’ll keep it watered and remove it once they germinate, if all goes well.
Blueberries
We’ve been picking a lot of blueberries from our five bushes. Given that these plants are just a year old and not more than three-feet high, I’m more than pleased. We gathered more than a pint yesterday – not enough for pie-making but a great topping for cereal. The fine mesh covers we put on them about a month ago have worked out great, keeping the birds away. They’ll come off soon, once the plants stop producing fruit. Here’s something I wrote about my blueberry obsession.
Phoebe update
In case you’re following, our resident Eastern Phoebe couple has produced a couple little chicks that are sticking their beaks and tiny heads above the rim of their nest on the breezeway. The Phoebes are busy flying back and forth ferrying bugs to their offspring. No cowbirds this time.
Previous updates:
What’s happening in the garden: June 30-July 6
What’s happening in the garden: June 23-30
What’s happening in the garden June 16-22
What’s happening in the garden: June 9-15
What’s happening in the garden: June 2-June 8
What’s happening in the garden: May 26-June 1