First harvest of 2014 for PAR Davies

Hi Everyone,

TOTAL HARVEST 10 lbs.

What a good day at the garden with our first harvest of 2014! Gardeners here today were Susan, G.A., Jamie, Maxine, Lauren, Dorothy, Greg, Pam and myself. We picked cilantro, lettuce, endive, spinach and walking onions. Ten pounds doesn't sound like much, but it looked mighty fine to us.

Our first harvest.

We planted carrots in two beds, companions for further tomatoes, a double row in each bed. Another round of radishes were planted down the middle of a cabbage bed. Chamomile, dill and borage were planted in the block holes. Chinese celery was planted in a container so we will be able to move it to a shadier spot later on in the summer. This being new for us, we don't quite know what to expect.

Romaine lettuce and red cabbage.

The crops are coming along nicely with some of the cabbage heading up. I am glad to see this, since we will be anxious to replace it with summer crops later on. And, yesterday I saw one of the dreaded white butterflies in my own yard. 

Martha was the brave one who tackled the compost bin. Much to our surprise, she uncovered 'black gold' once she turned over the top layer. We used some of this when planting in the block holes.

We were amazed at what was in the compost pile...lovely composty soil.

The spinach was fertilized with fish emulsion/liquid seaweed, and G.A. side dressed some of the kale, cabbage and lettuce. Weeding was done, and the weeds are actually under better control than this time last year. Susan brought us another bunch of cardboard, which was put down in the area of the containers where we keep our fertilizer, worm castings, etc., making it look really organized.

Greg and Jamie putting down cardboard and cleaning up along the fence.

Last week several gardeners straightened up next to the compost bins where pallets, etc. were stored. So with what was done today, that whole area looks great. Thanks to all who worked so hard.

Neater than it's ever been!!

Pam dropped by with borage seedlings and enough asparagus plants to finish up the bed. These came from her garden, and we are so grateful that she shared them with us. She planted them all before she left. Thanks Pam. You have left so many neat things at the garden for us to remember you by.

Lacinato kale, aka Tuscan, Black and Dinosaur kale.

Did you read the article in the paper today about kale? Tuscan kale was recommended for use in salads because it is much more tender than other types. That happens to be the variety of kale that we planted this year. It is doing quite well, especially in the vetch bed, and is said to be easier to grow with a height of 2-3 feet. I would like to try a few other types, but this may be our preferred variety. Stay tuned for kale updates.

Now the big question is, will we be able to plant tomatoes next week? Hmmm. Maybe a few but certainly not all.

'Til next week,

Dianne