There has been so much going on in the last few days that we don't even have time to properly rest, summarize all impressions, and not to mention time to write about it. Did the weather conditions become so unpredictable that I found the warning alarm on the phone display only after everything had passed, and I was then sitting in a chair on the porch for a long time, snacking on something that should have been baked in the oven but due to a combination of circumstances after a lightning strike in the transformer - we lost power.
Most of all the pastry was divinely buttery and it went great with the whole scenario as the wind mercilessly blows my newly bloomed flowers, the earth smelled more and more intensely of summer or that stifling humidity that was soothed by the cold breeze as the rain was pouring like crazy.
Between the quiet pauses when we thought the storm had passed, we got surprised by a new gust combined with hail. I did not enjoy this scene, all the plants that will potentially suffer, which I was just tiding up until a few hours ago, went through my head.
We sat there until the last track of light, and then we went to sleep.
Today, right after we drank coffee and nibbled on the pastries from last night, we rushed to the garden. I was ready not to get angry whatever I see, whatever is damaged - I will not get angry, such occurrences are unfortunately an integral part of gardening or any other type of outdoor cultivation. The risk is always there, I didn't feel comfortable at all after a whole day of work, only to end up watching it all potentially "fail" wrapped in heart tearing scenario.
When I was a kiddo, I remember my parents, who were always speculating on and forecasting the weather; they even annoyed me to some extent since they spoke about it so much.
Then there were times when angry summer storms would destroy the fields, there would be silence in the house for a few days [something like days of mourning], and then life would continue.
Green beans, so undemanding and grateful for planting, had perfectly green, healthy and juicy leaves. And then in just 15 minutes it turned into this, by no means beautiful healthy plant. That's it as far as aesthetics are concerned, the flowers are shriveled up under them, they remained intact so we can hope for yummy beans. The leaves will heal over time, new ones will emerge, fingers crossed everything will be fine.
Beetroot, thanks to the sandy loose soil, growing tubers and bulbs is a real hassle. God forbid that there are often heavy downpours, all the earth will be compacted and washed away, which does not suit the tubers at all. The fruit of the beet is quite visible and almost above the surface, and that is what she likes the least - properly tucking in is planned. Leaves are looking good, doesn't remind of an Swiss cheese.
Cabbage is planted around 8. march, I got it instead of bouquet, with some additional decorative kohlrabi, I can't complain about them at all, except that maybe they'll throw a party more often and have white beetles as their guests much more than I would like. None of them were treated with any chemical means, except calcium and ash I made.
I picked one, seems it reached its maximum since it's cracked. Leaving it there is similar to an ants open invitation.
Onions, for now dear darling claims that they have never had this great onion in their garden, I cannot testify to that because I came later last season, but I can tell that this one is very pleasing!
As with beets, it also needs to be tucked in, bulbs love depth, moisture...shallow planting and a thin layer of soil can cause the yield to cook, crumble and spoil while still in the ground.
Guess who's missing?
These guys, yesterday before the storm I decided to pull out all the peas, there was no hope that they would survive. There were a lot of beans that needed a little more time to fully grow, but most of the plants were already quite damaged for recovery.
So let's grab what we can!
After separating the grain from the pod, we got about 5 kg, considering the area planted, this is the minimum yield with the same amount of work.
Someone would say - you wasted your time and effort, it's better to buy.
Maybe, maybe we didn't do well financially, if we put the complete calculation on paper, including the working hours, but I can't buy these 5 kg anywhere.
Why? Cause they are purely organic, all that has ever touched the this plant is baking soda.
Potatoes, a huge amount of water fell on them, they handle it hardest - literally, their stem itself is already massive as are the leaves, suddenly pouring in bush is not the best idea count there will be huge hole, like this one.
Potatoes bushes where scattered all around, total mess!
A couple of hand movements that revealed the potatoes under meant only one thing, urgent tucking in! Even one day in strong sun and heat can damage the yield.
And this day was just like that, with insidious terms of the sun that bites the skin, so uncomfortable that you don't even notice when you've been stung by one of the insects buzzing around you. The potato branches were partially stun, quite warm from lying on the still wet but hot earth, I hugged each one of them, it seems 馃ぃ while drops of sweat were sliding down my nose.
A couple of hours and breaks later...
Straight as an arrow, as if nothing had happened.
What is also important to mention when it comes to potatoes, the leaves should always stand as upright as possible, buried with a lot of soil, potatoes love airing and this prevents the leaves closer to the ground from being damaged.
As the potatoes get closer to being harvested, the leaves become dry, and can be cut in that period in order not to make unnecessary mess.
Pumpkins also got some polka dots, but they don't care at all, focusing on crawling and growing, water is a real gift to them, already spotted few flowers are appearing shyly.
My aromatic corner is not so aromatic since lavender couldn't manage to survive all the sudden crazy cold periods, basil is doing fine, rosemary accompanies it. Not so long ago I planted a decorative sunflowers [hail marked also], hopefully they will bloom soon, wasn't expecting they will grow almost 50cm tall!
Marigold is entertaining different kinds of buzzers, we enjoy its colors, it is relaxing, we hope that in the future will have the opportunity to plant it more, and so we plan to turn the entire space in the yard into "something planted"
I tried to fix them, bad hair day.
