While I can't say we have harsh, nor long, winters, springtime still is very welcome around here! I have yet to have any success growing anything into the winter, so spring usually marks the start of really getting back into gardening and growing our own. Things have still been busy, but we've got some good things going on around here.
First up, a very welcome surprise from our plum trees...
Our first wee baby plums!
After planting these just 2 years ago, I thought we still had another year or 2 before we'd get any fruit. While it is still early days, I was ecstatic to see the tiniest baby fruit emerge a week ago. I almost needed a magnifying glass for those first ones. Time will tell if the trees are established enough to bring them to full size, but even to get to this stage it makes me excited for the possible abundance to come!
On the subject of fruit trees...the fig seems to have bounced back after the beetle attack of 2023. So far no signs this year, and I hope it stays that way! The smaller fig is still, well, small, but hoping for at least a decent harvest from this more established plant. @dksart also clipped a few new low branches for propagating, and one looks like it is doing well enough to plant soon.
A Sun Gold & Durbin Nectarine to Add to the "Orchard"
We also added two new nectarine trees this year after getting some big pines taken down for safety. Like the plums, we will likely have to wait a few years for any fruit, but once all of these get established I'll be in fruit heaven! A girl can dream anyway. I'm sure the wildlife will give me a good run for my money on eating it all.
On to the seedling side of things...
The greenhouse has truly been a welcome addition. I still feel a bit behind in getting some seeds started, but having this nice warm spot to house what I have so far has worked really well. My zucchini and patty pan squash grew so well I had to put it out a little early so they didn't outgrow their little pots!
A few of those have somehow already gotten eaten by bugs, but as of right now I've got three golden zucchini plants and two patty pan that are getting established. I planted a few more pots of patty pan in the greenhouse since those are one of my early summer favorites, and I like to have plenty to share.
The sugar snap peas are coming along, as well. Those I always plant right out in the garden bed. Other than a bit of weeding and getting some more supports set up, they'll keep growing happily with little intervention on my end! The beans I planted seem not to have sprouted yet, so I'm contemplating a second round of those since I would love to have green and yellow beans in addition to the snap peas.
After making some more beds out of downed tree logs, I have space to experiment a bit more with corn again this year. Last year the bed where I planted the corn was overrun by tomato volunteers, so I think I missed the prime time to pluck them. This year I'm taking no chances, so they are in a bed all to themselves.
We've got some other things on the way like tomatoes, eggplant and cucumbers, but I'll save some for later posts. As excited as I am with this season, the true abundance will be a few months out. I will also be looking forward to seeing what all my Hive pals have going on in their gardens this year, too. Especially @farm-mom and @thebigsweed since they're trying mushrooms this year like we are!
I'll leave you all with one final photo. If you ever doubted my love for fruits and veggies, my second quarter sleeve should put that to rest... ;)
Happy Gardening!
