Hello all! I hope everyone is having a good start to the month of May. Things are starting to get warm and toasty here, which means the garden is finally taking off in a hurry! It never ceases to amaze me how quickly things turn around. All the patience finally gets rewarded!
While we are still a long way from true abundance (fingers crossed), all signs point to getting some of the first fruits very soon...
As expected, the peas are the first to pop. Once you start to see those pretty pink and purple flowers, the pods are not far behind. I planted sugar snaps and snow peas, but I'm pretty sure the sugar snaps were duds. We'll see as all the plants start producing. I won't complain about fresh, crisp snow peas, though!
Another tried and true producer is also on the verge--zucchini! We've got three very healthy Golden Zucchini plants. Which means we should have plenty to share! There are also two Custard Squash plants that are maturing nicely, and I have a few more seedlings of the Scallop Squash almost ready to get planted out because I adore the tender patty pan varieties. The bugs ravaged my first round that went in the ground! Greedy little bastards. ;)
My other squash bed also seems to have some happy plants! Bring on the pumpkins, Candy Roasters and Zucchino Rampicante. We won't get to enjoy any of these for a bit, but it's still nice to see some good growth. They will have plenty of space to vine out happily in the surrounding yard.
The new bed with my second attempt at corn is also seeing some good growth. I recently added a bit of compost to both this bed and the squash to keep bringing nutrients to help the plants grow. After an unsuccessful first year in 2023, I'm hoping we'll get to enjoy some of this corn this time around!
Most of my other plants are still pretty small, including the eggplant shown above. A non-starter last year, I am optimistic for this one as the plants are already bigger and growing by the day. I not only have a few purple eggplant, but also a new heirloom variety that I am excited to try. I have never seen or even tasted Melanzana Rossa Di Rotonda before, so I'm crossing all my fingers and toes that at least one of those plants bears fruit.
The tomatoes seem to be a bit behind this year, but I have plenty of hope and a long growing season ahead! As usual, we opted for multiple cherry tomato varieties and a few of the larger, as well. Nothing beats a homegrown tomato. Though I have some amazing local farmers to fill me up if mine aren't quite so abundant as last year.
I did get excited to see the plum fruit starting to get bigger and a few are even developing a bit of blush! My excitement was slightly dampened this afternoon, however, when I saw a few fruits had dropped to the ground. There are still plenty on the tree, but going down the rabbit hole of research told me since our trees have been in the ground less than 3 years they may only be testing the waters this year. The tree may not be mature enough to let them ripen all the way. I won't get too down just yet, since I was so shocked to see any fruit this early after planting anyway! Maybe Mother Nature will give us at least a few in the end.
I'll finish out my May update with a win. The third time seems to be the charm with my bean seedlings. For some reason they didn't want to grow for me in my little pots until I finally sprouted some on moist paper towels before planting. I mixed green beans and yellow wax beans, but I believe it was the wax ones that toughed it out and FINALLY sprouted. Now if I can just get them to grow sturdy enough to withstand the bugs when I get to plant them out...
I'll save the melons and cukes for a later post. The herbs are looking lush, as well. As always, some wins and some challenges, but it is always a magical time of year! I know all my gardening pals on here can agree that any time spend in the garden is rewarding no matter the outcome. Just having the space to go out, breathe and commune with nature is so beneficial. I love taking a time out (or multiple times) every day to see how my wee little plant babies are coming along!
