Once again, I went to the garden without my camera. It’s a pattern these days. I have some old photos to share and will try to do better with the camera next time.
Things are looking good for the summer.
I’m really pleased with where the garden is at this point. Some spinach bolted, but it still made fabulous salad, and now the summer seeds have all been planted, though not all of them appear to be coming up.
there have been blueberries since this picture…
Okra is up and some of the pole beans have come up. The peppers and the tomatoes are doing well. It could be a good tomato year, if only because there are so many of them, between what I purchased, was given, and what has volunteered. We’ll see what transpires.
Sweet peas, bee balm, and seeding Nigella…
I also have winter squash planted for the first time in years. It tends to be sweet, so various garden pests gnaw on it. That, combined with the long growing time and the large amount of space it needs makes me avoid it. We have planted it in the Plot Against Hunger garden, as well, hoping to extend the season. There is more space there, though it won’t look like it once all that stuff gets growing.
I sat in the courtyard after the bike ride today.
The Plot garden has some nice beets that are ready to harvest, and some carrots that will be ready soon as well. I’m in the process of talking with another garden about combining produce deliveries to some pantries. They talked to all the distributors and figured out the ones that actually needed the produce. A lot of places distributing have already got a good supply, either through grants, or the USDA (there’s a big farm nearby in Maryland that does research), or big donations.
This picture is from a couple weeks ago, so the beets are well and truly ready to be pulled.
I was in the garden yesterday and did a lot of weeding and trimming and nosing around. Then I watered. Today, I went on my first bicycle ride of the year and discovered I was not nearly as out of condition as I thought and replacement of the tires last fall really messed up the gears. I’ll be working on those for a while on each bike ride, trying to get in better shape than I’m in and in a reliably better state of mind. So much is going on in the world. We have to take care of ourselves and each other.
arlingwords 
I’m glad you are up and out on your bike, Lisa. It looks like perfect weather for biking, sunning, and gardening. I’m glad your’e enjoying decent crops so far.
Our food banks are really struggling. The need has shot way up, and the number of volunteers is considerably down, largely due to the aged population normally performing those roles. I’m glad to see you can combine your harvest with another group.
I hope your family is doing well, and that you are managing the ups and downs of the times. November can not get here soon enough, eh? xo
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Thanks, Alys! My family is doing well. I’m worried about being able to visit my mother this year. If I do, I will need to drive. I have been surprised at how well organized and supplied the distributions are. That’s why the gardens have chosen three where the produce will actually make a difference. I would think in CA where you can grow for such long periods, that you would have more produce, but there are so many factors. We’re trying to produce a little more than we might normally, because there may be more lockdowns this fall. Yep, can’t wait for November. Just hope it isn’t a surprise…
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I know a lot of people in the same boat as you: wondering if they can see their parents this summer. My mom and both of Mike’s parents died within seven months of each other in 2008. It’s my sister with MS that I worry about. I hope you can manage a way to see her.
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She’s pretty much isolated, with a few neighbors and my brother coming in. If things go well this summer, I’ll try to drive out then. Not getting on a plane. We’ll see. Your sister lives relatively close, doesn’t she? Could you combine households for the duration? Probably not possible, what with work and assorted other things, but I do know people who’ve merged back into one house. No doubt you already thought of that if it was even remotely possible, but…
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I hope you make the journey, Lisa. It will be good for all of you to see her.
My sister just moved into her own condo last year. She is so happy to be on her own, with her newly-adopted cat. She’s exactly where she needs to be. I used to see her once a week over the weekend, but now we’re careful and the visits are sporadic. I help her out with various things, and Mike is a great support as well. I value your suggestion, though. We’ve thought about different ways to do this over the years. This solution, for now, is the best.
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Here’s the latest from California: “Established in 2005, our Farm to Family program works with farmers, rancher, packers, and distributors to get California food products from fields to food banks. On an average year, we deliver about 160M pounds of produce and 10M pounds of protein to food banks throughout the state. Now, during the pandemic, we’ve ramped up our operations to deliver even more. We’re also working with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to help offset the packing, transportation, and other costs associated with getting the donations of fruits and vegetables to the food banks that need them.”
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There you go!
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This is from our local food bank:
“I’ve never seen anything like this, wherein a single moment so many people find themselves in need of help,” said Leslie Bacho, CEO of Second Harvest. “Not only are we in a terrible health crisis but we’re in a very disastrous economic crisis, and it has launched a lot of people that may have been living paycheck to paycheck into a very scary place.”
During the first two weeks in April, Second Harvest distributed twice the amount of food it did during the same period last year. It’s now serving approximately 38,000 households a week through its boxed grocery program.
To make it happen, the agency enlisted the help of more than 50 National Guard members who are volunteering for the organization, acquired an additional 60,000-square-foot warehouse for boxing and
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AFAC has been increasing clientele for years; I think because different organizations knew that is why so many are so well prepared with grants and other sources of food. There’s a big volunteer cadre here as well and that helps. The history is that the alliance of churches started a lot of organizations that the County helped support and they’ve reached pretty deep into the community. But we’re all concerned about the current situation and how it could worsen. I imagine it’s not much different most places.
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Okra!
(Mine was a dud this year. boo hoo.)
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Are ‘sweet pea’ the perennial pea?
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Yes, they seed prolifically and need, really to be somewhere they can’t take over. I regularly pull the “peas” before they dry out to keep the things under control. The flowers are really lovely, though.
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Yes, they are pretty, but they can get so overwhelming. There are a few in the landscapes that we must pull out before they overwhelm more important plants. They regenerate from the roots. However, I could not get them to grow from seed where I actually wanted them to grow.
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Yes, the roots are a definite issue. I’ve been ripping them out for years, but enjoy the ones I haven’t massacred. When I was a child the people who lived behind us had a big trellis of them that hid the incinerator. They were on a lawn and didn’t seem to do anything other than stay on that trellis.
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They are weird that way. They know where they want to be, and are obstinate about it.
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funny this as here in the UK the perennial sweet peas grow each year but never spread; they are glorious whites and pinks, great as cut flowers with their tough stalks but scent free, hence us always growing annuals for the scents.
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Whites?! I have only one vine that blooms white. I collect seed from it, but the seed does not germinate. Besides, I know that even if it does germinate, only a few of the progeny will bloom white. That is okay, I am satisfied with what is here.
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There are blues and lavenders as well, but I’ve only seen one white, ever…
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That would be excellent too, although I sort of expect them to be in the bright pink range, with an occasional white bloomer.
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I’ve seen mixed ones with blues, white and pinks–and the pinks turn blue when they’re getting old, anyway. But they ARE such pretty flowers.
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Two peoples separated by the common sweet pea…
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I can always pull them out.
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This is interesting. They do have a scent, but –at least here, something else always overwhelms it–magnolia, holly, rose get blown around on the breeze and you need to be picking the pea flowers to notice their scent–a bit like violet; you need to be up close to get it.
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Oh, mine is still only about 4 inches high!
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It is certainly better than what I got going. Some might be a bit taller, but there are only a few. Most never appeared above the soil. I will replace them with another phase of ‘Roma’ tomatoes.
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That’s too bad. Not that Romas aren’t nice, but Romas AND okra are a winner.
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I really crave okra. I do not know of anyone else who grows it, even though the seed had previously been commonly available.
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Yes, we do need to take care of each other and ourselves. Probably more than ever. A pandemic. A revolution. And so much more going on all around the globe.
Gardening can help so much with mental/physical health, at least for some of us. Ahhh real tomatoes and a bike ride. I long for both! Glad you enjoyed the ride.
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Thanks, Cheryl. I’m on a roll, I hope!
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Glad you got out for a ride – it does a body (and mind) good.
I admire the effort you put into providing food for the community. With all that is happening these days, I’m sure it will be needed and appreciated.
Have a good week ahead, Lisa!
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Thanks Eliza!
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Glad to read the garden is doing well. And a bike ride makes gray times ever so much better.
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It also (like baking bread) made me realize I needed to do it more because it was so good!
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Gardening is good for the soul, and good to hear your gardens are thriving! You are right, Lisa, we all need to look after each other.
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Thanks, Lavinia. Gardening is indeed good for the soul.
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I love a lady who gardens. They are special დ
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Thanks, Cindy!
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It is so good to find yourself fitter than you thought – especially at the moment. When you were a child did you ever have your gloves on a piece of elastic threaded through your coat sleeves? Could you adapt that for your camera? 🙂
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Nope. My mother thought we should keep track of them…And look what happened!
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Your garden seems to be well organized and focused on its mission to help at a time of great need, no doubt. We have entered the season of (very) expensive vegetables, but just happy we have the vegetable market again with water cress, herbs, gigantic celeries. I just try to use everything and have discovered celery leaves pesto, that has become a favourite of mine.
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Oh, that sounds fabulous. So many things make really good pestos. I keep trying to grow celery, but so far have had no luck with it.
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Yes, a whole new world is opening in front of me (in the kitchen)
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It’s kind of nice to go there, though, and experiment.
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you’re weeks ahead of us with your beets and carrots…. just about to pick our first ‘early’ peas!
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Wow. Mine are done now and I’ve ripped them out and planted blue Hubbard squash where they were. But you’ve got a serious number of peas. I think you mentioned 72 plants.
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I planted more! Now about 200… not sure why, looking at them now
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I smiled at your exchange with Tony about the okra. Around here, okra’s like zuchinni: once it starts coming on, there’s no stopping it. Even though I don’t garden, I’m an enthusiastic consumer at our farmers’ market and picking farm. Just now, my counter’s loaded with tomatoes — including those wonderful little yellow pear-shaped ones — cantaloupe, squash, and peaches, and the fridge has last weekend’s haul of lady cream peas, blueberries, and blackberries. What a difference a few degrees of latitude can make!
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It is soooo true. I was amazed that his had been planted so early. I never put okra in here until it’s reliably warm. Okra is one of those things people either like or just grimace at the idea of. It sounds like you’ve got some good eating in your fridge.
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Those beet leaves look healthy. Do you eat them? They are really delicious and tender.
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yes, I love the beet greens. When I donate them I like to keep the greens on, so people get the beets and the greens–like a two for one!
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Good to hear that the garden is doing well, as is the cycling. I keep forgetting my camera too. JUlia tells me there is one on the phone but, of course, I haven’t yet connected the email to get them off… I am not a natural user of technology.
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Yes. Email is a pain, though, with the photos. I have a Mac as my laptop, though and there’s this cool thing where you can check off a group of photos (all your new ones) and Air Drop them onto nearby computers. I don’t know if PCs have a similar function. But you should see if it’s in the options for moving photos…
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My PC doesn’t even have wireless, and I’m still using it like a typewriter. I freally must catch up with all this modern stuff! 🙂
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The garden looks good and is probably much further on by now. We didn’t plant much this year. Just some greens (arugula, chard, kale) and peas. I’m a little nervous about not having something to harvest in the fall, but there are plenty of farms here (and in Ohio, where we’ll be for July and August). Glad to hear you’re out riding your bike. You’re right — we do need to take care of ourselves. I’ve been meaning to get out on my bike again, but have a million excuses, none of which are valid. Perhaps I’ll do that today. 🙂
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That sounds good. I’m familiar with the billion excuses! I have friend who is going away July and August as well. Since he planted, I’m going to get to take care of and harvest the garden, but he won’t be getting his harvests either–though some will be left in September. I hope you enjoy your time back in Ohio and seeing the family. It should be good, vegetables from the garden or not!
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It’s great you’ve had good weather. I had no idea you had blueberries in there too!
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I keep hoping to create a garden where some things just come back year after year…
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Hooray for being in better shape than you thought. I’m in shape, but it’s more like a pear than anything else, ha! Covid is kicking my butt. I did go golfing last week and had sore ribs the next day from my bad swing (and so many of them). So I guess that’s a good sign. I’m thinking of getting a fitbit to track things. I need a kick in the buttocks, posterior, gluteus maximus, derriere, tochus..that’s all I got, LOL ❤
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It’s a struggle, what with COVID and not getting out and not walking much with friends and I don’t want to see a gym! So it’s all at home! Don’t be too hard on yourself.
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