Spring Gardening

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Beltane was just a few days ago and we are having our first 80 degree day of the year here in the Willamette Valley (we broke 70 only once or twice this year so far).   The cool, wet spring has made gardening a bit slow, but already have stuff in the ground, including:

Peas, Fava Beans, Bush Beans, Lettuce, Mixed Greens, Eggplant, Broccoli, Cucumber (put in two nights ago), Garlic (over wintered and doing great),Shallots, Carrots, Oregano, Basil, Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indica/Sativa Cross, Tomatoes (four different kinds), Hot Peppers (20 different kinds)

Also have some summer squash starts grown from seed in little containers, but have been waiting for warmer, drier weather lest they get eaten by slugs.   Speaking of slugs, I am trying the crushed egg shell trick this year in hopes of keeping the little buggers away.

How does your garden grow?

 

This year I'm doing raised bed smart pots. 

I cut mine down by 75% this year. It's considerably the smallest I've had in over 25 years. We'll see how it goes.

I did get a little 6 x 8 greenhouse, so I may put some stuff out soon. 

Already picking tomatoes, green peppers and eggplant

Hey Ken! We have a plot at Portland's Vermont Hills Community Garden for tomatoes and other sunshine-loving plants... unfortunately the garden area at our house doesn't get enough hours of sun (when the sun is actually out). 

Beds are prepped, planting everything except tomatoes this weekend. I have learned to wait until June to plant tomatoes, since our summers begin on July 5, right? :)

At our house, we can grow berries and we have some espaliered apples, too... so I'm learning how to prune. 

Just my trusty artichokes, a Berkeley tie dye tomato, a couple Goji Berry plants,
Pomegranate tree, and chives-the best cooking herb on earth.

No time or energy to work full veggie beds this year, but that's ok.

>>>>Vermont Hills Community Garden

Cool.  Glad you found a spot right in your neighborhood.    A few years back, I was gifted a coveted plot at the Adams Community Garden on the edge of Forest Park in NW Portland.   Problem was I was living in Tigard at the time, and although I was working downtown, it was often a pain to try to make it up there as often as I needed to properly tend to the plot.    After receiving a couple "bad gardener" notices from the management, I gave up the plot.

>>>>>tie dye tomato, a couple Goji Berry plants,

I picked up a tie-dye tomato at a recent plant show.  It will be the first time I have tried that variety.   We also have a single, stringy goji berry plant that produced probably a dozen berries last year.  Hoping for better luck this year with that.   We also have crazy raspberry plants and this past weekend, I transplanted a bunch of the young plants that had popped up in the yard into containers to give away.

  

It's mostly the wifes doing this year but we've got a ton of tomatoes, beans, onions, garlic, cilantro, basil, mint, lots of kinds of peppers, thyme, oregano, radish, peas, strawberries, a GG#4 (hybrid) and a XXX (indica).

Tie Dye isn't the same variety as Berkeley Tie Dye, I grew 'tie dye' last year, aside from similarity in name, there's no comparison - the Berkeley is much more flavorful. Get one while you can!

 

Oh yeah, I forgot my thornless Boysenberries are going to be ready in less than a month. They're so yummy I can hardly wait.

You warm weather gardeners and your early crops!

Between the early blight, late blight and tomato hornworms, I'm pretty much done with tomatoes. They are just a waste of time and space for me. I might do 2-3 in growbags, in the greenhouse. We'll see.

Got peas and lettuce going. Still too cool for everything else. Cannabis cuttings will be going in the ground in a week or so, as will a bunch more veggies..

Just FYI - this Saturday is World Naked Gardening Day! Be careful of thorns and garden on naked, my friends~

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I still have my community garden plot in LB until end of June. My friend is taking care of it and she may take it over. We'll see.  Gonna miss those artichokes for sure. And the huge rosemary plant. Those been with me since the beginning.

Now I have 2 small (4' X 6') plots in a community garden here in Clear Lake Riviera.  Got them 90% planted yesterday. A mix of seedlings and seeds. Sun Gold tomatoes, squash, basil, cucumbers, cantalope, peas, corn, carrots, serrano peppers, walla wallas, green onions, collard greens, swiss chard, pumpkin, a few marigolds and some catnip.

 

Have some pots planted here at the house. Basil, cilantro, bush beans. They are popping out of the dirt already.  Probably won't get the raised beds built for this spring/summer.  Hopefully by fall. Plan on getting an herb garden here too, hopefully before end of summer. Lots to do in the yard here to get ready for that.