Since we last met, the outdoor growing season in Minnesota officially began. People say that after Mother's Day it's safe to plant things outside that are intolerant to the cold season. The danger of a hard frost is past. One month ago I planted spinach and beats seeds directly into my garden. These two crops are cold-tolerant. In fact, for both of them I can get a spring crop and a fall crop out of them.
Mother's Day weekend I was in Philadelphia, PA for the National High School Mock Trial Tournament. During a few moments I was able to venture out into the historical neighborhood. I saw where Benjamin Franklin is buried, Betsy Ross' house and Elfreth's Alley. The weather was perfect and it was clear that their growing season began some time ago. I came across these wonderful hostas in Elfreth's Alley and also these plants at a shop.
Upon returning to Minnesota I realized I likely lost my cherry tomatoes and two pepper plants due to lack of water. I had forgotten to ask Bob to water my seedlings while I was gone. The good news is two out of the four plants that were in danger have pulled through. The others are in the compost pile.
On Friday, I checked the forecast for the next three days and it was phenomenal. 70s and sunny for the whole weekend. It was time to plant! I loaded up my car with the seedlings, my trowel, hoe and watering can. The garden was completely deserted on Friday evening which provided a wonderful time for me to focus on getting my planting done. I deviated slightly from my original map of my square foot garden to allow for better drainage for my tomatoes.
To ward off intruders (rabbits) I planted a few marigolds. They are easy to look at and impossible to kill. They're scattered around the garden and make a nice border with a beautiful Gerber daisy plant I bought.
Here's all that's cooking at my plot:
1) Potatoes
2) Beets (eventually for beets & meat)
3) Spinach
4) Lavender (for smelling, not eating in cookies...trust me, I've tried it!)
5) Banana Pepper
6) Heirloom Cherokee Tomatoes
7) Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes
8) Onions (if the neighborhood cats don't dig them all up, I should have plenty)
7) Ancho Gigantea Peppers
This morning I bought some cages for my tomatoes and put them into play. Everything appears to have adjusted just fine to life outside.
Here's what's cooking on my deck:
1) Chives
2) Garlic Chives
3) Basil
4) Mint
5) Cilantro
For the next few weeks my main job will be to keep things watered and eliminate any weeds. As you can see from the photos, I do have some crops not in my raised beds. One observation already is that the raised beds hold moisture much better than the rest of the garden. Here's hoping the growing continues...
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