It seems unfair to complain when I hear horror stories about the brutal heat in other parts of the country, but here in the Northwest, where we have just emerged from June Gloom (our typically cool, wet and garden-challenging month of “pre-summer”) we have only recently been able to shed our polar fleece.
I was out of the country on a vacation most of the past month, and had my neighbor poised to water my garden, but he never even turned on the hose, given the almost daily natural irrigation provided by Mother Nature. So when I returned, I was confronted with a lush jungle of leafy greens of both of the edible and the weedy types, but also with anemic tomatoes, slumping squash, and bare beds where the baby cucumbers and beans had been devoured by our ever present population of slugs.
I was out of the country on a vacation most of the past month, and had my neighbor poised to water my garden, but he never even turned on the hose, given the almost daily natural irrigation provided by Mother Nature. So when I returned, I was confronted with a lush jungle of leafy greens of both of the edible and the weedy types, but also with anemic tomatoes, slumping squash, and bare beds where the baby cucumbers and beans had been devoured by our ever present population of slugs.
After many hours of hacking with my trusty CobraHead weeder, I managed to get things back into reasonable shape and happily on July 5 the rains stopped, the temperatures hit the mid-70s and the sunscreen came out at last. Everything immediately perked right up and took off, and it now looks like we may be on track for a good year after all.
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| CobraHead Weeder |
I replanted the Lemon and Armenian cucumbers and my absolute favorite "Musica" beans, which all popped right up and took off – another reminder that waiting to plant until the days and nights are consistently warm is always best. Of course the lettuces and greens loved the June weather, and my neighbors have been supplied with plenty of salad fixings. I am given bottles of our fine Washington wine in return, so it’s definitely a fair trade.
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| "Rhapsody" butterhead lettuces are thriving next to my potato patch and I've been harvesting the "Farmer's Market" mesclun daily. |
My "Sugar Snap" peas flowered and set nice pods within days. They are delicious when stir-fried with ginger and my young onion thinnings. The "Wasabi" arugula has been great fun to share – nobody expects that kick at the end and I always get a wide eyed “wow!”.
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| "Super Sugar Snap" peas on steroids! |
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| "Stupice" tomato - a real trooper |
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| "Astia" container zucchini - great for a small space |
In the floral department, I tried a technique recommended by the Clematis grower that Renee and I met at the Farwest show in Portland several years ago. He encouraged me to plant Clematis right next to the climbing rose as well as near the base of rhododendron and azalea bushes. The vines twine and climb up among the branches and cover them in bright blooms all summer long. It’s a great way to get double duty out of those spring blooming shrubs, and provides a beautiful compliment to the roses.
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| Clematis make a lovely compliment to the climbing rose |
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| The azalea bush is perfectly happy under it's Clematis cover |
Now that the sun is shining, I have to pay close attention to my containers, as our rain doesn’t get under the cover of leaves and into the pots. Hard to remember, since I’m usually carrying my own umbrella to keep that water out and not in!
5 comments:
Thank you for this inspiring tour through your garden during the transition time of year in Seattle!
How do you protect the lettuce from the rabbits, or do the neighbors get it first?
Can you recommend a soap or cleaner for veggies harvested from the garden? I never used to think about washing them with anything but water, but lately when I consider animal fur, droppings or saliva that might be on a garden plant I wonder if I am living in a dream world about that.
Meanwhile, my Mom, who raised her young family in the 40's, said she had a housekeeper who always washed all her vegetables in Tide!
Thanks.
It's remarkable how late and cool your season has been, while everything in the Midwest has been weeks early. Beans, like your wonderful 'Musica' have long since finished. Lettuce beds were done for by the first week of June. With temperatures in our garden in the Ozarks hitting 107 some days, even tomatoes have produced and gone on to their happy hunting grounds. Peppers, though, are loving the heat as long as they have moisture. I'm using 6-8 inches of packed straw in all the pepper beds. Thanks for the nice views of your gardens. My cousins in Seattle are still waiting for their first ripe tomato!
HI Jim - I don't think I'd trade our wet and cold for your heat! We both have our gardening challenges -- but that's what keeps it interesting year after year. Stay cool! BTW, am still cutting lettuce and just got my first Musica beans (they are the BEST) - Sue
Fortunately for me, I don't have a ravenous rabbits in the neighborhood (feral cats who love to scratch are my problem. Netting is effective against both critters (same technique as for birds- see our blog post on this subject) and I always use row covers whenever I start new seeds. I just rinse my big veggis in watter, but do wash my leafy greens using a bit of mild "natural" dish soap diluted with lots of cold water-- I fill the sink and soak them,rinse and then spin dry. Gets the dirt out as well as any hidden hitchhikers. There are a number of commercial vegie washes available, but I don't think they are any different.
Nice photos, especially Renee and the kohlrabi monster.
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