Sunday 26th Havest and Update

Another week, man it just flies on by! It took me pretty much all week just to catch up on everything I needed to get done. So far as gardening, apart from watering and a quick overview - it's pretty much looked after itself, which is good - everything functioning as it should.  This is great as I'm now at that time of year where the blueberry harvest at the farm could happen at any moment.  On top of that a couple of landscaping jobs are turning up - surprising for this time of year, as my 'landscaping' usually amounts to 'shit I don't want to do' for most people - and that stuff usually pops up mid summer or in Autumn.

Some high temps this week saw the start of the decline of the peas - although there is new growth low on several plants as new shoots are coming out.  I trimmed them halfway down the trellis after harvesting what was on there (quite little) in hopes the rest of them catch on.
If not I'll let them thin out on their own and replant in any squares that are vacant.   I could have planted them earlier, as in mid March they were quite quick to sprout.  Either way I have a tupperware container full of shelled peas in the crisper, more than enough for a ham and pea soup.
To tell the truth, I'm not a fan of peas - boiled peas being the only food thus far that I simply will not eat.  I do like baby snap peas in salads, and I do love a mushy pea soup.
Anyways - I think they had good run, and if that's all they give me this spring, I don't think getting near 2lbs of peas from 2 square feet qualifies for a failure, I think it's a great starting point.

Much more in that garden bed going on, Kale is looking good, but I've never tried it before, and nor has my wife. I think mid week I might pick one and try it cooked a couple of different ways.

The beans never fail to surprise. On Monday I was thinking they might be the first to quit - but instead they give me much more than I thought. about equal to last week in number, but with an overall increase in average size.  Many of the plants that were picked pretty clean are already budding new flowers or putting out more small beans.
I'll certainly make sure I keep up with the fertilizer on these, and should the worm gods smile on me - they'll get some well earned mulch!.
With so many beans in the crisper, I'm hoping for a bean casserole in a couple of days. My wife makes a bang up one - and I'd love to try it with fresh (and near fresh) veg.

 Along the back bed (that I don't show too often), Corn is coming along well. Compared to what I've seen growing out near the farm on various properties (eating corn, not feed corn) -  I think this looks about right on track.  In front of them are several bell peppers.  I've had decent luck with these in the past - Garden #1 had 3 small square pots (around a foot square) with 4 packed in each - they grew short and still produced apple sized peppers that would weigh their tiny branches to the ground.
I'm trying to find 'the magic number' that gives me a good supply for cooking.  This year I'm trying 7. Six are in that row, though the end plant is getting a bit sun-fried, plus one from last year that the frost couldn't kill over by the turnip greens.

Yep, it's under that giant mass, somewhere on the end.  Actually as I speak the smell of fresh turnip greens is wafting from the kitchen. I pulled a square foot of them in order to try my hand at cooking them.
I have them slow boiling away in a pot with some ham hocks and red peppers - a shame it's too early for peppers, as it looks to be a decent sized meal that would have cost me all of 1.50 to make.
For people unfamiliar with the ham-hock, it seems to have a bad rep as somthing 'nasty' - when the truth is it's just nice chunks of ham, those bits that can't be cleanly sliced for sliced ham.  Ideal for soups and very cheap for what you get. I can make a great meaty ham and split pea soup on a budget, with enough surplus for freezing. A great feed for those days when the wife has to run around and the kids have me too busy to cook for myself.

Radishes, of course, continue to get pulled, the one square I have left devoted to them sprouted new plants in a record 4 days.  I'll keep that little factory turning over as long as I can - it's other, nearly depleted, square will have eggplant transplanted into it this week.
Anyways the harvest, not too shabby with 1 square of turnip greens pulled up.  I was thinking of replanting them out - but I think instead I'll try getting some of the overflow taken care of and in the garden proper.

Many of the long-term plants (such as broccoli, corn, cabbage) are doing quite well - better than the short-term (lettuce, spinach,beans,peas,greens). A turn around from my Autumn, where I seemed to have a nice balance. As the short term plants were falling into winter, the longer term plants and root crops were getting ready to be pulled. I still need to find the spring balance that will see me through a spring-summer.  I think the choices are right, but the timing is a little off.
Many other things are up and coming, and I'll take some snaps over the next few days - the squash is hitting a growth spurt, and looks like I'll be getting something off that real soon - tomatoes continue to flower, and the potatoes are looking like heading into their final growth stretch before dying back. Still, the meal-per-week count has gone up to 2, lets see if I can hit 7 before summer!