Garden Update - April 21st

I haven't updated this week,mainly because it's been an entire week of rain. Heavy rain. Time will tell if seeds have been washed out or drowned, and if the deluge put me further behind this spring.  Just before the rain started I pulled up the turnips that had sprung up over the winter. These were truly 'free plants' I didn't even plant them - seeds that had hung around from the last turnips sprouted and I let them grow.

The two plants gave up enough turnip greens to feed everyone till they were full. With ham hocks and some southern cooking, they were a meal unto themselves.

So space is available, but it's already accounted for. Though you probably can't see, some eggplant have already sprouted in the top 4 squares, and fresh compost courtesy of my 'secret stash' is already being mixed in.
I'll be finishing this out with 6 Pepper plants as soon as they sprout.
This year I'm trying to up the numbers of things that grew well to reach a level that will  satisfy all my needs.  6 Peppers and 6 Eggplants should keep me flush with both - but I'll have to wait till Summer to enjoy them.

The lower part of this bed is also sorted out as well, with Swiss Chard popping up well enough to take some leaves off for a side dish.  My experimental crops of cauliflower and cucumbers are coming along quite nicely too.
This bed sees a bit of shade, and so is pretty good for leafy greens. This Autumn I have to keep this in mind when I try once again to get Spinach up and running.  It was one of the very first things I grew well in Georgia, and yet I can't seem to reproduce that success no matter how hard I've tried.

As expected this bed took a pounding with the rain. It's not only where water collects, but also where it falls from the high roof.  I was concerned about the carrots up front - but most pulled through ok - I'll have to replant to fill out the squares, but that should give me a bit of a stagger when it comes to pull them.  The peas are coming up fairly well too - not quite ready to hit the old trellis - but should be in a few weeks. The nice mulching of compost should give them an extra kick - and when they hit the trellis we'll be planting carrots in around them to compare how they do against carrots alone.

Just the other week I was saying how happy I was with the longevity of Kale, and how I was looking forward to having all I needed through the spring to the summer.
Well, just when you think you know something - it turns out you don't. The rain drowned out one plant, and another (shown) is going to seed.  This will have to be pulled as soon as possible before the plant turns bitter. On the upside I have already planted some to bring my count up to 4 plants, and with some careful 'transplant thinning', I should already have replacements well on the way.

The problem I always have is with pulling plants that I've had for a while - I feel invested, even if they aren't doing so great, or just plain in the wrong place.  The Brussels Sprouts are forming on the base of these, and I keep on saying 'just a week more and we'll see' - even though the outer plants are crowded and they completely shade the squares in front of them. This is simply the wrong place for them.  I'm happy for the experience of seeing them grow, and seeing for myself how much space is needed, but in a square foot system they are just too big and take too long - that is space more productively used on other things. Not to worry though - that is why we have containers, and right now is a good time to plant them for an end of Summer pick. I'm setting aside as many 5 gallon pots as I have for this, like I did for Squash last year.

As for Squash, just as I thought the soil set up rather firm after the rain - it needs to be made lighter for the garden.  I had added coir, but also got rid of the last of the manure mix I bought last year.   I added some of the 'secret stash' compost and hopefully this will start breaking it up and making it lighter. With some careful transplant thinning (carefully pulling excess plants from one planting and spreading them out) I have 5 of my 6 planned squash taken care of as some of the original plants failed to sprout.
Careful investigation showed some of the original mounds had fallen victim to a mythical beast that roams this backyard, known as 'LittleFoot'. The vaguely humanoid beast, weighing in at 60-70lbs and standing at nearly 3.5 feet high is considered legend around these parts, though some skeptics doubt his existence....

NEWS FLASH - LITTLEFOOT CAPTURED!

 ... However this rare photograph shows him temporarily caught in a cunning trap laid for him and baited with fruit snacks and a juice box.  Enraged by his capture, he quickly broke free and was last seen running through the sandbox before vanishing behind the swimming pool...trackers have not been able to follow his trail past this watery obstacle.

 Blazing a trail back to steps - some work was done on the herb garden.  The Sage is starting to flower and over the next week will be trimmed back, dried and stored. Basil was to be replanted, but it has replanted itself.  Seed from the last planting had spread and taken root, a couple more than the 8 or so I was planning on planting. I'll let them grow where they will, as Chives, Sage, and Basil seem to get along well with Parsley and a growing blanket of Thyme.  Very little needed to be done here as leaves from the Magnolia in the backyard tend to blow here and carpet the garden bed, keeping weeds to a minimum and also mulching the bed. It practically takes care of itself. Self seeding, weeding, mulching, and composting.  Sweeping aside the leaves to see where I can plant additions also revealed a nice population of earthworms, and the soil getting less dense and darker in color than what I started with. I hope to add Cilantro, Oregano, and if it sprouts, Rosemary.  As I can easily tell the difference in the plants - I'm tempted to let it grow 'wild' within the confines and see how well it self perpetuates.

Tomatoes and Blueberries.  my 4 pots from last year is expanding to 9.  and the Blueberry salvaged from the field is doing well. The soil put down last year was mainly pine bark and castings, mixed with what potting soil I had left for the year.  My last Blueberry plant failed to root, but a Butternut Squash did very well. Checking the soil, again a nice population of earthworms and the bark has been breaking down. I added some compost to the mix and will be getting ready to transplant it soon.  This year it missed it's bloom as it was busy taking root and had no leaves when that was supposed to happen - I hope if it does well enough after the transplant it will have all Summer to regain it's stamina and hopefully spring to flower next year.

Finally beans continuing to sprout, and the new plants are starting to push at the soil.  I'll be looking at planting more beans when I can this year - more cooking beans like Pinto Beans.  I'll be doing this to fill gaps between different plants this year, as legumes are good for the soil. They add nitrogen.  I'm hoping that by doing this I can prepare the ground for future crops that require more...  Other things that will be tried this spring is more companion planting - introducing radishes around the squash to deter insects, introducing potatoes around plants from the cabbage families, and more.  I'm almost caught up, but there are still many projects that need to be done in the spring. Easter is the time for potatoes, and as I promised last year I would be doing some head-to-head comparisons, as well as different ways to grow them. I'm hoping to find the best way to suit my needs, and hopefully in there will be one that suits yours.

Onwards and Upwards.

Cheers!