The sun is out...

...And I'm flying to Kansas today (where it is plenty warm).
Garden news - tomatoes are out of their cloches and into cages. Beans sprouts look promising. Picked 3 peas this week. Lots & lots of beets but no carrots, so I stuck the final tomato seedling in that space.

And, there is hopes for a small pumpkin patch. I think I have 2 pumpkin sprouts, 3 pattypan squash sprouts, a zucchini and 1 or 2 cucumbers. I'm leaving them in the care of dear husband for 11 days. That's a lot of pressure but I'm sure he'll do fine (or he'll be sure to shop for replacement seedlings before I return!)

Cold June Garden

Photo from today, my garden tour in coat & hood. Herbs and flowers growing, but so are the weeds and the grass. A break in the rain leads to a quick grass cutting and no time to keep neat. Compare to the May photo several posts ago.

The sad pumpkin patch waiting for its day in the sun. Still no sprouts from the pumpkins. I think I'll move them to the "oven," the warm, but dark space under the sink.The tomatoes are looking good under their window cloches. I couldn't believe the one in the bell cloche, above! Just hope I remember to remove it if the sun peeps out at all or I'll have a wilted tomato.

Tomatoes

Here are the tomatoes planted about the 3rd weekend in May, on their "plant out" day. We are running a full 10 degrees below normal highs, so they are still tucked in their window frame cloches even now. I don't have a photo from today, but they have grown and one has a blossom. It is supposed to be warmer next weekend, although I doubt we'll see much sun until after July 4th.
Pumpkin seeds I planted in the garage haven't sprouted yet. I do so enjoy the pumpkin patch, but it isn't looking promising! Some of the beans planted last weekend have sprouted. I need to go anti-slug them tonight as they look very tender and tasty.

Now I'm running out of photos from the days prior to the computer's self-inflicted permanent retirement, plus I left my camera's battery charger in Arizona. Haven't had time to solve either of those issues. I think a little sunshine would motivate me to action on both parts. Until then, it is just gray sky, and green everything else (from all the rain).

Slug Training, Part II

Did slug training work? Maybe. That is definitely not fennel he is munching on. Also, notice his nice "coffee" coloring? I wonder if is is evidence he had absorbed a little of the coffee grounds around the fennel (& now around the tomatoes also)??

Cloche Benefits

I'm especially celebrating any blooms this year. This calendula started blooming a few weeks ago. Those outside the cloche are still just seedlings. This 50 degree weather isn't helping. Boy, this was a good year for the cloche experiment! Here are the chives, a few weeks ago. The ones outside are finally blooming now.

On one warm day, I opened up and then ended up removing the plastic covering. The chard & lettuce plants are now bolting. I'll clear out some of this soon, plant squash and put the plastic covering back on.