Family illnesses and other issues have kept me from keeping up with the garden and blog. Despite neglect, the garden appears to be growing rampantly. Weeds too, but despite being unsightly, they are not enough to get in the way of the veggies, fruits, and flowers.
Ning's happy about his cherry tree producing so many cherries.
This is about half of the cherry crop. Yum!
Lots of stuff in bloom now.
Strawberries - Getting about a pound every day. Raspberries - A bowl full daily now. Tomatoes - All in bloom now. Figs - The few brebas are getting larger, not there yet. Peaches - I'm wondering if I should have thinned more. They are weighing down the tree branches! WIll need to get some supports soon. cherries - I also summer pruned them. CUt most new growh back to 6 inches to a foot, in most cases leaving the first tuft of leaves pluys a few. Most of the removed growth was about 2 feet in length.
This hybrid epi was purchased as a rooted cutting 2 years ago. This is the first bloom. The variety is "Piccolo". It opened last night, and is still open now, 24 hours later, so the bloosom has more staying power compared to the one-night-stand of Epiphyllum oxypetallum.
Ning's Cherries are almost ripe. This is the oldest tree, about 7 years old. The 4-year-old trees just have scattered cherries.
The strawberries have been producing for a week. This is a typical day's haul. Plenty for our needs. The most productive have been the ones around the rowse bed and around the tomato patch. Fertilized only with compost.
Other Garden Notes.
1. Figs. I've pinched out the terminal buds on all of the fig trees. Those that were pinched 2 weeks ago have responded with new fig embryos at each leaf node. I've removed about 1/4 of them, in hopes of earlier & better figs. Brebas not yet ripe but growing larger day by day.
2. Peaches. Most are about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. I thinned about 1/4 of the remaining peaches, to avoid over bearing, and inprove chances of earlier and better fruit.
3. Tomatoes. Most are blooming. All have been tied to their posts, and side branches removed for cordon training.
4. Peppers. Lots of holes in the leaves. What's eating them? But they are blooming.
5. Rhubarb. Over the hill. I made a wonderful strawberry-rhubarb sauce, similar to the video below but with 1/2 strawberries. Used frozen rhubarb and frozen strawberries still left over from last year. Great on pancakes! Yum!
6. Roses. First bloom is over the hill. They've been beautiful and prolific.
7. Asparagus starts. All are about 6 inches tall. Will I EVER get them established? Still trying.
8. Lawn. Still mowing using the mechanical mower. More clover this year. Not a problem.
9. Hazelnut trees. Still alive! Also all of the new fruit trees, including sour cherry, 2 Japanese plums, and multigraft Asian Pear.
10. Fallgold raspberry, now bearing too. These are SO good!
Lots of weeds going to the chickens. No eggs in a month from the 2 older hens. The 2 younger ones are not laying yet either. Come on girls.... earn your keep!
Rhubarb Sauce. Since my rhubarb was limited, I replaced about 1/2 with strawberries. I used tapioca instead of starch. Otherwise about the same. SO GOOD!
This week, temp in the 70s to low 90s. Warm for this time of year. Most of the yard is growing like crazy. Some important items not to forget this weekend -
Clear an area around each tomato plant. Volunteer cilantro grew like crazy, and is impinging on the 'personal space' of the tomato plants. Time for some salsa.
Start pruning tomato suckers and start the first ties for cordon growing.
Mow lawn. Obvious.
Photos for blog, what's blooming, peaches, cherries, figs.
Net for cherry trees.
This weekend will also be the time to apply cement backerboard to the bathroom subfloor. This project needs to get underway again.
It's too warm now for transplanting - plans to move hostas will be delayed for next fall or spring.
Every day I inspect the epiphytic cacti - one has been SO close to blooming. The first time for that one, so I don't know how big it will be. Get out the camera!
