End of May is Planting Time in PacNW

I don't have a lot planted this year because of weather, compared to last year.

Planted and doing well:

• Tomatoes - 2 cherry tomato varieties and 2 heirloom standard varieties
• Sweet Peppers - 3 varieties; 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 green
• Potatoes - 2 barrels of Red Pontiac and 1 barrel of White California (no blooms yet like last year at this time)
• Onions - 24 walla walla sweet, 8 yellow and 8 white.  
• Garlic - 10ish purples from starts last fall. 
• Greek Oregano - (first harvest today)
• Strawberries - 4 sets with berries on 2

Just Planted or prepping to Plant this week

• Sweet Corn - 40 planted today
• Cucumbers - 4 in pots tomorrow 
• Carrots - 4 rows
• Radishes - 1 row
• Basil - 6
• Bush Beans - 4
• Dill - 8
• Lettuce - 8

Cherokee Purple heirloom	Chocolate Cherry heirloom
Sun Gold cherry	German heirloom
Green Bell Pepper with Oregano in background	Red Bell Pepper
Yellow Bell Pepper
Red Pontiac Potato (not yet blooming)	Red Pontiac Potato (starting to bloom)
White California Potato
Onions blown over from storm	Corn Bed Planted day 1
Garlic almost done
Strawberries (almost)	More Berries

Day 1 2019 - Corn Seeds in the Ground before June!

I have my fingers crossed that the weather predictions will finally kick in and be as predicted... What a mess.  The Sunday (Memorial Weekend) temps were supposed to be in the mid 70Fs but, no... In fact the whole week was supposed to be nice and warm both during the day and no lower than the mid 50s at night. But, the predictions were wrong.  The cold air kept blasting in from the mountain, making it cool and overcast most of the week, with occasional thunder storms. So my seeds were in a watery limbo, starting to sprout and no where to go.  Yesterday, finally, a good day and the ground today was perfect and warm. Now the hope is that the seeds all come up.  I planted 40 seeds this year in the ground, with six backups in sprout starting pots in the green house. 

This year, to prep the soil, I purchased a new dark tarp (no holes) and covered the raised garden beds the last weekish of April. Last week, I pulled back the tarp, chased away the family of snakes living in there, pulled out the dead plants/roots, etc and tried to stomp down tunnels/burrows. I watered the ground heavily and have been going back each day to "stomp" down the new mounds that keep popping up.  That's the nature because the tarps tend to bring the "vermin" in to eat slugs, bugs and bug eggs.  On the positive side is that, essentially, the soil is tilled, and the weeds are dead naturally, without any chemicals.  Plus, a lot of the bugs are gobbled up by the snakes and rodents. It is a win, win, but then, I have to work a bit harder to keep them out of there until the garden takes off.  Then the daily watering keeps them out for the rest of the summer. It's a process of persistence. 

This is the beginning of the corn journal for this year. 46 seeds started in all with the hopes of having 40 plants, five rows, with eight per row in my six feet by eight garden spot. Last year, I planted a lot of "double seeds" here and there, but chose not to do that this year since they had already sprouted before planting.  Plus, I feel like the double stalks became more hassle than it was worth.  

May Showers... Wha?

We have no May Showers.  In fact, next week our temps are supposed to be in the high 80s and possibly the low 90s! 

First off, the processed chickens weighed about 6.5 pounds with the exception of one small one being about 5 pounds.  So that's done and we have our summer supply of free-range Cornish Cross meat. 

We had a frost the last week of April, and it impacted the potatoes, even in their barrels! I didn't think it would. Now we are in the extreme opposite. The temps the first few days of May were in the mid 60s, and have gradually been getting warmer and warmer each day. 

Last weekend I pulled most of the weeds out of the corn bed and the other raised bed. I have them covered with tarps and the final process may be done quicker with the extreme spring heat anticipated next week! Normally it would be raining and cool, taking the "burn out" weed process all month. 

Mostly weeded and ready for....

The TARP!

I found about 10 sweet walla walla onions left over and growing from last year in the one bed, so I pulled them in an attempt to save them in some buckets.  They are not looking too well.  But, it has been too hot since I replanted them.  Moved them into the shade today in hopes that will help. 

RePlanted Volunteer Onions

Strawberry plants are looking good. Oregano and garlic, too.  Picked up small tomato starts today and potted them early since we are getting this hot weather, it should help them get a good start before the rains return. 

The Strawberries I "volunteered" last fall

Field is all mowed and now we just wait to see what the rest of spring is going to bring us. 

Final Mowing for Spring