Peas so lovely, peas so many

In the beginning, the young transplants were well behaved.

'Dwarf Grey Sugar' Pea Transplant, April 22nd 'Dwarf Grey Sugar' Pea flower, May 26th

Shoots, leaves and early blossom on 'Brazilian Snow Pea'Very soon, though, the dwarves and giants got into a bit of tangle.

Pea flowers & tendrils, June 3rd

And 'Green Arrow', being of modest stature and slower pace, got caught in the middle & was almost overwhelmed.

'Green Arrow' Pea flowers

In the end, everyone finally decided to shake hands and share teepees.

Pea teepees, June 3rdThere was peace, if not order.

Wild & Wonderful, June 24th

And there was abundance.

Brazilian Snow Pea harvest, June 25th

Final pea harvest, July 16th

Peas, sweet & edible, July 16th

At the community garden

As I mentioned earlier this week, I'm trying the new Squarespace 6 platform.

If you're interested and have a few moments (the posts are short), you're welcome to pop over to the "summer home" and read about the community garden.

Here are the direct links:

At the community garden: good neighbours

At the community garden: lavender & more

At the community garden: inviting the pollinators

As always, I welcome all comments and feedback. And it's ok to be a silent reader, too :-).

Catching up, part 2

The second in a series of three posts in which, during the rainy parts of my vacation, I'm catching up on blogging. Today's topic: the community garden from early to mid Spring.
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Snoozing at the community gardenOn Earth Day, while Piper napped in the shade under the bench, I cultivated the soil in the three pollinator beds and rearranged the plants that had survived the winter. A fellow gardener and I have volunteered to plant and tend this vital part of the community garden. In early May we liberally sowed California and Shirley poppy seeds in the beds and added other plants including Echinacea, Asclepias and Allysum. By early summer, or sooner I hope, the blossoms will be providing nectar and pollen for bees and butterflies.

So far, I've harvested only a few crops from my own plot: assorted Asian greens (a little), chard (a lot), and radishes (just enough to add a spicy crunch to lunch for the past 2 weeks). Broccoli raab is missing from the list because a mysterious creature with paws trampled the bed soon after the seedlings emerged. Then tiny slugs with big appetites ate most of the remaining young greens and baby spinach. (Help -- what is your successful, organic slug control strategy?)

Community garden plot in mid-May

Plot inventory, May 19th: chard, garlic, greens, herbs, peas, radishes, spinach

First radish harvest: Pink Punch, Easter Egg II, French Breakfast (Renee's Garden seeds)

Above ground, the garlic is green and mildew-free. But now that I've learned about all the pests and diseases that can afflict this herb, I'm tempted to pull one 'Purple Softneck' to see what's going on below the soil's surface. I'll resist and and hope for beginner's luck and good garden karma as I'm growing most of this garlic for a friend.

No peas yet, but the robust vines and pretty flowers are promising.

Dwarf Grey Sugar pea transplants, April 22nd

First pea flower, May 26th

And now as I write this, it's 12 noon and the sun is shining -- barely. I'm off to you-know-where to prep the open squares for the tomato and pepper transplants. See you soon. Though I hope not too soon as it will mean it's raining again.

'Swallow' pepper ready for transplanting and chard ready for a frittata

Harvest

In the basket: 'Rolande' French filet (bush) beans, jewel-toned beets, 'Romeo' baby carrots, heirloom 'Italian Silver Rib' chard, 'Green Fingers' Persian baby cucumber, and 'Glacier' & 'Gold Nugget' tomatoes

I shall be growing all these varieties again next year.

And how have I been using the harvest? You may have noticed a paucity of new recipes on the blog recently. Well, I confess to spending more hours in the garden than kitchen. And eating more toasted tomato sandwiches than I probably should admit to. (Food jags aren't just for children.) Here's a hint about one of my other favourite summer meals. Recipe to follow soon.

Quinoa, Chickpea & Vegetables-of-the-Day Salad

Why a quick visit to the garden is impossible:

Too many distractions!

Violas at my feet

Zinnias at eye level

Sunflowers overhead