Cold Snaps and Hot Flashes

It's been a bit of a strange spring. We had a cold snap with temperatures in the 30's when we covered the plants for several nights in late April and then a hot spell with temperatures in the low 90's in early June. That required extra watering. The weather in March and April appears to have had an effect on our perennials. In 2012, we picked our first asparagus on March 23. In 2013, our first picking came on April 11. The strawberries seem to have been affected as well. In 2012, first strawberries were picked on May 18. In 2013, the first strawberries were picked on May 29.  The cold in mid to late April also kept us from planting seed for green beans and other plants. Mother Nature has a great sense of humor and always keeps things interesting!

Everything seems to be doing well at this point. We've been picking approximately a pound of strawberries daily with June 1 being a banner day with two pounds picked.

Delicious!

 

 The sugar snap peas are just maturing. First small picking on June 3 came to just 3 ounces. As you might guess, it takes a LOT of sugar snaps to make a pound.

 

                                      Sugar snap peas - first 3 ounce picking

 

The green beans, various squash and the butternut, and the many more veggies are looking strong. Cherries are beginning to ripen and the raspberries and blackberries will be ready by the end of the month.

                                The doorway to our garden is 8 feet to the left

 

We also finished winter cleanup in the "courtyard", the area where we hang out on warm evenings.  As you can see by the structure, the area was once a two car garage that we mentioned in an earlier post. The amazing thing about this area, and our neighborhood in general, is the very peaceful quiet we enjoy in this spot. You would never know that we live in a city of 56,000 people. The only sound heard here in the evening is that of the birds singing one last song before heading back to their nests.

 

                                          Portion of the front of "courtyard"

 

And, yes MJWN, I have an ivy wall too! It's just not as creative as yours. But it's a good way to avoid 80 square feet of painting every few years!

 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you again next week.

 

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