While I can't say we have harsh, nor long, winters, springtime still is very welcome around here! I have yet to have any success growing anything into the winter, so spring usually marks the start of really getting back into gardening and growing our own. Things have still been busy, but we've got some good things going on around here.
First up, a very welcome surprise from our plum trees...
Our first wee baby plums!
After planting these just 2 years ago, I thought we still had another year or 2 before we'd get any fruit. While it is still early days, I was ecstatic to see the tiniest baby fruit emerge a week ago. I almost needed a magnifying glass for those first ones. Time will tell if the trees are established enough to bring them to full size, but even to get to this stage it makes me excited for the possible abundance to come!
On the subject of fruit trees...the fig seems to have bounced back after the beetle attack of 2023. So far no signs this year, and I hope it stays that way! The smaller fig is still, well, small, but hoping for at least a decent harvest from this more established plant. @dksart also clipped a few new low branches for propagating, and one looks like it is doing well enough to plant soon.
A Sun Gold & Durbin Nectarine to Add to the "Orchard"
We also added two new nectarine trees this year after getting some big pines taken down for safety. Like the plums, we will likely have to wait a few years for any fruit, but once all of these get established I'll be in fruit heaven! A girl can dream anyway. I'm sure the wildlife will give me a good run for my money on eating it all.
On to the seedling side of things...
The greenhouse has truly been a welcome addition. I still feel a bit behind in getting some seeds started, but having this nice warm spot to house what I have so far has worked really well. My zucchini and patty pan squash grew so well I had to put it out a little early so they didn't outgrow their little pots!
A few of those have somehow already gotten eaten by bugs, but as of right now I've got three golden zucchini plants and two patty pan that are getting established. I planted a few more pots of patty pan in the greenhouse since those are one of my early summer favorites, and I like to have plenty to share.
The sugar snap peas are coming along, as well. Those I always plant right out in the garden bed. Other than a bit of weeding and getting some more supports set up, they'll keep growing happily with little intervention on my end! The beans I planted seem not to have sprouted yet, so I'm contemplating a second round of those since I would love to have green and yellow beans in addition to the snap peas.
After making some more beds out of downed tree logs, I have space to experiment a bit more with corn again this year. Last year the bed where I planted the corn was overrun by tomato volunteers, so I think I missed the prime time to pluck them. This year I'm taking no chances, so they are in a bed all to themselves.
We've got some other things on the way like tomatoes, eggplant and cucumbers, but I'll save some for later posts. As excited as I am with this season, the true abundance will be a few months out. I will also be looking forward to seeing what all my Hive pals have going on in their gardens this year, too. Especially @farm-mom and @thebigsweed since they're trying mushrooms this year like we are!
I'll leave you all with one final photo. If you ever doubted my love for fruits and veggies, my second quarter sleeve should put that to rest... ;)
Happy Gardening!
Ah it's so amazing to see the plums finally bear fruit. I remember when you planted them. I do hope mine at home are surviving the heat.
I may have done a little happy dance in the front yard when I first saw them. And now it is the daily inspection to see how much they grow from day to day, ha! Fingers crossed for yours!
Best net them... Don't let the birds so much as LOOK at them!
Just by reading you have infected me and I am equally or more anxious than you to see results, although as you point out, in many cases you have to wait some time to see the results, in some cases more than others.
Reading about the pine trees, I remembered the ones here in the gardens and they also had to be cut down for safety. It gave me a lot of pain and I was a child. I still remember them, and also the fact that the first few months those pines were cut down we couldn't be in the living room because of the inclement sun. Your tattoo looks spectacular and lastly, I didn't know or know of these beautiful banners you shared, where can I download them to use in my gardening posts?
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The pine trees here get so big, and can be devastating if they fall on a home or in the roadways! Though it is always tough to miss some shade that they provide. I'm glad we're filling in the spaces with our little mini food forest so I feel like we're evening out ecosystem in some ways. :)
@riverflows had created the fun HiveGarden banner a while back for a few of us regulars!
Delegations welcome!
I love your tattoo! So this one is recent?
Your post are always delightful to read. I get chuckles, information, and a sense of who you are from your posts. Thanks for entering the contest!
Thank you! Yes, a week ago tomorrow. It balances out the other side that I had done last year nicely, and now I have a nod to both of my nieces represented forever.
I do miss being able to blog more regularly as it can be such a nice little form of self-expression, so I'm grateful that I can at least find the time to share about the garden journey! Fun to see how far we've come since we first started, and how far we have yet to go!
I hope you reap the harvest, it is a pleasure to taste our own fruits, your tattoo says it all! 🌱🍒🌴🌶🐝🌿
Thank you @multifacetas! I hope we all get some great harvests this season! That's always the goal, though the journey gives plenty of joy and lessons, as well. :)
Spring has sprung, hopefully, we're right behind you.
It looks like your garden is off to a great start. Plumbs are already set, pretty exciting for sure. I hope your fig tree also provides you with a bounty of figs. Even the little one looks nice and healthy.
It's always a battle keeping pests from devouring whatever they deem tasty. I don't know if you have any problems with deer browsing on your trees, they sure do love the tender new growth. If you do have a problem, here is the recipe to keep them away.
3 eggs to a pint of milk. Blend it up well and just use a spray bottle to apply. This works like a charm and the mixture only needs to be reapplied every few months.
Thanks for the mention, I went with the sawdust inoculated rather than the plugs. We also went with the Shiitake spawn as the level of difficulty was for beginners.
I was also thinking of doing a #hivegarden post about the mushrooms, but wanted to check with you first to make sure that would be okay.
I love your new tattoo. Very colorful and unlike so many other tattoos that I see, yours doesn't take any guessing to figure out what you're looking at. A lot of times when I see some interesting ink, I'd like to ask the person if they would mind standing still for a few minutes so that I can get a good look.
Peace, my friend.
With pollen counts up over 8,000 the other day, it most certainly is here, haha! I hope you're seeing some warming up where you are, as well. I just spoke with someone heading home to Boston this evening, and he was worried about some bad storms and possible snow thwarting his plans to get back!
Those darn pests come in all forms, however we've been pretty lucky with the deer so far. We often see them in the back behind our fence, but they don't stray to the front street-side too often. It's usually the bugs and the squirrels that hit us the hardest.
Yay for 'shrooms! I'll definitely be interested to see how yours come out with the sawdust spawn. I would love to see your version of a garden post focused on your mushroom method. I'm sure plenty of other folks would, as well. The more the merrier in our little online gardening world.
Thank you for the kind words on my latest ink, as well. I'm so pleased with both of my pieces from this artist. It represents my love for fruits and veggies, but each side is now also a nod to both my nieces. Love having my two favorite girls with me always. I'm finishing off the peeling stage of the healing process, then I'll happily be flashing it everywhere for people to see, haha!
No signs of Spring yet, last night we got an additional 3 inches of fresh snow on top of the 4 inches that fell the night before. We constantly get Lake effect snow and some warmer temps are not in the forecast until the end of next week.
Good thing that the deer stay away from the garden, when they get to a garden, they show no mercy, eating the entire plant.
I'll go ahead with my version of growing mushrooms, knowing that I'm not stepping on your toes, thanks.
Flash away girl, your tattoos are a work of art, and being that they remind you of your nieces makes them extra special.
Have yourself a splendid weekend.
Thankyou for your entry in the Garden Journal challenge!
Nice tattoo! Everything looks great in your garden, too.
HIVE GARDEN COMMUNITYYou've been curated by @gardenhive on behalf of the ! We support gardening, homesteading, cannabis growers, permaculture and other garden related content. Delegations to the curation account, @gardenhive, are welcome!
Thank you @gardenhive! Always happy when it gets to be growing season around here again so I can join you all in the fun!