Timing

My last post was mostly about how I messed up my timing. Well yesterday I hope I got it right. My planting times this year are skewed a bit. I'm going to be gone in the middle of July for two weeks. Certain crops ripen in the middle of July. Beans, cukes, zukes come to mind. And though my townhouse mates will still be here and I could ask them to pick while I'm gone, I've found in the past that even when I tell them that something NEEDS to be picked every few days or they start to go to seed (in this case beans), it doesn't always happen. I guess not everyone's life revolves around the garden. Such strange people, right? I also don't want to miss that first big flush of cucumbers for making pickles. Timing is everything this year. I want all the spring things out of the garden before I leave and to not have the summer produce start until I get back.

The cukes and zukes take about 50-60 days to start to fruit. So I planted them yesterday. My schedule said June 4th, but I was too tired before to do it, so it got done two days late. The bed for the cukes and zukes was a mess.

It was just full of weeds. Not only that but the ground had netting on it (to keep the cats out) and it was a pain to weed.

But it got done. I planted three Costata Romanesca zucchini. And a row of Cross Country pickling cukes. I don't grow the typical slicing cukes as I like the pickling cukes better. This year I'm not growing another variety of either. I'm hoping to save seed from both of these. I put them under the row cover to protect the cukes from the cucumber beetles that were so bad last year and gave the cucumbers wilt. And it will protect the zukes from the squash vine borer that always kills my plants at the beginning of August. I'll take the row cover off the cukes when I get home, but will leave it on the zucchini for longer. I'll hand pollinate for a while. Hopefully I can still get the cukes trained up the trellis then. You can see the start of the trellis at both ends of the bed. I have some netting that I can string up across it. It will have a middle support when the cover comes off.

And can you see the nice stand of favas in the photo above?

They are doing the best they ever have. No signs of aphids yet. And their stems are covered in flowers. Usually I'd get a bunch or two of flowers but this year they are all the way up the stems. Those aphids really did suck the life out of the favas.

I do have one plant that looks like it was burnt. I'm guessing what caused it was the four days above 90F that we had. But for all I know it is some weird disease. It seems to only be effecting one plant. I hope it stays that way as the favas are just starting to form. Michelle eats her favas as pods as well as the beans inside. I've never tried that. I wonder if I should pick some pods young and try it out. Anyone else eat them like this? Do they taste like beans?

The other vegetable starting to form is the snap peas. I have a pretty good stand going along the back of a whole 16' bed.

And the peas are starting to form. I'm guessing I'll start picking tomorrow. I can't wait. It is about now that I stop eating salads for lunch and start eating veggies with dip (usually a yogurt or honey mustard dip). I'll have radishes, turnips, kohlrabi, and peas.

And eventually the carrots will join the party, but they are still way too small right now.