May and June 2011 Growing Update…

Lavender in May, Image by MSP

Ok, so we put our tomatoes out way too early…but we were given leggy tomato starts early in the season, and they just couldn’t make it indoors anymore!

Unfortunately, only the 2 Oregon Spring tomatoes look like they’ll do anything – the 3 remaining are miserable, and we already lost one of the Cherokee Purples. *sigh*  Oh well, we have new tomato babies waiting to take their places!

Tomatoes:
1 Cherokee Purple
2 Oregon Spring
1 Anna Russian
1 Jeune Flaume

We also put into the dirt near the tomatoes an onion that had sprouted in our pantry, as well as fennel seeds that are sprouting beautifully…we’ve amended the clay with sand and some nice chunky soil, but it still hardens on the surface and pools the water. *also sigh*

In pots, we have:

Aci peppers – Capsicum annuum, ‘Aci Sivri’ is an old Turkish variety that can be mild to burning hot, can produce up to fifty 5-9 inch cayenne-shaped fruits per plant. They are currently bursting into flower…we are super excited!

Our lovely lettuces – Image by Modern Scribe Photography

Also in our front yard, we have a pallet that has been filled with good soil and we used as a sort of raised bed for herbs and shallow rooted plants like lettuces.  In this lovely garden grows:

Comfrey – she returned from last year! Huzzah! Poultices and oils and salves there shall be!

Lemon Balm – a lovely clump that is quickly spreading, oh, sweet Melissa, you are delicious.

Soapwort – she overwintered in the house, and is now growing merrily. I haven’t played much with her yet, and will update when I do…we are new to each other.

Motherwort – given to me by a friend last year, she lived outside in a pot all winter. I assumed I had killed her, until spring began and small leaves broke the soil. She is now blooming!  I love Motherwort!

Spearmint – happy, vibrant, green and icy, sweet spearmint was purchased at the 2011 Asheville Herb Festival and has quickly taken hold of the soil and is an astoundingly healthy plant.

Corsican Mint – this tiny-leaved clump looks more like a moss. This mint is sweet and potent, and is the flavor used to make Creme De Menthe.  It makes a fabulous groundcover for scented walkways.

Lettuce – This has been a wonderful experiment for us…once we got rid of the groundhog, that is.

Another little sunny, dry plot in the center of our front yard has yielded some results from last year:

Lavender – she’s up, happy, a lovely green, and spouting out a ton of new stems and starting to flower now that is it June! Yay!

Yarrow in May, Image by MSP

Marigolds – these spreading masses have returned and are bound to be lovely in summer and fall.

Yarrow – there’s a bit here that I got last year, mislabeled as Chamomile! Ah well, yarrow is my new best friend and I can’t get enough of her. Which is good. Keep reading.

The Iris –  My husband’s mother sent us a box of bulbs last fall whose lineage can be traced back to three or four greats on the matrilineal side. Only one bulb made it, and it’s foliage is gorgeous, but it hasn’t bloomed yet. I can’t wait to see what color she is!

In the kitchen window:

Basil – crazy, hasty, excited, healthy basil. I foresee pesto in our future….

Parsley – a couple made it through the basil, and will likely have to live outside before long.

Thyme – fought past the basil and parsley, and we are excited!

We’ve got seedlings started:

Cucumbers – going into their new big home tomorrow (container gardening)
Golden Watermelon – they are gorgeous, and getting bigger!
Pimiento Peppers – FAILURE!  They just didn’t come up!

We’ve put dirt into tubs in the yard.  Inside that dirt lay some seeds:

Golden Beets – all died after too much sun and heat when their lid got left on. *sigh*
Black Radishes – they are struggling, but coming up! We should have three radishes if we are lucky!
Bunching Onions – again…this heat surprised us. We fried these guys too…

On our lower lot, there is a strip of nice dirt along our stone wall which is home to:

Yarrow – this one was transplanted from elsewhere in our yard.  It grows here as a native, it is strong, resilient, and higher than my knees!  I will likely be selling/trading a lot of yarrow this year as I have more than our household’s needs require.

Violets – as I mentioned earlier this spring, I received violet rhizomes from freecycle. These beauties have taken over their patch of dirt, and I have violet flower tincture and have been consuming flowers and leaves all spring. *happy sigh*

Wormwood – Artemisia is new to my garden, although I am familiar with her shady history. I have three lovely plants that are big and hearty and will make flea powder and maybe even some infused vodka in the style of absinthe (true Absinthe is distilled, and I don’t have a copper kettle OR coil).

In the wilds of our yard, the hillside is pushing up the baby Evening Primrose.  The blackberry brambles have dropped their flowers and are rich with green berry-babies.  Yarrow, burdock, red clover, and other useful nummy plants are weaving up through the warming soil.

Gosh, but I love Spring!  Summer, here we come!