June 22, 2015

Harvest Monday, 6/22/15

I picked a small head of broccoli on Friday whose buds were threatening to open, it was so tender and weighed in at:

broccoli: 3 ounces

The garden is starting to feel like a wilderness. I've been spending all my time trellising 60 feet row of pole beans, cucumber, loofah, bitter melon, and melons. My husband talked me into seeding them before setting up the trellis. Never. Again. I still have 10 feet of pole beans left to untangle and train up their string. What a chore. The loofah is already at the top of the 6 feet tall trellis.

There are cucumbers and summer squash blossoming, hopefully these have been pollinated and there are bush beans that need to be picked. Summer is definitely chugging along. Tomatoes are starting to turn a lighter green so they might start to ripen in a couple of weeks.

Not a single pepper has set. It's just been too hot, the little blossoms keep falling off. That's what I get for planting peppers 3 weeks late. They didn't get a chance to set the first flush of fruit before the heat came in. We probably won't get any fruit set until it cools down the end of August or beginning of September. The eggplants are just starting to flower but who knows if they'll set anything in the heat.

Please join us new and long time gardeners while we share our trials and tribulations at Daphne's Dandelions Harvest Monday blog share.

12 comments:

Daphne Gould said...

I'm with you. I always build my trellises before I plant. Though I do sometimes wait to put up the strings. And the cucumbers have to wait. They are under a row cover for a while to keep away from the cucumber beetles. The trellis can't go up until the row cover comes down. Then I'll have the chore of tying them up to the strings and untangling them. Not really fun.

Texan said...

Yep agreed on put the trellis up first :O). I usually use wire hog panels to make my trellis out of. For cucumbers I do a A style trellis, wired together at the top of the two hog panels. Then I plant my cucumber seedlings or seed at the base.

A very late answer to your question on my champion juicer. Yes it juices carrots very well. It has juiced anything I have sent through it in the 20 yrs I have owned it. If it were to quit tomorrow I wouldn't even look around I would just buy another Champion Juicer.

David Velten said...

Nice to get that first broccoli. So much sweeter than the store bough t junk. I have a few peppers set, but you are right. They don't like it hot and they don't like it cold. Pretty finicky plants.

Sue Garrett said...

We are still waiting fir summer to start and climbing beans are struggling to get going

Margaret said...

The broccoli must have tasted so good! Oh boy - I had better get to trellising as well. My vines are nowhere near that far along - only a few inches tall right now - but every day they are growing longer.

Phuong said...

Hi Daphne,
I actually saw a cucumber beetle on top of a pepper plant, so they're definitely all around. I'm never going to make this mistake again, I can't believe how long it's taking to get the pole beans untangled.

Phuong said...

Hi Texan,
The hog panels sound fantastic, much easier then lashing bamboo poles together all down the row.

I'm glad you mentioned the Champion juicer, I've been looking for a juicer. I love carrot, celery, and apple juice all mixed together.

Phuong said...

Hi Sue,
You're having a long cool spring, it's crazy how awful the slugs are. My bush beans are actually overdue, the plan is to get the bed picked through tomorrow.

Daisy said...

I've put up trellises shortly after planting, but I like your pre-planting idea the best. If I wait too long, it's a major pain to untangle and guide the vines to wear I want them. Good luck!

Phuong said...

Hi David,
My first bite of the raw broccoli I thought it was surprisingly tender and surprisingly bitter. And blamed the heat. But I finally tried it again after it sat in the fridge for awhile, and it was delicious. The stem was sweet and juicy and the floret had just a slight bitterness. It was probably the chocolate I ate before taking that first bite of broccoli that made it so bitter.

We're supposed to get cooler weather after this week so maybe the peppers can set some fruit.

Phuong said...

Hi Margaret,
The broccoli was really good when I tried it again. It makes me really excited for more broccoli.

It's probably going to take me a few of hours just to untangle the 10 feet of vines I have left. Ugh. I think I'd rather weed. :)

Phuong said...

Hi Daisy,
From now on I'm going to trellising before planting pole beans. Otherwise time just gets away from me.