Monday, June 20, 2011

Scapes, flowers, and yellow leaves.

Garlic Scapes starting to curl
     It is getting to the time of the season where the first fruits of our labours are about to be enjoyed . Some of the garlic scapes are ready to harvest this week. If you have never tried them you are in for a treat. They are sweet and delicate with a beautiful garlic flavour. These early summer treats are welcome side product of growing garlic. If left on the plant they will turn to flowers and then seeds. Which would be fine except for the fact that the plant needs to spend its energy below ground in order to grow the big edible bulbs we think of when we say garlic. So we must "scape" the garlic. This means you cut off the center stem, which we then get to enjoy.

     The first of the flowers are out on the fruit bearing plants. Lainie spotted these flowers growing on a purple husk tomatillo. if conditions are right they will set fruit grow into beautiful pale purple tomatillo. the tomatoes should be close behind them. The eggplants on the other hand seem to be fighting with the bugs. we'll see what happens. The peppers are a bit stunted do to lack of heat. hopefully some warm weather will get them on their way soon.

Pumpkin Plants
     We have planted a lot of different squashes this year from zucchini, pumpkins and many others. There is a bit of concern about the leaves going yellow on the edges. It looks like its just the cotyledons  ( seed leaf) that are dying of which is normal. They form as part of the seed itself and are what you see when a plant first emerges. Their job in most cases is to provide enough energy from photosynthesis to grow the first set of true leaves after which they die off. The true leaves on the squashes seem to be okay so far. we will have to monitor them closely.  Squash and melon plants seem to be fairly resilient in my brief experience and i think they will be fine.

     This week we will be trellising the peas and planting another wave of greens, radishes, and beets. We are also starting the preparation of the asparagus bed. we have about 1200 seedlings going and also 20,000 seeds. we will plant both in the hopes of establishing a good bed of asparagus to begin harvesting in 2013.  add to this the never-ending battle of the weeds and it will be a full couple of days.

   
Radishes 

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