May Garden Update

It’s time for another update on the garden here at Happy Acres. I’ve been busy lately working in the vegetable garden, and I would guess about 80% of the spring and summer plantings are complete. Most of the weedy areas have been cleaned up and planted, and it looks a lot different than it did just a couple of weeks ago.

weedy garden in early May

garden in late May

Last week I got all the tomatoes planted, and thanks to more rain afterwards they have already taken off. I cut back on my plantings from last year, but I still planted a lot of them. We should be well supplied if they produce like they did last year.

Juliet tomatoes

This week I got eggplant and peppers planted right next door to the tomatoes. I cut back on those as well, but still managed to set our 8 eggplants and 34 peppers. With more eggplants and peppers in containers, we should be well supplied with those too.

pepper seedling

The bed where I planted brassicas and bush squashes continues to do well, and is growing nicely. I sprayed the brassicas with a Bt and neem oil mix to keep down the caterpillars which had begun to munch on the leaves. That’s the only problem I have seen so far.

bed with brassicas and bush squashes

The squashes are pest-free and should begin blooming soon, while the Kossak Kohlrabis have begun forming the edible bulbs/stems at the base of the plants. The squashes I planted include tried and true varieties like Tempest, Clarimore, Mexicana, Green Machine, Noche and Goldilocks. I’m also trialing a couple of newcomers from Johnny’s Selected Seeds called Kefren and Butterfingers.

Mexicana squash plant

Kossak kohlrabi

This morning I managed to get the pole beans planted – all 43 feet of them! This year I planted all heirloom varieties from Sustainable Mountain Agricultural Center. They have an amazing assortment of heirloom varieties that have been saved and handed down by generations of gardeners, and I have found the quality of their seeds to be outstanding. Before planting I opened up a furrow just big enough to sow the seeds. The backside is already mulched with cardboard, and I will mulch on the front side with cardboard as well later on. I am reusing the trellis from last year, and I while I rotate the other crops I find I can grow legumes in the same spot for several years without any issues.

bed planted with pole beans

Next up in my schedule is the vining squashes, followed by the sweet potatoes. I also have more mulching and weeding to do. It’s a busy time of year in the vegetable garden for sure! I hope you have enjoyed this update on the spring plantings here in late May. I’ll be back soon with more happenings from Happy Acres.