around and about the garden

carrot blossom

Things are really happening fast around here, even more so than these photos show, I'll have to take some more tomorrow! 

The volunteer Purple Dragon carrots are blooming.

Carrots blooming

Parsnips and onions

The parsnips are also blooming. And those onions have been put on notice; if they are not sizing up by the time the parsnips set seed and are ready to come out, then the onions are going too! They just don't seem to be growing very well. I'm not sure if it's the soil or if they aren't getting enough water or what.

parsnip blossoms

transformation

Things are going out and going in nearly every day right now. This was the last brassica bed, which you last saw in this post. Last week I realized the broccolis were really just putting out a lot of small new leaves and not much else so I tossed them to the chickens and prepped the bed. Just got it planted yesterday. In dry weather I tend to make deep furrows for planting even though I'm not that fond of planting in straight lines. I make the furrows with my triangle hoe and push the seeds down into the bottom of the furrow. That way all the water runs to the bottom and helps keep the seed moister. In this bed I planted quinoa, a plant grown for it's leaves and seeds, more red burgundy amaranth and some anasazi beans. We'll see how that works out.

Mammoth Melting Sugar peas

I've been pretty impressed with the Mammoth Melting Sugar peas. Most years I've had Sugar Snaps which by the time it's pushing 95+ are shriveling up and covered with aphids. These Mammoth peas, while some stems were broken in the wind and are now dead, are still growing pretty well, even though it's been about 100 degrees every day this week. They have a heavy set of pods that I'm letting go for seed and are still putting out some blossoms, pods and new growth. Even when the seeds are quite large the pods remain sweet, crunchy, juicy and delicious. They do however develop a tough string. You can bet I'll be planting more of these this winter.