The garden and greenhouse are full of so many vegetables and herbs that are starting to burst, I’m so excited to see where it’ll be in mid-July.
Nearly everything has been planted, though I’m waiting for the weather to heat up a bit more before I transplant my pepper plants outside. They’ve been slow growing and I think it’s because it’s not that warm yet. The consecutive days above 70 have been few and far between.
What’s Been Planted in the Garden
I’ve planted so much in the garden, and I’m already enjoying a few things from it like arugula and winter density lettuce. But here’s the full list of what’s sitting in the garden:
San Marzano tomato plants
Sunrise sauce tomato plants
3 more varieties of tomatoes
Redbor kale
Wild garden kale
Winter density lettuce
Roquette arugula
Swiss chard
Slicing cucumbers
Pickling cucumbers
Lakeside spinach
Emerald delight squash
Butternut squash
Green arrow peas
Wyatt beans
Nutri-red carrots
Nectar carrots
Habanada peppers
Habanero peppers
Staddon’s select peppers (bell)
Yum yum gold peppers
Hera dill
Thyme
Rosemary
Music garlic
Mountain rose potatoes
Talon onions
Ramrod onions (green/scallion)
Fairytale and jack be little pumpkins
MacGregor Scottish beets
Mesclun mix
Valerian root
Chamomile
Basil
Chives
Echinacea (which has been really difficult to grow)
Sage
Smudge sage
Lemon balm
Oregano
Also growing a few miscellaneous medicinal flowers as well as wildflower mix for happy bees, calendula and poppies.
Pests in the Garden
For the most part I’ve been good about spraying neem oil every evening around the garden. However, something has absolutely demolished my Redbor kale which is supposed to grow into a gorgeous shade of purple. The pests have taken some huge bites out of all my sprouting Redbor Kale so that I haven’t gotten anything we could even eat yet. Everything else, even the lettuce seems to be fine, but that kale….it must be packed full of good stuff because it’s the one thing in the garden that I’ve consistently struggled with keeping pests away from. I’m going to have to step it up to a natural insecticidal soap or get a bit more liberal with putting diatomaceous earth around my plants.
I did pick some kale last week only to find an insect had laid its eggs on the back of some of my kale that were identified as cutworms. I’ve been checking religiously for anymore eggs but haven’t seen anymore.
There are three rabbits that live in the yard and I’ve been spraying a natural deer, rabbit and squirrel deterrent around the garden and even put some dog hair clippings through the garden. This seems to have been enough for now. Fingers crossed!
Basic, Essential Garden Tools
As for working in the garden, there are a few essential basics that have been all I’ve needed:
hand pruners, a trowel, cultivator, a kneepad, a watering can, and a good pair of gloves (don’t go for cheap otherwise you’ll end up replacing more often).
Because I live in the PNW, I’ve found a fungicide is necessary because of how wet it is. Depending on your climate and pest situation, you’ll need a fungicide and insecticide. I’ve lost a few cucumber seedlings this year to powdery mildew and have replanted a bunch of new seeds. I’ve been spraying this organic garden fungicide and hopefully it will protect the new seedlings. Some of the other plants may be too far gone but I haven’t given up hope yet.
Shop Essentials
I am most excited about the garlic that should be ready in July. Some of the garlic stalks are huge and fat and from what I’ve seen by lightly digging around them, the garlic heads are huge and fat themselves. I am SO excited to get that picked.
xx
Stephanie
3 Comments
Corisa
June 23, 2019 at 11:28 amThank you sharing your update! My sister started a garden this year and you have some great tips, so I will definitely be sharing this with her.
Stephanie
June 23, 2019 at 5:48 pmThanks Corisa! I hope your sister finds it useful too!
Local Link Seattle, June 17th to June 23rd – GLOHBAL STYLE
June 25, 2019 at 8:55 am[…] End of June Pacific Northwest Garden Update From The Hermes Homestead IG: @seaotta […]