My Veggie Garden

 It has been a very chilly spring here in the Mid-Atlantic. I have attempted to plant a veggie garden.  It has been a massive failure to date.  A late frost has wiped out just about everything.  I started some tomatoes and peppers in the house - and they are still in the house.  It hasn't been warm enough to take them out and plant them, yet.

I think the biggest sign of just how odd this growing season has been is to show you a picture of my snap peas.  I planted them on March 17.  I've always planted them on March 17.  This is the middle of May.  Usually at this point in time, I'm looking at some beautiful big plants.  Instead, this is what I have.

I filled this box full of peas.  What is going on here?  I was digging through that box yesterday and found a lot of peas that have yet to sprout.  The peas were new and packed for this year.  At this point, I'm wondering if I'll ever harvest any peas.  The vines sure are pretty! 

Gardening

If you've been in a grocery store lately, you know that prices have been rising across the board and there are still supply chain issues that have not resolved themselves. I went to the grocery store the other day and picked up a bag of groceries that cost me less than $40 a couple of years ago.  I paid $65. 

So, what can I do to fix the situation? 

It's time to plant a garden.

I am a very half-hearted gardener, but it looks like I'm going to have to buckle down and make it happen this year. I have a really nice herb garden. And I grow a lot of lettuce and kale. They're easy and fairly low maintenance. Jalapenos grow well for me, as do plum tomatoes. But everything else has failed miserably for one reason or another. I usually end up buying a couple of bushels of my favorite produce at the farmer's market and then process that for use later - either by freezing or canning.

But this year? It feels like a year when I really need to buckle down and get the produce coming in as best as I can. I need to put some vegetables in and make certain that they grow and that I can harvest them. I've actually been thinking about this for a while now.

I'm still going to put in lettuce and kale. I actually eat a lot of kale when it's a matter of going outside and pulling a few leaves out of the garden.  And lettuce? I eat a salad almost every day for lunch when lettuce is in season in the garden. But I feel like I need to plant more that I will be able to freeze or can.

Looking over my notes from years past, this is what will be going into my garden this year:

peas

plum tomatoes

green beans

winter squash

zucchini

kale 

lettuce

radishes

jalapenos

broccoli

cabbage

I am still planning on getting produce from the farmer's market that I can process and set aside for the winter. But this little patch should provide us with enough fresh produce to keep us healthy through the summer AND have the added benefit of helping to cut our grocery bills down a bit.

I'm still looking through my seeds and I'm getting ready to put some seeds in a cold frame in the garden. Who knows? I might toss some extra vegetables into that tiny little plot this year!

What about you? If you're planning a garden for this year, what are you going to plant?

The Farmer's Market

Have you noticed that more and more farmer's markets are opening up as the growing season progresses?  I hit up two separate farmer's markets this weekend, saw my favorite farmers and picked up some wonderful produce!

You can only get these tasty roots in the spring and fall.  I LOVE BEETS!!

Asparagus.  This won't be around for much longer.  It doesn't even freeze well.

I picked up lettuce, spinach, and kale, too, but they don't make as nice of a picture.  Lots of green leaves in a bag....  But, they were picked fresh that morning!  I picked up some rhubarb, too.  Nothing screams spring like Strawberry - Rhubarb Cobbler.

Flower baskets galore!  I love the colors in this one!

More flowers!  I love their faces!

I picked up herbs, too.  A lot of herbs.  We filled a large pot.  I have basil, thyme, oregano, and chives.  Daughter put lavender in another pot.  I'm still searching for dill.  I'm not certain where I'm going to find it, though.

The biggest problem for the farmers is the very wet weather we've been having.  It's been hard to get stuff into the ground.  And you know, once the rain stops, it is going to be hot and muggy.  I hope there's enough of a window for the farmers to get their crops in this year.

I worked on this post yesterday morning.  Last night, Channel 2 News in Baltimore ran this story about the weather and the impact upon local crops:  http://www.wbaltv.com/news/wacky-weather-knocks-out-summer-crops-in-westminster/39573016.  I can't get the actual video to share in my window, but if you click on the link, you'll see the story. 

As I look out my window, I'm watching yet another gully washer pour down yet more rain upon our very soaked ground.  I'm beginning to get a little worried about the summer crops now...

What about you?  Have you managed to get anything in the ground yet this year?