Heriz-Smith

This is the time when there are weeks weeds everywhere: weeds in the paths, weed in the beds, weeds in the borders. Weeds everywhere. At the same time though, lots of plants look really good. The leeks look great, the potatoes are doing well, the beets look really good. The French beans are about ready for the first picking, we picked our first cherry tomatoes two days ago, and so on. A lot of lettuce has bolted, I do need to pull it all up and put it on the compost. And I need to buy some BT for the brassicas. They started out looking so good under the row covers but once they grew too big for that, the moths found them. I picked the first Kohlrabi this morning, it’s beautiful.

I hoed all the paths yesterday, and thinned the rutabagas and turnips. I thinned a few more beets too - they are actually getting small beets at the end now, pretty neat! I also removed the row cover from the brassicas - it was holding them down - I need to put it back on more loosely today or the dreaded worms will be back. Some of the kohlrabi are as big as tennis balls - I’m not sure how big they are when they’re ready.

Things aren’t looking that bad. I do need to put up trellises for the tomatoes - I think by next weekend that’ll have to be done. There’s no sign yet of potato bugs, that’s a relief.

Starting this morning I dug two more beds. In one I planted all the peppers from both Perennial Favorites and Roots-n-Shoots. I’ll have to check the varieties from Roots-n-Shoots. From Perennial Favorites we got Cherry Bomb, Hungarian Hot Wax, Garden Salsa, Early Jalapeno, Long Red Narrow Cayenne, and Matchbox.

On the inside border of six of the beds I planted a Parsley and two Basil.

Then I planted the first row of potatoes in the main garden. I wondered if it wouldn’t be better not to put them right next to a row of tomatoes, but I thought it should be OK - and this will be one way to find out. I put in a row of Sangre - they’ll be our early potatoes. I may put some in elsewhere as well, we’ll see.

Next, I planted the six Early White Vienna Kohlrabi at the end of the row of Brussels Sprouts.

I went down to Agway and picked up some No. 9 galvanized wire to make supports for the row cover. I also wanted some more garden string. I was looking at the different kinds they had there - and noticed a great roll of sisal twine packaged for a bailer. I don’t think we’ll need any more string for a while. The only thing I wonder is if it has preservative of some kind on it. It has that binder twine smell, and I’m not sure if that’s just the smell of the sisal, or if it’s something else. I’ll have to look that up…

I also put in the raspberry canes that our friend Kathryn Oliver gave us. We had the perfect number - they filled up the bed we’d set aside for them perfectly.

Because I’m planting them closer (16″) than the brussels sprouts (18″) I planted yesterday, I was able to get all 18 plants of the remaining cabbages and the broccoli into the row I dug yesterday. I put in 6 each of Early Jersey Wakefield and Mammoth Red Rock cabbage, and 3 each of Arcadia and Green King broccoli.