Photo: Great grandparents at their farm in Blandinsville, IL, with five of their six children .. my grandpa was yet a twinkle in grandma's eye. Stable boy and governess also pictured. Hodges farm, circa 1903-4

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Waiting (less) Patiently For Summer


Just when I start to think summer has arrived, our local weather pattern slips back into the 'April Showers Bring May Flowers' mode.  To date, I've only watered the garden once ... and that probably could have been skipped because the warm weather only lasted two or three days ... and never reached higher than 79-80 F.  The row tunnel is covering my second batch of peppers ... the first were killed with late morning frost several weeks ago .. and a freak windstorm took out my tomato seedlings that were hardening off on the front porch; both had to be replaced with nursery plants. It may be time to invest in a small greenhouse.  Seems there are less honey bees too.  Could be a less productive year.  What's up in your garden?

8 comments:

Pat said...

Weeds are what's up in my garden this year. I can't believe the battle I'm having with them this time around!
Cukes are looking really good as is my lettuce and onions.It's time to do a first lettuce picking. Tomatoes are looking like there might be some hope...it's the one thing I really want!
My rhubarb looks kind of pityful. don't know what happened to it this year. such a mystery!

Mr. H. said...

And it rained, and rained, and rained some more. Our garden is impatiently waiting for the sun to arrive once and for all so that it can finally begin to grow a bit. I'm hoping for a hot July and August otherwise we might indeed have a less than productive garden year.

Good idea covering your peppers like that, wish mine were covered right now. I love that you made jelly out of the rose petals.:)

Stella Jones said...

Sounds like a difficult year so far, in your garden, although the lettuce looks very healthy.
Here in the southern United States, we have a humidity problem. The temps. are in the high 80's to mid 90's and I have to watch my crops for mold problems, mildew and fungal infections!

donna said...

I just planted the majority of my veggies last week, beans, peppers, tomatoes, beets, cukes, squash, so not much to report there.

But I will have swiss chard, spinach and my first crop of lettuce very soon...

the weather this year has been very strange...didn't realize the temps would be so cool last night, all the windows were wide open and lo and behold our furnace came on this morning...

MAYBELLINE said...

Be careful what you wish for...

Maria Stahl said...

Row tunnel, eh? Intriguing.

wv = combewig. It's when an earwig marries a ladybug. Their children are combewigs.

Kathryn said...

Your lettuce is beautiful! :)

Mine rather petered out. Need to try again.

Mama Rachael said...

I feel for ya, Mrs. Mac. I've never lived any where that got really cold and stayed cold (always lived in the south), but even so, I love it when it warms up.