The Leek Whisperer

    We have been going flat out working on the yard and garden for the last few days.  There is still a lot to do, but most of the raised beds and in-ground gardens have been planted.  Remaining are the containers.  I'll likely fill those with peppers and tomatoes tomorrow.

    I am trying a new way of planting leeks this year.  Instead of trenching and then hilling them as the season progresses, they are planted with toilet paper roll collars (or "jigs") around their base.  This is supposed to ensure a cleaner leek when harvested, and produces leeks with longer blanched areas.  This method is more time consuming, but hopefully the effort will pay off when I pick them in the Fall.  This is one of the raised beds I filled with leeks (along the back edge is a row of garlic):

The strawberries are looking good...

    North garden - Aubervillers cabbage, Red Mammoth Cabbage, green cabbage from the local nursery (unsure of variety), broccoli (from the nursery), cauliflower (from the nursery), Derby snap beans, Calima string beans, Coco Jaune de Chine dry beans, Mrocumiere dry beans, Sunspot sunflowers, Music Box sunflowers, Cupcake Zinnias.  Jalapenos and tomatoes to be planted tomorrow.

Yarrow.  I can't wait to see what this looks like in a month or two.

    The trees are in bloom this week. They look so pretty this time of year!  I wish the blossoms would last several weeks.  The air smells sweet and is humming with bumble bees.  These are some of the trees in our front yard.  In the South garden, we planted potatoes (Russet, Alaska Sweetheart, Nicola, Caribe, and Linzer Delikatess), Top Crop snap beans, Rainbow chard, parsley, Chioggia beets, Southern Giant mustard, and Bloomsdale Spinach.

This is a (crab apple?) tree in our neighbour's yard.  Beautiful!

    At times throughout the past few days, the air has been so full of blossom petals and tree fuzz that it has looked like it was snowing.  It creates a pretty, magical atmosphere.  Until a bit of fuzz is inhaled.  The next hour spent trying to expel the wispy bits from one's lungs takes the shine off the experience, at least temporarily.

    R. went to the hardware store to pick up something for the house and came home looking pleased and a little sheepish at the same time.  He told me he should not be allowed in the greenhouse section unsupervised.  He brought home a red pepper plant (I really wanted one but didn't have one yet), and some chocolate mint (we grow it every year and use it in tea and mojitos).  He also brought home two varieties of hot pepper plants (yikes...one looks hot enough to be weaponized) and three more kinds of mint!  Orange mint, Apple mint, and Indian Savoury mint.  I'm not sure about the hot peppers, but love the mints and am eager to try them in tea and to dry some for the winter.

    Also planted in the last few days: Green Arrow peas, Kidney beans, Kenearly Yellow Eye beans, Asian Yard Long beans, Tene's Beans, Dapple Grey beans, Arikara beans, Royal Burgundy beans, Hollow Crown parsnips, French Dwarf marigolds, corn (nursery transplants), cucumbers (nursery transplants), Nutterbutter squash, and zucchini.