Volunteer Peas and Brassica Overload

Hardening off the tomatoes and eggplants on the front step, under a bedsheet. Seems to be taking forever this year. 

I planted the cabbage I started from seed in the large rock bed.  Some were tiny, so I put milk jug halves over them to prevent them from getting scorched (or smothered by snow, as the case was last week).  I also planted Detroit Red and Chioggia beets in between them. I've read beets and cabbage are good "companions". 

We might have overdone it with respect to brassicas this year.  In addition to these cabbages, there are 12 cabbage transplants from the greenhouse in the north garden, along with 18 broccoli and 6 cauliflower.  The kale is in a raised bed behind the house (1 extra was stuck in the north garden this morning beside the cabbage).  I also have 6 broccoli transplants I grew from seed.  Where to put them?  I wish my family lived closer.  There will be plenty to share!

This morning, I planted the Painted Mountain Corn.  It ended up being a tight squeeze - I had a few left over, so put them in between the rows I'd already planted.  I hope they're not too close together.

Yesterday, I planted peppers along the south side of the house and a few others in one of the raised beds along the driveway.  Half are ones I started from seed, half are transplants from the greenhouse.

Volunteer peas!  In the corner of the south garden, in a 2 x 3' area where we'd stacked vines, tomato plants, bean stalks, etc to break down over the winter, volunteer peas started popping up earlier this month.  They haven't stopped coming!  I think we have about 20 volunteers up now, versus 4 of the peas we actually planted...on purpose...in rows.  Ha ha!  When we were gathering up the dried vines and stalks this Spring to burn, we discovered a small pile of peas all gathered together.  It looks like some mice (or other critters) took advantage of the premade "nest" during the winter months.

Bea (R) and Loulou (L) eyeing a magpie on the fence.

Kitties enjoying the sunshine.  (Garbage cans = water barrels, for those who might be horrified and/or curious about the lack of aesthetics...  *cough*)