Tony Lime basil may be the only flavor we have not tried...lol.

Thanks Len, that is an impressive array of tomatoes you have going too

Here's another youtube video from Charles Dowding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imwNA4iCtBc

Strawberry bare root-One week old-Albion Everbearing and Earliglow from Hirt's Gardens

There were about 30-35 bare root plants in each order

I just killed my first potato beetle of the season!

This seems awfully early to me.

Richard: Your strawberries in hanging pockets look interesting. I'll be watching to see how they work out for you. I never do very good with strawberries. The few years they looked like they would produce well, we were gone on vacation during their peak production time :(

I'm trying everbearing ones this year. There won't be many at any one time, but at least I won't miss all of them if I take a vacation at the "wrong" time.

Naturegirl - I’ve about decided that vacations and gardening don’t mix! It is so hard to plan when is a good time to be away. I am currently frantically planting and prepping to be away for several days. My goal is to be gone and back before harvests begin. It is scary leaving newly planted tomatoes and peppers.

I finished getting toms and peppers in they garden today tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy with a high of 65. Tuesday they’re calling for rain. About ideal for fresh transplants. Now, if I can only get everything else in the ground... For the first time ever, I direct sowed cantaloupe, watermelon, and zucchini today. Fingers crossed.

Margi I'm betting on the zucchini...and there is no vacation from gardening. All absences are unexcused.

Naturegirl, this is the first time I have used a hanging pocket system. I really like the green one and hate the black one. Last year I had fairly good luck with strawberries with some three year old plants. I just had to keep them out of the dirt. They were everbearing too but I didn't have enough plants to get more than 15-25 a day. It was sporadic too, but once they got going they produced most days until around July then restarted at the end of September for a while

What a weekend! We spent yesterday catching up in the yard and garden. My mother-in-law took care of things while we were gone. The tomatoes got sunburned (I was kind of expecting that to happen) but they have recovered. I am going to trim off the damaged leaves this afternoon. All of the early beans we planted are coming up but it looks like the on-deck hybrid corn is going to be a waste of time. Of the 50 seeds we planted, only about 10 germinated. I think Im going to put some squash in the containers instead.

Several of the peppers I grew from seed are looking pretty bad- they are the ones that suffered an aphid attack and I think some slugs got to them as well. I am thinking that I’ll just give up on them this year and replace them with store-bought plants.

Our blackberries and strawberries are in full bloom and I’m hoping to get a good crop from them.

we have good squash germination in the straw bales, but I do need to restart a few. Also, the Greek runner beans I planted in bales are up and growing well

Yesterday, we transplanted all of the cannas and asters I had started from seed and also moved 2 brugmansias from pots into the ground. I moved some coleus seedlings into their main pots and also fertilized all of the potted plants. Our gardenias are setting flower buds now. In a few weeks it looks like they are going to be covered with flowers.

Jamie - welcome back! I'm back from my fishing trip too. The fishing was pretty good on Thursday and Friday morning but the wind started howling Friday afternoon and all day Saturday and the lake had whitecaps making the fishing tough. Sunday morning got down to 40F at the lake.

I got back early on Sunday and got the mowing and weed eating done. Picked 1.5 lbs. of asparagus, sowed 30' row of Provider beans, fertilized the N lovers with Urea, and took these pictures.

It was pouring rain on my way to work. We have rain in the forecast just about every day in the next 2 weeks.

My Jersey Supreme asparagus bed.

One of my tomato beds with Escalade spinach on the left. Dragoon and Breen mini romaine on the right. Tomatoes will go in this weekend.

The rest of my lettuce. Mostly Salanova types and the 6 large plants are Ridgeline romaine. I need to harvest a few Salanova before they get swallowed up by the romaine.

Pontiac and Kennebec potatoes. Need to hill up again.

King Richard and Megaton leeks

Early Dividend and Emerald Crown broccoli

Various onions

Garlic is doing pretty well

Thanks, Jack. Your garden looks great!

Welcome back Jack and Jamie!

Jack and other asparagus lovers:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/asparagus-benefits

It was down to 40 here last night. All of the seedlings had to come indoors overnight but will be going back out once the temp breaks 50. It's supposed to be 85 degrees tomorrow!! With humidity too. Urg.

Thanks Cindy and Jamie!

Cindy - as an added bonus Asparagus makes your urine smell!!! That's a big temperature swing. We haven't gotten above 80 here yet and I hope we don't for a few weeks yet. I'd like the cool season crops to have a chance to finish and the tomatoes to get a good fruit set before the real hot weather kicks in.

Jack - My tomatoes have yet to be planted in the ground! But it's supposed to cool off again once the weekend gets here. It's only this week that will be abnormally warm.

I'm very familiar with the side effects of 'gus.

For those of you in the vicinity, this weekend is the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It's held at the Howard County Fairgrounds in Howard County, Maryland. One of my favorite festivals. There's a wide array of vendors, including plants, crafts, foods, sheep sheering, demonstrations of dogs herding sheep, music, etc.

Todd's Seeds is having 25% off their sprouting seeds with code SROUTING25 through Thursday if interested.

http://seeds.toddsseeds.com/search.php?search_query=sprouting+seeds&x=0&y=0

Jack - Everything looks nice and healthy and your beds look super tidy. I'm glad you had good fishing for at least part of your trip.

Richard - Your strawberry plants look quite happy all tucked in their own pocket. Come picking time I will likely be wishing I'd done something similar.

I was surprised to discover that we'd received a little over 1/4" of rain overnight. From the local news this morning, it sounds like many parts of the state had sizable hail. I'm glad that skipped my yard. It is surprising how nice the garden looks after receiving just 1/4" of rain.

Welcome back Jack and Jamie. Thanks Margi, the ones I put in the hanging baskets still tend to dunk their strawberries in the dirt, so I think the hanging planters should be an improvement over them. It is funny how the posting slows down in the spring. (People most be a bit busy now as all that posting got them fired up to grow lol).

I'll send a picture in a bit, I didn't have time to take one on my lunch break.

But I notice that some of my celery lives were turning white, like they'd gotten sunburnt. But they've been outside for weeks? I clipped off the damaged leaves and moved them further out of the sun.

The brussel's sprouts are forming their first little buds. This is a surprising success for me. If I get a nice harvest I will add them to my list.

Spinach and lettuce require daily harvesting! I'm happy I planted enough for myself and to share, but it's a lot!

Our peach trees have several peaches this year ... I am hoping we get to pick several of them. Most of these are between the size of an almond and a walnut right now.

Been under the weather, lately. Haven't been gardening. Went out today to take a picture of the blossoms in my pea patch.

The blossoms are on my supports which I trimmed off my ( I think) Cox's Orange Pippin Apple tree.

So, I ask, should I let apples grow on the, hopefully, rooted cutting. Will apples affect the root growth. I assume there are no roots! Yet

And a picture of my lettuce which I'm considering starting to harvest as I thin out the plants. This is Black Seeded Simpson.

John - If the plant is in it's first year, I'd probably clip those blossoms and let it get more established.

Even though it hit 64 here today, it felt like there was a wind chill. Winds were brisk all day long.

I was able to get 100 of my leeks planted. Still have about 75 to go.

Jack - Hope I was supposed to water them in, because I did. They look a little sad.

We were in the low 80s today but it feels a bit hotter.

Out strawberries are really going crazy this year. I’m hoping we get a good harvest

These are the Greek runner beans (gigantes) that we planted in straw bales

They are the same species as scarlet runner beans but a different variety. , they have white flowers and the beans are also white. When dried they are like very large Lima beans but taste more like a regular navy bean. I love them baked in a tomato sauce.

Sugar Snow peas

Early Girl

Casper eggplant

White, green tint and Sunburst squash

Tony, I have a question for you. How much bigger does the Casper eggplant fruit get than the one in the picture? It is close to 6 inches in length, will it get much fatter or should I harvest them when they are like the one pictured?

Richard -- you can harvest the first one now. It will be super delicious. I usually let the rest get to about 7" and a little more thicker...some I miss when they get to be over a dozen per plant at one time (usually over 40 eggplants per plant during my shorter season) and they get so ripe that they crack on the side, but, still great and tasty!

I slice mine lengthwise in half, drizzle some oil, a pinch of salt-and-pepper and grill. Then peal the skin with ease and cut in slices and eat while still hot as a side dish to a grilled bone-in ribeye steak.

Tony

Thanks Tony that sounds great. Some of the White Knight eggplant fruits are already about 7 inches long but are very skinny

Jamie, we are in the mid 60's today but it feels cooler! Your garden looks like a Charles Dowding photoshoot and I'm still trying to get seedlings large enough to plant out. Actually that is not true, lettuce is producing all of our salads now and spinach is plentiful and I planted out a few Giant Kale and Dazzling Blue Kale today. I'm putting out a few of those at a time in between the spinach plants because the Kale will go all summer. Covered all of the beds today before thinking about photos so will do that tomorrow. Found out I can upload photos directly here from App on my phone which is way easier than a 3 step through the computer!

Sorry all I have been pretty absent... things are going crazy! I am still checking in here and there on all your updates! Hope to post soon with whats new.

I'll leave a few photos just for good measure!

Awesome as always Kevin-that is a lot of tomato plants. What are the red strips hanging in the last picture?

Richard thanks, those are tomahooks which will be used to trellis tomatoes. There’s 100 of them in there!

Len- thanks for the compliments- I wish my garden was as successful as his!

Kevin- I thought that's what those things were. Are you going to prune your tomatoes to a single stem?

Cindy - yes water in the leeks! They should perk up once the roots take hold in a few days to a week.

Kevin - amazing as usual. I think you have enough lettuce to feed an army!

It's gonna be a wet and noisy day or 2 here in the heartland for Margi and I. Multiple inches of rain expected with possible severe t-storms this afternoon including large hail, wind, and possibly twisters. Not looking forward to any of the severe stuff. It's just raining heavily now with occasional thunder.

I started hardening off my tomatoes. peppers, and eggplants last night. Storms will make it tough to do again tonight.

We have a chance of thunderstorms Wednesday through Saturday also, Jack. I am going to restart some cucumbers this afternoon and a few squash plants that didn't germinate. I am going to start these in peat pots out on the patio then plant the whole pot once the seeds germinate.

Thanks, Jack. Going to water them again today.

They had predicted the mid 80s for us today, but it has been down graded to the upper 70s. Fine with me!

The lowest temperature in the long range forecast is 56. I'm thinking that it might be safe to start planting my tomatoes and peppers in their permanent homes.

Kevin, You are excused from being absent from discussion. It is clear to everyone here that you are FAR too busy with your full-on farm. Looking great! Keep up the good work.

1/4"+ of rain in the gauge yesterday morning + a solid 3/4" this morning = a well watered yard and garden. As Jack said, there's more in the forecast. We've been really dry here so I am thankful for the rain. I am hoping that strong winds and hail don't visit my yard.

Jamie - Your hay bale garden is doing great. I will be interested to see how that works out for you this year. As I was typing that I realized that I have several bales just hanging out in my garden. I could do the same thing. Sadly, that end of my garden is getting shadier and shadier thanks to the neighbor's globe willow tree. I appreciate the shade when I'm working in the compost bins, but any plants would rather have sun.

I am looking forward to seeing how things do in the bales also. The squash germinated fairly well- except for the delicata seeds. I didn't get any from them and I am going to replace them with something else. The seeds were a little old, so that might be the reason. I think that the real challenge will happen this summer when it gets really hot and I have to water them twice a day. We are probably going to put in a second drop system for them or just get some soaker hoses.... but we need to get on that pretty quickly!

Minature Okra (only gets 3 feet tall)

Kevin

You inspire me to grow some things early. I'm impressed with what you grow in those "hoop houses". If that's the right term. I don't need the size you have and the plurality. Just one small portable thingy.

I measured the temperature of my potato field yesterday. It's at 48° F. My plans were to sow potatoes on May 1 at 50°, so I guess it's about time? If it rains I'll be late, but then I'll be more on the temperature schedule. Speaking of rain, I was mowing today and right after I started; it started raining. I continued and DW questioned me. I told her I was avoiding all the pollen that would blow up if it was dry. You should see the roof under the Red Maple tree. Most of it was probably petals but a lot of pollen there, an obvious pile.

I got a second flower bud in my pea field. This one, I'm guessing is a Yellow Transparent which is not a pea variety. Apple

When will this month end...lol

Tony - In about 5.5 hours.

In spite of getting home late and eating supper late, I got the replacement cucumbers seeds In as well as some more fordhook zucchini, acorn squash, and a few replacement pole beans. On a whim, I picked up some French green beans (Triumphe de Farcy) and Cherokee Wax beans. I got them planted today also

The early beans we started 2 weeks ago are growing pretty well. The concrete mixing pans seem to be a good size for growing them also - so far.

great looking beans Jamie! Here are my runners after week.

Painted Lady Runner

Black Coat Runner...not as good germination but enough for this year

Miniature okra??? :O

You know I wanted to grow okra but ... space is an issue for me. I'm pretty maxed out now, but... I might be able to squeeze in some mini okras ...

Provider bushnnBUSH beans in incubator

XClumsy, it was called Cajun Jewel from Trade Winds Fruits for $2

Happy May! https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5685124/veggie-tales-may-2019