Instead of skipping from winter to summer, the weather in Athens the past month or two has been unusually spring-like. More rain would have been nice, but temperatures have yet to hit 90 with highs mostly in the 70s. The delayed arrival of hot weather has given transplants a better chance to get settled in.
Winter veggies are gone. I harvested a small cabbage, maybe a cup of peas (after shelling), a couple of cups of baby Brussels Sprouts, a little spinach, and quite a bit of lettuce. I learned a lot and plan to start fall crops earlier this year.
Planning my garden space and growing seed accordingly has never really worked. Instead, I get seed for what I want and hope for the best. Some does well. Some doesn’t. At planting time, the seedlings I end up with go in the “best space available.”
Deer resistance is a deciding factor. Outside of my fenced-in backyard, flower beds are essentially exotic buffets for suburbanized wildlife. Sticking to deer-resistant varieties helps. Deer always avoid toxic plants (flowering tobacco, digitalis, castor bean and others), but deer-resistance for other reasons is less reliable, especially with hungry deer.
For summer vegetables, I’ve planted tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, okra, and yellow squash–all from seed. Very little of my fenced-in garden space gets enough sun for veggies, so I’ve added four big pots–two with tomatoes and two with cucumbers. I’m hopeful, as always, but not counting any veggies before harvest.




Considering it’s not yet June (barely), the veggies are in great shape. Will I have tomatoes by the 4th of July? Possibly. Cucumbers and yellow squash are more likely. As always, I’ll keep you posted.
4 responses to “A Proper Spring”
I miss gardening and am living vicariously through you! Wishing you success!
Thanks so much! Glad to be of service… 😉
I havene tomato plant in a pot. I’ve harvested some grape tomatoes for snacking and salads. I sure do miss my dad’s garden!! Good luck with your veggies this year!!
Not sure why I have to keep moderating your comments. You’ve been commenting long enough to be able to post without my prior approval!