Mid June in My Vegetable Garden
Here in the Northeast, this weekend is expected to be glorious with temperatures in the mid-70s - perfect for gardening!
So far, the season's weather has been quite pleasant. Earlier this week we had soaking rains, which were great for the flower gardens and my growing vegetables. We've been working hard to get all our crops planted. All the onions, peppers, okra, and squash are now in the ground.
Enjoy these photos and the update on the vegetables I'm growing.
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- This is my outdoor vegetable garden adjacent to the chicken coops. It measures 102 feet by 66 feet. We are still in the process of filling the beds, but all the plants are doing very well and are growing quickly.
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- Just inside the front gate are these lush radishes. I like to use salt hay in the footpath to enhance the look of the garden and to enrich the soil. It also helps cut down on those pesky weeds. This year, we also lined the path under the hay with weed cloth and secured it with sod staples.
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- In the foreground are the beets, and just behind are the beds of onions. We planted a lot of white, yellow and red onions. Onions are harvested later in the summer when the underground bulbs are mature and flavorful. I always look forward to the onion harvest.
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- Our brassicas are also doing very nicely. Broccoli is a hardy vegetable that is high in vitamins A and D. I always set aside a large bag of broccoli for my grandchildren, Jude and Truman – they love broccoli, and it is one of the healthiest vegetables.
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- My cabbages are growing rapidly. Red, or purple, cabbage is often used raw for salads and coleslaw. It contains 10-times more vitamin-A and twice as much iron as green cabbage.
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- Nearby is the kale or leaf cabbage – a group of vegetable cultivars within the plant species Brassica oleracea. They have purple or green leaves, in which the central leaves do not form a head. This is green kale. Kale is loaded with powerful antioxidants, such as quercetin and kaempferol. It is also an excellent source of vitamin-C.
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- The chicken yard is just next door to the vegetable garden. My geese love watching all the activity – perhaps hoping for a few greens to be thrown their way.
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- And remember all the goslings that were incubated and hatched in my Winter House kitchen? They’re pretty big now and are fitting in well with the others.
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- Here is a patch of parsley. Parsley is a lush plant growing up to a foot high. Parsley is a fresh-tasting herb that adds brightness and a slight bitterness to salads. Parsley is a versatile herb that can be added to carrots, potatoes, sauces, marinades, quiches, lamb, peas, cucumbers, and soup. Parsley also pairs well with other herbs like basil, chives, oregano, mint, and thyme.
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- Look at the big leaf spinach we’re growing this year. The leaves are so beautiful and so very tender and tasty.
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- Swiss chard is a relative of the beet and a superb source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as magnesium, potassium, and iron. It makes a colorful and flavorful side dish, or a nutritious addition to pasta, soup, quiches, and more.
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- The carrots are thriving. We always plant a variety of carrots in all the different colors – red, yellow, white, purple, black, and orange. And, do you know… the first carrots were white, purple and yellow – not orange. The Dutch developed orange carrots in the 1500s. All modern-day orange carrots are directly descended from these Dutch-bred carrots.
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- And don’t forget all the lettuce. Lettuce is a fairly hardy, cool-weather vegetable that thrives when the average daily temperature is between 60 and 70-degrees Fahrenheit. I love all the different lettuce varieties and colors and can’t wait to harvest them for my family’s many delicious salads.
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- Vicia faba, also known as the broad bean or fava bean is an ancient member of the pea family. It has a nutty taste and a buttery texture.
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- And along one side of the garden, we have our artichokes. When spacing out artichoke, make sure to give the plants a good amount of breathing room. Growing artichokes get quite tall and have a generous spread.
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- We planted the fennel earlier this week. Fennel is high in vitamin C and has been used as an herbal remedy for digestive issues for many thousands of years. In addition, its delicate, green fronds are aesthetically pleasing, making fennel an excellent addition to any garden.
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- Along this netted trellis are the sweet pea flowers – not for eating. Sweet peas are climbing plants that bear clusters of flowers in a wide variety of colors including red, pink, blue, white, and lavender. They are early summer flowers with a long season of bloom and are great for cut arrangements. The flowers resemble fringed butterflies while their stems appear to be folded.
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- Yesterday, Ryan and I planted the okra, one of my favorite vegetables. Here, Ryan is using my Martha Stewart gloves in black. These breathable garden gloves feature nitrile-coated palms for a handy, nonslip grip and are available from my Amazon shop in black, mint, and slate.
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- I am so pleased with this season’s crops. We still have lots of room to plant more seeds in the coming weeks. I am already looking forward to the first harvest. Everyone always asks what I do with all the vegetables I grow. I share them with my family, but I also love sharing the bounty with friends, colleagues, and my hardworking crew here at the farm. I provide fruits, vegetables, and eggs for magazine and video shoots. And, of course, all my birds get vegetables too. What vegetables are growing in your garden? Share your comments below!
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