After the Rains...

May 30th - We were fortunate to get our new garden section tilled right before the weeks of rainy days turned most of our area into a sea of mud. Finally, the sun came out again, and it appears that all the veggies we had planted loved all that moisture - they are growing great! Since both of our neighbors along the ridge are also raising veggies this year, we've been enjoying comparing notes a bit. Mike to the north has been growing veggies for several years now and limits himself to corn and squash usually, but is adding peas for the first time this year. Charlie to the south is doing veggies for the first time this year, though they have always had lots of flowers in their yard. 

Of the various herbs I planted this year, the cilantro is doing the best so far and I clipped some today to garnish black bean soup - very nice! The sage plant is also going very well and the oregano is starting to grow well after a slow start.

The best surprise though after all the rain subsided was to discover that we have a lot of new raspberry canes coming up. the original raspberry was planted about 5 or 6 years ago, a Heritage Red. This makes me very happy, not just because I'ma frugal gardener and love to see volunteers plants popping up, but also because raspberries are my favorite berry and they're very expensive in the store. As plants go, they're very easy to care for and don't seem to get hit by the birds nearly as hard as the cherries and strawberries. Our plants get sun all morning and up to early afternoon when they start to get shaded by my neighbor's trees,a nd they seem to be thriving. Of the various fruits we've grown, the raspberries have done the best.