For the most part I have our Spring garden in, minus one little area where I am planning on planting eggplant. Now, just to find time to run to the nursery and get some eggplant transplants.
If you remember, I am not planting tomatoes this year (squirrels=too frustrating), so I am planting a lot of corn in order to trade with friends at work for tomatoes. The Gentleman's Sweet Corn is starting to grow in my new raised beds in the front yard (http://urbancomposter.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-year-new-garden.html). The front middle bed was just planted with Dakota Black Popcorn. I had to stagger the planting of the sweet corn and popcorn so the sweet corn wouldn't cross-pollinate with the popcorn and make it starchy.
I am trying to stagger my plantings of Inca rainbow sweet corn in order to have corn most of the Spring and into the Summer. You can see the first planting is starting to send up its inflorescence, while the new corn in front is just starting to get big. The bare ground is planted with seed but it is not germinating, so I am going to take the corn plants that were thinned from the front boxes and plant them in this space. After the corn has run its corse I will plant this space with okra. Two heirloom varieties that I will save to write about later.
The heirloom yellow scallop squash is making its debut. I have heard from the grapevine (friends at work) that scallop squash (aka patty pan) are some-what resistant to squash vine borer. So-far-so-good. Hopefully I am not jinxing myself.
Garden from afar.
First major pest of the year, cucumber beetles. They are devouring my potatoes plants, and I am trying to figure out how to slow the carnage (any ideas?). Last year I had the same problem (http://urbancomposter.blogspot.com/2010/05/food-is-coming.html). Today I tried using a hand vacuum with no success so just reverted to a trusty bowl of soapy water and hand picking. I think I knocked them back a bit, but all it takes is another swarm. I think it will be an ongoing battle until the potatoes are ready for harvest. I just need to be vigilant and not let them get so prolific they move to my squash and corn. BUT...
...yesterday I found this guy devouring a cucumber beetle. Unfortunately by the time I got my camera he either ate it or let it go. I am assuming some sort of assassin bug (anyone out there have an idea?). There are way more cucumber beetles eating my plants than he knows what to do with, but hopefully my culling today will let him catch up and do his duties. This guy is the only reason I didn't do a full spraying of neem oil.
For the unexpected guest, but a much welcomed guest. Three snake herb (Dyschoriste linearis)
plants showed up in the Dora memorial garden (http://urbancomposter.blogspot.com/2009/12/eulogy-for-dora.html) I thought I wrote about this bed when it was created, but I guess not. I will have to have a blog dedicated to the Dora Memorial Bed. Back to the snake herb...They are growing right up next to the little bluestem clump I brought back and planted after digging it up where I buried Dora, so I can only suspect they are stow-aways. Since I just spent money buying this plant at my work's plant sale for another bed, I will welcome them with open arms in the Dora Memorial Garden.
And for a final thought, one of my favorite Texas natives, the purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), is about ready to bloom in the Texas Native bed. Can't wait till these guys are in full bloom.
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