Mid Summer

It seems to be coming up to mid summer, though I'm not sure the weather knows. Is it me or are we having a lot cooler summer than usual.
The seedlings I planted out over the last few weeks are slow to take off. At this rate summer will be over before they mature.
But the lettuces are still producing. The self seeded ones that we came back to at the beginning of the month are starting to finish, but there are a lot more coming along to fill the gap.

The rhubarb is unstoppable, and the perennial herbs are loving all the rain we've been getting.

The flowers seem to be all blooming at once, so it is a riot of colour in the garden. I haven't had the hose out to water yet, and it seems like we are getting more rain tonight.

Thyme waiting for no-one, and new lettuce plants coming along.

 

Keeping the garden producing

Over the summer, I try and plant a few seeds every week, so that the garden keeps producing. It is easy to not plant and have the garden grind to a halt mid summer.
If we were here for the winter I'd start planting for that season, but we leave here late April, so my plantings are timed for then. In fact I probably won't plant much more now except for green manures and garlic.
This summer is another hot and dry one. The rain that is promised never seems to materialise.
So it takes a bit of effort to keep planting. I have been starting peas, beans, pak choi and lettuce every few weeks since we arrived here in December, and hope the season favours some of them.
Here I have some lettuce that I started about 2 weeks ago. They'll probably be planted out in about 3 more weeks.

These seedlings were started about 5 weeks ago. As I find space I'll start planting them out. They are big enough that they should survive well after the transplant.

These I started in early January and have been eating leaves from them for a couple of weeks now.
I have more of the same in the garden, but I like to have a few lettuces from each sowing planted in pots so I can baby them along, and it offers a little insurance if something happens to the ones in the garden.

Most of the beans that were started in October were finished by the time we arrived back in late December. I managed to keep a few purple podded bean plants going for a while, but in the heat they gave up also, though the scarlet runner beans have continued to do well. I have some bush Roquefort beans that were started in January just coming into production, so it looks like we'll have lots of beans again until we leave.

Lettuce in a row

The first thing I do when I arrive here-often on the way down from the airport when we do that first grocery shop, is to buy a 6 pack of lettuce seedlings. The lettuce is planted into containers, and coddled in a sheltered spot on the deck. I do this because I know that in a few weeks we will be harvesting our first fresh lettuce leaves. It means that for the next 6-8 weeks while we are waiting for the seeds I plant to start producing we have something to harvest in the garden that is convenient, fresh and home grown.
Plus I love the look of the lettuce plants lined up. very decorative-who needs flowers.

I have been munching on these for a few weeks now. When I leave again next week I'll put them in the garden in a shaded spot. They may still be producing when I get back in December, or they may have gone to seed by then. We'll see.

There is a chill in the air

There is a chill in the air, and I'm not sure I am ready for it.
We have had way too many night time temps in the single digits this summer, including the last few nights. The day highs are in the low 20's. Is summer over already, or did it not happen at all.
Some things in the garden loved the cool temps and regular rain. The lettuce has done amazing, the sno peas are 7' high and at their peak production. The sugar snap peas are producing well, having recovered from their early summer pruning by the deer.
My current favourite lettuce is Drunken Woman (gotta love the name). It is an amazing green colour tinged with a blush of red around the edges. It is slow to bolt in the heat, which is a bonus in a normal hot summer.

Even the beans haven't minded the cooler temps, and are producing basketfuls each day.
The chili peppers on the other hand, really aren't doing that well. They are only now producing the first few chilies. Fortunately they are growing in a pot. This usually helps, as the roots stay warmer all summer than they would if planted in the ground. This summer however, with the cold night time temps, not so much. However as it cools even further, I can at least run them indoors when necessary. My usual practise, when we leave in the fall is to put the pots-plants and all-in an out of way corner inside, and do nothing else til spring. We then come back to Canada to a plant covered with red, dried chilies,perfect for grinding up and storing. I hope the peppers are far enough along when we leave this year that this will work.

Tomatoes, squash and cucs also struggling with the cold. Maybe the fall will be warm and sunny. We can always hope.
But inspite of this we are now managing to get most our veges from the garden.
We are eating beans, salads and stir fries, almost totally from what we produce.It is the usual story of growing enough variety that there will always be things to harvest no matter what the weather throws at us.

 

Lettuce

The first lettuces are going to seed. These are the ones that self seeded from last years lettuce plants, and ones that got planted in May. I have been harvesting them leaf by leaf all summer.

 

 I have been sowing lettuce every 2 weeks since then, so there is still lots on the go in the garden.

I grow lettuce several ways.
I start some of them in flats. This works well if I want to separate out specific varieties. I find that seeding in a flat means that if the germination is erratic, I'm not taking up a lot of space with individual cells. Lettuce doesn't germinate well at high temps, so if it is very hot, I can put these flats in a cooler spot or even in the fridge for a few days.
Once the seedlings have a couple of true leaves, I then prick them out and transplant into individual cells or small pots, depending on how long until I expect to plant them on. They can now keep growing safe from slugs or being over whelmed by bigger plants, until a spot opens up in the garden.
Some will go into big pots where I will grow then until they are eaten. These tend to do better, as I can keep them better watered and grow them in better soil mix. Also they can be kept right beside the kitchen door for easy access.
Several times during the summer if I have the space I also direct sow in the garden. These are quite thick plantings, and I use these for a cut and come again harvest approach. I usually use the seed I have saved from the previous years harvest mixing the different colours.
I also let plants go to seed over the summer. The flowers help provide food for the beneficial insects, and provide self sown seedlings for next spring.

 

How and why I garden

I love to eat and I love to garden, it's that simple.
I don't want to eat pesticides or herbicides, so I don't use them.
Because of the way we live I garden in four very diverse climates. In Canada(zone 4) I have a short season garden-2 1/2 months frost free if I am lucky, followed by very cold winters. In New Zealand I garden in a mild temperate climate-almost frost free all year round, and in Thailand I am gardening in a tropical climate.
Most of my garden practises are based on a permaculture approach. That is I try to be sustainable and build in lots of diversity which cushions me against crop failures and pest invasion.
My gardens aren't big, but there is always something to eat in them no matter what.
I try and eat in season, and according to the country I'm gardening in.
I have compost bins and worm farms on the go, and every now and then spend enough time in one place to even keep chickens
.
Here is the garden on June 29th a few weeks after arriving back in Canada, just weeks after the last frost of the season.

 

and here it is again today, 1 month later.

 

 

I am eating lettuces, arugula,peas-both sugar snap and sno pea,beans,summer squash,pak choi,rhubarb,basil,chives, parsley.

The lettuce and parsley self seeded from last fall,so that gave me a good start.