It’s been all about the bees lately, and soon it will be all about our new greenhouse that recently arrived, in a zillion boxes, that needs to be unpacked, assembled, and installed. Before we get too distracted with greenhouse construction over the next few weeks, this weekend we decided to give our rather neglected garden our undivided attention.
View from the southwest corner of the edible garden
There’s more going on in the garden than we realized this spring, so in Part I we’ll focus on the edible garden, and update on the native garden in Part II.
The Edible Garden
Fortunately in spring, the garden grows on whether we’re paying attention or not. Our first crop of strawberries this season is just beginning to ripen…
It must be spring, our strawberries are almost ripe!
and the blueberries promise to follow shortly.
Blueberries
A personal favorite, the Olallieberries are setting their first fruits.
Olallieberries grow very well along the Central California coast
Apples are starting to grow in the orchard!
Our universal pollinator, the Golden Delicious, is setting fruit
The new ‘Indian Free’ peach planted this winter has actually set fruit, much to our surprise.
The first peaches on the 'Indian Free' white peach
This fruit however will be removed this first season so the tree can focus its energy on strong roots.
A new crop of lettuce, chard, and mizuna greens was planted out this weekend.
We're fortunate to be able to grow successive crops of greens year around
The orchard hens are keeping a watchful eye on the German Butterball potatoes.
Chicken and Potatoes
Despite the voles absconding with 200 pea plants, we still have a few left.
The voles decimated the peas, but we have enough left for a tasty treat for the chickens
This ‘Stupice’ tomato is dazzling us with enormous sized leaves…
The tomatoes are off to a roaring start...this 'Stupice' has leaves the size of my hand!
…and a number of the tomatoes are starting to bloom.
Our reliable 'Black Pear' was the first to bloom this year
We’re crossing our fingers that this summer isn’t as cool as last year, and are looking forward to trying any of the 20 varieties of tomatoes we’ve planted this year.
The peppers are hoping for a warmer summer too.
We're anxious to see how the peppers perform this year
The tomatillo plants are flowering, and such lovely blossoms too.
Tomatillos have some of the prettiest flowers in the vegetable garden
Remember the garlic we planted late last fall? It’s looking like we’re well on our way to a great crop this year!
California 'Late White' garlic...this should keep the vampires away!
The fennel has been attracting a number of lady bugs, and their larva…
The lady bugs are very attracted to the fennel
…and thanks to the dramatic increase in lady bugs in the garden this spring, our red-veined sorrel isn’t inundated with aphids like it was last spring.
The now aphid-free sorrel is growing like a weed!
A number of herbs are in full bloom, but none so popular with the bees than the culinary sage…
The culinary sage blooms are so hungry, they're swallowing bees whole!
…and the Thyme.
This honey bee knows to 'bee on thyme'
Another hit with the bees is the ‘Chocolate Mint’ (Mentha × piperita)…
Chocolate Mint (Mentha × piperita)
…but it’s not blooming yet. The bees, for some reason, are fascinated with the soil at the bottom of the pot, and clusters of 20-30 bees can be seen around the bottom edge almost every afternoon. The trouble is, this poor mint is getting root bound and I hoped to transplant it to a more decorative container. I’m hesitant to do that though when they love it so much!
I wonder what's so fascinating about the soil in the pot of mint?
In addition to weeding, installing more drip irrigation, and transplanting in the garden this weekend, we also started work on some steps to the orchard from the far side of the vegetable gardens.
Once complete, these new steps will give us easier access to the far end of the orchard directly from the vegetable garden above
This area is steep, and slippery after a rain. This impromptu step-building project was spawned on Sunday after one too many turned ankles. It’s a work in progress, but when it’s finished it will be much safer using this path down to the orchard.
The steps will turn in a spiral down the steepest part of the slope.
As you can never have too much thyme in the garden, I’m now in the middle of transplanting out 40 new Lemon Thyme plants along the edger board on the path to the stairs, so hopefully this edge will soon disappear under a sea of blooms that will delight our bees.
It doesn't look like much, but the thyme will soon obscure this edge board to the right
We try to grow a little of everything at Curbstone Valley, and this Spring’s first crop of fledglings are starting to explore the vegetable garden. These Dark Eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis) were keeping a close eye on us this morning.
This Junco fledgling patiently waits for a meal on the handle of our old rusty wheelbarrow
A Junco parent keeps a close eye on the junior Juncos from the handle of my favorite shovel
Another Junco fledgling wondering who the people are in his garden
So despite our relative neglect this spring the garden is full of life. We’ve just transplanted a dozen varieties of squash, and will soon transplant the basil, cucumbers and beans.
We’re curious to see, now that we have bees above this part of the garden, if our yields improve this year.
Now we have bees, we're hoping not to have to hand pollinate all the squash this year!
We’ll have to wait and see.
Our bee's-eye view above the orchard looking out over the woodland
In the meantime, in Part II later this week, we’ll see what’s growing and blooming in the native garden.
40 lemon thyme plants? Those bees should love that! Sounds like you all have a lot of irons in the fire. I’m beginning to think the folks at CV are even busier than the residents of HA. I know the greenhouse construction will keep you occupied for a bit.
I’m jealous of the tomatillo blossoms. My plants are still waiting to go in the ground. Interesting about the Black Pear. My first tomato bloom this year was Cherokee Purple, which was a surprise to me. Normally it’s Sungold, but it wasn’t far behind.
The greenhouse will be a big project. First we have to watch the installation DVD, then build the retaining wall to hold the slope behind where we’re installing it. I’m excited though, can’t wait to see it all done!
I expected one of the cherry tomatoes to bloom first, or even Stupice as it’s such an early tomato. Black Pear though always seems to bloom early for us. Not that I’m complaining though! 😉
You guys are truly amazing!
You are a couple of Super Heroes.
Awww **blush**. Thanks Lisa. Although if you saw all the half done projects around here you might take away our cape and tights 😛
I just picked my first ripe strawberry today–so exciting. Loved seeing everything going on in your garden.
It’s definitely strawberry season. Our local ‘u-pick’ strawberry farm opens its doors this weekend! I love this time of year…yum!
Clare,
What are Olallieberries? The garlic looks awesome ours are that big as well. That is a lot of thyme too. Our bees have found the winterberry bush and are all over the blooms.
Olallieberries are sort of the great-grandchildren of blackberries. They’re specifically a cross between a Youngberry and a Loganberry. This family tree should help explain the relationship:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olallieberry
The most important thing is that they are large black fruits, similar to a blackberry, and mighty tasty fresh, or in pies!
Clare, you have such a variety of images this post. The fruit, vegetables,herbs, chicken and potatoes, yum…whoops, pet chicken in photo. Your bee photos are really good, especially the one in the sage.
LOL, I couldn’t resist the ‘chicken and potatoes’ caption. Our buff orpingtons in the garden know they’re safe though 😉
I am astounded by the numbers you deal in: 20 varieties of tomato, 40 thyme transplants — if only we had the space! 🙂
Your strawberries look excellent. How do you keep the bugs from eating them? We lose most of ours to slugs and woodlice.
I think the strawberries are part luck. With the recent rain we had some minor slug damage, and we do keep them netted over the hoops to keep the birds from stealing them. Otherwise I just bed under the plants with oat straw. It really seems to keep the slugs down, and helps to prevent the fruit from rotting in the rain before it’s ripe.
We haven’t had a woodlouse problem here. The boxes have fairly fast draining loose soil so the surface dries quickly enough that I think it’s not too appealing to woodlice, as they prefer a damp environment. If your soil is a little heavy, perhaps try some repeated dressings of loose compost to help the surface drain better? Just a guess though. It’s not good to have strawberries go anywhere other than into the berry basket! 😉
My little vegetable plot could use some of your neglect! I am wondering, do you have a job outside of CV, or is this your full time pursuit? You have so many wonderful projects, and everything is done to perfection. I really look forward to seeing your greenhouse!
No, we have day jobs LOL. I must admit, I liked the view from that part of the garden, but the garlic was planted in late fall, and the herb box and strawberries which are closest in view are perennial boxes. The garden doesn’t look as ‘lush’ from the other side 😉
Wow, you have so much going on! Everything is looking so great and I can’t believe the size of that Stupice tomato leaf. The crop of Garlic is looking pretty decent too.
I wonder just what it is about the soil in a pot of mint? Fascinating … would love to hear your idea on that if you ever work it out!
I’m so glad I finally got to drop by and visit. It’s been wonderful catching up with everything that’s going on in your neck of the woods. Adored the Juncoas and those flash bee hives!
Isn’t that ‘Stupice’ crazy? This is the first year we’ve grown it. It’s an early season red slicing tomato, and it definitely got off to a strong start. Maybe the leaves are always that big? I don’t know. But it looks like a monster! I can only hope those giant leaves with all that extra chlorophyll will make extra energy for a bumper crop 😛 As for the mint, I have a couple of ideas, but we’ll have to see.
I’m always so inspired by your garden, and love your photos!
Thank you Nancy. I don’t post enough about the garden, mostly because it’s not where I want it to be yet, but it’s good for me to step back once in a while and prove to myself that it’s not all shoulder height weeds! Sometimes I get hung up on what’s not done, and forget to stop and see what we have done in the last couple of years. I can’t wait to get the greenhouse up though, I have a lot of plants I want to propagate this year, I just hope the greenhouse is big enough 😉
I was thinking of your edible garden this week and that wonderful pesto you made.
The bees will adore all of that lemon thyme and I’m sure the plants will cover your edging in no time.
Clare it was lovely to see another little glimpse of Curbstone and your feathered visitors. I can’t wait to see your native flowers later in the week.
Those tomatillo’s are new to me so I’m going to google about them to read more.
Good grief, you guys have been BUSY, busier than bees. Speaking of bees, your hives look great and I am hoping to see lots of activity there and LOTS of pollinated fruits and veggies. Wonderful.
Sending spring cheers!
Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island
I really enjoy reading how you tackle each challenge along the way to having such a self-sustaining lifestyle. Your garden is lovely and filled with so many wonderful edibles and wildlife.
Your edible garden is simply fantabulous, Claire! I’m green with envy 🙂 Our fruit trees and blueberries are doing fine, but I’ve struggled with the veggies which have suffered under the scourge of gophers, squirrels, bunnies, slugs, cutworms, rats and God knows what else. I’m halfway expecting a plague of locusts next…Your strawberries look especially delicious. The only strawberries I have growing are wild California Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), which has formed a ground cover in part of my herb garden. But the berries are really, really tiny, only around 1/4″ – it would probably take a dozen of those to equal one of yours!
Where to begin? I am amazed to see the tiny fruits on the trees. Since I don’t grow apples or peaches it was a treat to see the baby size of them. The garlic patch is enviable. I only have 6 plants in my tiny plot. As for those bees in the pot, maybe they are nesting there? I have seen bees nesting under patio stones and in the soil. Hope the weather remains good for the crops.
Wow! You have been busy and now that the sun is finally out, it looks like all your veggies, herbs and bees are basking in it! Steps going down slopes are important at my place. too. Too often, I have found myself running down hill. I like the idea of a spiral and that old wheelbarrow would look great planted up with something. Portable salad bowl.
the site is looking really goo.. not to mention your property! i got my chicks in last week and thought of you and yours!
Dear Claire, You have a new format/blog . . . Were you always with WordPress? Looks great and so does your garden! I love your bee hives and I am sure they love their world there. I have not seen my ‘wild’ Honeybees this season. I wonder if the cold got them? I do appreciate your identifying the Goldenrod Crab for me. You would not know the moth might you? Thank you! and for all of your visits even though I have not been able to visit much lately. I do hope to catch up on all of your posts I have missed, when I am back to my normal self. Happy Gardening! Everything looks yummy and so healthy. You are right I think you can never have too much thyme in the garden. ;>)
I only knew the spider, because we had a similar one in the garden last year dining on a honey bee!
https://curbstonevalley.com/blog/?p=2128
Moths though, I’m terrible at identifying, especially brown moths 😛
We do have a new format for the blog! I got a bee in my bonnet the other day about sprucing up the format. We’ve always used WordPress, but I was frustrated with the last template as every time there was an update, it would eat some of the custom images, especially the ones for the header. They also changed some features, and I decided it was time to move on. I like this format better though, especially the gallery format (see the Native Garden or Wildlife tabs above for an example). I think this new template has a lot of potential, and it definitely has improved the home page too!