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loribee2

Not sweating this rain.

loribee2
12 years ago

Why?

Because I pulled up this photo of my veggie garden at exactly this same time last year. While I don't have any close-ups, those torrid little plants in the foreground were my tomatoes at the first week of June:

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So small you can't even see them are the peppers I planted last year. At about this time last year, each plant had maybe two good leaves.

While bell peppers in Rohnert Park borderline on fantasy, I did end up getting a few. Enough so that I actually tried them again this year.

And despite this cold, rainy spring here is my 2011 comparison:

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I was actually pretty surprised to see my tomatoes and peppers are way ahead of last year. Granted, last year was my first year ever growing from seed and I corrected some mistakes. But when I remind myself that even the sad little plants in the top picture ended up looking like this come August:

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I'm not too worried.

I'm staying positive that this is the last of our rainy spring weather. That next week, the sun is going to come out as forecasted, and all these plants that have been so patiently handling it with thrive.

And in the meantime, I'm going to continue enjoying my peas and cabbage:

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I'm wondering if anyone else has compared this year's garden to last, and how your results are looking so far.

Here is a link that might be useful: loribees garden blog

Comments (12)

  • jenn
    12 years ago

    I don't sweat in the rain, either. ;-)

    I enjoy seeing pics of your yard with the neat and tidy boxes and paths. And that beautiful cabbage!!!

  • loribee2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks! I pulled two of the heads today and have left the other two. The heads are fairly small (though perfect as a side dish for 2), but I'm a little new to cabbage. I still haven't figured out when they're "done".

  • bluebirdie
    12 years ago

    Loribee, that is one neat yard! I want to redo mine just like yours. How come I don't see those lovely concrete butterfly in your garden pictures?

    My vegetables love this rain. But toms and cukes are really dwarf compared to three years ago. The vines used to be 4-5 feet in June, now they're only less than 2ft. But I'm up to my ears with chinese broccoli, chard, etc blessed by this cool spring. No sweat!

  • loribee2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks! Those butterflies? A pain in the REAR to mosaic, I've discovered. I probably should have gone that far before I made THREE of them. LOL But they're still in progress.

    And I guess I should have prefaced that last year was my first year with a veggie garden after a 10-year hiatus, so my definition of "normal" is a little rusty. I guess for those of us starting out in a crappy year, we can only go up. LOL

  • stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
    12 years ago

    I got to admit-somehow the Tomatoes in my garden do look much better than last years same time. Its been either warm enough or the long days tell them to grow in the rain of June.

  • lunita
    12 years ago

    When I grow up I want my vegetable garden to look like Loribees'. It's so neat and pretty. :)

    I took weekly pictures two years ago, and compared to the pictures of two years ago, this year's cucumbers, eggplants, tomatillos and peppers are behind -- especially the eggplant, which I really think is weather related since they were seeded the same time and I used the same seeds. My squash and tomatoes are ahead (I planted out earlier, because we had some early warm weather) and my green beans are just about the same, maybe slightly ahead.

    My lettuce is LOVING this weather (RAIN in Sacramento in June...) We've been having some gorgeous salads lately.

  • loribee2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Lol, thanks lunita. I am definitely having great results with my spring cool-season crops. I plan to put them in every year, since at least where I live, cooler wet springs are not uncommon.

  • hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
    12 years ago

    Your veggie patch is beautiful. I love neat and tidy gardens. Very impressive cabbages, too.

    Last year with the cooler summer we had the best pepper crop ever. I thought they preferred sweltering weather, but maybe not.

  • loribee2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks! It's so funny to me how people see neat and tidy, when what I was going for was low maintenance! LOL I raised the beds so I wouldn't have to amend/amend/amend the clay. We covered the paths with rock so I'd never have to weed again or replace decomposed mulch every 2 years. I killed myself digging irrigation trenches so I could have it all on a drip and never have to stand around with a hose. While I appreciate the compliments, I confess that at the root of it all is sheer, unadulterated laziness. LOL

  • stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
    12 years ago

    Sorry I didnt pick up on the neatness thing Lori-lol. I uh,plant until I can't find room. A very small yard/s makes the usual rules hard to follow-lol.

  • ladybugsmom192
    12 years ago

    i always love seeing pic's of your garden! did you get all that compost off your driveway? my peppers aren't doing so hot and i'm just across the bay (san pablo bay) from you.

    thanks for sharing!

    ~ angela

  • loribee2
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    LOL, I did get that compost off my driveway....and 3 1/2 yards of river rock last weekend, and another 3 1/2 yards of soil the week before that. Oh, and next week, I've got 3 yards of double-grind redwood mulch coming. We're landscaping, and I can't WAIT to be done! I've got a glider in my garden that is calling my name. Once we're done with our side yard project, I plan to spend the rest of the summer relaxing!

    My peppers are doing much better this year than they were last year. I've got lots and lots of flowers on them. But the leaves are a little on the yellow side. I'm not sweating it until this heat we've finally gotten has a chance to sink in. I've learned not to fret too much over the plants until the warm weather is here for good. Up until then, they all look a little grumpy. Hopefully, that's the situation with your peppers and once they realize our newfound temps are here to stay, they'll perk up.