Early May Garden Update

It’s time for another update on the garden here at Happy Acres. We had record and historic levels of rainfall here this spring, and I dumped over 11 inches of rain from our rain gauge. That has made it difficult to get much done outside in the garden. I have planted a few things though, and they have been loving all that rain. In early April I planted one of the cold frame beds behind the greenhouse with curly kale, and it has really taken off. I tucked a few lettuce plants in there too between the kale plants.

curly kale plants

About two weeks ago, I got another cold frame bed planted in kohlrabi, and that is also doing great. I set out 24 plants in this 4 foot by 8 foot bed, then mulched with shredded paper and cardboard.

kohlrabi plants

In mid-April I potted up the eggplants I am growing in containers. These varieties (Fairy Tale, Gretel and Icicle) all do very well grown that way, and give us an abundance of early eggplant. All are AAS Winners, and very prolific for me here. For more into on growing eggplant this way, I did a tutorial back in 2012 on Growing Eggplant In Containers. Since then I have been growing them every year in both Smart Pots and plastic containers.

eggplants in containers

The greenhouse shelves are still bulging with plants, which is typical this time of year. Keeping them watered certainly keeps me busy!

plants on greenhouse shelf

I have finally been able to begin planting in the vegetable garden area though. My wife got a pic of me installing some new weed barrier a week or so ago. I have been getting about three years from most pieces, and one of the oldest ones needed replacing.

me putting down weed barrier

After securing the edges with landscape staples, I cut planting holes using a culinary torch. I got the idea of using a torch from Sue and Martyn Garrett (Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments) , and I am so thankful they shared this valuable tip! The fabric is hard to cut with scissors, and then it frays afterwards. The torch leaves edges that stay intact, and the whole process doesn’t take nearly as long either.

cutting hole using culinary torch

I was able to set out 30 brassica plants last week, just before another round of rains came. That has helped get them off to a good start. The rest of that bed will get planted in bush squashes in a week or so, once those seedlings get a bit bigger.

brassica plants

Next in line, I need to get a bed ready for planting main crop tomatoes. That bed had sweet potatoes planted in it last year, and I will pull any large weeds before spreading compost and fertilizer. Then I will move the weed barrier I use for tomatoes from last year’s bed to the one I will use this year, since I rotate my crops each year. There’s a lot of ragwort in this spot, and I might just get the mower in there and mow it down before I put down the fabric.

spot for tomato plants

I’m hoping to start planting those tomatoes soon, and after that I will move on to prepare other beds for planting. I hope you have enjoyed this tour of the garden here in May, and I hope to give another planting update soon.