Forget April showers...May brought the deluge around here! I believe we had almost three times the usual amount of precipitation for the month. Despite the soggy conditions, the garden is doing pretty well! Some things better than others, but first...
We visited the local Gibbs Gardens again this week. I'm counting 2025 as the "Year of the Garden" since we have annual passes to visit here, and I've also made it to both the Atlanta Botanical Garden and the stunning Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC, last month. Having the annual membership has been fantastic to watch the flowers change as the season progresses. This time the hydrangeas were in full bloom, along with roses, water lilies, and a huge section of wildflowers including poppies and larkspur.
I think I'd have to say the wildflowers were my favorite. The pollinators might agree.
Meanwhile in our garden...
We got some early figs! After almost losing the fig trees to beetles, it is amazing to see them bounce back. These were absolutely delicious, and you might be able to tell from my cover photo that there are a TON more growing on our oldest tree. The other tree that we got a few years ago finally has a few figs on it, as well, for the very first time. I'm dreaming of actually having enough to make some goodies with these. Though you can't beat nature's candy in its original form.
Cukes are here!
We also got the first of the cucumbers to join in the harvest. Last year was a fantastic cucumber year, so I'm hoping for more of the same so I can make some more of the fermented pickles we love so much.
The snow peas are just about done, but we had a good season for those so the vines owe us nothing!
Forever Abundant: Squash
As alluded to in my title, the squash are the forever champions of our garden. Happily my patty pan have been steadily producing. Enough so that I've actually given some away already, which is always my benchmark for success. I love eating what we grow, but I love sharing it just as much!
I have a few different varieties of patty pan, along with a few golden zucchini plants. The zucchini is lagging a bit, but looks like we should get the first pulled off the plants shortly.
The prolific Zucchini Ramipacantes may give us our first taste shortly, as well. Those are always fun to cook at home and share since I don't see those often for sale locally, even at the farmers market. The Candy Roasters are looking promising, as well, as you can see below.
However, the ones I am most giddy about currently are my pumpkins. A few of these babies are really starting to fatten up nicely! This one is just about the size of a soccer ball. I've been diligently pruning the three plants I have to try to put all the energy into the actual pumpkins. Even if we only get one fruit per plant, if they keep growing at this rate that will be plenty with the other varieties growing!
On the other side of the coin...
Those bastard squirrels ate every last bit of my corn! I was getting so excited watching the baby cobs start to fill out. Apparently, I wasn't the only one. I wouldn't mind sharing, but did they have to eat them all???
We have since gotten an artificial owl with a swiveling head to try to scare them off a bit. Given we've still seen the critters frolicking around in the same spot, I don't think it's working. 😂
The tomatoes are in the beds flanking the corn, so we'll see if the fuzzy thieves strike again, or if we can successfully deter them. I don't think the tomatoes loved getting so water-logged, so it may be a moot point if they don't bounce back. I remain hopeful.
I feel like I may be missing a few things, however, I think that's a solid stopping point for this month. Last year June hit hot and dry, so I'm definitely on guard for this year to stay on top of watering to keep my plant babies as happy as possible!
One of my goals for this year is to not just keep our spring/summer garden successful, but also to try to crack the code for getting fall crops planted at the right time. Perhaps committing it to "paper" will help keep me on top of my research and planning!
As always, I'm forever grateful for the gardening community on here to give me motivation to pop back on and check in! Time to go see what's growing around the Hive Gardens...
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