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I started planting summer veggies today:

• 2 kinds of tomatoes (4 plants each): Better Boy and a variety developed by Mennonites, German something-or-the-other (I’ll look at the tag the next time I’m outside)  I don’t normally plant this early, but it’s in the 80s outside and supposed to get to almost 90 tomorrow, so I’m not too worried about a rogue frost at this point.
• 4 cucumber plants
• 1/4 pound of edamame seeds (I bought 1 lb and will plant weekly until they’re all in)
• 25% of 1/2 lb of cannellini beans

I want a lot of edamame and beans this year, but didn’t quite think about how much 1 lb and 1/2 lb of seeds would be.  In addition to putting seeds in the kitchen garden, I also put some along the fence where the blueberry bushes are — the cannellini in the back, so it can twine up the fence, and the edamame in front of the bushes.  The benefit of this is that it will help improve the soil over there too.

When I plant things that will need supports or trellises, I always put those in at the same time so that I don’t have to disturb the plants later on.  I’m thrilled beyond all belief to look out and see all that height in the garden.  This year, instead of using bean poles, I’m going to try using tomato cages for the beans.  It’s essentially the same shape and should save me a lot of tying later on.

I also tasted some of the lettuce, which hasn’t done squat due to three 90+ degree days right after Easter.  I know, thank you Mother Nature for the heat when it’s not wanted.  As I suspected, one kind of lettuce had bolted and gotten bitter, so I pulled those plants out.  The other kind still tastes good and I think we’ll have salads this week.  I’m also disappointed in my attempts to grow spinach and carrots from seed.  Nothing came of that experiment at all.

On the other hand, the English peas look good and I tied up some drooping plants today.  The potatoes are looking great and the asparagus continues to go gangbusters.

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