Where's Summer?

It is still unseasonably cold, and it is raining again. Last night when I checked on the plants, one cucumber and one tomato looked as though they'd had enough. I blame the weather for this, not the garden boxes. If the cucumber plant doesn't make it, I will try direct seeding another one. It will be good to have a younger plant in the box anyway, to extend the season, instead of having them all the cucumbers come on at once. I have some extra tomato plants still under lights if I need to replace any in the boxes. I haven't planted any tomatoes in the ground yet.

The cool seasons crops planted in the garden boxes -- cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts -- all look great. They are being protected from the rabbits by a makeshift fence of plastic chicken wire for now. I want to get some concrete blocks or landscaping stones to get the boxes up higher off the ground. Something keeps nibbling on the pansies in my barrel planter, so I know they could reach the plants in the garden boxes.

Yesterday evening we enjoyed some fresh lettuce grown in one of my raised beds, along with some spring onions. There is no better salad on earth than the one you grow yourself!

This weekend I hope to get some finished compost from our composter and mix it in the garden where I want to plant my "in-ground" tomatoes. It will be fun to compare the traditionally planted ones to the ones in the boxes. I will also be planting beans in the ground, but I'm waiting for the soil to warm a bit more. I can put the "walls of water" teepees around the tomatoes and they'll do fine even though it is still a bit cool, but the beans have to wait. I also hope to get the landscape cloth and mulch down so I can arrange the garden boxes and have the garden area look nice. Right now it looks pretty disorganized. I also want to plant some flowers in the garden around the boxes. Once again, I'm hoping the weather will cooperate so I can cross a lot of things off my to-do list.