Spring Mania

Late May to early June is when spring mania breaks out in the garden.  It's the time when everything begins happening at once.  The first batch of lettuces planted in early April are almost ready for harvest. Onions and peas are well-established, the garlic shoots nearing their peak; the beets have fully leafed; cucumber vines are off to the races with dill and zinnias sprinting alongside (these last two for purposes of pest control pollination). Then there are the carrots and radishes that we’ve been direct sowing since early April and will continue to do so all season.  It looks like time lapse photography to see the successive planting rows scaling up from tiny seedling to towering greens. By the third week in May all the tomatoes will be snug in their beds, along with the bush and pole beans. This year we’re trying a few new strategies to combat the squash borer bugs that put a serious dent in last year's production.  To start with, we will be planting some of the zucchini in the garlic bed because garlic reportedly deters squash bugs along with other undesirable creatures.  We also planted a large Blue Hubbard Squash a month ahead of the bulk of the zucchini crop.  Our hope is that this Blue Hubbard will serve as a bait plant, which will lure the squash bugs to their demise, leaving us with a much more bountiful harvest. As of this writing, there are still some peppers, eggplant and basil in the greenhouse, along with some flowers. They are all ready for hardening and will go in the ground as we turn the corner into June. Like I said at the outset … it’s a busy time of year!  Please email us at info@eciny.org if you are interested in joining our amazing crew of garden volunteers.    Maribeth FuchsGGHG Manager #garden