Just as I cooked up the last of the frozen tomatoes into a scorched pasta sauce, (I was Kitchen Mama yesterday) Ellie and Alex began to plant the first of the tomatoes for this winters batch of sauce. Any extras we will sell at the farmers market or to the restaurants.
The best time to plant anything is late in the afternoon, after the last of the heat of the day. The wind was our problem but so far so good.
Tima came in to supervise. We are planting all the tomatoes first, then the zucchini and pickling cucumbers. The cucumber will have a large tunnel-like trellis to save space. Around the outside of the tomato beds (to keep the weeds down and the moisture in) will be borage. Nasturtiums will be the zucchini companions. (Nasturtiums for eating, selling (blooms) and pollinating and borage is a big pollinator favourite, so a must in any vegetable garden). Pumpkins and watermelons and melons will be planted last. (Pumpkins will be on their own along the fence lines as not much wants to grow with pumpkins). I will be digging up young raspberry plants today and these will go along the fence line by the car park/John’s Junk Yard area.
“No feet in the garden, Tima!” Both the kunes and the volunteers went to bed early last night. They all had a big day. And Tane is so much better, still cannot walk but when he breaks into a trot he gets around just fine. I am so happy for him.
Probably a good thing I am not milking this summer. The gardens are going to keep us very busy.
Each to his own.
Everything else will be planted today no matter the time as there might be rain coming overnight and we want to take advantage of the good dousing should it arrive. Our last Frost Date is April 24 so if the weather holds, and who knows, we are officially in the gardening business busy-ness.
The piglet’s heating light went off last night and I did the same for the chicks. The overnights are warm enough. No heating lights for anyone anymore, though the chicks kept their Mama Tables.
I also have to divide the middle sized plonkers today. Four go to the barn for the night they will be sold tomorrow and three go down the back to the root cellar field.
I had better get cracking. Ellie is Kitchen Mama today which means I can work outside without interruption until dinner is served. What a joy.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
Weather Forecast
Tuesday 04/25 10% / 0 inMostly sunny. High 78F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph.
Tuesday Night 04/25 20% / 0 inCloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
The Kitchen's Garden 
34 responses to “The North Garden”
Borage is quite good in cocktails and used to be included in Pimm’s, before cucumber took over:
http://drunkenbotanist.com/tag/borage/
Those Kunes look so happy together 🙂
Now that is interesting – I have frozen the flowers into ice cubes before – they look quite festive..
They are beautiful flowers and make a good decoration for salad too!
That black soil looks wonderfully rich – you’ve obviously improved it no end. Looks like a productive summer ahead!
Lets hope so – the weather can always wipe a gardener out but that is the business..
That garden is huge! Is Jakes (and yours) restaurant still on the cards? Laura
Yes – Jakes restaurant is still being built..
Already the gardens look wonderful!!! So cool to see the before shots! Hope to see more pics of the garden as it grows! xo
That will be fun!
Sugar, that garden is of some size! Your seedlings look quite advanced . . . just as well almost every day in the coming week should have showers or rain to water them in ’cause the 30-50km winds in the forecast could blow things around a bit otherwise! Best of British, as the saying goes 🙂 ! [Wonder what Tima is thinking ?]
It is the windy time of year thats for sure.. c
Tima and Tane always make me smile, but the photos posted today are priceless. Have to remember to show my granddaughter later. She loves to see all the piggy pictures.
Tima and Tane are a comedy duo! 😂 Envious of your earth it looks so well tilled and dark. We are cold here today! a northerly wind, and we need rain. Happy gardening.
That’s a huge garden… but then you have a LOT of mouths to feed! 😀
And tomatoes need a lot fo space..
Yes they do! I have 29 tomato plants in this year. A few for slicers, but mostly to make roasted tomato sauce to get us through the next year.
Tima and Tane are a comedy duo! 😂 I’m envious of your soil it looks well tilled and dark. We are cold here today! We have a northerly wind but we need rain. Have a happy gardening day.
Opps I thought my first post hadn’t gone through sorry!
I’m guessing that Tima then lifted up the bucket with her head in it to get every last drop/bit! Huge gardening expansion this year. I think no milking was a serendipitous blessing. You will be busy. Do you have mulch to put in the walkways or grass seed? The mud…oh the mud!
Grass seed so I can mow them – mowing is easiest. As the gardens are finished I will sow rhe grass.. c
I will be safe to plant come Mother’s Day…until then there is danger of frost…even (sometimes) after that date. Luck you!
I hope Mothers days is soon for you – I have no idea when it is.. c
I think it’s the first Sunday in May!
Great to see your gardens are being planted! I’m a tad jealous though – my “safe” time for planting here is not for another three weeks : ( I’ll just have to be patient a bit longer.
Quite envious of your garden plot in the making. How glorious!
We have frost threat until Mother’s Day, but my starts have been outdoors for weeks now. Hopefully yours are safe in that huge wonderful garden. Love those little piggies, and the big ones too.