First Harvest

Early on, I planted broccoli and cauliflower, onions and rainbow chard. The broccoli and cauliflower had cabbage worms, and so the harvest is (literally) spotty. I cut off the big broccoli heads but left the plants. Last year, I had a great harvest from side shoots on the broccoli. I harvested one of my two cauliflowers (the whole plant came out). Both the broccoli and cauliflower were past their prime, and chewed on, so I put them in the pressure cooker with onions and a can of tomatoes, to make a soup base for later.

The onions kind of melted away into the soil. I dug up what was left of them, but there was nothing to eat.

The chard, on the other hand, is doing great! I harvested the outer leaves, which had some holes, but were basically ok. I left the chard plants in place to fill out for another harvest. I cut up the chard, stems and leaves separately, and with bacon, an onion, a can of diced tomatoes, and a dash of balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese it was dinner, with plenty of leftovers.

I finally set out some zucchini plants I had bought, and seeded some tiny watermelon plants. I have some summer-weight floating row cover that I put over the zucchini and will put over the watermelon when it comes up. "Squash vine borer" is an early season hazard to these squash family plants, and I'm hoping to deter the egg laying with a physical barrier. 

I had started lettuce, arugula, chard, basil and cilantro from seeds, and I finally set out the little plants in parts of the vegetable patch that is not currently filled with other plants. I figure they can be harvested to make room for the growing zucchini, should I be so lucky.

I've got three tomato plants in pots, and so far they seem to be doing great. I washed the pots and supports with a dilute bleach solution, and put fresh potting soil in the top third of each pot. So I've at least postponed the effects of the tomato virus, though it's far too early to declare victory. The pots are all near my driveway, but separate from each other, and off the normal deer thoroughfare through my yard. So far so good.