Spring Redux

Beautiful purple artichoke blossom.

Dried up edible peas that are really to be removed - trim at soil level so roots remain in the soil to decay. Blossoming sweet peas are also finishing.

Thinned plums - half of them were removed - with enough space between them to get bigger and ripen fully without touching. What looks like two fruits at the bottom left is really one that's connected.

Iris - which is it? Japanese? Laevigata? Latifolia? Louisiana? Missouriensis? Pseudacorus? Spuria? Something else?

Iris - which is it? Japanese? Laevigata? Latifolia? Louisiana? Missouriensis? Pseudacorus? Spuria? Something else?

Species poinsettia - Euphorbia pulcherrima - with many red bracts, and "Snail Vine" - Vigna caracalla.

"Pineapple guava" - Feijoa sellowiana. The last remaining blossoms, and others that've set fruit. Earlier in the spring, blossoms are edible, with a drop of sugar at the center of the stamens.

Boysenberries ripen at different times - the center one first, then the one at one side, then the final one. Individual berries are ripe when their glossy surface has turned matte, and they fall off into the palm of your hand when you "tickle" them from underneath. If you have to tug at the berry, it's not yet fully ripe.

Harvest and use beets that begin to send up their seed stalks. The flesh is still tender and sweet. I prefer harvesting globes that are no larger than two inches wide. Water the bed following harvesting to resettle remaining roots that may have been dislodged or pulled out with the harvested ones.

Fuyu persimmon - brown remnants of the blossom, and fruit set

Salvia canariensis - Wonderfully cottony stems and exquisitely mauve blossoms

Double Delight rose

Sea lavender - Limonium perezii

Leonitus leonurus - Lion's Tail, Lion's Mane - a great way to entice kids to learn botanical latin

     With that bit of rain – even a thunderstorm -- daytime temperatures in the low to mid 70s, and nighttime temperatures in the low to mid 50s, our gardens again enjoy Spring-like conditions, so we can do more transplanting and seeding with a great measure of success.  But, take care of these tasks within the next week or so, knowing that our real Summer temperatures will reassert themselves and consequently plants will have to work harder to settle in nicely, and seeds won’t germinate as readily.
 
Sowing Summer Veggies
     I just pulled the rest of the bolting (going to seed) lettuce and spinach and bok choy.  After incorporating coffee grounds and compost and slow-release organic fertilizer, I seeded my favorite crookneck squash, several varieties of beans (both pole and bush), and several varieties of cucumbers, and placed their trellises. 
     I’ve found in the past that my sowing these earlier into cooler soil resulted in only about half germinating, and the seeds that I sowed again to fill the empty spaces caught up within another two weeks and were ultimately more vigorous.  So, no need to rush to get these in early!
     Tomatoes and peppers are the only plants I make a point of getting in as early as they’re available at local nurseries, or having started my own seeds in January.
 
Cutting Spent Pea Vines
     I also removed spent pea vines, cutting off the stems at ground level instead of pulling out the whole bushes.  This allows the roots – which have developed nodules that contain excess nitrogen from their fixation process – to rot in place, releasing the nitrogen into the soil and leaving tendrils of space from the rotted-out roots extending deeply into the soil for water and air to now penetrate.
    
Planting to Attract Bees and Butterflies
      To encourage bees to visit your garden for better pollination, provide some of their favorite plants – basil, borage, calendulas, catnip, hyssop, lemon balm, mint, summer savory, thyme, and other plants with blue flowers.
      To attract butterflies to your garden, plant asters, buddleias ("butterfly bush"!), lantanas, marigolds, sweet Williams, tithonias (Mexican sunflower), zinnias, and other daisy-like flowers.
 
Thinning Fruit Trees & Vines
      For bigger fruit, unstressed and undamaged trees and vines, thin fruit now.  You want to leave sufficient space between fruits so they don’t touch their neighbors when they’re mature. 
     In general, this means five to eight inches apart for apples, pears, peaches, and nectarines; and four inches apart for plums and apricots. Thin tree fruits on alternate sides of branches for balance.
     For grapes, remove about half of the number of grape clusters, or half of each cluster.  Each grape will be considerably smaller than what you buy at the market, since commercially produced grapes generally utilize hormones to increase their size.
     Leave on the tree or vine only what you will realistically use. When the fruits are tiny, you’ll fear that you may be removing too many.  But, as the fruits enlarge, you’ll find yourself thinning even more.
     Thin too much rather than not enough so trees and vines aren't strained. If you leave too much fruit on branches, they may break from the weight – especially if the fruit has formed toward the tips of long branches.  This is another reason to prune branches back after fruit has been consumed.