Ms. Scoakat Blogs

The garlic, planted last fall, is looking good. It’s the same type I’ve planted the last couple years and I really like it. Great flavor, nice size heads, and easy to peel cloves.

I planted cilantro seed disks again this year and they are doing well; not quite as well as last year’s but I wasn’t able to get them from the same, local company this year. Funny story about the cilantro seed disks this year… Mr. Scoakat accidentally threw away the first pack of seed disks I bought this year. They were sitting on top of the TV stand with the shipping invoice (I had to buy them online this year) next to some junk mail… it was an honest mistake.

The peas are doing well too. Last year, several weeks (and a lot of damage) passed before I realized the pea sprouts were being eaten by birds! This year I covered the east bed with bird netting after planting the first seeds in April.

As previously noted, I harvested the radishes on Thursday. I’ve had a few as snacks and they are delish! I will have more in salads soon. I might even be able to convince Mr. Scoakat to try a few slices in his salads (yes, he eats salads… don’t tell him I told you).

The lettuce seeds I planted in April are MIA, or AWOL… or maybe they were abducted by aliens??? The point is, no lettuce.

Basil is a cat (an emotionally needy, rather large, scaredy-cat; see Scoakat’s Blog for more information) but basil is also a Mediterranean herb that is lovely in Italian dishes but does not like cold temperatures. We had two or three nights under 40 degrees this week, so the basil’s not looking too hot (ba-dum-ch).

The parsley looks fine. Especially when you consider it had to travel to hell and back seven times before it ever even sprouted!

I planted marigolds around the tomatoes on Saturday; they’re supposed to keep squirrels away. We’ll see how that works.

The thyme is adjusting well to its move. Apparently thyme is on my side…

On to the other side of the garden!

I’ve done a lot of weeding on this side lately, and there’s a lot more to do. The red raspberries (in the back) are spreading in a way that makes me happy and nervous at the same time! I’m glad they’re doing so well, but I know raspberries can get out of hand, so…

The ‘purple’ raspberries (in the middle) aren’t doing quite as well; for now, I’m okay with that.

I planted six new ever-bearing strawberry plants on Saturday. A few of them already have healthy runners and due to the new strawberry cover, I’m not too worried about the squirrels tearing them out; so I’m hopeful we’ll have strawberries to eat this summer. Of course, the first ripe berry goes to Mr. Scoakat; a reward for crafting the new (Improved!) strawberry cover.