The weather this year for June has been warmer than usual. In fact, the last few days have been mild and muggy. The combination of heat and humidity have done wonders for all my plants. Also, the forecast for this coming weekend promises temps in the 80's, with a possible high of 90 degrees.
As you can see in the pic below my broccoli grew enormous this year. So, I need to begin picking it before the temps promote it to flower. Also, the beans are doing quite well and growing quicker than the before can do enough damage to hinder them. The corn is progressing along nicely, certainly faster than last year at this time in the month. Finally, my bleeding hearts are really "going to town" with plenty of new blooms.
Well, temperatures continue to creep slowly towards the 70 degrees, but continue to elude Seattle. This has been great for the broccoli, spinach and peas, but hinders the summer veggies. The first planting of pre-soaked corn seeds has sprouted, and covering them for the first week with clear plastic appears to have provided enough warmth for growth. In the background (first pic) you can see plastic and remay covering the newly planted bush beans, but no growth yet. Future projects include removing the remaining spinach (looking a bit scraggly) and planting the second crop of corn. Also, I am going to construct a plastic tubing (plumber's pipe) mini hothouse for some bell peppers.
The secondary plot has the peas in full bloom, and the broccoli looks fantastic (no clubroot in this patch of soil). Walla walla onions are struggling along, and I learned that the wind that blows unobstructed on this spot sorely affects warm weather crops. I'll have to keep this in mind for future crops as temperature at the garden will make or break a crop's success.
