[JRinPA]

Follow up now that it is almost August...
The broccoli transplants at that time did okay. Put in about 10-12? Some had a rough time and I filled back in with the 3rd string. Now, they are huge, we have been eating brocolli for what seems a long time, so I have to say it was okay to transplant that week. I stuck some okra in the gaps where some didn't make it and some of those okra are decent and should be okay when I decide to pull the broccoli. But I can't decide whether I should pull it or let it play out the string.

Cauliflower, I had 7 to start. That did not last. It got cold and I have to think the cold hurt them more than it hurt the broccoli. Eventually it was down to two that got nice and big, and finally, after it was 90-95 for a while, decided to put on heads. One was okay, the other was badly eaten up by worms. I planted cayenne and okra in the holes so space was not wasted, but I have doubts about trying cauliflower again. Lot of space for little return.

The peas that went in the ground in mid-late March did fine and put out well. The peas that went in the raised beds within a week later had significant rot. I have to think the wet peas were freezing at night in the raised beds. Weather was just too crazy for them. Filling in later did not work well; it was too late and got really dry then, so they didn't germinate quickly. Hopefully I learned something. First time I have lost pea output.

Lettuce was fine, both three week transplants and direct sowed under glass. I also tried really young transplants under window/coldframe, which seemed to work, then after a couple weeks they suddenly damped off. I think it got hot/moist under the glass for a few hours and that was it - a few wilted outright, and the rest damped off that week. The direct sowed seeds were sprouted by then but did not die off the same way.

Spinach did nothing. Really terrible, every which way. It bolted right away as soon as it got hot and dry, even though most were small yet. Direct sowed was terrible. I now know I absolutely need to have large healthy transplants for spinach. Then at least I can fight over them with the slugs for a month.

Swiss chard I started under cold frame and it did..spotty, okay. I moved some down the bed to spread them out, but it was just so dry they haven't done much. Perhaps swiss chard is something I should consider as a long season crop and wait a bit. It kind of an afterthought for me.

Brussels sprouts were later for me, but they are looking pretty good. Though now I see a lot of cabbage moths and sulfurs down there. The best ones I put in the raised bed under pear tree for partial shade. I pushed down a trench by standing on a 4x4, put down rubber mat, and cut holes through that for planting. This makes it very easy to irrigate. Later, I put some brussel sprouts in double buckets with bottom watering (like rain gutter system) and right alongside the others, but in the walkway. Will be a nice comparison, but of course I forgot any fertilizer regimen. Maybe next year I start them earlier. I'm still intrigued by kath's plants.

That's about it for my spring crops. I have many lettuce that went to seed that I want to grab soon. A couple days back I got one bag of each type before sky opened up. This rain is really starting to annoy me. This rain from the south is not respecting the valley and we are getting hammered at random like everyone else.