Cool Summer Solstice and the First June Berry

Happy Summer Solstice, Aboriginal Day, and Juhannus!  It's been a cool spring on the North Island with a few sunny days here and there unlike the rest of BC, which is sweltering right now.  Here is the first June Berry but most of them will be July Berries as the cool weather continues.

Aside from the tomato plants just transplanted in the hoop house, the rest of the garden doesn't mind the cooler temperatures. Lots of rain means lots of slugs though!

The garlic continues to flourish.

And we even started to pick some garlic "scapes".

The raspberries to the left and the onions to the right are also flourishing.  The tomatoes are in the little hoophouse to the far right to keep them warm.  Eventually we will grow them in greenhouses from the converted Sheter Logic garages.

This is the second planting of peas - the birds got the first and is a reminder to use row cloth to protect the sprouting seeds! The peas are now growing in the bed dividing the last year's garden from the new garden with the old net fence.  They will be rotated again when we further expand the garden.

 

This is Linda's experiment inoculating hay bales.  Nitrogen fertilizer (bone or blood meal) is sprinkled over the surface followed with a warm water soaking.  It's a two week process alternating between nitrogen applictions and soaking with warm water,  As the hay breaks down it turns into a partially composted planter for planting vegetables. Linda will experiment with squash and pepper plants since they are heat loving plants.

The strawberry bed that was interplanted in the orchard is starting to produce green berries.  We got our strawberry starts at the Sointula Resource Center garden market stand from Pauline Middleton.  Thanks Pauline!  Also, as seen behind the strawberries, all 50 of the asparagus crowns sprouted and are now tall feathery fronds ensuring next year's crop is healthy.

A few cherries are starting to turn red.

There is also one big Green Gauge Plum and lots of small ones coming up too.

Red Free Apples sure do like it here too.

There's a few Gravenstein Apples on their way too, but not as many as Red Free.

Our happy Giant Gnome is guarding the lovely flower bouquet we were given from Kerri Reid at the Sointula Art Shed - Sometimes Flowers.  Thanks Kerri!