Do me a Fava

Well summer is here and its Canada Day Long weekend. With the heat here, it was time to do a little more focus on summer crops.  As my neighbour said, things are starting to fill in. The red plant in front isorach, which I cant say I have eaten more than 2 leaves.

30 June

In the beds, the garlic is maturing. I pulled most of the peas out, more because they I needed the sun to get to the summer crops they where shading - eating everything on each vine.The remaining peas are on the trellis reaching about 7 feet. The red mustard flowering just behind the kohlrabi, followed by grey shallots and broccoli. Tomatos are about 4 feet high now at the back.  Far right cut off is by Romano bush beans and the new empty bed I want to grow some Brussels spouts.  and maybe cabbage. My German camomile around the beds is getting to big. I think I will replace it with a lower growing flowering plant. Maybe alyssum to attract beneficials. With the failure of my gem squash (yes, thanks Mom, but I have only one sprout) I planted purple blauhilde beans and more cucumbers on the arch. Lettuce abounds - and other than a leaf or 2, I am a bit tiered now of it.

In the front is my peppers, that doubled in size in last week. I threw some seeds into a pot inside in early January and that plant had one pepper on it. I forgot what I planted, and thought it was Portuguese hot, by its shape. It turned out to be a Jimmy Nardello - my favourite fresh pepper. I think it was just a little stressed and twisted due to the length of time it grew in low winter light. It was amazing for dinner though. and summer basil and peppers are here. Tomatoes and zucchini by the end of the week would be my guess.

Last year I waited to pick my Fava beans - a bit long and they they where a little hard. This year, I picked early. The beans where bit small but lightly cooked with last couple garlic scapes and olive oil, they where divine.

The blue basket is my dollar store seed collector filled with drying Canton Pak Choy seeds. I removed the seeds and distributed a number to my neighbourhood gardeners.  Very therapeutic collecting the seeds. It may be a bit warm now, but come fall, I wish to have a lot of Pak Choy growing.