Six on Saturday – Going All Out

After a cool April, May’s weather transformed from cold to hot summer practically overnight, so all of a sudden, the garden went through a metamorphosis; everything has turned greener, but even through a colour-blind filter, it would be evident that the plants have started growing at a faster pace.  In my garden, I am featuring the following crops to join Six on Saturday, hosted by Jim Stephens @ Garden Ruminations: 

Sugar Ann snap peas never disappoint, growing through cool weather, and now showing off their delicate flowers (photo at the top), and offering crunchy and delicious pods:

These vigorous plants grow only to about 2 ft (60 cm) in height, but I still like to train them on a chicken wire mesh, so the flowers and pods do not get muddy, or damaged by parasites in the ground.  

The seed that I started indoors somehow sprouted and developed slower than in previous years, and last month, a couple of trips kept me away from caring consistently for them, so I am sad to report that all my cucamelon sprouts died; I have sown more seed, at this point directly in soil hills outdoors.  My hot peppers, tomatillos and tomatoes all survived, though, and it is time to harden-off and transplant to outdoor pots and garden beds. 

Below, two tomatillo seedlings adapting well to the soil:

A hot pepper sprout developing true leaves:

And two tomato seedlings already hardened-off outdoors, waiting to be transplanted:

The hardneck garlic sown last fall is now forming flower buds, called  scapes:

The pointy buds will get harvested soon, encouraging the underground bulbs to grow bigger.  These scapes will be welcomed in the kitchen, as last-year’s reserve of garlic and scape pesto have been depleted almost completely.

Epazote is an herb really easy to grow, and in the fall, a plant or two may be left to seed, producing plenty of volunteers the following late spring.  The plants then grow fast:

Epazote leaves may be harvested as needed, just perfect timing right now, since most of the leaves preserved in the freezer have been used up.

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I am also joining Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD) Photo Challenge for June 3, 2023.