The radishes are here!  The first of the crops.  Beautiful pink and red orbs peeking through the soil.  What gifts.  I appreciate food so much more in a garden.

Checklist this week:

 

#1 All seedlings that are four inches tall must get thinned.  Gosh, they worked so dang hard to grow for you and then you just yank them out of the ground!  But we can’t let everyone grow in one spot, or they won’t grow at all.  The broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage gets down to one plant per eight inches.  You could throw the seedlings in a stir-fry, but I forgot about mine after working the rest of the garden and they will just decompose back in the earth.  Give the ones standing some encouragement!

 

#2 I use a hoe or trowel to make trenches down rows.  This doesn’t work in all the rows as they are so tightly planted this year but between corn rows is a real time saver later.  When the corn is so tall and the pumpkins are spread all over, it is nice to fill the trenches two inches with water with a hose from one end of the garden and its done.  A mindful use of water and quick.  Though, quick isn’t always the goal.  It is so nice to be in the garden.

 

#3 Harvest your delicious radishes as they get about one inch wide.  Not too big or they get woody.  This allows the radishes next to them to spread out as well.

 

#4 Replant what is missing.  I am missing a lot of corn.  Not sure if the package wasn’t good or the birds around those parts love corn in the soil, but I planted a few more for good measure but really, we only have a four month growing season so they probably won’t make it.  Faster growing plants can be seeded still.

 

#5 Water daily, pick weeds, but don’t get stressed about it.  Cherokee roses are in bloom!

#6 Spend time in your garden this week just sitting.  Or reading.  Or daydreaming.  Doug caught this picture of me in the garden.  I love that garden.

Enjoy the week because next week we thin carrots!  ugh!