The cooler weather has stunted the sudden boom of our burgeoning gardens. I did notice many new tomatoes that were a result of the heated boost and ripening strawberries but since things have slowed. A little less daily change is occurring as things acclimate to the average spring breeze and heat, low-80's. I expect that things will ripen a little later than expected unless the heat rises before July drastically. Around here July and August are hot and humid but most of the plants will have spent there time in the soil by then and be coming to there second cycle or completed there cycle. Some will produce riper and sweeter fruits and veggies and some will just start production like the melons but on the overall PM is a spring garden. So hopefully I'll get the heat I need soon enough to plant all the cycles i'd planned.
Leafy Greens...
Although the lettuce didn't wilt or die during the highly heated days of last week I did notice that they started to tighten and form heads. The iceberg type plants weren't doing this before our high-90's days. I've since pulled a few leaves back from the head and harvested them but I don't know that they'll grow those beautiful large loose leaves we were getting in the beginning. I may not have executed the "cut & come again" method as properly as I'd thought.
The other cool weather crop that I saw change in was the spinach, the Bloomsdale long-standing spinach, it seemed to really be blooming at first and then all of a sudden a few of the bigger better looking plants went to seed. it was incredible how quickly it all happened in maybe 24 hours the plants that bolted went from lush and ready to perform a "cut & come again" to seed. Once a plant has gone to seed you either must pick the entire plant or let it flower and seed to , well, collect the seeds. So I harvested those plants and a few of the leaves from plants that hasn't bolted for a nicely sized salad. The same happened to the spring mix but not in such a drastic way. A few of the leaves went to seed, maybe 4 out of 70, and other grew an enormous amount. Either way it was obvious that they needed a good harvest to start the "come again" process. So I clipped them at the base near the root and have been keeping an eye on there regrowing. It's only been a little more than a day so nothin to report yet.
Otherwise, things are good. Even my dead and ailing slips seem to be taking root and growing more healthy with each passing day. I don't know, yet, that all 4 will make it but from the looks of the leaves they seem to be trying.
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