Garden

Carol Pope’s June garden

Kale! Beets! Leeks! Check out Carol Pope's spring vegetable garden.

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Credit: Carol Pope

Carol Pope


In they go! I wanted to get everything planted through April except for the crops that need the heat—primarily zucchini, squash and beans.



Credit: Carol Pope

Carol Pope


I use a 2×4 to line the seedlings up nice and straight.



Credit: Carol Pope

Carol Pope


Hurray! Help from the family!



Credit: Carol Pope

Carol Pope


My Mother’s Day bed is now planted up with beets and Walla Walla onions (plus a few pathetic-looking tomatoes that we decided weren’t worthy of space in the greenhouse—but I was too soft-hearted to throw them away).



Credit: Carol Pope

Carol Pope


So many starts, so little time for planting! We’ve set up our unfinished courtyard area as an “incubator” for now. It works great—I love having a table to work on when I’m planting things up. Our plan is for lots of large container gardens and maybe a few cobblestones for a pretty patio effect in this area—there’s always so much more to do but then the changes each year brings are part of the fun of gardening.



Credit: Carol Pope

Carol Pope


The tomatoes are growing fast inside the greenhouse, and the potatoes on the outside in these very practical containers.



Credit: Carol Pope

Carol Pope


In go the leeks!



Credit: Carol Pope

Carol Pope


Kale, leeks and lots of beets!



Credit: Carol Pope

Carol Pope


It’s amazing how even less than a month can change things in the garden-our leggy kale and Swish chard starts are already big enough for a little scissor harvesting.



Credit: Carol Pope

Carol Pope


I’ve received several compliments about the beautiful flower on this hosta until I pointed out that it was actually a columbine sneaking up through the leaves. As deer think hosta is delicious, I had to find a spot for this gift from my sister-in-law inside the “compound” where we grow our food. I’ve come to like the way rain pools in its dish-like leaves, giving birds and insects of source of water to sip-a nice addition to the pebble-strewn pots I leave about for them on dry days.



Credit: Carol Pope

Carol Pope


Just outside the vegetable-garden gate!



Credit: Carol Pope

Carol Pope


Eat all the weeds you like!



Credit: Carol Pope

Carol Pope


So long as the deer stay out, we’re off to a good start!



Credit: Carol Pope

Carol Pope


Looks like my Mother’s Day beet bed could use a little thinning already! (I’m letting the arugula go to flower so that it can self seed—and also because it’s nice to have a few blossoms about for the bees.)


There’s lots of planting going on in our family garden and greenhouse and I wanted to share a bit of it with you. We still haven’t got the zucchini in, because we need some warm weather for it to germinate and it just won’t stop raining—but on the bright side, the spinach, chard, beets, lettuce and kale are a growing concern!

—Carol Pope, GardenWise editor