May 2019 Garden Update... Yes I'm Still Alive and Still Gardening!!

Its been about 2 years since I updated this blog!  But I am still gardening, just had gotten too busy to blog. 
So here is the state of my garden as of mid May.  I am transitioning from cool weather plants to the summer veggies.

My co-worker had started some "Biker Billy" jalapenos from seed, and he had a few extra seedlings that he gave to me, so I planted them about a week ago.  Here they are below.  We have a new puppy this year, a black Lab named Missy.  Maggie,our old dog, died last year.  Missy likes to jump into the garden area, and so the white small fences are an attempt to provide some protection to the small plants

Biker Billy's Jalapenos

I had saved some squash seeds a few years ago, but forgot to label them, and so I planted some of the mystery squash this year.    But I think it was actually sugar pie pumpkins.  I can see a few small female flowers present that look like pumpkins.  I also had save some cucumber seeds last year, and planted a few this year.   Here they are below, along with some garlic plants in between

cucumbers on left, pumpkins on the right

 Last year I planted 5 asparagus plants in the spring. This year they came up again, but I didn't pick any because I want the plants to get strong for next year.  So here they are now, and they have flowered and have berries on them.

asparagus plants

One problem I've been plagued with in early spring is the explosion of spider mites.  This year was pretty bad.  Many of my cool weather plants were severely infested. Here are some beet seedlings that had been affected, and haven't really grown much.

sickly looking beets

 Some of my spinach, and cilantro, and peas all got hit hard. I also had a huge explosion of aphids on my cabbage and kale.  The lady bugs came, but it was too late.  So my kale did ok, because most of it was planted in the fall, and we got some good harvests, but the cabbage didn't.
Anyway, the cool weather plants are on their way out.    Below are some lettuce that are bolting, some spinach and cilantro that are bolted, and some old remaining cabbage and kale. It needs to be pulled out soon.  I'm saving alot of the spinach seed for this fall.

bolted and dying letuce and spinach,along with some cilantro

Last fall I also put in some garlic again, mainly elephant garlic.  Its done well, and probably another month until it can be harvested:

one of two garlic patches

 Hubbard Squash

Wanted to try Hubbard Squash again this year.  I got a late start unfortunately, and the plants are not as far along as I would like them to be in order to beat the inevitable Squash Vine Borers (SVB).

I put them in early April.  Two set fruit pretty early.  One of the fruit has matured some but is small, and the plant has not grown much.  

 The other plant, its first fruit died but the plant is growing well,and it has another female flower that will open tomorrow.

 There are no signs of SVB yet in my yard.  But I know its any day now.  I saw a moth at a community garden this past week on my way to work.  (I bike to work,and sometimes stop and see what's happening at some gardens about 4 miles north,on my way to work).  But none here at my house yet.  Unfortunately the Squash Bugs have made an early appearance.  I've killed quite a few and crushed some eggs.  At the community gardens, i've seen lots there too.  I think some of those folks may be oblivious, and don't know what's going on with their plants.


Tomatoes
I planted from seed three varieties: Beefsteak, Rutgers, and Roma. All heirloom types. All are fruiting now, but the plants have been attacked by spider mites.  They still look decent though.  Some of the fruit are splitting unfortunately.