This year is flying past. It has been a cold wet year here in Oregon. This is what Steve Solomon, author of “Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades,” would call a cabbage year. If you are growing a garden to actually feed your family you’d better be growing cabbage. Many people till their garden area around May 15 and put in all their starts in a single weekend.
Corn seed rots pretty quickly in cold wet soils, so planting too early or when the ground is still cold will result in very low rates of germination and stunted growth. Yesterday, I saw the first signs of life from my corn area, little two-inch shoots coming up. I soak my seed in warm water to hasten germination. I have found it makes a real difference.
My tomato plants are growing beautifully and are covered with blossoms. I had several extra tomatoes I had started, so I gave a few to my son and a few more to my son in law.
Temperature really makes a big difference. My tomatoes are in a 20′ x 50′ cloche. The cloches have made the difference between life and death for the plants, and the ones located in the more protected center of the cloche look much better.
My pepper plants are nearly a foot tall and have blossoms on them, and the eggplants are growing well, although they are not blossoming yet. The snow peas are growing like crazy.
As you are reading this, it is July, but there are plenty of things you can still plant now for a harvest this year. Look at maturity dates on seed packs. Anything 60 days or less should be a safe bet, and since we have had such a cool wet spring, we may have a warm dry September.
There are varieties of most vegetables that can still be started: beans, beets, carrots, and corn. If you buy good sized early tomato plants, you should get a harvest of tomatoes, as well.
I have a friend who tills his ground once it is warm enough, and plants everything all out in one weekend. When temperatures are warm, things grow much more rapidly, so you have fewer hassles with rot and bugs.
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