Our raised bed is booming at both ends, and we're working on getting the middle filled in.

At one end, we've got a spicy salad mix that includes mustard greens, frisee, and a few other things that we're not exactly sure what they are (if you recognize any of it, definitely let me know!).



As you can see, just a few hot and sunny days in Seattle, combined with the fact that we weren't quite sure when/how to harvest these greens, means they got a little bit TOO big, and the frisee totally bolted. However, this weekend we finally got around to plucking the biggest of the greens. Our first harvest of the year! Sadly, the bolted frisee was pretty much a loss, though I did enjoy its pretty yellow flowers. On the other hand, those big fat mustard green leaves cooked up beautifully in a simple fritatta that included bok choy purchased from one of our nearby farmers markets, a little onion and garlic, and some grape tomatoes. Topped with salsa verde and sour cream, it made a scrumptious dinner, much of which even our 8-month-old could eat.

Also down at that end of the bed, the peas are already fattening up, and some of them were ready to harvest this morning. We haven't eaten what we picked yet, but I did taste one while still out in the garden, and it was sweet and juicy. The flavor of summer. Here, have a look:




I think, as a newbie gardener, peas are my favorite. So easy to make them grow and they aren't fussy if you plant them a smidgen too early in the season. Plus, it gives you an excuse to build some kind of lattice/climbing contraption. We made do with some pieces of wood and string we had around the house, and I think it actually looks pretty good! Also, they have really taught me that the notion that plants are immobile is a fallacy. These little guys can move, reaching their tendrils across wide spaces and winding themselves around anything that they can find. Finally, what's not to love about their sweet and dainty flowers?

Down at the other end of our veggie bed, the squash plants pretty much doubled in size during last week's heat wave. We have two varieties: black beauty zucchini and butternut squash. I'm thinking it's a good thing we heeded the spacing directions on the seed packet, since these bad boys are growing as if they are on steroids.



So that's what's going on in the veggie bed. All this lush greenery got us excited to plant a few more things this weekend. We now have leeks, onions, chard, beets, cucumbers, pole beans, and a couple of kinds of peppers in the ground. We just went for it and planted from seeds, so I'm pretty nervous that they won't actually grow, but we figured it was worth a try.

I'll end with a final shot. This is my husband's project more than it is my own. He is trying the whole upside-down-tomato thing and has started two plants growing down out of the bottom of some buckets. They're doing great so far, about 2 weeks after transplanting into their new gravity-defying position.

This time of year is so exciting! Our seedlings are coming up after a series of warm days. Here's a few fun ones.

Row of spinach


A few up-and-coming snow peas


Mixed lettuce sprouts


Garlic is getting gigantic!

What's happening in your garden?

Peas are one of my most favorite types of plants. They really thrive in the wet and cold spring of Montana, and then they tend to wilt when the heat of summer gets cooking (usually July) which conveniently allows sunlight to pass through the row and reach the summer heat-loving veggies that I plant near them. They do well in many other parts of the country, too - check with your local extension office for varieties.

In my garden, I plant all four of the basic types of peas - sweet, snow, snap, and shelling. Assuming you've got a good climate for peas (long, cool and wet spring), there are only three things you really need to figure out when it comes to peas. The first is what kind of pea you want (more on that in a sec). The second is whether or not your soil has the right microorganisms to grow peas, which is easily remedied if it is an issue. And the third is what you want the peas to climb. A wire fence that is at least 2 1/2 feet tall is best, but anything will do - a rock wall, some sticks and string, a trellis... the possibilities are endless. Peas are good climbers and will create a wall of vegetation along whatever they are able to climb.

Here are the types of peas:

• Sweet Peas: Gorgeous ornamentals and fantastic for cut flowers. The flowers come in all sorts of vivid and amazing colors, and last a long time once cut. These are a fun way to add nitrogen to the soil in a flower bed, while still producing a beautiful flower.


• Snow Peas: Thick podded peas that mature early, and you eat the whole darn thing. The peas itself is not nearly as important as the pod, which is almost string free and very succulent. So delicious!


• Snap Peas: Another thick podded pea that matures medium-to-early. Again, you eat the whole thing, but in this case your goal is a tasty pea in an edible pod. Some strings, but not a problem.


• Shelling Peas: A thin podded pea that matures later than the other kinds, with the goal being eating just the peas. The pods are thin and fibrous, and best to just compost (and not eat). This is the kind of pea you usually buy frozen in the store.

Now that you know your classes of peas, just select the type you want. For me, the Oregon Sugar Pod (a Snow Pea variety) is the proven winner. But I also grow Alaskas (Shelling) and Sugar Snaps (Snaps, of course). For Sweet Peas, just pick the color and height you want and go for it. I like the Royal Mixes myself, because the variety of colors lets me cut different tones of flowers to fill arrangements according to my mood. All red one week, lavender and pink the next!

Don't be intimidated by the microorganism thing. All legumes (peas, lentils, clover, and more) need certain tiny organisms living in the soil to thrive. The easiest thing to do to figure out if you soil is already colonized is to answer this question: Is there clover all around your yard and garden, perhaps driving you crazy? If so, you're set. Now, if you are thinking, "Well, I have a little clover here, and a little there... but it isn't everywhere," then you need to go to step two: Clover inspection.

Dig up a clover plant and shake all the dirt off the roots. Are there lots of weird little buttony-knobby things sprinkled around the roots? These are the little houses for the microorganisms that legumes need to thrive. If you clover has them, your peas will have them. It won't hurt you to skip the step of inoculating the peas, in this case.

Now... if you have no clover, or if you are starting from all imported fresh soil, or if you just want to hedge your bets, you'll need some "inoculant." It is usually a powder that you sprinkle on the soil, as you plant the peas, to help them grow. It is available as an organic product. Personally, I have never inoculated my peas because I have clover growing out of every nook and cranny of my entire property. But if you are in doubt, it might really help your peas out. Some people swear by it.