The First 80 Degree Day of the Year

As promised we were treated to another amazing Summer-like day today. The high reached 82 and everyone -people, critters, and the plants - were loving it! It has felt kind of funny the last three day having to remember to water my young garden plants each evening. I normally don't have to worry about such things in a typical Oregon Spring but I am not complaining.

The five radish varieties that I planted on the 15th have come up and are growing like - well like radish!

There's a reason that radish are one of the vegetables suggested to plant to encourage young children to garden. You plant them and they come up quickly and do well. This adult still appreciates those qualities too! It won't be too long before I will need to do a bit of thinning in the rows.

Now here's a interesting development in my garlic row. My only hardneck garlic variety that I planted this year, "Chesnook Red", has had a very different growth pattern than the two softneck varieties planted next to it. As you can see in the above picture that was taken last week, these plants have been growing with a low, outward pattern. Each new set of leaves would go up and then reach out resulting in garlic plants that weren't getting very tall. Until this last week when....

suddenly their growth pattern changed and now the leaves are standing straight up. They are now almost as tall as the two softneck varieties and look just like them. So what triggered this change - time of year, temperature, fertilizer? And is this typical of hardneck garlic plants? Inquiring minds want to know!

Behind the garlic, the young onion seedlings have settled in well after being planted a week ago. The remany is protecting them from the birds but I also think gave them some added protection from this sudden, Summer-like weather.

The "Blauschokker Purple Pod" Peas are now growing like crazy up the bean tower. 

And the "Sugar N Spice" Sweet Peas that I planted in the two pots have almost all germinated. Soon I will need to move the pots from the front walkway and set them behind some fencing, safe from the deer.