Keyhole Garden Progress Update
It's been a month since I posted on the progress on my year round keyhole food garden so I thought now would be a good time for an update with a few photos.
It's been a month since I posted on the progress on my year round keyhole food garden so I thought now would be a good time for an update with a few photos.
A year after building my keyhole garden I've learned a few lessons. Here's a quick list of tips to keep your keyhole garden happy and productive through the growing season.
Weather took a turn from cool and damp to hot and dry, all but putting a spike in what remains of the romaine. For the spring replacements we brought in Genovese basil (front left) and yellow pear tomatoes (mid left, can't see them yet). The cucumbers are fruiting and the frying peppers are really leafing out now that they're no longer in the shade of winter's lettuce.
Not much new this week. The lettuces continue to putter out and what remains of the bok choi looks like it's about to bolt. On the other hand, the tomatillos and cucumbers are flowering and I've got a couple of yellow pear tomato (the wife's favorite) seedlings getting ready to move into the bed, so we're in good shape.
The weather is warming and the days are longer giving the cucumbers a chance to finally kick into high gear (too bad the dill is done). The garlic and tomatillos seem to sense warmer weather too.
The keyhole garden is in that awkward transitional stage between Winter and Spring. Winter veggies and herbs are petering out while spring plants like tomatillos, peppers, cucumbers and onions are just getting started.
Warm weather followed by a week of rain has really kicked the leafy greens into high gear. On the front left you can see the remainder of the romaine heads giving one last push. Meanwhile on the right, it's a motley assortment of loose leaf greens, spinach and cilantro. One head of broccoli remains as does the red cabbage (back and center right). The dill I have planted around the perimeter of the compost bin (center) is thick, leafy and [keep reading...]
The winter crops continue their rotation out of the bed. Broccoli is all done (save 1 plant), and the Romaine lettuce and peas are calling it quits as well. We cut the cilantro down to an inch high to keep it leafy and stop it from bolting. I replaced the broccoli with cucumbers (National Pickling) over this past weekend and infilled some of the empty spot in the lettuces with spinach (Space) I'd been holding in the greenhouse. Just a [keep reading...]
Winter crops are petering out in the keyhole garden. Broccoli is heading out, cabbage is ripe, peas have been picked and the Romaine lettuce is about done. Just in time too. Cucumbers, more lettuce, tomatillos and tomatoes are all waiting in the greenhouse for their turn in the garden.
We've been harvesting romaine lettuce and cilantro for several weeks, and we cut our first head of broccoli just the other day. Tom Thumb peas are all ripe and ready to be harvested too. Good thing. The greenhouse holds spring vegetable seedlings getting close to transplant time.