Only a week remains before the summer solstice, but I hardly need a calendar to tell me that; it’s written all over the garden. Lettuce heads that didn’t get harvested in time have begun to grow upward rather than outward, sending up tall flowering stalks in the heat. The pea vines, having enjoyed a good two weeks of peak production, now look tired and yellow. And the radishes, too, will soon grow bitter and pithy in the long, warm days.
But the summer vegetables – now is their time to shine. The summer squash plants already threaten to spill over the edges of their beds, and tiny zucchini lengthen by the day at the base of large, golden blossoms. Though the cucamelon vines have a bit of growing to do yet before they put on flowers, I’ve spotted at least one miniscule slicing cucumber. And the tomatoes! The cherry tomato vines are covered in big clusters of little yellow blooms, and the early tomato vines already bear small green fruits.
So you might see zucchini on the table in a week or two, and perpetual spinach chard will begin to replace the spring greens. For now, though, let’s savor the flavors of spring. The final spring plantings of lettuce and radishes still wait crisp and sweet in the beds, and the peas have one last crop waiting to be picked. Come to the Broadway Community Market this Saturday to find:
- sugar snap peas
- radishes
- lettuce
- kale
- chard (maybe!)
- garlic salt
- crocheted items
Don’t forget: this Sunday is Father’s Day! Support local small businesses at the Broadway Community Market and find unique, heartfelt gifts for the father figures in your life. Plus, every purchase at the market this month earns you an entry into a weekly drawing and the grand-prize drawing at the end of June!
See you at the market!