Rule #20: You don't need to plant a lot of swiss chard for big results!

The swiss chard is just going crazy. I would say I planted about 10- 15 plants with only about 4 or five inches between them so they really don't take up that much room in the garden.  A few spots are growing 2 or 3 plants, but I didn't thin it and it seems to be working out just fine.  I finally got a yellow on from my silver beet collection of colored chard....so that is pretty cool. I think I have found great spots for my swiss chard, green beans and most other veggies this year. My garden gets varied lighting depending on the bed and I think all the veggies seem happy with their spots this year.  The flowers are also in full bloom. As you can probably tell I love the purples and blues with orange! I am joining Daphne's Dandelions again to share my harvest and see harvests around the world.

Father's day haul.  We thinned the carrots and had roasted baby carrots and beets for dinner.

Beets and baby carrots

Beans and Chard

My little gardener

Butterfly bush and lilies

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On of my favorites...Calla Lily from mother's day last year.

On of this weeks harvests!

Yesterday's swiss chard extravaganza.  Green beans are in the bottom of the bowl too.

Rule #19: Create a whole bed dedicated to green beans!

So the green beans are finally here and looking healthy.  I planted supermarconi, marconi, provider, and vanguard.  I just planted another round so that I don't run out and I am hoping that I will actually be able to freeze some this year.  We eat a ton of green beans when we have them, so one of my main goals this year was to increase my bean production because we have been having some bad years with it in the past. Hence the large bed dedicated to beans! We had a great bunch of peas and it looks like we might get another good round in before the plants burn up this year.  I picked the rest of the Tatsoi that was slowly being eaten by caterpillars as well as the kale that seemed like it was bolting.  It's my first time with this Tuscan Kale so I left a few in to see what they do.  The caterpillars liked them too.  Luckily my swiss chard remains pest free for the most part.  I also picked up some lettuce, squash blossoms and 2 baby zucchini that stalled out in the growth department.  My dad always says that you have to knock off a few of the first ones, because they just don't develop right.  most everything else in the garden is looking good. I planted some more fennel and will do more beets and carrots for succession planting.  Really trying to work on that as you can see.  I am really looking forward to starting the radicchio in a few weeks.  Check out some other harvests around the world at Daphne's Dandelions in my links!

From Last weeks Harvest

Swiss Chard

Last weeks Harvest....last of the strawberries for now.

Shelling peas and first of the green beans

More green beans, blossoms and zucs

Kale and Tatsoi

Lettuce