Garden Update – First Cucumber

Digging new garden beds is hard work, especially when you’re turning over a field that hasn’t been used in years. On the one hand, the weeds were deep, making breaking down the sods a back-breaking chore. On the plus side, the soil is in wonderful condition and, as it has been rested for several years, I suspect it is rich and fertile. After a few weeks of toil, first by both Arūnas and then by me, we finally got two large beds planted. Coupled with the kitchen garden that I planted beside the polytunnel and the plants in the polytunnel itself I have now planted nearly 50 different varieties of the following vegetables and herbs:

1. Basil
2. Beetroot
3. Broccoli
4. Brussels Sprouts
5. Cabbage
6. Carrots
7. Cauliflower
8. Celery
9. Chard
10. Chillies
11. Coriander
12. Courgette
13. Cucumbers
14. Dill
15. Garlic
16. Garlic, wild
17. Kale
18. Leeks
19. Lettuce
20. Melon
21. Onions
22. Parsley
23. Peas
24. Peppers, Sweet
25. Physalis
26. Rocket
27. Rocket (mild)
28. Sage
29. Sorrel
30. Spinach
31. Tarragon
32. Tomatoes

I’m not sure how well these will do in our climate – there may be a reason that no one grows kale in Lithuania – but planting them is the best way to find out. As with the winter just passed, the current weather in Lithuania is untypical for the time of year and has us gardeners in a bit of a tizzy. We’re getting lots of rain, which does reduce the need for watering, but we are not getting the sun and heat that would normally arrive in the latter half of May. As such, seeds are not germinating as quickly as expected and progress in the garden is slow. I planted seeds in my kitchen garden in early May and so far only the lettuce, spinach and rocket seeds have shown their heads above ground. I long to start eating summer salads and am willing the lettuce and onions to grow, but I suspect it will be at least another two weeks before I get to enjoy any produce from the garden. I am having better luck in the polytunnel, where I have already harvested my first ever cucumber. I’d never seen cucumbers growing before and I checked them each day, fascinated by how quickly they matured. There were two side by side that reached the point of perfection on the same day, so Arūnas and I had one each. They were perfect – crunchy and juicy with not a hint of bitterness. There are lots more coming through but they seem to be taken their time. I’m not sure if this is down to a lull in the amount of sunshine we’re getting or perhaps because I’m underwatering them – I guess I’ll just have to see what happens as time moves on. I’m hoping that in a month or so I’ll be overrun with cucumbers and will have plenty for salads, pickles and for using in šaltibarščiai. My tomato plants are doing well – they are lush and green. A few of them have flowers but as yet I’ve seen no fruit emerging. I’ve never grown tomatoes before and I can’t wait to see how they appear. My pepper plants are also doing well and a number of peppers have started to develop. One is now quite long and I’m hoping it will start to fill out into a nice bell shape. Now that all my seeds are planted I feel like I’m in gardening limbo. I can’t even weed until the plants get a little bigger for fear of accidentally pulling up seedlings. My greenhouse is very well-tended – Arūnas tells me I’m only short of talking to the plants in there. I think I need a few more beds to keep me busy . “Darling, are you free to do some digging?” Like what you see? Then please subscribe to My Food Odyssey. Alternatively you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.