early summer happenings in the garden

Abby is a regular guest writer of tend & we are so happy to have her here once more! Thanks again, Abby. Psst- take a look at her hoop house!  

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Since summer just officially arrived, I thought I'd share a few of the things happening in our early summer garden.

In our 3rd year at our place, I am starting to feel like we have a solid foundation to build on, allowing for a greater momentum all the time.

Our little upper garden is more productive each year, and the soil is looking healthier than ever.

The "industrial worm bin" (seen in the distance), is slowly turning into rich compost. The wildflowers and perennial herbs maintain themselves, and are a treat for the eyes every spring and summer. They are also a great attraction for pollinators and other beneficial insects.

It's mild enough here in the winters, that we are able to grow greens (particularly kale), carrots and beets all year long. This is my first year focusing more heavily on lettuces.

The summers here are also quite mild, so peas will continue to produce through much of the season.

We recently built a hoop house to make it easier to grow heat loving plants like tomatoes, peppers and melons. This year we decided to go hog wild with tomatoes! The hoop house will serve as the epicenter for a lower garden, which we hope to start creating very soon.

I harvested our first artichokes today. Seems early, but I sure don't mind.

And the first sunflowers have already bloomed. This one was planted by a squirrel, and should produce a head full of black sunflower seeds for the birds.

June is always such an exciting time in the garden, where everything is getting well established and it still feels like it's only just begun. What gets you excited in your garden this time of year?