Recently in house Category

Today is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. We Seattleites are famed weather snobs. Yes, it rains here, we know that. The summers are also so bloody spectacular that only fools leave town. This year has been different. A drier-than-usual winter was followed by a wetter- and colder-than-usual spring. For instance, yesterday tied a record for the lowest high temperature for the date. And this is latest in a calendar year in recorded temperature history that the city has gone without a 75-degree day.

Needless to say, the conditions haven't been ideal for my first summer of growing in my yard. The cherry tree seems to be doing quite well. I don't think it's any appreciably taller, but certainly full of leaves.

No fruit likely this year. In fact, I'm not sure at what year it should start bearing yummy Rainier cherries. I also plan to move the tree next year to a more open spot in the yard. Its current locale is crowded out by a plum tree and an older tree in my neighbor's yard whose branches block out some sun.

In two dug-out vegetable patches, I planted seeds for eight different vegetables: two tomato varieties, summer and fall squash, lemon cucumbers, hot peppers, sugar snap peas, and radishes. Yes, seeds. I went all D-I-Y I guess, starting from "scratch," horticulturally speaking. Vegetable starts would have been a better option. All the lack of sun this "Junuary" has it looking like the tomatoes and peppers are non-starters. The next weakest link are the lemon cucumbers. The fall and summer squash look like they're going to be OK. Best of the bunch are the radishes for which my father gave me no marks saying they're incredibly easy to grow (Mr. Born-and-Raised-in-Brooklyn would know) and the snap peas. My lovely stake and netting creation pictured below. Stay tuned.

Now let's hope it bears fruit. Rainier cherries to be precise. It is indeed still February here in the Pacific Northwest, but we've had a winter of global climate change: no snow, less-than-average rain, and temperatures recently that kissed 60° F.

So, I'm trying my hand at growing something taller than an 6" indoor houseplant. We'll see how it goes.