It’s been a while since the last garden update from Manitoba, but our correspondent gardener sent one in a couple of weeks ago that I have to share with you. This report is a little dated, and most of us don’t have these types of extreme gardening conditions to contend with, but it always makes me feel a lot warmer to read something out of Michèle’s Manitoba Garden File:

Yes, there’s a change in the air surrounding my vegetable garden but unfortunately it has nothing to do with the heat wave that we have been experiencing. High temperatures and drought continue to dog the garden but at least there have been no more groundhog sightings. Despite the sweltering conditions my garden is beginning the transition from summer into fall veggie gardening.

Well, I guess all it took was a little talking it up to finally get a decent deluge of rainfall on the garden’s raised vegetable beds. Water has been a major topic of conversation on this website over the past few days; with the recent Fountain Review and the Newsletter’s focus on irrigating the garden.

A few weeks ago I wrote an okra article in response to questions that I received from two gardeners growing okra plants in the garden or in containers. Here’s a follow-up report that I received from Linda after recommending that she separate her container grown okra seedlings.

It’s been a while since the last garden update but I’m afraid this one isn’t going to be pretty! What was shaping up as a perfect growing season just a couple of weeks ago has been tempered by the disturbing signs of extensive damage from an unwelcome intruder.

The spring veggies are maturing or approaching harvest time and the garden is yielding Kohl Rabi, broccoli, green garlic, and huge, sweet heads of red and green varieties of heirloom lettuces. Overall the garden looks good and is showing promise of a great growing season.

Last week was wet and cool but the weather has improved greatly and it’s beginning to feel like springtime here in Central Pennsylvania. The Red Buds and other flowering trees are in full bloom, the grass needs mowing, and I’m finally spending more time tending to the garden.

I finally spent some time in the vegetable garden this weekend and there are signs of spring all over. From the green lawn, where a neighbor was actually out mowing the grass; to the trees, which look like they are ready to just explode with blossoms, leaves, and seed pods.