All clear and small harvest.

 It got more windy yesterday and sure enough it is clear with only a hint of clouds at the horizon today.I think it's going to be clear or at least for a few days. Windchimes haven't stopped playing all day so far which is a good sound.

And again the blue is much darker than it actually is but still a big contrast to yesterday and the day before of mostly cloudy.

 

Sunny and beautiful garden. The corner trap surprisingly had millipedes in it and they're another sign that the soil underneath the surface where the leaves and logs are is being broken down by nature. These little guys feed on decaying matter like snails, slugs, pillbugs and all that. Unlike pillbugs, these will only eat roots and live leaves if the soil dries out and there's no other choice. There's plenty of organic matter in that soil and it is far from drying out. the other traps did have some pillbugs in them but not much else.

 

 

The thistle is close to three feet tall now and the base of the stem is close to two inches across. This is a monster and I suspect I'll have to dig it out with the shovel but for now it's kind of fun seeing it grow.

 

I made an executive garden decision and harvested some of the leaves on the large Romaine in the raised bed then looked at the carrots. I saw shoulders showing on the biggest one and decided it was ready. Might have been a week or two too soon but oh well. Looking at the size they're supposed to be, that's still a baby carrot. Chantenay are supposed to get 5-6 inches long and at least an inch across at the base. Oops. So the rest of the plants are going to stay in for a much longer time.

The difference in the leaf size between the raised bed and the ones in the ground are really interesting and is a testament to the nutrient levels.

Hard to tell but the smallest leaf in my hand is the same size as the largest leaf on the plants in the ground. The leaves are darker and stouter in the ground so I'm thinking probably less nitrogen and more potassium/phosphorus in that bed. Lots and lots of nitrogen in the other bed for sure. There's enough of all the nutrients for everything to thrive and grow at least. The Romaine in that west bed I'll probably leave to grow full size without taking any leaves off given their growth habit right now.

The cilantro is happy no matter where it is. Out in the sun it grows more flat and open where in the shade it's more upright. I saw some video (likely just for effect) of digging up an entire cilantro plant and almost everyone was saying the same thing. Harvest the branches for a bunch not dig up the whole plant. But the video also showed there was more than one plant there so digging up one plant was acceptable. I was going to say it's time to consider planting some seed in the south bed but then remembered I need to amend that soil heavily before I plant anything in there.

Patience grasshopper... ::shhhhh don't jinx it!::