Broccoli harvest

It's been unusually cold and wet today, so there is not much happening as far as garden work getting done. I planted most of our annuals yesterday. We put in several varieties of zinnia in the front bed and sprinkled them in the street garden as well. The side garden got some vincas and pink torenias. The pool bed got blue torenias and white zinnias.

 I also had to replace a hosta that was in a pot under the back deck patio. For some reason the dogs tore every leaf of the plant. I suspect a lizard was hiding in the foliage and my hosta came out on the short end of that. I transplanted it out into the garden, in a nice shady spot and gave it a dose of high nitrogen fertilizer to try to stimulate some new growth. I dug up another hosta that was in a spot with too much sun (I had a tree die and removed it) so I potted it up and moved it under the patio cover.

 I have a head of Atlantic broccoli ready for harvest and we'll be having that with dinner tonight.

I see from my notes that I transplanted the broccoli into the garden on February 18th, on seeds which were sown indoors on January 21st, which would mean it was just over 60 days from transplant to first harvest. I see no signs of heads forming on any of the other plants though. 

 I also have numerous heads of lettuce which are forming heads. One of which is ready now.

 And the Golden Acre cabbage is starting to head up as well. I'll be making some coleslaw, fried cabbage and sauerkraut soon!

 It is also peak bloom time for most of the iris in my gardens. I have too many to list them all, but here are some pictures of some of my favorites.

This is a Siberian Iris Caesar's Brother

This one is an unnamed deep purple one that I got in a trade with another local gardener.

The white ones in the foreground are a reblooming iris named Immortality. If you keep it watered and feed through the summer, you will be rewarded with more blooms in the late summer.