Putting Stuff Out Early

I am not sure what I am thinking this year, but I'm sort of throwing things out in the garden way too early. Or planting them indoors way too early, like the pumpkin fiasco (I seeded more pumpkins a few weeks ago and hoping for the best.) I think it's a reaction to last year, when every step seemed to happen two weeks too late.

I put the EGGPLANTS out! Yes, the eggplants. My friend S said, "Oh no!" when I told her, which was not good news, but she was right. Oh no! One has already died. The others seem to be surviving, but at what cost! I don't know. I can't exactly take them back in, once they go out. We should have two solid days of hot weather starting tomorrow, so I'm hoping they will gain some momentum then. I also put out the tomatoes which also seem mediocre. Well, the problem started when I sowed all of these. I started them indoors too early, and suddenly they were trying to get out of their little cups! So instead of transplanting them to bigger pots AGAIN, I decided since it was May already, to just put them out. Now, I'm trying not to bite my cuticles (since I got my teeth fixed), and I'm hoping they will be ok, or that most of them will.

The peppers will go into big pots (they will be in containers), and possibly go out tomorrow. I know... I'm wondering about that. The eggplants are all in containers and I'm hoping it helps keep their soil warmer that way. Last year they did well in containers! I should also mention that the eggplants and tomatoes all have row cover, light as it is. I have been lazy at getting more row cover and that is also part of the problem. I keep thinking I have enough, but I really don't, or it's in bad shape and i really just need more.

The collard greens are doing great, so is the spinach and all of the lettuce. Time for harvesting already! Very exciting! The potatoes are about an inch and a half up already too, and for some reason I'm noticing what look like some volunteer potatoes in odd spots around the garden - or perhaps they are a weed that resemble the potato plant? I busted out my weeds of the northwest book, but haven't really checked it out yet.

I have one bed that seems to be doing well with its attempt at a guild. I have lettuce, beets, some wildflowers, onions and chicory all in alternating rows. Plus this rose that I yanked to make way for the vegetable bed that does NOT want to quit. It keeps appearing and I keep pulling it.

The greens and onions that I put out that were covered with minimal row cover seem to be doing far better than the ones that did not have row cover. I wanted to do a test, and could spare the extra onions and collards, so now I know. When in doubt, cover.

I also planted more beans since the other ones rotted (another overzealous moment). And the peas, although still only 6 inches or so are doing really well.

I'm hoping to water a lot better this year, and I'm trying to water every other day but for much longer and actually aerate the dirt quite a bit. D can now use the sprayer and she helps with watering too!

And lastly, the wildflowers all seem to be doing really well. It's exciting that new successes are happening and things are different this year! I'm hoping to get out and do a lot more planting this week and weekend.