We had a dry and cool spring this year in North Stonington and it had several strange effects on the garden. The most prominent of these has been a major infestation of Gypsy Moth caterpillars which are stripping all of the trees and shrubs of their leaves. Most badly hit were the blueberries and raspberries, so our soft-fruit crops have been quite low.
We have managed to get some other things going, and to-date we have enjoyed harvests of broccoli, lettuce, bok choi, radishes, and raspberries. We are looking forward to beans, cucumbers, potatoes, kale and Swiss chard in a few weeks. The warm weather crops (okra and tomatillos) were planted earlier today.
We are benefitting from upgrading the raised beds last season with concrete block surrounds, and we have also switched to a drip irrigation system that is much simpler and lower maintenance than our original soaker hose system. This has been combined with a thin back plastic mulch to keep the weeds down and some mini-polytunnels to encourage early germination.
On balance we are doing a little better in our garden each year and slowly learning what works (and what does not) each year that we are here. And we are having fun and enjoying lots of fresh produce along the way!
Gypsy Moth caterpillars
Poor blueberry bushes!
Potatoes and beans in our new raised beds
More potatoes, peppers and carrots
The new mini-polytunnels to help germinate the leafy veggies
(lettuce, Swiss chard, and kale)
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