Back in March or April, I planted a row of radicchio seeds I got through a swap. There were a taller variety than I usually grow. They leafed out just fine, but the early hot weather we got seems like it doomed them. This is one of the last ones I kept around, in the hopes it would form a head. It’s too bitter for the hens so it’s off to the compost pile for it. Bummer.

On a more positive note, this bed yielded a bounty of tight purple Leonardo radicchio alongside Red Russian kale. The kale is still producing – though it is slowing down – and has been joined by ginger and a few small heads of Sparx romaine which as on their way out already.

The tomatoes are stretching towards the sun and beginning to produce a few small field snacks.

The apple trees out front received their solstice pruning. I mulched them yesterday (after this photo was taken) before the rain came. They seem to be liking the companion plants I introduced this year – borage, yarrow, and chives – as the leaf rust has kept away and I don’t see any of the aphids which a neighbor has been complaining about.

Lima beans are sprouting.