It's almost mid May. Temperature steadily stays over 10 degrees and above 20 degrees in day time. I'm happy to see strawberry plants start making fruits after blooming.
In Germany, gardeners say "until mid May, there are still chances that kalte Sophie comes". Kalte Sophie means last frost. So we shall plant frost tender plants after that.
I took a look at a weather forecast for the next two weeks, and it seems fine to start planting summer plants. I started with a ground cherry plant we bought from a local organic farm and stayed outside for the last days.
I will bring tomatoes and chilis to balcony in the day time so that they gradually get used to outside climate. Then planting time starts!
Before the summer plants, there will be broad beans. They are now making flowers. it is one of my favorite early summer vegetables, which is not so easily available in Germany. Sometimes Italian shops have it though.
And there is a new comer in the balcony; Miyoga (Japanese Ginger). It has refreshing taste and we use it like herb in Japan.
It is easy to grow Miyoga in Japan or just leave it as it is then it comes back again in the following years. But it doesn't work like this in Germany as it colder in the winter time and it seems its roots die. So I must dig up the roots before frost comes. Last year I failed to do it ... but one of my gardening friends kindly share her plants 😊 Good thing about Miyoga is that it likes shadowy place. So I placed it under the balcony table.
After maintaining plants, as always, I enjoyed a cup of coffee in the silent and fresh morning balcony.
Happy gardening!
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ドイツもずいぶん気温が安定してきました。朝晩はまだまだ涼しいですが、最低気温が10度を、日中の気温が20度を超えつつあります。
いちごの花びらが落ちてお尻が見えてきて、空豆の花が咲いて、春の収穫が間近です。夏野菜もそろそろ植えられそうで、第一弾のホオズキを植えました。子供がホオズキを気に入っていて、それならバルコニーで育ててみようと地元のオーガニックの農家の苗を買ってきました。
そうそう、バルコニーに茗荷がやってきました！日本だと植えっぱなしで良いのですが、ドイツでは冬の寒さが厳しく、油断するとダメにしてしまうのです。去年やらかしてしまい、苗を注文しようと思っていた矢先にお友達が分けてくれることになりました。茗荷はジメジメした日当たりの悪い場所が好きなので、机の下のデッドスペースへ。
今日から夏野菜の苗を外に出して外気に慣らして行こうと思います。
それではみなさん happy gardening!