Everything is late. The trees are blooming later than usual, fruits are much smaller than they should be, vegetables are late in their growth, we’re not harvesting as we should be this time of the year, everything is just late. The unusually cold April and May delayed the normal growth of the plants and we’ll most likely have a late harvest period, also the 200mm of rain we had during May didn’t help at all.

Finally last 5 days we’re having some nice weather and it feels like everything is just booming and growing twice as fast as usual. 

The blackberries finally started blossoming last week, almost 45 days later than usual. The normal flowering period for my blackberries is around the middle of April and this year they are later than ever. Normally I had my first fruits at the beginning of July and this year I seriously doubt I’ll see any before August. The late-blooming has only one good side, the flowers didn’t freeze. 

Unlike most of the fruits in the orchard, apples didn’t freeze and we’ll most likely have some fruits this year. Cherries, plums, early apples, and apricots froze completely and there will be no fruits this year, but late summer apples are alive and growing. 

Leeks are finally big enough to start thinning them out and harvesting the first young plants. I’ve planted all my leeks in groups of 3 and now I’ll be removing the extra plants. 

Last year’s chard is also almost ready for harvest. I’ll be harvesting them soon, but I already have some new plants ready and I’m hoping for a continuous harvest. 

Strawberries are also finally starting to turn red, also weeks later than usual, but at least they are growing, unlike garlic which is still not ready for harvest and it’s in the middle of the growth. I can’t use it anymore for young green garlic and it’s still too small for heads.