Garden Update

Last night we got some rain. Well, actually, we got quite a bit of rain...and some sizable hail...all in the course of an hour. So this evening, I thought it might be a good idea to go check on the veggies in the garden. Here's what I found:

My onions are doing great! The tops are nearly three inches tall, and I'm so excited to have green onions (scallions) and yellow onions! But I'm getting impatient...

The parsnips and carrots took a bit of a beating from the hail last night, but there are a few of each with good, hardy tops. I'll keep succession planting so I can hopefully have plenty to can.

The peas are doing wonderfully! They're climbing the trellises like crazy, and we've even got some good pods forming.



Just a few of the many pods 
I sacrificed a pod to see how things were going...not bad!

A few of the pea plants were broken by last night's hail, but I think they'll pull out of it. I've still got eight square feet of space to fill with succession plantings, so I think we'll be alright. :)
Last week, I planted four new tomato plants to replace the four the critters ate. I also bought and applied a natural deer/rabbit repellent to deter future critters. But, alas, only two of them survived critters. And after last night, the remaining two are gone as well. :( However, I will not give up. I will get more plants this week, but this time, I'm going to go ahead and put the cages around them, and then I'm going to wrap the cages in some sort of small fencing. I'll teach those critters!
The two jalapenos and three of the four bell peppers are doing well, but the fourth bell pepper took a bit of a hit from the hail. I'm going to wait and see if it can pull through before I consider replacing it.
I think it's gotten a little too warm for spinach and arugula, but I do have a few sprouts popping up, so time will tell. On the other hand, the lettuce is doing quite well! I plan to get some more seeds in the ground this coming weekend to keep the salad bowl going.

Yum!

The green beans have barely survived the critters, but I'm still succession planting and crossing my fingers for a good crop.
And finally, the herbs. The parsley was slow to start and just started doing well last week. And then last night, the hail beat it up. The basil is also taking its sweet time, but the cilantro is growing like a weed! If any of you want some cilantro, please let me know! It's screaming to be a part of your next Mexican meal!

Did I mention that this smells absolutely fantastic?

So far this year, gardening has been a bit of a roller coaster. Between critters and hail, we've suffered a little bit of loss, but the amazing success of the peas and cilantro have given me hope. This is a learning experience, and I'm having a blast with it!
How are your veggies doing? Are they thriving? Are you having to overcome any pests?