Hey Reader,

I don't mean to brag, but I might have gotten the best Chipdrop of all time.

Those babies are morels, and the only thing I did to grow them was... put a new greenhouse up.

Let's be real, I know diddly squat about growing mushrooms (though I certainly appreciate their many uses). I found them growing inside the edges of the new tunnel while I was switching out some trays this week. Turns out those wood chips I laid to make my pathways look a little nicer were carrying some magical spores.

I also got a blueberry bush in out front this week for the fam. Thank you to Devin for the tip on the Costco deal and for the new-to-me raised beds!

Alright, let's get it into it -

What's at the market this week:

Pea - Sugar Snap Radish - Starburst Broccoli - Di Cicco Cilantro - Slow Bolt Kale - Black Magic Nasturtium - Day and Night Tomato - Dr. Wychee Tomato - Great White Beefsteak Tomato - Cherokee Purple Summer Squash - Yellowfin Zucchini - Black Beauty Japanese Cucumber - Palace Pride Carrot - Solar Yellow Marigold - Dwarf French Marigold - Crackerjack mixed Edamame - BeSweet Edamame - Midori Giant Arugula - Bellezia Quinoa Spinach - Viroflay

Fennel Miner’s Lettuce Onion - Patterson (F1) Onion - Rossa di Milano Kale - Red Russian Lettuce - Flame Beet - Golden Detroit Beet - Detroit Red Sunflower - Velvet Queen Sunflower - Ring of Fire Watermelon - Crimson Sweet Cucumber - Boston Pickling Cucumber - National Pickling Cucumber - Ashley Cucumber - Lemon Cucumber - Quick Snack Cantaloupe melon - Hales Luffa Boy Choi - White Stemmed Brown Mustard Yellow Mustard

This week's variety spotlight: Bush beans

Bush beans are great because they stay small (a great container garden option), adapt well to many conditions (hello less than ideal balcony placement), and will produce tons of protein-packed beans for you after just 5 to 6 weeks. Contender is a classic heirloom variety for a reason, and I daresay you're going to love it.

Free Soil Science Class!

If you've ever gotten advice about what to do in your garden without any explanation of why it works (or doesn't), Soils 101 is for you.

It's a free course from the Washington Soil Health Initiative that teaches you how soil functions as a living system, covering everything from soil biology and the nitrogen and carbon cycles to water dynamics and in-field assessmentsso you understand your specific conditions well enough to make your own calls.

And after seeing boatloads of bad advice in the local gardening forum this week... all I'm saying is the class is worth the time to save you money and heartache later.

Garden planning class: catch the recording

Missed the garden planning class? The recording and all the materials are available here and here. It covers everything from mapping your space and building a planting schedule to seed starting and troubleshooting, so it's worth a watch even if you feel like you're already mid-season.

Grow Guides

Did you know I've got Grow Guides for every plant you get from me? It's true! And they're fully updated now, with a guide for every single variety I carry. You can find them here. (Pst - this is also a really smart way to choose plants before the fact!)

Talk soon,

Dusti