Sharon's Organic Way of Life

Weed Identification

2011-05-24T18:10:00.000-04:00

Ugh - this creeping weed is creeping itself all over the place! It is mainly in the front lawn and it is growing in bald spots as well as very nicely in the lawn itself.

What the heck is it?!?! At first I thought creeping charlie, but that has scalloped leaves. So that isn't it. It is easy enough to pull up so the roots are very deep but it is very, very annoying. I even found a little sprout in my vegetable garden and I rarely get weeds in there because I am so diligent in picking them once, if ever, they do pop up.
Apparently whatever it is it is oblivious to the corn gluten. It has no problem growing wherever it wants. Granted the purple flowers are cute and I may even admit pretty, but I don't want it in my yard!

The War Is On!!!

2011-05-19T19:31:00.000-04:00

I have completely had it with the squirrels. I transplanted my lettuce out in the window boxes on my back porch and covered them with bird netting. All was good, then the lettuce started to pick up and I needed to raise the netting. I used wire hangers, bent them in a U shape and inserted them upside down to support the netting and to allow the lettuce to grow. For the past three days I keep finding massive holes in the boxes!!! I wouldn't be so mad if they took the lettuce with them, but Noooooo, them just dig and then leave a half wilted lettuce plant around in the box! I cannot find how they are getting in. The netting is tucked in on all sides, there are no holes and I also placed chicken wire - spoke side up in the window empty adjacent boxes. I am getting really, really pissed. Today they got into my German Thyme. I can't stand it anymore.
I have tried the "Squirrel Be Gone" deterrent and that so doesn't work. I have a packet tied to the Shepherd Hook were I hang suet and there the squirrel was, waltzing around the pack and noshing on the suet.
I think this is a job for some Thai Hot Pepper spray.
Round 1 goes to the squirrels.
The next round is mine.

A Sad Spring Day

2011-05-13T19:30:00.000-04:00

So this morning the city came and chopped down the very large, very old and very rotten oak tree across the street. I am pretty sure there were Downy Woodpecker and Northern Flicker families that just lost their homes. I am hoping that they hadn't already laid their eggs.
Tuesday morning a giant limb came crashing down at about 8am and went clear across the street, across the top of a parked car and right up to the front stairs of the house across the street. Thankfully no one was hurt. That is the time of day that all the kids are walking to school and commuters are heading to catch the bus so everyone truly was lucky. The city posted signs on Thursday about its removal and they were here by 7:30 today so I never got a chance to call City Hall to ask if they could wait till the breeding season was over. Not that they would have listened to me but it would have made me feel better that I at least tried. Human safety trumps non-endangered birds any day, but still it doesn't seem fair. I kind of feel that it is now like a game of musical chairs. All the good trees/homes have been taken and these birds now have nowhere to go and probably won't produce a brood this year.
I think I will add more suet cakes to the yard to make up for the lost homes. Again, the birds won't get the gesture but I will know that I am doing what I can for them.

Tulip Color and Soil Makeup

2011-05-11T10:39:00.000-04:00

I know that acid level in the soil can affect the color of hydrangeas but is that true for tulips as well?

These tulips were a bright, "Hello Kitty" pink last year. I naven't planted any new bulbs out back and this is what they look like this year.

That pink tulip also has three buds on one plant. Unheard of in this yard!

I am not a huge fan of red tulips because, well, they are everywhere. So I know I wouldn't have planted this.
I could blame the squirrels for digging it up from somewhere else but they are not helpful little critters that replant. Unless it is the oak growing acorns that they love to bury and forget about.
A Google search is on the list of things to do to find out about this.

The Asparagus Has Risen!

2011-04-28T19:29:00.000-04:00

FINALLY - I have asparagus!

And also an asparagus bed that needs to be cleaned.

There are 10 plants in total and 8 of them have spears coming up. The other two I am still holding out hope for. I really should have made a bigger bed with more plants because I can only harvest 6-8 spears at a time and really, that is barely a side dish for one! Not that I really have room for a bigger bed, but it is always nice to dream : )

A Watched Pot Never Boils

2011-04-18T19:51:00.002-04:00

Or in my case - stalking your vegetables does not make them grow faster!!!! I was hoping for asparagus for Easter this year because it falls so late in the year but as of today I have squat. Nada. Zilch. Nothing. Every time I go to empty stuff into the compost bin (which is about every other day) I walk past the asparagus bed and stalk them. I have been doing this for almost 2 weeks now to no avail. I guess the old saying of "all good things come to those who wait" is the motto I should employ at this time.
The good news is that the Bitonto tomatoes have finally sprout indoors, along with just about everything else. The spinach was getting a bit "iffy" so it went out on Sunday. I was shocked to see the Brussels Sprouts up within 1 week! I didn't expect that at all. Seeing as they take 100 days from transplant to harvest I thought they would take awhile to sprout. Apparently not. I am still waiting on the dill, basil and Chinese cabbage to emerge but again, it has only been a week.
The bad news is that it is supposed to rain all week. That could quite frankly rot my peas (which haven't sprouted yet either). I am stalking those as well. I tend to lose a few seeds to the birds/squirrels so I always check to make sure they are still underground and either they still are or they have been stolen. Damn critters!

Too much energy usage?

2011-04-15T18:15:00.003-04:00

If you are like me you start your garden indoors months before planting season. But the month of March, at least in New England, is still dark and dreary and cold so everything needs extra love and warmth. Enter the grow lights.

My lighting system is totally DIY and the lights aren’t technically grow lights but fluorescent shop lights that I got at Home Depot.

In total I have 8 hooked up in there and the GE Slim Line lights are linkable so they are only taking up 3 outlets. I am supposed to be able to link 10 together but that would be if they were all in a straight line – the alignment I have them in only allows for two at a time. Thankfully for the linking ones because my surge protector is out of control.

My concern about all this extra seedling love is that those lights are on roughly 12 hours a day, 7 days a week! I think fluorescents are more energy friendly than regular lighting but still I worry about how much I am putting into this process and sucking the life out of the energy grid. This is something I have been thinking about since the other night when I was sitting outside at about 9:30pm and noticed that the lights were still on and boy do they light up the driveway!

Would it be more efficient for me to just buy the plants that are shipped from God knows where and packed in non-recyclable pots? I really enjoy they whole process of growing my own seeds and I feel so much accomplishment when it actually works! I like knowing that they are organic seeds in organic seed starting mix and started in cow/peat pots. How do you balance off the amount of energy used versus the peace of mind that knowing what you are growing is safe?

New Ideas for Potatoes

2011-04-12T19:28:00.004-04:00

I don't know about you but I am sick of roasted potatoes, home fries and french fries. I get about 1-2 pounds of potatoes delivered every other week and was looking for something new. Every recipe book has "roasted potato with (insert meat here). A girl can only have so many roasted potatoes in one season. So I came up with a few new ways to cook and serve potatoes.
Po-Achos
This is my take on nachos served potato style. I bake some potatoes and when they are cool enough I cut them apart into large chunks, skin and all. Then I top with salsa, cheese and green onions and sour cream if I have it. For an added extra I add reconstituted TVP or Morningstar crumbles. Yummy and fast.
Potato Quesadilla
This is also Mexican inspired. I am not a huge fan of mashed, mashed potatoes so mine are more boiled then squashed with a fork, nice and chunky. But if your preference is for smooth and silky they would work in this too. Once the potatoes are 'squashed' I add crumbled bacon, green onions and salt and pepper to taste. This gets loaded onto 1/2 a wheat tortilla (leave enough around the edges so it doesn't ooze out). Throw a good size handful of cheese on top and fold the tortilla over. Dab a bit of butter on each side of the tortilla and cook in a skillet large enough to hold it and brown on both sides. Again - yummy. You can make a big batch of the 'squashed' potatoes and reheat it and make more quesadillas the next day.
I am working on an Indian version of this using curry and not sure what else. I have enough potatoes to experiment so I will keep you posted on the results.

Honey Do is Honey Done!

2011-04-11T20:04:00.003-04:00

So I am proud to say that I can cross every thing off of this list. Well, not exactly, I didn't gluten the back yard. There were so many bare spots that I reseeded instead. If I put down the corn gluten it is something like 6 weeks before I can reseed. The gluten kills all germinating seeds and does not discriminate between good and bad. Hence no gluten in the back. I also didn't have to do the nasty poop run!! My landlord, aka my mom (who is retired) did it sometime last week.
After tilling the garden I planted 3 types of peas - Snowbird, Avalanche and Sugar Snap. Allegedly they will be ready in 51, 68 and 71 days respectfully. Heres hoping! I also put down some lettuce, carrots and started dill, basil, Chinese cabbage and Brussels Sprouts inside. The seeds I started two weeks ago are looking pretty good. I already have my first true set of leaves on the Sungold and Chocolate Cherry tomatoes. The Bitonto are having a rough time of it. Only two have come up. I really only need four and two of those are supposed to go to my sister for her birthday. I may just not have them for myself : (
I ran out of barrels and bags for all the yard waste so ended up dumping all the thatch and a ton of leaves into the empty compost bin. When I ordered the second bin last year Garden's Alive sent along this free activator and who am I to not accept a free gift! I added this in the bin, followed the instructions and need to re-water tomorrow. I am not sure if it really works, but it really can't hurt. For a little extra boost I added in some of Neptune's seaweed fertilizer too (there was a lot of brown added to this particular bin).
My first daffodil bloomed today and if the weather holds the rest should be opening up by the end of this week. Spring is officially here....well, at least for now!
Tomorrow I will go over the delicious potato quesadilla I had for lunch (and dinner) today.

Weekend of "To-Do"

2011-04-08T21:21:00.004-04:00

After stalking the weather forecast I have made a "Honey Do List" and I am the honey that needs to do. The city yard waste is finally picking up for the first time since November and they don't come again until the middle of May so all of the limbs that fell and all the bushes that didn't survive the ridiculous amount of snow this winter all need to go! After work tomorrow this is what needs to be done:
1) Stop at Home Depot for 2 more sets of lights
2) De-thatch the lawn front and back
3) Spread corn gluten front and back
4) Clean and till the garden
5) Cut back old perennial growth
6) Chop down broken bush and tree limbs
7) Clean up under bird feeders
8) Clean bird houses
9) Clear out flower beds and raspberry patch
10) Fertilize asparagus bed

Then after all that is done I can add to the list - cleaning off the back porch, emptying out the worm bin and adding a new layer, start the Brussels Sprouts and cabbage seeds, finally plant the peas, and the worst job of all - the Spring poop run around the yard! Oh how I wish dog waste could go in the compost bin. With three dogs (two of mine and one of my mom's) the poop gets a little crazy during the winter because neither of us wants to head out in thigh deep snow to pick it up. This makes for an awful Spring clean up!

After all is said and (hopefully) done a glass or several of wine will be well deserved!!!!

Potato Grow Bags

2011-04-07T21:26:00.004-04:00

My potato grow bags were delivered yesterday and I am impressed and hopeful. They seem sturdy enough but I am concerned about the stupid (albeit very smart) squirrels biting through them. I ordered them from Bed Bath & Beyond for $14.95 for a set of two. I got two sets which means I have four bags for my 2 pounds of potato seeds. There are drainage holes at the bottom and handles on each side. They also hold 55 liters of soil. That is a lot of compost that I need to make/buy!

For easy harvesting they have these velcro pockets on opposite sides.

While viewing those photos please excuse the dirty floor. Max, my older dog, is quite the messy eater and Freddie, the younger one, hadn't quite gotten around to 'Hoovering' before I snapped the shot.
The weather is looking promising for the next 10 days so I think I can get my peas planted out this weekend. I also need to de-thatch the lawn and put down my corn gluten. Fingers crossed that the weather holds!

Still Waiting for Spring

2011-04-03T09:38:00.003-04:00

So according to the calendar it is Spring however, I think Mother Nature disagrees. Either that or she has a serious case of PMS. Friday was April Fools Day and this was no joke.

Yup, we got about 3 inches on April 1. Which obviously means my peas have not yet been planted. The ground is frozen solid - still!.

It has been in the mid 40's low 50's over the past couple of days so majority of the snow has melted but there is still random patches hanging around like the uninvited dinner guest.
The good news is that everything i planted last weekend has already begun to sprout! Well, everything except the Swiss chard, but I can be patient, it isn't like I can plant them outside anytime soon. I was also able to find a few more lights at a different Home Depot. I got 4 more but could really use another two. Once I add a few more starting trays to the shelves I will load another picture so you can see the final 'ghetto light system' I rigged up. It may not be fancy, but it works and that is all that matters!

The Season Has Begun!

2011-03-30T13:16:00.003-04:00

I was on vacation for a week and have a lot of catching up to do! Between laundry, email, work and assuring the dogs that I will not be leaving them again for a l-o-n-g time it has been a hectic week. I started some of my seeds over the weekend.

From top to bottom I have: wildflowers (I think, I didn't label the package), lettuce, shasta daisy, kale, Swiss chard, spinach and under the lights three types of tomatoes. It isn't recommended to start spinach and chard indoors but I have not had any luck with direct seeding them. The chard came up last year but some critter got to it and I think the birds stole my spinach seeds. I figure if it doesn't germinate I still have plenty of seeds to try again.

I went to Home Depot to buy more lights and mistakenly bought ones that needs to be hard wired, not plugged in. Needless to say, those were retuned. I haven't been able to find florescent lights that can plug in, yet I have two from last year. I refuse to pay over $60 for a grow light system from the gardening supply places. I am sure shop lights will work just fine. Now only if I could find them!

The beginning of next week should fill in the greenhouse nicely. I have to start my Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage and something else that I can't remember right now. I ordered my potatoes today from Henry Fields. A pretty good deal too - 2lbs for $9.99!!! Considering you can get 10X the amount once harvested I think I will have plenty of potatoes!

Ideally I would like to start the Spring garden this weekend but the forecast is calling for snow on Friday. Yup, snow on April Fool's Day and it is no joke. I am thinking my peas and such won't get in the ground until the end of April this year.

Butternut Squash Tart

2011-03-13T16:55:00.004-04:00

I am really not a butternut squash type of girl but I can't specify with Boston Organics exactly which squash I don't want. If I check off 'don't ever send me squash" that means I will never get zucchini, patty pan, or Kalibrocha. So I am stuck with the butternut they send me and am always looking for a way to make them taste. Yes, I said taste, not taste better, just taste. I find them extraordinarily bland. My mom gave me a recipe for a "rustic butternut squash tart". Here is the result:

All in all it was pretty tasty, and super easy. I think I liked it because I overloaded on the thyme, red onions and extra sharp cheddar. All of that tends to overwhelm the lack of flavor the butternut has :) And pretty much those are the ingredients. Squash sliced thin, red onions sliced into rings, fresh thyme and shredded extra sharp cheddar. Put all of that over a pie crust, fold over the edges, Brush with a wel beaten egg, Cook on 400 degree for 20-30 minutes and ta-dow - you have tasty squash!
And on a different topic - Spring is soooo close. We changed the clocks this weekend so it will be lighter at night. The waking and walking in the dark with the dogs really isn't a highlight, but the night walk certainly is! I saw so many Robins out this morning. Another sure sign Spring is on its way. The majority of Robins leave here in the Fall and in their place come the Juncos. Once you start seeing Robins you will start to not see Juncos and then Spring is officially here - no matter what the date on the calendar! Well, that is how I see things. That and when you can start gardening.

Signs of Spring!

2011-03-09T16:09:00.002-05:00

It is so exciting after a l-o-n-g winter full of ridiculous snow storms to see signs of Spring peeking out. While out walking with the guys I saw my first crocus - granted it wasn't fully open, only about the size of my thumb nail - but it was so encouraging to see! When we got home I noticed that my crocuses, daffodils and jonquils were all peeking out of the ground too! And the birds! I love to hear the woo-hoo of the chickadees in the morning it really feels like Spring even though it is only 30 degrees. The male cardinals have all been at the tippy tops of the trees belting their hearts out in the hopes to find a mate for the season. I love it! I typically have a family of cardinals in late Spring and I am hoping he brings his family back here. I miss Flat Top - he was a cardinal that looked like he stuck his head in a fan belt because he lost his plume - but he was a character. He would sing at the front fence if the feeder was empty. And once I went back to fill it I was no more than a foot away and he was already on it! He had me trained. I was so sad when he didn't come back in the Spring. It is so hard to tell the birds apart but he was so different looking. He brought his 'kids' here to feed so I am hoping that the cardinals in the yard now are his offspring.

Garden season has officially begun!

2011-03-07T11:49:00.006-05:00

I finally placed my order with Territorial Seed and as you can see it has arrived!

For Spring vegetables this year I hope to grow:
Ching-Chiang - which is a dwarf pac choi
Avalanche Snow Peas
Wild Garden Kales - a mixture of Siberian kales
Red Meat Radishes
Soloist Hybrid - which is a baby Chinese cabbage
Fordhook Giant Chard

Summer/Fall veggies include:
Kentucky Blue Pole Beans
Sayamusume Bush Bean (aka edamame)
Bitonto Tomato - allegedly the ultimate patio tomato
Raider Cucumber - the packet states "champion performer" let's hope so!
Roodnerf Brussels Sprouts

And that is only the 'new stuff'. I still have leftover lettuce, zucchini, delicata, and chard seeds, and heaven knows what else is kicking around. I think there maybe some spaghetti squash, edamame, and sungold tomatoes - oh my.

I already have the Escargot that I use for the slugs around my hostas but my sister told me that they also do a number on Brussels. So I went the extra step and ordered Slug Off Copper Rings here's hoping 1) that I can actually grow sprouts and 2) that if indeed I can grow them I can keep the slugs away.

Now I just need to figure out where all this is going to fit in the yard!

Some More Kitchen Experiments

2011-02-08T13:01:00.002-05:00

So, it turns out that I actually do like turnips! I can't be 100% certain that I love them, but roasted with basically every other root veggie known to man they are pretty good. Based on my first experience with them I have taken them off my "Do Not Send" list for Boston Organics. Now if they would just send me parsnips - those I know I love!
And speaking about Boston Organics, I was digging through some old newsletters they sent me. (To be greener they no longer send paper newsletters and everything is archived online). These old newsletters had recipes in them and I found one for Lebanese Green Bean Stew. I had frozen green beans and tomatoes from last summer's garden so I thought - what the heck - I'll give it a try. Pretty simple and I made it simplier by using diced tomatoes along with my frozend ones. The recipe is as folows:
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and chopped in small pieces
1/2 pound green beans
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
3 tbsp veggie oil
3 teaspoons cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Now, that was the given measurements. I totally didn't measure the cumin or cayenne - just shook the bottles vigorously over the pan....

Heat oil in large saucepan over med/hi heat, add onions and cook several minutes, stirring frequently, Add potatoes and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Add green beans and then seasoning. Mix well. Add in tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes till tomatoes 'sauce' thickens.

Presto - you are done! And all of that is off the top of my head - I don't have the recipe in front of me.

Like I mentioned I used frozen green beans and in addition to the can of diced tomatoes I threw in a good handful of frozen Sungold tomatoes. They were whole and then burst with the heat. All in all pretty yummy.

Tomorrow will be my attempt at making fried parsnip ribbons, radish chips and finally ordering my seeds for the garden!

Pear and Gorgonzola Pasta

2011-02-02T14:31:00.003-05:00

Yeah, not so much. I keep getting pears from my organic delivery and although I like them, I don't like them that much. Sometimes I make an apple/pear crisp, sometimes slice them on top of some toast and peanut butter for breakfast and I have even roasted them with sweet potatoes. It was time for something different. I really like pear and gorgonzola pizza (which I have also made), but I had no pizza crust or even a tortilla so I thought why not pasta?
It wasn't so hot. I used two pears, a good amount of gorgonzola and some Parmasean cheese and even added in some whole milk (I had that left over from making some mac n cheese and cornbread) to make it creamier and some crushed toasted walnuts. Something was totally missing. I am thinking SPICES! Maybe some roasted garlic would have helped. Or maybe even some sauted greens like chard, kale or collards. Well, nevertheless I ate it : )
On anther not so great kitchen note I also made apple/kiwi bread. Although it tastes delicious it didn't come out of the pan so hot. Maybe I didn't wait long enough for it to cool or maybe that extra kiwi I added made it too moist. I used one apple (kind unknown) and three very ripe kiwis. I started with only two but then thought - hmm two is good, three would be better. Right, not so much. I can't even slice the bread it is so moist it just falls apart. I ended up eating it with a fork, kind of like apple/kiwi crumble. But again, I ate it : )
I haven't yet made it out to the compost bins. I have tons to throw out there. I am (as I type) making roasted vegetables - turnips, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions and garlic. All that peeling amounted to a great deal for the bin. I am now waiting till I have a 'boat load' to add because we just had another storm here and the snow is now almost impassable. But like I said, I am determined to get out there. I refuse to throw it in the trash and my worms can only consume so much!

Being Green Isn't Easy

2011-01-30T16:12:00.004-05:00

Kermit was so right. Sometimes being green is just not that easy. This is a picture of my compost bins.

Can barely see them, right? There are two in the foreground of the picture. I took this from the window so you can see the screen in the shot as well. In order for me to get to these bins I have to go through knee deep snow at the backside of the deck, to then go through what I think may be chest deep snow, and then clear the snow/ice from the bins to then add my 'stuff'. This truly is way too much work! But I am committed and I will do it!!! I had the thought today that it may just be easier to climb out the window I took the picture from and dump everything that way. Keep in mind that is a rose bush, with some serious thorns, in front of the window. We shall see.....

Happy Snacks

2011-01-21T12:05:00.002-05:00

Isn't this a happy looking snack? Especially given that it is freezing out and snowing - again!
These are watermelon radishes - adequately named in my opinion. They look like miniature watermelons, right? So I marinated them in rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, minced ginger and some crushed red pepper. Measurements were all "eye-balled" a dash and pour, and pinch, you know, whatever I felt like. It tastes really good, but smells awful! I brought some to work yesterday and was told by one woman that she will tell me when she is pregnant so that I never bring it with me because the smell is so bad. Honestly, radishes do smell, even when I cut them up and add them to salads they still have that pungent smell to them. So word of advice - save the radishes for home consumption only : )
We have even more snow today - will it ever stop? I know that this is New England and winters can be brutal but enough is enough. This is exactly why I travel to Barbados twice a year - December and March. I just can't stand winter here. And to keep us warmer or to at least imagine that it is warmer here is a picture from Barbados.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

2011-01-18T15:48:00.004-05:00

Ok, I know it doesn't sound all that great. I was a bit hesitant too. And honestly I don't even like chili but I though I would give this one a try. I had a sweet potato the size of a child's Nerf football and really didn't know what to do with it so enter a Google search. I found the original recipe on Eating Well and doctored it a little to, of course, add more spice.
Starting with my Nerf sized-sweet potato I used three cans of black beans, two zesty chili flavored diced tomatoes and two whole chipotle peppers in adobo. All the other spices/ingredients I just doubled. I chopped the peppers, seeds and all and added to the pot in step 1. I also added way more cumin and chili powder than needed - but I like my nose to water with the heat.
This recipe made A LOT. I froze 6 cups, had about 2 cups right after it was done and still I have about 3 cups left, if not more.
I think next time some browned ground turkey, or even the Morning Star crumbles might be nice in this. I also think I will try it in the slow cooker so I don't have to stand and stir for so long.

It's been a crazy few days

2011-01-14T19:25:00.004-05:00

We got hit pretty hard with a Nor'easter on Wednesday as you can see...
And this picture is the same view as this one

I am not a huge fan of forsythias anyway - I would prefer to dig them all up and plant witch hazel instead and this might be my chance. These suckers are pretty hardy though. They have been in this yard for 45+ years and my Dad started them with 10 itsy bitsy twigs so I think they will survive. Not that I am not sentimental and I would feel bad about pulling out something my Dad worked so hard at growing but there are others out back and on the other side of the yard so his 'gardening prowess' would still be here in the yard : )
We lost electricity yesterday and boy was it a b-o-r-i-n-g day. I forget how much stuff runs off electricity. I thought I would do some laundry - nope. Then was going to watch/do my Rodney Yee yoga DVD - nope. Then I though of going online and investigating some companion plants for brussels spouts - again nope. I ended up reading 4 magazines, 1/2 of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and organizing my pantry. Oh and of course shovel some more. Thankfully it came back on before it got dark and I could watch my Law & Order SVU. Now, on to the laundry, yoga and companion planting....

Bahn Mi - Sharon Style

2011-01-11T12:20:00.003-05:00

So I recently read a recipe online about making Bahn Mi (a Vietnamese sandwich) and was intrigued. I didn't have all the right ingredients so I winged it.
I used - Watermelon Radishes, Carrots, Cucumber, Mixed Greens and Tofu. The best part was the 'sauce'. I mixed together mayo and Sriracha sauce. YUM! I was seriously licking the spoon. I great mixture of creamy spices. I will be using this on every sandwich I make, regardless of what it is made of, it is that good. I used the mandolin on all the hard veggies, threw in the mixed greens and stir fried the tofu with some sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce. Stuffed it all in a bun and dinner was complete. It wasn't as great as I had imagined but it wasn't bad and it was quick and easy.

Garden Plans 2011

2011-01-06T19:27:00.003-05:00

So nothing of interest for dinner tonight, just yesterday's leftovers - which by the way taste great reheated too! I am planning out what I want to grow this year and again it is the usual suspects: tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, and edamame for the summer crop and peas, lettuce, kale and radishes for the spring. I am thinking about growing chinese cabbage and greens, like pac choi as well. I am also going to attempt brussell sprouts this year. My swiss chard was all dug up and/or eaten by the squirrels last year so I am going to try that again too. I have done onions and potatoes in the past in the Victory Garden and would like to grow them in my yard now. I am going to use potato grow bags because I just don't have the room to grow them any where else. As for the onions I am thinking I will just plant them within my flower beds, especially around the roses in the hopes off ward off aphids. I need to figure out where all of this is going to go. Originally I wanted to plant the tomatoes among the asparagus rows but not too sure how I will be able to pull them up in the fall without pulling up the asparagus roots as well. 'They' say that those two are companion plants but truly I don't understand how that is even possible. Time to bust out the graph paper and last year's plans to make sure everything has a place and that it is all rotated properly.

Southern Cooking Meets Northern Girl

2011-01-05T18:21:00.003-05:00

So on today's menu was pulled BBQ chicken and southern fried cabbage. I was tired of eating 'asian salad' with all the cabbage I was getting so I searched around and found this recipe. I adapted it to my taste which means I added some spice! I deleted the oil, and fried the onions in the bacon grease for a minute before adding the cabbage and while that was cooking I added in some cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes. Mmm... much better. I also only used 1/2 a head of cabbage and doubled the bacon because bacon makes everything better : ) This is the result.

Slow cooked BBQ chicken is pretty self explanatory but I added in some McCormick Grill Mates Chipotle Pepper marinade to the mix to add, of course, spice! The end result - yum!
I have a bunch of frozen beans from last years harvest so I am looking around for some ideas for a casserole. I'm thinking the beans, some rice, cream of mushroom soup and some chicken. I think it may look like throw up but at least taste good. Stay tuned.

I'm baackkkk!

2011-01-04T19:35:00.003-05:00

Oh dear, I am a terrible blogger. I haven't updated this since July : (

I hope everyone had a great last half of 2010 and that your 2011 is starting off with a bang. So, again this year I am making the resolution to update regularly (I promise).

The two gardens last year were just way to much work and the excessive dry summer we had made it even harder. The Victory Garden house is now officially up for sale. Depending on how you look at this it is either good news or bad news. Good news in that I will have more time to blog; bad news that I won't have enough land to grow everything I want. Two sides to every coin, I guess. They are asking $379k for the house, down from $425k. But it still needs about $200k worth of work and that is if you are doing it yourself. I don't think it is going to sell, but I will play it safe and stay out of the yard. Tom and I were busted by the bank appraiser when we were cleaning up the yard last year. Not that the man was concerned, he totally understood why we did it, but I don't want to take any chances this summer.

So in addition to sharing my gardening trials and tribulations I am also going to start sharing my successes and failures in the kitchen. All of my produce is either home grown or delivered via Boston Organics so it does still fall into the organic category : ) And believe me I have had some colossal failures this year. Can you say Butternut Squash?

So the new year is here and many more posts are coming - organics honor.

And just one last thing
Happy (belated) holidays from Max and Freddie

Heat and Humidity

2010-07-20T16:50:00.004-04:00

I am truly sick of the heat and humidity. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in about two weeks. I don’t have air conditioning and the ceiling fans can only do so much. It doesn’t help the sleeping situation when Max (now down to a slim 72 pounds) insists on sleeping in bed with me – and I mean right next to me. Some part of him always needs to touch a part of me – even if it is just his paw across my leg. I usually don’t mind but it is so friggin’ hot! Ok, I am now whining….off to the garden.
The heat has been good to get a jump start on all those veggies that normally don’t come out until August. I have corn ears already – and have had them for a few weeks. It was only 49 days after planting them. But the raccoon have already found them! Carl the Coyote has arrived and I do have a picture of him to post – but again I am at work and do not have access to my files here.
The spaghetti squash is looking good. I think there are about 10-11 of them so far – which isn’t too bad for 6 plants! It is climbing all over the corn stalks – so much for the 3-sisters method of having the squash grow along the ground to keep out the weeds!
Both types of melons are growing nicely. Lots of flowers! But they don’t seem to want to climb up the trellis I so diligently built for them. They prefer to ramble along the ground twisting themselves in the hay. They require daily intervention to make sure that they stay the path.
The first sowing of edamame has already started to produce beans. I need to keep an eye on them because the harvest window is so short I don’t want to miss them. The second sowing is just starting to flower.
At last the tomatoes have picked up – the Sungolds are starting to turn. I was able to grab a few as snacks the other day – while I was patiently trying to train the cucumbers up their trellis. Apparently this is the year for all tendril growing veggies to ignore the given growth pattern of up – and just grow anywhere they please! I have only been able to snag two zucchini so far. Which makes me sad – there are so many gardens that I see when out walking that are exploding with zukes. I am just hoping that I am a late bloomer.

Holy Heat!

2010-07-07T11:19:00.004-04:00

All this heat and humidity is really starting to get to me (not to mention everything I am trying to grow)! It hit 100 yesterday and according to the news that has happened in July since 2002. It has been in the high 90's for about 4-5 days already and today the forecast was to be cooler. My thermometer says 82 - and that is in the shade. Ugh.
I did pick my first zucchini over the weekend and there is another one on its way. If this heat keeps up I think it will be ready in about 5 minutes! My rain barrels have been empty for weeks and dragging around that friggin' hose everywhere is just a pain in the butt. But you do what you gotta do to keep things growing.
The random tomatoes that came from my compost are some sort of cherry tomato. They all have flowers in bunches. I can't wait to see what type they are. I am hoping for some yummy heirloom. Just please don't let them be Sweet 100's. Too many of those last year - I want something different.
Here is the one that is growing out of the bin.

Right above it you can see a ventilation hole. That is the size of the hole that this sucker found and decided to grow out of! I took this picture at about 11:00 this morning so you can see that it gets very little light. You can also see that I do not weed anything over there. Dandelions, clover, ridiculously long grass. It is very unsightly over there but I have bigger things to worry about and take care of. Maybe if I didn't work I would have the time to handle every little inch of my yard but then I would be poor and wouldn't be able to afford any of the tools to do so! Ah - the perfect Catch-22.

Bugs, Critters and More Tomatoes

2010-07-01T15:12:00.003-04:00

It is now completely out of control! I now have a tomato plant growing out of my compost bin! I guess that kind of makes sense seeing as the random tomatoes that are growing around the yard all came from said bin. The holes along the bin are not that large so this lucky tomato seed found just enough light to sneak out and start spreading. This particular one does not have any blooms yet but all the other wayward ones do. I am thinking about leaving it alone and see what happens.

As far as my aphid invasion - it seems to be under control. I used a bit of the saucy spray and they seemed to have found another place to go (I am hoping over the fence and to my neighbor’s yard).

The corn has already started to tassel which of course means that something found its way into the plot and gnawed down two stalks! I made a make-shift chicken wire fence around the remaining stalks. I made sure that the wire is curled out and then for some added protection I cut some of the wire so if anything tries to get over they will get poked. But you know it will be me that gets poked - not them!

The Fastbreak Melons are starting to flower too! They haven't even reached 5" high yet but there are two tiny yellow flowers already. The weather has been so friggin' hot lately - the melons must be in heaven (while the rest of us feel like we are in hell).

Tomorrow's forecast is 70's, sunny and no humidity - perfect day to get out there and get some overdue chores done.

Berries and Bugs

2010-06-27T13:03:00.007-04:00

There is nothing better than fresh picked berries - and I have tons!
All of these raspberries came from one corner of the humungous bush. I didn't even move around. Just top to bottom. The container got full but there are still plenty more to pick.
Found some interesting bugs around the yard too. Look at the size of this dragonfly!

It was hanging out on my back porch for pretty much half the day. I thought it might be dead - but really, how could it hang there if it were dead? Eventually it took off. Well, not sure if it flew off, but it is gone and not on the porch floor.
I also found this little guy hanging around the huechera plant out back. Hopefully it found lots of bad bugs for dinner.

And speaking about bad bugs. My Picasso Petunias are COVERED in aphids. They can hang out there if they want as long as they stay away from my eggplant and any other vegetable I have growing. I am going to brew up a batch of 'saucy spray' just to be safe. Saucy spray is:
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon tabasco sauce
1/8 teaspoon liquid soap
It works on leaf hoppers, aphids and pretty much any other pest. It can also be used to deter raccoons. I haven't tried it on them yet, but the corn is looking really good so I guess an extra big batch will be made today.

More and more tomatoes!

2010-06-25T18:09:00.009-04:00

Oh dear - these tomato seeds are a lot hardier than they are promoted to be. I was out weeding the garden and found eight random tomatoes growing around the zucchini. Now that dirt came from my worm bin, not the outside compost bin. Apparently this is Mother Nature's way of telling me to grow an abundance of tomatoes. I pulled them out and put them in the yard waste bin - I am taking no chances. The so-called marigolds I planted along the potatoes are also tomatoes. Just a big-ass welcome sign for bad bugs! Speaking of tomatoes here are the first Sun Golds of the season

Not only are the tomatoes spreading like wild fire this is the first year in I cannot remember how long that the hydrangea bush is exploding

Typically I get one or two blooms and was actually thinking of pulling the whole thing out this year. Apparently it knew it was on the chopping block and is putting on an amazing last ditch effort to survive. Although it is extremely early for it to be in bloom. Everyone around here has full blooms on their hydrangeas and really, they shouldn't be in full bloom until August! I guess the heat is getting to them too (but in a good way). Here is a close up of one of the numerous blooms.

It has been so freaking hot and humid over the past week here that everything needs to be watered every day! God forbid I have a life outside of these plants, which I did last night. I went out straight from work to meet friends and just to spite me my petunias decided to die. I watered them heavily when I got home from work tonight but not sure if my CPR efforts were too late. Stay tuned

A Big Oopsie!

2010-06-22T14:59:00.003-04:00

I really wonder where my head is at sometimes. I was out picking the peas (which are growing up and along the tomato cages) and I noticed what I thought was a an escaped tomato branch. Nope. It was a whole nother friggin' plant! I dug up marigold seedlings from one of my containers and planted them around the tomatoes. Turns out they were tomatoes, not marigolds. I have NO IDEA what type of tomatoes they are nor how the heck the seeds survived over the winter in my compost bin. I also planted some in the Victory Garden around the potatoes to keep away the beetles and haven't gone over there to check if they are indeed marigolds or wayward tomatoes.
The potatoes that were also growing in the bin are doing quite nicely in the yard now. However I noticed a few more in there when I was turning it the other day. No more potatoes, please.
Not so sure how well the melons are going to fare. The previous owner of Victory Garden home came by (he definitely does not own the house and was trespassing just as much as we are) and decided he didn't like the trellis so he took them down! Trampling all over the itsy bitsy melon seedlings in the process. I planted what I had left of the seeds about a week ago and still nothing. The melons were a stretch anyway. It was just something new to try.
Oh and last but not least - the caterpillar is an American Lady

What caterpillar?

2010-06-16T13:40:00.005-04:00

Out weeding today - damn maple tree - and I found this guy hanging out. I went through 12 pages at bugguide.net and haven't been able to find it! Not sure if it a 'good' bug or a 'bad' bug. I am thinking black swallowtail but sent an email to my regional field coordinator for butterflies to check. Usually they don't have the red dots which is why I question its kind.

Staked the tomatoes today and the Sungolds are starting to flower. My handy book Trowel and Error says it is now time to water with epsom salt. 1 tablespoon to 1 gallon of water. The raspberries are now in full harvest mode. I am thinking I have gotten at least 2 pints in the paste 3 days! I love fresh raspberries.
So, I planted Garden Purslane a l-o-n-g time ago in some window boxes and was caring for what I though was purslane very diligently. Apparently they were weeds! The purslane has succulent leaves and they finally emerged from the soil. Light dawns and out went the weeds and in more purslane seeds. Now I think I got it down pat!

Backyard visitors

2010-06-10T21:52:00.006-04:00

I don't think I ever mentioned that I have tons of bird feeders, birdbaths and bird houses around the yard. This week parents have been bringing their 'kids' to visit. Here is a juvenile cowbird. He sat in that feeder for a good 10 minutes with no help from mom and dad and he wasn't at all concerned with the dogs hanging around.

Here is the whole nuthatch clan. Not sure if it was mom or dad but you can see one of the kids getting fed. This family makes me laugh. One of the kids flies from tree to feeder back and forth with its parent just begging for something to eat. But never attempting to get seed from the suet feeder himself!

Not the best picture but these downy woodpeckers move so fast it is the best I could get. This is the dad giving a snack to his young one. Mom was in and out days before flying from feeder to the tree out front. Leave it to the guy to go about it the lazy way!

The peas have arrived - FINALLY

2010-06-08T19:07:00.005-04:00

So this year I didn't pull them out because apparently tomatoes and peas make good neighbors. I left the peas in and they have finally started producing. Not nearly in the abundance that they did in years past but I guess that is what I get for using gajillion year old seeds!
And do you remember this is what the raspberries looked like on April 11 and here they are today.

And they are already producing berries. Still pink but in a few days they will definitely be ready to pick!
The heavy rain over the past week definitely killed some of the seedlings but I have dropped seeds in the same spots so hopefully everything turns out ok.
Something is nibbling on my eggplant leaves so I need to mix up a concoction of some sorts to ward away the pests. I am thinking hot pepper, garlic, water and dish soap should do the trick no matter what pesky pest it may be.

Picking up the mess

2010-06-02T13:41:00.007-04:00

Woah! Yesterday's storm left a crazy mess. The rain came down so hard and heavy it looked like hail. My poor melon and delicata squash seedlings may not have survived : (
The corn/spaghetti squash plot is flooded - so much for good drainage.
However the potatoes are still standing. The ones I found growing in my compost bin and replanted look great! The ones I planted from my organic produce delivery - not so much.
There are branches, twigs and bunches of leaves everywhere! And the city doesn't do a yard waste pick up for another two weeks. I already have two full barrels (courtesy of my neighbors weeds and overgrown shrubs). We don't have a dump here and I don't own a chipper. I would really like one but they cost a lot!
So here are some more pictures of things in bloom here:
Astrantia growing alongside the bush

Nora Barlow Columbine

Ok, so not technically a bloom but this painter's palette is growing like crazy - everywhere! It fills in the shady areas nicely

And last but not least the Lamium

Spring Blooms

2010-05-31T15:43:00.007-04:00

These roses were here when I got here not really sure what they are.

These black pansies heavily reseed! If one didn't bloom early I would have taken them out as weeds.

For the life of me I cannot remember what this bush is!!! My sister gave it to me last year and I must have thrown out the tag : ( It does smell heavenly though!

Impatients

Blue Girl Rose - they smell like lemons!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-05-24T15:06:00.004-04:00

Whew...so much has been planted over the past three days. I put 6 tomatoes in my yard 2 of each - chocolate cherry, green zebra and sungold. Four of the zucchini went in my yard and the other two went to Tom for his last grow box. Around my zukes I dropped in some nasturtum seeds to keep away bugs and to add some color. I planted Kentucky Blue Wonder beans over in the V-yard and the Purple Stringless here. I put those on the back bean tower in the hopes that they will be easier to harvest since they are purple! The rest of the chocolate cherry and green zebras went across the street. The last of the sungolds didn't look so hot so I just may give them away :).
Today 36 corn plants went in. This year I started them in peat pots and regular old potting soil and in less than a week I had shoots and roots coming out from the bottom. Around the corn I put in spaghetti squash and next week I will add either edamame or bush beans - going with the old "three sisters" plan of attack.
The only things left waiting to be planted are the eggplant, melons, delicata squash and cucumbers. My cukes weren't coming up even after two weeks so I added additional seeds into the green slam pots and wrapped the marketmore in damp paper towels stuck in a tupperware container on top of the fridge and in three days they had already sprouted! I put those in the existing peat pots and hopefully those will be ready for Memorial Day weekend planting.
My chard look awful! I think it is getting too much mid-day sun. They leaves are starting to get brown and crinkly. They also have purple spots - pretty spots - but I am pretty certain they shouldn't be there. I planted more seeds along the back fence where the sun isn't quite so harsh.
I am thinking I am almost done, but then I think again and realize that everything still needs lots o' love after being planted! Rain is due on Wednesday so hopefully it comes and can save me the trip of dragging Tom's hose over the fence!

Trellis and Tomato Update

2010-05-18T19:39:00.004-04:00

Now this is what a trellis should look:

The triangle 'tee-pee' like trellis on the left was built with some help from Tom because as you already know building is not my strong point. For less than $20 in supplies this should stand through several seasons. This year it will hold Fastbreak Melons
The lattice trellis on the right was FREE!!! I had extra lattice hanging around from I have no idea what project. We cut it in half and attached it to 8' legs. I got tired of digging so there is a good amount of space from the ground to the first piece of wood, but I am thinking a little bit o' twine or some trellis netting and all will be good.
The third trellis is my previously departed bean trellis. I bought a better staple gun and used 1/2" staples this time and instead of two free standing pieces I tilted them towards each other and attached them by zipties.
So the Victory Garden looks good so far. Here's hoping that everything that should be planted there comes up. I am a bit worried about my cucumbers right now. I started the seeds a week and a half ago and only two have come up. I love cukes and that is what I really want to grow. I might have to just suck it up and buy some seedlings : (
As for my previously frozen tomatoes:

I think they just might make it! I have trimmed the dead leaves and will plant them pretty deep and keep my fingers crossed that they produce. I mean I really do have too many. I can only handle 6 in my own garden and I have 22 in total! That is a lot of tomatoes!

R.I.P

2010-05-09T17:38:00.007-04:00

Oh dear - I really messed up today. I put the tomato seedlings out to harden and forgot about them It was quite windy and chilly today and this is what I have right now:

I watered them with warm water and put them in the windows (as you can see) in the hopes that they might perk up. I really did have too many plants to begin with but I feel terrible that I could have possibly killed them.
Also on the R.I.P. list is the bean trellises I 'built'. Apparently the staples I used were not strong enough and the whole thing collapsed when I went to put it up. I guess I can put both of these experiences in the "live and learn' category.
On the bright side the raspberry bush is blooming as is the blueberry bush I transplanted last year. So all is not lost,
And as promised here is the picture of Max helping me edge. Gotta love the life of a dog.

And life goes on

2010-04-29T13:19:00.004-04:00

Lot's going on on the homefront these days. Seems as though all my electronic devices are dieing at the same time. I have no cable, no internet and the microwave is on the fritz too. I have been a bit busy trying to make things happen inside, but not so busy that I couldn't get some seeds planted!
I started my Delicata and Spaghetti squashes in peat pots this weekend. And because my Golden Purslane isn't doing so hot outside I started that in peats as well.
I was able to edge the entire yard - and Max was a huge help. I will load that picture once I can get online from home (yup squeezing in a little personal work at work again). The mulch should be delivered today but before putting it down I need to trim the forsythias and other bushes. It makes such a mess on the nicely laid mulch when I do it after.
I also got some 1 x 4 x 8 pine planks to build some not to sturdy bean trellises. I will be lucky if the last the season but at least it is something. Those pictures will follow as well - providing Comcast can fix my modem :)

Another rainy weekend

2010-04-18T08:13:00.004-04:00

It's been raining again and it is supposed to get down to the mid-thirties tonight. I heard on the news that there is a chance of snow in parts of New England too! So much for Spring, huh?
I was able to harvest some asparagus last weekend. The stalks were very thin but I couldn't help myself - I just had to cut them. Don't they look pretty?
I have plans to go to Depot or maybe the Grossman's Outlet to buy some wood to build a melon/squash trellis. I got this super easy design from Organic Gardening. It looks like even I can do this and I stink at building things!
I am already looking at more spring bulbs for the front and side yard. This year all the giant hyacinths came up and the rest of the yard looks so blah. I love the look of all that color blooming after a long, dreary winter and Brecks has a $25 coupon if you spend $25 along with a $10 saving if you spend $75 or more. Sounds like a plan to me!
The lettuce in the garden now is officially stolen. Every little seedling is gone. Hopefully the ones in the window boxes will stay put. Not sure if the Swiss Chard seeds got stolen too. As of right now I have nothing coming up. The purslane on the porch is finally starting to come up. I am not sure if everything is just slow to germinate or it is because of this crazy weather we have been having. Fingers crossed that eventually the real Spring will arrive and everything will just pow - pop up.

Raspberries, tomatoes and stuff

2010-04-11T19:56:00.011-04:00

So, I planted 8 red potato seeds and only 1 yukon gold today. That is all I had : (
I am using potatoes that I got from Boston Organics I couldn't use them all cooking wise so I let them grow 'eyes", then cut them, and then placed them in a sunny window to harden up. Hopefully this works because digging a 5 foot long, 12 foot deep, 12 foot wide trench for no reason will certainly make me mad!
i was also able to up-pot my chocolate cherry and sungold tomatoes. The first picture is back from March 28 and is of both those and the green zebra.
This second picture is the chocolate and sungold just before up-potting.

And here is my inconspicuous raspberry trellis. If you look closely you can see the wire running about 2 feet from the bottom and then again about 6 feet high. This all started out as a itsy bitsy bush in a 4 inch pot that I bought at Home Depot three years ago!

Over the weekend I was also able to transplant my kale. Some is in the garden and some is along the back fence and them even more is along the side fence. I just don't like wasting perfectly good seedlings. Kind of like my spider plant, when it grows babies I need to find a home for them - I just can't throw them away.
In two smaller sized whiskey barrels I started the Northern Lights Swiss Chard. Nothing has come up thus far in the garden with the Fordhook Giant but they say 5-17 days for germination. I did have lettuce coming up but all of a sudden poof - it is all gone. Kinda pisses me off so I started more salad bowl in my window boxes along with some Jericho. I think the birds are having a field day in my garden this spring!
Some good news is that the spinach is finally coming along. I haven't had luck in the past with spinach but it is looking somewhat hopeful right now.

Finally - the peas have risen!

2010-04-06T19:40:00.003-04:00

I guess I should be thankful that they are coming up at all after all that rain, but I planted the seeds back on March 21 and just this week I can see them popping up. Pity though, they will need to be pulled out to make room for the tomatoes on Memorial Day weekend. I think the only ones that I will see a harvest from are the dwarf grays. They are only 58 days. The 75 days ones - hasta la vista baby - peas or no peas.
I planted some Fordhook Giant chard yesterday. It is my first time attempting to grow chard I also have Northern Lights but those are for containers. Tomorrow the weather forecast is 85! Holy heat. The poor peas, spinach and lettuce. They are all just peaking out an tomorrow will be a huge slap in the face for these cool loving crops.
I definitely need to load some pictures. My tomatoes are looking really good - well at least I think they are - I have never grown them from seed before. The seedlings are all starting to grow their first set of true leaves and it has only been a few weeks. Good, right? I am attempting for the third and final year to get Garlic Chives going from seed. Half of them have started to emerge but that is as far as I usually get. Once they are 3-4" high I set them out near my rose bushes and them POW - nothing. So, pictures will be coming so you can see the progress....

Well Hello Sun!

2010-04-02T20:21:00.003-04:00

Thankfully the rain has stopped - finally. After four days of non-stop rain and flooding we finally had a picture perfect spring day! I was able to get a lot of yard work done - raking up left over leaves, clearing out the asparagus bed, and cutting back all the dead growth from all of the perennials. The asparagus is actually coming up now. I pulled off the salt marsh hay from one of the rows two weeks ago and just pulled off the other row today and found some very sun deprived white stalks growing! I put down some of the asparagus food as well as some slug deterrent - just to be safe. I did go slug hunting with my trusty soapy water bin and found only 6 itsy bitsy babies - but better to get them now then when they are huge and eating everything in sight!
My mom helped me with the raspberry trellis today too. I didn't want to have the unsightly wooden posts so I used some green poles rescued from the victory garden last year and some donated galvanized wire from my neighbor, and fellow gardener, Tom. I love free!!! It isn't perfect but I think it will work to keep that crazy bush under control.
The daffodils are finally starting to bloom. I don't know why ours are so late. Everyone else has had blooms for over a week but ours are just starting to show their pretty faces. Well, at least the ones along side the driveway. The ones out along the front fence look like they are starting to get blooms which is a huge step in the right direction seeing as last year they were to shy to bloom.
The hostas are are all starting to peek out as well. I spread some diatomaceous earth around them to keep the god awful slugs from having afield day. It really pisses me off that birds allegedly eat slugs yet I have more slugs eating away in my garden than I can count. I have bird feeders, bird baths, and perches all over the yard - I guess these city birds are just too lazy to go looking for the meaty slug when they can get the seed for free!

Checking in

2010-03-28T16:47:00.003-04:00

So I was able to get the gluten down on Saturday. I had just enough to do the whole yard. Garden's Alive will be getting an order from me soon! Nothing doing yet on the lettuce and pea front in the garden. I think all the rain last week may have washed the lettuce seeds away so I did another sowing of Salad Bowl just to be safe. I also planted my spinach today. I added in some bone meal for added nutrients and apparently Freddie, the part lab, part goat mix rescued last April, likes bone meal. He was caught numerous times with his head sticking through the fence licking the soil! I am going to have to keep an eye on that one - the manure should be a HUGE treat for him!

Here is where my kale stands as of today. I think my mistake in the fall is that I transplanted too early. I like using the muffin tins because it allows me to water from the bottom. I used the Neptune's Seaweed liquid fertilizer the other day when I watered in hoping to give the right nutrients. The growing instructions say to add "appropriate nutrients" but doesn't specify which one! Hopefully it likes seaweed!

The tomato seedlings are looking good. Tomorrow I head off to Depot to get some florescent lights to help them along. I have them under a heated greenhouse right now, but I am a bit concerned about the amount of light they are getting. No spindly tomato plants for me!

Well, Hello Snow!

2010-03-26T10:30:00.004-04:00

I wasn't able to get a picture of the snow before heading out to work this morning but yup, in typical New England fashion it is snowing today. I planted three types of peas last Saturday - Dwarf Grey Sugarsnap, Snowbird and Sugarsnap. Hopefully they are hardy enough to withstand the freezing temps that are expected tonight. My buttercrunch lettuce also made it into the garden and not too sure if that will survive either. Thankfully I still have tons of seeds left to try again.
I was able to get my three different tomatoes - Sungold, Chocolate Cherry and Green Zebra - into peat pots on Sunday. I have them on top of the fridge right now and everyone except the Zebra has started to sprout. The Winterbor Kale is coming along nicely in the south facing window in the bedroom. Soon the tomatoes will join them. If the snow/rain/slush will hold off this weekend I am planning on getting the corn gluten down - better late than never. The Dogwoods from Arbor Day also need to find their permanent home this weekend. Fingers crossed that Mother Nature cooperates.

Finally - Spring has arrived!

2010-03-19T13:13:00.002-04:00

Well, not officially according to the calendar, but weather-wise, woo-hoo!! After the torrential rains over the weekend (which I thankfully missed having been on vacation) the sky is cloudless, the temperature in the 60’s and the crocuses in bloom. The jonquils, daffodils and tulips have all broken the soil and are peeking up getting ready to spread even more spring cheer. I cannot wait to get out this weekend and get my hands dirty. It has been far too long!! I have some serious yard clean up duties to conquer. There are the straggler leaves that have been around since fall, the broken limbs and twigs from this past storm, old growth to be cut back and the cover crops to be tilled. I also need to get the corn gluten down and the salt marsh hay off the asparagus beds. Home Depot is also on the menu for supplies to finish my raspberry bush support as well as some wood to build a squash trellis. The greenhouse needs to dusted off and brought up from the basement so I can get some of my seeds started and last but not least the Easter decoration need to get put out/up. All this and I really only have Sunday to get it done. My sisters and I are throwing my mom a surprise retirement party on Saturday, so that whole day is a bust. Whew – I’m getting tired just thinking about it.

It's That Time Again

2010-02-15T16:35:00.002-05:00

It has been quiet the past few months. I have been planning the garden out on graph paper and today I ordered all my seeds. Yup, this year the garden is growing from seed! This will be my first year attempting to start everything from seed. Well, except the eggplant, I cheated and ordered plants. I have never grown eggplant before so I thought I would start safe. As for seeds I went with the standards - tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, spinach, peas and beans. I am also going to attempt swiss chard, garden purslane and cantaloupe. Hopefully I have enough space to put all the flats! I am also trying out the new cow pots. They are made from cow manure and are supposed to be better than regular peat pots - both for the environment and the plants. I have been itching to get into the garden and cannot wait. This year everything is coming from Territorial Seed. I have had great success with them in the past, so fingers crossed it will be a stellar year!

Record breaking weather (again)

2009-12-03T19:48:00.004-05:00

So it hit 67 today - December 3rd! Can you even believe it? It has been way too long since I updated this - bad blogger I am. The gardens have all been cleared out and cleaned up and I planted my green manure in my garden and Tom and I covered the Victory Garden with newspapers and cardboard in the hopes of keeping down some of the obnoxious weeds that grew feet in seconds all summer long. Although it was 67 today we have had a few frosts overnight so I thought I would dig up some of the parsnips.

and as you can see I still suck at growing root crops. The seeds were put down in mid July and should have been ready by mid October clearly these are not edible. Hairy, forked and REALLY pliable. I guess there is always next year.
Oh and because of this unseasonably warm weather we have been having my giant hyacinths and daffodils are now sprouting. I am hoping that they come back again in the spring when they are supposed to! They are a good 2 inches up already. I don't think mulching will help at this point. I also found some more asparagus spears growing yesterday. Those suckers grew from Spring till now. Fingers crossed that I get such a big harvest next year too!

A Disappointing Harvest

2009-09-22T19:19:00.003-04:00

So the weather this Spring and Summer left a lot to be desired. It was AWFUL! Rainy Spring and cool Summer doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room for the crops I was attempting to grow. Let's see...in a nutshell:
Corn: was eaten by city critters. I'm placing my bets on raccoons. Not that the ears were bigger than 4: anyway. With all the rain in we had it drowned out the seedlings.
Delicata Squash - 1 squash per plant does not a harvest make.
Spaghetti Squash - none bigger than the size of a small bowling ball. And here I thought they were supposed to be oblong!
Onions - lost some to I have no idea what and the ones I did harvest were small, small small. But useful for a single size serving w/o having to store it.
Carrots - lets just say root crops aren't my thing!
Potatoes - they got so darn big they fell over and died prematurely so the harvest was small as well.
Lettuce - the seeds were devoured by the birds
Asparagus Bean - not nearly as plentiful as last year. But maybe it was because the seeds were a year old.
Zucchini - usually I can't get my neighbors to take anymore from me because I have such a huge crop. This year maybe 3-4 per plant - and I planted 6 plants!
The success stories are few:
Kentucky Blue Wonder Pole Beans - 12 seeds must have produced at least 5-6 pounds, if not more of beans. My neighbors are officially sick of beans! And I still have new flowers coming every day.
Sweet 100 and Bonnie Grape Tomatoes: WOW!!! That's all I have to say about those.
2009 wasn't the best of years but there is always 2010!!!!!

And on to the winter crops

2009-08-10T20:53:00.003-04:00

Hard to believe in 90 degree weather that I am planning my winter crops, but apparently this is the time of year to do so. A few weeks ago I planted parsnips in my yard in an area that will need to be dug up in spring anyway, so I figured 'why not?'. I also planted some over in the V-yard (victory garden) - 4 or 5 rows, I can't really remember now. I have them protected w/ the oh so famous chicken wire in the hopes that the birds and squirrels don't harvest the seeds.
Today I transplanted the ripbor kale into both my yard and the V-yard. I am hoping that I placed mine high enough up on the hill that the dogs won't trample it - you never can tell with the three amigos! I direct seeded some more kale along with some spinach over in the V-yard. The spinach only takes 40 days (give or take) and I have plenty more seeds, I just ran out of room. I am hoping to find some more space somewhere to plant more.
I added a bit more of the salad bowl here and valamaine lettuce over in the V-yard. Both are hardy in the summer heat. And with the weather we have been getting lately it is hard to tell if it will be hot and dry like a typical August or rainy and cool like it has been the majority of this growing season.
I think that this is the first and last growing season for the V-yard. The bank came by earlier this week and they are putting the house up for auction (again). I am not worried about any of the winter crops that have been planted. The inside of the house needs so much work that if the house is bought the outside will be the least of their worries.
Although the place is an eye sore. I am hoping it goes unsold. With all the trial and error that Tom and I have gone through this year with that garden, I think that next years will be stellar. Let's just hope no one buys it!

Sorry State of Affairs

2009-08-05T09:02:00.007-04:00

I love gardening and I love the taste of fresh, homegrown cucumbers. It is pure summer! But not this year. Just look at my sad, sorry, cucumber plants.
I planted 8 plants and have pulled out three because of all this disease. I check every single leaf and can't find the dreaded cucumber beetle, or any other pesky pest either. I didn't have enough space to plant all of the seedlings so I gave some to Tom and his plants look great, so I know it isn't the plant itself. Here's an up close and personal look at the damage:
And even more sorry pics - these two are of my black-eyed susans.

So much for disease free native plants, huh?

Me and Root Crops Don't Mix

2009-07-30T16:37:00.004-04:00

Yeah, I obviously have been doing something dreadfully wrong when it comes to root crops! I dug up my carrots a few weeks ago – they should have been done mid-June. There were only 2-3 that actually looked like carrots. The others were so forked it was ridiculous. They looked like something out of a bad science experiment. Now the radishes in the Victory Garden are all misshaped too! I dug and dug and dug some more to make sure the ground was good and ready to plant the radishes and carrots, but still nothing. I do believe my soil is just too darn heavy. Next year I am making a root crop section and adding tons o’ sand.
As far as the potatoes they are growing like wild fire and toppling over they are so big. I have hilled them about 1 -1 ½ feet and still they topple. I know have them caged like friggin’ tomatoes! Who would have thunk it?
My asparagus continues to grow. What is that all about? It is almost August and I have 6 new spears coming up and that is not including the 5-6 that have already gotten o be about 8-9” high along with the original spears that are now all going to the ‘ferny’ stage.
The weather continues to be a challenge. If it isn’t raining buckets it is so damn humid and sticky. All this moisture is killing my zucchinis. They are starting to get moldy. My beans are being attacked by God only knows what and my cucumbers are the saddest looking things I have seen in a while. I have only picked about 10 cherry tomatoes and ONE yellow pear tomato. That is so not right. The only thing that is growing well right now is the parsley, which I planted to make gremolata for the beans that are not growing. S –I-G-H.

And the rain continues

2009-07-08T09:48:00.005-04:00

Well this little guy is getting quite the workout lately. June's weather was awful and July is continuing on the same way. The 4th of July weekend was nice but the past two days consisted of rain, thunder, lightening and more rain.
Because of all this rain my corn, at least I think, has washed away. I can't tell if I am growing corn or crab grass. If it is crab grass it is growing in a very uniform row, just like where the corn should be.
I read in my bible (aka Trowel and Error) that you can hang red Christmas ornaments on your tomatoes when the first green ones appear. Allegedly the critters will peck at the ornaments and realize that they don't like them so when the tomatoes actually turn they will have been deterred from the whole plant. So here is my Christmas in July. Here's hoping it works.

First day of summer

2009-06-21T18:36:00.002-04:00

The weather lately has been atrocious! It has been overcast and rainy for weeks with only a day or two of sunshine and the forecast for the next 4-5 days is more of the same. My rain barrels are overflowing but my poor tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers are crying for some warm weather and sunshine. The average temp for June was only about 62! So neither my garden nor the Victory Garden are flourishing right now but I have already ordered some seeds for Fall. This time around I am going to try Kale and Parsnips. From all my Googling it says to plant after the 4th of July, which isn't too far off. I'm going to throw in some leftover lettuce, radish, spinach and carrots too. I figure I have the seeds so I shouldn't let them go to waste.
My dwarf snow peas are still growing like crazy. They finally bloomed and ow they won't stop. I finally pulled up the trellised peas. They didn't do so hot, but when I think about it I only planted a few seeds whereas with the dwarfs I planted about 20 or so. Maybe I'll try the trellis peas later this season again to see how they do.

Victory Garden is COMPLETE!

2009-06-03T15:53:00.007-04:00

So after MUCh hard work Tom and I finally got the Victory Garden set, We have peppers. tomatoes, corn, edamame, beans potatoes and onions growing right now. This is a far cry from this . We did so much digging, tilling and weeding and it is no where near close to completion. The weeds over there grow in seconds.
I planted the corn just last weekend and they are already coming up. Considering that corn is a whole new vegetable for me I wasn't sure what to do. But again, if something wants to grow it will. The beans are looking really good and the edamame is just starting to come up. I am concerned about the Delicate squash. The stems looks a bit ragged but there is still new growth coming from the top so I guess I will just wait and see. The potatoes are growing like wild fire. I already started to mound them - especially the Yukon Gold. I think some of the 'seeds' may have moved underground, or decided to grow hoever they like, because some of them are too close for comfort right now. Well I guess I will only get 15 pounds instead of 20!

Spring Garden Update

2009-05-29T20:38:00.006-04:00

So here is a picture of the peas that I am waiting patiently to harvest. These are Dwarf Gray Sugar and according to the package take 65 days till maturity. Behind them, supposedly growing on the trellis are Snowbird and Sugar Snap 58 and 68 days respectively. Well, I planted ALL of these on March 28th. June 1st will be 58 days and those Snowbirds aren't doing too much right now. I think I have maybe 10 blooms?!? I used pea inoculant on them, watered when necessary and in my humble opinion gave them a darn good place to grow. The tomato plants I bought a few weeks ago were growing fabulously in the green house. So fabulously that they started to bloom and the roots were growing out of the cocoa pots. I couldn't wait any longer for the peas so I just interplanted them in between the trellis and the bamboo hoops. According to my Organic Gardening Companion Planting Guide peas like tomatoes so fingers crossed that everyone gets along till the end!
Last weekend all the remaining seeds went into the Victory Garden across the street - corn, edamame, and beans, along with some, actually A LOT of tomato plants - early girl, big boy, and sweet 100 and a few pepper plants for added measure. We still have a good amount of space left over so Tom and I were talking tonite about putting in carrots, radishes and lettuce. The Valmaine I ordered is vert heat tolerant so I figure, why not! We were also talking about parsnips but from everything I read they don't do well in really rich soil and with all the compost we put down that soil is RICH. I guess parsnips will go on the list for next year. I am heading over there tomorrow to check on everything to make sure the critters haven't gotten through the chicken wire and will get some 'before the show' types of pictures to share.

First Harvest of the Season

2009-05-19T19:53:00.004-04:00

Not the best picture and surely not the best looking radishes but this is my first time growing them and the first I dug up this year. Obviously some should have been left in longer but how much longer? These are Easter Egg radishes and the package says 28-30 days - well that would have been about a week and a half ago. I mean really - for cool weather crops they are being awfully finicky about the weather!
And the aphids all over the rose bushes? Well I think I killed some green lacewings too. How sad. All the pictures I have seen I thought those suckers were like 2 inches long and then some. Apparently they are only 5/8 of n inch. Damn - I hope they don't take it personally and come back to fight the aphids and other pests floating around here. I guess I should always do a Google search on insects before plucking them off my flowers and vegetables.

Holy Aphids!

2009-05-17T19:35:00.003-04:00

Doing my 'tour of duty' through the yard today I noticed a gajillion aphids all over the roses - already! Those little bugs can do so much damage on so many things. Ugh!!! So I Pepper Zapped them with a mix
1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon of Tabasco
1/8 teaspoon liquid soap
All poured into a spray bottle and if all goes well - hasta la vista aphids!
The Victory Garden is coming along. The onions, potatoes and Delicata squash are all in and yesterday I planted the spaghetti squash. Of the 4 dozen plus onion sets I planted only two were 'inspected' by some critter and everything else is covered with chicken wire in the hopes that they can survive.
My radishes are coming along - though not as quickly as I had hoped. Same for the peas. I think within the next few days I can get the first harvest of radishes and hopefully I can do so without disturbing the carrots growing in the same bed. The peas are taking off but so far no buds or flowers which means no peas but they still have a few weeks left. If they don't come to harvest in the next two or three weeks I am just going to pull them out because I need the space for my tomatoes and zucchini.
I planted Kentucky Blue and Asparagus Beans over the last few days as well. I took a chance and planted the Edamame seeds too and am hoping I have better luck this year than next.
The back yard is looking great - after planting 3" pots of perennials last year I wasn't so sure things would work out. This year everything is growing like gang busters. The Columbine is CRAZY and about to bloom so I can't wait to get some pictures of them too.

Spring Garden Check In

2009-05-01T20:39:00.006-04:00

So this is the full on view of my spring garden. The first bed with the row covers is my asparagus bed. Six of the ten plants already have spears growing. I wasn't so sure I planted them correctly but I guess when something wants to grow it just will.
And this here is where all my peas are growing. I also have spinach, lettuce, carrots and radishes in there and hope that they are growing!

I cannot really figure out how people have cool weather AND warm weather gardens. I wasn't thinking when I planted all of this in late March early April. I assumed everything would be done before I needed to plant my tomatoes, cukes, zukes, and beans. Not the case. I am overlapping by many weeks! I think I need to re-graph the layout and move everything around in order to make this work.
Tom and I did till the Victory Garden on Monday so that is all set and ready for seeds. I have my yukon gold and red cloud potatoes from Territorial Seeds ready and I just got the Mars onion sets yesterday so all of the above will be planted tomorrow. I also took the soil temp today and it register at 60 so technically the corn and bean seeds could go too but there is still a couple of weeks before the last frost around here - contrary to the record breaking 93 degree day we had on Tuesday!

Pathetic Forsythias

2009-04-19T15:26:00.006-04:00

Are these not the most pathetic looking forsythias you have ever seen?

I have no idea what to do with them. They haven't bloomed for years. I only get the random flower here and there. I would love to just dig 'em up and get rid of them but having done this in the past i know that it takes a lot of effort, time and patience. And then what would I replace them with anyway?
And these here are the ice stick tulips that I ordered from Brecks. Pretty, but they don't really look like the picture, right?

They just opened two days ago so it isn't like they are old and spent. And then this morning they were closed up and tight again. Pretty strange.

What to do with potato seeds?

2009-04-10T19:02:00.002-04:00

Now that is the question! I got my yukon gold and red cloud delivered today and don't really understand how to use them. The directions say that you can cut the larger 'seeds' (and by seeds I mean something that looks remarkably like a potato) into smaller 'seeds' as long as three eyes are on each piece. Now to me an eye is one of those unsightly growths that occur when you keep a potato to long. Am I wrong? The yukon golds look ok in size but the red clouds are pretty big. What the heck is an eye? I don't see any of those said growths on any of them! I guess I'll just plant 'em and hope for the best.
In the meantime, the friggin' squirrels have gotten to almost all of my strawberry plants already. And that includes the one planted in the terra cotta strawberry planter and whiskey barrels. I would be mad if they were dug up and stolen, BUT NO these friggin' critters are just digging up the bare roots and leaving them to dry out and die! I am getting really pissed. They stole my spinach seedlings too! I am not for cruelty to animals but this is just pushing me over the edge. Have a Heart my ass! These suckers are going!

Spring Vegetable Garden

2009-03-28T18:02:00.002-04:00

What a busy, busy day! After 6 hours outside I accomplished planting 25 of the 50 strawberry plants, set up the spring garden to hold three types of peas (sugar snaps and snows), and some spinach (the carrots and radishes will go out next weekend) removed all the thatch from the front yard, set up and loaded my compost bin, and cleaned up some of the worst areas of the yard. Not to mention refilling the hole my dog keeps digging under an evergreen bush. That was done three times. Drives me crazy no matter what I do he will not stay out of there - but I guess it is better unseen under the bush than some place else. I was hoping to get more done but that thatching took longer than I expected and worked more muscles than I thought. What a workout! It is supposed to rain all day tomorrow so all indoor work I guess....

More blooms and a bin!

2009-03-26T21:24:00.008-04:00

I finally got around to getting a compost bin (I know, I know, as an organic gardener I should have had one years ago but just never got around to it). Thanks to New England Plastics and a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection the city of Medford is offering discounted bins to residents. So who am I to turn down a deal?!? The bin isn't exactly what I expected but it does hold/produce 24 cubic feet of compost so I guess all works out in the end. It was a DIY situation to get it together and the directions were pretty clear but they really should have stated right at the beginning that you need four hands or two people to assemble the sucker. Tom (you know my neighbor) helped me out putting it together and now I just need to stake it into the ground and load 'er up! And now since the city is cracking down on only taking yard waste on designated yard waste days (they used to take leaves and such in open barrels all the time) I have tons of brown matter to add and the way I go through fruits and veggies I produce enough green matter to make the perfect mix. And of course a picture will soon follow : )

As for the bloomers going on now in the yard this is a picture of my mini iris - Katherine Hodgkins. They are only 2" high but boy does the leftover greens grow high! These too have multiplied but only by two or three at each planting site. I am not a huge iris fan but I really like these ones. Unfortunately the blooms only last a week or so and then - poof - gone. But the early spring bloomers a quick to follow so all is not lost.

Asparagus has arrived!

2009-03-17T19:06:00.004-04:00

And here is the first photo of my ten lovely Jersey Supremes:

Hard to believe that these suckers are going to become 20 year+ vegetable plants! My 50 strawberry plants showed up today too. I thought I ordered plants, but alas they are bare root too. Not even sure where I will put them all, but I am a sucker for a BOGO (buy one get one free) deal so fifty it is!
I did build the raised bed over the weekend and I thought it came out great, however the screws were not so happy in their new found home and promptly popped out of one side when all the compost and manure were added : ( Did I ever mention I suck at wood working?!?!
I just checked on the lettuce seeds that I planted indoors over the weekend to make sure they hadn't dried out and shockingly enough I already have one itsy bitsy seedling poking out! Of course like the overzealous gardner that I am I forgot to mark which peat pots are what so I have no idea if it is the Valamian (romaine) or Salad Bowl (loose leaf) - a surprise later on I guess.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a good 50+ degree day here so I am going to tackle that community garden.

So much work to be done!

2009-03-15T17:55:00.005-04:00

These two pictures show you what type of work I have in store for me. This is the yard of the abandoned house across the street that my neighbor and I have decided to make into a semi-community garden.
Most of the knee-high weeds were taken out prior to this picture and a very small amount of the leaves. There is so much more to do! We need to clear the whole area, till the soil, order compost (no one can make THATmuch, section it off, find and place walking paths - ugh - so much to do and so little time! The last frost will be here before I know it (typically May 5th around these parts). Oh and the size of the grubs I found in what little area I was in was amazing! Curled up they were the size of quarters - the local wild bird population will love me one I set those suckers loose!
On a separate note I built my raised bed for my asparagus yesterday. I realized that I am not the best with screws, drivers, drills and L-brackets. It looked ok to me but that friggin' thing fell apart today when I was adding in my compost and manure! Forget the screws - I am going straight to the old fashioned hammer and nail.
I also planted some spinach seeds in my window boxes as well as two different types of lettuce seeds indoors. It is only March and this New England weather can turn in a second. I thought about putting my boots away, or at least away from the back door, but figured I will wait till the last frost just to be safe : )

The first 'official' sign of Spring

2009-03-14T18:26:00.005-04:00

And there it is - my first crocus for 2009! Apparently the squirrels didn't get as many as I thought - though they did snack on quite a bit! I am hoping that some of the ones that survived are purple. Those are my favorite!

How do geraniums bloom in the dark?

2009-03-08T08:56:00.005-04:00

Now that is the question!?! Every year I dig out the geraniums, shake out the excess dirt and hang them upside down in my basement. For the past 5 years all has seemed normal. In the spring I take them outside and cut the dead branches until I reach live, green growth, put them back in their pots and watch them bloom all summer. What is going on with these geraniums?

You can see the new green shoots, some new leaves and of course blooms! They have not seen more than 1 hour of daylight since October, have had no water and they aren't growing in anything. Crazy I say!
Oh and speaking of crazy yesterday while out walking Max I saw a forsythia bush already in bloom! We had a foot of snow on Monday, yesterday it was 60 degrees - it's no wonder the plant world is in a state of confusion. Typically I put down my corn glutton when the forsythias bloom but that is hard to do when you still have several inches of melting snow covering the lawn.
I did notice this morning that the tulips are now coming up along with the daffodils/jonquils. There are a few crocuses peeping up too. I planted over 40 bulbs last fall but forgot to squirrel proof them with chicken wire so I lost the majority of them but thankfully the naturalize pretty quickly so all is not lost.
It is expected to be another 50+ degree day so hopefully the rest of the snow will melt and I can get back to the butterfly bush and hack it to the ground!

In Like a Lion!

2009-03-02T12:13:00.005-05:00

So much for Spring coming! I bid a heartfelt RIP to my daffodils (or jonquils). We got pummeled overnight with over a foot of snow. The picture shows the view into my backyard from the porch. This is the lull in the storm. It is expected to snow again around 3pm. The snow had just melted out of my yard too! I was able to get to my garden yesterday to get exact measurements for the raised bed but I guess that won't be going in anytime soon!
Not sure what is going to happen to the sedum, dragon flowers and columbine that were experiencing new growth too. All because of this crazy weather! This photo was taken a few weeks ago at 7:30pm! Unheard of conditions in February in New England!

Spring is coming!

2009-02-22T07:29:00.003-05:00

I just noticed yesterday that my daffodils (or maybe jonquils - I can never tell the two apart) are peeking out already! I personally think it is too early but who am I to argue with Mother Nature? I am surprised to see them coming up already when the crocuses haven't even started. Last year I had tons of foliage and very few flowers - not sure why because every other year they have looked great. Keeping my fingers crossed that this year they actually do something! If I still only get a flower or two I will have to remember to dig them up in the fall and divide them.
Today I need to investigate how to hang a 'catch all' under my bird feeders - the hulled shells are a disgusting mess - not to mention the sunflower seeds hinder other things from growing. The no mess bird seed is always an option but I can never find it in a 20+ pound bag. I think I may start filling the suet feeders with yarn, string, dog hair, etc so my little friends can start building their nests. If my Spring bulbs are coming up that means the migrating birds will soon be here too.

60+ in February!

2009-02-11T20:58:00.004-05:00

This is global warming at its finest - check out this picture - 60+ degrees and it is only February 11! My thermometer sits in the shade of my porch all day so it was even warmer than what it shows!

Thankfully there is still close to knee deep snow on the ground so my early spring bulbs won't be coming up yet. Not really sure what the rest of the week holds for temperature, but this is definitely just a tease. No way is winter on it's way out of New England. As you can see from where my garden is supposed to be - we have a L-O-N-G way to go.

I have a lot of work to do in my garden space - last year I expanded up the hill and learned the hard way that I really should have built several raised beds so that the water didn't completely drown out the cukes at the bottom. So, raised beds are on the list as well as expanding another 6 feet at the other end of the existing garden. The first 6 feet is designated to asparagus and then the remaining 12 feet to all the rest.

Way Overdue

2009-02-01T14:50:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that my last posting was in July! My 2009 resolution is to be more diligent to this positing to record the highs and lows of my experiences!
This year my garden is starting from seed. Yup - seed. I ordered all my seeds through Territorial Seeds and Henry Fields and this year I am expanding the garden (again) and growing some new things. For the cool weather garden I am going with lettuce, carrots, radishes and sugar and snap peas. And then when the weather heats up out come the cukes, zukes, tomatoes, edamame, beans and spaghetti squash. I guess I should be truthful - the cukes, zukes and tomatoes will be purchased as plants - I can't take on everything at once!
I also have been working with my newly converted organic neighbor, Tom, on starting a community garden. There is a house across the street and next to Tom that has been abandoned for 3 years and everyone is sick of looking at the overrun yard and weeds. We are going to work together to make an established bed of about 15 x 20 and there I will attempt from seed - corn and delicata squash and I also ordered two types of potatoes - yukon gold and red - along with some red onion sets. I have enough bean seeds so those will probably move over across the street too. I am going with the Native American Three Sisters method - squash, corn and beans. Hopefully it all comes to fruition.
We have a lot to do if the snow every melts. Since the yard has been empty for so long there are TONS of at least thigh high weeds and "grass" that needs to be taken care of before we even think about dumping down loads of compost.
Storm after storm has dumped a lot of snow around here so once I can manage to get into that backyard I will snap a before picture.

And still more photos

2008-07-15T20:41:00.006-04:00

Remember that spindly little butterfly bush from an earlier post? Well here she is in all her glory! After only one year she is now about 6' high and 3-4' wide. The older stems are flowering first but today the tops have blooms too.
And this is an up close and personal shot of one of the many coneflowers I planted. Other than the green envy and these two that is all I have for now.

the double deckers have buds and I cannot wait to see them come up. The weather has definitely been in their favor. It has been crazy hot for days now probably going on a week. I can't get enough water into my garden it is so dang hot. Thank goodness for the rain barrels other wise my water bill would be sky high!

Picture time

2008-07-14T21:29:00.018-04:00

Whoever heard of pansies still blooming in July?!?! I got these from Michigan Bulb and they are growing like wildfire!!!

These two of where my garden is now - holy zukes and cukes! I still have to train the cucumbers to grow up the trellis as opposed to growing into my neighbors evergreen bushes. The zukes and tomatoes are doing well too. So far I have cut two zukes and two yellow squash and hopefully more to come.

This is the first to bloom green envy coneflower - there is another one but it is being completely consumed by my butterfly bush.

These are the wildflowers that I got for free for joining the National Home Gardening Club and I must say they took nicely to this spot - it somewhat hides the neighbors unsightly yard.

Who said morning glories were annuals - these suckers have reseeded themselves and are making a very good home in my backyard.

These blackie sweet potato vines were from last year! They were in the window box never really doing too well and I brought them in this year and BOO-YAH I have a mini sweet potato shrub!

The season has begun!

2008-07-09T20:50:00.004-04:00

So here is the first zucchini of the season! I let it get a little too big totally by accident. I didn't even realize it was there! The plants are growing out of control and it is hard for me to see under those massive leaves, but today it was rescued!

I also have a few sugar snap peas which I think are ready to harvest, but what do you do with 6 peas?!?! I have never grown these before so have no idea what to expect.

The tomatoes and cucumbers are doing pretty well, the Thai hot peppers are a complete wash. I guess peppers are just not my thing because last year the red and greens didn't grow well either.

Now the front yard is a different story. I bought 12 tradesentia from Spring Hill Nursery and only 5 have come up. The front walk looks absolutely ridiculous! Not to mention the unsightly daffodil foliage that refuses to die. And that is just salt in the wound because they didn't bloom either!

So my next stop after this post is to contact Spring Hill and take them up on their life time guarentee. Will let you know how that works out!

Not so Blue Girl Rose

2008-06-23T19:57:00.006-04:00

This is the first bloom that came up on my newly purchased Blue Girl Rose. Blue? I think not! It has a bit of a lavender-ish color but this isn't even close to what I thought it would be. It does smell absolutely heavenly though. It has a rose scent but with an underlying scent of lemon - sitting on the back porch I can smell it even without a breeze blowing.

Now this beauty here is growing in the back! What a vibrant pink. Now if everything else I plated would pick up the pace.

The Salvia Plumosa is doing well and has started to spread. The dragon flower is growing like crazy - I just hope it flowers. I have blooms on the double decker and green envy coneflowers and a gajillion morning glories growing all over the place!!! Talk about an annual re-seeding.

The veggie garden is doing well. I have flowers on the cukes and zukes. Of course the zukes are all male right now, but I do see some females coming up shortly. I have four very small cherry tomatoes and two roma plum already coming up and even more blooms. They don't seem to bloom heavy, so I am hoping that I am going to get more as they grow. Right now they are only about 2 feet high - and still plenty of growing time!

Holy Heatwave!!!!!

2008-06-09T20:54:00.008-04:00

Starting on Saturday it has been 90+ degrees!!! This from on Thursday being 50-60 - what a crazy climb in temperature. My tomatoes and cukes are loving it - but not so much for the lettuce. You know it is hot when the Rhodies start to droop! My roses started to bloom and MUCH better than any other year. Here is a picture of the two that are on my side yard. The one on the left was a spindly little thing last year and look at her now - almost the same size as her neighbor! I guess a little love and some "roses alive" from Garden's Alive really does the trick!

Even the rose bush out back that came up with only one bloom last year is doing well.

I wanted to capture my garden now while it is still in the infant stage. I did have to trash the sugar snap peas - they just didn't cut it. Only one survived and instead I plated a number of different bush and pole beans.

The first photo captures my cukes, lettuce (both romaine and buttercrunch) edamame, and beans. Keep in mind that I just plants the bean seeds yesterday so there really is nothing to see yet.

The second photo is of my Thai hot peppers (to deter the critters), yellow and green zucchini and tomato plants. I added some marigold seeds throughout the garden as well as in pots to hopefully help with the critters. I also planted some Nasturtium plants that will hang along the fence again in the hopes to keep the thieves at bay.

It's been a long time

2008-05-29T20:34:00.003-04:00

I have been crazy busy in the yard that I have forgotten to write! Anyway, since my tulips have bloomed I have planted all my vegetables - and I think some a bit early - the edamame didn't really make it so I cut it back but it looks ok now - I'll just keep my fingers crossed.
I have planted my scallions and chives (grown from seed) out in the garden and around my rose bushes respectively. My window boxes and hanging baskets are all planted and this year I went with purple and white - hanging petunias, calibrocha, dusty miller and a few others. So far they are looking pretty good and it is only May!
The back garden is coming up nicely. The edelweiss took and bloomed though I though I would get more than one flower per plant, but maybe it is because they are newly planted.
I seem to have lost a few columbines, as they haven't come up yet, but maybe those three are slow to grow. The other columbines I have are looking pretty nice. One of my Christa's already has a bud.
I started using Neptune's seaweed fertilizer on my garden plants. I added it just this past weekend and will do it, as directed, every 2-3 weeks.
I was getting some serious leaf eating on my rose bushes so I applied some Crop Guard that I bought from Arbico. The spray is made with garlic and yucca and you mix with water to rid aphids, mealy worms, cut worms, etc from plants. So far in the past week since applying it I haven't seen one leaf damaged - and I have TONS of blooms!
I cannot wait for everything to come up to share the pictures.

Tulips in bloom

2008-05-05T20:43:00.007-04:00

This is the first year that my tulips actually came up and I am so excited!!! Typically I have gotten a bunch of sterile tulips with lots of greens and no buds, but this is a new year - I just wish you knew what color the bulbs were before planting. The orange-ish one are called jimmy tulips that I got from Brecks and the other two are what are considered kaleidoscope and I believe I got those from Brecks as well.

The ones that are majority of red are on the right side of my front lawn and the purple ones are on the left. Like I said it would have been nice to mix them up a bit but maybe they decide in the ground what color to be?!?!

Before the magic

2008-04-27T18:12:00.008-04:00

I wanted to post some of the before pictures now that I have everything planted. All the bare roots plats have already started coming up and any that arrived as plants have settled into theri new homes nicely.
The first two are of the semi-rock garden - everything right now is so small but at least they are growing! I think in the next 2 years or so it will really be a beauty.
There are a few from the back yard with my bird and butterfly houses and again it looks like I am growing popsycle stick becasue nothing is big enough to see - but just wait until the full bloom season.
The last one is of the weeping cherry tree out front with the giant hyacinths. I just ordered 24 more bulbs the other day so that I can complete a ring around the tree.

Perennials a plenty and seeds a starting!

2008-04-19T21:34:00.003-04:00

So I have planted all the perennials - with the exception of my coneflowers - they haven't arrived yet. I got in the three shrubs - the willow, the weigela and the beautyberry along with some additional purple wintercreeper under the sad looking forsythias.
This weekend I started my edamame, sage, lavender, and oregano seeds in the greenhouse. Last weekend I started the moonflowers and they are already a good three inches! Hopefully they take this year and I can add them as an annual ground cover in my rock garden.
I also planted some romaine and butter crunch lettuce seeds that I got from the garden last year. I covered them with a floating row cover just in case. I heard lettuce from seeds is not an easy task. I will wait a few weeks to see if anything comes up and if not, off to the nursery for plants I will go!
The past three days it has been over 60 degrees and close to 70 yesterday so hopefully we have shaken off the winter weather and spring has finally arrived.
Have lots of Spring bulbs blooming too - giant hyacinth, daffodils, and jonquils. The tulips are coming up and thankfully the new ones I planted aren't sterile, I can see the flower bulb inside the leaves. There are still plenty of sterile ones around the yard that I need to dig up. I heard if you dig them up and plant them with ones that actually do bloom they will not be sterile anymore. I have to remember that in the fall!
Pictures of the blooming beauties to follow. I was on vacation for the past week and have so much to rake, weed and basically take care of the pictures will just have to wait.

Perrennial Planting and Weed Control

2008-04-06T19:17:00.002-04:00

So this weekend I put down my WOW Supreme to control weeds and also fertilize the lawn. I used 20 pounds for the front and side yards and I still need to take care of the back yard, but it really needs to be over seeded which is something I cannot do with the corn gluten that is in the WOW because it kills all seedlings, including grass.
I also got all of my plants in the ground - all 32 of them. I am still waiting for plenty more but I am headed out for vacation and needed to get them planted sooner rather than later. I finally got my pentasemon that I ordered last fall and I planted those out front as well.
I also started my rosemary and moonflower from seed indoors. Last year the moonflower did horribly - it never grew more than 2" and I think the squirrels dug what little I had anyway. Hopefully this year they will take.
I brought out all the painted bird and butterfly houses. They look really cute in the back. If it were even remotely sunny out at any given time this weekend I would have taken a picture to show - but it was overcast and misty the whole weekend - maybe when I get back!
The Katherine Hodgkins irises came up on April 1- they are so small and cute - again the picture will follow.
I also got a lot of outdoor decor the spruce up the place, and even without the sun or any blooms it really has helped!

Arbor Day is early this year

2008-03-28T19:21:00.003-04:00

So I joined the Arbor Day Foundation and as a gift for joining I just received TEN trees!
2 Sargent Crabapples
2 Eastern Redbuds
2 Washington Hawthorns
2 White Flowering Dogwoods
2 Goldenraintrees
And as an added bonus I also got a fragrant lilac shrub. I have no idea where these are going to go, but my sister expressed interest in the crabappples and I am thinking of giving one of the dogwoods to another sister. Other than that, I am stumped (no pun intended) as to where the others are to go. I do have about two years to figure it out though. The foundation recommends planting them in a 'tree nursery' to get them started for a year or two and then transplanting them to their permanent location. Now I just need to find a spot to plant this nursery : )
And lastly - it snowed today. Ugh - when will it stop?!?

My lawn is #1 on the To Do list

2008-03-22T21:15:00.006-04:00

Today I spent the day focused on my lawn. I aerated the front and side yards with my "Hound Aerator" that I just bought at Home Depot. There were so many ugly plugs all over the lawn which makes me think I did the right thing at the right time! After walking the Hound across the lawn I raked the HELL out of it to get up old growth and thatch (keeping in mind I held my core muscles the whole time for an extra work out)! The lawn looks better already - amazing what getting rid of the brown can do.
I also dug up the new portion of my garden, tilled the soil and added some compost. I am hoping to put in some scallions and lettuce seed within the next few week.
Yesterday I planted my Blue Girl Rose bush and am hoping that it isn't too early or cold - keeping my fingers crossed on that one!
The best thing I did today was help my neighbor (aka Mr. Scotts) order the organic material that he needs to take care of his lawn. I cannot even express the joy that I have that he has decided to go organic. I am really so proud of him because it takes a lot to get off of the 'drugs' to make this planet a better place. He is ordering from Garden's Alive and went for the WOW Supreme and some grub control. He is now so into the organic way that he is also ordering a tea composting kit! I LOVE IT! Now I have to hook up a system for tea composting too. I am looking for the 'passive' way which will require some stirring and manual labor because I don't want the thing sucking up the electricity for the aerating pumps.

Sping is SPRINGING!

2008-03-12T18:18:00.004-04:00

You know Spring is on its way in New England when the crocuses make their appearance - and here are the first of mine to show their happy faces

The ground is nasty, tons of old mulch and fallen twigs but still they have arrived! Now keep in mind, I didn't plant these and they were not in this location last year! The nearest crocuses are in the front yard some 50 or so feet away, so I really have no idea how they got there, but whatever, they will be gone by the time what I did plant there shows up.
The kaleidescope and jimmy tulips I planted are coming up as well - we'll just have to wait to see if they really bloom though. My tulips are notorious for being sterile - lots o' green, no blooms. Hopefully the bulbs alive I sprinkled in the holes will help the blooming process!

Ah-Hah - so that's what that is!

2008-03-09T19:54:00.005-04:00

So I went to the New England flower show today - the theme was Rhapsody in Green and it was all about organic gardening - right up my alley. I had quite the ah-hah moment while I was there when I saw this:
I have two of these in my yard and I had no idea what they were! I cut the heck out of one last year because it was way too overgrown and the other one sits next to my front porch steps. When I Googled it every site said it was a slow grower so I am assuming the ones I have growing have been around for a while. And it also says 'slight fragrance' HA! I think not those little white flowers smell like cat urine. I hate both of them! I would love to do away with them but I have so much going on right now they will receive a pardon for this year!
Oh - and before I headed off to the flower show I pruned my blueberry and rose bushes. They have both been here for years and never pruned! There was so much dead wood it's no wonder I never get berries or flowers! I am hoping that this was a good time to do it. Typically I have read late winer early spring so I am pretty much banking on this is that time!

Move in ready

2008-03-03T18:58:00.002-05:00

How cute are these?

I figure I am making a friendly garden for my fine, feathered, friends I might as well give them a safe place to rest and digest. The purple one on the left is actually a feeder. Behind/under the orange part is a screen where you can add the seed of choice. I am actually going to go for mealworms or grub, something a little different that what I have in the other feeders. I really don’t think anyone will be setting up home in the yellow one, but it still really cure and although you can’t see it, the sides are painted magenta which will blend in nicely with the new flowers.
I also got a butterfly house – MUCH bigger than I imagined. I have only gotten around to painting the stake, but will definitely post the finished product – whenever that may be.
And before anyone starts posting about toxic paints I used a water-based, non-toxic acrylic from Folk Art meant to withstand the outdoor elements. Right on the label (and also on the cap) is a picture of a birdhouse – so I am taking a chance and believing their marketing techniques that it is safe for my little friends.

Lots of planting in my future

2008-02-29T20:25:00.006-05:00

Holy Cow - have I ordered a lot to plant in the spring! I am always so overzealous when it comes to ordering stuff – I think I have an online ordering addiction. I have 42, yup forty two, plants coming in the spring to plant!!!! I am going to be a busy little bee for sure. To add to my butterfly/hummingbird extravaganza in the back I added both white and pink dragonflowers, Nora and Christa Barlow Columbine, sedum emperor’s wave, more coneflowers, pentesemon, some salvia and oh how I hope it grows edelweiss! Someone please stop the catalogues from coming – they are without a doubt my downfall!
Today I just order my bags of corn gluten to keep on top of that nasty weed grown on the lawn. Four 20lb bags from Garden’s Alive will do the trick I am sure.
I am interested in this new zyosia grass plug craze that seems to be inserted into every catalogue and magazine lately. It seems to good to be true. I am going to look into it and most likely try it out – hopefully with good results to report!

Spring planning continued

2008-02-09T14:46:00.002-05:00

So now that I have gone through all of my gardening catalogues I have ordered a number of perennials to add around the yard and have made the decision to make the back portion of my yard a butterfly/hummingbird friendly area. I am going for annuals and perennials that will attract both of them as well as some beneficial insects to assist with the rest of the yard. Typically I have laid out the section of my yard in the same color scheme, just adding foliage and texture for interest but the backyard is going to be a cacophony of colors and species.
Already established back there is a butterfly bush and some black eyed susans but I am adding in some coneflowers – green envy which is a stunning green species that fades to crimson in the interior as well as a “grab bag” of other colors. I also added in dragon flower. Everything I have thus far is at its lowest height 18” so I definitely need some friendly lower growing plants so that it doesn’t look so top heavy.
I am really interested in buying the seed kit that is stated to attract butterfly and hummingbirds, but as seeds I have no idea what they are or what size they will become, so the whole area could become one big mess if I am not careful.
I planted an astantia mix in a separate area of the yard just because I thought they were very interesting looking and found out later that they are butterfly magents so I have been looking at the “Moulin Rouge” version which is BEAUTIFUL! Being the penny pincher gardener that I am I have earmarked all the catalogues that offer it and am now just comparing prices to get the best deal.
My last news to note here is that I have joined the National Home Gardening Club as a member and am receiving a new pair of pruners for my efforts. If you are interested in becoming a member please visit gardeningclub.com to join!
My indoor seed in my newly receive electric greenhouse will be planted shortly so stay tuned for the results!

New Year - and can't wait till Spring!

2008-01-01T12:46:00.000-05:00

Welcome 2008!
I have been pouring through all the gardening catalogs that I have been receiving and just can't wait till Spring. I laid out my newly enlarged garden and this year I am going for edamame, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, scallions, garlic, romaine and buttercrunch lettuces, yellow and green summer squash (maybe some patty pan too) and thrown throughout the garden some nasturtium and marigolds as critter deterant. Outside of the garden I am going to plant mini pumpkins to see how they do. Last year the watermelons were a bust. 20 feet of vines and I got three extremely watery, low tasting melons. Just not worth the effort for me.
I have earmarked a number of flowers, both annual and perennial, in the Park Seed, Burpee and Gurney catalogs. I am even looking into a seed starting electric greenhouse because I only have one small, 4 tiered outdoor greenhouse and last year it was jam packed with seedlings and with my over reaching vision this year I am going to need much more growing power!
Here in Boston we had a very close to record breaking snowfall (1" short of beating it) and loads more than last year - 24" versus 7" so I am hoping all my newly planted perennials will make it through the season. Just the other day the snow started to melt along the edges of the lawn and much to my dismay I saw weeds!!!! What is that all about?!?! It is much too cold for weeds and I did put down the corn gluten so things should be under control. Wait till I get my hands on those little suckers come Spring.
There are 5 long more months until I can really start to plant and start seeds but as I said earlier I have a list of must haves for the garden so stay tuned for the next installment of what I ordered.
Enjoy your New Year!

Bringing it indoors

2007-11-20T20:36:00.000-05:00

Yup, it is that time of year in the Northeast where all the activities are done indoors. The first frost has hit and settled in. I have drained the rain barrel, dug up the garden, ditched the annuals out of their containers and boxes and raked more leaved than I can even begin to count.
I tried bringing in my basil and sweet potato blackies but that didn’t work so well. I think the blackies had a pest or disease that dropped onto the basil plants because the leaves looked like they were chewed off. Needless to day both basil plants and the blackies have since gone from the house. I even took a hose to the blackies after repotting them to get rid of any miniscule, microscopic bugs before bringing them into the house but alas, Mother Nature got me again.
The garlic I planted in September, which grew pretty fast is now back into the ground where it will remain for the rest of the winter in hopes that it will re-grow in the spring.
Because November till March is pretty dormant up here for the gardening scene my posts will be few and far between. Unless I find a great new site or purchase some new seeds don’t expect to hear much from me over the next few months. As I mentioned in my opening – the activities have moved indoors and I have some major reconstruction to take care of!

The planting continues

2007-10-23T18:37:00.000-04:00

A little behind in my blogging here so I will keep it short and sweet. Basically planting, planting, and more planting. The weekend of the 13th I planted upwards of 200 bulbs – primarily Katherine Hodgkin irises and Little Princess and Little Beauty tulips – both only 4” high so none of that unsightly vegetation growth waiting to die back! I had a handful of giant Hyacinths added to the mix as well as Kalidescope and Jimmy tulips (20” and 24” respectively) and the last 6 of the tradescantia. It’s been two weeks and I must say I think I have succeeded in keeping the squirrels away. I planted the bulbs at the required depth and once in the trench I added a bit of soil and then on top of that I placed chicken wire then I covered with the rest of the soil! I have seen some holes around where I planed but as soon as the chicken wire showed up the digging stopped. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it keeps them away for good. I also added some all-natural bulb fertilizer called Bulbs Alive that I ordered from Garden’s Alive. A little extra love never hurt anything! And as an added bonus I had some extra chicken wire so I cut that and placed it on top of the irises and tulips. It is very trashy to see this all on my front lawn but it is only temporary until I know the squirrels have stopped their efforts to populate the word with oak trees!
This past weekend I planted 6 tall phlox in ice blue and 6 astrantia plants. Those all went in the back along the deck. The astrantia were rather sickly looking when they arrived but hopefully they will bounce back.
The rock garden got a few extra additions too – three magic carpet thyme that (hopefully) will have pretty pink flowers and a nice scent throughout the summer and I also dropped in 3 fescue blue grasses. They were sooooo cute when they got delivered – only about 1” high but they are expected to grow to 18”.
I am still waiting on a few more things – 1 gardenia bush, 9 hardy pansies and 3 snow in summer. After that I will be officially done with the fall planting. The winter months are going to be long….what am I going to spend my weekends doing now?

How to take care of 'that'?

2007-10-11T19:24:00.001-04:00

I have purchased so many new plants and flowers over the past several months and have some great site bookmarked on my computer but sometimes I just don't have the time to log on and read them. To save time and keep things organized I have created a 3-ring binder broken out in tabs by perennials, annuals, shrubs, veggies, tips, lawn care, etc. This has really helped me keep everything in one place - including those pages of magazines that I have ripped out.
I have found a magazine that has great gardening ideas, recipes and DIY plans called Garden Gate
It has given me some ideas as to how to continue to build on my existing landscape and some recipes to get rid of all those zucchini!
I also received a great deal from them in the mail that provided two great free books and a discounted subscription - check it out (and no I am not a sales person for them, just a happy subscriber!)

Tis the season for planting

2007-10-10T19:20:00.001-04:00

Wow, did it get cold fast! This past weekend I decided not to plant any of my bulbs because it was still too warm and I didn’t want them to bloom prematurely – what a difference a few days makes! It is now down to about the 40’s at night and I have taken in my basil and the gardenia houseplants for their own safety!
What I did plant this weekend was 6 of the 12 tradescantia I purchased. I was waiting patiently for UPS to show up with my other 6 but no luck – he didn’t get here until Monday so those little puppies are in the crisper in my freezer. They come as bare root which is something I am not familiar with planting so I am hoping I did it right. The squirrels haven’t touched them since I planted them, which makes me think that perhaps I didn’t!
I also separated the creeping phlox and replanted it into different areas of the rock garden because they were inadvertently planted in one huge mass in one area – oops!
Because it was forecasted to rain all week I took the opportunity to lay down some grass seed too. I used the Garden’s Alive Gold Compost – which are pellet-size hay forms that expand when watered and keep away the pesky birds, not to mention retain moisture and naturally deteriorate without laying unwanted weeds into the lawn. We’ll see how it all works out soon (I hope).
This next weekend I have 3 scabiosa, 6 tradescantia and 3 verbasum to plant. Hopefully the temperature will hold up and I can get those in along with the 100 iris’ and 40 tulips too!

Fetilizer, paint and leaves - oh my!

2007-09-18T18:40:00.001-04:00

So it had been two weeks since I put down the corn glutten - time to put down the N-lite fertilizer. I am really hoping that this all works out and provides me with a great lawn next spring. I will still sow some seed though. This year I was thinking fescue instead of kentucky blue because it is more drought tolerant and the rain barrel only supplies so much free water!
I also had three and a half hours to kill so I decided to paint the fence black. It came out great! I would show pictures, but I am waiting till I get all the plantings in so you can really see a "before and after" shot - no need to ruin the surprize!
Now onto the leaves and there were a plenty. The old oak tree in the back is certainly putting down a serious amount of dead foliage this season. Four very large barrels filled this weekend and that didn't even put a dent in what was left on the ground. The arborist (aka tree cutter) will be here on Thursday to trim and prune the old guy, hopefully he does a good job and doesn't cut so much that it goes into shock!

Too hot for much

2007-09-11T21:13:00.001-04:00

Wow - was Saturday hotter than I expected. I had lots of plans - paint the fence, dig out more in the front yard, glutten the back yard, etc. It was upwards of 90 degrees on Saturday which really cut my level of productivity. The only thing I ended up doing was dismantleing the garden. I pulled out the decaying zuchinni plants, removed the over abundant tomatoes and harvested a few more peppers. I also planted a bunch of garlic for harvesting in the spring. And now that it is football season my Sundays are confined to the HDTV and all the games available! Which basically means my Saturdays are going to be more jam packed than ever!
I am really trying to get all the basics done before the boat-load of bulbs and plants arive so that I am not trampling over the newly planted items, but of course, being in New England, the weather just doesn't seem to want to cooperate. Thankfully today it rained - which has been much needed. EVERYTHING is wilting - including things that never wilt - like the weeping cherry tree. My rain barrel has been dry for so long I actauly thought of dismantleing it and putting it away!
I did buy a few mum plants to decorate my back porch. Which look kind of odd next to my still thriving basil plants! I do have to take the basil in at night because it is getting below 60 now. I have made a few bunches of pesto that I have frozen and am hoping will make it over the next few months!

Pre-emergence weekend!

2007-09-03T19:49:00.000-04:00

I finally got around to putting down my corn glutten this weekend. I was debating if I wanted to kill the weeds or plant seed and grow more grass. I chose to kill. I ended up putting down twice the "accepable" rate just to be sure. I used a 20lb bag that I ordered a few months ago all in the front and just a small portion that is pretty much all crab grass in the back. I still have another 20lbs for the rest of the back yard but there were so many leaves that I didn't feel like raking. It is kind of a fruitless task. The oak tree is sending down leaves and acorns faster that I can get them up. With all the acorns it is almost like you have to wear a hard hat on the back deck!
I also harvested ymy peppers. I got about 5 - they are pretty small and look confused - they are half red and half green. I should have picked them sooner to get greens, but they were so small I thought they needed some more time to grow. I am getting new flowers on them now too. I am not sure how long the weather will hold for them but all I can do is wait and see.
I planted more spinach seeds too. The last batch got me nothing! maybe I planted too deep or watered too much and they soaked away. I am not really sure but we'll see how these ones do.
Next weekend I think will be a weekend of rest. Spending all weekend doing yard work I have neglected my house. It needs a good fall cleaning!

I have given up!

2007-08-30T19:59:00.000-04:00

I had SOOOO many tomatoes just waiting to ripen, be picked and enjoyed and I have lost them all to those bloody squirrels. I hate them!!! I think I may have gotten 20 tomatoes in total all season and now I have nothing but two overgrown plants with yellowing bottom leaves and no more veggies. All that work and not all the reward I was anticipating. I need to come up with a better plan next year.
Some things that I learned this year
- watch the tomato plant and make sure the branches fall WITHIN the cage because if you wait too long then they just grow too big and fall to the ground.
- just let the zucchini grow, don't try to train it
- apply some sort of fungicide at the FIRST sign of moldy leaves. One of my poor zukes just got infested by me waiting too long
- oh and speaking of waiting too long - just pick the zucchini "one more day" will give it just that much more time to grow huge
- harvest, harvest, harvest that lettuce otherwise it just gets bitter
- daily "squirel patrol/deterrant" probably would have saved a good number of my tomatoes
- if only 1-2 peppers grow per plant (like mine did) plants LOTS of seedlings!

I have now given up the garden to the wild (meaning weeds and squirrels) because everything is pretty much done for me, except for the watermelons. Out of 6 plants I have two good sized and two maybes. All the other littles fell off. I am now focusing on Fall planting, planning and winter protection for everything. Labor Day weekend is coming and do I plan on doing some labor. I have to get everything tilled and composted before my plant shipment comes in.

2007-08-22T20:25:00.001-04:00

So, let’s review the weekend – I dug up that god-awful burning bush. I wish I could take all the credit but I can’t, I had some serious help from my neighbors who put in some manual labor in getting the majority of the main roots out. I tilled the soil with some compost, added lots o’ water and am just waiting for the Gardenia.
I have talked (typed) so much about my garden but I really am taking care of the whole yard and I have really big plans, here are a couple of before pictures. I actually added some Autumn Joy sedum from my sister into the mix before the whole process was in the works, but I ordered a plenty of perennial, flowering bushes and am planning on edging the border out further and in some sort of circular/scallop type shape (Jefe, the dog, is standing guard in the picture).

The lawn also needs some serious re-seeding and some love and care (not to mention a little less Jefe). That is on the list for this weekend. I just need to figure out how to put down the corn gluten and still reseed. Seeing as the corn gluten kills all seeds – including grass – I need to wait six weeks before putting down new grass seed. That puts me into October because I also plan on putting down the N-Lite fertilizer. I think that is too late so I may forego the gluten this season and just apply heavily in the Spring – the verdict is still out on that one though.