I always think to myself, "Self, you should blog." But there's just not much to blog about with the ol' back 40 feet.
(I should really measure that out some day.)
Today, though I did things. The nights are getting cooler, and we've come perilously close to our first frost, but not quite yet. Folklore in Ireland and Scotland says that you need to get all the crops in before the first frost; anything left after that belongs to some spirit or another (it seems to vary by region) and good grief you don't want to take it from them! That way lies bad stuff.
When I got home, then, I got dinner started (turkey meatloaf...yum), and headed outside. First task was to take down the beans from the poles. There were some beans that had grown since the last picking, so those all went in a bowl. Some may be okay for eating...but the rest I think I shall save for seed. In all likelihood I have more than I need, so if anyone is interested in trading, or just having some bean seeds. They tasted good and vined with very little assistance. If you've been following you know of my very "hands off" (read: lazy) approach to gardening, so the fact they were so easy is a definitely plus. I suppose I should see if I can find what variety they were. I may still have the seed pouch, but I wouldn't be so confident about that.
Next I hit the sunflowers. I managed to get three large heads and one medium sized head that are FULL of seeds. I can't wait to grab those all and roast them for Jim.
Finally, it was time to grab the rest of the brussel sprouts. I pulled all the stalks and cut the leaves off into the compost. (That's where the bean stalks went too.) The stalks are sitting on the porch on the table next to the sunflower heads so I can get the sprouts off of them tomorrow, hopefully. Then the remaining stalks will go into the compost as well.
Now I have a full compost bin, but it is full of greens. I need Jim to rip up the many cardboard boxes in the garage and put those in there.
I left the tomatoes and bell peppers in. I want to pull the green tomatoes off and then see what happens. And, the strawberries have some late berries that will be a nice dessert at some point. I guess that could have been tonight, but time was up.
To review...my second harvest since this experiment began was...lackluster. I did get six pints of zucchini canned, and I have a boatload of strawberries in the freezer to be jam. But I got nowhere near the tomatoes and bell peppers of last year. Similarly, while I did well, with rosemary, the remaining herbs were not so great. I am not entirely sure what I did differently, so I will just chalk it up to the fickleness of Mother Nature. This does mean the home made Yule baskets may be a bit light in the food department, but I think that's okay. The point is to give of myself and what I have, and if that's a whole lot of zucchini bread and strawberry jam (not a bad combination, actually), then that's what it is.
I am already thinking ahead to next year, of course. I certainly want to get with Misty about the grapes, and then talk to Jim about, yes, another bed. I've learned that with some things you can't wait -- if they bolt or get beyond ripe, then you've wasted that garden space, and gotten no food out of it.
The wheel has turned, and the signs of autumn are everywhere. I would like to get some straw (I don't know why...I just do) to cover all the beds with a nice blanket (that will also decompose), so they can be ready to go for spring.
Have a great autumn!
Friday, October 17, 2014
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
First Harvest!
Well, it has actually been happening for a while now, but the zucchini is putting out fruit like you wouldn't believe and they are BIG. It's like I'll check in the morning, and there are little or no zucchini, and then later I'll look and holy COW! I anticipate a lot of zucchini bread in my future.
The raspberries have finally started to come in, but this looks like it will be a low harvest year for those. Strawberries have stopped, but then there was new foliage and new blooms, so perhaps a second harvest on those. One of the neighborhood kids LOVES strawberries and has occasionally asked to help me pick them, although I haven't seen him since I got back from Starwood. He is very interested in strawberry jam, however. We have also gotten about half a serving of green beans. And there may finally be sprouts on the brussels.
It is time to take in the last of the lettuce, I think and maybe throw some more seeds out to 'see what happens.' The tomatoes and peppers are getting a slow start, but I anticipate that will fix itself. Two of the cucumber plants look like they'll not make it and the bean seeds I planted later only yielded two plants that are just kinda...there. I do still have a pretty bean pyramid structure ready for them, in case they take off.
Tonight, therefore, we'll be celebrating our first harvest, commonly referred to among druidy parts as Lughnasadh. The calendar says that is on Aug 1, but in keeping with my plan discussed elsewhere of going with the energy of the land, we're doing it today. I had hoped to time it with the tomatoes or the sunflowers but as those both got in later than anticipated, that may put it after the Equinox! As part of that, we'll be sacrificing last year's Corn Dolly to the fire, and blessing the new one I just finished making. Here is last year's:
The shawl she has on was one of my first crochet attempts last year. She's made of corn husks not from corn I grew (because I don't...yet) but from the area. Ohio is corn country (some call it maize) and so that's what I use. Because it's for our land, I augmented it with a piece of bean stalk, and some flowers and herbs we're growing.
Here is next year's. She is unadorned, as of yet.
Hopefully this will bring on the harvest of many things
Janet had a visit with a social worker to get her on a program whereby they will take her to "adult day care" five days a week and maybe get some other assistance. It's a temporary fix, however, as she continues to decline. Today was a good day though. We went to Goodwill so she could drop of clothes, because "Someone else might get some use out of them." Then to Walgreen's so she could get some Gas X and finally, Tim Hortons. Coffee and a doughnut has become our thing while running errands.
I sat outside for a bit after dinner, eating my new favorite dessert of cherries and almonds, listening to the birds. We appear to have a late nest of robins, as a mother (I'm guessing) and juvenile were bipping around the yard. They need to get on that eating of bugs they are allegedly so good at.
I had hoped she would participate some in the evening festivities, mainly distributing fairies and placing Elsie. I purchased the fairies when we bought the house and hoped to decorate the yard with them. Finally the yard feels like a place worth decorating.
I also found a place for Elsie the Owl. Elsie had been sitting by the backdoor, looking like an extra cat out of the corner of an eye. Elsie's head also had the eerie habit of spinning around for no damn good reason. Sure, maybe it was slightly nudged by someone as they walked by, but it just wouldn't stop. The first time it did that, Jim said, "Oh, that thing needs to GO." Agreed, and now she's outside where hopefully she can freak out whatever is eating the flowers.
Regardless, Janet didn't feel good, which she blamed on having to take too much insulin (really it's because her glucose is too high, but whatever. Picking battles.) Jim came home and ate, we had a fire, we made offerings and got omens. The wheel keeps turning.
The raspberries have finally started to come in, but this looks like it will be a low harvest year for those. Strawberries have stopped, but then there was new foliage and new blooms, so perhaps a second harvest on those. One of the neighborhood kids LOVES strawberries and has occasionally asked to help me pick them, although I haven't seen him since I got back from Starwood. He is very interested in strawberry jam, however. We have also gotten about half a serving of green beans. And there may finally be sprouts on the brussels.
It is time to take in the last of the lettuce, I think and maybe throw some more seeds out to 'see what happens.' The tomatoes and peppers are getting a slow start, but I anticipate that will fix itself. Two of the cucumber plants look like they'll not make it and the bean seeds I planted later only yielded two plants that are just kinda...there. I do still have a pretty bean pyramid structure ready for them, in case they take off.
Tonight, therefore, we'll be celebrating our first harvest, commonly referred to among druidy parts as Lughnasadh. The calendar says that is on Aug 1, but in keeping with my plan discussed elsewhere of going with the energy of the land, we're doing it today. I had hoped to time it with the tomatoes or the sunflowers but as those both got in later than anticipated, that may put it after the Equinox! As part of that, we'll be sacrificing last year's Corn Dolly to the fire, and blessing the new one I just finished making. Here is last year's:
The shawl she has on was one of my first crochet attempts last year. She's made of corn husks not from corn I grew (because I don't...yet) but from the area. Ohio is corn country (some call it maize) and so that's what I use. Because it's for our land, I augmented it with a piece of bean stalk, and some flowers and herbs we're growing.
Here is next year's. She is unadorned, as of yet.
Hopefully this will bring on the harvest of many things
Janet had a visit with a social worker to get her on a program whereby they will take her to "adult day care" five days a week and maybe get some other assistance. It's a temporary fix, however, as she continues to decline. Today was a good day though. We went to Goodwill so she could drop of clothes, because "Someone else might get some use out of them." Then to Walgreen's so she could get some Gas X and finally, Tim Hortons. Coffee and a doughnut has become our thing while running errands.
I sat outside for a bit after dinner, eating my new favorite dessert of cherries and almonds, listening to the birds. We appear to have a late nest of robins, as a mother (I'm guessing) and juvenile were bipping around the yard. They need to get on that eating of bugs they are allegedly so good at.
I had hoped she would participate some in the evening festivities, mainly distributing fairies and placing Elsie. I purchased the fairies when we bought the house and hoped to decorate the yard with them. Finally the yard feels like a place worth decorating.
I also found a place for Elsie the Owl. Elsie had been sitting by the backdoor, looking like an extra cat out of the corner of an eye. Elsie's head also had the eerie habit of spinning around for no damn good reason. Sure, maybe it was slightly nudged by someone as they walked by, but it just wouldn't stop. The first time it did that, Jim said, "Oh, that thing needs to GO." Agreed, and now she's outside where hopefully she can freak out whatever is eating the flowers.
Regardless, Janet didn't feel good, which she blamed on having to take too much insulin (really it's because her glucose is too high, but whatever. Picking battles.) Jim came home and ate, we had a fire, we made offerings and got omens. The wheel keeps turning.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Bolting for Solstice
From Wikipedia:
Bolting is when agricultural and horticultural crops prematurely produce a flowering stem (or stems) before the crop is harvested, in a natural attempt to produce seeds and hence reproduce. These flowering stems are usually vigorous extensions of existing leaf-bearing stems, and in order to produce them, a plant diverts resources away from producing the edible parts such as leaves or roots, resulting in a poor quality harvest from the grower's point of view. Plants that have produced flowering stems in this way are said to have bolted.
From me:
Bolting is when I realize I am not getting fresh broccoli this season.
This past few weeks I have learned about bolting. Both my spinach and my broccoli did so. I managed to salvage enough spinach leaves to get barely two servings for Janet and I. Despite warnings that the leaves would be tough, they were fine. I credit the healing power of bacon grease. Bacon fixes all things. That and a little lemon juice, then crumble the bacon used to get the grease from, ta da! Delish.
I am not so lucky with the broccoli. I cut everything off in the empty hope that maybe it will sprout anew.
My head lettuce also liquified from the insides out.
For those keeping score that's a yield of 2 servings of spinach out of six plants, no broccoli out of six and no head lettuce out of six.
Ah well.
The strawberries however were going like gangbusters, until yesterday. We finally have raspberries on the plants, and tiny little apples. I didn't think we'd get any apples, as I thought the frost killed all the blossoms.
This past weekend we finally finished planting everything we have to plant. After I pulled the spinach and slimy lettuce, there was room to plant the tomatoes and bell peppers. I bought a yellow squash and a zucchini so I will at least get three of one or the other. (For those who didn't watch the video, I lost track of which plant was what, so I have no idea whether I've already planted two zucchinis or two squashes). The beans are looking good so I put up the twine scaffolding I had last year. Janet came out and turned over the onion leaves so they would bulb.
The herb pots have expanded. In the big one I put basil, oregano, and parsley, and then the smaller ones have rosemary, lavender, and a LOT of sweet woodruff. I got one plant from a friend and then bought what ended up being six more at Dill's. They are small enough that I can bring them inside over the winter, but I do want to get another large planter. While I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all the woodruff, there was one benefit. When it rained a little bit ago and I went outside, the scent was AMAZING.
Really, the only thing left is finding some cucumbers we can make pickles out of, and then maybe some more beans. We have one more pallet and some dirt, so we shall be good.
Last night we opened the deck in style with an impromptu cookout. Three friends came over spur of the moment. Janet made lemonade, showing me how to do it, and she ate with us. The lights are on the canopy, torches were filled and lit, and it was basically THE perfect evening. The only thing that would have been better would have been the fire lit, but I need to fix up the firepit. That is the plan for this evening. Maybe once that is all done we'll take another video tour so you can see how stuff has changed.
In other news, Janet bought an owl. Not a real one, one of the garden ones used to deter pests. She said "Owls are good people," and since it's both her money and something with which I totally agree, I didn't argue. She named it Elsie after her best friend. Elsie was also an asshole, I hear. Right now the owl is sitting inside as we decide what to do with her. She continues to freak us out, as she looks like a cat...or...something....
We have reached the point in this odyssey where outside assistance with her is necessary. We have someone coming for an assessment in July. While it will be nice for help, this is just an unpleasant reminder that things are not going to get better. Ever. And that is heartbreaking.
But....The garden still grows, and I still get stories, and help, and occasionally little gems of wisdom. When she told me about the owl she tried to keep as a pet, I showed her my shelf of owl figurines, and that made her smile.
Solstice is in a few days and I will be at festival. Hopefully everyone will take care of the garden while I'm gone. May the blessings of the shining sun be upon you and yours!
Bolting is when agricultural and horticultural crops prematurely produce a flowering stem (or stems) before the crop is harvested, in a natural attempt to produce seeds and hence reproduce. These flowering stems are usually vigorous extensions of existing leaf-bearing stems, and in order to produce them, a plant diverts resources away from producing the edible parts such as leaves or roots, resulting in a poor quality harvest from the grower's point of view. Plants that have produced flowering stems in this way are said to have bolted.
From me:
Bolting is when I realize I am not getting fresh broccoli this season.
This past few weeks I have learned about bolting. Both my spinach and my broccoli did so. I managed to salvage enough spinach leaves to get barely two servings for Janet and I. Despite warnings that the leaves would be tough, they were fine. I credit the healing power of bacon grease. Bacon fixes all things. That and a little lemon juice, then crumble the bacon used to get the grease from, ta da! Delish.
I am not so lucky with the broccoli. I cut everything off in the empty hope that maybe it will sprout anew.
My head lettuce also liquified from the insides out.
For those keeping score that's a yield of 2 servings of spinach out of six plants, no broccoli out of six and no head lettuce out of six.
Ah well.
The strawberries however were going like gangbusters, until yesterday. We finally have raspberries on the plants, and tiny little apples. I didn't think we'd get any apples, as I thought the frost killed all the blossoms.
This past weekend we finally finished planting everything we have to plant. After I pulled the spinach and slimy lettuce, there was room to plant the tomatoes and bell peppers. I bought a yellow squash and a zucchini so I will at least get three of one or the other. (For those who didn't watch the video, I lost track of which plant was what, so I have no idea whether I've already planted two zucchinis or two squashes). The beans are looking good so I put up the twine scaffolding I had last year. Janet came out and turned over the onion leaves so they would bulb.
The herb pots have expanded. In the big one I put basil, oregano, and parsley, and then the smaller ones have rosemary, lavender, and a LOT of sweet woodruff. I got one plant from a friend and then bought what ended up being six more at Dill's. They are small enough that I can bring them inside over the winter, but I do want to get another large planter. While I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all the woodruff, there was one benefit. When it rained a little bit ago and I went outside, the scent was AMAZING.
Really, the only thing left is finding some cucumbers we can make pickles out of, and then maybe some more beans. We have one more pallet and some dirt, so we shall be good.
Last night we opened the deck in style with an impromptu cookout. Three friends came over spur of the moment. Janet made lemonade, showing me how to do it, and she ate with us. The lights are on the canopy, torches were filled and lit, and it was basically THE perfect evening. The only thing that would have been better would have been the fire lit, but I need to fix up the firepit. That is the plan for this evening. Maybe once that is all done we'll take another video tour so you can see how stuff has changed.
In other news, Janet bought an owl. Not a real one, one of the garden ones used to deter pests. She said "Owls are good people," and since it's both her money and something with which I totally agree, I didn't argue. She named it Elsie after her best friend. Elsie was also an asshole, I hear. Right now the owl is sitting inside as we decide what to do with her. She continues to freak us out, as she looks like a cat...or...something....
We have reached the point in this odyssey where outside assistance with her is necessary. We have someone coming for an assessment in July. While it will be nice for help, this is just an unpleasant reminder that things are not going to get better. Ever. And that is heartbreaking.
But....The garden still grows, and I still get stories, and help, and occasionally little gems of wisdom. When she told me about the owl she tried to keep as a pet, I showed her my shelf of owl figurines, and that made her smile.
Solstice is in a few days and I will be at festival. Hopefully everyone will take care of the garden while I'm gone. May the blessings of the shining sun be upon you and yours!
Monday, May 19, 2014
Video tour!
Hopefully! I'm experimenting with this. I thought, instead of taking a bunch of pictures...why not video? So let's see if this works:
I did harvest the broccoli. The stuff that had NOT gone to seed is about worth MAYBE one salad topping's worth of broccoli, but if I'm right (which I am probably not) there will be more coming.
I did harvest the broccoli. The stuff that had NOT gone to seed is about worth MAYBE one salad topping's worth of broccoli, but if I'm right (which I am probably not) there will be more coming.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Dandelions are DANDY
I actually have lots to update, but it requires pictures. Suffice it to say the back 40 yards or so looks like one might actually be able to get a meal out of there. Or at least side dishes. Pictures forthcoming.
I need to write this part down before I forget. I got a recipe off the Interwebs for dandelion jelly. Now, my yard has a FINE crop of dandelions in it, so I decided to start ripping their little heads off, for to make some jelly. I sat in the side yard, pulled however many I could reach and didn't look too new or too old. I also tried to get ones that didn't have ants all over them, but that soon proved impossible. Our entire subdivision is built on an anthill. Once I cleared all that I could reach, I'd scootch down a bit and clear another space. I made pretty good progress, but I had no idea how much I had. I needed two cups of petals, which estimated it at four cups of leaves. Eventually I got bored in the side yard and moved to the front.
Janet came out and saw me and gave me that look she does. It's the look Jim and I get when we're doing something that she doesn't recognize as sane. Like when I explained to her why there were bones sunbleaching on the deck, and egg shells in a plastic container waiting to be crushed. (Doesn't everyone do that?) So I explained I was going to make dandelion jelly. That seemed to sort of be okay with her, and she proceeded to tell me about her dad making dandelion wine. And he'd hide it all over the place because her mom (who called it "idiot juice") didn't like that he drank it. And she broke every bottle she could find. And she and her sister found some and drank it and it sat them on their ass, it did.
Then my friend, Misty, came over. Misty is a cool horticulturalist who I've added to my list of "why won't this work in my garden!" calls. Anyway, she stopped by and proceeded to pick dandelion heads and so did Janet.
At this point, I envisioned my neighbors looking out the window, at the weirdo hippies on the curb, peering through their curtain. "NOW what are they doing?"
We discussed harvesting the leaves of that and the two kinds of plantain I have growing in my yard, but I didn't feel like doing that. Janet, with a new person to talk to, told of her father and his dandelion wine, and her mother and the idiot juice, and that it would sit you on your ass. It was the first time Misty heard it all. For me it was the zillionth. No matter, it gets Janet remembering, and that's the important part.
We went around back and Misty gave me composting advice. She actually got me REALLY excited about composting. In fact, we are rearranging our entire kitchen waste disposal system. The big trash can is going to become recycling. The little can (it's probably about a half-gallon in size) is going to be composting scraps. That leaves one of those free grocery bags you get at Giant Eagle for anything not compostable or recyclable, which I believe is not that much in a given week, but would need to be taken out daily.
Anyway, we raked and small talked and composted, the three of us. It was a perfectly lovely afternoon. It's not been exactly smooth sailing in Alzheimer's land the past few days, but that day was about perfect.
I've not made the jelly or the wine yet. (Misty said she had a recipe for the wine which I'm still waiting for *hint hint* :) ) We ended up with about six quarters of dandelion heads, all in the freezer awaiting their fate, and I think that's way more than I need. Hopefully, the freezer doesn't wilt them too much (but will kill any stray ants), but if it does, I have another crop ready to be harvested.
I need to write this part down before I forget. I got a recipe off the Interwebs for dandelion jelly. Now, my yard has a FINE crop of dandelions in it, so I decided to start ripping their little heads off, for to make some jelly. I sat in the side yard, pulled however many I could reach and didn't look too new or too old. I also tried to get ones that didn't have ants all over them, but that soon proved impossible. Our entire subdivision is built on an anthill. Once I cleared all that I could reach, I'd scootch down a bit and clear another space. I made pretty good progress, but I had no idea how much I had. I needed two cups of petals, which estimated it at four cups of leaves. Eventually I got bored in the side yard and moved to the front.
Janet came out and saw me and gave me that look she does. It's the look Jim and I get when we're doing something that she doesn't recognize as sane. Like when I explained to her why there were bones sunbleaching on the deck, and egg shells in a plastic container waiting to be crushed. (Doesn't everyone do that?) So I explained I was going to make dandelion jelly. That seemed to sort of be okay with her, and she proceeded to tell me about her dad making dandelion wine. And he'd hide it all over the place because her mom (who called it "idiot juice") didn't like that he drank it. And she broke every bottle she could find. And she and her sister found some and drank it and it sat them on their ass, it did.
Then my friend, Misty, came over. Misty is a cool horticulturalist who I've added to my list of "why won't this work in my garden!" calls. Anyway, she stopped by and proceeded to pick dandelion heads and so did Janet.
At this point, I envisioned my neighbors looking out the window, at the weirdo hippies on the curb, peering through their curtain. "NOW what are they doing?"
We discussed harvesting the leaves of that and the two kinds of plantain I have growing in my yard, but I didn't feel like doing that. Janet, with a new person to talk to, told of her father and his dandelion wine, and her mother and the idiot juice, and that it would sit you on your ass. It was the first time Misty heard it all. For me it was the zillionth. No matter, it gets Janet remembering, and that's the important part.
We went around back and Misty gave me composting advice. She actually got me REALLY excited about composting. In fact, we are rearranging our entire kitchen waste disposal system. The big trash can is going to become recycling. The little can (it's probably about a half-gallon in size) is going to be composting scraps. That leaves one of those free grocery bags you get at Giant Eagle for anything not compostable or recyclable, which I believe is not that much in a given week, but would need to be taken out daily.
Anyway, we raked and small talked and composted, the three of us. It was a perfectly lovely afternoon. It's not been exactly smooth sailing in Alzheimer's land the past few days, but that day was about perfect.
I've not made the jelly or the wine yet. (Misty said she had a recipe for the wine which I'm still waiting for *hint hint* :) ) We ended up with about six quarters of dandelion heads, all in the freezer awaiting their fate, and I think that's way more than I need. Hopefully, the freezer doesn't wilt them too much (but will kill any stray ants), but if it does, I have another crop ready to be harvested.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Spring has sprung! No, this time we mean it!
When we last left our intrepid gardening heroine, she had started some seeds in some pots, being somewhat impatient for the season to start. A few days ago, this is what those pots look like.
On the left we have two spindly zucchini plants and then a pot of evening primrose that Jim got me because I wanted flowers, dammit. I need to deadhead them in this picture. (And...I still do). In the right tray up top are two very healthy looking cucumber plants, and two yellow squash below those. The loan pot of dirty has four spinach seeds with only one tiny plant having germinated and made it through the soil. It hasn't really done much of anything else, so I am thinking those spinach seeds are a bust.
I just checked on the lettuce seeds I sowed during one of the thaws, and there are tiny little sprouts coming up. I assume they are lettuce plants and not weeds, since they're in a row. They're all very close together too, which means either I will need to weed them, or I will just let them fight out, and see who survives. Kind of like Lettuce Highlander.
This past weekend the weather finally broke, and we think for good. It's still very windy. On Saturday I asked Janet to go with me to Dills Greenhouse and look for plants. She said yes, and it ended up being somewhat cold and rainy, of course. Still we muddled through and came home with vegetables! I got broccoli, brussel sprouts, lettuce, and spinach small plants, and then also some onion starts and a potato start. Janet insists I did the potatoes wrong last year, and give that we only got about six of them, she's probably right. She has vowed to help me this year. I also got a small bag of birdseed, then Janet bought me coffee and a doughnut at Tim Horton's on the way home.
Sunday afternoon was planting time. It felt SO GOOD to get my hands in the dirt, and, predictably, I made a huge mess of myself. I have probably mentioned before I cook and garden the same way: I get stuff everywhere. At the end of it though, this is what I got.
(I tried to do a side by side thing with the pictures but it wouldn't let me....)
So, above, we have brussel sprouts and broccoli. I think the broccoli is on the left. But I am not sure. I assume it will become fairly obvious. Below is spinach (across the top there) and lettuce (along the bottom).
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On the left we have two spindly zucchini plants and then a pot of evening primrose that Jim got me because I wanted flowers, dammit. I need to deadhead them in this picture. (And...I still do). In the right tray up top are two very healthy looking cucumber plants, and two yellow squash below those. The loan pot of dirty has four spinach seeds with only one tiny plant having germinated and made it through the soil. It hasn't really done much of anything else, so I am thinking those spinach seeds are a bust.
I just checked on the lettuce seeds I sowed during one of the thaws, and there are tiny little sprouts coming up. I assume they are lettuce plants and not weeds, since they're in a row. They're all very close together too, which means either I will need to weed them, or I will just let them fight out, and see who survives. Kind of like Lettuce Highlander.
This past weekend the weather finally broke, and we think for good. It's still very windy. On Saturday I asked Janet to go with me to Dills Greenhouse and look for plants. She said yes, and it ended up being somewhat cold and rainy, of course. Still we muddled through and came home with vegetables! I got broccoli, brussel sprouts, lettuce, and spinach small plants, and then also some onion starts and a potato start. Janet insists I did the potatoes wrong last year, and give that we only got about six of them, she's probably right. She has vowed to help me this year. I also got a small bag of birdseed, then Janet bought me coffee and a doughnut at Tim Horton's on the way home.
Sunday afternoon was planting time. It felt SO GOOD to get my hands in the dirt, and, predictably, I made a huge mess of myself. I have probably mentioned before I cook and garden the same way: I get stuff everywhere. At the end of it though, this is what I got.
(I tried to do a side by side thing with the pictures but it wouldn't let me....)
So, above, we have brussel sprouts and broccoli. I think the broccoli is on the left. But I am not sure. I assume it will become fairly obvious. Below is spinach (across the top there) and lettuce (along the bottom).
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It was at this point that I learned two things. The first I learned through various people. While all of the things I planted are indeed "cold weather crops," they are not necessarily frost resistent, and I would still have to watch when we get the inevitable frost. Apparently they are happy in cold weather but still not resistant unless they are in seed form. Oh well. They don't look that big in the pictures, however, they were way too big to be hanging out inside in their seed pots until May 15.
Fortunately Jim was going to be home which mean Jim was going to shopping with Janet at some point. I asked him to grab me some cheap fitted sheets, queen or king size. (They would have been going to Odd Lots or the Dollar Store.) Janet said that wasn't necessary; she had some old sheets I could use. She insisted on washing them first. We explained they are just going to be going outside in the garden, but when I got home the next day, there they were. Washed. She's adorable.
The other thing I learned was that I had completely misread how many beds I have. I have one more deepish bed, and still need to plant the things in the pots, the onions and potatoes I had just bought, and then the ubiquitous tomatoes and peppers. I do have three more pallets, but they're only about three inches deep, if that (and one has my Lettuce Death Match contestants in it). Although I was able to raise two tomato plants in pallets last year, so maybe they can go there. Or maybe Jim will build me another bed.
I did this morning thing of a solution for the onions. My companion planting chart says they will do well with any of the plants I have in there now, so I think I will place them in between the rows. Maybe I'll grab some more, as twelve onions will NOT last this family long.
All we are waiting for now is May. My friend Teresa and I are going to exchange some plants/seeds soon and then everything can go about the business of growing. Tomorrow is supposed to be very nice so after work I think I will do some major raking of the kindling the neighbors trees have dropped into the yard.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Stories and pots
The hope, obviously, is they will sprout and I can plant them in the garden when the time comes. Since that's a good two months away, at least, they should be ready to go, I hope.
The spinach of course can maybe go out earlier, and the jury is still out on the lettuce seeds I planted during one of the thaws.
Lots of hope in that there introduction. But that is the point of the season. We hope things will grow that we plant. We hope we are able to do all the things we've dreamed about doing this winter. Heck, the way this winter has gone, we just hope it does end, and these few days above 40 degrees aren't just teasers.
But inside needs to be attended to as well. Jim and I are participating in something called "40 Bags in 40 Days." It's a Lent-inspired thing, where instead of giving up chocolate or Facebook, people are encouraged to fill one trashbag per day. We could certainly use the decluttering, that's for sure. We are starting indoors, the basement and the loft. So far, despite get a late start, we've filled seven trashbags. After we are done in here, it will hopefully be more securely warm enough to work in the backyard. Under the deck and in the shed definitely need attention, and then there's the infamous garage.
The other day, Janet was talking about growing up. If they didn't raise their own vegetables, she said, they would have starved. We talked a bit about how people don't do that anymore. I told her we're trying, and every year we get a little bit better. She talked about the garden she used to have when she and Jim's dad were first married, and how her dad and mom knew all sorts of stuff. I could tell she was melancholy; she said "We had a good life." I told her she did. I haven't quite gotten the whole story memorized yet, but I'm getting there. She tends to forget she's told me all that before, but it's not like I mind hearing it again.
We talked about what we wanted to plant and how to maybe get the potatoes to turn out better. She once again said she'd help me, and that she liked to do that stuff. I reflected back on her amazing ability to be scarce when I was going to go out and do something and smiled to myself, but I still told her that I would really like that. It's not a lie, after all.
Hope. Hope that she'll still be able to to help (as she wants) when the spring comes. Hope that her disease has somehow been misdiagnosed and she's doing just fine, after all. Hope that we have zucchini and squash to sit down to on a warm summer evening on the deck, with homemade pickles from our cucumbers.
It's all about the hope.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Spring around the corner
It doesn't seem like it though. I just shoveled the driveway for the third time (total of four, Jim did one).
However, my friend Beth posted a picture of her hand lifting dirt out of a bag to be placed into seed pots, and it looked good. Really, really good. A few facebook messages later and I was on my way to her house after work in order to pick up her extra. We talked gardening for a bit, and she gave me some hints and tips. She saved her own seeds last year, and I think I might give it a try this year. We'll be exchanging seedlings if they're successful and we have too many, and also the fruits of our labor (literally!). This is how you do it people. We only survive if we cooperate!
As I drove home in the snow, I felt better. I was practically giddy when I got home. I had dirt and I wasn't afraid to use it! After shoveling snow and some coffee, I have liberated some clay pots from the deck, and they are now sitting on the dining room table, melting a bit. Once it gets melted, I plan to dump it outside, and then get started. There's a corner of the dining room where a TV tray (or two) can be set up and they can sit there. It's a bit cool, but they can also get a lot of sunshine there.
Despite my hatred of shoveling, I have come to love winter. Truly proper winter, with snow. Not the endless bare and dry and bleak, or worse, ice upon ice. Winter is hues of blue to me: The bright blue of a frigid clear sky; the deep blue of cloudless night with icy stars; the barely-there blue of piles of snow, which deepens as the sun sets, and fades as it rises.
Once inside, the smell of the jambalaya that had been simmering in the crock pot all morning (with my own tomatoes!), but I dutifully went to get the pots from under the table outside. Some of them were frozen together and some had snow and ice inside that was not going to just come right out. They are currently thawing on the dining room table, as I said. I am thinking of starting cucumbers, zucchini, and squash. I will have to see what packets of seeds are still left.
I thought I'd also share pictures of the Back Forty Feet:
Ironically, this was taken I think two days after my declaration of an early Imbolc. Mother Nature has a wonderful sense of humor. I had planned to get close-ups, but changed my mind. There are actually five beds in the shot. There's a long pallet that's the left-most rectangle, which has strawberries which, last I could see, still had green leaves on them. Directly next to that (I guess at kind of a downward angle) is a regular square pallet. Last year it had two tomato plants and some muskmelon, that was gifted to me. The muskmelon blossomed but no fruit. The tomatoes did well. This year it has my lettuce seeds. Another gardener friend was doubtful that they'd sprout, since they were only covered with dirt, and now snow. But, I figure they managed to survive growing kind of like that for millennia before we came along, so we'll just wait and see.
Above those (toward the back of the yard) are the three built beds. The farthest one in the back was the first one. Last year it had potatoes and onions, and then lettuce after that. The lower left one was tomatoes and bell peppers and the one to the right had beans, zucchini, squash, and failed cucumbers. They grew and vined and blossomed, but no fruit.
In the back corner are the raspberries. Yes, you can also see the compost bin I still haven't quite figured out, and then the wheelbarrow that "someone" left out. It has the remains of our topsoil from last year in it. You can also see our fire pit and altar/bench/table (it serves many purposes).
This be the small herb portion on the deck. Dead basil, and possibly not-so-dead rosemary and lavender. The two smaller pots are the ones I got to put parsley and dill in for the caterpillers I found. Next year, we have plans for a butterfly garden, and the parsley and dill will go in there..
Not seen on your tour here: apple tree that I was told wouldn't produce apples, but happily does, and the totally out of control mint plant.
Now I am eating the aforementioned jambalaya (which could be spicier), the spouse is home, the electric fireplace is on and I'm getting ready for the next week at school. More snow is being called for
However, my friend Beth posted a picture of her hand lifting dirt out of a bag to be placed into seed pots, and it looked good. Really, really good. A few facebook messages later and I was on my way to her house after work in order to pick up her extra. We talked gardening for a bit, and she gave me some hints and tips. She saved her own seeds last year, and I think I might give it a try this year. We'll be exchanging seedlings if they're successful and we have too many, and also the fruits of our labor (literally!). This is how you do it people. We only survive if we cooperate!
As I drove home in the snow, I felt better. I was practically giddy when I got home. I had dirt and I wasn't afraid to use it! After shoveling snow and some coffee, I have liberated some clay pots from the deck, and they are now sitting on the dining room table, melting a bit. Once it gets melted, I plan to dump it outside, and then get started. There's a corner of the dining room where a TV tray (or two) can be set up and they can sit there. It's a bit cool, but they can also get a lot of sunshine there.
Despite my hatred of shoveling, I have come to love winter. Truly proper winter, with snow. Not the endless bare and dry and bleak, or worse, ice upon ice. Winter is hues of blue to me: The bright blue of a frigid clear sky; the deep blue of cloudless night with icy stars; the barely-there blue of piles of snow, which deepens as the sun sets, and fades as it rises.
Once inside, the smell of the jambalaya that had been simmering in the crock pot all morning (with my own tomatoes!), but I dutifully went to get the pots from under the table outside. Some of them were frozen together and some had snow and ice inside that was not going to just come right out. They are currently thawing on the dining room table, as I said. I am thinking of starting cucumbers, zucchini, and squash. I will have to see what packets of seeds are still left.
I thought I'd also share pictures of the Back Forty Feet:
Ironically, this was taken I think two days after my declaration of an early Imbolc. Mother Nature has a wonderful sense of humor. I had planned to get close-ups, but changed my mind. There are actually five beds in the shot. There's a long pallet that's the left-most rectangle, which has strawberries which, last I could see, still had green leaves on them. Directly next to that (I guess at kind of a downward angle) is a regular square pallet. Last year it had two tomato plants and some muskmelon, that was gifted to me. The muskmelon blossomed but no fruit. The tomatoes did well. This year it has my lettuce seeds. Another gardener friend was doubtful that they'd sprout, since they were only covered with dirt, and now snow. But, I figure they managed to survive growing kind of like that for millennia before we came along, so we'll just wait and see.
Above those (toward the back of the yard) are the three built beds. The farthest one in the back was the first one. Last year it had potatoes and onions, and then lettuce after that. The lower left one was tomatoes and bell peppers and the one to the right had beans, zucchini, squash, and failed cucumbers. They grew and vined and blossomed, but no fruit.
In the back corner are the raspberries. Yes, you can also see the compost bin I still haven't quite figured out, and then the wheelbarrow that "someone" left out. It has the remains of our topsoil from last year in it. You can also see our fire pit and altar/bench/table (it serves many purposes).
This be the small herb portion on the deck. Dead basil, and possibly not-so-dead rosemary and lavender. The two smaller pots are the ones I got to put parsley and dill in for the caterpillers I found. Next year, we have plans for a butterfly garden, and the parsley and dill will go in there..
Not seen on your tour here: apple tree that I was told wouldn't produce apples, but happily does, and the totally out of control mint plant.
Now I am eating the aforementioned jambalaya (which could be spicier), the spouse is home, the electric fireplace is on and I'm getting ready for the next week at school. More snow is being called for
Friday, January 24, 2014
Update on Mom-in-Law and more Winter Garden Dreaming
I suppose, as I am sitting here bemoaning the briefest January thaw ever and wondering how hard Mother Nature is laughing at me about my last 'woohoo Imbolc' post, I should do an update on Janet.
(It also occurs to me, I should have pseudonymed her at some point, but it's too late now...)
She's actually still doing fairly well, all things considered. She knows her name, knows our names, takes care of breakfast, lunch, and dinner as needed. She does her laundry, she cleans her room and bathroom. She can still bathe and basically take care of herself. We did get her a chair for the shower and a hand held shower head to make it easier on her. There were a couple of other minor adjustments to living arrangements that I can't remember right now.
She does look to us a bit more for validation. She will ask to verify the date and day of the week, and nine times out of ten, she is right. She gets numbers more and more confused in her speech, and possibly in her mind as well. There have been some near misses involving money. She misplaces things, and typically I find them for her, usually very quickly. They just aren't in the first place she looks so she gets mad at herself and just stops looking. She blames it on her age. Of course, she laughed the other day when it took me twenty minutes to find my coffee cup.
J: "Oh, you do that too?"
L: "Yes...at least three times a day."
J: "Well, I don't feel so bad, then."
We've taken over helping her to pay her bills, largely because she has cataracts and a hard time seeing. Those are getting taken care of in March. The larger issue though is at night, she has gotten very confused over her evening insulin shot. It's been the same number of units for, well, ever. However lately we have to help her set the number on the insulin pen, and even one day had to explain to her how the pen is used. She hasn't had this problem (she says) for her post-meal shots, though. It's very concerning, as we can't be there during the day to monitor it or help her out if she gets confused.
It would be hard for someone with cataracts to see the numbers on, so we are hopeful that the cataract surgeries will fix it. If it doesn't, it is shocking how quickly it came on. One day everything was fine, the next it wasn't. It makes me wonder what will be next, and if we'll be home to help, or even recognize it when it does.
BUT, we had good holidays I think. We splurged and bought an upright freezer for the garage. Janet paid half (at her insistence). It's large and beautiful and we can see everything in it. The crappy old chest freezer is dead in the garage. It had a good life.
Already I am thinking about all the things I can put in it this harvest. Last year I didn't care too much about yield for freezing because where would we put it? Now, however, we can put it in the big gloriousness in my garage.
AND...gentle reader, if you have made it this far, I am the proud owner of a PRESSURE CANNER! Thanks to mom and dad for Giftmas. I'm ever more excited for spring to get here so that planting can happen, then growing, then harvesting and preserving!
In sum: Everyone's hanging in and waiting for spring.
(It also occurs to me, I should have pseudonymed her at some point, but it's too late now...)
She's actually still doing fairly well, all things considered. She knows her name, knows our names, takes care of breakfast, lunch, and dinner as needed. She does her laundry, she cleans her room and bathroom. She can still bathe and basically take care of herself. We did get her a chair for the shower and a hand held shower head to make it easier on her. There were a couple of other minor adjustments to living arrangements that I can't remember right now.
She does look to us a bit more for validation. She will ask to verify the date and day of the week, and nine times out of ten, she is right. She gets numbers more and more confused in her speech, and possibly in her mind as well. There have been some near misses involving money. She misplaces things, and typically I find them for her, usually very quickly. They just aren't in the first place she looks so she gets mad at herself and just stops looking. She blames it on her age. Of course, she laughed the other day when it took me twenty minutes to find my coffee cup.
J: "Oh, you do that too?"
L: "Yes...at least three times a day."
J: "Well, I don't feel so bad, then."
We've taken over helping her to pay her bills, largely because she has cataracts and a hard time seeing. Those are getting taken care of in March. The larger issue though is at night, she has gotten very confused over her evening insulin shot. It's been the same number of units for, well, ever. However lately we have to help her set the number on the insulin pen, and even one day had to explain to her how the pen is used. She hasn't had this problem (she says) for her post-meal shots, though. It's very concerning, as we can't be there during the day to monitor it or help her out if she gets confused.
It would be hard for someone with cataracts to see the numbers on, so we are hopeful that the cataract surgeries will fix it. If it doesn't, it is shocking how quickly it came on. One day everything was fine, the next it wasn't. It makes me wonder what will be next, and if we'll be home to help, or even recognize it when it does.
BUT, we had good holidays I think. We splurged and bought an upright freezer for the garage. Janet paid half (at her insistence). It's large and beautiful and we can see everything in it. The crappy old chest freezer is dead in the garage. It had a good life.
Already I am thinking about all the things I can put in it this harvest. Last year I didn't care too much about yield for freezing because where would we put it? Now, however, we can put it in the big gloriousness in my garage.
AND...gentle reader, if you have made it this far, I am the proud owner of a PRESSURE CANNER! Thanks to mom and dad for Giftmas. I'm ever more excited for spring to get here so that planting can happen, then growing, then harvesting and preserving!
In sum: Everyone's hanging in and waiting for spring.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
An Early Imbolc
Well, this little experiment didn't go so well.
I mean the blogging part. The garden was pretty good. When all was said and done we got 16 pints of tomatos canned and in the pantry. We had enough to make salsa as gifts for the holidays. In addition to salsa, there was apple mint jelly and raspberry jelly. I have some herbs frozen and dried. I also have some green peppers frozen. I think we might have about 6 smallish onions left in the basement,
Much of the winter so far I spent with Seamus focusing on other things, but occasionally returning to what we'll be doing out back. Pond, grape arbor, another bed or two... all are things in the future. And chickens!
Today though, is Imbolc. I think. I know what you're saying. Imbolc isn't until February 1! Well, some of you. Others are saying "What is Imbolc?" Let me get to that first.
Imbolc is spelled in many ways and gets translated a few ways as well. One popular one is "in the belly," and refers to when the sheep would begin lactating before their lambs were born. You thus had one way of judging how big a flock you were going to have and you could also get some much needed fresh protein from the milk. Don't think we haven't had fun with a religion that celebrates sheep lactation.
Another association with Imbolc is that this is when the ground thaws and you can begin working the soil. It's going to freeze again, so hold those tomatoes.
Okay, that's the really quick-and-dirty "What is Imbolc." Now to bring everything back together, in Ohio we typically have a midwinter thaw and it usually falls at the end of January or beginning of February. Really close to the calendar Imbolc. I have decided that in my "listen to my land" philosophy that whenever that happens, that day is Imbolc.
It's been really warm the past few days, in the high 40s and even low 50s fairly consistently. A very welcome change from the polar vortex last week. I went for a run today, even, outside. It was the first time I've ever run in temperatures below 60 degrees, but it was so sunny and I had been cooped up in a windowless office for about six hours. As I ran, I came to the conclusion that today, indeed, was Imbolc. When I got home, I wasn't yet ready to be indoors, so I put on some longer pants and my wellies and hit the back yard. Gus came too, so he got some much needed running around time. I brought a packet of lettuce seeds with me, found the garden rake, and chose one of the smaller pallets. I pulled out the old tomato and muskmelon vines (we got no muskmelons) and cleared away some of the neighbor's willow leaves. The soil was damp and cold and sticky. I broke it up with the rake and then with little to no planning, sprinkled seeds in the eight open areas of the pallet, covering them up.
They may not grow. But if they do, we'll get some wonderful lettuce in the spring. Today was the reminder that the new growing season is not that far away.
I mean the blogging part. The garden was pretty good. When all was said and done we got 16 pints of tomatos canned and in the pantry. We had enough to make salsa as gifts for the holidays. In addition to salsa, there was apple mint jelly and raspberry jelly. I have some herbs frozen and dried. I also have some green peppers frozen. I think we might have about 6 smallish onions left in the basement,
Much of the winter so far I spent with Seamus focusing on other things, but occasionally returning to what we'll be doing out back. Pond, grape arbor, another bed or two... all are things in the future. And chickens!
Today though, is Imbolc. I think. I know what you're saying. Imbolc isn't until February 1! Well, some of you. Others are saying "What is Imbolc?" Let me get to that first.
Imbolc is spelled in many ways and gets translated a few ways as well. One popular one is "in the belly," and refers to when the sheep would begin lactating before their lambs were born. You thus had one way of judging how big a flock you were going to have and you could also get some much needed fresh protein from the milk. Don't think we haven't had fun with a religion that celebrates sheep lactation.
Another association with Imbolc is that this is when the ground thaws and you can begin working the soil. It's going to freeze again, so hold those tomatoes.
Okay, that's the really quick-and-dirty "What is Imbolc." Now to bring everything back together, in Ohio we typically have a midwinter thaw and it usually falls at the end of January or beginning of February. Really close to the calendar Imbolc. I have decided that in my "listen to my land" philosophy that whenever that happens, that day is Imbolc.
It's been really warm the past few days, in the high 40s and even low 50s fairly consistently. A very welcome change from the polar vortex last week. I went for a run today, even, outside. It was the first time I've ever run in temperatures below 60 degrees, but it was so sunny and I had been cooped up in a windowless office for about six hours. As I ran, I came to the conclusion that today, indeed, was Imbolc. When I got home, I wasn't yet ready to be indoors, so I put on some longer pants and my wellies and hit the back yard. Gus came too, so he got some much needed running around time. I brought a packet of lettuce seeds with me, found the garden rake, and chose one of the smaller pallets. I pulled out the old tomato and muskmelon vines (we got no muskmelons) and cleared away some of the neighbor's willow leaves. The soil was damp and cold and sticky. I broke it up with the rake and then with little to no planning, sprinkled seeds in the eight open areas of the pallet, covering them up.
They may not grow. But if they do, we'll get some wonderful lettuce in the spring. Today was the reminder that the new growing season is not that far away.
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