Blueberries, Beans and Hail OH MY!

What an incredible week! We’ve had very high temperatures and the late tomatoes are finally beginning to ripen. When it hasn’t been hot and humid, it’s been torrential thunderstorms.

We had a hail storm with very heavy winds come thru the other day that cause some severe damage in our area. We only lost a large limb off of our maple tree. But the remaining peas were blown over and the hail did considerable damage to the leaves of many of the plants.

I picked 3 gallons of green beans to put up. I will freeze some, can some with red sauce, and also make some “dilly beans”. We still have plenty of beans coming. And the late sowing of the red ones is proving successful. The plants are full of blossoms. One of those summer pop up late day thunderstorms interrupted the cleaning efforts. We completed those today.

Today we also planted 6 blueberry bushes and 4 rows of very hardy raspberries, which I call the 'Aunt Angela' variety. They were shoots from the raspberry patch at our family cottage in Maine. They make it through those winters and just keep coming back stronger than ever. I’m hoping for the same results. I had Joe digging holes and mixing compost/humus all afternoon. This is also in an area that gets full sun from morning to evening. It is protected on the north side by a fence and flower bed from any heavy winds and snow. Wow! I can't believe it was 86 degrees today and I'm thinking of snow already!

We should have known another storm was headed in when we saw this cardinal on the post in the garden. LOL. It is coming down so hard I don’t think I have to worry about watering the newly planted stock.

Tomorrow I will tackle the remaining peas. What do you think I should plant there for a fall sowing? Hmmmm Maybe some swiss chard.

Blueberries!

Took some time yesterday to pick over 8 pounds of blueberries. Some to freeze, some for jam, and some to just plain eat with fresh yogurt. So glad that I got them in before all this rain today. The rest of them will nice and plump after a few days of rain.



Had to really dig underneath all the foliage to find the wonderful clumps of juiciness!

Highbush varieties of Blue Boy, Patriot, Elizabeth and Collins.

Mud Can Be 'Heaven On Earth'

So while we’ve been busy with the garden and beginning to put up the fruits of our labors, we paused to ‘put up’ some mud. That’s right! MUD! Writing about “Gouldsboro Glow” appears appropriate since it is also located above 44 degrees latitude.

Our visit to the family house on the coast of Maine is always such a welcome reprise. Full of fun, family, relaxation and mud. As children we would go play in it at low tide slathering our bodies with it, letting it dry, and rinsing off in the cold salt water. Then each of us having one bucket of fresh water from well (now we use the water from the cistern) to finish the cleaning job.

We have such a special mud to be found there during low tide. It is the most perfect sea mud for facials. It is on the cleanest portion of coastline according to National Geographic. A small bay protected from the pollution of industry and cities and fed by various local mineral springs. This has resulted in the accumulation of many natural sediments over the years. The mud has a very high concentration of magnesium, calcium chloride, potassium and salts, which provide the skin with both healthy and beautifying effects.

I’ve always claimed that I would bring mud home with me each year because the one or two facials I get in while there just doesn’t seem to be enough for the entire year. And as each year goes by, the mud has been left in place. This year was different. Low tide worked out perfectly with the timing of our departure and I gathered an extra large Glad container of this wonder mud.

I mixed it with distilled water to loosen it consistency in order to strain out the seaweed, small pieces of clam/mussel shells and small rocks. The simmered it down to original consistency and introduced some myrrh and lavender oils to it. Put it up in some 4 oz jelly jars and water bathed it.

Heaven on earth!

Second crops and finding treasures

I should have posted this almost 2 weeks ago. But was not very diligent with the computer time.

I’m so happy that the second crop of peas is blossoming out. I wasn’t sure if they would with all the heat we’ve been having. These blossoms are so pretty. I wish they would last for flower arrangements.

We hated to do this but had no choice. With the amount of overgrowth between the garden and the picket fence, there was no telling what was a “good” plant and what was a weed. And then there would be the issue of getting to it! So Joe weed wacked the entire bed. I’ll be waiting another week or two to see what begins to sprout and leaf out; dig up and pot what I want to save; then we will dig up all the roots in this area and replant. It is the only way to get through this bed that was neglected for 12 years. I’ve already found some lupine, a rose bush (which he didn’t whack and will remain where it is), chives, irises, some variegated euonymus, and phlox. It is truly like opening boxes on Christmas morning.

Tomorrow I will get caught up in the garden after being away for 10 days. Thank you Joe for keeping up with the watering and weeding. I knew there was a reason I loved this guy. :-)

No More Critters !

I can say with certainty that we have seen the last of the little critters in our garden. Joe has worked diligently in planning, designing and installing an electric fence around the garden. He planned it for quite a bit larger than the current garden just in case I want to enlarge my growing potential in the future. This also leaves room for use to mow, turn the rototiller, or maybe add a bed of raspberries.


Although he made a beautiful gate, he left a 12 foot wide portion which unhooks by special handles on the wires if we ever have the need to get large equipment in there.

The best part about the fence is that keeps my "green" theme going. It is totally solar powered. The battery can store up to 15 days worth of power.



I found these in a friend's garden and just had to order them for mine. They are called "Heliopsis Loraine Sunshine" a type of variegated sunflower. They make a huge statement in a real sunny place and also the perfect cut flower. They bloom all summer too! I love the variegated leaves.

Many of the vege blossoms are now fruiting out and our excitement is mounting. Even though our garden was planted late to most standards in the north country, we are anticipating a huge bounty.

One thing we did not plan for in this area was a huge mound of ants. It is not in the vege garden area. I helped our daughter get rid of her fire ants in North Carolina with a mixture of dry instant grits and white sugar (50/50 mix). Stir it together and sprinkle on affected area. The ants eat it and implode. I'm hoping that it works for us. And yes, I'm still dealing with the squash bugs on a daily basis. But it looks like I'm winning the war.

Northern Version of Caddyshack

I had to share this note about our garden in 2009. We've come a long way since then.

I have a small garden with a couple dozen lettuce plants, peas, cukes, tomatoes, italian peppers, and kitchen herbs. I struggled this spring to get the garden in with all of the cold nights and our several late season frosts. I've been very pleased with the progress to date. Then it happened, I woke up one morning to four heads of romaine lettuce totally missing with the exception of 1/2 inch of core and the roots still intact.

This time of year begins to bring the fruits of our hard labor to the table. It also brings the fruits of our hard labor to our friend, the woodchuck. Call this wonderful, cute creature whatever you like; woodchuck, groundhog, marmota monax. He may be cute on February 2 when we haven't seen him all winter and he sticks his head up to let us know if another six weeks of winter is to be expected. But during the sunny days of July he is no thrill. I am sure that I'm not the only peaceful home gardener screaming that these creatures are too crafty.

I realized that "Chucky" had taken up residence and found two borough openings on the rear side of our shed. I fled to the internet to find a humane solution for our co-existence. Let's try moth flakes. By the time I got to Wal-Mart and back, there were now four holes. I had hoped that I had purchased enough to do all four holes. I poured some in the first hole and discovered two offspring and (I guess I've renamed her "Chicka") making a beeline out of the den and out from underneath the other end of the shed. I continued to pour the moth flakes in each borough with wishful thinking. Next morning, a few more lettuce plants, some peas were and a few tomato plants were nibbled back.

Still wanting to handle this humanely, I did more research on the internet. This time it was a trip to Tractor Supply for a HavAHeart trap. The trap was set up with all of the perfect delectable that any woodchuck in his/her right mind would love. The trap was hidden in an over-sized bed of hostas and I even put some hosta leaves on the bottom of the trap to help disguise it. I retired for the evening in hopes of finding a healthy catch in the morning. Guess what? "Chicka" had pulled the hosta leaves out of the trap like they were blue-plate specials. My garden was also not spared.

I began talking feverously to friends and neighbors as to how this situation should be handled. Many had said that human urine on the boroughs will make them run for the hills. Ah hah!!!!!!! This one I can handle without killing the pocketbook. I rummaged through some boxes in the basement for the old enamel pee pot to put it to good use for the day and into the evening. Before bedtime, I followed "old-timer" instructions and emptied it onto the openings. "Chicka" and her family were not happy about the invasion of the den and scurried out....only to run to the other side of my home and proceed to leave the same present on my back porch.

Okay, I resorted to smoke bombs. It works for one or two evenings and then they just borough back in. I've had daily flashbacks of Bill Murray in the hit movie "Caddyshack" as he struggled against the naughty nature, the likes of our new tenant, as the fairways and greens at Bushwood Country Club were filled, flooded and smoked out. The northern version of this is not far off.

I've learned in a short time the following:
Woodchucks like cukes, tomatoes, lettuce, peas, peppers, pumpkins, broccoli, beans, cabbage, clover, and some flowers. They grow between 16 and 20 inches long and weigh up to 10 pounds. They should be circus performers because they are not stopped by fences...they just go over or under. I personally cannot perform "lead-poisoning" on them and I will probably call a professional to find "Chicka" and her little ones a new home in hopes that they will not have told their relatives that their home is empty and available.

Where Did June Go?

Well this post is way over due. For some reason the entire month of June just flew by. We have spent everyday that wasn’t pouring out trimming and cleaning out old shrubs; cleaning up established beds; graded and planted new lawn areas; and planting a few new things. All of this along with our everyday chores seemed quite overwhelming. We also had 3 weekends of weddings out of state this month and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Although they were wonderful and wouldn’t have missed them for the world, our vege garden took a back seat to our schedule. This was not the smartest thing to do. I’m paying for it with more weeding and replanting than I normally do this time of year. I truly missed our weekend time. I like working in the garden during the week but love working in the garden with Joe. It is better than our “windshield time”. We garden and get lots of talking and sharing done. There is some very therapeutic about getting the dirt under your nails.

Knowing I didn’t want to spend lots of time moving a sprinkler around the garden this summer, I used a secret we used in our CT garden. I pounded an iron pipe into the ground in the center of the garden. It sticks out of the garden about 3 ½ feet. Then anchored a really nice Gilmore pulsating arm sprinkler in the pipe. It is fully adjustable and reaches all the way to the corners of the garden. I picked up two of these sprinklers at Ocean State Job Lot. They are made with all brass fittings and were only $6.00 each. Last one I had like this lasted over 25 years. Much better than those plastic ones.

The second crop of beans and peas has been planted and coming up. My squashes are doing well after being planted late with the exception of my zucchini. Both of my zucchini mounds have been lost. But at least there is still time to plant a fall crop.

Those potatoes I planted are now showing its above ground growth. I never grew any potatoes before so this is very exciting for me! I can’t wait to taste a few of new potato morsels.

Even the new horseradish bed is showing signs of life. All sorts of green shoots are peeking through the black gold soil. I can’t wait to harvest some of this in the fall. One of my favorite things is fresh horseradish. One just has to make sure to process it with the windows open and plenty of ventilation. Trust me….I learned this the hard way. First batch I ever made put me on the kitchen floor passed out.

More layers are still being added to the lasagna portion of the garden. It is fun to know we are not only growing our garden but growing our garden soil for next year at the same time. I’m an avid recycler. I even took the plastic bucket that the dishwasher detergent came in and am using it for my compost scraps. I cut them up small to use them in the green layers of the lasagna.

I was surprised that the asparagus I planted this year has grown and ferned out. I had to read up on them and learned that you shouldn’t wait two years to harvest. You can harvest after one year. So I’m certainly looking forward to next year. http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1603.html states that the more you harvest the more you stimulate growth on the crowns. This link has a wealth of information on asparagus and is worth the read.

On another note, I use an SPF 80 while in the garden and I still get a dark tan. I don’t get burnt but I’m sure getting “carmelized.” I wish someone would invent garden gloves that wouldn’t give you tan lines. Hmmmmmm.

I can’t believe I’m already thinking of this. But with our short growing season here, one of the things we need to get on our list of things to do is some cold frames to put directly over plants in the garden. We have plenty of old window sashes to work with and should get these done before we have any of our cold nights in September.

Okay .. back to work.

June 1st !!

We are hoping that the recent weather pattern is behind us. The terrible hail and wind storms are behind us and we are giving thanks that we had not planted the vegetable garden. Those poor seedlings would have been destroyed by mother nature.

Although we are going to be using a design called “lasagna gardening”, I will probably be pulling out those feeder roots this entire season (since this is the first year of a garden back in this space in almost a decade). As Joe furrowed and hoed his way through last evening, I was on my hands and knees, up and down the rows filling my weeding bucket with feeder roots. We have raised the beds in the vege garden to provide more warmth to the soil for our short growing season. What a task it was to make 8 fifty foot rows in our space. He left a comfortable 2 foot path for us to begin our lasagna for next year.

For those of you unfamiliar with this type of gardening, let me fill you in. It is when you use your pathways as a composting site. Granted, it needs to be done in a specific manner in order to be effective. Apparently, this is the method one of the previous owners used. Thus our soil here is like black gold!

But here are some great links with lots of tips:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1999-04-01/Lasagna-Gardening.aspx

http://organicgardening.about.com/od/startinganorganicgarden/a/lasagnagarden.htm

http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/lasagna-gardening.html

Through all of this work, we must take the time to enjoy what is growing wild around here. I know that many of the beds are still in dire need of attention after all of the years of neglect. But some beauty cannot be forgotten.