2009 Garden Re-cap

I started this blog as a garden journal. So, here's the re-cap of the Garden 2009:


The soil in my garden is bad. Bad, bad, bad. I definitely need to do some soil modification.
I planted tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, cantaloupe, and some herbs.

• the cucumbers didn't grow, had a few fruit (none edible), but ultimately developed white patches on the leaves, withered up, and died

Verdict: try again next year, but maybe plant lemon cucumbers for pickling

• the cantaloupe grew and grew, even had flowers, but never developed fruit.

Verdict: try again next year

• the broccoli was somewhat fruitful, but I didn't know how big to let the heads get before harvesting them so many of them ended up flowering and inedible

Verdict: not worth growing, just buy at store when on sale

• the tomatoes did ok. The plants didn't produce big fruit, but there was quite a bit of it. One of my plants got yanked out of the ground early on.

Verdict: Definitely planing again!! This time I will go to Peaceful Belly Farms here in town. I definitely want to get some green zebra and other fun colorful heirloom plants (Kyle liked the purple brandywine over the orange one)

• the lettuce did great and produced a lot for a long time. I will definitely plant that plus spinach next year.

My blueberry bushes got fried in the garden again this year. My theory was that the first year they were planted, they just had transplant shock. Husband was right: it was just too sunny of a spot for them. Last weekend I transplanted them into whiskey barrels under a big redwood we have in the yard. Hopefully they do better in year three!
I also just planted garlic and strawberry plants that a friend was thinning out. We'll see how they do through the winter and hopefully pop up in the spring. The spinach I attempted to grow in the fall cool season did not grow well because it was hot hot and then froze. I am contemplating trying to winter it over with straw.

And last but not least, I now have a little garden helper:

I'm pleased to introduce Charlie!! She loves to fetch, roll in the yard, and hang out in the garden when I'm working in it. :)

NOTE: I also want to grow Tromboncini squash!!!

It's Fall!

It is officially fall; time for crisp mornings, hot tea and the corn maze! Fall's always been too over shadowed by the dread of the following season to be enjoyable, but this year I'm excited for it.

I am exercising my creative muscles and have been playing around with some photography. In the spring I explored the wide world of my back yard (see past posts for the photos.) I am now excited to find inspiration for a fall line!

Last night Husband took me on adventure to see if there were any blackberries waiting to be picked. Unfortunately, they were all nipped by the frost. We did get to climb trees for sweet plums and picked a few reachable apples. I was also struck with awe of God's color pallette. The desert colors aren't the vibrant, flashy colors of the tropics, but they are saturated nonetheless. I couldn't help but admire the brushed silver, the mustard yellow, the wheat gold, and the sage green. It was getting dark by the time I could take pictures, so I only got these. But here they are: round one of Fall!

N

After excitedly collecting chestnuts for a few weeks, I decided to research further. Apparently there is a difference between a horse chestnut tree and sweet chestnut tree. The sweet ones are the ones people eat. Horse chestnuts are toxic to humans. We have a horse chestnut tree. Ach! Guess I'll be throwing out the collected nuts. Makes me wonder though why anyone would want to plant a tree that is beyond useless and even annoying, but toxic.



On another note, though, I did make way in preserving food that is safe to eat: Grandmom shared her tomatoes with me to have enough to make it worth attempting another canning session. This one turned out better. I'm still learning the art of correct heat at the correct moment, as well as packing the jar with enough produce. Last Sunday we were up in Robie Creek and MIL was talking about the Orchard. She led us to a spot in the hills that is covered with wild apple trees, blackberry bushes, and hoards of rose hips -- which by the way are nasty, horrible, thorny bushes. While most of the apples won't be ready for awhile (the plan is to make applesauce once they rippen), some tiny little green apples were good to go. The apples were prepared and frozen for apple pie. I even froze them in the pie pan so I can just drop the frozen bunch in a crust and put it in the oven!

The blackberries -- gathered by my adventurous husband -- are either eaten or frozen as well. Dr. Laura, husbands who swim through shark infested waters to bring their wives lemonaide? I've got you beat! Husband who tromps through thorns and thistles on steep slopes to bring his wife fresh berries!

We also came across a couple plum trees. . .

. . .and a bush that produced this:

Anyone knows what this is?

Trees

We live in a house that was built in the 1940's. I can only assume most of the wonderful, shade-providing, gigantic trees in our yard were planted at the same time. We definitely have a couple maples -- one attracting hoards of box elder bugs that were thankfully frozen off after the freak warm up before spring set in -- and a redwood. Up until now, it didn't dawn on me to figure out what the trees are. However, after some of the trees' leaves have turned brown and withered up (we took action to bring them back to health), it was discovered that we have a . . .

. . .CHESTNUT TREE!!

(a chestnut tree bloom taken in May)

. . .and a GINKO TREE!!

So now for the mystery trees:

1)

(mystery tree #1 spring bloom)

2)

(mystery tree #2 spring bloom)

(berries and leaves as of today)

3) I think this one is a crab apple, but I'm not entirely sure. This poor guy has a huge hole down his trunk leaving him exposed to bugs and the eliments. We're hoping he pulls through.

String of beads

Triggered by the most thoughtful surprise gift from Husband, I am researching plants to put in the front south-facing flowerbeds. The tulips and grape hyacinth were beautiful and lush in the spring, but now there is nothing but dirt. After the a failed hydrangea experiment, I am thinking of using lavender as the main focus shrub. MIL has also generously offered a harvest from her flowerbeds.
I love our neighbor's yard. Even though it is completely under kept, the plants fascinate me, and it's actually part of my inspiration. (Maybe it's the fact that they never do anything to it and the flowers and plants are thriving that excites me.) The plan so far includes lavender, daisies and ground-cover succulents, and enchanting flowers like the echinops.
My search for plants lead me to the little number pictured above, called String of Beads (Senecio). I am officially coveting this little plant. While I first though I would put it in a bed that drops off so it could hang over next to our driveway, the plant is actually toxic when ingested. It sounds scary, but then again, people keep lilies which are toxic as well, especially to cats. I wouldn't think of planting this in reach of animals or small children, but I definitely have plenty of unreachable spots for a pot in the house. Is it worth it? . . .

Bugs, Slugs and Tomatoes

I discovered this little guy on a tomato the other day. I found out he was a Stink bug nymph (Chlorochroa). They inject their digestive juices into a plant and eat it up. Gross. They lay eggs on the underside of leaves in the spring, and over-winter in leaf cover.

I also keep finding slugs! This guy that I found this morning was huge! I had a major problem with them eating my zinnia and marigold leaves. Both plants looked like skeletons for awhile. I resorted to putting pet-safe slug repelant around my plants. It seemed to work and all flowers game back beautifully, though I am bummed about using the chemicals.

My heirlooms are revealing themselves! Two of the three plants have at least one tomato that's turned. I'm still hoping that the third plant is ripening at the same rate and I just can't tell because it's a green zebra. I'm pretty sure now that I have a pink Brandywine and an orange Nebraska Wedding!

Husband and I had the best BLT's tonight so I'm excited that the heirloom's texture is just fine!

Alli's list of 10 things that make her Terribly happy. . .

I was forwarded the cutest blog of the cutest couple I don't even know. I am stealing their wonderful idea. Here is my list of 10 things that make me Terribly Happy!

1. Husband's jokes that make me double over in care-free, child-like, delighted laughter

2. Rainbows

3. Huckleberries

4. The smell of new born babies

5. Doggies and their soft fur

6. A stimulating intellectual conversation

7. Seasonal clothing like cool, twirly sun dresses in the heat of the summer and cozy scarves in the crisp fall

8. Crepes

9. Undenyably answered prayers

10. Giving the perfect gift

Why I need a man.

I wrestled with the pressure canner for 20 minutes, got the lid only about half way on, and finally lamented. It was the first time I've ever used one, so was I doing something wrong? Was something wrong with the lid? Oh, no. Husband was working Friday night, so I thought I'd use the alone time to attempt a tomato canning trial run. I called a friend who lives close by, but no answer. I thought about knocking on one of the neighbor's doors, but I haven't quite gotten that far in my extroversion development. So, I called my brother-in-law. He laughed at me, twisted the top right off and saw that I only had one can in the canner. He laughed at me again, and popped the lid on. So, thank you Tanner for coming to my canning rescue!

I do have questions, though, about my tomatoes. The texture is off, no matter what stage of ripe I think they are. I'm starting to wonder if it's the soil. Our garden was covered in evergreens for a long time. I guess I'll see how the texture of my heirloom tomatoes turns out.

The end product looks like this. I haven't quite decided if I want to actually eat the tomatoes. They aren't pretty, and the jar is 1/4 air. I've read that if the filler (the sugar bath in the case of fruit, or water in this case) isn't close to boiling when the cans are processed, it causes it to boil over and take in air.

Huckleberries

Obsession is defined as "the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc." As I was happily, even if tiredly, preserving my day's treasures last night, I wondered at what point I would be classified as obsessed. Is it that I physically get angry at work because I have to be there instead of hunting down the next bountiful patch? Or is it that I no sooner arrive back in the town limits before I'm already craving the next trip? (And get anxious at the thought of missing the time slot to pick them at their peak?) Maybe it's when I fall asleep to the image of the deep purple berry just waiting for me to pluck it from its bush.

It's not just any huckleberry that I can't get enough of. Don't get me wrong; since I discovered huckleberries, I've loved them. With the exception of a few trials of exotic fruits from the grocery store, I grew up on the apples and bananas. It was much to my delight to discover our own little exotic fruit grown in the Northwest, and even more so when I found out they abound in Idaho! I enjoy the hunt, the stomping around in the wilderness, the Craps-point-number-roll excitement of finding the "jackpot" patch, and providing for myself and my family. And while I am finding myself tempted with greed and territorialism, it's the knowledge that they are not My berries that keeps me grounded. They are a blessing that proves to me that God cares about my heart's desires and I am ultimately loved.


Note to self: 4 cups of whole berries does not equal 4 cups of crushed berries. As I crushed the berries, I immediately regret the decision to make jam before just canning them whole. Oh well. There will be more, there will be more. :)

A garden by the street

Ah the perils of having a garden by the sidewalk. Earlier this year, one of my tomato-supporting bamboo tee-pees was swipped. While I tried to tell myself someone needed it to support their in-need family with a garden, there are some actions that just can't be given the benefit of the doubt no matter how hard I try. Like the discovery we made today: Someone viciously ripped one of the tomato plants from the ground. Two tee-pees were connected with string. The one in the foreground was completely out of the ground leaning on the fence, the plant right along with it. The one behind it in the picture was just topled over. I managed to get both tee-pees standing upright again, but not without a number of casualties. I replanted the one in hopes that with a little TLC it will make it. If it just keeps withering, I will salvage what I can. :(

I am posting a question again: what makes a tomato split? I now have two split tomatoes (one in the picture on the left), but all the tomatoes one plant over are just fine (pic on the right)! Is it a problem with the soil, the water, the sun? I just don't know what variable is effecting one plant and not the other.

Garden Questions

What causes tomatoes to crack? (see picture) How many tomatoes do you need to make canning them worth it? If it requires multiple pounds, what do you do with the couple pounds that ripen before the multiples?

What is this flowering weed?

You're my huckleberry!

My husband is truly my huckleberry. While not entirely excited to spend the morning in the heat of an Idaho August day, he lovingly volunteered to go with me hunting down one of my summer obsessions:

the wild Huckleberry!!!

Huckleberries are similar to blue berries but, in my opinion, sweeter. No one has been able to commercially grow them, so they have to be picked wild. The plants like the soil under pine trees in an area that wild fire has burned through 15 years prior.

The huckleberry community can be very territorial and hush, hush about known patches, so MIL and I were incredibly blessed on our first outting last year when we ran into a couple seasoned Idaho adventurers who let us in on some hints. The plants are no taller than knee high and typically grow on north-facing slopes. Armed with this information, we did end up finding some last year! Today, I was just hoping I'd be able to remember what the bush looked like.

It wasn't too long after finding the correct road that lead to the north-facing slopes that I spotted these from the car:

(The arrows are pointing at actual huckleberries, both in front of my leg and to my side. The sparkling purple berries of deliciousness that caught my eye in the car are on the right side of the photo with the white arrows.)

And a couple closeups:

The hardes part was leaving some of the berries behind, even if they aren't quite ripe yet. Oh well, now I know where to head on the next trip!

The day's bounty.

TOMATOES!!!

Woohoo! I finally got to harvest the first bunch of Roma's! I accidentally knocked the little green one off while getting to the red ones, but there are plenty left on the plant to ripen. Now I just have to decide what to do with them first. Oh the possibilities. . .

The waiting game.

Patience is not one of my virtues. I've been working on it, but it's still a struggle. I just don't like going nowhere. I feel like things need to progress, things need to get done, and then you can move on to the next. Yes, I am also an avid list maker. I'm also finding that if something doesn't keep my attention, I will move on to something that does. This doesn't help the waiting game, and is the root of my many started, few finished projects. I am dangerously close to the edge when it comes to my garden and am hoping progress is around the corner.

I haven't seen much change in awhile, but I was thinking tonight about all the little changes I've seen recently as well as what I've decided to do differently next year.

This is my one zinnia so far. After the first batch that I attempted to start inside, Papa gave me some seeds. These are planted next to the driveway in a spot that gets the least amount of water in the yard. Go figure. I do have some others that started growing in the garden, but they all became snacks for the slugs and are now skeletons. So, #1 on the list to do next year will be to start zinnia, marigolds, and allysum again, but this time it will be a bunch of seeds in a bigger planter instead of individual peat pods. And, I'm crossing my fingers I can save some of the seeds of the bloom on the left.

Tip #2: Do not believe the lady at the garden center when she tells you that blueberry bushes can handle full sun all afternoon. Not true. Our blueberry bushes are in the garden. It gets sun, but is shaded by trees by 3 or 4 in the afternoon. They started out great this year, but when the temps started hitting in the upper 80's, we (ok, by we, I mean my wonderful husband) had to put shade up. They did this last year, but I thought it was because we'd put them in too late. While I got a handful of delicious berries, most of them have now whithered up. I am praying that they will make it through the rest of the heat so I can relocate them to whiskey barrel pots in the fall.

#3: I also do not want to forget to relocate my peonies. They are in the grass. I think they got a fungus because of this and did not bloom. I do however have half a dozen new chicks shooting off from my hens!! I am plotting their re homing, but have yet to decide where. A pot, by the driveway, by the steps, oh the possibilities!

I saw an article somewhere about cardboard composting. A couple had moved into a new house with weeds everywhere. They took all their cardboard from moving, flattened it out, and laid it in the areas where the weeds needed controlling. They then topped the garden areas off with top soil and mulch. It kept the weeds down, and was an easy barrier to poke a hole in when planting. In the very least, this fall I want to make mulch out of all our fallen leaves. (#4)

My tomatoes are growing in number every day. Each plant has at least a few on them; the romas are going berserk. I just keep willing them every day to start turning red! And last but not least, I did make a new discovery tonight:

. . .my little cucumber.

Wild Flowers!

We ran into a friend/co-worker of mine from Supervalu tonight at church. In conversation, he wondered why I was always so stressed out at that job. Stress is a quickly descending, fickle thing in my life that I am struggling to manage. In Germany, people took time every day to go to the grocery store (their little mini-fridges stood proof) and, in the town I lived in, walked around the salt-water fountain because the moisture was good for the respiratory system. The general pace of life was more laid back.

All this to say that I have been very stressed since returning from Chicago trying to catch up on work and things at home and in the garden. But I will move on to the things I have been able to notice in the garden. First and foremost: wild flowers!! My plan on the outside of our fence turned out beautiful.

We continue to harvest loads of lettuce. We can't eat a fraction of it, even with sharing quite a bit of it. The idea of having not only enough, but to be able to eat it without the thought of running out (at least for now.) The broccoli has been a learning experience. Learning the timing of when to let it get just a little bigger and when it will bolt has been stressing Husband out. Next year, we will freeze more, I promise. :)

I have now eaten a handful of home-grown blueberries! There are lots of little tiny would-have-been berries, but I think they didn't get fertilized in time. We have one early producing bush and one late producing bush. Most of the flowers had already fallen off the first before the second bloomed.

And the tomatoes are going to be bountiful! I ended up starting one roma plant in a wall-o-water a few weeks earlier than the others. That one has huge green tomatoes, and the other plants are not far behind.

Mary, Mary quite contrary. . .

How does your garden grow? I was excited to get home after two weeks being away to check out what had grown and I discovered my garden is now overtaken with weeds. The lettuce is definitely yummy and abundant. I started three groups of lettuce 10 days apart, but nothing grew until it all grew. And the broccoli is great too!

Since this is a garden blog, I figured I needed to mention something about the garden. However, I've been away on a surprise trip to Florida with a short cruise to Nassau, Bahamas. We traveled through Chicago so we stayed a few days to visit family. We had a wonderful time wandering around the city visiting sights like the Bean, the art museum, the ivy (and the Cubs won!) and Navy Pier. The food is wonderful too. The tour of Chicago included Portillo's hot dog and Italian Beef, Uno's pizza, White Castle, Panera Bread, and Lawry's prime rib (yes, the original restaurant that made Lawry's seasoned salt.)

We were then off to the beach, humidity, and animal adventures. I'm excited to get on to the good parts, so I will just say that I doubt I will go to Ft. Lauderdale again, nor do I see myself getting on a cruise ship again. This trip did get me wondering why I forgot about marine biology when I was picking a major. The highlights of my trip all have to do with animal encounters. In Ft. Lauderdale we took an air boat tour of the Everglades where we saw blue herons and alligators. Pay $5 to hold a baby alligator? Yes, please!

If you're ever in Nassau and want to go snorkeling, I highly recommend Stuart's Cove. The customer service was great, especially when we were racing back to board our ship on time. We were wondering the whole day if a cruise ship holds departure for tardy people. I don't know if they would hold the ship, but I do know for sure that you have at least a 10 minute window from the time they tell you to get back on the boat. It was truly God's power that got us back on the ship in time. That wasn't the only time we witnessed God that day. We snorkeled at 3 different spots. The first spot was full of yellow fish and two types of blue fish. I got back on the boat early to rest my jaw and got to feed and pet a parrot fish! The next stop was the same type of fish in choppier water, but Kyle did spot a 2 foot lobster.

Before we left, our pastor talked about spending prayer time honoring and standing in awe of God. Floating in the ocean, face down in the deep blue with the sound of the waves, I could feel nothing but awe staring into the face of a Caribbean reef shark. I don't know if I was overcome by the strength and power of God's creation or if it was simply being undeniably surrounded by His spirit in a way I've never before experienced, but even just the memory provokes in me a sense of wonder I don't have the vocabulary to describe.

After swimming with half a dozen of these creatures, I was getting back on the boat and got stung by a jelly fish. After the captain of the little boat didn't know how to "tell a lady" the best thing to take the sting away (yes, think Friends), he informed me that vinegar works, too. The sting was gone a couple days later.

To top it off, while eating dinner, I looked out the window and there in the middle of the ocean was a brilliant full rainbow.

The adventures didn't stop there. While at Sea World and Busch Gardens, we were able to pet a dolphin, manta rays, and flamingos -- once one had picked/cleaned my hair. Add to all of the above 10 minute waits for the roller coasters and it really was a wonderful break.

**A special thanks to Jillian and Diane for keeping an eye on the garden, to Christy for the wonderful night tour of the city, and to Aunt Fran and Uncle John for being such gracious hosts.