Nice Start to a New Year

It's hard to believe there were no posts all last Fall, but considering the amount of time I spent weeding, picking, scalding, freezing and canning. I have enough frozen pesto cubes to feed an army, and have given packages as birthday presents.

But now the new year begins. Beds are turned and full of good worms. Seedlings are started in the window sill and lettuce might go out in a week or so.

I'm definitely not doing a monster load of cucumbers and squash this year. Heck, I might do only one or two squash plants. Nothing like last year, I promise!

One photo to post: my first hyacinth blooms! I had forgotten about the bulbs last year; and only 2 eaten by racoons, and about 6 are blooming or darn near close! I had almost forgotten how wonderful they smell.

Most of August spent COOKING!

OK, Mom... Here's the reason I haven't called, haven't emailed much, and have neglected the Garden Blog. I've been processing the harvest!

Did you know that 32 tomatoes makes 4 quarts of tomato sauce?

Did you know that 20 cups of basil leaves makes 56 servings of pesto??

Perhaps I should harvest things more often, and not wait until I have mountains of all of this.... The good news is that I've done two such basil harvests, and the plants are ready for a third cutting!

WHAT is this squash vine??

The other healthy plant I want to show Mom is actually an accident. A peat pot that never germinated got tossed into the north garden, where the lettuce and carrots were. Well, it turns out to be an aggressive squash vine. We only recently saw some fruit, and it looks like patty pan but it's too small to be 100% sure. It could be spaghetti squash. Both types had several seeds that didn't germinate. The flowers are small, like cucumber flowers. The leaves are much bigger, and vines are bigger, stronger, and much more aggressive. I didn't plan on this, so I didn't have climbing toys ready for it!

There were two vines, one got dog up by a dog and looks yellowed and fading but hasn't died like I'd hoped. The other has taken over the whole side of the house!! I've given it a few things to climb, but it wants more. I've just been scratching my head wondering what it's going to do next. It probably would have climbed over the neighbor's fence if I hadn't picked up the runners and draped them around some pepper supports....

Pole Beans are up!

Mom's complaining about the lack of blog entries, and I finally have a functional camera, so here are some recent pix. The garden in general usually looks horrible in August. Everything burns up and dies. But two things are a surprise. The pole beans that were only seedlings in late July are doing great, but I'm watering twice a day religiously.

The basil is doing beautifully, and the peppers are chugging along. The six tomato plants are producing, two fading fast, two in full fruit, and two just starting. But they look pretty ugly so there won't be photos for Mom...

Our first pickling experience

We survived our first pickling experience. It was a small batch, yielding only four jars. We had a good recipe (I think) with the tip to soak them for two hours in an ice water bath to help keep them crisp. They have to sit for six weeks so it'll be a while before we can announce our success. It looks like the 20 or so one inch sized cucumbers will be ready for pickling next weekend. I think we'll get the hang of it, and then we'll need a serious break! Pickling was Dan's idea. His dad used to make pickles when they were young. If we go nuts and have 80 jars of pickles, I will remind him that this was all his idea.

Zukes and Cukes have gone mad!! Helllp!!!

Since this blog is mostly to share my NC garden with my Mom in PA, I'll have to remind her of all the times she had me deliver zucchini in paper bags to neighbor's doorsteps. I recall being asked to run a bag over to the Kapke's front door, even though it was dark out and they obviously weren't home, with all lights out.

I only give them to folks who ask for them, plus I'll dice a few and pack them in vacuum-sealed bags for the freezer. Any others will go to the food bank drop-off spot at Logan's, my favorite garden supply store in Raleigh. Cukes are getting pickled when not going into salads.

Gorgeous Butterfly!

We've had a ton of bumblebees and bumblebee moths, which are stunning, but it's days like this that make the butterfly garden worthwhile! Dan and I were hanging out on the back porch when two of these floated by.

Harvesting Dinner

This is the reason I work so hard to grow stuff...well, fresh garden tomatoes are reason enough, in my book.

Butterfly garden is buzzing

Another May update that I'm just getting around to is my butterfly garden. It's filling out, blooming nicely, and I've rearranged the plants. I didn't like the height and color organization and it needed a few new plants. Clover was digging in the garden fairly often during May, but it's now recovered nicely. It contains a butterfly bush, lantana, gaillardia, Shasta daisies, sage salvia, Tequila Sunrise coreopsis (one variegated), and a bee balm that isn't blooming yet.

Another stunning lily

This was a gift from my neighbor Ann, who didn't know which plant was what when she dug them up from her former house's garden. Her house was slated to be moved to a different location to make room for a building in Raleigh, and her gardens demolished, so she salvaged what she could. Now that it's blooming I'll have to ask her what the name is. I love this shade.

Stinkin' Day Lillies....

Not only do they take a ton of space, but they bloom for ONE DAY. OK, they're stunning for that one day, but geez! Here's one called Ruby Spider, a gift from Ann Adams, my lily loving neighbor who recovered lilies from her former house, and over-ordered from a catalog. The catalog ones have names, many do not because she had no idea what plants she was handing me.

Status of South Garden: Squash and tomatoes!

I bought some zuchinni and cucumber plants at the Clayton Farmer's Market. They were in four packs, which is three more plants than I need. After the "squash garden" was tilled and dirt was dumped on and mixed in, I stuck the plants in the ground. There weren't 4 seedlings, there were 7. Each. Last year we survived fine with one plant each. But I have space now, so why toss the young healthy plants when I can give the produce to the food bank or a community garden?

We have yet to finish the string support system for them--that's on the to-do list for Vacation Week, when I get caught up on all overdue projects.

The squash garden is still short several plants: Jordan requested spaghetti squash, and I want patty pan but the first seedlings didn't make it so I started over. Those seedlings are now healthy enough to stick in the dirt. Yes, I know I'm months too late for all this, but I'll manage.

So the photo seems full, but those tomato cages on the right are really Dog Digger Prevention devices, so I can squeeze a plant or two in there. I was hoping some of the cucumber plants wouldn't survive a recent heat wave, and didn't water two of them, but they're so happy & flourishing that I can't just rip them out of the ground now.

No clue where I'll put the new plants, but they'll get shoved in somewhere! If I didn't have so many lillies taking space in my east garden I'd put some there. The lillies just need to find a real home....

Status of "cool" vegetable garden: struggling but alive

I have to summarize May...in a nutshell: WORK! The two side gardens were tilled and needed dirt, plants, and TLC. Dan helped build wooden sides to hold the dirt in. After he gets a job we'll invest in brick, but we were long past planting time and I wanted to get something started.

The cool side of the house has lettuce, spinach (which isn't going to make it) and carrots. The lettuce is doing well, despite the late afternoon sun and heat. The carrots that haven't been dug up by the dogs several times are doing well. I actually glared at the burned up spinach buds and said my mother's threat out loud to them: "Perform or die." It might work. The tiny spinach has new leaves at the center!

The side gardens all got started small, with plants shoved together in a corner. Thanks to Mom's birthday check for letting us get that far! Then a few paychecks later I brought home 12 2 cu.ft. bags of dirt and compost in my Prius and everything got RE-DONE. All plants had to be pulled out, while topsoil and compost were mixed thoroughly in the beds, filling them. Then the plants got replanted with more space, and with my seedlings added. Yes, in May I was planting seedlings for more lettuce and carrots, when I should be harvesting them!

On one particularly hot day I stuck a large golf umbrella in the dirt to shield the young carrots. They're now large enough to handle the afternoon sun, but I still give them an extra drink.

Garden doing well, but tough to stay distracted

As most folks who know me know, my garden projects are not just a way to stay sane by playing in the dirt, they're also a way to distract myself from our adoption. Our first adoption with Vietnam failed after we made all deadlines just fine (long story there), and the adoption agency filed for bankruptcy after trying to run for over a year with no income. We're on our second attempt, with CAS, as a pilot family in a pilot program with Mexico. CAS is waiting for a certificate of approval from Mexico before they can start sending dossiers, and most of our documents were ready last fall. Our documents are starting to age-out, as they must be apostilled within 6 months of submittal. Doubts start to creep in.... But this isn't an adoption blog that gets frustrated with government bureaucrats and the lack of a good domestic adoption option....

So although there's good news that makes me happy, the overhanging bad news that our adoption may fail as the documents age out, the program fails, we could have trouble re-doing every last doc in a timely fashion. It's tough to stay positive so I cling to small things, like the first day I could smell lilac in the air without having to walk over to the tiny shrub and lean over. Or the first use of the tiny lettuce plants that are "temporarily" planted in the flower bed.

I spend a lot of time on the patio, reading and watching birds come and go. They're starting to use the young pine as a escape point when they're kicked off the feeders by someone bigger. It's nice that the young lawn finally has some greenery they can use!

The salvia, money plant, and lilac are frequently buzzing with big fat bumblebees. A few butterflies have been out in warm weather. It's currently 94 according to our weather station, and I've been watering more heavily. One rain barrel is drained already!

Time to go back in the yard, hope you're having a good weekend!

We borrowed a rototiller from a buddy at work (Thanks, Dave!) and Dan cleaned it up yesterday. It needs some transmission fluid, oil, and a new belt. After the tune-up we'll be tilling the sides of the house for the new gardens. We won't be bricking unless we can afford more bricks.

I'm attaching another photo of the lilac bloom that's half-open. I wish I could share its scent as well.

The Lilac Blooms!!

March and April have been very good to my struggling lilac. It's now got all the leaves open, and has 14 blooms trying hard to grow. You won't recognize this photo compared to the stick with green buds from early last month! There is one bloom half-opened, but enough to get the heavenly smell that reminds me so much of my Grandmother's house. I'm so happy to finally have a lilac in my own garden!

The Lilac is still alive!

Spring is here! The nasty Bradford Pear trees are blooming, daffodils are up, my lillies are well on their way. The new growth that makes me most happy is the lilac! It didn't get watered well last August, and I saw a bunch of dry sticks as the fall approached. I guess the watering it did get was enough to keep it going, because it looks pretty happy now!

Dandelions in winter?

Gardening has gone into hibernation. The gardens are mulched, flowers are cut back, and the mulch pile is full and cooking away.

The weird thing is the dandelions. They just won't quit! Normally I keep an eye on them, and email Mom whenever I see the first yearly bloom, and first one gone to seed. Well I saw both during Christmas break, and also on New Year's Day. So I guess this year will be a tough fight against dandelions.

We're trying not to use pesticides, since the Neuss River is where the run-off goes. We might try the citrus spray since digging hasn't done month lately.

I've transplanted a lot of indoor plants, and have already started a few basil seeds to see if I can get some plants going for spring. I'm ready for Spring!!

First Freeze!!

When we returned from the beach the weather report looked like the first real freeze would be before the weekend. But there was frost on my car windows this morning! It was 37 degrees when I got up at 6 am.

So this afternoon was the rush to pull everything from the garden. I got a few batches of basil from what's left of the 4 scraggly basil bushes. They were almost 4 feet tall, but I'd pinched off the buds religiously to keep them from getting too woody. Hopefully the leaves won't be too bitter. It'll be fresh pesto this weekend!

I gathered two more odd items. I squat little zuchini, and a HUGE cucumber. This cuke climbed in back of the lillies and I lost track of it. It's 16 inches long! (Photo will be added...I promise!)

The small potted herbs are inside, and we'll shred the leftover plant stubs for the compost pile. Now that things are quiet, we'll build the 3 remaining garden beds and get ready for spring.

GetReady for the Day of the Dead!

Halloween is my favorite holiday, but Raleigh doesn't do it up. I've got the usual for this area: lights, fake spider webbing on the boxwoods, and we've got rubber rats around the front porch. But I miss the sugar skulls, marigolds, lots of paper mache skeletons. So I dug around and gathered as much as I dared (some is too precious, like the skeleton cyclist). I found some tin skeletons that I taped to the small window above the front door. We bought a tacky purple skull that lights up, and I'll do my usual little altar with favorite beverages and snacks for my ancestors. Yes, I put up a gin and tonic for my Buddist/Episcopalian Gramma. I also put an African Violet on the altar, to help her find her way here.

It may sound strange, but el Dia de los Muertos is a very special time!