GARDEN:
Well, if we got a late start on the season because it rained the first 3 weeks of June, we are getting some of that time back this fall in the form of Indian Summer. It has yet to freeze, although it has come close (one night earlier this month). Temps running 65-80 during day and in low to mid forties overnight.
Squash: We'll end up with a good delicata harvest, I finally got out and counted up 9 squash on our monter plant. This plant eclipsed the butternut, but we'll get something.
Potatoes: Planted All Blues in the garden area and on the NE corner of the house. Found that those potatoes planted on the NE corner came out FAR less scabby, even though they were the ones that were planted from already scabby potatoes (leftover from last year), and the ones in the garden came from brand new seed potatoes (disease free). I am seeing the biggest differences the sites are soil (near house they were planted in very sandy soil, garden is more like dirt), and sun exposure (those near house would get sun early then be done for the day, those in garden wouldn't get sun until late but then would get afternoon heat). Also discovered that the cardboard does keep down weeds, but encourages roly polys and slugs. Guck.
Sweet potatoes: Harvested maybe 1 pound of these - again, smally, stringy tubers. Very flavorless when cooked, hardly worth the time to scrub and harvest. Had an ingenious thought when harvesting though - saved the plants as I pulled them, and plunked them into an empty peanut jar of water at work to see if I can resprout roots. This, at least, would prevent me from dumping more $ into the 'seed' potatoes than I get in return, if it works. Also noticed a dramatic improvement in plant size in the plants that I was able to put in the ground from a huge piece of old 'root potato' (the leftover seed potato that I just threw in the ground too at the end). Perhaps should alter the process a bit and put the little piece of potato that is sprouting into the dirt, not just cut off a plant an re-root it.
LUKEN: Wow, he is getting so fast on our little hikes. And so curious! We have been going on "bughunts" lately - wandering around, trying to find bugs, whatever kind of bugs, to touch and talk about and watch. Really working on trying to focus on not ALL bugs being 'owie bugs' (after he was stung last month for the first time by a yellowjacket, all bugs became 'owie bugs'). Focusing, too, on the difference between pine and fir trees. Today it was very interesting to just let him wander at his own pace, he would stop every few feet along the roadway, check out something new (a plant, a rock, sticks, etc.) and then run to catch up. Rhys managed to get ahead of us, and when we found her she was gnawing on a very old dead deer carcass. The site of her pulling around the carcass really seemed to give Luken something to think about. I don't know if he was scared exactly, but he'd never seen it before. When I told him 'yukky', he didn't think twice, though it was very ripe smelling and that may have contributed.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Sunday, Sept 6th 2010
Garden items:
Weather: Has been low to mid forties for low, low sixties to mid seventies for high. Starting to feel like fall and plants in general are starting to respond to shorter daylight hours and colder temps by slowing any production they might have and showing crisp outer leaves, yellowing of leaves, etc.
Ground cherries: grew very low to the ground this year, in some instances branching less than one inch above the ground. Surprisingly, producing good fruit now (quite a quantity of it) though I wonder if there will be time for it to ripen. Getting a few cherries here and there with Luken, lots more on the plants. Seems the plants last year in containers did better than the plants are doing this year in the garden, but again, it has been a very hard year weather wise.
Tomatoes: Got a horrific start this year due to rain all through the first 3 weeks of June. About every other plant died/had to be replanted. Lots of green tomatoes finally, hardly any ripe ones. Not even many ripe ones on the Sweet Million grape tomato we got from Mrs. Brown's. Think it will be a year for green tomato salsa and pickles again.
Beans: Did well this year, surprisingly. Not sure why - immediate neighbor says his were all eaten as fast as they sprouted (much like ours were last year). Found the Dragon Tongue beans (BUSH! Surprise!) to be quite tasty even at the stage when they were very, VERY large (didn't pick until quite late). The Kentucky Wonder Pole beans are prolific and we're happy for that.
Squash/pumpkins: All vining things (summer squash, winter squash, pumpkins and cucumbers got a VERY slow start. Finally getting some summer squash (did little patty pans this year) from most plants at last. The pumpkins I started intentionally are not thriving, though there is one fruit on one of them I doubt it will mature. I had 3 self starts of pumpkin in the compost pile (from last year's Connecticut Field pumpkins that I threw into compost this spring) but they're likewise slow. I think the pattypan plants at least would be quite vigorous given normal spring conditions. Strangely enough the Waltham butternut really seems to suffer a general 'failure to thrive' this year, I'm not sure why. But it's immediate neighbor the Delicata squash has finally started producing MANY fruit, and I have hopes that some will mature before frost hits.
Potatoes: Purchased seed potatoes from Marchies (a red variety and a russet of some kind) and the All Blue variety from the local IGA. For the second year in a row I am finding the red and russets (the reds in particular) to be far less susceptible to scab. The blues are quite bad this year with scab (though in fairness the reds are worse than they were last year, as well). Also finding holes in some tubers that the pill bugs crawl into. I spotted many many slugs as we (Luken and I) harvested, and I am wondering if the covering with newspaper/cardboard to keep light off the tubers provides a great slug environment (and the slugs are what eats holes in potatoes). I had two separate patches this year: one in the garden (all purchased seed potatoes planted quite early in the year) and one patch on the NE corner of the house (really just a bare piece of ground dug up with the help of Aki :) ). The patch on the NE side of the house was seeded with last year's scabby old All Blue leftovers, so I would expect those will produce more scabby tubers, but I have yet to dig any and check.
Onions: Though we had onion maggot problems in the past, we seem to have gotten past that, and had a good year growing both white and purple onions. Got the sets from Pink Grizzly and was quite satisfied.
Beets: Another thing that did exceptionally well this year.
Cherries: Flathead cherries were carried at local IGA from probably end of July through 3rd week in August. Also purchased some on a trip to Bigfork, found roadside stands still open when we went up there August 25th even. Will try jam from them this year.
Weather: Has been low to mid forties for low, low sixties to mid seventies for high. Starting to feel like fall and plants in general are starting to respond to shorter daylight hours and colder temps by slowing any production they might have and showing crisp outer leaves, yellowing of leaves, etc.
Ground cherries: grew very low to the ground this year, in some instances branching less than one inch above the ground. Surprisingly, producing good fruit now (quite a quantity of it) though I wonder if there will be time for it to ripen. Getting a few cherries here and there with Luken, lots more on the plants. Seems the plants last year in containers did better than the plants are doing this year in the garden, but again, it has been a very hard year weather wise.
Tomatoes: Got a horrific start this year due to rain all through the first 3 weeks of June. About every other plant died/had to be replanted. Lots of green tomatoes finally, hardly any ripe ones. Not even many ripe ones on the Sweet Million grape tomato we got from Mrs. Brown's. Think it will be a year for green tomato salsa and pickles again.
Beans: Did well this year, surprisingly. Not sure why - immediate neighbor says his were all eaten as fast as they sprouted (much like ours were last year). Found the Dragon Tongue beans (BUSH! Surprise!) to be quite tasty even at the stage when they were very, VERY large (didn't pick until quite late). The Kentucky Wonder Pole beans are prolific and we're happy for that.
Squash/pumpkins: All vining things (summer squash, winter squash, pumpkins and cucumbers got a VERY slow start. Finally getting some summer squash (did little patty pans this year) from most plants at last. The pumpkins I started intentionally are not thriving, though there is one fruit on one of them I doubt it will mature. I had 3 self starts of pumpkin in the compost pile (from last year's Connecticut Field pumpkins that I threw into compost this spring) but they're likewise slow. I think the pattypan plants at least would be quite vigorous given normal spring conditions. Strangely enough the Waltham butternut really seems to suffer a general 'failure to thrive' this year, I'm not sure why. But it's immediate neighbor the Delicata squash has finally started producing MANY fruit, and I have hopes that some will mature before frost hits.
Potatoes: Purchased seed potatoes from Marchies (a red variety and a russet of some kind) and the All Blue variety from the local IGA. For the second year in a row I am finding the red and russets (the reds in particular) to be far less susceptible to scab. The blues are quite bad this year with scab (though in fairness the reds are worse than they were last year, as well). Also finding holes in some tubers that the pill bugs crawl into. I spotted many many slugs as we (Luken and I) harvested, and I am wondering if the covering with newspaper/cardboard to keep light off the tubers provides a great slug environment (and the slugs are what eats holes in potatoes). I had two separate patches this year: one in the garden (all purchased seed potatoes planted quite early in the year) and one patch on the NE corner of the house (really just a bare piece of ground dug up with the help of Aki :) ). The patch on the NE side of the house was seeded with last year's scabby old All Blue leftovers, so I would expect those will produce more scabby tubers, but I have yet to dig any and check.
Onions: Though we had onion maggot problems in the past, we seem to have gotten past that, and had a good year growing both white and purple onions. Got the sets from Pink Grizzly and was quite satisfied.
Beets: Another thing that did exceptionally well this year.
Cherries: Flathead cherries were carried at local IGA from probably end of July through 3rd week in August. Also purchased some on a trip to Bigfork, found roadside stands still open when we went up there August 25th even. Will try jam from them this year.
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