Mulch

After doing a pretty thorough weeding on the whole yard, we ordered three yards of dark hemlock mulch from Highway Fuel.  We were able to cover the front yard, the new bed along the back fence, and the bed along the back of the house.  It took us three days to disperse it.  Then we ordered another two yards, which we spread in the two small beds behind the deck, the rose bed, and the long bed along the west fence.  This was easier, done in one day.

We're hoping this will take care of the huge weed problem we have when we return from Tucson.  Stay tuned.

Notes for Next Year

The only tomato I want to grow is Stupice.  I can buy Roma tomatoes for 75 cents a pound at Fresh
Start Market.  And they were nicer than my San Marzanos. And one cherry tomato.

One aubergine and two bell peppers.

No leeks or onions.

Go back to Blue Lake bush beans.  One short row at a time.

One cucumber plant, Boothby's Blonde.

One zucchini.

Lots of basil for pasta sauce and pesto.

Maybe a melon.

Delicata squash.

No beets, spinach, or chard.  This is an attempt to starve out the leaf miners.

Dinner in the Garden

We've found a new spot to have dinner outside.  It's a little cooler there and we can pretend we're in our vineyard.

Peaches and Pears and Figs, Oh My!

Status Report - July 23, 2018

Things have really been happening in the garden.  I've harvested the garlic and two of the potato plants.  We're now getting Stupice and Lizzano cherry tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, bell peppers, aubergines, carrots, chard, and kale.  The lettuce was very good (starts from Minto Island Growers) but have now bolted.  I've just planted the third sowing of green beans

and the last two rows of carrots.

 I also planted some cranberry beans.

 The leeks are ready but I haven't pulled any yet.

I started two Kale-ette plants from seed.  I moved them to the potato bed and put them under a shade cover because it's been in the 90s.

The herb bed has been a great success.  I'll do it again next year.

The rhubarb and squash bed is doing well.

The trough planter is really filling in.

 The new bed is filling in gradually.

 And the rose bed has been spectacular.

And last but not least we just picked all the pears on the Ubileen.  It was a bumper crop!

Status Report - June 1, 2018

I've been pretty busy and have really neglected my blog.  Here are some photos from the first of June.

There were hundreds of blossoms on the mandarin.

 The new trough planter.

The new bed along the back fence

Kale and chard.

 Carrots and garlic.

Leeks, peppers, and aubergines.

 And here's the front yard.

Spring, Again

We returned from Tucson on Friday, March 23.  The weeds were out of control.  We had a couple of decent days, so we both turned to and pulled the most critical ones, the bittercress that was blooming and days away from dispersing thousands of seeds.  Since then, we've slowly worked on the remaining weeds, so by now it looks pretty good.

We're eating carrots that were planted last fall, which are huge but still very good.  Also, we've had some leftover chard.  There are a few leeks left, but they are pretty big.  I haven't tried one yet. 

I moved the rhubarb to a bed in back, the better to care for it.  I sowed several kinds of carrots, chard, kale, a lettuce mix and snap peas.  And I planted a single row of potatoes, both yellow and red ones.

Last weekend Carolyn and Ken came for lunch.  After lunch, even though the weather was cold, windy and occasionally rainy, she and I went out in the yard and she showed me how to dig and divide dahlias.  Yesterday I spent all day working on them, and now they are all divided and replanted in the bed among the fruit trees and near the back of the garage.  It was a big project, but I'm glad I did it.  With any luck I won't have to do it again.  I'll plant something small along the path where the dahlias were.

I cleaned out the strawberry bed and they look good.  The peach and pear trees are blooming.  With all this rain, I'm afraid the bees won't be out to pollinate them.  So I went out with a brush and hand pollinate some of the lower flowers. 

The lilies that I had ordered arrived yesterday, so I've planted them among the new roses.  Whew!
Fortunately for me, the week ahead looks like rain every day.  Time to catch my breath.