Veggie Fortress

We're in the home stretch with lacrosse now. It's been a busy couple months with Cameron playing two nights a week and Nolan on Saturdays. Times like this, I almost wish I lived in town. Almost. Good thing gas is so cheap. This week, Cammy's team plays playoff games Tuesday and Thursday and Nolan plays a make-up game Wednesday. Then Saturday is the grand finale, champions are decided and I get my life back. It's all good.

I was at the Kinsmen Arena Saturday afternoon with Nolan. He made a beauty pass to set up a goal - no small feat considering there's not a lot of passing at this age.

#13 on the run. Shockingly, he's the tallest on the team.

Spent a good part of today in the garden. I had taken a couple days off work a few weeks ago and got most of the veggies planted. The lettuce, cabbage, radishes, zucchini, pumpkins, sweet potatoes and 12 rows of spuds went in then. Oh, and the melons. We've a small garden to the south of the house, beyond the firepit, where I moved my herbs. I had some room left over so planted the melons there. Even came up with a brilliant structure that allowed the sun through but kept the dog out. Did I mention she likes dirt? Later on in the day, as I came back up for a shovel or whatever, I noticed that the big tree to the west of the garden completely shaded my newly planted melons. I hear melons like full sun. Heat, you know. I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but at least I'm fairly likable.

Today, at long last, the tomatoes went in. They've been on the porch for several weeks and are doing great but it was a relief to finally get them in the ground. I also managed to get half the carrots in, the dill and some peas and beans. I've built a fortress of tomato cages around the tepees for the peas and beans and will win this season against the deer. (I know, I know; I said the same thing last year and how'd I make out.) We've also discovered that Rosie has selective hearing. "Come, Rosie." Oh, look at her run right through the potatoes. Good thing she's cute.

A cage or two here, a bench there, and victory will be mine.

Hey, what do you think about this for show-and-tell at school? We've a robin building a nest in the garage. Paul's removed two of them so far and there's another in the process of being built. Too bad it's on top of the garage door opener - that isn't working properly right now. Wildlife.

The trick is getting it to school without making scrambled eggs.

A Little Seedy

I came home from work today and found, hidden amongst the mail on the kitchen counter, a large manilla envelope. My name was on the label affixed to the front and, stamped in red, here and there, were pictures of plants. My seeds had arrived!

I'd like to say that I ripped into it then and there, but I had kids to feed and things to do so the envelope stayed put awhile longer. But, once dinner, dishes and Riley's homework was complete (I am so good at word problems involving metric conversions! Go ahead; ask me anything.), I tore open the package.

Holy. I ordered a lot of stuff. I'm gonna have to watch that next time. Anyhoo, it's exciting! Now I just have to build a seven foot high fence around the garden to keep the damn deer out and we're rockin'.

After much research, I went with the one with the best name.

So, here's the rundown on the seeds...

Bean - Cherokee Trail of Tears
Cabbage - Mammoth Red Rock
Carrot - Chantenay Red Cored, Scarlet Nantes
Lettuce - Drunken Woman Frizzy Headed
Onion - Rossa di Milano
Pea - Golden Sweet Edible Pod
Radish - Black Spanish, Watermelon
Tomato - Box Car Willie (it's the name again), Isis Candy, Rideau & Principe Borghese
Ground Cherry - Aunt Molly's
Zucchini - Cocozelle 
Melon - Amish
Pumpkin - Connecticut Field, Small Sugar
Watermelon - Small Shining Light

I can't wait 'til May!
 

Getting Ready for the Garden

Dorito and I went on a bit of a road trip yesterday. It was the first day of the plant sale at the Cottage Gardener in Newtonville. A couple years ago we made the mistake of going on the second weekend of the sale and it was largely picked over. This time we were there within a half hour of it opening. Lots of goodies ripe for the picking - figuratively speaking.

We parked on the lawn and listened to a rooster crow as we made our way to the greenhouse, all the while swatting droves of hungry mosquitoes. Blackfly season, it appears, has ended. I picked up several types of tomatoes (Bloody Butcher, Czech Select, Eva Purple Ball, Isis Candy and Savignac) and a few butternut squash starts. Then I did the unthinkable. I broke down and bought some sweet pepper plants. *gasps are heard throughout bloggerland, then silence* I know. I know. What could I possibly have been thinking, you ask. Quite frankly, and I'm not too proud to admit this, I wasn't thinking. As many of you poor souls who've been reading this drivel for sometime know, I have no luck, that's z.e.r.o. luck, with pepper plants. I've cursed them. I've badmouthed them. I may have even stuck my tongue out at them on the rarest of occasions. And I vowed I would never bother with a pepper plant again. Well, I caved. I picked up a Bull Nose and a King of the North. Dorito should have stopped me. A true friend would have tried. I guess we're even. She doesn't have a garden, yet went home with several plants and packets of seeds herself. The season begins.

Lettuce Turnip and Pea

My Mum used to say that - always elicited a big laugh from me and my little brother Enos. I know. It's not really that funny. (Speaking of not funny, have you heard my Dad's jokes?...hope he doesn't read this.) And I never really liked turnips either. They're awful. Anyhoo, yesterday, I got the wee little side garden weeded and turned. We dug it last year with the intention of moving the saskatoon bushes this spring but I've changed my mind. I've commandeered it for peas. Ha-ha! I dare Bambi and her evil minions to fiendishly sneak up this close to the house and devour my veggies. Evil, evil, cute little deer...and so evil.

Nolan and Cammy planted some sugar snap peas around the tipi (tepee? tee-pea? get it? Yes, folks; the laughs never end around here. And it's all free.) I threw in a couple short rows of radishes too. I was hoping to get some lettuce started but ran out of room. Maybe next weekend. I'll tell you, though, it feels good to get something in the ground at last. Not long now 'til the risk of frost passes and the season kicks into full gear. I look forward to this all winter 'cause there's nothing quite like the feeling you get watching a patch of dirt turn into a sea of green, full of the freshest, tastiest veggies you can imagine and then sharing the bounty with the people around you. Brings a smile to my face just thinking about it...

Nolan - my faithful helper

Signs of Life...Beyond the Weeds

With renewed hope, I started weeding the back garden. The pumpkins are flowering and some fruit (vegetable?) has started growing. I weeded around the Sugar Pumpkin below before taking the picture...wanted to make it look good. As you can tell, there's a good deal more weeding to be done, but it's a start, folks. Cammy came out before bed and helped himself to the three peas that we found. (Ha ha, deer!) And, after an hour or so of weed pulling (the mosquitoes finally drove me away) I've managed to clear a large swath and it almost looks like a garden out there. Who'd a thunk it?

Bugs and Spuds

I was reading Tiny Farm Blog earlier and noticed some new comments on an old post about potato fruit. Can't say as I'd ever seen fruit on my potatoes before...until tonight. After gathering some lettuce for a caesar salad, I wandered over to the spuds and there, in the condo, was a wee green sphere hanging from the plant. According to this link, it isn't unusual to get fruit, especially where different cultivars are grown close together. Sure enough, I have both Yukon Gold and the blue-potato-that-shall-remain-nameless growing side-by-side.



This year, for the first time, we've also had an invasion of potato bugs. Bright orange bugs that devour leaves and poop a lot. Cammy and Nolan have devised a simple, yet effective device to rid the plants of their invaders. A nice sized flat rock (codename: the killing stone) sits on the ground. Nolan picks the bugs from the leaves and places them on the killing stone. Cammy then takes a smaller round rock that has been hand-picked specifically for this purpose, and squishes the bugs. Great fun. Judging by the number of bugs I saw today, the killing stone is going to see its share of work this weekend.

Plum Purple Radishes

I've decided we're having a salad with supper tonight...with fresh from the garden radishes. Yea!



UPDATE: They tasted like real radishes! (I know - what else would they taste like? But I've never grown these before and, well, I have confidence issues)

The Maple Leaf Garden

I spent most of the day Sunday in the garden, turning soil and planting seeds. Boy it was cool - about 8 deg. or so - and windy but with warm clothes on it was perfect for working outside. Not a bug to be seen. Or felt.

My wee little strawberry patch has lots of blooms. I had mulched it with grass clippings last week 'though I wasn't sure whether that was okay or not. I've wondered if too much rain would cause problems, but it seems to be alright. Guess we'll see as the season progresses.

Now, I don't know about you, but when I'm in the garden my mind wanders to just about every subject imaginable. Good therapy, the garden. And being good Canadians, many of us, I suspect, get thinking hockey. Especially right now. So I decided to name my garden. This area, my wee strawberry patch, I've chosen to officially name "Maple Leaf Garden" because this time of year, the strawberries, like the team, are the first ones out. (That's okay - I'll wait. ;o))

The Seeds are Sown

Dorito came by yesterday so I was forced to entertain her. We went into town for breakfast and then dropped by the indoor Farmer's Market. I picked up some eggs and maple syrup (and some maple candy but don't tell anyone) and then we headed up the highway towards Omemee to visit brother Enos. It was about noon, then, and there was evidence to suggest that we got him out of bed. And he mentioned that it took him awhile to answer the door because he couldn't find his pants. Turns out he had been out to the Puck and Pint again and didn't get home 'til 4. The life of a bachelor.

After a brief visit, we headed back home and I dug out my seeds. Dorito wasn't getting out of here without helping with some planting. So, shovel and hoe in hand, we went out back. She turned a row of soil, I broke it up and, with Nolan's help, we put it the first lettuce, peas and radishes. Not too many just yet. The garden still needs to be tilled but a few to get us started. With any luck, we'll have some radishes on our plates in no time.

A day earlier, I arrived home from work and had to park on the driveway. The garage had been a hive of activity as Cameron (PA day), Nolan (no daycare) and Paul (2-week layoff) had built me a potato condo and a second carrot trough. And it was nice to have finally found something positive in the auto sector's downturn and all these layoffs.

I used a raised bed last year for my carrots and it made all the difference in the world on this clay soil so I wanted to add another and grow a bunch more - excuse the pun. The potato condo will be an experiment. There's been lots of talk about them on several blogs and I've read that it's possible to get 100lbs of potatoes out of a 4 x 4 box. I'm not too convinced about that kind of quantity, but if we could even get half that, I'd be a pretty happy camper. So, this year we give it a try and then decide if we add a few more condos over the next couple of years. It would be nice to open up more of the garden for other veggies and still harvest a good size crop of spuds.

My tomatoes are looking good - yes, they're still alive and not three feet tall! - and the leeks have emerged in their pots. Now I see why people pull them thinking they're grass or weeds. And have you noticed the trees around you? There's buds on some of them and the willows are already covered in a beautiful pea-green coat. The earth has come back to life yet again.

Prei

We have a sickie today. Ri's tummy isn't quite right so she, Nolie and I are at home. And since I hadn't yet got to it, today seemed like the ideal day to start some leeks. I'll admit right here that I've never attempted to grow them before so this will be a learning experience. Let's face it though, every season is a learning experience whether you're growing something for the first time or the tenth.

I chose a French heirloom leek called Bleu de Solaise (Blue Solaize) from the Cottage Gardener. This variety's blue leaves turn violet after a cold spell and are extremely cold-resistant and hardy. They can remain in the ground in winter until the ground is frozen and has to be chipped away. I'll let you know next December how that turns out. Paul has a recipe from his Mum for a wonderful dish that we call prei - prei is actually the Dutch word for leek. Mmmm. With any luck we'll be eating prei freshly dug late next fall.

We also started the tomatoes a week or so ago. I've never had any luck starting seeds - they always end up so leggy and weak...and dead. This year, damn it, will be the exception.

I pilfered the light from the utility room and swapped out the bulbs for grow lights. Paul attached the light to the ceiling, we wheeled the pump organ under it, stacked a few boxes of mason jars and set the seedlings under the light. That pump organ is a handy ole thing, wish I could play it. Riley can play a mean chopsticks on it. Anyhoo, the tomatoes look okay so far.

This year I'm trying Amish Paste, Bloody Butcher, Brandywine, Isis Candy, and Mule Team. I grew a couple of Isis Candies, a cherry tomato, last year, and it was a favourite of the kids. The Amish Paste will replace the Romas that I didn't have time to can last year. Not sure how I ended up with Brandywine but who's complaining. And who could resist the other two, Mule Team and Bloody Butcher. They're worth trying just for the names - like last year's Box Car Willie. And if they don't work out, there's always plant sales.

What a great time of year. And soon, the peas will go in...