Early July Update

'What was Paradise? but a garden, full of pleasure, and nothing there but delights.'  -  William Lawson, 1617.

Not too much happening around the homestead. All the plants are busy soaking up sunlight and heat building up their energy to produce their goodies.

Deck Side Garden - too much grass in it

I on the other hand have been busy helping these same plants along by deadheading, feeding and pulling weeds. And grass! Two of my beds have grass growing right up through the plants, which is extremely frustrating because I can’t get them out by their roots without damaging the plants themselves. I’m sure a solution will come about, I’ll just have to bide my time and hope I recognize it when it does.

As I dig deeper into my ‘to do’ list in a desperate attempt to get anything on it done and crossed off, a laughable endeavor to say the least, I keep finding new things to add to it.

One item that is currently on the list that seems like it should be the most pressing task is to get the irrigation system in. But honestly, after getting my watering done sufficiently well by dragging a hose around for the last six years, even that task is not really pressing. It’ll get done eventually.

Another item that really must get done this year is to find the time to dig up all of the bulbs so they can be divided. It’s a bit embarrassing that this will be the first year I’ve done this. Everything I read says to do it every 2-3 years so after 5-6 years I rather imagine they really need it. I pulled up some Grape Hyacinth a week ago and I could not believe how many bulblets there were, many still attached to the Mom. Of course the other part of getting this task done is to find room after I dig them up. Which brings me to my next tast: making new beds.

Deck Side Garden - before and after expansion

The expansion for my Deck Side bed is finally finished, for now. It would be no surprise for me to want to expand it yet again sometime in the future. But right now there are no plans. After the expanded area sits over winter it should be ready for new plants. I’ve got a bunch of new plants from cuttings that need somewhere to go but they’ll have to wait for this area until Spring. Can I keep them alive that long? I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

birdhouse welcome

I finished the birdhouse-on-a-stick thingy and it needs to be put into one of the front yard beds.

There is another trellis to be built for the newly planted beans along the back fence. This should be fairly simple to build out of a pile of tree limbs I’ve been collecting.

An idea I’ve been kicking around for sometime is to make some solar powered light to spread around the yard and pathways. Really simple and cheap is the way to go here. My non-gardening partner and I have been discussing attaching rope lights around the deck too. A couple more things to add to my list.

A couple of ideas for what to put in the B1 expansion at the west gate is an old-fashioned Weigela or the lilac taking up space in one of the raised vegetable beds. I’ve tried the newer varieties of Weigela and have lost them all, so maybe the old-fashioned type will do better. Which ever one I decide to plant here, I’m sure I’ll change my mind before something finally goes in.

The Butterfly Bush is finally getting flower buds and the Hydrangea has bloomed. First time ever.

As this all of this wasn’t enough, tiny grasshoppers are beginning to show up so I need to be ready with some organic means of kicking them out should they start getting out of control.

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Going Vertical

Bean teepee

I built this teepee type trellis back 2007 for an 'extra' cherry tomato plant I had at the time and have since used it for green beans. Works much better for beans than tomatoes.

It's just over six feet tall and fits perfectly inside the garden over -winter.

It's made of redwood and cedar which are supposed to be able to take the elements but since I have room in the shed for it and it's rather light weight I decided to bring it indoors each year.

I just recently got the urge to build a couple other type trellises and today I finally got around to it.

Tomato cage made of redwood and pine

Here's a tomato cage for the Cherokee Purple. It looks pretty big but the tomato plant will fill this in pretty quickly once it gets going. Normally I only use redwood or cedar but I had some extra pine furring strips so they got the call. They can replaced in a couple of years with more resilient cedar or redwood.

Squash Ladder

I know this isn't a very good photo of this but you can get the general idea. It stands six feet tall. I've never tried one of these but have read some pretty good reviews. There are a couple of pepper plants in this bed two and I'm a little worried they might get trampled over because squash is pretty aggressive and doesn't play well with others.I have a back up plan though if the peppers need to be moved. I rather like the idea of squeezing as much as possible into the space I have but this may be a bit too much. Only time will tell.

This three panel trellis 'fence' was install in 2009 to cover up a chain link fence that was installed to hide the compost pile. The panels are tied to the chain link by wire, the right side is attached to a chain link fence and the left side is tied to a metal pole I anchored in the ground with cement. Well, the wind pretty much has its way with this whole thing because I did not do a very good job of anchoring that pole.

So, I got to thinking that instead of digging up the pole and anchoring it properly I'll just add another pole. This time a 4x4 redwood post was used and I did a much better job of anchoring it. I placed it just far enough from the metal pole to insert another more narrow lattice piece between the two and it is holding that whole fence through some very strong winds we have had of late.

Adding hardscape items sure changes the complexion of the garden. Next, I'm thinking about adding a water feature of some sort. We have bunches of birds visit us everyday and I want a better means of getting fresh water to them other than me hauling it out to them every morning.

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Before you know it, Spring planting will be here

Finally, the gardening bug has bitten me. It might seem surprising that someone, such as myself, who loves to garden would have to wait for something to kick me in the pants to get me going. But it’s not surprising to me. You see, I go through this every year. After a couple of months of down time, that I didn’t ask for, the lull becomes comfortable and familiar. Other things take up my time and, besides, the weather is too dreary to contemplate being in the garden anyway. Oh, how I envy those of you who can garden year round.

Then, one day, in my case yesterday while reading garden blogs, nature’s clock awakens that familiar twitch and itch to get something going. Now I am all gang busters to get it all started.

You know how it is through the summertime and all throughout the fall, when things in the garden are humming along smoothly it is easy to get caught up in that perfect synchronization that is nature. When the daily machinations of doing something you truly enjoy, when all is right with the world, when zen has a tight grip on you and refuses to let go, you are suddenly faced with something else you have no control over, something you knew was coming but nonetheless are never completely prepared for, like winter, breaks up the party. The high that sustained you for several months, performing all those glorious garden chores like growing, cultivating, pruning, harvesting, and, yes, even weeding, comes to an abrupt end and suddenly there is nothing to do.

So, now that my internal alarm has gone off and I realize that I have had enough rest, next years party can’t come soon enough. I cozy up to that forever-growing stack of garden catalogs that seems to produce two new ones for every one I open, and with my trusty yellow highlighter, start building my seed dream list.

Without regard to the amount of space I have available, and without even considering my lack of money to afford it all, I feed my ravenous garden junkie and allow my ‘dream list’ to grow until I contemplate taking out a second mortgage to afford it all. I mean, I could start a seed catalog business just from my own selections! After toning down my indulgence and curbing my enthusiasm, I begin the daunting task of matching my list with reality. Seriously, I don’t really need eight varieties of tomato, and I simply don’t have the space for six varieties of pepper plants and ten varieties of basil. I don’t even have a grape arbor for the three varieties of grapes I have chosen! I need help.

Switching gears, I begin compiling a list of ways to support my habit. No, I’m not talking about selling my car or offering my, um, services at an hourly rate. Of course, I could…..no, out the question. By support, I mean that grape arbor my wife has been itching for, a cold frame or two to get the season off to an earlier start, various trellises for squash, cucumbers and melons. I saw, in a magazine, a strawberry post and thought I could do that. So one strawberry post has been added to my to do list.

Also, I want to create a butterfly garden using containers on my deck and I will add insectary plants to attract more beneficial insects.

Plastic milk jugs have been collected, peat pots have been bought, the heating pad and grow lights are ready to be plugged in, and liquid fertilizer has been prepared.

Let the season begin.

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My ‘to do’ list is burying me

Over this spring and summer I have been making a list of all the cool ideas I have seen in magazines, books, blogs, websites, etc that I would like to put into my yard and garden.

Last week, I took a look at that list. Then, after stepping back, taking a deep breath, and developing a very skeptical frown, said to myself "There is no way you are going to get all of that done!" I may have created a monster. One that will most assuredly demand every free minute of my time. I know me well enough to know that I won’t do all of this. Hmmm, maybe if I break it down into smaller pieces so it doesn’t look so overwhelming, I can get it done. I am a hopeless optimist. Time management will definitely play a huge roll if this list is going to be completed.

Projects:
1-Replace grass under the fruit trees with groundcover so I don’t have to mow under them.
2-fill low areas in lawn with top soil
3-replace west gate with new gate, trellis and plant bed
4-replace grassy area at east gate, next to garage/shed with brick pavers in a lattice design (with thyme growing in the open areas)
5-build a cover over the deck, to block out sun, and to hang plants from
6-build trellis over B3 perennial bed to provide some relief from the intense sun
7-build a ladder trellis for containers to set on back deck
8-build shelves in back shed to store pots, plant trays, etc
9-lay a flagstone walkway to back shed
10-install walkway lights along driveway and front/back walkways
11-design an herbal bed and make herbal vinegars, potpourris, teas, etc
12-design and build a row cover system to extend growing season
13-design and build a cold frame
14-paint bird bath and shed doors deep blue?
15-make edging more permanent with bricks or stone
16-make hose guides for garden hoses until irrigation system is installed
17-build another tower for runner beans
18-build a better trellis for tomatoes, those wire jobs are just not strong enough
19-install irrigation system, tired of dragging garden hose around, timer would be a life saver
20-design a trellis for front of house to grow clematis and or honeysuckle

I am sure the list will get longer before it gets shorter. I find so many great ideas from reading garden blogs, etc that I can't help but want to try them myself. Maybe I should just learn to restrict myself a little. Oh, where's the fun in that?

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A good time for projects

Haven’t done much in the garden itself the last couple of days because it is raining and cold. The rain is always welcome, the cold, not so much. I have taken this opportunity to work on some projects I have been trying to find time for. Such as reshaping chunks and strips of lumber into masterpieces I will call a tower trellis, a planter ladder, a mirror for the shed, water tower, and planter platforms. The 'masterpiece' claim might be pushing it a little but I am determined to turn it all into something useful.
This particular tower trellis is an idea I saw in Birds and Bloom magazine a few years ago. It looks simple enough, I found a note to myself telling me that I could do it so I must have had confidence in me at one point. I’m no master carpenter so I suspect the ‘short-cuts’ I will undoubtedly be forced to take to match my skill level will give the finished product some ‘character of uniqueness’ that I doubt will be found anywhere else. So, I am looking forward to seeing how the finished product will look. It will stand seven foot tall, according to the plans, and I think this should be tall enough for even the most aggressive cherry tomato vine. I’m growing ‘Super Sweet 100 hybrid’ again. Last year I grew it in one of those wire cage contraptions that you just push into the ground. It was no match for that vine. The cage repeatedly fell over and I would have to bend its legs into some indescribable geometric shape in hopes it would stand up strong enough to last to the end of the season. It didn’t really. I had to trim some of the top few feet of the vine off dooming countless future fruit to their deaths on the compost pile. But this year I’m banking on my great foresight and planning ability to get every last one of those deliciously sweet little tomatoes to either my table, the neighbors tables or my grandkids hungry mouths before they can get to the kitchen.

The planter ladder idea is one that I have seen in many places. I will use my five foot metal ladder as a template for the angles and make some legs for it, paint it and set it up on the back deck in full sun.

I will be able to use up some lumber than has been laying around in the wood shed and then I can paint it some bright color and set some of the containers I want to try growing this year.

I will need to make it a little wide than this standard sized ladder because the planters are 12"-14" long and maybe not quite so tall. It should look nice up on the deck in front the blank wall.

Mirror for the shed, an idea that has also offered itself from many different places. It just looks too easy to make to pay retail prices for it. I recently saw a blog from Melissa at Empress of Dirt use several mirrors throughout her garden, looks very nice, Melissa! I want to create a "window" on the side of one of my sheds complete with shutters that will have four panes of 12”x12” mirror squares that can be found at any home improvement center and a few strips of wood. The shutters will actually be the most time consuming part of building the thing. What could go wrong? I sound pretty confident, don’t I? Seriously, it’s got to be easier to make than that tower trellis. I can't seem to find a photo of one online but I saw it in Backyard Living magazine, Mar/Apr 2007 issue. The article covers a backyard makeover that took place in Seattle, Washington.

The water tower is just three tree branches tied together to form a teepee structure with a pvc pipe sticking up through the middle and a garden hose attached at the bottom and a sprinkler head attached at the top. Piece of cake, right?<\p>

The planter platforms will be made of 1”x1” strips of wood glued together in such a way as to form a ‘grid’ of four or five strips laid across two smaller pieces that will be the feet.

I’m feeling more and more confident all the time.
Maybe I should make the simple items first, sort of like confidence builders.

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