End of May - Things Are Flourishing!

This post will be mostly pictures so that I can compare end of May progress from year to year.

In one week, the Totem strawberries are plumping out rapidly and a few are starting to take on a bit of colour.  It won't be long now!

In my Tulameen raspberry jungle, flowers are forming.  Raspberries are always later than strawberries and mine aren't in total sun, so they're probably a bit later than most peoples'.

I have moved the cherry tomatoes from the deck.  They weren't getting as much sun as I'd thought they would.  The pots have been positioned in front of the tomato bed.  I bought a small pot of basil and split it into 3 clumps.  They've been planted at the front of the tomato bed as tomatoes and basil go very well together.

Flowers on Health Kick

Flowers are open on the tomatoes in the raised bed and so far all plants are looking very healthy.

The raised bed with the beans planted at the end is progressing well.  This bed houses beans and zucchini at the far end.  Multiplier onions and shallots are at the front.  In between, I've seeded second crops of carrots, beets and parsnips.  The half barrel in the front has a Sweet Million growing in it.  To the right is a bed of leeks with swiss chard at the back of it.  You can see the grapevine scrambling over the fence at the back of the garden.

I have 2 plantings of Italian heritage beans.  Both have been placed where they can get the maximum support.  In the raised bed, they are starting to climb up the bamboo poles which were placed inside their water bottle collars.  By the time they reach the end of the bamboo supports, they'll be well able to withstand the predation of wood bugs and earwigs.

We've been eating asparagus and the dill I planted in with the asparagus has provided new plants this year.  Dill and asparagus are a good pairing as the dill protects the asparagus from beetles - not that I've had a problem with beetles, but a little prevention could be a good thing.

May is such a wonderful month for flowers!  Irises, peonies, perennial geraniums are thriving in the central bed.

A ceanothus shrub in the garden is loud with bees.  Unfortunately they are all wild bees as it's been a few years since I've seen a domestic honeybee in my garden.

Three Sisters Year 2

Last year, the Three Sisters garden was quite successful and so warranted trying again - with some changes.

This year, I planted the corn in the potting shed as I've done for years now.  As can be seen from earlier posts in this blog, mice have decided I'd given them a banquet!  I therefore had to plant the seeds directly in the garden and after trying twice in the potting shed, didn't have enough Bodacious corn seeds to fill the beds.  Unable to find any of that seed, I planted a row of Peaches and Cream.  It will be a week later than the Bodacious, but this year I'm planting my rows in diamond pattern so hopefully if they tassel out at different times, there won't be much of a problem with pollination.

Remay protection on cool days and at night

The first seeding of corn is up and about 4" high.  I'm covering it at night with Remay cloth and opening it up during the day.

Remay off on sunny days until the weather is reliably warm.

At the same time that I planted the corn, I set out 3 butternut squash plants.  2 of these are at the south ends of the beds and 1 is in the centre.

Bodacious corn seedling

As I said above, the corn is about 4" high now.  When it reaches 6", I'll plant the Fortex beans and protect them with water bottle collars.

So what am I doing differently?

Last year the beans were so lush and heavy that they broke the corn stalks.  This year, I'm growing Fortex beans in the corn.  It's not as big-leafed as the Italian heritage bean which I'm growing elsewhere.  I planted it at the same time as the corn last year, but this year, I'm giving the corn a head start - which I was supposed to in the first place.

Last year, I grew too many squash plants and the ones at the back of the beds didn't do nearly as well as the ones in sunnier spots.  This year,  I'm only growing 3 plants and all are placed in the sunniest spots.  In addition, I didn't seed corn to the end of the beds at the inside where the 2 beds meet.  Hopefully this will give the squash enough room to grow.

I grew zucchini in the tires at the back of the bed last year.  This year, the zucchini is planted in a concrete bed in front of the Italian heritage beans seeded at the bean rack.  I'll plant impatiens in the tires as they like a bit of shade - and we always need flowers in our lives!

Melons and Strawberries!

May can be such a variable month!  This morning it was pouring with rain and chilly.  This afternoon the sun has come out and it's HOT!  Actually pretty good weather for getting a number of chores done indoors and out.

After we cleaned out the pond filter (whew!  stinky!) I planted out the melons.  I grew them in the compost bin last year and am doing the same this year.  I am, however, preparing a little better.  The wood bugs attacked the young plants last year and I almost lost them.

This year I dug holes in the compost and filled them full of potting mixture.  I transplanted the young melons into the mixture, firmed and then carefully put a water bottle collar around each, then applied a generous ring of diatomaceous earth around each one.  That should keep them safe!

Strawberries are forming and some of the berries are getting quite large.  Keep your fingers crossed that the birds and raccoons leave us some!  The last time I grew strawberries, I protected them with special bird netting cages.  Just as the berries were ripening I went out one morning to find all the cages thrown off and no berries left.  Raccoons!  It was the same for the grapes and hazelnuts.

The beans are lapping up the heat.  The beans on the rack were started in the potting shed and are ahead of the half barrel beans.  They're starting to form vines which will quickly scramble up the rack.

The half barrel beans aren't far behind though, and they got a good dose of pond filter water to help them along.  All in all, the garden is coming along well.  I planted out the last of the corn today - Peaches and Cream as I'd run out of the Bodacious seed.  So the Three Sisters bed is mostly Bodacious with one row of Peaches and Cream planted 4 days later.  When the corn is 6" tall, I'll plant Fortex beans.

Second Seedings

The garden is almost full now.  Today I seeded seconds of 6 vegetables and first seedings of 2.

I have some old New Zealand Spinach seeds which I bought a number of years ago from West Coast Seeds.  I'm not sure if they're still viable, but I might as well try them.  This is actually a "spinach-like plant which produces masses of leaves" and is very slow to bolt.  It can be perennial on our mild west coast.  I planted 9 of the fat seeds.  If they're a relative of beets and Swiss chard, there are several seeds inside the one capsule.  We'll wait to see if they germinate!

I also planted the last of the Vates Blue Curled kale seeds given me by a friend.  I grew them last year and they're compact little plants with tightly curled leaves.  I like to put a variety of colours of kale and cabbage in cole slaws along with grated carrot and chopped apple.  All the colours and textures make a wonderful slaw.

Second seedings of lettuces also went in small rounds.  Black Seeded Simpson, Drunken Woman and Red Sails were planted again.  All of these seeds - the spinach, kale, lettuces - were all seeded in small rounds marked with tags and will be transplanted to their final destinations when I see how many I have.

Carrots - Royal Chantenay and Scarlet Nantes, Cylindra beets, and parsnips were seeded in rows as these root vegetables don't transplant easily.

All that done, there's not much room left in the garden.  In July the garlic will come out and once I have pickable kale, the old Siberian kale planted last fall will be pulled up.  Hopefully this will provide enough room.  It always seems as if there's too much garden to plant - until you plant it - and then you realize you need more!

First Homegrown Salad of 2014

Okay - I cheated a bit.  The red pepper and cherry tomatoes were bought. But the lettuce, arugula and green onion all came from the garden this morning.

The dressing is a very easy ranch dressing and we like it so much it's what we use all the time now.  The chives and garlic are from our garden.

Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, pressed
chives and other dried herbs to taste

Put all ingredients in a jar and shake up.  I refrigerate it for a couple of hours so the flavours blend.  Keeps for 3 days although it rarely lasts more than a day or two.  Make it 2 parts buttermilk, 1 part mayonnaise and add garlic and herbs - so easy to remember!

Frameworks for Tomatoes and Beans

Today's garden chores were all about providing support for tomatoes and beans.

Italian heritage beans in a half-barrel

The framework for the Italian heritage beans planted in the half-barrel was already in place.  The tripod of stakes had 6 seeds planted around it and all are now up.

Zucchini and Italian heritage beans.  Potatoes in the background.

Since a mouse has decided that the potting shed is a great place to grab a meal and that beans are next to corn in deliciousness, I thought it best to plant out those beans now.  We have an 8' framework that sits on the end of any of our raised beds and is easily moved from bed to bed.  Six of the Italian heritage beans which were started in the potting shed were transplanted to grow on the framework.  Two zucchini seedlings were planted in front.

Bean seedlings are protected with water bottle collars

The bean seedlings were protected with plastic water bottle collars and a bamboo stake was placed beside each plant.  The collars protect the bean seedlings from wood bug predation and they can grow up the stake and then grab onto the framework.  By the time they reach that height wood bugs won't be any match for the beans.  The final step was to liberally dust under each framework "foot" with diatomaceous earth.  This is a natural material composed of tiny exoskeletons.  The sharp edges of the exoskeletons pierce the bodies of wood bugs and earwigs, dehydrating them.  Harmless to humans, plants and animals.

Sweet Million tomato growing in a barrel

The other job for today was making the framework for the tomatoes.  The one tomato growing in a half-barrel this year is a Sweet Million and as it's indeterminate it requires sturdy and tall staking.  Three tall stakes were placed in the barrel, lashed together at the midpoint with short bamboo stakes.  One upright provides support for the tomato until it reaches the first horizontal framework point.

All of the rest of the tomatoes in the garden are in one raised bed.  Each tomato has a wire cage around it and a 6' stake beside it.  These stakes are lashed together with bamboo stakes horizontally.  The tops of the stakes are tied together with twine.  It looks pretty rickety but it's surprisingly sturdy and I've been growing tomatoes this way for years now.  As all these tomatoes are determinate and not too tall, the one horizontal framework will probably be enough.  I can easily add another layer if needed.

Chives

Next week after we get rid of a small system coming our way, I'll seed the corn and plant out squash and melons.

Mouse Destruction

Actually "Mouse Mass Destruction".  Because it's back.

Obviously the half a mouse I found was not the culprit because this morning's visit to the potting shed saw the scene of another raid on my corn seedlings.  This time not only were sprouted corn dug up for the seed, the newly planted corn seeds were dug up as well.  I guess I'll be planting right into the soil this year.  Ah well - that's gardening.

But we're off this morning, so a quick feed thrown to the fish, and away we went.

Mother's Day in the Garden

May has to be one of the headiest months!  The air is heavy with the scent of lilacs and rhododendrons are in their full glory.

Our Cherokee Chief Dogwood is safely behind deer-proof fencing and looking gorgeous against a blue and white sky.

Many years ago I planted a Clematis Montana Rubens at the base of a cascara tree.  Today the top of the tree is a canopy of pink blossoms.  Too bad it's so hard to photograph!

Corn starting to sprout

A mouse has decided to help himself to my corn seeds!  I have 2 trays of corn planted, which is now starting to come up.  They are protected by a clear plastic dome, but evidently it's not tight enough to prevent a mouse from sneaking in!  One tray has been systematically robbed.  There are a few corn sprouts, but I'm afraid most of the corn in that tray is toast.  The mouse might be, too, because not far from the potting shed I found half a mouse.  In the meantime, I've wedged a pot against the plastic dome for that tray and I'll replant the corn.

The lettuces are almost ready to rob a few leaves from.  Time to seed some more!

The 4x4 beds are all full.  Potatoes well up and I expect some flowers on them soon.  Siberian Kale at the back of the kale bed is starting to go to seed.  Three plants each of Redbor and Improved Siberian will take their place when I pull them out.  In the meantime, I'll just snap off the flower heads.

The strawberry bed is lush with leaves and flowers.  Another month and we could be eating strawberries - if we can keep off the birds!

In the potting shed, tomatoes are starting to get a little leggy and as we have a stretch of wonderful weather starting, I decided to plant out the tomatoes today.  The bed has been ready for a while.  I dug 10 holes to receive the plants and poured a cup of homemade fertilizer in each.  This was worked into the soil, the hole re-dug and the tomato plant popped in a little deeper so that stems can form more roots.

Each plant has a galvanized tomato cage over it and a 6' stake beside it.  Now I'll lash bamboo to the stakes to create a sturdy framework.  This bed now holds 4 Health Kick, 2 Classica and 4 Principe Borghese tomato plants.  As they are all determinate, none of these tomatoes will require pruning.   A Sweet Million cherry tomato occupies a half barrel and 2 more cherries, Gold Nugget and Sweet Baby Girl, are in pots on our deck.  I foresee lots of sauces, salsa and salads in the future!

Getting Ready for Tomatoes (and other stuff!)

It's almost time to plant out the tomatoes.  Our nights are almost consistently above 7 degrees C and warm days are coming - after a couple of cool rainy ones, of course!  The bed for the tomatoes has already been prepared with a couple of wheelbarrow loads of SeaSoil.  I've decided to plant fewer tomatoes in the bed and only the ones which I'll use for dehydrating and sauces/salsa.  I already have a couple of cherry tomatoes in large pots on the deck and a half barrel in the garden will be home to a Sweet Millions tomato.  So that makes 10 tomatoes going into a raised bed - 4 Health Kick, 2 Classica and 4 Principe Borghese.

Tomato bed ready for plants

I dug the holes for the plants and placed 6' stakes beside each hole.  I'll add a cup of homemade fertilizer to each hole and work it into the soil before planting.  The stakes will be the foundation for a framework of bamboo poles lashed to the stakes.  It makes a surprisingly sturdy support for the tomatoes.  Initially I'll put hot hats on the newly transplanted tomatoes until the days and nights are consistently warm enough and then water lines and tomato cages will be set in place.  Then it's just waiting for the crop!

After reading about all the food shortages which will be coming our way, we decided to be pro-active.  We will already be growing beans in the Three Sisters Garden and I'm going to put up the framework my husband made for me to grow my Italian heritage beans on.  This year I'll plant Fortex beans in with the corn.  The vines aren't as heavy and vigorous as the Italian heritage beans and perhaps I won't have broken corn stalks this year!

A bean barrel experiment

I'm setting up for a third bean garden and this one will be in a half barrel.  I set in a tripod of 6' stakes and joined them to a nearby fencepost with a long, thin piece of wood. I've planted 6 of the Italian heritage beans here and will grow these ones for dried beans.  These dried beans will be the seeds for next year as well as a store of dried beans for using during the winter.  Cheap protein!

The pond from the back looking to the house

I also did a little work around the pond.  The steam leading to the pond had to be relieved of its pebble bottom as it was causing the water to spill over the sides of the stream.  I'd just left it beside the stream and of course, it's created a huge mess as the grass has grown up around it which I've made a start at repairing.  The pond is starting to come into its own with 3 Japanese maples around it. I'm particularly pleased with a self-seeded bullrush which appeared 3 years ago.  I recently saw hummingbirds taking fluff from an exploded seed head for nesting material.  Now if only the redwing blackbirds would come, the pond would be complete!

May Garden Update

We've just had a spell of very nice weather and the garden is all the better for it.  Things are sprouting.  Things are growing.  Things are getting away from me!  As in weeds...

The hummingbirds are at the feeder in full force - in fact one evening we thought there might be as many as 30 all vying for a spot on a perch - but who could count! Now that there are lots of flowers in the garden, competition isn't quite so fierce.  On the deck, my herb pots are doing nicely.

I've even used some of the oregano, chives and tarragon!  All of the parsley seedlings have made it - and I transplanted a lot since parsley doesn't like being moved.

The two cherry tomatoes have been very happy under their hot caps, which I've removed on nice days and replaced at night.  They're bigger than their mates in the potting shed and will soon have grown too much for their hot caps.

In the potting shed, the tomatoes are also growing well.  We are expecting some cool rainy weather for a couple of days, but after that, I might plant them in the garden, protected, of course, with hot caps.

Fruit trees are in full flower and the mason bees are doing their jobs pollinating.  I was worried that there wouldn't be many bees this spring after a bird pierced nearly every straw looking for meals.  We have plenty of bees to go around, however,  and nearly all the holes are full.  This year when the bees have finished I'll turn their houses sideways so they will be left alone.

Lettuces, snow peas, gai lan, radishes - all are doing well and we'll be eating radishes with our next salad.  I've planted sunflowers in the zags this year and all are up.

The Pacific Russet potatoes in one of the new 4x4 beds have been hilled up once and today I added a good 4" of chopped maple leaves.

In the potato grow bags, the German Butter potatoes are sprouting and soon will have more soil added.

And our favourite rose, Abraham Darby, which was transplanted last year to its new location has never looked so good!  All in all, spring is progressing well.