Garden Club Visits The Farm
On Thursday evening July 8th The Saco Bay Garden /Club (SBGC) held its monthly meeting at the Schlaver Seed Farm to hear from two Master Gardeners involved with the the Plant a Row for the Hungry (PAR) Program: http://extension.umaine.edu/york/programs/master-gardener-volunteer-program/plant-a-row/ My gardens are the most extensive among the SBGC members as to vegetable growing so was the logical setting for this presentation. Thirty plus people showed up to walk around my gardens, hear the presentation and share in so tasty nibbles. I served a large sheet pan filled with home grown rhubarb made into pie-like squares and also had a couple remaining 2009 jars of both red and green salsa from last year's harvest. The club members kindly overlooked all the weeds to enjoy the growing vegetable and flower plants. I welcomed all the advice and suggestions offered as well. Thank goodness I have a long driveway for there were many cars to park! This meeting happened two days before the bi-annual SBGC Garden Tour that viewed ten area gardens. That tour was a big success even though the rainly deluge of that day hit about noontime. The SBGC web page is: http://sacobaygardenclub.com/
It is "Officially" Summer Now and Very Welcome!
Today was a bit rainy so I am inside taking a gardening break and thought it was time for a Garden Blog update. The almost perfect weather year continues in Saco ME.Even though the vast gardens here continues to trigger endless gardening work, I am happy and confident of the harvest already at hand and to come in the weeks and months ahead.
The Field Garden strawberry beds had their first productive year and I ended up with 18 quarts of tasty berries in this early harvest year. The Raised Bed Garden with the two very mature strawberry beds is now taking over the ripe berry duty so the harvest continues. 21 jars of jam, frozen berries and some strawberry- rhubarb pies and lots of simple berry eating has already happened with the first 18 quarts. Fresh rhubarb has been picked once and is about to yield the second harvest.
The Raised Bed Garden has already yielded broccoli raab (rapini), turnip greens, radishes, lettuce and arugula and soon some fresh peas will be captured. The blueberry harvest due to begin in late July looks VERY promising. The 100 plus garlic plants have produced curly scapes and when the plants turn yellow/brown that harvest can begin, also in July. I am anxious to see how big the garlic heads will be as the manure rich Field Garden might just produce the best results for me to date. I am still using garlic in the kitchen from last year's harvest.
I reluctantly stopped harvesting asparagus after a solid month of good eating. For the health of the plants and next year's crop one can't be greedy after all. I planted a new row of plants this year as well so the volume of harvest in two year should simply be spectacular.
The weeding burdens are relentless though, especially in the Field Garden. as it is a long term task to let gardening dominate that 120 feet by 85 foot garden created there after decades of weed growing freedom. I continue to try to keep on top of it and to add more wood chips to the garden paths. The power company was busily cutting branches along Ferry Road recently to protect the power lines and I scored two huge loads of their wood chips. I have enough for the next couple of years for sure now. They offer me a free weed barrier, source of nutritional mulch as it breaks down over time and a visual appear to paths and flower beds.
So now I am waiting, watching and working hard hoping the 60 tomato plants, rows of onions and potatoes and sweet potatoes, many variety of beans and countless other vegetables grow and grow. The flower beds don't wait until July and after to satisfy though, for phase two of the year's blooms now abound. Some new plantings near the front porch complete the new look just fine thanks to Julian's hard work on his Father's Day visit.
The Memorial Day Report
The Memorial Day holiday prompted a full week's stay for Julian, Roxi, Cotton and Roxi's dad, Ken visiting from St. Louis So Ferry Road saw a burst of activity and lots of fun and good eating. As per usual Julian and Roxi did tons of work on the homestead. Planting, pruning, weeding, lilacs adding fragrance to several rooms inside, meat cooking in the smoker, and domino playing late in the evening. Cotton, now three months short of his third birthday had a ball, endlessly digging in the sandbox. He rarely stopped running in the yard, playing, or looking for worms and spiders to take a nap. As the photo below shows he once fell asleep on my lap looking at videos on the computer. He is a busy boy and a joy.
The flowerbeds by the deck always are revitalized and improved by the creative energy of Julian and Roxi as these photos certainly show. The pond received a new pump and fountain as well. No chipmunk has moved into Roxi's little hobbit hole but time will tell. Their visit lasted long enough to sample the first pickings of strawberries, arriving about two weeks early this year. They enjoyed the first rhubarb pies and the taste of home grown asparagus a couple times. Since they left last Thursday I have picked more strawberries and the first radishes. An abundance of lettuce, broccoli raab and the first turnip greens are due for pickings shortly.
A major home improvement has been accomplished this spring...a new roof on the house! Yes, a new 30 year shingling of the roof was completed this past week by a great local contractor that may well be the regular handy man I will turn to in the months and years ahead for other projects as needed. I think the "sandlewood" color is a good addition to the look of the place.
The continuing good weather with a nice mix of rain, sun and warming days gives all indication for a great garden year. The next few weeks will focus on more and more vegetable planting and weeding as well as the beginning of the canning season with strawberry jam. The potatoes, onions and sweet potato beds look especially promising and now there are 33 tomato plants in cages and counting, for more need to be added. The various perennials are starting to show their colors with the first roses, peonies, lupine, irises and other bursting forth. All the winter pondering and anticipation of spring and summer is at hand!
The flowerbeds by the deck always are revitalized and improved by the creative energy of Julian and Roxi as these photos certainly show. The pond received a new pump and fountain as well. No chipmunk has moved into Roxi's little hobbit hole but time will tell. Their visit lasted long enough to sample the first pickings of strawberries, arriving about two weeks early this year. They enjoyed the first rhubarb pies and the taste of home grown asparagus a couple times. Since they left last Thursday I have picked more strawberries and the first radishes. An abundance of lettuce, broccoli raab and the first turnip greens are due for pickings shortly.
A major home improvement has been accomplished this spring...a new roof on the house! Yes, a new 30 year shingling of the roof was completed this past week by a great local contractor that may well be the regular handy man I will turn to in the months and years ahead for other projects as needed. I think the "sandlewood" color is a good addition to the look of the place.
The continuing good weather with a nice mix of rain, sun and warming days gives all indication for a great garden year. The next few weeks will focus on more and more vegetable planting and weeding as well as the beginning of the canning season with strawberry jam. The potatoes, onions and sweet potato beds look especially promising and now there are 33 tomato plants in cages and counting, for more need to be added. The various perennials are starting to show their colors with the first roses, peonies, lupine, irises and other bursting forth. All the winter pondering and anticipation of spring and summer is at hand!
The Summer-like Spring Continues
The great weather continues with only a brief interlude of a frost one night. No real damage on the homestead as no fragile plants have been put out yet, only seeds planted so far. Since it has been warm so early some Maine farmers were at risk for their various fruit blossoms: strawberries, blueberries and fruit trees. But all is fine here. The strawberry crop looks to be a bountiful one this year....many white blossoms and now berries forming.
As you can see below, the azaleas finally are blooming. My plants are along side the garage and are in the shade a lot so seem to bloom later than most around this area but they are worth the wait. The next photo is of the wisteria in the archway by the raised bed garden. Its bloom this year is a mix of white and purple and there are many, many blooms.
The nighttime temperatures are nearly 50 degrees now or above and the days are near 70 or above in the ten day forecast so it was definitely time to put out the greenhouse and add all the plants that have been started inside the house. Hopefully the tomato plants and other things will now experience a big growth spurt as the weather is so good there really can be put in the ground soon, possible even before the usual Memorial Day planting weekend.
The last two pictures show the creative log rack that my neighbor Pipe Smoking Paul invented many years ago. He lent it to me to use to cut the many pole of wood I had gathered than needed to be cut into stove-sized pieces. These pictures are before and after shots In a matter of minutes the chain saw turned it into cut logs. I actually did three rack loads of pieces. I now had my winter of 2010-2011 wood supply all gathered and should easily have over three cords ready for seasoning all summer and fall. I do have quite a pile of these newly cut logs and some others logs that do need splitting into smaller pieces though.
Some new plantings this week include snow peas, sunflowers, and acorn squash. I have cleaned and prepared some additional planting beds so am ready to plant more beans and other things. The potatoes have now emerged in their rows and the onions are flourishing nicely. The asparagus is simple wonderful this year. Four meals so far and counting. I expect to make the first rhubarb pies just before the family arrives from Brooklyn for a week long visit over Memorial Day.
May Flowers and Vegetable Gardening Flourish
April was a perfect weather month in Maine but May seems that it might even top that phenomenon. The first week is ending and only two modest rain events so far but a lot of sun and warm temperatures. Hence I am planting more early crops than any year so far. I have planted sweet corn; various beans for drying in the fall, namely pinto, cannellini and red kidney; kale; arugula; turnips; carrots; radishes; lettuce; Italian dandelion green; Swiss chard; scallions; green beans; beets; and broccoli raab. The onion sets planted recently are all growing very visibly and the potatoes are starting to emerge. I have now served asparagus for dinner three times! The strawberries are growing well and the four beds of them are full of white blooms and the beginnings of small berries. The peas are emerging nicely as well and the rhubarb is close to the first harvest and that means some rhubarb pie.
I have used all the wood chips recently acquired and completed a few Field Garden paths with them after putting down some black plastic. I could use another couple truck loads of chips, easily. I have now resorted to covering the paths with leaf mulch now so that some of the essential paths are covered between the permanent beds of strawberries, asparagus, garlic,, rhubarb. etc. It is important to create these weed barriers and buffers for the sake of the garden beds and to lighted my weeding load somewhat. The Raised Bed Garden has wood frames and more years of existence so weeding is quite minimal. I believe the pictures below gives you some sense of the effort I speak of. Note the garlic in the middle-right of the first picture, now a foot tall and looking like a bumper crop. I bet the cow manure added to the soil will trigger larger garlic bulbs when harvested this July..
The next picture shows the first stack of wood right behind the fence and convenient to the deck and hence, the door near the wood stove. I will have the three pallets arranged there all covered with stacked firewood when I complete the cutting to size and splitting of the wood awaiting that finishing in my wood staging area. You can also see thick leaf mulch spread before the pallets and fence. This weed infested area in the past will become a nice place for some flowers and bushes when the mulch successfully kills off the weeds.
Lastly, I thought I would share some photos of the glorious colors of the spring flowers now blooming all over the place. The Raised Bed Garden is bordered with a wonderful display of tulips that seem to be more beautiful as each year goes by. Behind the tulips the first five beds are almost completely planted. Some closeups of lilacs, grape hyacinths, and creeping flocks seem to be the best way to share their bright colors. To me the prettiest spring "bloom" is the tasty green asparagus...so worth the wait and short season each spring. You can almost see it grow more each day. Hopefully, I will be able to harvest some regularly for the whole month of May.
A Glorious April in Maine
This is the eight spring I have experienced in Maine and certainly the best. March was a record breaking rainy month but April continues to be filled with sun and more warmth than usual. I have been loving it and am able to spend hours outside working nearly every day.
I finally developed the flowerbed near the road and sidewalk as you drive into my property. I was given five rugosa rose bushes last fall and had them staged in a garden bed awaiting my plan to put them in this flower bed. The forsythia bush planted in 2009 is healthy and flowering now. There is a culvert under the road at this point so much of this flowerbed is filled with stones for drainage. I dug many of them and piled in the center and brought in several wagon loads of garden soil so I could plant the rugosa roses on the left side. I also added some liastris bulbs that will bloom later in the summer and transplanted some tiger lilies. Hopefully this will be a low maintenance and colorful flowerbed from now on.
I couldn't resist adding another photo of the magnolia tree that graces the yard so beautifully at this time of year with its fragrant white flowers. Yes, that is my trusty 1992 Oldsmobile near it!
I have on occasion, but not for the past two years, landed a free dump truck of wood chips from a local tree service. My prayers have been answered again for I just acquired a load of fresh oak chips and have begun to spread them in garden paths, as mulch around trees and bushes, etc. Two photos below show such use. I plan to use most of them between garden beds in the Field Garden. The five dwarf fruit trees are all looking healthy and starting to show some budding and flowering so I am hopeful that this year will bring some peaches, pears and apples.
The remaining two photos show the blooming weeping cherry tree overhanging the garden pond and another showing some blooming hyacinths on the edge of the Peace and Joy flower bed. The tulips are starting to bloom now and the endless daffodils, hyacinth, jonquils and creeping flocks add color throughout the flowerbeds.
As to vegetable crops...I have now planted 100 feet of potatoes, including Yukon Gold, Kennebec, and Red Nordland varieties. I also have 100 feet of onions sets in as well, red, white and yellow varieties. Some peas are planted too. I have now planted more seeds indoors for late May garden planting, including: winter and summer squash, watermelon and cantaloupe, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, cabbage and marigolds. The previously planted tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, leeks, tomatillos, green, red and various hot peppers are all doing well under grow lights.
The strawberries are all looking good and the first asparagus spears are almost ready for picking! I can also report that I now have two cords of wood cut, split and stacked for next winter. I want to have three plus cords so will keep at it to complete that task before mid-May when the full focus on gardening occurs and the weather gets a bit warm for wood splitting. Oh yes, lawn mowing has begun!
An early spring has sprung in Maine
A month has flown by since the last post and I can't blame a lack of interesting news to report on this Garden Blog for the silence. I did travel a lot during March though. I attended the CFA Consumer Assembly in Washington DC, traveled on to Richmond VA to visit the Coplan clan and flew back to Maine only long enough to celebrate St. Patrick's Day at the Wonder Bar in Biddeford before heading on the train to New York for another Brooklyn visit and some enjoyable babysitting duties with Cotton. There was also a day trip to Boston at the end of the Month. But every free moment while in Saco was spent enjoying the wonderful weather here. Snow is a distant memory and even chilly, rainy spring days are not very frequent.
There was another horrible late March rainstorm triggering the biggest garden floods I have experienced though before sunny, warm days took over ever since. The garden ponds created by the nearly five inches of rain brought a pair of ducks to the homestead for four days until the pond disappeared. Cotton, Julian and Roxi were able to make an unexpected Easter weekend visit here and certainly enjoyed the warm, sunny weather and the burst of spring flowers all around the property. Cotton enjoyed an Easter Egg hunt and played for hours in the sandbox. The flower beds have been cleaned of mulch and debris and many perennials are popping forth: peonies, hosta, ferns, hydrangea buds,lilies, lupine, sedum,and bulbs everywhere.
My new garden cart...a freebie along the side of a country road...has new wheels and worked perfectly behind the riding mower for gathering all the debris piles around the yard. The family pet, a rabbit named Ms. Clarence, moved into her summer home in the garage from indoors and has a pleasant visit around the yard thanks to Roxi. The pond had the pump activated and was cleaned of fallen leaves and is ready to gain some water plants. The magnolia tree alongside the driveway is nearly in full bloom.
I am busily splitting and stacking wood since major garden work is still a few weeks away. My goal is to have a couple cords all ready for next winter, covered and seasoning over the summer months. But the seeds of many vegetables and flowers are already started indoors and I am planning my planting locations in anticipation. This has been the nicest late March and early April in my nearly eight years here so I am confident the planting peas, potatoes, and some other early crops are merely days away. The lawn is so green that I may be mowing grass well before the end of the month!
Here's hoping that this surprisingly sunny, warm spring is an indication of a great, long, hot growing season and the best garden year ever. But remember all gardeners and farmers have to always enter the spring season brimming with optimism and I am no exception to that rule.
Enjoy some images that visualize the above words:
There was another horrible late March rainstorm triggering the biggest garden floods I have experienced though before sunny, warm days took over ever since. The garden ponds created by the nearly five inches of rain brought a pair of ducks to the homestead for four days until the pond disappeared. Cotton, Julian and Roxi were able to make an unexpected Easter weekend visit here and certainly enjoyed the warm, sunny weather and the burst of spring flowers all around the property. Cotton enjoyed an Easter Egg hunt and played for hours in the sandbox. The flower beds have been cleaned of mulch and debris and many perennials are popping forth: peonies, hosta, ferns, hydrangea buds,lilies, lupine, sedum,and bulbs everywhere.
My new garden cart...a freebie along the side of a country road...has new wheels and worked perfectly behind the riding mower for gathering all the debris piles around the yard. The family pet, a rabbit named Ms. Clarence, moved into her summer home in the garage from indoors and has a pleasant visit around the yard thanks to Roxi. The pond had the pump activated and was cleaned of fallen leaves and is ready to gain some water plants. The magnolia tree alongside the driveway is nearly in full bloom.
I am busily splitting and stacking wood since major garden work is still a few weeks away. My goal is to have a couple cords all ready for next winter, covered and seasoning over the summer months. But the seeds of many vegetables and flowers are already started indoors and I am planning my planting locations in anticipation. This has been the nicest late March and early April in my nearly eight years here so I am confident the planting peas, potatoes, and some other early crops are merely days away. The lawn is so green that I may be mowing grass well before the end of the month!
Here's hoping that this surprisingly sunny, warm spring is an indication of a great, long, hot growing season and the best garden year ever. But remember all gardeners and farmers have to always enter the spring season brimming with optimism and I am no exception to that rule.
Enjoy some images that visualize the above words:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)