I realize that 18 mos is a long time to have been absent from my blog, and I apologize for that. We had a tragedy in our family in June, 2007, when our oldest son passed away, and after that I kind of stopped doing a lot of things, or forgot to do them. Lately I've noticed that I have more enthusiasm for life, and my garden blog is one thing I would like to work on again. Unfortunately, I now have a cast on my right arm - had thumb joint replaced last week - so typing is not easy.
Snowbanks still around the farm, and my husband is ice fishing this morning, but crocuses and snowdrops are blooming. I will take a picture of them later. Monday I started picking the matted leaves off the flower beds, at least where they were not still frozen. The crocuses can take the exposure and it sure makes it easier for them to open up. Let me know what's blooming in your garden! I'll be watching for the Lenten roses soon.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
There's Not Much Time Left
There's not much time left to get all that outside work done, is there? The leaves are starting to fall around here, and that's when it gets difficult.
I have been putting in mums for color - so far I think I've bought 12, and I had 6 that made it through the winter from last year. When we lived in PA we had the nicest purple mums, and I took some with me when we first moved to NY State 25 years ago. I haven't had that color in years now, and I never see them around here. Last week we were visiting in western PA so I went in search of my old color, and sure enough I found some. I know that all the commercial mums we see come from the same couple of growers that cover the whole market, but for some reason there's still some variance in color that can't be accounted for.
Since I haven't written for so long, I have quite a backlog of things to talk about. Never fear, I won't try to do it all at once! My biggest job of the season this year has been dividing the iris. I sure had a ton of it to do. For years and years I've had my iris arranged by color - the blue and white over here, and the red over there, etc. Well, I decided to take all of that apart and create a bed of mixed colors. It took many hours and days to accomplish that, and I still have one bed that needs to be taken apart if time and weather permit. I generally planted back 3-5 of each color. The extras I gave away. Now we'll wait and see how it looks next June.
As my little instructional aside I will add that I always have had a problem with iris borers, and I used to treat the rhizomes for that by soaking them in a 10% Clorox solution before replanting them. This year I skipped that step and just washed them off and let them age for a few days, out of the sun. I have a Bayer grub control product that can be used year 'round, and it's supposed to help with the iris borers, too. So I sprinkle that as I replant them and just hope for the best.
I have been putting in mums for color - so far I think I've bought 12, and I had 6 that made it through the winter from last year. When we lived in PA we had the nicest purple mums, and I took some with me when we first moved to NY State 25 years ago. I haven't had that color in years now, and I never see them around here. Last week we were visiting in western PA so I went in search of my old color, and sure enough I found some. I know that all the commercial mums we see come from the same couple of growers that cover the whole market, but for some reason there's still some variance in color that can't be accounted for.
Since I haven't written for so long, I have quite a backlog of things to talk about. Never fear, I won't try to do it all at once! My biggest job of the season this year has been dividing the iris. I sure had a ton of it to do. For years and years I've had my iris arranged by color - the blue and white over here, and the red over there, etc. Well, I decided to take all of that apart and create a bed of mixed colors. It took many hours and days to accomplish that, and I still have one bed that needs to be taken apart if time and weather permit. I generally planted back 3-5 of each color. The extras I gave away. Now we'll wait and see how it looks next June.
As my little instructional aside I will add that I always have had a problem with iris borers, and I used to treat the rhizomes for that by soaking them in a 10% Clorox solution before replanting them. This year I skipped that step and just washed them off and let them age for a few days, out of the sun. I have a Bayer grub control product that can be used year 'round, and it's supposed to help with the iris borers, too. So I sprinkle that as I replant them and just hope for the best.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Raspberry Time
Mid-July is raspberry time in upstate NY. While our raspberry patch is one of my favorite places to work outside, it really suffers from neglect most of the time, but that doesn't seem to affect its production of beautiful berries. Last week our 12-year-old grandson, Tommy, was visiting, and picking berries was one of the things he enjoyed doing.
The best times of the day for berry-picking are mid-morning or late afternoon to early evening. The berries have the most moisture at the beginning and the end of the day, and it's more comfortable working at those times. The two biggest problems we have in the raspberry patch are Japanese beetles and flea beetles. The Japanese beetles eat the leaves, while the flea beetles infest the berries. Raspberries are not usually sprayed for pest control because there is no way to wash the berries and make them safe to eat.
The best way to avoid the flea beetles is to not let the berries become over-ripe. Also keep checking the berries as you pick them. You can shake a beetle out of the berry or just throw the berry away if you see one is inside it. Then when you take the berries into the house, soak them in a pan of water and most of the beetles will swim to the surface. You'll still have to kill them by pinching them or mashing them on the bottom of the sink. I remember the first time I ever picked raspberries. I saved them for my cereal in the morning and, while I was eating my beautiful breakfast, one after another of those little black bugs kept swimming up into the milk and I had to dump the whole thing out. That was my first encounter with flea beetles, and I learned quickly how to avoid a repeat performance! DK
The best times of the day for berry-picking are mid-morning or late afternoon to early evening. The berries have the most moisture at the beginning and the end of the day, and it's more comfortable working at those times. The two biggest problems we have in the raspberry patch are Japanese beetles and flea beetles. The Japanese beetles eat the leaves, while the flea beetles infest the berries. Raspberries are not usually sprayed for pest control because there is no way to wash the berries and make them safe to eat.
The best way to avoid the flea beetles is to not let the berries become over-ripe. Also keep checking the berries as you pick them. You can shake a beetle out of the berry or just throw the berry away if you see one is inside it. Then when you take the berries into the house, soak them in a pan of water and most of the beetles will swim to the surface. You'll still have to kill them by pinching them or mashing them on the bottom of the sink. I remember the first time I ever picked raspberries. I saved them for my cereal in the morning and, while I was eating my beautiful breakfast, one after another of those little black bugs kept swimming up into the milk and I had to dump the whole thing out. That was my first encounter with flea beetles, and I learned quickly how to avoid a repeat performance! DK
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Don't Complain and Don't Explain
The above title for today's post means "I know I'm behind in my blogging, just like I am in a lot of things right now!"
I am still working in my big garden in the yard. What started out as the usual major first weeding of the season became a bigger project as I decided to change the whole appearance of the garden. It has been, for years, put together as something like a cottage garden, with as many pretty perennials in it as would fit in the space. Now my tastes have changed and I want it to look neat and tidy, showing off the better plants and having a more artistic look.
Weeding is still the first priority, but as I do it I am taking out some things completely. For instance, last week I discovered one lonely blue and yellow iris growing next to a huge blue tall bearded "Grape Koolaid" variety. Well, I have plenty of the solid blue in other places, so that one is going to go and I will cultivate the blue and yellow, because it's the only one I have. I sure have trouble growing any iris of more than one color.. I've bought at least three Edith Wolfords and never managed to get one to bloom.
Then someone gave me 6 miniature rose bushes. Two of them are quite large and the rest are small. In order to plant them I had to spend all of Sunday morning digging up an area next to our one other rose, a climber, so that was another day of non-weeding on the books. Oops! Now I'm complaining and explaining.
I hope that anyone who reads this is making more progress than I am on garden projects this year so far. Let me know what you're doing and what your favorite colors of iris are. I have Beverly Sills, which is a nice strong variety in my garden, and a dark red one that I think is called Sultan's Palace or something like that. The rest of mine are pretty standard colors - oh, and one really nice white ruffled one. DK
I am still working in my big garden in the yard. What started out as the usual major first weeding of the season became a bigger project as I decided to change the whole appearance of the garden. It has been, for years, put together as something like a cottage garden, with as many pretty perennials in it as would fit in the space. Now my tastes have changed and I want it to look neat and tidy, showing off the better plants and having a more artistic look.
Weeding is still the first priority, but as I do it I am taking out some things completely. For instance, last week I discovered one lonely blue and yellow iris growing next to a huge blue tall bearded "Grape Koolaid" variety. Well, I have plenty of the solid blue in other places, so that one is going to go and I will cultivate the blue and yellow, because it's the only one I have. I sure have trouble growing any iris of more than one color.. I've bought at least three Edith Wolfords and never managed to get one to bloom.
Then someone gave me 6 miniature rose bushes. Two of them are quite large and the rest are small. In order to plant them I had to spend all of Sunday morning digging up an area next to our one other rose, a climber, so that was another day of non-weeding on the books. Oops! Now I'm complaining and explaining.
I hope that anyone who reads this is making more progress than I am on garden projects this year so far. Let me know what you're doing and what your favorite colors of iris are. I have Beverly Sills, which is a nice strong variety in my garden, and a dark red one that I think is called Sultan's Palace or something like that. The rest of mine are pretty standard colors - oh, and one really nice white ruffled one. DK
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Try a slice of rhubarb pie
Now's the time to use some rhubarb for that favorite pie recipe or to make some rhubarb jam, or even a rhubarb upside down cake. Here's a special recipe that my family has always enjoyed. It comes from the Ladies' Home Journal Cookbook, 1962 ed.
Rhubarb Pie: 9 inch pie pastry
1 quart cut-up rhubarb
1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, pinch salt
3/4 cup milk
Beat together sugar, flour, salt and milk until smooth and thick. Put rhubarb into unbaked pie shell. Pour sugar mixture over rhubarb. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, until crust begins to brown. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking until filling thickens and becomes glossy, about 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
I've had a few questions about what to do with rhubarb plants once they go to seed. You can cut the seed stalks off and discard them and continue picking your rhubarb, which should encourage it to produce new growth. If you leave the seed stalks on it will gradually slow down. It's not necessary to cut down the rhubarb plant itself other than to pick off dried, wilted or sunburned leaves.
Rhubarb Pie: 9 inch pie pastry
1 quart cut-up rhubarb
1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, pinch salt
3/4 cup milk
Beat together sugar, flour, salt and milk until smooth and thick. Put rhubarb into unbaked pie shell. Pour sugar mixture over rhubarb. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, until crust begins to brown. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking until filling thickens and becomes glossy, about 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
I've had a few questions about what to do with rhubarb plants once they go to seed. You can cut the seed stalks off and discard them and continue picking your rhubarb, which should encourage it to produce new growth. If you leave the seed stalks on it will gradually slow down. It's not necessary to cut down the rhubarb plant itself other than to pick off dried, wilted or sunburned leaves.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Catching Up With Spring
Spring has really gotten ahead of me, especially since we had to go out-of-town last weekend. Now the little weeds are big weeds, and the poppies, the dreaded poppies, are all over the place and getting ready to - Pop! A few days of windy, cool, rainy weather haven't helped the situation, but sunnier skies are moving in this week so I can get back to working outside.
Last Friday we had a busy day at our house. We had gotten our baby chicken chicks the day after returning from our trip, and they were all still alive and comfortable. We are at the end of several weeks of having a new kitchen built at our house and the appliance guy was coming in the morning to work on the new stove installation. At 6 am the post office called to say that our baby pheasant chicks were in. My husband was out turkey hunting and I had to go to work, but he managed to pick them up before too long and get back before the stove guy came. When that was taken care of he left to go get some baby pigs.
We haven't had pigs before so this was an adventure. They are pretty little and they scratch a lot - more than they should - so I got them some stuff for that today, and more food. They do eat a lot. They are quite friendly, though. The white one is the most friendly. At night I help feed them. We put mash in a feeder pan with warm water and I stir it up with a stick. They crunch on some dry corn while I do that, and then they dive into the mash - literally!. We have a pen for them in the barn and we're going to fence in an area outside, too. Their pen has a door to the outside.
On Saturday Dad got a wild turkey. It is his second one this year, the first time ever that he's gotten 2 in the spring. We had grilled turkey breast for supper last night.
Last Friday we had a busy day at our house. We had gotten our baby chicken chicks the day after returning from our trip, and they were all still alive and comfortable. We are at the end of several weeks of having a new kitchen built at our house and the appliance guy was coming in the morning to work on the new stove installation. At 6 am the post office called to say that our baby pheasant chicks were in. My husband was out turkey hunting and I had to go to work, but he managed to pick them up before too long and get back before the stove guy came. When that was taken care of he left to go get some baby pigs.
We haven't had pigs before so this was an adventure. They are pretty little and they scratch a lot - more than they should - so I got them some stuff for that today, and more food. They do eat a lot. They are quite friendly, though. The white one is the most friendly. At night I help feed them. We put mash in a feeder pan with warm water and I stir it up with a stick. They crunch on some dry corn while I do that, and then they dive into the mash - literally!. We have a pen for them in the barn and we're going to fence in an area outside, too. Their pen has a door to the outside.
On Saturday Dad got a wild turkey. It is his second one this year, the first time ever that he's gotten 2 in the spring. We had grilled turkey breast for supper last night.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Horseradish Management
Hi Sara - One thing you might be interested in is that horseradish is also a member of the dock family, just like rhubarb is. I ought to look up the scientific name so I could tell you all about it, but for now we'll just talk about horseradish.
You've pointed out the biggest problem with horseradish, or with any dock, which is that it spreads. It gets much bigger than you thought it was going to. Don't feel bad about keeping it under control, because that is the only solution. You can give some away, or just dig some up and throw it away. When we dig ours in the spring, we usually dig some extra to give away. We have one row about 15 feet long and it's always full of plants. It started out with about 3 little plants, and we certainly don't need all that we have now. Good luck with it.
It's been wonderful to finally have some nice weather in our area. The last several days have been in the 60's F and breezy and mostly sunny. Now the soil feels dry! Dad plowed the garden over the weekend and he also plowed under what was left of our old asparagus. Today he's going to plant lettuce, spinach and radishes. We've already had some Belgian onions, which also got caught by the plow.
My garden helper, Cathy, came over on Saturday and we worked in the big garden in the yard for 2 hours. I have lots of grape hyacinth all over the place, so we cleaned out some of that to give some of the bigger plants more space. We also made up some pots of plants for a plant sale coming up in a couple of weeks.
On Sunday I mostly worked in the raspberries. The raspberries have a long history at our house, including being wiped out in 1995 by a huge storm that toppled a big willow tree right onto them. We got them replanted by fall that year, but still had the rows too close to each other. They had previously been in one large patch, and we'd wade into it to pick - not the best situation, so rows were good, but we underestimated the space needed. Anyway, they've been reduced to two rows, which has helped, and I was cleaning out the garlic mustard, one of the scourges of Central NY. And I was pruning as I went along, which should have been done in March! Our next door neighbor (1/2 mile away) has a very nice raspberry patch, where they used to have a pick-your-own operation. It is so perfect and neat you wouldn't believe it. Little gravel rows, each plant just there in its own space, no weeds in sight. I bet they just groan and shake their heads when they drive by our house and see our raspberries. Still, it looks good to me, and whenever I work in the the raspberries I think I could make a life out of doing that and never go back to the office again. DK
You've pointed out the biggest problem with horseradish, or with any dock, which is that it spreads. It gets much bigger than you thought it was going to. Don't feel bad about keeping it under control, because that is the only solution. You can give some away, or just dig some up and throw it away. When we dig ours in the spring, we usually dig some extra to give away. We have one row about 15 feet long and it's always full of plants. It started out with about 3 little plants, and we certainly don't need all that we have now. Good luck with it.
It's been wonderful to finally have some nice weather in our area. The last several days have been in the 60's F and breezy and mostly sunny. Now the soil feels dry! Dad plowed the garden over the weekend and he also plowed under what was left of our old asparagus. Today he's going to plant lettuce, spinach and radishes. We've already had some Belgian onions, which also got caught by the plow.
My garden helper, Cathy, came over on Saturday and we worked in the big garden in the yard for 2 hours. I have lots of grape hyacinth all over the place, so we cleaned out some of that to give some of the bigger plants more space. We also made up some pots of plants for a plant sale coming up in a couple of weeks.
On Sunday I mostly worked in the raspberries. The raspberries have a long history at our house, including being wiped out in 1995 by a huge storm that toppled a big willow tree right onto them. We got them replanted by fall that year, but still had the rows too close to each other. They had previously been in one large patch, and we'd wade into it to pick - not the best situation, so rows were good, but we underestimated the space needed. Anyway, they've been reduced to two rows, which has helped, and I was cleaning out the garlic mustard, one of the scourges of Central NY. And I was pruning as I went along, which should have been done in March! Our next door neighbor (1/2 mile away) has a very nice raspberry patch, where they used to have a pick-your-own operation. It is so perfect and neat you wouldn't believe it. Little gravel rows, each plant just there in its own space, no weeds in sight. I bet they just groan and shake their heads when they drive by our house and see our raspberries. Still, it looks good to me, and whenever I work in the the raspberries I think I could make a life out of doing that and never go back to the office again. DK
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