Hot Horticultural Headline from USDA

The USDA has come out with an updated version of their Plant Hardiness Zone Map which was last published in 1990.

Source:  USDA

It seems we're living in warmer times - although - some would argue that the last version was created during several years of unseasonably cold weather.  Additionally, data from more weather stations were used for this version.  So, although it seems times are changing, maybe not so much.  Personally, I will still think twice before investing in that marginally hardy plant material.

Keep Calm and Garden On....

A Gardener's Gift Basket....

Nomz!!

Luffa!

I'm very fond of gourds of all types.  Ask my husband and he'll tell you just how much I like them.  All of the dried snake gourds, bushel gourds, bottle gourds, birdhouse gourds, egg gourds, dipper gourds, etc..are taking over our house.  They're the result of several years of growing.  They've been dried and crammed in every nook and cranny.  I have high hopes of using each and every one for some grand craft purpose one day.  He probably hopes that day will come verrrry soon.  

But I digress.

This year, among a few other types, I did a sophomore try of growing luffa gourds.  My first attempt was mildly successful but I dropped the ball at the end of the season and failed to prepare them properly for their next incarnation as a sponge.  Yes, I said sponge.  For those of you unfamiliar, luffa gourds can become luffa sponges.  You may even have one in your shower right at this moment.  Since this plant is not very mainstream outside of the geeky horticultural world, you may have thought these sponges came from the sea.  Not true!  They're growing on a vine in my yard, right now and I assure you, we are no ocean.  It's an interesting plant with cute flowers and resulting fruit that look like gigantic zucchini:

When the temperatures dip a bit further, I will assist said gourds with their transformation into sponges and will detail those efforts here!

On the road, etc...

Been off exploring for the last month - I'll spare you the typical blog writer's 'lack of posts' apologies.

I've been here visiting nature's gardens:

In other news, fall is coming to Gap Mountain.  The official equinox arrived last week and the trees definitely got the memo.  Soon our mountain view will be fully dappled with shades of autumn.  The gardens are slowing down.  Not much left except the anticipation of the Great Sweet Potato Dig and lingering Anaheim peppers.  I do appreciate the attempts of the strawberry patch to put the last little bits of sweetness into the season.  Thank you strawberries.  And we musn't forget to thank the new raspberries as well.  I counted 12 of 'em on my granola and yogurt breakfast last week.   It's the little things in life.....

Oh and....brown hen is molting.  She's a sorry looking thing at the moment.  As this is our first foray into chickens, we had no idea!!  A molting chicken is not a pretty sight I tell you.

Chicken Chat

Earlier this summer, we adopted a pair of 1 year old laying hens from a co-worker/friend.  We were initially apprehensive about taking on additional 'work' on our property.  Between full-time jobs, occasional part-time gardening gigs, a fur-family, house issues, our own garden that needs tending, etc, we have PLENTY on our plate.  I had heard from many different sources that chickens didn't add a lot of additional items for the to-do list.  Apparently, they were pretty low maintenance.  We had considered them for years - me more so than my husband - and when this great opportunity arose, I felt like I had to take the plunge.  The husband wasn't nearly as convinced, so I took it on as my project with constant assurance to him that he would not need to be involved other than by enjoying the resulting proteins (a pretty sweet deal I think!).  After a little over a month of chicken tending, I'm happy to report that much of what I've heard about these feathered friends, is indeed, true.

For about $45, I created a cozy living space for these two ladies and in return, I get roughly 2 eggs per day.  Every few days, someone (not sure which one) takes a day off, but hey, I respect that.  I'd need a day off from time-to-time too - especially if I was shooting one of those things out of my nether-regions!  My main expense was the fencing.  We had plenty of other types of fencing already on hand, including chicken wire, but we happen to live in a pretty rural area where a hawk family lives up the hill, owls reside down the street, raccoons appear nightly on the back deck and coyotes often cruise by.  This thing needed to be secure and chicken wire was not enough.  Did I mention we have a hungry sighthound in the family?

The actual coop is a hand-me-down, modified, dog house from said co-worker/friend.  She acquired it for free from Craigslist and made a few alterations (roosts, vents) to make it suitable for chicks.  Although it's a bit weathered, it'll do.  I slapped on a coat of exterior purple paint to give it that cute, country, chicken house flare and we were good to go.

The 'run' took a bit more effort.  After a lot of thinking and planning and pondering and failed attempts and swearing, I finally found the right set-up.  Materials included; 3pkgs wire fencing, rebar, pressure treated 2x4's, irrigation tubing and lots of patience.  I got well acquainted with the awesome power of my husbands air nailer and stapler.  Perhaps I had a little too much fun with those.  I may have over-stapled a few things.  Here we are in progress:

Skinny whippet and air guns, oh my!

Fencing was laid on the ground as a deterrent for digging predators.  It was later covered with a layer of mulch for aesthetic value.  2x4's were anchored with rebar and irrigation tubing was placed onto the rebar to act as framework for the fence to rest upon.  The fencing was secured to the tubing using the wire that held the fence together in the packaging.  Free!

Future upgrades will need to be made, because, as of now, there's no way for me to enter the run.  I capped the end with fencing and wired it very securely.  There's no way in unless you have a pair of wire cutters.  This has posed a few problems, but so far it's worked out pretty well.  Someday we'll have a door at the end, but that was too much for my little brain to handle all at once.  This was my project after all and I'm no architect.  As it was, I had already smashed my thumb, been stung on the ass 7 times, scratched my arms and legs with pointy fence edges.  Blood, sweat and tears were shed.

So far, we've been free from any security breaches and the husband now readily admits that these girls are pretty darn cute AND useful.  We let them out the back coop door several times a week to free-range around the yard and they love it.  Skinny sighthound also loves eating chicken poop so it's a good deal for all of us.  Ha!

War on Beetles

If you're a seasoned vegetable gardener, your hackles are likely fully raised in the summer months.  There's ALWAYS a battle to be fought in the garden.  Be it rabbits climbing under fences to munch on greens or raccoons climbing over fences to nibble on sweet corn.  We won't even mention the deer.  No, no, we won't.  It's the pests of a smaller variety that seem to cause the most trouble (funny how that works).  I'm surprised and pleased to report that my latest battle with the Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB) has made me a 'winner', and I ain't talking about the Charlie Sheen kind of 'winning', people.

I observed these little dudes making swiss cheese out of my Kennebec potato foliage one happy summer day in late June.

This is the destructive larval stage of the CPB.  Thankfully, these guys are slow and mostly stationary.  Rather than fight them with chemicals, I opted for hand-removal.  This is one of the benefits of having a smaller home garden.  I filled a bucket with soapy water, put on my gardening gloves (the foliage was covered with CPB larvae droppings) and plucked these suckers into water.

Poof.  Job done - and quite easily accomplished at that.  Perhaps I should have offered them to the chickens and helped make some more edible proteins out of these guys?!  I assure you I'm not some maniacal killer.  All living things need to 'eat' and are just trying to make it in this world, but don't mess with my spuds, son!  I will retaliate!

8-Pack