Preserving the harvest

Eggs or egg gourds?

...or both?  :)

Corn Cobbin'

I'm a bit late for a post about our corn harvest.  It happened during the first week of August but as I have been so gently reminded AGAIN by our experiences during this speedy summer month, there is little free time to do things like blog.  I think I need to staycation for the first two weeks of August every year.  Will someone please tell me this when I'm submitting vacation plans to my employer next year?  Please?

Anyhow, things went well in the corn patch this year.  It was a little touch-and-go there for a while what with our derecho winds and less than stellar germination.  I must have adequately amended the soil there because our ears were nice, full and plump.  Water during the critical tassel and silk phase helped too.  The rains came at just the right time so we did not have to supplement.

I must admit, after eating corn for 2 weeks straight, I grew a little tired of it's presence in my kitchen.  So as we do in most years, we took the majority of it, blanched it, removed it from the ears and sequestered it in our freezer until winter when we can fully appreciate its sweet goodness.

Even the chickens got in on the action...

....and the canines too!

A pound of zinnias...

CoopUpdate

Back in May, we added two chicks to our flock.  They're now just over 12 weeks old.  They had been residing in  our basement but it was WELL past time to move them outside.  We didn't feel comfortable doing this in their previous cage setup.  We have way too many predators around here (raccoons on the deck nightly!) and didn't want to risk losing pullets that we hand-raised.  So, they sat in our basement and it actually ended up being a bad choice.  It's not news that chickens messy little creatures.  This was certainly reinforced.  There is a layer of chicken dust on every single surface.  If we do this again, we will keep them in our garage under lights.   I have lots of cleanup to do in that basement.  So, in between summer trips and obligations, we finally got phase two of the chicken coop complete.  We simply added on to our current linear setup and now have an L-shaped run for the girls.

We did a lot or research about integrating new pullets to established flocks.  I had a hunch this would be difficult since our Speckled Sussex is, for lack of a nicer name, a super sassy bitch.  Well, my hunch was correct.  I had read that placing pullets into the coop at night while everyone is asleep was a fool-proof method of introduction.  All of the chickens supposedly wake up in the morning, see each other, say hello and go about their business.  So, at 11pm on a warm July night, we carried our babies out to the coop and placed them inside.  We closed the door and hoped for the best.  We waited for a few minutes to make sure everything was okay.  All was quiet and calm.  Good, I thought.  This is going to work.  We went to bed and awoke at 6am the next morning to check on the girls.  When I arrived at the coop I witnessed the carnage.  Our new Golden-laced Wyandotte was huddled in the coop in shock and would not move.  I didn't see our new Speckled Sussex at first and got worried. I finally found her in the corner of the run, on her side breathing heavily.  She had blood all over her head and feathers were scattered everywhere.  Then I witnessed Super Sassy Bitch attack her repeatedly.  Integration FAIL!

We immediately removed the adult girls and placed them in their portable run for the day.  I checked on the pullets (fully expecting to lose one) and although they were a little battered, it seemed like they would survive.  Luckily they did.  I fenced off the entrance between the old run and the new one so we could keep them separated while still keeping the new girls outside.  We're hoping that by having them live side-by-side, they'll eventually just get used to each other and after a few more weeks, we can try integrating again.  For now it works since it's summer and the most the young girls need for protection is a little tarp to keep themselves and their food dry.  By fall though, we'll want them snug in the coop at night.

Chicken integration.  Who knew it could be so difficult?

Anyone need a SuperSassy hen?  That girl might as well be a rooster!

Backyard Breakfast

I seriously never tire of this concept.  There's something so damn satisfying about having the contents of your entire meal come from your backyard.  I worry that this seems like gloating or being a little too proud, but honestly, it's just plain ole' excitement coming from my end.  I've been gardening for many years and still feel like a kid in a candy store.  :)  Eggs, potatoes and broccoli.  It's what's for brekkie. 

Derecho?

I hadn't heard of this word until the last week of June 2012.  Check it out.  A Derecho is a straight-line windstorm that often offers up hurricane-force winds.  What we observed after arriving home 48 hours after the storm passed through (we were out of town) seemed to be true to form.  Trees were down everywhere - most snapped like matchsticks.  Our neighbors barn was picked up and moved from its foundation.  Power lines were strewn about and laid across the road like snakes.  We knew the power was out at our home and now we understood it would be awhile before it was back on.  There was much destruction to sift through.

Our home was spared any damage.  My husband likes to make fun of me for wanting to buy a house without large trees in close proximity.  He finally saw firsthand why this is one of my 'things'.  Our gardens were a bit beat up.  Corn was laying flat on the ground.  Hops vines which I had growing in pots were either dead or completely missing.  Yes, completely missing (pot and all) from the property.  Flowers were toppled over.  All in all though, I'll take a beat up garden over a tree on my house.  I propped those corn stalks up.  Cleaned up the debris and we're pretty much in good shape almost a month later.

We did endure 8 days without power during the hottest week of the summer!  The contents of our kitchen fridge/freezer were shot by the time we got home.  We were able to salvage most of what was in our basement freezer like deer meet and broccoli and peas I had just harvested and put up.  That was a relief.  It's just hard to let go of food you work so hard for.  We dumped it all into a cooler and brought it to my freezer at work.  Thankfully there was no loss of power there.  A university has to run and this one did without skipping a beat!  The freezer was so full, I had to duct tape it shut.  Luckily there is also a shower there so we kept mostly clean during that week although it was a little challenging.  It makes you realize just how dependent and vulnerable you are on electricity.  It exposed some of our weaknesses and has encouraged us to make some changes, so this is good.

After a week of powerless living, thankfully, we had a vacation planned and were able to get out of town for some R&R.  We're home now and all seems to be back in order.  Lots to write about and will do that soon!

No title necessary....

This greenery (and reddery!) speaks for itself.  This year's broccoli harvest has been epic and free from pesky caterpillars.  The heads have been divinely uniform (a virgo's dream) and plentiful.  It gives me motivation to forge ahead and try for the fall crop that never seems to happen.  The peas were placed in a more accessible bed (last year they were in the back of our front flower patch) so harvests have been easy and therefore more frequent.  All is well in the 'garden of plenty' and I appear to be staying on top of things for once.  This usually changes, but for now, I'm going to revel in my successes!

Garden mathematics

+

=

The Colorado potato beetles are back.  I got a head start with their control this year.  I waited far too long in 2011.  Everything turned out okay but I do believe the plants suffered a bit and the resulting yields weren't anything to write home about.  This week I've made a point to go to the potato patch every other day or so to pick these suckers off the leaves.  Luckily, they're slow and apparently tasty (to chickens).  I collect them in a bowl and drop them into the chicken run and the ladies make quick work of them.  It's fascinating to take a pesty protein and turn it into a more delicious one.  It reminds me how much living on this earth means that you participate in one big cycle of life.  Thank you chickens, thank you bugs.

Mostly Wordless Wednesday on a Monday...

Hops trellis progress!

Garden notes...

We took a deep breath after our hops/septic adventure last week and regrouped.  We think we were much too far away from the septic field to have hit it, but we definitely encountered a suspicious, random patch of crushed gravel about a foot below the soil surface.  What was this doing in the middle of an old pasture?  We're not sure, but we suspect we may have been near the 'reserve' area for our septic system.  This is the area that has been set aside for a new system, should the current one fail.  We've certainly done some learning this week.

So - we tilled up a new area for our hops patch and will give it another go.  Luckily, our rhizomes are growing well in pots, so we still have a little time.  We don't expect much from them this year but we wanted to at least get this thing going.  When you're a gardener, you know you need to be patient, plan ahead and have faith in that which is yet to come.  : )

In other news, the broccoli plants are forming flowers as well as that famous cruciferous 'stank'.  I've sprayed at least one round of Bacillus thuringiensis for caterpillar control and was happy to finally find this product offered at the big box stores.  Our local nurseries don't always have it on hand.  The strawberries are trying to spit out another round of fruit and the raspberries are coming on-line.  Here's hoping the birds stay away.  The snow peas are popping.  I blanched a batch of them this week in hopes of FoodSaver(ing) them for the freezer.  No dice.  Pulled that puppy out of the cabinet after its long winter slumber and was met with sealing silence.  It was old and tired so I expected this outcome sometime soon.  We're biting the bullet and pulling in some reinforcements.  Can't make it through a summer without one!

On a final note, my zinnias started flowering.  Good grief.  The colors are absolutely to.die.for.  Seriously.  This is the 'Benary's Giant Mix' from Johnny's Selected Seeds.  The photos on the website do not do the colors justice.  Rich and delicious they are.  Do yourself a favor and grow some!

Sunday afternoon vacation

What do you do on a Sunday afternoon when you're tired, sweaty and frustrated after potentially digging into your septic drain field while trying to install support poles for your hops plants?

You drop everything and go to the river for a float.  Instant relaxation.  Instant vacation.  Thanking my lucky stars to have this in my 'backyard'.

Cattle panels - not just for cattle!

Thanks to another time-sucking website - a.k.a. Pinterest - I have discovered something very 'pinteresting'.  Cattle panels!  I knew of their existence prior to seeing them on this fun little site, however, they were, in my eyes, previously reserved for my cattle farming neighbors that are dotted up and down our pretty little valley.  No, no.  They are not just for the cattle farmers.  They are for you and they are for me.  Look at all the fun things you can do with a cattle panel!

Thankfully I made this discovery before the 2012 growing season.  I've been trying to solve a tomato support problem for many years now -  without spending a million dollars.  I once had a client who let me purchase these Texas Tomato Cages for his garden.  They were truly fantastic and I highly recommend them if you can afford the price.  I am however, trying to find a better way to make tomato support happen on a shoestring budget.  I like to grow an indeterminate type of tomato called San Marzano.  It's great for sauces and processing which is mainly what I like to do with a tomato since I can't stand to eat one raw (crazy, I know!).  So, by the end of July, these tomatoes are growing like drunken fools, sprawled out all over the place.  They need assistance and those little round cages you get at one of the big box stores ain't gonna cut it!

So, cattle panels it is.  So far, so good.

I purchased 3 panels from our local hardware store and sandwiched two rows of San Marzanos between them.  I plan to tie them to the panels and place side supports through the panel slots as needed (if needed).  The triangular support to the right of the rows I made with the excess panel material that I cut off from the ends.  I zip-tied them together and the resulting structure is VERY sturdy.  That lone tomato is a 'Juliet' which I planted for the husband.  It's a grape-type that's a great little snack (if you like raw tomatoes!).  

These panels appear to be able to withstand the test of time.  They're tough and heavy though, so heads up.  You will also need a good pair of bolt cutters if you plan to trim them down.  The best part is that there will be no storage issues after the growing season is over.  I plan on resting them against the garden fence for the winter.  Voilà!

Did you know?

...that a t-post makes a great furrow?  

It really does!  Now, if I could just get a good germination rate on that sweet corn, I'd be a happy gardener.  Sadly, it won't be a banner year based on what I see growing now.  I've got several rows with just a few sprouts.  At least they won't be crowded!?  Yes, glass half-full.  I try!

June 1

Don't look now, summer is almost over!  Sorry, I try to be a glass half-full person, but da#n if summer doesn't seem to just fly by every year.  I don't know why I'm continually surprised by this.  If you work at a university like I do, and live by an academic calendar, you realize there's not much of it to begin with.  Of course it goes quickly.  Our summer weekends seem to be filled up by the time the solstice even hits.  Thankfully, in garden time, summer seems to last a little bit longer.

Speaking of, the Gap Mountain Garden is just about IN for the season.  We have a few more things to get in the ground, but the corn has sprouted, the tomatoes are already threatening to take over the world and the zucchini and squash are fixing to get over-productive.  I've been through my first round of weeding and caught the little buggars before they really got going.  I think this is key.  I'm a virgo, I can't stand an untidy garden.  This is a horrible affliction, because a garden without weeds is just a bit of an oxymoron.  Woe is me.  Each year, I'm determined to stay ahead of the game.  Each year, I end up with a weed forest.  Every. Single. Year.  I think by the time August hits and the sun is glaring down upon you, zapping every bit of energy you have, you're just d.o.n.e and all standards you had in the relative coolness of late spring, fly far out the garden gate.

So, someone needs to remind me to get back out there in another week or so and get the next round of sprouters - because they will come - with a vengeance!  No doubt, they will make summer seem endless with their repeated appearances.

But... is that a bad thing?  :)

Garden Helpers

War on Slugs

We've been invaded by an insidious, slimy little character.  These dudes are wreaking havoc on our plant material - silently at night - while we're nestled in our beds with visions of fresh vegetables and flowers dancing in our heads.  It's starting to piss me off.  This is not a new problem.  It seems to happen every year - mostly to our seedlings which are trying to make a good start in life in flats and cell packs.

But this year, it seems to be happening everywhere.  The broccoli took a good hit early on but luckily it has recovered.  Almost every strawberry in the patch has a nibble taken from it - but just a nibble.  It seems they like to take a taste from one and then move on to the next.  Why not stay awhile and just finish what you started, slugs?  Why?  

Now it's the pole beans...

and the basil...

and the zinnias!

Time for retaliation, but how shall I do so?  I'm not interested in using chemicals.  We have dogs that could be harmed by such things, and we are trying do things organically.  I've heard all the natural methods, but I've also heard that they don't really work.  At this point though, I suppose it's worth a try. Slugs be damned!

Work Truck

Hops adventure!

I am a fan of frosty beverages.  More specifically, the adult kind of frosty beverage.  Preferably one that is full of hops.  Perhaps a nice pale ale or IPA to get even more precise.  Just typing those words makes me thirsty.  The husband and I were looking for a new horticultural adventure and decided to try growing hops.  Hopefully, after all is said and done, we will utilize our harvest in one of our very own homebrews.  One thing at a time though, because there's a lot to do to get to that point.

Hops is a prolific vine, but it needs a little assistance from a trellis.  I chose two varieties of hops one of which (Cascades) we will grow on our front porch.  From ground level to the top of the porch it's at least 15-18ft which should allow a fair amount of room for the plants to climb.  Since these vines can become quite sizable, it is best to keep them separated if you care about distinguishing between varieties during harvest time.  So - we needed a second location.  We decided to use our back acre for something other than a giant weed patch and tilled a small section, 4'x12', for the second variety, Nugget.

We did a lot of research on hops growing and have decided to treat this plot as a mini-version of the standard used by the massive hops farms in the Pacific Northwest.  We obtained two 15+ft black locust posts from a friendly neighbor at the other end of the holler.  

Skinny sighthounds inspect locust posts.  Apparently they are very interesting.

These will be stripped and scorched on the bottom 3ft (to discourage rot) and sunk into the ground.  Before we do this, we will add hardware for wire to be attached and strung between the two posts.  We will run twine or coir from this wire down to the hops bines which will act as their support structure. 

We still have a ways to go, but in the meantime, I've started the rhizomes I purchased from Freshops in pots so they could get a head start.  

More hops growing progress to follow in the coming weeks!

New Chicks in the Flock...

A box of peeping chicks appeared at the post office yesterday!  I went in on an order with some friends last year from My Pet Chicken.  Arrival day finally came after what felt like eons of waiting.  We're still keeping our flock small but our current layers, a Speckled Sussex and a Light Brahma, are coming up on two years old.  They're still laying fairly well, but we wanted to get a new batch started so there's no lag time in egg production.

At the time we placed the order, our favorite of the two chickens, the Speckled Sussex, was a nice, laid back friendly girl.  We decided that since we really liked her, we'd get another.  Well, now that we've stopped giving them free range privileges, she's turned into a bit of a grouch.  Actually, her attitude seemed to change a bit before that.  We think there may have been a shift in flock dynamics.  We think she may have taken over the 'lead' roll in the hen house and thus lost her friendly attitude.  Really though, I think she's just P.O.'d that she can't get into my freshly laid mulch to take a good dust bath.  I hate doing it but perhaps we'll let them run free again after the growing season is over.

So, we got ourselves another little Sussex who I like to call 'Special'.  She's a loud, boisterous, rude little thing.  Her favorite activity yesterday was standing on top of whatever bird was conveniently located in her vicinity....and then talking about it....LOUDLY!  We'll see how this girl develops.   I think she's going to be a handful but she sure is cute.

Our other little lady is a Golden Laced Wyandotte.  Also a very cute girl (what baby chick is not cute?) and seems to be a little more refined than Miss Special.  Either way you slice it up, they're a ton of fun to watch.  Chick TV as they say.  I know the luster will wear off after a couple of weeks, but for now, I'm enjoying the ride!

Bloomin' now...

Baptisia

Iris

Saponaria

Iris

Chionanthus virginicus