More Changes

If you would like to continue following this blogger, my new blog is called Life at Split Rock Potager. 

http://splitrockpotager.blogspot.com/

if the above link doesn't work, just goggle split rock potager blog. 

Oh Canada

"Canadians are generally indistinguishable from Americans, and the surest way of telling the two apart is to make the observation to a Canadian." by Richard Staines

Happy Birthday Canada
This is a negative version of the Canadian flag flown at the viewpoint above the Beach Trail here in Powell River.  I am a proud Canadian (although I do not own a pair of red mittens nor do I drink beer). 

As the main garden is 'in', for the last two days we have been feverishly pruning, weeding, sweeping, and generally trying to clean up the very mature 'hedge' that surrounds the front of the house.  Barry has been trying to tame the 'hedge'  armed with electric hedge trimmers, a power vac, and ladder.  As you can imagine, his back is suffering.  I just cannot imagine life without Epsom salts and the infrared sauna. 

I must admit I used to frown at those people using power vacs...but I can see their value.  Barry uses the power vac to suck up the trimmed leaves.  The machine then chomps the leaves up, ready for the compost pile.  It has been invaluable on the 'hedge' job. 

I have been busy hand-sifting the compost into buckets and then I discovered how efficient the wheelbarrow and big sifter could be in compost distribution.   I generally do not use the wheelbarrow because of the arthritis in my hands.  My grip is very limited.  If I intend to use the wheelbarrow I must rest the handles on my arms.  This is manageable on flat surfaces but our yard is not flat and the wheelbarrow sometimes gets away from me going down hill.  Probably amusing for the neighbours though. 

Talking about neighbours...our neighbours to the south invited us to check out their tomatoes growing in their greenhouse so over the fence we went.  Sergio was kind enough to provide a ladder to scramble down on their side of the fence.  I was amazed.  Their garden is a great example of how much food can be produced on a city lot.  I was particularly interested in hearing about how Sergio has grafted various varieties of pear onto his pear tree.  This is a propagation method I have not tried...yet. 

Fig trees are very popular here in Powell River.  I did not know this when I ordered my Hardy Chicago Fig from Richters Herbs in Ontario.  I could have purchased a popular Brown Turkey Fig at the Powell River Garden Club's Plant Sale.  Oh, well, now I know.  I prefer to buy locally when at all possible. 

Some of Barry's photos of the garden this week. 

Rhubarb and Garlic Scapes

"We must give more in order to get more.  It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest." by Orison Swett Marden

The first day of summer has brought us our first harvest.  The Pineapple mint and Chocolate mint are lovely right now...I couldn't resist harvesting some.  I am air-drying them along side the Sweetie tomato plants that remain on the potting bench inside the covered deck.  Normally I would use the dehydrator to dry the herbs but today I am drying our first batch of Rhubarb Lace, a recipe I found in Food Drying with an Attitude by Mary T. Bell. 
The drying process is taken a little longer than predicted in the dehydrator's instruction booklet.  I think I may need to spread the rhubarb puree more evenly in the future. 

Rhubarb Lace
3 cups fresh rhubarb, cut in 1-inch pieces
3 cups boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
3 strawberries, fresh or frozen
1 tbsp strawberry gelatin
1/8 tsp ginger

Place rhubarb in a stainless steel pot and cover with boiling water.  Let it set at least 1 hour, until rhubarb changes colour.  this blanching help eliminate some of the acidity, so less sweetener is needed.  it also softens the texture, which makes it easier to puree. 
Drain off water.  Puree rhubarb in a blender in small batch to avoid overtaxing the blender.  it may be necessary to add a little water or juice to get the rhubarb to blend.  add the remaining four ingredients and puree until smooth.  spread puree evenly on a lightly oiled leather sheet.  dry at 110 to 135 degrees.  dry until the leather peels off easily without any wet or sticky spots. 

Barry harvested two large bowls of garlic scapes.  These curly tendrils actually are the garlic's flower stalk and should be removed to promote bulb growth instead of seed.  We intend to dehydrate some of the scapes for future use.  And the rest...apparently garlic scapes make tasty pesto...pesto sauce on pasta or a salad...sounds good to me!

Renewed Spirit

"It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's heart, as for the subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit." by Robert Louis Stevenson

I am happy and relieved to have reached this stage in the garden.  Preparing the soil and beds, the continuous act of weeding and watering, the sowing of seed and planting out in preparation of one's own food production...this is a lot of work.  In our case, pleasurable work, but still a lot of work.   Each day we closely examine each newly sown bed in anticipation of germination, we lovingly dig out the compost and spread it around the plants for nourishment, we remove weeds because we don't want them stealing the nutrients from our plants, we provide organic fertilizers to correct any of the plant's health problems...it reminds me of when I nurtured and cared for my children.    Now that the basics have been provided though, we can sit back and watch our garden grow, occasionally making small adjustments here and there. 

And, now we can move on to other pleasureable activities.  Yesterday we headed up to one of our favourite haunts, Haslam Lake.  Instead of following our usual path directly to the lake, we went through the forested, old mill area, coming out near the old Haslam Lake Railroad.  It's hard to imagine the area as it once was but much evidence of man's industry still remains.  Check out Vanishing History, A Sharing Information Site on the Vanishing History of Powell River, British Columbia, for some great photos.   www.vanishinghistory.ca/?p=386

I am always amazed at how renewed my spirit is after spending time at Haslam Lake.  The trees make me feel protected and safe, the rocks and earth ground me, and the water calms me.  I am so grateful to be living here in Powell River. 

Apparently the Common Garter Snakes in the area were enjoying the day as much as us.  I think we saw or heard the departure of 3 or 4 snakes as we hiked through to the lake.  Barry spotted one moulting snake as it departed.   

That reminds me of the juvenile raccoon that surprised us as it  ran along our south fence around noon yesterday...apparently the raccoon was surprised to see us too as it quickly diverted into our neighbour's shed until it felt safe enough to proceed. 

Barry also discovered a robin has nested in our big, old red maple.  The tip off...the robin repeatedly returned to the maple with a beakful of worms. 

Ah...life is good!

Anticipation

"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides." by W.E. Johns

...Finally, we have reached the next stage in the progress of our garden;  the majority of plants have been seeded or planted and here we sit in anticipation.  During these past two weeks we have put in long hours on those days without some form of precipitation.   This year the weather certainly has provided us with many obstacles.  The winter was mild and lulled me into thinking spring would be early.  And maybe we were a little to keen...Anyways, a summary:

Our sucesses:  

*  the peas, the Carlins, Darlaine's, Paladio, and Al's are beautiful (esp. the Carlins)

*  the potatoes have strong growth and blossoms.  The pinkish/purple blooms of the All Red, the blueish/purple of the Russian Blue, and the white of the Yukon Gold are beautiful too

*  the raspberries bushes, esp. in the original bed, are lush and full of  berries and the plants in the new bed are not far behind
*  the transplanted rhubarb obviously liked being divided last fall because it has produced much new growth and its strawberry plant companions have already provided us with delicious plump berries. 

*  both the juicing carrots, Royal Chantenay (in a raised bed), and the eating carrots, Purple Haze and Atomic Red (in the large planters out front) have strong, uniform green growth. 

*  all the grains, Purple Barley, Kamut, Red Fife Wheat, Anne Millet and Amaranth sprouted quickly and have been progressing nicely
*  the 10 Andy's Broad Beans plants are about 4 feet tall now.  The white with deep purple blossom on these are absolutely beautiful...they remind me of sweet peas...and the bees love them too

*  the collards have been slow but they are coming along nicely now

*  the garlic in general has been amazing this year (last year was a bust, as they say).  From what we can see above the ground, the Fish Lake #3, Leningrad, and Susan Delafield are outperforming all the other varieties.  The scapes have formed on some varieties (we enjoyed them in my curried fake chicken dish last night)
*  the asparagus plants currently stand 4-5 feet tall.  We found the number of plants has increased this year...yahoo!  Next year we finally will be able to eat our asparagus!!

*  initially, the cardoons grew slowly when first planted outside but now seem strong and healthy

*  all varieties of tomatoes are thriving as well
*  the salad burnet and angelica have settled in well and appear to be growing
*  the onions, esp. the white, appear to be growing nicely 

our obstacles:

*  the first sowing of edamame beans did not germinate.  We believe the soil was too cold and wet (we were suckered in by a couple of warm days in early May).  Yesterday Barry sowed more edamame beans...we are not ready to give up on them yet. 

*  we initially had little luck with squashes, cucumbers, and pumpkins...again, these have been reseeded recently and success is now looming.  We have 1 delicata, some cucumbers, and 2 Big Max (pumpkin).  Yesterday we purchased a Sunny Delight (pattypan) and Sweet Dumpling from Springtime Nursery.  The folks at Springtime convinced us to try the Sweet Dumpling, saying it was even better than the Delicata.  (Did I previously mention that I was gifted a $25 certificate for Springtime Nursery at the April Garden Club meeting?  Yesterday I used that gift certificate to purchase 2 pairs of some awesome gardening gloves called Miracle Workers by Watson Gloves.  They are amazing...they stretch around my deformed fingers, with a snug but not confining fit and I can still do fine, detailed work in them and the Nursery staff members raved about how long they have been using theirs.)

*  the trailing rosemary and the pineapple sage survived the winter only to succumb to some unknown problem.  Lucky for me I had already taken some cuttings from the rosemary and a couple have survived.  I will be on the hunt for another pineapple sage...I like it better than the regular sage.
*  the ashwagandha plants I had nurtured inside, perished during an unexpected rainy, cold period when I first planted them out.  I will seed more of these directly outside today. 

*  this year the majority of the bean varieties were planted directly into the ground (not a raised bed).  Some creature, be it beetle or slug or snail, has been enjoying the young beans.  We surrounded the beans with crushed egg shells to discourage the slug/snail and placed toilet rolls around some to discourage whatever else may be eating them.  The Nez Perce must have been delicious--they are all gone.  The other varieties, some more than others, are struggling on.

Yesterday we decided to walk 'the boys' along the Beach Trail, a trail Barry recently had read about in the Powell River Peak.  We were surprised and delighted.  This trail is well-used by the people of Powell River.  We encountered joggers, casual walkers, and dogs and their walkers.  We will frequent this trail often but will need to remember to take water along for 'the boys.' 

rockers for old rockers

a very pleasant place to wait

Where's the Sun???

"The bad news is rain stays in the forecast basically until further notice." quote by Ryan Walbrun

Unfortunately this quote easily could have been made by any coastal BC weather forecaster.  This continuous precipitation and the accompanying grey skies is detrimental to my good health!  Arthritis aside, this kind of weather affects my mental/emotional well being.  In the past I have experienced symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, SAD.  I am very sensitive to reduced levels of sunlight.  It disrupts my circadian rhythm and my sleep patterns get confused.  And at times my serotonin levels drop too low and a low-level depression slips in.  I think its time to haul out my SAD lamp...there is no sign of sun in the weather forecast until the 7th of June!  This is the Sunshine Coast...where's the sun?!!!

Yesterday, in attempts to counter the weather conditions, Barry and I, armed with jasmine tea, settled in to watch "Gardens of Destiny" and "Organic Gardening Made Easy".   "Gardens of Destiny", a feature documentary by Jocelyn Demers, investigates plant diversity with Dan Jason, (previously mentioned in my May 21st blog entry), genetic engineering, terminator seeds and the pitfalls of industrial agriculture in North America.  This interesting documentary is available from the Powell River Library.  "Organic Gardening Made Easy" with Lee O'Hara shows how a small space and using organic gardening methods can produce a bountiful harvest of nutritious produce while improving the depleted soil conditions.  We found both films inspirational.  We are trying to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. 

Wildlife...and I don't mean partying

"A wonderful bird is the pelican
His bill can hold more than his belican
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week
But I'm damned if I see how the helican" by Dixon Lanier Merritt

So far this week the dominant theme seems to be wildlife.  I awoke this morning rather early, even for me.  Normally when I awaken so early I try to seduce myself back to sleep but not this morning.  I was going deer hunting.  I'll wait a moment while those of you who know me stop gasping.  For the last two nights, our neighbourhood deer have dined on our fruit trees...the asian pear trees being their favorite.  These poor trees were only planted last season so are rather small still....just the right height for a young deer.  The hoof prints lead me to think the deer was young (and apparently stupid 'cause its not suppose to eat here).  So more drastic action was needed...Barry attached many 5 foot long branches from prunings of the red maple to the back 3 foot tall chainlink fence and positioned our white flags around the tasty trees.  

Previously we had protected some of our pea and carrot crops with 1-2 foot branches densely placed with the crops.  These seems to have been successful so far.  You may wonder why we are protecting the carrots from the deer.  The crazy deer were using the large planters (where our Atomic and Purple Haze carrots are sown) as convenient steps over the fence and into the yard.  Whether it was our improved security or the deer were dining elsewhere, I am happy to report no deer in the yard last night.  Too bad about the sleep, though.

While eating breakfast...it must be around 4:30 or 5:00 am by now...the northern flicker started hammering away on the suet, much to the joy of the other birds scrambling beneath the feeder.  The adult starlings are accompanied today by the juvenile starlings.  I am quite amused to see the adult starlings feeding the suet droppings to the juvenile starlings, which are the same size as the adult.  A rock dove, or pigeon, willingly participated in the pursuit for the suet droppings.  I know we should stop putting up the suet but I love watching all the action it creates.  Yesterday we spotted a pair of american goldfinch frolicking in the apple tree and blueberry bushes.  What beautiful little creatures they are.  And talking about beautiful little creatures, it seems our hummingbird population is increasing daily.  It began with the occasional hummer at the feeder and now the constant 'buzz' can be heard throughout the yard.  We've seen two hummers aggressively battling for possession of the feeder.  I have also witnessed one hummer busily checking out the bugs between the rocks in the rock wall.  Previously I would never have believed the hummer was searching out bugs but after seeing the amazing video documentary, Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air, from PBS on Youtube, I am a believer!   Moments ago, Barry called me to come quick and there on the suet feeder was a Black-Headed Grosbeak.  Apparently their range is from southern BC and Saskatchewan south to its wintering grounds in western Mexico.  I love all the birds frequenting our yard; didn't seem to be as many last year or maybe I was just too busy to notice them. 

Yesterday, between showers, we were able to plant out 6 Bicolour Beefsteak tomatoes, with their companions, 9 Sweet Italian peppers and 4 Gold Nugget tomatoes, with their companions, 9 Jalapeno O peppers in the new bed on the south side of the house.  We also transplanted a few self-sown borage plants into this bed.  Apparently borage deters tomato hornworms, adds trace minerals to the soil, and improves the tomato's ability to resist disease.  Can't have better friends than that!  We sank empty and cleaned 4 litre plastic milk containers with holes, now called water reservoirs, in amongst the new plants.  As tomatoes and peppers are water loving plants, and this area is somewhat sheltered by the eaves overhang (less water falling on the tomato's leaves), we have provided water reservoirs for them.  Aren't we considerate?  No, we just love salsa, spaghetti sauce, tomato soup...you get the idea.