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. 

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 22nd, 2010, our planet is celebrating Biodiversity Day

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant." by Robert Louis Stevenson

What is Biodiversity? 
USC Canada defines biodiversity as the variety of life on earth and the complex essential relationships between all parts of the natural world.  From the thousands of varieties of plants and food crops on the land, to countless species of animals, insects, and aquatic life, to the microbes in our soils. 

Why is Biodiversity Important? 
It's the earth's life support system and our world's food supply depends on it.  It is also nature's brilliant insurance policy against disaster.  The fragile balance of the earth is already at serious risk because of human activities. 
*  About 75% of food biodiversity was lost in the 20th century
*  We continue to lose biodiversity at a rate of 2% every year
*  Today 80% of the world's dietary energy is supplied by just 12 industrial crops
(facts quoted from USC Canada's) 

Dan Jason, of Salt Spring Seeds, has been promoting safe and sustainable agriculture for the last 25 years through his seed company and as President of the Seed and Plant Sanctuary for Canada since 2003.  If you are interested in reading more about Dan and his work, please go to his website, http://www.saltspringseeds.com/. 

In our small way, we are growing two different seeds, Andy's Broad (Fava) Bean and Odawa, for the Seed Savers of Powell River. 

Interested in viewing some helpful videos on how to save seed?....check out the link http//mapofsaltspring.com/raven/. 

Happy Biodiversity Day!

    

Planet Earth photo by Muadh N M from www.flickr.com

Asparagus, My Medicine of Choice

"Our food should be our medicine, and our medicine should be our food."  Hippocrates

Thoughts of asparagus are constantly passing through my mind.  I look out upon the garden and see the three-foot tall stalks/fronds and yearn to eat them but...it is only year two for the asparagus plants.  Gardeners are advised not to harvest the asparagus crop until year three.  It is easy to see why.  This year the size and number of stalks certainly has increased and a couple of the purple have appeared.  (The majority of the roots planted were Jersey Knight but 5 roots of the purple were also planted.)   

Recently, I discovered an interesting website, NutritionData: know what you eat.  Once you have chosen your food to research, information such as Nutrition Facts, Estimated Glycemic Load, Inflammation Factor, and Protein Quality, is provided for that food.  Because of my arthritis, I am particularly interested in the Inflammation Factor of foods.  For example, the Inflammation Factor of asparagus is 41 (mildly anti-inflammatory), whereas raw garlic is 4863 (strongly anti-inflammatory) and edamame (raw, green soybeans) is 0.  I can imagine this internet site becoming my favourite tool when planning foods to eat based on my arthritic condition.    

Talking about arthritis, I recently discovered a wonderful pain relieving cream, Tiger Balm's Arthritis Rub.  It brings warmth and some relief to my hands and the smell soothes and relaxes me....great for applying after a day in the garden.  

Yesterday was a hectic day of seed sowing for Barry....Orca, Jade, Black Turtle Soup, Tanya's Pink Pod, Ruckle, Red Hawk Kidney, Nez Perce, Ireland Creek Annie, Six Nations, Odawa, Dragon's Tongue (bush beans), Brita's and Neabel's (pole beans).  My favourite beans based on their colour is Neabel's, Odawa, and Orca.  We have to wait for harvest to know which one will be our favourite for taste, quality, and quantity.  The day before he sowed a complete 30X3 foot bed in Edamame beans (soybean)...we already know how much we like them!   Barry intends to sow the Scarlet Runner Beans when he plants out the corn...apparently they are good companions.   

Benches, Boxes, and Plants

"I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks." William Shakespeare

Well...the insulated 'prop' box is complete.  The long potting bench was actually a bonus.  Originally Barry planned to place the 'prop' box on top of the potting bench but we loved the spaciousness of the bench so much we decided to make the 'prop' box stand independently.  Now I am thinking that the stacking 'root cellar' boxes should be the next project.  They could stack nicely on the lower supports on the underside of the bench.  Being the optimistic person I am, I can envision stacks of big, pungent garlic on one side and our other staple, onions, on the other.  Or not...I am sure we will find many uses for the undersides of the bench and 'prop' box before the garlic and onions are harvested.  Another job well done, Barry and thanks again to Vanessa and Jamie for sending the awesome book!

Two of the dogwood trees, the creamy white and deep pink are in full bloom.  Also, the white lilac is in bloom but the purple and the purple edged in white have not opened yet.  The apple tree is the only fruit tree left with some bloom.  The peas, all varieties, and potatoes have strong growth.  Same with the Andy's Broad Beans.  The carrots, both the juicing and eating varieties, are hoping for some warmer weather.  We have had some wind damage on the Moonlight marigolds we planted in the potato bed and on the Firework alliums out front.  The smaller Naughty Marietta marigolds, which were the more difficult to propagate, did not suffer any wind damage (I'm thinking less exposure). 

The Powell River Garden Club's annual plant sale was well attended on Sunday, May 2nd, although some members thought the number of buyers were down slightly from previous years.  I was pleasantly surprised to see such a wide selection of plants.  The Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum) and the Gunnera (Gunnera manicata), both rather large and exuberant plants, were quickly claimed.  Under great restraint, Barry and I (we were volunteer floaters) only purchased 5 plants - a variegated grass (sedge actually), winter jasmine, alstromeria, hellebore, and a blackcap raspberry. 

We have lived in Powell River for a year already!  Unbelievable...it seems like only yesterday that we moved here.  While reinsuring our home for the upcoming year, we were placed in the position of removing the woodstove, as it apparently was not certified.  We did not use the woodstove very much, but on the cold, wintry nights it certainly made the house more cosy (and removed much of the constant dampness prevalent here on BC's coast).   We were very fortunate that our friends from Calgary were visiting and Dale was able to assist Barry in the woodstove's removal.  Thanks, Dale. 

We have discovered that planning our next day's 'to do list' is the best way for us to get things done.  Otherwise, the first job you see is the job that gets done, not necessarily what should be done.  At the top of today's list...pruning the cedar hedge down to around 6 feet.  We hope it will result in giving more sun exposure for the raised sod bed in behind the hedge.  But my arthritis has flared with a vengeance and Barry was left to undertake the job himself.   The job is done and hauled as green waste to Augusta, Powell River's waste disposal/recycling center.  Go, Barry, go!

Good Friends, Good Books

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers."  by Charles W. Eliot

There is nothing better for my soul than a visit from much-loved friends and family.  We recently spent a couple of wonderful days with our Calgary friends, Ginny and Dale.  We explored Haslam Lake and the Okeover Arm/Lund area, talked a great deal, and devoured gardening information from various books and delicious mexican food from La Casita Mexican Restaurant.  (Powell River residents, if you haven't eaten at La Casita Mexican Restaurant, treat yourself soon - the food is so good and the service is so personable.  Sean, let's hope they are open next time you are in town.) 

Okeover Arm

Our friends were gracious enough to listen to us talk non-stop about our newest love-interest, our garden.  Then they shared with us the news of their recent acquision of the property next to theirs in Calgary and their excitement at the prospect of what that space would become.  We poured over "The Garden Book" by Phaidon Press Ltd. and "The Inward Garden:  Creating a Place of Beauty and Meaning" by J. Messervy.  The pictures, ideas and resulting conversation were inspiring.  I am so excited for them! 

These friends kindly delivered a parcel, suspiciously wrapped in brown paper, from my daughter and her partner, who live in Victoria.  Without unwrapping, I pronounced it was a book, although others thought it was too heavy to be a book.  And what an awesome book it is!!!   "The Backyard Builder:  Over 150 Build-It-Yourself Projects for your Garden, Home and Yard", is a 1994 edition of a 1985 publication by Rodale Press Inc.   So far I want a Wooden Garden Bench, Planter with Trellis for the 'parking lot', Easy Dumping Soil Sifter (this fits over a wheelbarrel), Insulated Propagation Box, Patio Planter,  Garden Sink, and Root Cellar Storage Boxes.  As we had already decided to make a prop box, the insulated prop box will be project #1.  We have been inquiring at various garden supply retailers here in Powell River and finally located the soil heating cable we've been looking for our prop box at Mother Nature.  Thanks, Vanessa and Jamie, what a great gift!  (Your card, the lily pads at Haslam Lake, is from one of my favourite sets from your botanical series (can be found at http://www.vanessahawryluk.com/.)

And continuing on the book theme...Ginny and Dale brought a delightful book, "Wesley the Owl, The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl" for us to read.  I started reading it yesterday after coming in from the garden.   So far this memoir is filled with amazing information about owls, especially barn owls, and funny antedotes that make me smile.  I look forward to reading more today -- yeah, it's raining.  Thank you, my friends, for this gift.  Already I can think of people I would like to share this book with. 

Surrender - Never!

"We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."  Winston Churchill

Although it looks like we are surrendering, we are not!   We awoke on the 18th to the telltale signs that the deer had returned to graze in our fair garden.  We realized that we had been pushing the 'temptation meter' to high when we planted the tulips last fall but the pictures on the packaging were so pretty we couldn't resist.  (There's that 'temptation - resistance' theme again.)  Barry had read that installing white flags was a deterent so up they went in the tulip beds. Our reading lead us to believe that deer prefer not to eat any of the 'smelly' flowers from bulbs so we mostly planted narcissi, alliums, hyacinths, and fritillaria. We planted a few unusual oxalis versicolour, which apparently are quite rare, but we have seen no sign of their emergence.  We will continue to watch as they are late season bloomers.  I will post a picture of them once they have emerged.  We were quite fearful that our asian pear trees had been stripped of their new leaves (that's what had happened to them at Springtime Nursery, where we purchased them) but the deer apparently crossed over into our neighbour's yard instead of heading out back.  Whew!

We continue to keep constant watch over those seeds already in the ground...the early potatoes are pushing up through the soil as are the Andy's Broad Beans.  The barley and peas are strong growers, and tiny spinach and carrots are showing.  The garlic must have liked the straw and grass mulch, sun, and rain as they have grown like weeds lately. 

They're back!

"The hummingbird competes with the stillness of the air." by Chogyam Trungpa

The first buzz I heard, I didn't recognize the sound.  It's been months since the last time I  heard it.  But the second time, the memory stirs and it all rushes back.  The HUMMERS are back!!!  Right now I can see a Rufous Hummingbird hovering above the Italian Plum tree on the east side of the back yard and this afternoon, while working in the garden, I heard the buzz and was quick enough to see one dashing back and forth between our magnolia tree and our neighbour's back yard.  Of course, once we realized the hummers were back, we put the feeder out for them but with so many blossoms in the yard right now, they are not too interested yet. 

Spring on BC's Coast

"Kindness is like snow...it beautifies everything it covers."  author unknown

What a surprise upon awakening this morning!  Remember the riotous weather picture I painted yesterday...well, the 'icing on the cake' was the layer of snow on the ground this morning.  I must admit, though, when the sun starting shining this morning, the world was sparkling. 

The unexpected winds of 98 mph last Saturday caused more damage to the garden than this recent snow though.  Our few transplanted spinach and lettuce starts were decimated, but the seeds we sowed were cozy and safe in the soil. 

PS:  the mason bees have not been sighted yet...they too have chosen to stay warm and snug in their cocoons. 

Whirling Dervishes

"We rarely hear the inward music, but we're all dancing to it nevertheless."  from the Music Master poem by Rumi

Today the skies are thick with clouds hurriedly being pushed through our area by a cold and howling wind.  Rain is pounding down.  Needless to say, I have been bunkered down inside.  On the otherhand, Barry spent an hour outside in the wood shed cutting up the remaining straw supply from last year.  We are layering it in the sodded compost heap in attempts to speed the composting process along more quickly.  Around here, compost is coveted.  We have surrounded the compost area with three comfrey plants.  Comfrey is a great compost activator by providing nitrogen and heat to the heap.  Hopefully we can spare some for side dressing or mulching around our potassium-loving crops, such as our fruit-bearing trees and potatoes. 

I couldn't help thinking of Whirling Dervishes when I saw our Persian Star garlic growing.  They appear to be dancing around in the garlic bed.  We are trying five new garlic cultivars from Boundary Garlic this year:  Fish Lake 3, Leningrad, Susan Delafield, Tibetan, and, of course, Persian Star.  Fish Lake 3, Leningrad, and Susan Delafield are Porcelain varieties.  They apparently keep well, have a strong flavour, and thrive under a wide variety of growing conditions.  That's good, because lately that's what we have been having!

The Tibetan, a Weakly Bolting Hardneck variety, emerges and is harvested late and has excellent flavour.  The Persian Star is a variety called Purple Stripe and apparently is 'magnificent looking and elegant tasting."  I can hardly wait. 

Messenger of Love

"For to the bee a flower is the fountain of life,

and to the flower a bee is a messenger of love

and to both, bee and flower,

the giving and the receiving is a need and an ecstasy."  by Kahlil Gibran

Our neighbour, Tony has a keen interest in the mason bee.  His enthusiasm is contagious.  This week he generously provided us with our own mason bee nesting box and adult pupae.  He advised Barry to place it in a south or east-facing location (they love the heat of the sun - like me) with some protection from the less-than-desirable elements.  We decided to tuck it under the overhang on the shed at the south end of our property.  Then, like the good 'parents' we are, we went online to learn more.  I showed Barry some of the instruction videos on Youtube and I haven't seen him since.  I think he's gone to try his hand at making another nesting box (or two).    

Temptation - Restraint - Temptation - Restraint?

"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it." Mae West

Since last Thursday we have been busy creating additional beds in the yard.  We just couldn't stop ourselves and it was nice outside.  We had no idea where we would grow this year's potatoes.  Initially we had considered not putting them into the ground...growing them in containers seemed a good idea.  We successfully grew a few potatoes in containers on our deck in Langley but the operative word is "few".  This year we ended up with 5 varieties of potatoes to grow - Satina, Burbank Russell, Blue Russian, Red Cranberry and Yukon Gold (there seems to be a theme of no restraint on our part).  So...Barry starting removing sod and digging again. 

Unfortunately, potatoes are root veggies and don't consider billions of rocks as good planting companions.  Barry has been 'sifting' through the 'soil' (thanks Al for lending us your soil sifter) and we have been finding innovative ways to use rocks.  As we only are borrowing the soil sifter, today Barry bought the materials to make us one.   We also created a smaller double bed just outside the big gate. 

Originally this bed was created to grow two varieties of corn; fortunately I checked the deer resistant crops list and now we are going to grow our onions in one section of this bed.  Another root crop so...I'm manually removing the rocks from here. 

Barry would like to grow the corn in the new, large, odd-shaped bed in the foreground.  (He won't have to dig and sift as much for this bed).  We added a circular bed behind the cherry tree and a rounded square bed near the fruit cocktail tree (left side of picture).  Barry used some of the sod to build up and level in behind the herb bed (1/2 circle bed near Buddy).  We wanted to improve the grass in this area so Barry seeded but within minutes the neighbourhood pidgeons were snacking on it. 

We have increased the width of the bed that backs onto Al's property and transplanted most of the flowering plants growing there.

With these additions, I believe we decided that we would stop creating further new beds this year.  We'll see!  Did I mention we hope to grow 13 types of beans, 7 types of tomatoes, 5-7 types of squashes - you get the picture.  I say it again, we have no self restraint!

SO MUCH FUN

"The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me spiritual exercises."  by Leo F. Buscaglia

Yesterday was Powell River's fifth Seedy Saturday.  My first...and I liken it to 'a kid in a candy store.'  Once inside, we quickly figured out our strategy...Barry started on the far side (the end of the alphabet) of the seed table and I started at the beginning.  Once our initial scramble was over and sanity prevailed, we started examining the displays around the perimeter of the room.  The first to capture our attention was the Seed Savers of Powell River.  The Project has developed a list of veggies suitable to this region for seed saving and the group has chosen several varieties of seed from the main groups (squashes, beans, peas, beets/chard) to be produced locally for seed.  They encourage new and experienced gardeners to save seeds, thus increasing the number of contributors of seed to future Seedy Saturdays.  Sounds like a good plan...we signed up to grow Andy's Broad Beans and Odawa Beans for the Project.  Fava (or broad) beans are a cooler weather crop so we will try to get those seeded outside later in the week, when the meteorologist has predicted the return of drier, sunny weather (I do not consider the weather for the last week as gardening weather - more like arthritis weather).  As cross pollination can take place between the different cultivars of fava beans, we will be growing only the one type and all seed will be saved for the Project (and maybe a couple for us too).  Each of the Odawa Beans is a beautiful masterpiece of creamy white and earthtones.  I hope they taste as good as they look!  After this growing season, we will have quite a variety of colourful dried beans.  In late December we purchased the Heritage Bean Mix from Salt Spring Seeds, which included Six Nations (red and tan), Nez Perce (golden yellow), Red Hawk Kidney, Black Turtle Soup, Ruckle (white), and Tanya Pink Pod (cream and tan).  In addition to those, we could not resist the Neabel's Pole Bean, Jade Bean, Ireland Creek Annie, and Orca Bean at Seedy Saturday.  In fact, I think we may have gone a little crazy on the beans this year.  Now I recall how Vanessa had reined herself in on getting any more bean varieties...I really admire her will power.  Oh, well, we have a lot more garden space to fill, right?!

Oh yeah, back to Seedy Saturday...We also spoke to a very pleasant young woman, who was at Seedy Saturday on behave of the Vancouver Island University Powell River.  An interesting course, entitled Small Farm Development, is being offered through the University on Thursday, November 18th and Friday, November 19th, 2010.  Topics include goal setting, production, marketing, financial planning, rules and regulations that affect farmers, enviromental issues and concerns and trends that will affect farmers in the future.  Apparently many people took advantage of the course in 2009, so early registration was advised.   

We also spoke with Don Boese about starting our own hive of mason bees.  Our neighbour, Tony, enjoys working with his mason bees and we have been fortunate that his bees find our garden to their liking too.  With help from these two well-informed gentlemen, I think we should be able to offer up our garden as home to these hard working little creatures.  (I nominate Barry for this job.) 

Further along, a kind lady offered me some gently used gardening pots, trays, etc., kindly donated by other gardeners.  As I was starting to realize just how many seedlings I had started indoors, I gladly took a few items.  We stopped at the Powell River Gardening Club's table long enough to offer our assistance in the upcoming plant sale in early May.   I am hoping the plant sale is as much fun as Seedy Saturday.  As we were leaving Seedy Saturday, we stopped to enter the Self Advocates 14th Annual Spring Garden Raffle.  Boy, what loot and for such a good cause!!  The Draw will be made on May 28th at Rona Building Supplies and I would love to win all those great goodies.  Cross your fingers for me (you know I can't).  Well, that's it for today.  Bring on the sun!!!

PS:  Also enjoyed talking to the folks from the Kelly Creek Community Gardens (they are formerly from Langley too)

"If you can laugh together, you can work together" by Robert Orben

An article, written by Laura Walz in The Powell River Peak this week, entitled "Groups Battle Over Open Air Market" left me quite disheartened.  Upon moving to Powell River last May, we were keen to support the Open Air Market until our newly planted garden started supplying us with our own produce.  As we were considering becoming a vendor for the 2010 season, we were interested to hear the opinions of the vendors.  Weekly, we engaged in conversations with various vendors and patrons.  Most people were like us, they wanted to show their support but I sensed some hesitation, some underlying problem.  After reading Laura Walz' article I better understand why.  In the past, I have been on a Board of Directors for a non-profit organization that was troubled and the experience was very stressful.  I hope those involved in this troubling situation are able to bring a positive resolution to the problem...I'm cheering for you! 

What crazy weather we are having today!  We have sun shining brightly in the front of the house and grey, threatening clouds in the back, and pounding rain.  Earlier today, we had similar situations but replace the rain with snow.  There was a brief period where we experienced no inclement weather at all...that's when we took the boys out for their walk.  (We have had a request for a picture of the 'boys' so...here's one from a hot July 31st, last year - Tashi is in the forefront and Buddy in behind.) 


Barry was the lucky winner of a $25 gift certificate from Mother Nature at the February 23rd meeting of the Garden Club.  Yesterday we turned that gift certificate into 'seed' for the garden.  We used the gift certificate to purchase three varieties of potato seed - Satina, Burbank Russett, and Yukon Gold - and three seed packets from West Coast Seed - Atomic Red Carrot, Sorrento Raab Broccoli, and Brocade Corn.  We repeatedly say we are not going to get any more seeds, but we have absolutely no will power....and tomorrow is Seedy Saturday here in Powell River and we will be there!  It will be our first (and I doubt our last)!  We have heard much about it at the Garden Club meetings. 

Each morning, I continue to spend a couple of hours downstairs with my 'babies.'  I really enjoy propagation.  I have had good success so far - only 'killed' a couple of seedlings.  If all goes well, when you come to visit this year, you will know that those flowers and veggies you are eating were nurtured from 'birth' by me!

"The sound of birds stops the noise in my mind" (Carly Simon)

I did not plan to go out into the garden today.  The weather promised to be cloudy with showers.  Although I am skeptical about the accuracy of weather predictions forecasted well into the future, I tend to believe the forecast of the 'morning of'.  Indeed, it is cloudy and cooler today than it has been but the showers have not started...yet. 

At six o'clock each morning, I head downstairs to tend to my 'babies'.  Since February 6th, the lights from the plant lighting center Barry built are on for 12 hours daily.  I have been thinking recycle and reuse.  For seedlings or cuttings, so far I have used cardboard egg cartons, a variety of leftover paper cups, leftover craft glass and clay pots, plastic vitamin bottles cut in half, and the plastic containers suet comes in.  I must confess that I have used peat pellets (although I am very conscious of the declining peat bogs and would not normally use peat) but my arthritic hands do not allow fine motor skills anymore and the pellets are easier for me to handle when it comes time to transplant. 

We have a wonderful view of the back garden from our eating area in the kitchen.  As I was sweeping the floor this morning, I spotted a red throated northern flicker hanging from the suet feeder in front of the kitchen window and I ran for the camera.  Unfortunately the flicker also spotted me and flew away...wait, that's not the end of the story.  He and a buddy returned many times to feed and I was able to get a couple of decent photos.  The robins also have been bustling around the garden.  I wonder when the hummingbirds will return? 

If you are interested in learning more about the northern flicker, please check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Jack Frost

"Jack Frost is a fairy small; I'm sure he's out today.  He nipped my nose and pinched my toes when I went out to play."

Ever since the sun's arrival last week, we have awakened to a lovely coating of frost.  The temperature is zero or minus one but quickly warms up to 8 to 10 degrees celsius.  Right now I am watching the fog work its way back up the hill to Fernwood. 

Just spotted a rather large bald-headed eagle circling the large trees in Larry Gouthro Park, one block east of us.  He must be in search of breakfast (hopefully not the squirrels).  We noticed many piles of discarded Douglas Fir seed pods at the base of the trees in the park recently.  Now we know why we never see the red squirrel in our yard.  I miss them. 

While living in our Langley home, the red squirrels romped through the forested greenspace bordering the yard and visited regularly.  In this picture, 'mother' squirrel was showing her offspring where the "goods" could be found.  Initially we started feeding the black sunflower seeds to the birds but soon the word was out and we soon had other visitors - raccoons, grey squirrels (of course), pileated woodpeckers, stellar jays, and owls (although these last three were not there for the seeds). 

Here in Powell River, we mostly have nocturnal quests in the yard - mostly deer and raccoon, although they do not limit their visits to night (as you can see in this picture).  On a couple of occasions we had a hawk scout out the yard.  Oh, and there is a mess of pigeons, crows and stellar jays that hang in our neighbourhood. 

Well, I need to get back to work now.  Today, while we were at Springtime Nursery, I realized I had forgotten to allow space in the garden for potatoes so I need to reconfigure my plans.  While there, we purchased our onion sets - got 80 each of the white, yellow, red and spanish.  Hopefully, we will have a better onion harvest this year.  Last year we tried to buy onion sets once we had moved here, but alas all sources had sold out of them and we had none.  Trying to grow onion from seed in June is expecting a miracle.  We are fast learners though and this year we are ready!

From a plant's point of view

'My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes that I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view'...by H. Fred Dale

What a beautiful 14th day of February!  The mighty winds of the last couple of days have blown the clouds and rain away, replacing it with a robin's egg blue sky and a brilliant sun.  Our final high today was 11 degrees celsius.  The sun's rays warmed the earth.  I even shed my hat and vest. 

Barry rolled the new planters outside today.  Thank goodness for the dolly.  Even without the soil, they are heavy.  They are slightly larger than the original two he made for our deck in Langley.  They measure 5 feet by 16 inches.  We have to be patient to plant it up though, as we intend to grow our Purple Haze carrots in them.  We have set aside one of the large beds in the back to grow Royal Chantenay carrots for juicing (and eating if we have a craving for orange carrots).  I created a small bed at the end of the fence.  We haven't decided what will go in this new little bed but it probably with be one of the aromatic herbs.  If I put one of the lemon verbena there, I could brush by it frequently, releasing its awesome smell (best lemon smelling plant!). 

I am so excited.  Barry built a plant light center.  I have always yearned for one and now we have one!  I went a little crazy with the bright coloured paint but I love it. 

He who plants a garden, plants happiness - chinese proverb

Shall we compare our hearts to a garden
with beautiful blooms, straggling weeds,
with swooping birds, sunshine, and rain -
and most importantly, seeds ...Grey Livingston

Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching.  Love is in the air...and, if the wind here in Powell River doesn't die down, all that love will be heading over to Texada.  Chinese New Years also falls on February 14th this year.  More reason to celebrate! 

I have a beautiful book by Lillian Too, called The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui for Gardens.  It states, 'Fuchsias are deemed to be extremely auspicious as they look like red lanterns.  They are not regarded as weeping flowers, but are prized for their precious Yang energy.'

We were fortunate to have a few fushsia magellanica (bush fushsia) in the garden when we purchased the house and I immediately went to work propagating more.  These fushsia can be propagated by softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings.  To take a cutting, select a soft growing tip, 6-10 cm long, from a healthy plant.  Make a clean, sharp cut just below a node.  Remove the lowest leaves, leaving just enough at the top to continue the photosynthesis process.  To achieve maximum results, dip the cut stem into a rooting hormone (you can use a tincture of willow as a rooting stimulator) to assist in the development of roots before placing it into a good starter soil mixture.  Misting frequently is essential or create a miniature greenhouse by covering with a clear, plastic container or bag. 

We have been busy in the garden already.  Barry has added an addition to the 'nursery bed'...it just wasn't big enough.  We have decided to stay with the raised sod bed idea...seems to be working.  He also created a circular bed for growing a heritage pole bean called Brita's.  These bean plants reach a height of at least 6 feet so need plenty of support.  The actual bean is about 1 foot long and can be eaten as a fresh snap bean or dry bean.  I like the little circular bed so much I have put in a request for more.  They would be perfect for growing individual mints.  Mint can be very invasive if not controlled.    Last year I grew our mints (we currently have 4 different kinds) in old washtubs. 

We have established a drowning bucket for weeds, that way we can reclaim the nutrients they sucked out of the soil. 

The mild weather this winter has encouraged early growth.  We were compeled to move a floribunda rose, Livin' Easy, right away before it broke dormancy.  Why have such a lovely rose hidden at the back of the yard?   We have discovered hundreds of crocus growing in the yard.  Nice surprise!  We planted hundreds of bulbs in the fall and are eagerly awaiting their arrival.