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.