Berry Change Of Plans

I had ordered our first ever strawberry plants from Nourse Farms a few weeks ago indicating the week of March 26th for our delivery.  I decided on Seascape, a day neutral that sounded like it was a pretty "climate flexible" variety.

I knew I was in trouble 2 weekends ago when I'd hoped to get the new area dug up and composted.  We'd spent so much time working on the other beds that nothing had been prepared for the strawberries that were due to arrive.  With SM in Vegas and a full work week for me I became a bit concerned about where to plant these suckers.   

No biggie.  We switch to plan B.  I figured I've got lots of existing beds to choose from.  When I got the box from Nourse last Wednesday, I opened them up.  They looked good to me.  I gave the roots a squirt and stuck them back in the fridge until I could get to them over the weekend. 

Saturday arrived with several hours of light rain showers.  Perfect!  I headed into work for a few hours with post-ops and got home about noon with the clouds breaking up and the sun peaking through.

I pulled out the box and and read the enclosed booklet.  Uh oh!  It seems I didn't do my homework.  Reading the fine print I see...Don't plant where tomatoes, potatoes and peppers have been.  (I guess there are certain pathogens in the soil that can damage the new plants.)

That's almost everywhere in my "in ground" double dug beds.  That only leaves the raised beds to put the berries in.  (Sigh.)  I really didn't want to put the berries in the raised beds because I was afraid the roots would get too hot during the Summer.  No help for it I guess.

Reading further, I see that you need to plant the roots straight down, no sideways planting or bunching (folding over) of the roots.  They recommend that you DON'T cut the roots.  Alrighty then.

I headed out to plant and pulled one of the starts out.  Crikey!  The root system on this sucker was from the tip of my fingers to my wrist.  Easily 7-8" long.  (Yes, I have mutant alien hands.  All long and skinny.)

Well, THAT works well for the raised beds.  All that nice compost and leaf mold allows for easy digging.  I would never have been able to work these into the ground and get the roots planted correctly in our clay soil.

Planting was easy enough although I did have to spread them out in 3 different beds.  I had 25 plants to put in and "By Golly" I wasn't about to loose any.  Now some of these berries are in with cucumber, squash and onions as bed partners.  A quick Internet search showed that those companions are OK.

I'm starting to feel a bit better about the raised beds for the berry plants.  They tend to be invasive anyway so it'll be easier to control them.  I also recall Leigh over at 5 Acres and a Dream having all kinds of problems with wire grass invading her strawberry beds.  I've got really aggressive Bermuda grass here in my yard.  

The raised beds are looking better and better.  Anything to make my life easier is welcome indeed.  Maybe planting the berries in the raised beds will be a blessing in disguise.  If the roots can take the heat.  We'll see.

Try Not To Cry...

I planted my onion sets this weekend!

It's hard to believe but I've NEVER grown onions.  We don't eat a ton of onions around here but I've been shocked at the price tags at the store.  So I bought an Intermediate Day "Sampler" from Dixondale Farms.  My favorites are red onions, they just seem crisper to me.  But not being an onion aficionado I figured I couldn't go wrong with the sampler.

Dixondale sends you a nice brochure with recommendations on how to grow the best onions.






I planted mine in one of the raised beds and noted that I didn't have the correct fertilizer combination that they recommended.  Oh well...  I'll try to make a note of it and buy the correct combination later.

At least Miss Ginny approves of my onion planting skills.  The brochure suggested planting them 2" apart if you want to eat green onions as you go, pulling every other onion and allowing the ones left behind to grow to maturity.  So that's what I did.  The bed I planted them in had some leaves on top so I just brushed those to the side, planted the sets and then bruched the leaf mulch back around the onions.  The brochure said that when the onions start to "bulb" you should brush away all mulch.

So here we go!  Hopefully I'll get a nice harvest.  Just to look at it, it's a LOT of onions.  Try not to cry.  The crying will come later when I cutting em all up.

A Little Bit Of This, A Little Bit Of That

Lissa over at Lissa's Garden Journey posted a link about Back To Eden , a movie about a fellow in the Pacific NW and his theory on "wood chip" gardening that he's developed over the past 15 years.
 




It's a beautifully made movie but a little long at 1 1/2 hrs.  He gets a bit repetitive and could have wrapped things up sooner but it was worth the time I spent watching it.  (*Saturday turned out very cold with the gusting winds.  SM managed to mow the lawn and I started to prune some rose bushes but we called a day and took our frozen buns back inside.) 

There was a lot to take away from the movie but in retrospect I ultimately feel that if I'd been gardening the same patch of land for 15 years, adding rich composting elements to the soil along the way, observing my results and then having a few years of a "eureka" garden...Well, I'd likely be shouting from the rooftops too.

The fun thing to me about gardening is all of the opinions that are out there.  Lots of variables.  Sharing what works and what doesn't with each other.  Whenever I see videos or hear opinions on a new "miracle" for gardeners, I always take it with a grain of salt.  "Well...maybe" is my thought process.  I like to research a bit, dig a little deeper so to speak.  Is it really the miracle you think it is?  For example, I found this link at Garden Rant with comments about what people think about adding wood chips to your garden.  Who knew it was such a hot topic? 

Now please don't think I'm poo-pooing his theory.  Not at all.  It's obvious that he feels passionately about his method.  And his results speak for themselves.  But I've learned that to embrace just one "theory" is a dangerous thing.  Common sense must be considered.  I did like that he addressed the fact that you just can't toss a huge pile of wood chips on the ground, toss in some seeds and expect something to happen.  His wood chip garden took years to produce.  He shares with us his building blocks of a successful garden. 

Now, I don't want to wait years before I get good results. So while I will consider his methods for building up the future of my garden, I do need to consider right now too.

In life, I believe that moderation is a good thing.  A little bit of this and a little bit of that.  I try to tell myself this daily because I DO tend to commit whole hog to something I like.  (I could eat popcorn everyday of the rest of my life.  Do I do it?  No.  But wait... I do manage to eat ice cream everyday though.  Ha, shoots that theory in the foot doesn't it?)

This year is the start of my third year gardening.  I still consider myself a "newbie" in many ways but I have learned a few things in a short period of time.  

So I thought I'd share with you a few of my personal list of reminders.  Almost a chant, that I make myself say over and over.

Try not to fuss too much.  I've discovered (much to my shock and amazement) that if I just let things be, it turns out all right.  This is hard for me as I'm still breaking a lifetime of habits.  Tomato cages and pruning, Sven dust, compost piles...everything is up for review.  The less I interfere the better off things are.

Go organic.  Well, Duh.  Just the thought of applying those chemicals we used to use as a child gives me the willies.  Funny that I STILL eat non organic things though...

Lasagna just makes sense.  I know that everyone's got an opinion.  From "till" to "no till" gardens, raised beds vs straw bale gardening, double dig vs lasagna.  I think you can mix and match like I do but both SM and I see the sense in a "no till or lasagna method".  Time will tell of course but that's where we're heading.

Quality matters.  I will never again buy seeds from a big box store.  GMO?  No, Thanks.  My first year I planted all big box seeds and the return was pitiful.  The second year I bought from Seed Savers Exchange and Baker Creek.  BIG difference. 

These are just a few of my lessons learned.  Do you have your own "chant" that you'd like to share?

Get Ready, Get Set...GO!

The nice thing about our long growing season here in NC is the fact that most of my garden can be direct sown.  I've read ya'lls "northern" blogs about seed starting and I'm amazed at the amount of space and effort you guys have to dedicate to your seed starting.  Shelves, lights, pots and soil.  This stuff ain't cheap!  It seems that you guys have to start just about everything indoors. 

I don't have a basement here and I simply rely on my laundry room for warmth (to germinate the seeds), my kitchen counter top (for my pm grow light), and my southern exposure dinette area (for direct light once the plants get big enough).

The only thing I started indoors for the past 2 years was our peppers and tomatoes.  That's it.  (Aren't I lucky?)

I went ahead and pulled out my garden notebook from last year and reviewed my notes about when I started those.  March 7th.   Hmm...They got way too long and leggy and were started about 2 weeks early in my estimation.  Even though our last frost date is April 15th, I don't like to put "tropicals" out too quick, so I usually shoot for a May 7th-15th transplant date.  The old timers around here told us that you're fine with end of April but I'd rather be safe than sorry.  So by my notes I'll be starting my peppers and tomatoes around the third week of March.

Even though this is our third year with the garden, I've never tried onions.  I know...spank me now!    I plan on buying onion sets soon but this year I thought I'd try to start some onions from seeds. 

I know what you're thinking, what a pain in the a$$, but I just couldn't resist BC Red Creole for a couple of bucks.



I found a nice site that explains how to start onion seeds indoors.  So the onions are planted according to the method advised.  We'll see.  If nothing else I can use the tops (as suggested) for seasonings.

Now on to the Cassabanana. 



Say what? 

I saw the Cassabanana in the Baker Creek catalog and saw that it thrives in hot summer weather (got THAT covered for sure) and needs a long growing season.  I thought "what the heck" and hit Add To Cart.  I've poked around the internet since then and found this article best describes what I can expect.  So I've started those too. 

This is one of my fun plants this year.  I also want to try a loofah but haven't bought the seeds yet.

*What are some of the unusual or interesting plants that you're planning on starting?  Go ahead, tease me.  If I like what I see I just might end up buying more seeds.

(Insert SM's screams here.)

Ya Gotta Start Somewhere

Most of us who garden (or Homestead) start to do so because of a desire to eat better.  When the gardening bug hit's you it's like being a "babe in the woods."  You have to start at the begining.  Babysteps.  You have so much to learn.  Mostly through trial and error.  But these days you most often get your tips from online sources.  At least I do.  Funny, I rarely find a knowledgeable nursery person anymore.  Maybe it's all about the "sale"?

As we go along, we discover that we like providing a sustainable food source for our families through the use of veggie gardens, fruit trees and berry patches.  Then we want to do more. 

Some of us will take it to the next level and go down the road of livestock management.  Others will grow grain for personal and livestock consumption.  We learn to harvest, process and preserve our bounty thereby ensuring a self sufficient lifestyle that is astonishingly rewarding.

Most of us start this journey by digging deep in our own backyards.  We'll start off with the thought "How hard can this be?".  I know that's what I thought.  "Plant the seed.  Watch it grow.  Easy."

Ha!  "Oh, there is so much to learn grasshopper."

I've documented my own journey on this blog.  But I love visiting other blogsites and watching You Tube videos.  If they had a TV channel all about farming, gardening and preserving, I'd watch that too. 

During the dark days, when I'm dreaming about Spring and what I hope to do within my own little world, I start trolling the internet. 

Today, I thought I'd share some of the links and videos that I've found recently.  Some are videos that you may or may not have seen.  They're new to me so I thought I'd toss them out there.

River Cottage Urban Small Holding is on You Tube and is a series of 5 short videos about 5 families in Britian who have never been exposed to growing veggies and raising animals.  With the help of their mentor Hugh, they take an acre and a half of raw land in an urban setting and create a sustainable "small holding."

What a charming series.  It's an introduction to the whole "grow and raise your own food" concept.  I love to see the "awakening" in the minds of the families (watch the kids faces) who are participating in this project.  The idea of providing for oneself was (and is continuing to be) a life changing experience for SM and I as well.  Wouldn't it be lovely if everyone was exposed to such ideas? 

Another nice site is Peak Moment . 



I found Peak Moment by watching Four Acres and Independence a video about a self sustaining homestead.  Mark discusses raising his geese and sheep for personal consumption.  He shows us his orchard, his homemade food dehydrator, mushroom logs and kitchen garden.  I just love to tour other peoples gardens and homesteads.

The Peak Moment site appears to offer up a lot of interesting topics that would appeal to a broad audience.  To be honest, I haven't really investigated their site very much but from what I've seen so far, I think I'll be spending some time scrolling though and taking a peek at a lot of the shows they offer.  Here's a description from their site: 

Peak Moment is a biweekly series about resilient, locally reliant living for these challenging times. Programs feature host Janaia Donaldson's conversations and tours with guests responding to accelerating energy and resource decline, climate chaos, and economic uncertainty. Sample topics include: local food production; simple living; renewables; transportation alternatives; sustainable building; intentional community; personal, economic, business, and governmental responses.

Here is a video about Pickards Mountain Eco-Institute which is here in NC. They introduce an idea called "Transistion Town Movement" which I'd never heard of before.

I googled it and found endless links about Transistion Towns.  Communities who are coming together to address the economic issues of energy, food and climate change that are impacting them.

This got me to thinking about putting out a flyer in my neighborhood to see if anyone is interested in starting a gardening "club" of sorts.  It's hard to be "snoop-y" trying to look in my neighbors back yards, but I'm pretty certain there are at least a dozen families with sizeable veggie patches like mine. I'd love to pick their brains about what is (or isn't) working for them.  

Have you found other links or videos that you've found interesting that you'd like to share?  Let me know, I'd love to check them out.

32

SM was watching the college football games in yesterday and would yell at me to take a look at the "white-out" conditions.  Has there been a snowstorm before Halloween in recent memory?  Wow!

SM also pointed out that we were due for our first frost this weekend.  Now I been very neglectful of the garden this fall.  (That is on today's list of to-do's)  So I figured I'd better take one more tour before the frost.

SM's been very curious about the carrots, so we pulled one.  Eureka!  The carrot we pulled was about 5" long and actually looked like a carrot.  (Not a baby carrot.)

I wanted to snap a photo, but we ate it first.  But you can see it had some size to it.  So the secret to growing a carrot in the South is to plant it in July, under a wet towel to germinate in a raised bed.  (*My other test carrots I planted a month later (in the ground) and they have no root formed at all.  Just tops.)  

I'd left some of the healthier bell pepper plants alone after the big "Summer Pull" in September.  I'd noticed they had blooms on them and wanted to see what would happen with the cooler Fall weather.

Shazam!  Now that's what I call a bell pepper harvest.  No bugs, no skin disease and some of them grew to a pretty good size.  There's about 10 pounds of peppers in the sink.  I must find a cooler, shadier spot for next years crop.  Just too freakin hot during the Summer months down here.

The Hungarians also grew to a good size.  Whats your favorite way to deal with these?  Can em? Freeze em?  SM asked me to stuff them with sausage and bake them in sauce.  Really?  Any ideas out there?

So that's it for this years garden, then.  SM and I tossed a sheet on top of the salad patch to keep the frost off.  We'll likely have salad for a few more weeks at least.  The carrots will stay in the ground.  I'll pull them as needed.


All in all, this years garden "rocked".  Still some improvements to make but considering it's only our second year, I feel that we've made some BIG strides in production.  Probably the biggest lesson I learned this year is that the raised beds are great for Spring and Fall production but completely suck during Summer.  It's just too hot around here and the roots responded poorly to the hotter soil temperature.  Summer produce MUST go in the ground where it's cooler.

I want to say "Thanks" to all of you out there with your garden and farm blogs.  I can't tell you how much I've learned reading all your tips and tricks.  Sharing what you know, the successes and the failures, have really helped me get to where we are today. 

Peas and Carrots

I went out yesterday and collected the last of the carrots that I had planted last fall. 

The ground protected them well.  I'm impressed.  Note to self:  Start carrots in August for better size/production and let them "over-winter" in the ground.  Harvest as needed.  Plant a lot of carrots.  (Love my carrots.)

Now what to do about a spring crop?  By mid to end May, anything that would be considered a cool weather crop can quickly turn into corn flakes around  here.  So my window is tight.  Very tight.

Last year I got my lettuce, snow peas, and shelling peas in by mid March.

The lettuces stuck around till June.  All loose leaf lettuces.  I love romaine but they take too long to mature.  So I'm sticking with the tried and true:

Salad Bowl- Did very well for us last year.
Red Leaf - Again, easy to grow and a good producer.

New varieties are Slo-Bolt and a bibb lettuce, Buttercrunch.

The NC State site suggests planting in March.  So I got that right last year.

On to peas.  I'm always surprised how many people turn their noses up at peas.  Brussel sprouts...sure.  But peas? I love peas.

Snow peas seem to do well around here.  I noticed them at the farmers market for a few weeks so that encourages me to try again.

Last year I got about 2 full weeks of snow peas before the heat got to them.  Good for "fresh" eating but I'd really like to freeze some this year.  So to increase my yield, plant earlier and plant more.

Shelling peas were a complete bust.  Both for spring and fall.  Zapped by the heat of summer, then zapped by frost in the fall.  Timing issues.

It's funny...I'm still eating like I'm growing in New York or Ohio.  It's a tough habit to break.  I'm going to try the peas again this year.  Perhaps I can make it work if I adjust my timing a bit.  So into the ground go:

Green Arrow and Wando. 

Both are dwarf varieties.  NC state says to plant in February so I need to get a move on.  Hopefully this weekend.  (Grin...Yeah, I know.  Planting in February?  Direct sow?  Weird huh?)

On to carrots.  Scarlet Nantes did well considering the timing issues and they have a good flavor.  Danvers Half Long seems to be another contender that I read a lot about.  Maybe I'll try those this fall.  NC State says to get those in the ground between February 15th and March 1st.

So, this weekend, peas and carrots it is! 

(*The 10 day forecast shows a nice warm up with highs in the 60's-70's and lows in the 30's to 40's.)

The Flesh Is Weak...

6 am and we're having a thunderstorm right now.  (Ginny is underneath the desk at my feet.  She hates thunder.)

Looking outside in the pre-dawn hours, I can see that my backyard is a soaked sponge.  Standing water.  24 hours of rain.  The dogs "tippy-toe" to do their business.  (At least it's better than snow!)

What a difference a week makes.  Last weekend, 65 degrees and yard work.  The glory of a blue sky, warm sunshine day! 

This weekend cabin fever for all.  (Even the freaking cat wants to be chased through the house at 3am.) 

February has always been my least favorite month out of the year.  It's a "bridge" to spring for sure but geez...28 days have never moved by so slowly.  February was the reason we moved south.  Just couldn't take it anymore!

I need a distraction! 

Thank God for YOUR blogs.

And thank goodness for seed catalogs!

I got my Baker Creek catalog in this week. 

I don't think there's a prettier catalog on the planet.  Even SM has been spotted perusing the catalog...day dreaming.  Look at those colors!

And the varieties!  Who knew?

So, pretty pictures aside, I'd like some feedback.  What Baker Creek varieties have you tried that you liked?

I've got plenty of seeds to start this years garden, but the Baker Creek catalog is like looking at a New York Cheesecake...You know you shouldn't but you just can't help yourself.

Oh yes...I'm buying!  I'd just like to hear of any "must haves" that ya'll have tried.

My First Ever Garden Notebook

Last week there was much buzzing in the blog-o-sphere about how you store your seeds and keeping your garden notes.

Erin at Garden Now, Think Later kicked it all off.  I later read posts from Mama Pea at A Home Grown Journal and later that week The Apple Pie Gal also showed us what she's got.

I must say I was quite inspired!  I hadn't thought of a notebook but upon reflection, this was right up my alley.  So better late than never!

I have no seeds to store so that was a non-issue.

I mooched (ie: swiped) a binder from work.  (Please...you know you do it too...)  And it was old and busted anyway.  Recycle Baby!

I dissected the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Catalog that I got the day before my seeds came in.

Cut and paste. 

(I was big into Art when I was in High School.  Went to University to become a commercial artist thinking I could get paid to do something I loved.  Ha.  Quit school cause I could make more money waitressing than I could working as a "cut and paste girl."  I did a summer internship after my first year.  Minimum wage.  Wow, I haven't thought of that in years!)

I must say that as a 'newbie" in the gardneing world, SESE packs alot of information in their catalog.

This kept me happy for a few hours.

Wonder what it will look like this time next year.

The Good Sh*t

If you have a garden you know that sh*t is important.  It makes the green stuff grow real good.

We are lacking in good sh*t around here.

Oh we have plenty of dog sh*t.  And the occasional bull sh*t surfaces from time to time.  But none of that is going to make my garden grow any better.

I'd like to have some chicken sh*t.  But SM has put his foot down...no chickens.

(The other morning SM stands looking outside with a coffee cup in his hand.)

"There's nothing good on the computer and TV is a waste of time." SM

"Cabin fever?" Me

"I guess."  SM
 
(I see my opportunity for my monthly chicken zinger.  You see I have  not given up hope that with a little gentle persuasion SM can be brought around to my way of thinking.)

"Just think...if we had chickens you'd be out there watering and feeding and...."  Me

"No chickens.  No chickens. NO CHICKENS!"  SM

"...fluffing them up and talking to them and looking for eggs and..."  Me

"We don't eat THAT many eggs."  SM

"Well, I wouldn't want just laying hens, I'd want to raise some meat chickens for the freezer and..."  Me

(Looking around I find that I'm talking to myself.  Again.  SM has left the room.)

Lynda at Cortina Creek Farm posted briefly about her worm bins.  I've read about worm composting and worm castings before.  Hmmmm.

Lets see.  They don't cluck.  They don't need fancy housing.  The neighbors won't complain about them.  They're not stinky (SM's opinion not mine...)  The dogs won't eat them.  (Well, maybe they would eat them but I think I can prevent that from happening.)

Is this the way to go?  Can I get my good sh*t from a source that SM will tolerate?

This requires further investigation.  Thoughts anyone?

My Ever Expanding Waistlin...Ooops...My Expanding Garden

Can a garden ever be big enough?  Good question.  

I can tell you that MY garden needs to be at least as big as the two bellies that it needs to fill so...

Here's the plan.  (Pardon my arts and crafts style layout.)

Yellow = Existing "dug-out" beds.
Blue = 4 new raised beds
Adding 2 fruit trees (2 more on the other side of the yard)
Try a sweet corn patch

I'm wanting to put in 2 long (3' X 24' Horizontal view) and 2 slightly shorter (3' X 16' vertical view) raised beds this year.

My soil is like concrete so last year when I started the garden I either had to dig it out and add soil or I had to go up. 

Money was pretty tight last year so I opted not to raise the beds.  I just dug out the crappy clay soil and back filled them with Mels Mix.  What a mistake!  June hit with torrential rain (7 inches in 1 day!) and my "dug-outs" turned into swimming pools.  Normally we trend towards hot and dry so it came as a surprise that we had too much water.

It seems reasonable therefore to try some raised beds this year.  I'm pretty sure the tomatoes (they never recovered) will like it much better. 

I'm also going to till or "double dig" a patch of regular NC dirt beside the shed for sweet corn.  Just out of curiosity.  This area will get some shade late in the day (after 5 pm in summer) but I don't think it'll impact the corn that much.  We'll see.

On the opposite side of the yard we'll be working various fruit patch's and fruit trees.

I'm still researching raspberries and blackberries (unsure if it's worth trying in this region.)  SM doesn't care for blackberries so this one would be for me and I'm not sure it's worth it.  Both SM and I LOVE red raspberries but the NC State site sounds very discouraging in terms of success.  Heritage, Southland and Mandrian varieties are what they recommend if we want to give it a shot.

I'm considering planting grapes. (SM says don't bother)  But I see a lot of grape arbors in a lot of backyards so maybe our climate is good for growing them.  I'd want them for straight out fresh eating so I'm more interested in a seedless variety.  Lakemont and Niagara (white), Moored and Suffolk (red) and Venus (black) seem to get a good review.

I'd like to try Asian Pears, but SM would rather have pears that are good for canning. Asians are great eating pears (like an apple) but I'm not sure how they would can.  We bought them at the local farmers market this past fall and spoke with the vendor who says that a fellow was growing them successfully over near Ashville.  Make me want to try them.  They're yummy and WAY too expensive to buy in the store.

Research shows that fire blight is an issue with growing pears around here.  NC State says that the Kieffer variety seems to be a reliable producer around here.  Never heard of them.  They also recommend Moonglow and Magness.  

We will definitely be adding a Granny Smith and a Pink Lady apple tree on the other side of the yard.  I NEED me some Granny Smith applesauce and I love the crisp tartness of the Pink Lady's.  We put in Fuji and Gala last year as those are SM's favorites.

Sounds like a lot of work doesn't it?  But it's fun and rewarding so I don't mind.

I'll be curious if these plans actually turn into reality.  Ever notice that?  It starts off as one thing in your head and then everything comes out completely different.

Seeds of Change

Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution.  If you don't have any problems, you don't get any seeds. Norman Vincent Peale

Dreams are the seeds of change.  Nothing ever grows without a seed, and nothing ever changes without a dream. Debby Boone 

I spent some time this weekend researching and considering our garden for this year.

So far the only seed catalog I've received has been from Territorial which is nice but I'm concerned with my options as they are an Oregon based company.  Since I'm not west-coast I wasn't sure that the varieties they offered would be my best choice for the hot, hot, HOT North Carolina Piedmont.

I was really hoping that my catalog from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange would be in by now.  Since they are based in Virginia, I figure I can get more of a regional selection.  I also like that they highlight varieties that grow well in the mid-Atlantic region.  (I need all the help I can get.) 

I really want to carefully consider my seed/plant choices for this year.  Last year I bought what was in front of me and I had enough failure and poor production to know that I don't want to make that mistake again.  (I'm trying for mostly heirloom varieties this year.)

So after seeing other posts about SESE and reading positive reviews at Dave's Garden and I sucked it up and followed my gut and placed my order. 

I based my decisions on SESE's product description (of course), but I was heavily influenced by 2 other sites.

Leigh at 5 Acres and A Dream had an excellent post on what did and didn't work in her garden last year.  Since she's in my region, and a more experienced gardener than I am, I made sure that I carefully noted her winners (and losers) from last year.  Thanks Leigh!

I also pulled up the NC State University vegetable gardening page to get their opinions on varieties to grow.  The link above has a lot of general information but halfway through it offers a very nice table of recommended varieties and dates to plant for both spring and fall gardens. 

I made careful notes about the timing issues as far as planting goes.  My fall garden was a flop last year because I waited too long to plant because of the heat.  I suppose it could still have been a flop since I can't imagine a seedling surviving in 100 degree heat but maybe I'm not giving the little buggers enough credit.

SM wanted to just buy existing tomato plants this year instead of growing them from seed. 

Nope.  Too expensive.  I'd rather grow MY choices rather than what the big box stores or local nursery choices might offer. If I recall, buying existing plants last year was a $4-$5 option.  I can only imagine with increasing interest in gardening that prices will be even higher this year.

I actually had great success germinating my own peppers and tomatoes last year.  My failure was in that we had torrential rain storms last June that turned my garden into a big swimming pool. 

That's why we'll be putting in raised beds this year. 

But that's another post.

I'll do an update post once I get my seeds in...not only to share with you all my choices but also as a means of documenting what works, what doesn't and why. (Just in case there are other southern gardeners out there reading this.)

Fall Garden

The fall garden is doing well with the cooler temperatures and rain that we've had lately. 

SM and talked about building row covers.  I don't think it'll get too cold over the next few weeks, so we have some time to get those built.

I shucked the sunflower seeds yesterday. 

Did I do it right, Casey?

At Last...

I think we've finally turned the corner into fall today. 

Yesterday was 95...hot...the grass was crispy, crunchy under my feet.  SM and I sat in the shade of the maple last evening and remarked how this was likely the last day of over 90 degrees for this year.

A cold front bringing badly needed rain and cooler temps was due to push through today and tomorrow.

SM and I cleaned out the gutters and raked up the loose leaves from the front yard this morning before it was due to rain.  We have a tall birch tree close to the house which starts to drop leaves in late summer and inevitably clogs up the front gutters.  (SM will have to manage that particular chore thru October.)

SM ran the mower over them a few times and I raked them up and "wheelbarrowed" them back to the garden.  I'm putting in all the fall leaves/grass into the empty "dugout" beds to compost over winter.  I'll be adding more soil/manure on top of those beds as our $funds$ allow.

Once we got cleaned up SM asked for some chocolate chip walnut cookies.  

Sure!  

I noticed these were "fluffier" than I usually make.  Ah... the mystery of baking.  Never the same cookie twice. 

Hey...I figured it out!  I used the recipe from the back of the Nestle Semi-Sweet chip bag.

I usually use the Alton Brown Chewy CC Recipe.  I like them chewy.  But to get a chewy cookie you need to use the really dark brown sugar, the darkest you can buy. 

Since SM has a sweet tooth and is diabetic...I use splenda products as much as I can.

Hey...I can't eat em anyway...(no fat or gluten or chocolate in my life.)

SM says he'll eat them quick so I can make them correctly next time.

Sunrise, Sunset

Yesterday we hit 93 degrees.  But we had a pretty sunset!

The next 4 day forecast is for 95,96,94 and 93.  I sure hope those babies out there can handle it.  I've been soaking the beds in the morning everyday but when I come home from work you can see the heat has just dried up all the moisture.

The peas are popping and the carrots are starting to come up.  Yeah me!  (Fingers crossing that I can get through this last heat wave.)

The bunnies have found the winter squash I planted in the old pumpkin patch.  (Note to self: Bunnies will eat first and ask questions later.)  I assumed that since they left the pumpkins alone this spring that they would ignore the squash. Ha!  

Ninja puppy.  Sometimes I have no idea where she is.  Her brindle coat blends in so well... If that red blanket wasn't there, she'd blend in completely

Isn't she sweet?  When she was a pup, her tongue would stick our a bit and sometimes she would dream she was still sucking.

A Simple Day

We hit 90 degrees again today.  The saving grace has been that the nights have been cool with lows in the 60's.

All the seeds I direct sowed last week are up. Yeah!

All except the carrots.  It's funny...just about every east coast blog I hit has issues growing carrots.  I expect I will too, but it's worth a shot considering that I always have carrots in the veggie bin.

We're experiencing a dry spell here in the Piedmont.  No measureable rain in a month.  Mother Nature really knows how to turn off the tap.

SM mowed the yard today.  It's been several weeks since we last mowed and even though "It's a dust bowl out there" Sm said that it needed it.

We're also noticing that the maple is starting to turn.  We think this has more to do with the lack of rain than the assumption of cooler fall weather.

I've spent most of this afternoon reading Farmama.  She's got me considering mixing up my gardening styles. 

As I read through her archives, I noted that she has raised beds for the family garden, tilled acreage for their local organic vegetable business and, just this year, they are trying the "no-till" / sheet mulching methods that I've also heard about.

The nice thing about being a "beginner" in all this is that I can experiment as I enlarge the garden space.  See what works.  Mix it up so something works.

Prep

Preparation:

1. The action of making ready or being made ready for use.


2. Something done to get ready for an event or undertaking.
 
Both of these definitions are true for me today.
 
 

 
Garden prep:  I took action this morning in getting the 3 beds ready to plant for my fall garden. 
 
I noted the other day that the Mel's Mix is DRY AS A BONE.  A better visual is that it has the consistancy of flour. 
 
We got some rain yesterday...as in very little.  And I noticed NO worms, they're long gone, but tons of spiders. I applied a fresh bag of cow compost to each bed and...on my hands and knees...mixed that in with the existing soil. 
 

 
 
Turned the hose on...one bed at a time...and started "soaking" the bed while on worked on the next one. 
 
I then mixed the "dry and wet" together the same as if I were baking.  Similar folding motions.  By the time I was done, all the beds were nice and wet, a lumpy consistancy, but not soaking wet...as in mud.
 
 

 
I plan on hitting it again this afternoon with water and then tonight I'll direct sow my seeds and transplants (hopefully).
 
The reason I say hopefully is because of the second definition of "preparation". 
 
Something done to get ready for an event or undertaking.
 
Uh... Yeah.  I'll be having my upper and lower GI tomorrow and we all know what that means. 
 
"Go to the happy place...GO TO THE HAPPY PLACE!"
 
 

 
Ooooh look...more pretty pictures!  (grin)  *PS...disturbing comments will be deleted...this means you Mom!*