Quiltlady's Gardens

I've started my new garden a lot earlier this year...

2010-06-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

This happens to be my 3 rows at our new community garden next door to the libary in our small town. Its handy. I exchange books and water my rows. I wanted more room especially for watermelon this year. No raised beds allowed here because they till the whole garden twice a year.

This is my home garden of raised beds. I started things earlier this year and crops are growing well so far.

I keep a new blog for my new gardens under:

http://quiltbeagardens.blogspot.com/

so you can go there to see what's new every day.

I try to post every day or 2. I'm loving my gardens.

I STARTED A NEW GARDEN BLOG....

2010-03-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

I will be deleting this blog sometime in April 2010.
I started a new one with my more familiar name, quiltbea, so that family and friends can more easily find me.
Please join me at:
http://quiltbeagardens.blogspot.com/

I shall continue to discuss square foot gardening in the northeast, my trials and errors and new ideas for newcomers and experienced alike. There will be more on my dwarf fruit trees, my blueberry bushes, my strawberry beds, and my seed starting efforts for the first time.
Being a rather new veggie gardener myself, starting in 2009, I wish to share what I learn as I go. This year I plan to try seed saving. I also plan to freeze some of my harvest. All this will be discussed as it happens. Pictures of my small flower garden will also be included. I love my roses and iris among others.
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For those who enjoy quilting, come join me at my quilting and sewing blog where I will post pictures of my projects, tutorials on methods, and other helpful quilting and sewing things. I do NOT know how to post PDF files so I won't be able to make patterns to print.
If you are a quilter, come join me at:
http://quiltbea.blogspot.com/

Please visit at my blogs when you can.

I STARTED ANOTHER BLOG FOR GARDENING...

2010-03-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

I STARTED A NEW BLOG AT:

http://quiltbeagardens.blogspot.com/

I WILL BE DELETING THIS quiltladysgardens ONE IN APRIL 2010.
I WANTED TO USE MY FAMILIAR NAME OF quiltbea SO FRIENDS AND FAMILY WILL KNOW WERE TO FIND ME.
PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THE NEW BLOG.

FOR 2010 I WILL CONTINUE TO POST NEWS ABOUT MY SQUARE FOOT GARDENING ENDEAVORS, MY DWARF FRUIT TREES, MY BLUEBERRY BUSHES AND STRAWBERRY PLANTS, AND MY SMALL FLOWER GARDEN.
I WANT TO SHARE MY TRIALS AND ERRORS WITH NEW IDEAS, MY SUCCESSES AS WELL AS MY DEFEATS BOTH AT HOME AT AT OUR LOCAL ORGANIC COMMUNITY GARDENS.

IF YOU ARE INTO QUILTING, YOU CAN FIND ME AT MY QUILTING BLOG:

http://quiltbea.blogspot.com/

ON THIS BLOG I'LL POST QUILTING AND SEWING PROJECTS ONGOING AND FINISHED AND TUTORIALS NOW AND AGAIN. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MANAGE PDF FILES SO I CAN'T POST PATTERNS TO PRINT, BUT I CAN POST PHOTO TUTORIALS.

IT'LL BE NICE TO HAVE YOU VISIT. COME OFTEN!

I can't believe they made it...

2010-03-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

Here are some germinated broccoli and a cabbage. These are from the starts I thought I'd lost. I had forgotten about them for a day and the soil blocks dried out so I thought the seed died. I watered them and they sprouted the next day. I have to be more careful and watch more closely for new sprouting. They are now safely under my grow light.

And here are 3 of the broccoli from earlier, the ones that were so lanky when I left the blocks too wet. I transplanted 3 that survived and a new sprout from a later start so I have 4 broccoli plants under the lights now. Here is the result 2 days after repotting. I think they might make it.
It takes time to get the hang of starting seeds. Luckily I'm going to a seminar on the 17th when a Master Gardener will teach us to start seeds and plan a veggie garden. Its in conjunction with our new Organic Community Garden being started this year beside the town library. I'll be an eager student. I can apply the learned ideas to my later starts. I hope they work out better than the first ones. Probably by the time I need to start tomatoes, I'll know what I'm doing.

My broccoli has germinated...

2010-03-01T11:18:00.000-08:00

I almost missed them. I didn't check these til afternoon and the Packman Broccoli had germinated in 3 days, to my surprise. I think a little too much. Maybe they were too humid. Anyway, I've placed them under lights to see if that helps. The moisture was dripping from the top of the plastic bag so I think I'll have to try again and watch the moisture. I'm very new at this and I know I'll make mistakes. That's why I started my seedlings early enuf to allow for starting some after the failures.

I just had to start some seeds yesterday....

2010-02-27T11:23:00.000-08:00

I hope the pictures are clear enuf. I dropped my camera on the cement floor this morning and now I get streaks in the photos. I don't know if it just needs an adjustment or I need a new camera, but until I check it out, these will have to do. The trees were photographed before the fall.

Above you see the 3/4" soil blocks I used to start some seeds. I have 4 Packkman Broccoli, 4 Super Red 80 mini-cabbage and 2 Titan leaf Parsley.

After spritzing them well, including with some 'green tea bag' solution, I slid the used meat tray (scrubbed clean with soapy water and dried), into a freezer bag. Closed it most of the way then blew air into the small opening to lift the bag over the blocks, and closed that last corner. The whole thing was placed on a heat mat. I'm hoping for good results even tho the seeds were leftovers from last year and the year before.

After they germinate, I'll remove the bag and the tray will go under my grow lights until the 1st true leaves form when I'll drop the tiny block into 2" soil blocks so gain some growth.

The seeds I've kept inside their envelopes inside a tightly covered jar kept in the crisper of my fridge thru the year. I've heard this should keep the seeds healthy. I'll find out soon enuf.

This is what I saw this morning when I let out the dogs at seven a.m. A lovely white dusting of snow on our trees, making a pretty picture. I'm hoping we don't see any more of it.

I'll be seed-saving this year....

2010-02-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

Right now my raised beds are pretty much covered with snow and ice. Under those 9 raised beds is fertile soil somewhere.

This year I plan to start saving seeds and tomatoes are one of them. I've learned that I need to keep the plants of any one variety at least 5' away from another variety so they don't cross-pollinate and they have to be open-pollinated varietes and not hybrids. To that end I've had to re-plan my garden. Those tall green poles at the corners of six of the front beds are sturdy fence posts from which I will wire and twine. I'm ordering 15 plants this year from Territorial Seed which ships PLANTS, 3 of each of only 5 varieties so I can save seed. I will put a trio at each of the outside poled beds and the beds with poles in between will be peas. I can put the short determinate Oregon Spring in the back of one of the back beds since they won't need the tall poles and wire and twine.

Besides the Oregon Spring, which can be planted outdoors FOUR week BEFORE last frost date (Hooray!), I plan to plant 3 main season Rutger's CS Space Select, 3 San Marzano Gigante 3 which are sauce tomatoes, 3 Brandywine heirlooms (which I hear are the tastiest) and 3 Delicious heirlooms this year. That should give us lots of tomatoes and lots of extras for saving seeds for the next year or two. I'll keep you posted on my progress thru my planting efforts once again this year, complete with pictures.

Nothing in the garden, but fresh bread on the table...

2010-02-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

I made a loaf of French bread in my bread machine. There's nothing like fresh bread to cut in thick slices.

One of my favorites ways to have it is to toast it on a cast iron grill pan then slather butter over it. It was....mmmmmm good!

On the gardening front.....I got word from two nurseries that they received my orders. One is shipping out today and the other, for my dwarf Fuji apple tree, will ship around May 2nd. I'm getting more excited.

I'm going to use soil block makers this year...

2010-02-14T16:38:00.001-08:00

I plan to do some seed-starting this year. I finally got a grow light since my only windows in my daylight basement in-law apt are west facing and no help to start seedlings. I also got a heat mat. I have the small 3/4" and the 2" block makers but not the large one which is too expensive for my purse. Eliot Coleman, who created these devices, states that one can use 4" plastic pots that have slits cut in their sides to prevent roots from balling. The roots stop growing at the air vents. That's what I'll use. The pots, once the seedlings are sown in the garden, can be sterilized and used year after year. This is another thing I'll be reporting on in this blog. Everything is new to me being a new veggie gardener only last year. I've got lots to learn and will share my learning experiences as I go.

My garden is still under ice and snow...

2010-02-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

I checked my raised beds today. I got an email from a local nursery that instructed that I could start radishes, mesclun, carrots, scallions and spinach by Feb 15th if I use a double hoop system, one inside the other. Well, I checked my beds. Under the top layer of snow is solid ice even in the ground. I think I need a few more days of over 40s temps to do any good for me here in Maine. I'll be picking up my 1 x 2s tomorrow to try my experiment with making a plastic tent, as opposed to hoops, which I don't have and can't make. I can make a tent. I plan to put a shorter tent inside the coldframe tent covered with heavy row cover and start my cool-weather crops under that. Its an experiment to see if I can get earlier crops. I hope it works. I'll be posting pictures and results as it happens.

Since I couldn't get my beds ready, I stopped at the library and picked up a book on growing herbs in pots. I'm especially interested in growing perennial herbs so I can bring them inside for the winter and keep having herbs year round. Another experiment for me. I picked up some potting soil while I was out today. I have pots that are at least 10" across so I'll be starting some garlic chives tomorrow and a pot of mesclun as well.

And to appease my disappointment at not being able to start my garden endeavors, I'm making a batch of buckeyes/peanut butter balls. Here they are ready for the fridge to chill them before dipping in chocolate. I think I have enuf to share with the family as well unless I get ultra greedy, which I hope never happens.

Stay tuned weekly to see what's happening in my organic garden of raised beds, my rose garden, and the new organic community garden we are starting in our town this spring. That's got me very excited and I'll be taking pictures of that as well. Til we meet again, enjoy those seed catalogs and dream, dream, dream.

I can't garden, so I made homemade pizza for Super Bowl Sunday for the guys...

2010-02-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

I made pizza dough in my bread machine. When it was done at 'dough only' I tossed it onto my bread board, let it rest in a heap about 10 mins, then rolled it out in a rectangle large enuf to fit my large cookie sheet.

I browned Jimmy Dean precooked sausage patties, and a pan of ground beef. I removed the excess fat from the beef with a turkey baster.

I added my favorite tomato sauce to the ground beef only, which comes out of a bottle these days, just enuf to flavor the meat.

I sprinkled corn meal over my large cookie sheet. Placed my pizza dough over the sheet and shaped it to fit, rolling the excess edges inside around the sides of the pan.

Added my favorite pizza sauce over the dough, again from a bottle. Added my grated cheeses and then finished with half of it ground beef and the other half pork sausage. If I had some pepperoni, I would have added that as well.

I cooked it at 400* in a preheated oven, for 28 mins until the bottom was browned lightly. I usually cook pizza dough at 450* for less time, but I had preheated it to 400 by mistake so went with it.

I have another serving of pizza dough in the bread machine for later. I didn't realize the football game wasn't until later, so my son and I ate much of this for our lunch.

USE ONLY UNTREATED LUMBER FOR RAISED BEDS!!!!

2010-02-03T17:06:00.001-08:00

When you build your own raised beds, I cannot stress enough that you must use UNTREATED lumber. You risk your health and anyone else's who shares your crops if the lumber is treated. There are chemicals in treatments that are detrimental to your health. The foods grown there will ingest the chemicals and you will ingest them from the food.
DO NOT buy treated wood.
Lumber for decking is treated with chemicals so do NOT buy that either.

Untreated cedar is the longest lasting wood, but I could not find any untreated in my area so I went to a lumber company that had spruce and fir and chose the stronger and more longer lasting spruce for my raised 4 by 4-foot beds.

Be safe and enjoy growing your own veggies this year. I'll be posting my pictures and changes for this year so watch for them.

A new method for growing Cucumbers...

2010-01-29T12:16:00.000-08:00

This is from the book, 'Best Ideas for Organic Vegetable Growing" by the editors of Rodale Press.

A lady in Texas has bountiful cucumber harvests that I hope to achieve this year.
The articles states that she buys reinforcing wire, the kind that strengthens concrete, and forms a cylinder, wiring it together. She digs a hole in her garden and sinks a gallon can into it to which she had punched out a hole in the bottom. She fills the can with dried manure from a nursery and adds water. The cylinder is placed around the can and sunk into the ground to keep it secure. The can provides a steady supply of food and water for the cukes as they grow. Cuke seeds are planted one every 3 inches around the cylinder about 2 inches away from the base. When the cukes are about 6" tall, she removes every other plant so she has ony one plant every 6 inches. She claims she gets the largest harvests she's ever had. As you can see from the photo she supplied, it surely looks promising.
There's been some thought also that electrical currents in the air promote plant growth so maybe that helps as well.

Anyway, I'm going to try it this year. I'm in Maine, but I'm sure it can work here as well.

Yippee! Our Community Garden is a fact...

2010-01-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

This spring our town will have its first Community Garden. The organizer sent the newsletter yesterday to those of us who showed an interest a few months ago and she's already got a grant to buy seeds and supplies and till the field. The empty field beside the local library is owned by the town , who is one of our sponsors, and the CG are leasing it for a reasonable fee. I'm sooooo thrilled. I know that with the Master Gardener that will be on hand to help us get this going, I'll learn a lot about growing vegetables organically. The MG owns the adjoining property and has a greenhouse where we will be allowed to start our seed indoors, like peppers, tomatoes, etc. He will also teach us how to do it. Isn't that fabulous! I have a grow light and a heat mat here at home but I was only able to get about 9 plants started last spring. Most of my efforts never made it to the seedling stage.
I hope to get at least 3 eleven-foot long rows for my veggies. I want to grow a variety of things, even if its only a plant or two, so I can learn how to grow each of them properly in my raised beds at home. The community garden will be my learning and testing ground. The C Garden will also have several rows specifically for growing food for the local Food Pantry. I've also volunteered to help with that aspect. I think its a wonderful idea. Our local Food Pantry has had in influx of families needing help with so many layoffs and loss of jobs.
I made the list of what varieties I'd prefer, as instructed. I have the same seed catalog, Johnny's Selected Seeds, from whom the CG will order their seeds, so I knew enough to name names. I'll be buying more of my own home seeds from Johnny's as well.
I just wanted to share my happiness. It doesn't take much to make me happy. A rose bud opening, a pepper plant producing a sweet pepper, a vine of sugar snap peas ready to eat right off the vine, my corgi waiting with bright eyes to go on our walk. I'm a happy camper right now and the winter doesn't seem so tedious.

No ground for gardening in the north country...

2010-01-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

Over a 4-day period last weekend, we got a total of 16" in our town as you can see my by birdbath being buried with the white stuff. Such weather is not conducive to gardening, but it sure puts one in the mood to thumb thru the seed catalogs that are coming to one's mail box these days.
I've made lists from each one, but to be realistic, I will be cutting back on the dream lists drastically. I have saved seed in glass jars in the crisper of my fridge, from last year, because some seed can keep up to 4 years. I want a couple of new varietes to try and I need to get more radishes and lettuce seeds, which I used up, and parsnip seed which doesn't keep more than a few months. Unfortunately last summer I lost the whole crop of parsnips due to the over abundance of rainfall we had. Some things survived, but a few things couldn't cope with too much rain last July. I can only hope for a better summer this year. That's never happened that I can remember.
In the meantime I've started my new garden journal and made my garden plans.....over and over again. I'm sure I'll change them again before I start planting, but it's fun making plans. It gives one hope that spring is right around the corner....at least in some areas of the country.
Wishing all the gardeners out there a great spring.

My gardens are still under snow, except for houseplants...

2010-01-17T14:49:00.001-08:00

Here's my only African violet which surprised me by being a double in one pot. Now I have two blooming violet plants. Very pretty and nice to see during this cold, white season. I'll have to re-pot them but will wait til they go into dormancy. If I do it now, I'm sure I'll lose the blooms and I'm enjoying them too much right not.

Will this snow never end this weekend....

2010-01-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

I cleared a path to the birdfeeders, brushed off the towers of snow and refilled them. The chickadees were very grateful and waiting for me.

Here's the rose garden outside my living room windows. The snow is not yet cleared off the birdbath but I've since done so and filled it with warm water for my feathered friends.

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I don't think I'll be sitting on my garden bench doing any reading today. We got about 10 inches so far and it stops in between bouts of snow. We're expecting another 6" today and maybe 2" tomorrow. We'll see if they are right. Its still too much for me but I'll be staying home, the grandkids are still on vacation so no school for them anyway, and my larder is full. In fact, I'm off to heat some chicken soup to warm up this old body after its tour outside in the wind. Have a good weekend everyone and stay warm.

I won't be gardening for awhile yet...

2009-12-29T09:56:00.001-08:00

I have to admit I love the winter scenery. Its beautiful....

This is the view from my doorway to the driveway upper left. The sun on the snow across the lawn looks pretty.

Some of the trees never lost their brown leaves so the snow atop them is colorful.

Another view past my hosta garden beside the house.

I have to say the snow is lovely when its fresh and the day is sunny. Its cold tho, at only 20* at noon today. Brrrrr. I'm staying in today. The snowcover will be good for the garden beds. It'll keep the cold winds from damaging plants. But this is just the beginning of our Maine winter so we'll see much more of this white stuff and by February we'll be praying for anyting but snow.

I'll be posting the progress of my veggie garden as it happens.

Just a note: I think this year I'll be planting perennial herbs in pots that can go out during the spring and summer but come inside for the winter. I think that's a better plan than putting them in the raised beds. Things like Pesto Perpetuo Basil, Garlic Chives, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Spearmint, Roman Beauty Rosemary, and Stevia. I won't bother with the ones that need drying. Too much work when I can buy them in the bottle cheaper than growing them for one family.

Have a mild but good winter everyone with snow cover as the poor man's compost!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

2009-12-25T08:07:00.001-08:00

My corgi Penny and I wish you all a Merry Christmas. This is NOT a photo of my Penny, but one I got off the 'net but they look like twins so I couldn't not post this with its appropriate attire.
My little dog joins me in my gardens whether its spring, summer, fall or winter. She's always by my side. She's even beside me evenings now as I make notes going thru a couple of gardening catalogs I've already rec'd for 2010.
For all my gardening friends, I wish you good gardening next year. I hope you've been lucky enuf to get something you can use in your garden. That's always a winner in my book. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

WISHING YOU A SAFE CHRISTMAS EVE!

2009-12-24T06:35:00.001-08:00

For those of you traveling to Christmas gatherings today and tonite, be careful driving and be cautious of 'the other guys' out there.
Don't drink and drive. Be safe. Enjoy.

My garden is under a blanket of snow...

2009-12-11T20:09:00.001-08:00

My nine raised beds are buried.We got another ten and a half inches of snow. I guess I'm not going get that fall sowing of radishes and lettuce after all. The black object covered with snow on the left in the midsection of the photo is my compost barrel. That, too, is buried. Its a good thing I don't have anything to put in there today.
Instead of gardening, now I'm sewing and cooking for Christmas.

Our First Snow of the Season!

2009-12-06T09:28:00.001-08:00

At eleven o'clock last nite , Dec 5th, my corgi and son's golden were checking out the first snowfall of the season.

At eight this morning, and five inches of the white stuff, this is the view of my flower garden.

The trees are lovely and the sky is blue today. More is expected for the next 4 days. I hope its only a scattering here and there.

These are my Black-eyed Susans (Rudbekkia) in foreground, rose bush in background and my birdbath. Behind the birdbath is a Peony.

Living in the north country we expect a lot of snow....and we get it. Last year our first snow was in Nov. so it held off a bit this year. Its great as the cheapest compost for the gardens, keeping the winds from destroying many bushes and plants and giving them a warmer blanket than no snow at all. I don't mind as long as I don't have to drive in it. Today I'm inside working on sewing projects and Christmas goodies for the freezer so its no problem.

Worms are cozy for the winter....

2009-12-01T05:24:00.000-08:00

This is the result of worm composting. I garnered a few 28-lb buckets of this healthy, chemical-free soil enrichment for my spring garden next spring. Its all the result of keeping a worm condo.

My worm condo is set up in my bathroom for the winter. In Sept I brought them in from their shady summer residence under the trees in the backyard. There are 2 additional floors to the condo, but I'm using only one floor now and the basement.

Their home has shredded newspapers, a bit of soil so they can use the bits for chewing, and of course, kitchen scraps.

The green garden tool is handy to move the coverings aside to add their food scraps and to check on their well-being. Worms don't like light, so they scramble below in a hurry.

I managed to catch a few unawares. The pink bits are well-fed worms doing their job for my veggie garden by making healthy, clean, vermicompost. The greens are chopped up canned green beans. No, they don't smell. They don't get loose either. I secure a small piece of pantyhose over the liquid drain spout with a rubber band so no critters can get free. The drain removes excess water and the liquid compost is terrific for container/potted plants during the winter. In the summer my flower garden benefits from the liquid compost.

No pictures to show, just comments....

2009-11-30T09:39:00.000-08:00

Its the day before December and its been rainy and cold here in Maine. Today is a gray, rainy day once again but temps in the 40s so not bad.
The bad is my gardens are all taking their winter's naps.
I've covered my radishes and red lettuce rows with clear plastic hoping for some harvest, but their growth is at a stand-still for now. I'm thinking 'no more veggies this year' at this time.
My gardens now consist of my indoor plants; the flame violet I'm trying to root in a jar of water, the African violet not in bloom, prayer plant, a couple of ivies, a grassy-type plant, two orchids also not in bloom, and an Orange tree given to me 4 years ago that's never bloomed.
I got myself a plant-grow light this spring to start my garden seeds so that's now doing double duty for the house plants.
We'll see what we shall see. I hope to get something... anything blooming in the near future. I miss my gardens.

Today brings One More Rose....

2009-11-09T12:38:00.001-08:00

Surprise! Surprise! Another David Austin rose is starting to blossom. This one is a pretty pink variety, Portmerion. This must surely be the last rose of the season, and I'm enjoying it.

Winter is almost upon us....

2009-11-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

Most of my garden beds look like these, asleep for the winter.

But in one corner I have some mini red cabbages still producing.

Here you can see the clover starting to grow. I recently seeded it in the potato patch for green manure in the spring.

Here's some red lettuce growing. It's been over 3 wks since sown and until now I thought they were frozen.

Radishes are sprouting that was also reseeded about 3 wks ago. Our cold nites have been instrumental in slowing the growth a lot. I don't know if I'll get any edible radishes from this lot, but I'm trying.
We've had very cold nites, some at the freezing point. I've covered my beds nites for the really cold times shortly after sowing the seeds. We're expecting a few good days, in the 5os and 60s, so maybe I'll still get something from my garden. One can only hope.

For now I'm busy filling my compost barrel so it can overwinter and hopefully produce some nice compost come spring. That's taking priority in my garden right now....that and replanning my garden for next year. I'm already eager to get the spring catalogs.

The last of my summer gardens...

2009-10-28T12:09:00.001-07:00

It looks like the beauty of summer is soon going to be the frost and snow of winter in my area, southwestern Maine.

This is the last rose of summer, Noble Anthony, a David Austin English rose, starting to blossom. All my other roses have finished their blooming. When Anthony opens just a bit more I'll cut it and bring it inside to enjoy for another week. If I leave it outside, it's sure to turn brown in the cold nites expected in a couple of days.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer of beauty from their gardens. Those with veggies, I hope you are enjoying your bounty. Tonite I'll be making fresh hash browns from my own homegrown potatoes. They seem to have a better taste. Maybe its their freshness, having not been stored in a warehouse for months.

Would you believe I'm already planning next year's raised veggie beds? This time I'll plant each of my 9 beds (4' x 4') with only one or two types of plants. I think it will be much better in their maintenance, watering needs, and better for rotating plants the following year. I'll also stick with the veggies we enjoyed best this year.

Four of the beds have been composted and I need to start another compost bin for next spring to compost the others.

I have several bags of dry leaves set aside and lots of greenery from the beds to chop up to add to the compost.

I still look forward to radishes, lettuce and Swiss chard planted recently and only the radishes are showing any growth. A few red mini cabbages are left to head up.

This has been my first year trying Square Foot Gardening, and though I love the method, I should have kept the varieties in the same beds for easier care. Unfortunately, a beginner, I put a little of this and a little of that in each bed. The watering needs differed as did the general care as to sunshine, shade, etc. Next year should find my bounty improved and my work less.

2009-10-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Its autumn in Maine and that means overcast skies over the mtns and color in the leaves, nites in the 40s, sometimes 30s.

The road to our house is blazing with red, orange, and gold beauty.

Its the season when our mums are prolific and beautiful.

This long view of my 9 raised beds shows a pretty bedraggled state. Most crops have been harvested. In the two left front beds I've now planted radishes, lettuce and Swiss chard hoping for a longer harvest. I have to cover both beds at night to prevent frost damage but the days are ok. In the 50s or high 40s right now. I have to pull the rest of the dead and dying plants and chop them up for the compost. I have also raked up 5 bags of dead leaves which I shall hoe into the beds and chop them in and cover them over for winter. This weekend I hope to get my grandson to help fill several more bags of leaves for this purpose. They should help feed the soil for next year.

This is the last Early Jersey Wakefield cabbages that I harvested last nite, Oct. 14th.

This is the last eggplant harvested 2 days ago.

The last zucchini was also harvested 2 days ago.

My veggie beds have lots of fall color from the marigolds I planted in the left corner of each bed to repel insects. I think it did its work, except for the Japanese beetles which attacked my sugar snap peas.

Nasturtiums in the right front corners also helped repel insects. I'll be planting them again next year.

I've enjoyed my first year of gardening. Next year I plan to allot only one or 2 veggies per raised bed. I think it will make my gardening chores easier and also better for crop rotation the following year.

I Harvested my Worm Castings Today...

2009-09-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Here's the 28-lb bucket of worm castings I harvested today. I started my new worm condo on March 26th this year so it took almost 6 months. I started with 500 red wigglers. I kept the condo outside in the shade of some trees all summer and today I knew I needed to get them inside again for the winter. The compost is soooo rich and wonderful.

Here is the first floor of the condo being prepared for coming inside this fall and winter. I caught most of the worms as I spread out the castings and added them to this condo. Added shredded newspaper and dampened it. Topped it with a layer of spent soil from the annual hanging baskets. I buried some coffee grounds, crushed eggshells, chopped tomato tops and potato peelings all in one small area, which I chopped up small.

This condo stays into my bathroom for the winter. There are 2 extra floors so I can add to it during the long winter. With more worms, they'll be more castings and the extra floors may be needed.

The cover you see at the top goes over it. Every few days I dig a hole and add veggie and fruit peelings, coffee grounds, etc to a new small area and cover it over with the newspaper and soil. Crushed, dried egg shells make good egg beds for new worms. I also sprinkle water over the whole thing every few days as well. The worms stay happy and well fed and do their thing. There is NO odor. The little spout at the bottom drips excess water into a covered bowl which is caught and used on both outside or inside plants. I like having less garbage to toss out and I especially love having castings to add to my raised garden beds in the spring.

Have you tried Alpine Strawberries?.

2009-08-27T11:20:00.001-07:00

I wanted you to see how small are Alpine strawberries. See the penny on the paper towel with them and the baby carrot. Alpine reds are a bit tangier than regular ones but the size is perfect for adding to cereal and ice cream. The yellow ones are a bit larger and they have a taste similar to pineapple. I only have 3 plants each but will add more next spring. Alpines are perennials and don't take the care that regular ones need, like cutting back and cutting off runners and removing the mother plant, etc.

As usual, I picked more tomatoes, among them Romas, Early Girls, Big Boys, German Queen, small Red Husky and tiny Sweet 100s. I'll have to be making sauce in the next several days to preserve them.

I wanted to see how my onions are doing so I pulled up a few onions, both yellow and white and laid them in the sun to dry out. They are a medium size.

Its wonderful to have a garden of your own for fresh veggies. I'm enjoying this trip into Square Foot Gardening and hope to get some new radishes and lettuce in this weekend for the fall crops.

More of my roses are reblooming lately....

2009-08-26T19:35:00.001-07:00

Before seeing the roses, check out these Golden Russet potatoes I dug up day before yesterday. I wanted to check them out. There was enough for my supper and that of my daughter's family. Mmmm good. I'll leave them along with the Kennebecs to grow a bit more.

This is lovely Crimson Falstaff, a deep red rose.

Here are a pair of them.

This bright pink is Portmerion.

This apricot is Teasing Georgia

This is in two shades, pink with a bit of yellow at the throat... Christopher Marlowe.

I love all my English David Austin Roses. They bloomed earlier in the summer and now they are starting their reblooming which will take them thru all of Sept and some of Oct, depending on the weather, in southwestern Maine.

My square foot garden is giving me lots of good food. Tonite we gathered cabbages and both sweet and hot peppers and more tomatoes. I'm so glad I had my son put in those 12" raised beds. They are giving us good crops.

My roses are coming back after the heat...

2009-08-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

My David Austin roses always take some time off in the summer heat and don't bloom. Right now one is coming back and its been hot. This is Camisole, an apricot rose and very aromatic. I love it.

We've had temps in the 80s and sometimes around 90 and the humidity has been awful on many of those days. I won't complain because the rain in July drowned many home gardens. I was lucky. With my veggies in raised beds, the water drained well so except for some mushy strawberries and some water rot, my plants made it thru July. Now we are getting the much needed sunshine we missed. I doubt, tho, that my melons will make up any ground. They look stunted so far. We've been eating tomatoes, cukes, broccoli, zucchini, eggplant and peppers lately. The lettuce is past as are the radishes. I've really enjoyed this first summer with a raised veggie garden.

After another 2 inches of rain, things are OK...

2009-07-09T13:36:00.001-07:00

My garden sure is green after all the rain we've had.

These are Packman Broccoli. The heads are purple and about2-3 inches across. When does one cut them? I understand that they will continue to grow on the sides after the center is cut out. One head is turning greenish. Is that one past the 'use by' date????

My 4 cuke plants on the left include Boston pickling, Burpless, and Lemon cucumbers. To their right are sweet peppers, then I have white onions with their long green stalks.

The Sugar Snap peas are growing. There weren't any 2 days ago. I guess the rain is doing wonderful things for them. I hope to harvest some in the next day or two. I think you harvest when you can feel bumps in the pods. Being 'green' at growing crops, I'm learning as I go.

My latest views on July 3rd...in Maine...

2009-07-03T12:56:00.001-07:00

I have 5 blueberry bushes to the right of my raised beds. This is Chippewa showing berries.

This is what a broccoli looks like when it starts growing.

In front there's 3 Brussel sprouts with iceberg lettuce under netting, two sweet peppers next to the netting and the snow peas starting their climb on the trellis behind.

These are my 6 Early Jersey Wakefield cabbages, the biggies, with mini red cabbage to their right. In back, along the trellis, are more tomato plants.

This cauliflower, White Cloud, is heading up so I use clothespins to pin the long leaves over it to keep it white. This is a small-head variety so when that head is about 6" across, its time to harvest it. I'm thinking next week we'll have cauliflower for supper. Again, see the DVD disks hanging alongside to deter the deer. Its worked so far. I had some deer damage to a couple of 'Sweet 100' tomatoes over a week ago but none since I put up the disks. These are from advt that came in the mail to get AOL mostly. I saved them over 4 years. I knew they'd come in handy if I ever had a veggie garden.

This is my garden on July 3rd...in Maine.

2009-07-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

Long view of my garden beds. The arrow is pointing to the DVD disks that are hung on poles to deter deer. I have 5 poles along that side toward the woods and also some hung between beds. That's my regular strawberry bed in the front behind the short white fencing.

My herb bed has as assortment: sage, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, two kinds of parsley, with the tall ones being dill and basil right in front of it. In the back along the trellis I have a couple of tomato plants.

I keep my iceberg-type lettuce under shade netting. I removed a bit so you could see. The rains are bringing me some brown lettuce leaves. I'm hoping for more sunshine soon. The plant to the right is a Brussel sprout, again with the marigolds.

In this bed there's marigold and nasturtiums on the ends with white onions in the center front. In the next rows I have several green peppers and the back row along the trellis has 4 cucumber plants.

My peas, sugar and snap varieties, have grown so much in the rain that I'm going to have to train them back over the top. That top twine is nearly 7 feet above ground. In front are 6 broccoli plants that are just now showing some broccoli heads.

My garden today, July 3rd....

2009-07-03T12:39:00.000-07:00

Lettuce under netting with yellow and green bell peppers to its right. Behind along the twine trellis is pole beans on the left with lighter leaves, and snow peas on the right with lots of blossoms.

My Potato patch is lots of green but no blossoms yet.

In my annual flower bed I also have Alpine Strawberries that are covered with several blossoms.

Swiss chard in front with 4 eggplants behind. I have nasturtiums in the right front square of every bed to repel bugs.

This is one of my two zucchini, Black Beauty, with marigolds in the left front square. I have marigolds in all the front left sqs, again, to repel bugs. Under the plastic are my cantaloupe plants. We're still having cool nites besides rain day after day after day.

I'm getting blossoms....

2009-06-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

This is the view of my 9 raised beds yesterday with the strawberry row, Quinault and Sequoias, in front. The white circles in front of the fence are a string of solar-powered lights that change colors in the evenings. I'm hoping they might keep some of the critters at bay. My wooden sides are 12" spruce boards cut in 4-foot lengths. My trellises are 7-ft fence posts bought at Home Depot for $5.90 each and pushed a foot into the ground inside 6 of my raised beds. I used sisal twine for the vines and the tomatoes.

My White Cloud Cauliflower is heading up. I only have 2 left. One already came to the table a couple weeks ago. Why it was so early, I'll never know, but it surprised us....and tasted great.

My Boston Pickling Cucumbers had lots of blossoms yesterday. That's a still very young Lemon Cucumber just to its right.

Yesterday I had myself a great big salad. The radishes are White-Tipped, Cherry Belles and the whites are Ping Pongs. The greens are Red Sails and Simpson lettuce leaves. I had to add a store-bought tomato since my toms are just yellow blossoms now.

My Ichiban Eggplant has a nice purple blossom. I guess I'll have at least one of them in the near future.

This first effort into square foot gardening has been a pleasure. No heavy duty weeding. I just pull the newest weeds poking up their heads a little each day. I use mown grass for my mulch. After every mowing I'm out there with a child's the rake getting the swaths that kick out of my son's riding mower.

A nice day to take pictures, overcast....

2009-06-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

In front of the sugar and snap peas are 5 Packman Broccoli plants. I have marigolds in the left frt sqs and nasturtiums in the rt frt sqs to repel some bugs. I hope it works. So far so good.

Some of my corn, Sugar Buns, sprouting.

Left is Boston Pickling Cucumber and to its right is a Lemon Cucumber. I also have another pickling and a burpless in this row to the right but not in the picture.

Left is White onions with nasturtiums in frt on the rt, then carrots both Mokum and Napoli, and behind the carrots and onions are sweet peppers. I keep water in the white buckets spaced around my garden so I can water the plants easily and with sun-warmed water (when the sun shines, that is).

With all our rain lately, I don't expect to have to water them for over a week since we're going to have rain showers each and every day to some extent.

Clouds and rain expected for a whole week.....

2009-06-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

Orange Bell sweet pepper showing teensy peppers.

Potato patch with all of them hilled now. The Kennebecs are taller in the rear and the Golden Russets are in the front.

This is my potted plant trio near my doorway. Two tomato plants, Yellow Cherry on left and Bonnie Grape on right with a mint plant in the center. I potted the mint plants since they are invasive and the pots will keep them in check.

Tomato plant, German Queen, showing its yellow blossoms.

On left is Zucchini, Black Beauty then radishes down the center and on the rt, front to back: Nasturtiums to repel bugs and in rear to square of Yellow onions.

My raised bed garden today.....

2009-06-23T10:57:00.001-07:00

This is my Alpine strawberry patch today. The 3 on the left have red berries, the 3 on the right yellow ones that supposedly taste like pineapple. I'll let you know when all those little white blossoms turn into lovely, tasty berries. I can hardly wait. Alpines are a perennial and will come back in the same form year after year, tho I'm told that its best to reseed after 3 years for the yield will then drop considerably.

Here's a Peony...

2009-06-20T11:03:00.001-07:00

This is a red Peony bush, Karl Rosenfeld, coming into full bloom now.

A closeup of two of the blossoms....

A close view of a group of them.

I love Peonies, and their only problem is they don't last too long in the season. I have to enjoy every moment while they are here. I have another one that blooms a little later, a pink one, and one peony tree I transplanted from a too shady spot last fall which won't show blooms this year.

Want to see my crops today?

2009-06-17T17:59:00.001-07:00

These are my 3 Brussel Sprouts, Bubbles variety.

Here's the 7 Broccoli plants, Packmans in front of the peas.

I have 6 large Cabbage, Early Jersey Wakefield with some smaller red cabbage, Super Red minis, to their right.

This is another cantaloupe, Ambrosia variety, under its warming vinyl-covered cage which I made from chicken wire, bamboo stakes and clear vinyl to cover them and keep them warm.

I wasn't able to get the trellis I wanted for the larger plants, cantaloupes and watermelons, so they are growing in the last squares along the back of the garden so I can trail their vines into and across the little corn field.

The watermelon is a small variety known as Sugar Baby so I'm thinking this will work for me.

More of my raised beds today....

2009-06-17T17:54:00.001-07:00

Under its clear vinyl cage is cantaloupe, Hale's Best Jumbo with a Black Beauty zucchini to the right.

I've planted two types of carrots, Mokum and Napoli. They are just starting to show their feathery greens.

At last, the corn, Sugar Buns, which is in its own raised little field without lumber. I hope to see a few more shoots soon. I've been putting in seed every 10-14 days in the small bed.

One of my cucumbers, Boston Pickling with a sweet pepper Green Bell, to its right.

This is an eggplant, Ichiban. I have a couple that I haven't planted yet since they are being hardened off and are ones I started from seeds myself.

Today's raised bed pictures....

2009-06-17T17:48:00.001-07:00

The herb bed has basil, sage, tarragon, parsley, dill, sage, rosemary and even a couple of tomotoes along the back row.

Here I have an all lettuce mix and iceberg type lettuces under its netting and chicken wire cage for shading.

My white onions are in these two squares.

Along the back is pole beans on the left and snow peas on the right with bush beans in the front of them.

The left half along the back row are sugar peas and the right half are snap peas with Packman variety Broccoli in front of the peas.

today's pictures continue....

2009-06-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

In front are two hot peppers, Habanero and Serrano with tomatoes growing behind them.

This is a sweet pepper, Orange Bell.

My potatoe patch has raised beds without lumber. The larger plants in the back are Kennebecs with shorter Golden Russets in front. They were all planted on the same day but Kennebecs grow faster.

My Alpine strawberries in front of the annul flowers, another raised bed without lumber. I have 3 yellow that are supposed to taste like pineapple and 3 red ones here. They are perennials.

My strawberry bed, raised again without lumber, of standard berries, Quinault which are everbearors and Sequoia which are June bearors. I've been getting some from the ererbearors about every day lately.

my garden pictures today continue....

2009-06-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

There's a little tomatoe starting on this Sweet 100 Tomato plant.

My 2 Sweet 100 Tomatoes are on the right. To their left is a Roma tomato.

More tomatoes....Mountain Pride, my only determinate and Husky Cherry Red to its right.

Under my clearn vinyl-covered cages I have a couple of Sugar Baby (small size) Watermelons started.

This is one of my 2 zucchini, Black Beauty.

And in the Raised Beds...

2009-06-15T16:34:00.001-07:00

Its been raining for two days now and its awfully wet out there. I did harvest some spinach, radishes, red and Romaine lettuces and some strawberries today after the rain stopped early this evening. I'm enjoying my Square Foot Gardening immensely.
I hope for some sunshine the next couple of days so I can harden off some Ace peppers, cantaloupe and eggplants I started some weeks ago. Its the first time I've done this and they are looking healthy. I know cantaloupe can be very touchy to transplant but I have seeds if this effort fails.
Wish me luck!

Here are my Clematis vines...

2009-06-15T16:31:00.001-07:00

I only have two Clematis vines, this one is Multi-Blue and its my early one. Its in full flower right now.

This is the other, Carnaby, which blooms a little later. Its just started during all this rain we've been having the last couple of days. Its nice to see it another year.

The Orchids I got at the library Plant Sale today...

2009-06-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

Woodsprite Orchids, a well-known orchid grower a few towns over, donated a few of their lovely orchids to the plant sale. I got there very early and was glad I did. I bought these two lovelies for only ten dollars each, a real bargain when you consider the price they sell at the nursery. And the colors are divine. The top one is a rich, bright pink. The lower one is a minty green yellow that is lovely. Both are Phalaenopsis which are the easiest to grow in one's home. I love how the blossoms last for months at a time.

Do You Like Irises?

2009-06-13T14:53:00.001-07:00

This one just opened today and the deep purple gives it its terrific name....His Royal Highness. He certainly looks royal to me.

Progress in my garden as of today....

2009-06-08T15:05:00.001-07:00

Six Broccoli plants in center and both sugar and snap peas on twine.

This is the zucchini Black Beauty under black paper mulch with cantaloupe plants under clear plastic cages and tomatoes to their right. A small cabbage plant is in the right corner with the zucchini.

In the center raised bed are 6 Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbages with tomatoes on the twine to their left.

A view from the front with cabbages in front box and 3 cauliflower in the next box.

Three Brussel sprouts in the front with lettuces under the shade cages with peas on the twine behind them. You can't see the pole beans that are directly behind the netted cages.

To deter insects I have marigolds planted in the left front square of each raised bed and nasturtium seeds in all the front right squares. In some case the nasturtiums share the square with a veggie, but rarely.

I have 17 tomato plants, most in the raised beds but a couple in pots in my rose garden. Only 4 pairs are the same variety. I hope to have enuf to contribute to our local town Food Pantry after harvest.

I'm loving this square foot garden method so far.

Have harvested cauliflower, spinach, two kinds of lettuces, and a few strawberries. All tasted superb and so much better than the store-bought since they were all so fresh from the garden.

I used chicken wire for my cages....

2009-06-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

I bought chicken wire 36" wide by 10 ft long. Measured approx 12" and cut the width with wire cutters. It was very easy.

Crimped back the sharp points on the outside edges of both sides.

Measured approx 12" up from each end, bent wire across, then wove bamboo stake (approx 14-15" to allow for burying into soil) thru all 4 outer eges.

When done, I had a cage 1 foot high and 1 foot deep, shaped like an arbor.

To continue.....

2009-06-02T13:05:00.001-07:00

This is the cage on the lawn.

Place the cage over your plants as desired. Push the bamboo posts into the soil to hold it securely in place.

Attach your shade cover or plastic across the cage and pin with spring clothes pins to hold cover in place. You're done.

I finally made my cages for my sq foot garden....

2009-06-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

These are the shade cages over my red and green leaf lettuces.

More shade cover over my iceberg lettuces.

These are covered with clear plastic to warm the soil and keep the melons warm and safe from chill.

Some cages I bent so they covered 2 sqares and some to cover one square only. They are interchangeable, just a bit shorter on the 2-block wide cages but they work just fine.

Here's another Iris blooming, Halloween Halo

2009-06-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

This one is a rebloomer named Halloween Halo because of the bright orange beards it carries. The lower petals have a light bronzy edge. Its a beauty.

My first Iris of the season, white Immortality...

2009-05-31T11:36:00.001-07:00

This Immortality is a reblooming iris. Sometimes it comes back in Sept but last year it didn't. I think I should have composted after it finished blooming in June and kept it well watered during the heat of summer for it to come back again. I love the pure white of this bearded iris.

After 3 days of rain and cold nites....

2009-05-30T11:12:00.001-07:00

This is my herb bed with sage, parsley, tarragon, dill, basil, oregano, stevia with tomatoes in the rear.

The strawberry bed did well with all the rain.

The Kennebec potatoes are doing well. To the left in the bed is where the golden russet are planted. They will be coming up soon I hope.

Lettuces, both red and green and a couple of eggplants are doing well. Again I have tomatoes in the blocks with the fence posts (toward the left in this picture).

After 3 days of rain.......

2009-05-30T11:03:00.001-07:00

My cauliflower blocks.....

The Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage with toms in back row.

Brussel sprouts, iceberg lettuce, pole beans and peas behind new bed of radishes.

Broccoli, eight of them, with sugar and snap peas in rear.

Onions in front, green pepper and in back row by cucumber plants.

These plants have done well in the rain. I'm hoping for warmer days so the plants can get some growth going. I notice the tomato plants seem to be 'on hold' in the colder days and nites. They haven't had any growth since planted over 2 weeks ago, but the nites have been in the 40s and the days lately in the 50s and low 60s. I think we are going to get some 70s daytimes this week. That should do some good.

I've got a few crops starting.....

2009-05-22T06:16:00.001-07:00

Red lettuce to the left of one of my eggplants.

Spinach. I've already taken outside leaves off and enjoyed some in a salad.

Sugar Snap peas are getting tendrils and will be climbing the twine soon.

The first of my cauliflowers are heading up.

On the left are Brussel sprouts on the right is iceberg lettuce.

I'm so pleased to see crops starting. I also have potatoes sprouting and my Chippewa blueberries have a few growing and cabbage is up but not heading yet. Some of the tomatoes have yellow blossoms. I'm enjoying this square foot gardening immensely.

Expecting a frost tonite....

2009-05-18T20:27:00.001-07:00

With frost expected tonite, I dug out every old towel and sheet I owned to cover my beds against it. The front strawberry bed is covered with a blue tarp and the rest is a double layer of row cover. I hope this is the last frost of the year.

More pictures....

2009-05-14T10:00:00.001-07:00

Forefront, peas and pole beans left and iceberg lettuce.

Longview of my beds today.

Forefront left cukes and next to them peppers.

I placed the zucchini under black cover crop paper to heat the soil. The bottles were too warm around the leaves. Left corner is cantaloupe and in next bed is cantaloupe and tomatoes. The black area to the left of the front zucchini is Sugar Baby Watermelon seeds planted.

Another day, more plants....

2009-05-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

Overview of the garden plot. I've been adding more to the beds. Even added Glad bulbs and red Salvia to the annual flower bed at the rear.

Zucchini under 2-liter bottles, melon areas under black plastic for warming.

Two eggplants under 2-liter bottles. Black plastic covering the tomato squares to warm the soil a bit more.

Peppers placed where I'll be planting them tomorrow.

The herb bed includes sage, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, basil, dill, oregano and even hot banana pepper for my son who loves hot peppers.

I'm making inroads with my beds....

2009-05-10T05:54:00.001-07:00

My herb bed in the forefront with Rosemary, parsley and sweet Marjaram with water buckets warming in the noonday sun for watering my beds. One bucket is compost tea and one is alfalfa tea. More herbs are going in after the rain stops. I've tucked marigolds into one square in each bed. Nasturtiums will go in another sqare in each bed as well. The beds are 2 by 12 inches high by 4 ft wide.

I had to add my 6 Alpine strawberries to the annual flower bed. There wasn't room in their official bed this year. To the left is the potato patch and behind it is the future corn patch.

I got some Junebearers and everbearer strawberry plants and there were 2 plants to a pot which I didn't realize until I started planting, that's why the perennial Alpines had to be put elsewhere.

These are the 3 cauliflower and the spinach so far. My potato patch is behind this bed.

A general view. In the foreground are 3 Brussel sprouts. The little white fences are guarding the new blueberry bushes that border my garden area near the family's firepit.

Its the end of April and my beds are about ready...

2009-04-28T10:54:00.001-07:00

Here are my 9 raised beds amended and waiting for testing before planting.

There's no lumber sides, but this is a raised strawberry bed on the south side of the planked nine.

I also made a raised potato bed and to the rear of it my raised corn field. Both are about 5 feet wide to allow for the slant of the soil hill. Those buckets mark the area where I'll add an annual and glad bed since I have so much garden loam left over.

The mounds in an arc to the right are where the five blueberry bushes are going in. I have 3 Cheppewa right now ready to plant and I have two Patriot coming thru the mail next week.

Amazingly its 82 today (too hot this early in the season since our last frost date is around Mem'l Day). I did what I could in the morning and now I await tomorrow to put a few things in and get my garden going.
I'm thrilled to be starting a Square Foot Garden this year.

Its a busy weekend.

2009-04-18T18:07:00.001-07:00

This is the garden area. Son used the sod cutter to get up all the lawn for the area. He'll be putting together my raised beds tomorrow.

While he had the sod cutter, he cut circles out for the dwarf fruit trees I have ordered, 3 apple (Granny Smith, HoneyCrisp and Red Fuji) and 1 cherry.

I have some good starter tree soil for the holes plus the tree guards to protect the trunks from our golden retriever, Daisy. She thinks trees are dessert.

Here's my proposed garden/orchard spots.....

2009-04-05T10:39:00.001-07:00

My proposed orchard area...... This is our driveway. I'll be planting 3 dwarf apple and 1 dwarf cherry tree in a row along the driveway after that Korean crab apple. The one barely seen in the front, far rt, was 'eaten' by my son's golden. I plan to put wire cages around my dwarf tree trunks to prevent that happening to the new trees. Taken today 4-5-09 in southwestern Maine.

My future Square Foot Garden area. This is facing north with the sun at my back at one pm 4-5-09. The snow is just about gone here. There's still some just out of camera range on the left. I have plenty of dry leaves to put in the composter, that big black monster. The ground is still too wet to remove sod. I hope to get to that next week then the nine 4' by 4' by 12" high raised beds will be knocked together.

This is facing east. The fire pit is next to the fifth wheel parked back here. That pole is the tether ball pole. I may put that to good use for growing something tall and sturdy. Not in my plans yet.

The contuing saga of getting my garden ready....

2009-04-04T17:50:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to touch base with you all regarding the vertical supports for my Square Foot Beds.I checked out water pipe at the hardware store and Home Depot. Too darn costly. I think I'll go for metal fence posts. I found 7 footers in Home Depot for $6.90 each. One foot of them go into the ground. They are sturdy and made for all weather so they should work well for SQ FT Gardens. My only problem then would be the support across the top. I'm still trying to come up with something to hold cantaloupe and Sugar Baby watermelon without caving. I'll keep working on it.Home Dept and Lowe's had all kinds of treated lumber and decking but I won't use that. I want untreated lumber. Fir is readily available but won't last but a couple of years thru the cold winters. Pine is unavailable except for treated. No cedar for my pocket book this year.I think I'll go with spruce which should last 4-5 years. I'll cover my beds with plastic against the raging winters and hope that makes them last longer. If not, I'll just have to put in new ones some years from now. By then, I might not be in any shape to garden any longer. LOL

My first flowers of the season...

2009-04-03T16:27:00.001-07:00

The first flowers of the season, Snowdrops.

Venture into my gardens, raised beds, vermicomposting and roses...

2009-03-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

I plan to post my adventure into vermicomposting, raised beds for my new veggie garden and my small present rose and perennial garden.

This is my CanOWorms vermicomposter. I just got it in March and its got bedding, coffee grounds and stale bread for a starter and a pound of red wiggler worms. I have a piece on panty hose attached with a rubber band so the liquid can drip but the worms can't. This shows the canoworms without its closed top. For now it has to stay in by bathroom since its too cold outside for their condo. When its warm enuf, the whole setup will go out in the shade for the summer. I'll keep you posted on know how the system works for me and if there are problems and what the liquid compost does to perk up any plants and so forth. This is a new adventure for me.

You'll also be able to follow me with my adding raised beds to the back lawn. I priced renting a sod cutter today. $89.99 for 24 hours but only $60.50 for 4 hrs. I'll have to connect with my son when he can do it. It won't be until the snow melts and the ground dries out a bit....maybe the end of April or early May.