Amazing!

Amazing!

Just a couple of pictures to show how things are going here in SUNNY (for a change) Duncan.

* * * 

 Hanging basket, look closely at the blue pansy at top right - do you see what I see?

 Something we don't often notice - a white spider and what amazed us was that it had captured

a bee & killed it!

 The potatoes are gone, as mentioned previously they were volunteers...and they were tasty!

I think we got about 2 or 3 kg from the 3 or so plants.

As you can see, the squash plants are doing well.

 The main squash plant that is producing the most greenery (and has some squash forming nicely)

is located in the corner of the raised bed on the right next to the greenhouse.  And YES, it is doing a great job of taking over everything!  It went across the 5 foot raised bed, up the 8 foot plank, and is now busy trying to smother the greenhouse!  On top of the greenhouse there are 2 or 3 shoots that are setting fruit and it is STILL GROWING!  I think it has grown at least a foot in the last 2 days and I have had to cut the ends off some of the side shoots off the main vine or it would be a huge mess.  To the left of this vine (Sweetmeat Squash) is another squash plant which is probably about 3' or 4' from the Sweetmeat and it is something new to us - it is called "Gold Nugget" and is supposed to have fruit about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds, orange flesh, round, good keeper.  In the center of the support for the scarlet runner beans is a second Gold Nugget.  The Gold Nugget variety does not set vines but instead it grows "bush style" much like a zucchini.  (I hope to heck it has more flavour than a zucchini!)  This type squash might be better to grow as it takes less room and is not trying to take over the whole garden like the Sweetmeat does.

As shown in last year's blogs, the sweetmeat can go to 10 or so pounds which is a lot of squash for 2 people!  To take care of the big squash Janet cooks it and freezes it.  We will keep you posted as to what the new variety is like and how well it keeps and what it tastes like.

* * *

The rest of our garden is doing quite well.  The strawberries produced a good crop but are done for the season now and I have to thin out the plants as there were too many crowded together which meant a lot of berries spoiled.  I am also starting some runners from the strawberry plants I have in the greenhouse as they are "everbearing" and I think having plants that produce fewer berries over a longer period of time might be just what we need rather than a big crop all at once.  We made strawberry jam this year and now we have enough jam (blackberry, raspberry, plum) to last us for many years!  And in addition to jam, we have a load of raspberry and blackberry jelly.

The raspberry patch is choked up with new and old canes.  I have lost count of how many raspberry shoots/runners that I have given away this year already.  Actually I just gave up trying to keep count after I hit 60 or 70!!!  They got snapped up quickly after being offered on "Cowichan Freecycle" - lots of happy people got plants.

Inside the greenhouse, a few changes have taken place.  There were 8 or 10 raspberry shoots that went under the wall of the raised beds and came up in the greenhouse then grew up to the roof and wanted to keep going.  I topped and kept 2 canes in there just to see what they would do and gave the others away.  One support for peas has been taken out and may find itself in one of the outside raised beds.  The lettuce didn't even bother to form heads - some of the butter crunch looks more like Romaine lettuce.  Too much nitrogen in the soil that we purchased to fill the raised beds is making the plants grow like mad but they are not what you really want.  Our tomato plants are up to the roof and topped, some tomatoes on the are nearly the size of a tennis ball already so we are waiting for some nice tasty fruit instead of the "store bought" imitations.

Our cylinder beets are doing well with some showing roots as thick as a broomstick and doing well as far as length is concerned.  We use cylinder beets as they can develop without each beet taking up much room and they make nice even size slices for pickled beets (which all the family loves).

The carrots are growing nicely but it will be a while before there is anything there to taste but we have been eating green beans on a regular basis.  The variety I tried this year doesn't seem to be producing quite as well as the purple ones we usually grow.  Guess we will change back next year.  Speaking of beans, the scarlet runner beans are already past the 6' mark so I am trying to train them on horizontal strings up in the air which makes picking much easier.  We used to do that when we had a 6' high fence around our swimming pool when we lived in Cowichan Bay and it sure was nice to walk along and pick all the beans that were hanging there in front of you instead of having to fight your way through the foliage to find them.

* * *

Till next time - 

Happy Gardening!

GG

 

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BEAUTIFUL

THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE BEAUTIFUL

The middle of June, soon the days will start getting shorter, but we are now starting

to enjoy the bounty of the garden.  Lettuce, peas, bush beans and strawberries!  And it won't be long before we are picking raspberries.  The volunteer potatoes are trying to take over the garden and the Sweet Meat Squash is sending out a nice healthy vine.  

* * *  THE GOOD * * *

 

  EARTHWORMS !  
Our helpers in maintaining soil quality.  Compost workers!
If you have good soil you should be able to find these helpers
in moist places around some plants.  If your compost pile
is working right there should be loads in there!

* * * THE BAD * * *

WIREWORMS!

A different type of wireworm and beetle.

Size comparison






The CUTWORM  Another nastycritter
Shown in the picture is 2 larvae cases plus the active cutworm

In the past we have been bothered by cutworms and wireworms.
Not wanting to put poison in areas of the garden that produce food,
we decided to try beneficial nematodes.  We purchased a package of
nematodes from a local garden centre and kept them in the refrigerator
until we were ready to apply them.  You need warm soil and you have to 
apply them with a good amount of water so they disperse into the soil where
they hunt out various larvae etc.  (Look it up on the internet!)

Since we applied the nematodes we have been seeing a large number of
"critters" that look like wireworms only they are dark grey in colour and
seem to be thinner than wireworms.  Most of these are near the top of the soil
with many of them dead on the surface.  The local nursery confirms they are 
wireworms but I am still baffled by the size and colour as they don't match what
we have seen in the past.  I might have to send samples to the Canadian
Dept. of Agriculture to have the species confirmed.  There are a huge number
of different varieties but these look different than any I see on the internet.

THE CRANE FLY

Ever see what you think is a giant mosquito?
It is probably a Crane Fly !
 

In the larval stage the Crane Fly can make a mess of a lawn.
Circular patches of dying grass usually indicates damage done
by the crane fly larva.  If you turn over a segment of the sod you 
will likely see some of these worms.  Nematodes will do them in!

THE BEAUTIFUL

A garden that is thriving is a beautiful sight.

I guess an explanation is needed - the closest bed is 5'x8' and is home to a variety of plants.
The big plant at the left end is potato, and there are a few of them that volunteered from last year.
They are gone beserk!   At the right end of the bed is our Sweetmeat Squash and it has grown a huge amount.  Last year the same variety grew up onto the roof of the greenhouse so this year I am giving it a helping hand by putting a plank up for it to climb on.  Last year the squash that hung from the vine were more pear shaped than squash shaped!  The scarlet runner beans are hidden in behind the potato plants and a very large chive plant is also partly hidden.
The "tent" covers our 4'x8' bed of strawberries.  They are LOADED!  I made the framework to support mesh to keep the birds out.  I then had to add a strip of plastic along the bottom as the birds were hopping up and getting the berries along the edge.  Then I added a very think plastic drop sheet (for painting) to keep the rain off the berries, and we sure did have a few days of downpours.  ("showers" according to the weatherman - ha!)
 

 Ahhh yes, the greenhouse.  Beets on the left as well as lettuce and peas.  All doing nicely.
On the far right the tomato plants are getting huge and I had to trim off some of the bottom leaves as they were shading the carrots.  Closer in, the bush beans are producing & we have tried them out.  A new (to us) variety that is OK but perhaps not as tasty as the "Royalta" (purple beans) that we grew last year.  The Egyptian onions are falling over, even though tied up (sort of ) and are producing "bulblets" that I am harvesting and setting out for green onions.  

 Janet's flower garden at the front of the house is doing a good job with the Dianthus spreading and the Alyssum that self seeded from last year is doing great.  The variety is "Carpet of Snow" and that is as close to snow as we like to get!

At the end of the bed is a clump of Lavender and also in this bed you can see
Pansies, pink Geraniums and Chrysanthemums.
The bed looks better and thrives better being mulched with cedar bark mulch.

Our "watchdog" likes to lay on the back of the sofa chair and keep an eye on who is going past.
I took this picture as it was the first time we had seen her stretched out like a surfer with both hind legs out catching the sun.  If another dog goes by she kicks up a fuss and "yodels".

And that is how things are here in "The Warm Land"  -  Cowichan Valley

GG
 

Late May, fast growth

May - Fast Growth

It is amazing how much  everything has grown in the 19 days 

since I last posted pictures.

You may wonder about the red & green plastic sheets hung up.
The green one on the outside was put there to give a bit of shade 
as the temperature inside reached 40c/104f one day and the peas 
sure were NOT happy about it.
The red on the inside wall - well, in the Lee Valley Tools catalogue
they offer re plastic sheeting to use as ground cover around your 
tomato and other plants to help promote fruit production.  I have
carrots planted between the tomatoes (companion planting) so I was
unable to use the plastic on the ground.  Instead, I decided to try some
on the wall to see how it would do there.  (I found a red plastic table cloth
at the dollar store that was the right size.) 

Potted flowers in back yard have been swamped by the pansies

* * *

The front flower beds are slowly filling in.  The white flowers are Alyssum that self-seeded.

* * *

 Volunteer potatoes want the whole bed!   Strawberries are loaded, raspberries also

bearing a good crop with lots of bumble bees busy pollinating.

* * *

Inside the greenhouse the "bush" peas have reached the roof and want to keep going.

Another week and we will be eating peas.  

The lettuce seems to be going crazy and not wanting to form heads.

 * * *

In the pictures posted May 6th the tomato plants were about 1/3 the size

they are now.  I keep the sucker shoot pruned off and the plants are doing great.

I saved 4 sucker shoots that were about 3" long, trimmed the bottom leaves,

then potted them and kept the soil very moist.  They developed nice roots and

have found homes elsewhere as I have enough plants.

 * * *

Beware of the dog!

I don't think she has reached 7 pounds yet but she has a good voice!  

Regards to all

GG  

May update - Warmer weather!

Well, the warm weather is with us, so that means more  planting of flowers as well as setting out some seedlings in the veggie garden.  It got so hot inside the greenhouse that some of the peas got burned at the tops.  The temperature reached 104f/40c so I had to hurriedly arrange for some shade.  Doesn't look pretty, but it does the job.  Shade cloth that we brought back from Arizona on the roof and a thin plastic table cloth on the outside of the wall.  It did the trick!

 

In the front bed in the right corner is a single "Sweetmeat" squash plant.  Last year 3 were more than we needed and they just about smothered the whole bed.  Left end of the bed is a chive plant. The large green plants are volunteer potatoes.  (works for me!)

In the next bed are strawberries.  A real jungle, loaded with blooms, strawberries are forming nicely.  The white is plastic pipe framework holding up a mesh to keep birds out.

The far bed is my tangle of raspberry canes.  I think we planted 8 canes last year and they have done quite well (to put it mildly)... I have already given away a few dozen runner shoots and there are many dozen left to sort through and see which I will leave in the bed and which I will dig up and offer them to other people.

 * * *

 Bottom left you can see dark lines in the dirt which are rows of beets just planted and not yet sprouted.  Working towards the far end, next are the last 2 lettuce plants from the ones planted by our Saskatchewan friends before we got home.  Next, barely in sight are some small lettuce plants I started in paper pots and then next to the peas are some lettuce plants we started in pots then set them out in the greenhouse.  As you can see, the peas are right up to the ceiling - I had to top them so they didn't push against the plastic.  In the far left corner hidden away are the inside strawberry plants which are loaded with berries but none ripe yet.  Also in the corner are about 8 raspberry canes that came under the wall and are trying to take over.  Just for fun I am going to let them grow there (I will have to top them when they get near the ceiling) so I can see if they do OK inside, maybe produce fruit sooner than outside.

On the right side are 5 tomato plants.  A couple of "Early Girl", a "Celebrity" and 2 "Super Fantastic"...  all good producers.  On the right bottom corner are a couple of bush beans that are now producing flower buds.

* * *

 Below you can see the Super Fantastic tomato plant and the bush beans with the Egyptian Onions in the corner quietly going crazy.

B

* * * 

One corner of the greenhouse has been temporarily turned into a "nursery" for seedlings or small plants.  If you look carefully you can see 4 tomato plants that are busy setting roots.  They are the suckers taken from my main plants.  I wait until the sucker shoots get a few inches long then nip them off the main plant (where the leaves grow off the stem), I then nip off the largest leaf branch from the sucker and just put the stem in nice moist dirt.  Keep them moist and they send out roots and you have more plants in no time at all.  I have enough plants so these are for our 93 year old neighbour who is still gardening!  

In the big pot is a hydrangea taken from one we moved.  It looks like it is going to do OK as it has been in the pot about a month now so should have some good roots on it.  The pot in the middle with the pink flowers contains some strawberry plants - ornamental type with pink flowers and they do produce fruit but very small and very sweet.  (Gift from our 93 year old neighbour!)  In the plastic tray are some scarlet runner bean seeds in shallow dirt.   When they start to sprout I will then plant them out on my bean trellis/teepee.  Doing this way I know for sure if the seed is growing rather than wait and find out which ones don't germinate.  In the segmented pot are seeds of "Bee  Balm" - the claim to fame is the flowers attract humming birds as well as bees.

 

* * *

So much for the veggies  -  below are a few pictures of the flower gardens.  Still a work in progress and before long they will put on a good show.

 Just starting to look decent - the geraniums are mostly in bud, pansies still small, and the hundreds (yes hundreds) of Alysum plants are just starting to bloom.  They are self-seeders from last year.

 * * *

 The bed next to the south fence is just starting to look good.  The pink Azelia is the main feature at the moment with the peony (bottom left) in bud.  Not sure if it is going to do much in the way of large blooms as we moved it this spring.  Our 2 small Rhododendrons are not happy, possibly due to my not knowing they don't like mushroom manure.  Also in this bed are a couple of Oriental Poppies (the ones our puppy is named after)... as well as some iris, day lillies & a new plant that is a double bloom Columbine (also said to attract humming birds)...

 * * *

Last but not least are the planters by the patio next to the gazebo.  The pansies are the main bloomers at the moment but other "stuff" will be coming on in a while.

I hope you are enjoying the spring as much as we are!

GG

 

SPRING GROWTH UPDATE

SPRING GROWTH UPDATE

Since it has been about 6 weeks or so since my last posting I guess it is time to show a few pictures of how things have changed.  To compare you will have to look at my March 6th posting and how much growth in what seems like no time at all!

 

Not much doing in the large bed, chives growing and a couple of volunteer potatoes but that is all.

The strawberries have bushed out nicely and are in bloom.

I am blown away by the amount of growth the raspberries have produced.  Shoots came out from under the raised bed and I have dug up probably 3 dozen or so and given them away.

 

 The Egyptian onions (AKA Walking Onions) have done  amazingly well and are forming the onion clusters at the end of the stalks.

 Bush beans - yes, just TWO!  Last year we had so many beans we couldn't keep up with them and gave away bags of them.  This year I decided to go the other way - the "Royalta" or purple bush bean is so prolific that two plants will give us enough beans for a weekly feed or two.  Also I will be planting a couple more spaced out a bit so they come on when these start to get tired.  Not sure if this is necessary as the plants produced right until frost last year.

 What was very small lettuce has mostly been eaten with just a few plants left.

 These are plants started in home-made newspaper pots - I put 2 seeds in each pot in hopes at least one will survive.   One has 2 growing and they will both grow to a good size in not many weeks.

 Last posting showed a few raspberry canes pushing up under the landscape ties and into the greenouse.  They were barely visible in the last picture and are now about 2 feet tall.

In the foreground is a strawberry that was a runner from the ONE plant I put in the greenhouse last year.  Between the strawberry and the raspberries here you can see another plant.  It is a gift someone gave us in return for some plants we offered on "Freecycle".  It is Oregano, and it is growing like a weed!  I have already given 5 or 6 plants that were branches that touched the ground and rooted.  Smells like pizza!

 Looks strange - but this is the subs of lettuce that we have harvested.  You can just make out the little green shoots - I am hoping the shoots will develop into more lettuce as it should grow back quicker than from seeds or seedlings.

 In the foreground are some "Sweetmeat" squash from seed we saved.  The last squash from last year was finally cut up and eaten about a month ago.  In the background are 3 tomato plants.  One is "Celebrity" and the 2 far ones are "Early Girl",  both varieties do quite well in the greenhouse.  When buying potted tomato plants you sometimes find 2 together in one pot.  If you are careful you can separate the 2 and get 2 plants for the price of 1...

 

Just HAD to give you a close-up of the developing strawberries.  We are eagerly looking forward to the first of the crop in a few weeks.

 

 

When to start planting

Seed Starting & Planting

Timing your seed planting is the key to success.  Plant too soon and you run the risk of a late frost damaging or killing your plants.  Plant too late and you can end up with a smaller harvest due to a shorter growing season.

Naturally, different areas have a different "last frost free date" and that is what you have to go by.  Here in the "banana belt" (southern Vancouver Island) we can often get going much earlier than places in the north or the prairies.  When we lived in the interior of B.C. we usually waited until May 24th to do outside plantings.  That is no longer the date we stick to here in Duncan.  Each area is different and if in doubt I suggest you ask at the local garden shop or  plant Nursery.

Start seeds inside or outside?

If you use your favourite web browser you can find charts to tell you how long it takes to sprout the various seeds and when to do the transplant seedlings you have started inside, out into the open garden.  

When starting seeds inside the house there are a number of things you have to keep in mind.  

* Seeds don't usually need light to germinate (but there are exeptions - primarily some flowers)

*  Seeds have an optimum temperature they like for germination.

*  After seeds have sprouted they need sunlight!  Too little light and they will grow tall looking for the sun.

*  Choose the right starting media & pot size.  If the starter pot is too small and the type of plant grows quickly, you will need to do a re-potting before it is time to plant it out into the garden.  Extra work that you can avoid!

*  Your little plant pots must be kept moist but don't drown the seeds!  

*    Think about how many plants you are going to need before you start seeding.  You will need perhaps 10 - 20% more than what you actually are going to use as some will  not thrive or survive.

*  Consider how much room you have to plant "stuff" out and then think about the cost of the finished item.  For example,  if you don't each much cabbage and you have limited garden space, do you really want to use up your space with something that you can buy at a low price in the store?

*  Before you start, get your materials all figured out.  What kind of tray you are going to use and how to keep it covered.  Yes, I said covered!  Your seedlings will do better in a covered container than just sitting open on a counter or window sill.  A lot of baking goods come in a plastic tray with a clear plastic cover - ideal for starting seeds providing you are not doing a huge number.  If you go to a garden centre you will find there are starter units available at a price.   

*  If you are going to want to start large quantities of seeds you may be interested in building your own plant trays and plant pots - and maybe even a seed germination box.  The latter can be made any size you want and you can purchase a heater cable you bury in sand in the bottom of the box that is thermostatically controlled to keep a nice even temperature for your seeds.  Before we downsized I used to grow a lot of seedlings and made trays out of strips of cedar cut to make trays that would fit in my starter box.  If you do this, make sure you optimize your space by making the trays the right size to fit in the starter box and make the box deep enough to be able to put strips on the inside to put small "planks" on to provide support for a second layer.  Any questions, drop me a note & I will try to answer your questions.

* * * 

Some time back I found a seed chart that I thought was good.   I was going to post it here but this format does not accept PDF files and it is 14 pages long so if you would like a copy post a request in the comments section of my blog and I will e-mail it to you.

* * * 

 What "ZONE" are you in?

It is necessary to know what zone you are in so you can correctly figure out what plants are hardy in your area.

 http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/learn/reference/hardinesszones/alberta

 http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/learn/reference/hardinesszones/britishcolumbia

http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/learn/reference/hardinesszones

The above websites are just a sample of what you can find if you use your browser to search and find what zone you are in.  And if you use the last link, Veseys have a list of zones on the right side of the page.  If you click on the zone you are in they give you a list of all the seeds etc. they can provide for use in your zone.

 

One type of plant that is extremely popular as a "start it yourself" 

 type of seedling is Tomatoes - partly due to the large variety of seeds available and the fact home grown tomatoes always seem to have more flavour than ones bought in the store.  I won't go into any more info on this here as I already have a blog page on tomatoes - take a look at it!

* * * 

Plant Starter Pots

There are many websites showing how to make your own starter pots for next to nothing.  Just "Google" newspaper plant pots and you will get lots of sites to visit.

GG 

 

 

Spring Clean-up Time is Coming!

Spring Cleanup Time  is coming !

Spring is just around the corner - closer for some of us than for others living in the still frozen north.  Here on Vancouver Island we are fortunate to have an earlier spring than most areas.

In our area we are slightly later than in Victoria B.C. where they are already enjoying lots of spring flowers.  Ours are coming along nicely too and some things are already growing.  

I have been out in the greenhouse and cleaned things up, pulled out the weeds that grew over the winter.  I was amazed to see a couple of pea vines that managed to live over the winter, one of which had a bloom on it.  Unfortunately, the base of the vines were withering away so I just pulled them up and planted more peas in the hopes of having some to eat early.   They are planted at the base of the wire frames.

My strawberry plants inside the greenhouse (unheated) have some flower buds on them and they produced a load of runners so I will have lots of plants this year.  

* * *

The outside strawberry plants look nice and healthy and also produced an abundance of runners so I think I will be giving plants way soon.  If you look closely you can see the acorns all over the place.  As soon as it is dry enough I will be cleaning up all the dead leaves and sorting out which plants to keep and which to give away.  (I am sure the rain will soon stop long enough for the ground to dry up a bit!)

* * *

Speaking of the greenhouse, the one thing that is in there that always does extremely well is the "Egyptian Onions" aka Walking Onions.  I have them in the greenhouse so we can have early green onions.  The bulblets I planted last fall are now at a size they can be harvested. We don't use a lot of green onions so we don't have a big planting - just enough to use a few now and then.   The main plant itself has more than doubled in size and the nice thing is they don't really need to be inside a greenhouse as they will survive nicely over the winter in areas with sub-zero temperatures.  The small onions at the bottom of the picture are just about ready - a little bigger would be OK but small is nice.

* * *

One other thing that did well is the Oak trees in the neighbour's yards.  Yes, I said "yards" - 3 or 4 trees on the south and a huge one on the north - all of them were raining acorns on us last fall and now there are many dozen sprouting all over the place.  In case anyone is interested in growing more Gary Oak trees (endangered species) I have offered the sprouted acorns on our local freecycle/recycle group.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cowichanvalleyrecycle/

Many interesting offerings by the group - everything from plants to boats, and it all has to be given away free.  Last fall I gave away a couple of buckets of acorns - one to a lady whose 2 little girls wanted them to feed to the squirrels, the other to a lady who was going to process them into acorn flour.

* * *

 Last fall I left a lot of the oak & maple leaves on the ground in the flower beds - good mulch, and it did it's job so our plants that were covered are now sprouting up nicely.  I raked up the leaves now so insects can't multiply under them, have heaped them on my compost pile in hopes they will eventually rot down. The heather, oriental poppies and day lillies are looking good.

* * *

The raspberry canes have overwintered and thrived.  They do send out shoots for new canes and I notice that two shoots have found their way under the wall of the greenhouse and have come up in there.  (you have to look closely to see them!) Those will be dug up and offered to anyone needing them - on "Freecycle" of course!

* * *

While we were away, the people taking care of our place planted some lettuce... a different variety than we normally grow so we will see how it does. We normally plant a few plants of baby butter from seed.  Just a few seeds planted every couple of weeks can give you a steady supply.

* * *

Talk about a strange looking sight!  I planted some Oregano late last summer and it seems to like the location.  Every branch that touched the ground has sent out roots so this mess can be divided up into a number of plants.  The strawberries were not really invited but the runners just grew all over the place.  If they produce well, then maybe they will get to stay in the place the chose.  In the black pot is a cutting that has rooted OK and is sprouting.  When it gets a little larger maybe we will be able to figure out what we were trying to grow.   One of the problems that comes with age is not remembering what the heck you planted!

 * * *