My Bit of Earth

Gentle Reminder: It's Paperwhite Season

Just my friendly yearly reminder that if you want paperwhites for Christmas, now is the time to get them started.  This year, I planted mine in a baking dish half filled with pebbles, then disguised it all with some mossy-grass and a basket.  I hope it will be all kinds of pretty once my bulbs bloom, although it is kind of a PITA to monitor the water level right now.  Ah well, totally worth it! 

Here's the full schpeel on how to plant paperwhites if you're a newbie, and here's a little paperwhite science experiment I tried a few years ago (with some success) if you're up for such things.  

Garlic's in the Ground, Bring it On Winter

Just in time, I think, we planted garlic this weekend.  I ordered bulbs from Seed Savers, and set the delivery date for the first week of October--usually the perfect time to hit that "after the first light frost" window that Seed Savers recommends.

While we technically haven't had a frost yet, it's definitely been chilly.  And the prickling of my cold little nose is making me a little afraid that instead of a "light frost" we're going to just get a plain old freeze that's going to last until March.

I'm totally OK with that.  I still fondly remember the year that it snowed on Halloween, and didn't melt until Valentine's Day.  It would absolutely make my year if this winter could be like that, as long as my yarn and wine stashes don't run out.  (Chances = slim.)

And as long as I was able to get the garlic in the ground first, which is now safely taken care of.

(From left to right above, the varieties I planted are "Broadleaf Czech", "Russian Giant", "Samarkand [Persian Star]", and "German Extra Hardy".  For some garlic planting how-to, check out "How to Grow Great Garlic" from Author Mom with Dogs.)

Bits In the Garden

(Clockwise from top left.)

:: A mysterious little pod flower that I haven't quite gotten the chance to track down the name of yet.

:: One little pumpkin that survived the bugs and is trying to turn orange.

:: Garlic chive blossoms that--although they're too small to really photograph well en masse--are teaming with honey bees every afternoon.

:: Peppers on peppers!  Now I just need one or two hot days so they'll turn the color they're supposed to and I can pick them.

And Thanks For All the Herbs

As with most people who live in a house after someone else has, we are occasionally...perplexed at some of the choices the previous owners of our house made.  But I bless them every day for the herb garden.  Even though we have plans to rearrange it a bit next year, it's just been wonderful.

Pictured above (clockwise from top) we have sage, oregano, lavender, garlic chives, and tarragon--all of which are now happily drying and freezing for later use.  (The tomatoes, sadly, were snatched by the Wee Welshman in a moment of my inattentiveness.  Let that be a lesson to you all--at first it's cute when your puppy likes to "eat his vegetables", but when he starts to eat your vegetables it's less so!)

It's Like Halloween in August

It's been unseasonably wonderful here these past few weeks.  Eighty degrees with a nice breeze during the day, chilly enough for a light sweater at night--so not like normal end-of-July, beginning-of-August, melt-you-into-puddles Kansas weather.

And then, the one little pumpkin I've been able to save from the squash bugs finally ripened up enough to pick.  I'm not quite ready for pumpkin risotto, so into the freezer he went.  But the smell as I was cutting him up, and the squishiness of pumpkin goo in my fingers, brought on thoughts of Fall and leaves and popcorn balls like nobody's business!

I thought about roasting his seeds as a pre-pre-Halloween treat, but I decided that--as the only pumpkin to survive the squash bugs--his genes are too valuable for that.  I saved them for next year's planting instead.

If I can't wipe the squash bugs out, I'll breed them out!

Small Happenings

Naked Ladies popping up everywhere.  I've never had them before, but they smell incredible.

Porter, enjoying the smells of our herb garden.  At first she was napping in the lavender, but this week she seems to be preferring the tarragon.

And also, we have baby wrens in the wren house!  We haven't seen them yet, but they're peep-peeping away all the time.

Last but not least, from the garden, a little baby 'Hansel' eggplant.

Now We're Cookin' Some Compost

Among this weekend's projects was a compost bin.  It's loosely based on the plan here--three bins about three foot square each, with lovely slide out slats on the front for easy access to the good stuff later.  

It actually only took about two hours, and that was even counting time for making the measurements up on the fly because we were trying to use up scraps from the fence.  (We opted not to bury the posts though, which probably would have added another hour, at least.)  Yay for homemade compost!

Roasted Frozen Tomatoes

I have discovered my tomato preservation method of choice from here on out--roasting and freezing.

The method?

First, cut the tomatoes into sort of equally sized chunks.  Toss with them with olive oil on a sheet pan, and mix in some seasoning if you like--I've been doing thyme, salt, and a pinch of sugar.  Them put the tomatoes in your oven on its lowest setting, and stir around every hour or so until they start to fall apart.  The time necessary will vary a lot depending on how many tomatoes you start with, but plan for about five hours for a moderately full, small sheet pan.

When the tomatoes are done, let them cool just a bit, then spoon them into jars or whatever other container your heart fancies.  Pop 'em in the freezer and you're done!

Why is this so wonderful?

The biggest reason for me is that I can make them in batches as my tomatoes get ripe/bought/magically appear.  Some days there are only two or three tomatoes that are ripe in the garden.  Some days I buy a sack at the farmer's market.  Some days Nice Father-In-Law brings us buckets full from his garden.  Because you aren't canning these, you don't have to be finicky about having a certain amount before you start.  You can make one jar or fifty.

Additionally, although it's self-evident it bears repeating, not canning them means you don't have to can them.  No waiting for water to boil, or hauling out the big pot just to do a few measly jars.  I've been starting them at night when I get home from work.  A few stirs throughout the evening, and by bedtime they're done.  (And you can steal a few for a late night snack before you pack them up!)  They're just about impossible to forget about and leave in the oven on accident--they smell too darned good!

And the taste?  Divine!  Roasting the tomatoes concentrates the flavor so much--they're like the most tomatoey tomatoes ever, and they're going to make me a happy, happy girl this winter!

Would you like some tomatoes with those chairs?

As we were moving into the house (was it really less than a month ago?) Nice Mother-In-Law found this pair of chairs in the basement.  They were old and wobbly and kind of a nasty dark-colored wood.  I'll be the first to admit I was a little skeptical when she brought them upstairs and insisted on cleaning them up, but eventually they grew on me.  They moved from the porch to the living room, and, once there, I decided they were just the thing to flank our little chessboard table.  With some paint, of course.

I actually originally thought of painting our dining room chairs (not here yet, but on the way) this color, but, well, you have to be committed to have "Tangerine Peel" chairs as part of your permanent decor.  But since these guys were freebies anyway, it didn't seem like as much of a risk.  If I hate 'em in two months, I can put them on the curb and someone will gladly take them, I'm sure.  In the meantime--voila--cute chairs!

And what are those things on the chair to the right?  So glad you asked!  They are the first tomatoes of the summer!  A bit late this year perhaps--according to Nice Grandpa's "first tomato by the 4th of July" rule--but sampling proved that they are tasty all the same.

The "Fend For Yourself Little Veggies" Garden

Remember how excited I was that we were able to "pre-plant" a veggie garden at the new house?  I imagined myself moving right in and getting to spend evenings tending it right away.  Harvesting bushels of tomatoes and keeping it beautifully weeded....HA!

Poor little garden, other than one early Sunday morning weed-massacre-and-tomato-tying-up-session, it hasn't been touched.  No watering, no gentle evening tending, nothing.  (Really, I'm lucky we've had rain.  I don't even know that the amount of hose I have will reach.)  There have just been too many other pressing demands, unfortunately.

Nonetheless, there are some veggies fending for themselves pretty well out there....clockwise....some okra that's getting way too big (Recipes anyone?)....a pumpkin....lots of almost ripe tomatoes (YAY!)....and a butternut squash.

Two Gardens on the First Day of Summer

This morning, we had breakfast on our lovely little screened in back porch (the only place we have proper chairs just yet), after which I told Sweet Husband I was going to go out and make a quick walk through the garden, just to see if there was anything worth picking.  An hour later--with a fistful of onions, some okra, and some peas--I knocked on the backdoor and asked him to turn on the hose for me, because I was too muddy to come into the house without showering off first.

As I said before, once I got going out there I really didn't want to stop.  Not that I even put a dent in the work that actually needs to be done, but I did get the veggie beds weeded enough to give the tomatoes a little breathing room, at least.  There are squash bugs breeding (yes, I actually caught a pair doing the deed), and some sort of evil prickly thing growing, but those issues will just have to wait until another day.  One wonderful thing I did discover is that the new garden is nicely shaded until about eleven in the morning, so I predict several more nice, cool Sunday mornings of weeding will be in my future!

A shot of the new garden:

And, last but not least, a shot of the old house and garden, which I said goodbye to this afternoon.  Although I'm terribly happy that we now have wonderful things--like a level stove-top and a glorious amount of space to grow things in--I was still a little sad to leave it.  Especially today, when it's at that perfect point of flowers right on the brink of blooming....I know the new garden will be so much better once it's all fenced, and weeded, and worked over, and shined...but...but....

Pea-Sized Snacking

This is my very first, full-sized pea of the year.  Careful language parsers will note, I didn't say it's the first pea, but rather the first one that's been allowed to get to full-size.  

This is both the advantage and the disadvantage to having your peas planted right outside your front door.  They're always available for snacking, but at the same time they're always available for snacking--even when they're just little baby peas and you know you shouldn't really pick them yet, but you do anyway because....they are very tasty.

This one managed to hide from me, somehow camouflaging himself amid the vines.  Ultimately his efforts were in vain, and he's now been snacked just like his wee friends.

Bloom Day: Irises!

It's once again time for May Dreams Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.  Follow the link to see what's blooming this month all over the world.

In my part of the world I have (from top left and down) Steenbergii Cornflowers, Lavender, Hens and Chicks, a few pea blossoms, some Irises, and broccoli.

Incidentally, I planted the Irises--a pass along from an old co-worker--two years ago, and this is the first year they've bloomed.  I didn't think I was a fan of Irises, but they're so pretty up close, and they smell so wonderful!

First Plantings in a New Bit of Earth

So, the couple we're buying the house from? Nicest people ever.  And the male half of the couple is an avid gardener (which may be a little redundant with my first sentence), and so immediately understood the problem with moving into a house in the middle of June.  (I.e., you can't plant veggies at the old place because you'll be gone before the plants mature, but you can't wait to plant veggies at the new place because, darn-it, then you wouldn't get your first tomato until sometime in August which is just too much of a tragedy to even be contemplated!)  That being the case, he invited us over this week to put some plants in at the new house--yay!

But, um, here's the thing.  Ya know how I've been bitching for years about not having enough space and having to cram plants together and yaddie-yadda?  Well, that's not a problem anymore.  

This is just about half of the new veggie garden space (and the herbs and asparagus are in the completely separate "Druid Circle of Goodness" Herb Garden).  It's basically 4 beds, all of which are about 18' x 4' ish, or a little over double the size of the Burrow Garden.  I actually thought I might have gone a little overboard buying plants at the nursery.  I got NINE tomatoes (yes, that's NINE), three peppers, a squash, a pumpkin, some okra, and an eggplant.  All of those plants barely filled two of the beds, and that was with generous spacing and making room for some lettuce and spinach and peas that were already planted.

It kinda feels like I'm moving onto a plantation.

Standing there looking over it all, I couldn't help but think to myself, "What the heck am I going to fill these other two beds with?"  Given time to think it over however....maybe some corn, and green beans, and garlic--ohhh, a lot of garlic!--and potatoes, oh, and carrots and radishes and Brussels sprouts and....the possibilities!

But, for now--if you can read my scribbley-scrawl--this is what got planted:

Flowers Planted and Dirty Feet

Yesterday afternoon I was able to get a little garden tending in.  

I planted some Cinnamon Sunflowers and Cosmos (all from last year's seeds--yay!), and dog proofed them just a bit.  (I've found that if I don't cover new plantings somehow, Moe and Porter will maul them to death.  I let them stay this way until the plants emerge and get a few inches tall, then I'll take the coverings off.)  

I gave my peas a little blue trellis to wind their little tendrils up.  And the radishes and lettuce are coming along too.  (Sigh.  I love Spring veggies.  They're like magic--just sprinkle seeds on dirt, wait for some rain, and off they go!)

And my dirty, dirty feet--the first pair of the season.  ;)

Bloom Day: Muscari All Over

Although I skipped out for the winter, it's Spring now, which means it's once again time for May Dreams Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.  Follow the link to see what's blooming this month all over the world.

I don't have a lot yet, but the few flowers that are blooming make my heart happy in a way that's disproportionate to their size and number.  In addition to a clump of daffodils, these little muscari are all over the place.  

It's kind of a funny story, actually, in an "I'm-so-indecisive-it's-almost-pathological" kind of way.  The first year we were here, I planted them one place.  But they weren't necessarily perfect there, so I moved them.  And so on and so forth, for almost five years now.  Of course, the little bulbs are so tiny, it's impossible to dig them all up.  And the ones I missed have multiplied, so now there are just little patches here and there.  In a more organized garden, I suppose it might be annoying, but to me it's a lot of fun.  I like the idea that Nice Friends who will be living here next year, and all the people who live here after that, will get to enjoy the little purple flowers popping up everywhere each Spring.

Pretty Flowers/Ugly Knitting

First, the pretty.  Look what came back!  Despite being encased in ice last weekend, my daffodils weathered through like champs and are now making me very happy!

And, the ugly?  This month's monthly knit-a-long washcloth.  The yarn was kind of pretty in it's ball--very spring looking.  And, I don't think the pattern is inherently yucky either--looking at some of the cloths others have made, the pattern could be very pretty.  But something about the two together is just ugh.  It could easily be mistaken for a 60's sofa doily.  

But, I suppose it will still scrub pots just as well as a pretty cloth would, so whatever....

Spring?

Although we did not get the foot of snow that was predicted, this icy, drizzley stuff....I do not like it.  While I may avoid having to replant all those lovely veggie seeds I put in the ground the other day--most of them have not sprouted up yet--the daffs are toast.

Early Plantings and Movings and Gardening Things

Stopped by the nursery on the way home at the end of last week, and came away with a plant or two.  It's kind of hard planning this year.  I gave up my plot in the community garden--people were clamoring for spots, and I knew that a) I'll have my own place soon and b) I'm not sure I'll have time--but I still gotta plant something, right?  I mean, what would I talk about all summer with no garden?

So, I decided on some early veggies.  I planted seeds for lettuce and radishes and peas, and bought some little broccoli plants--all plunked in pots and the planter at home.  If they grow before we move, great.  If not, I'll leave what I can't take for the new occupants (who are really good friends who enjoy fresh veggies).

I also decided to move the tulips, already popping up as pictured at lower left.  Don't ask me what possessed me--I've probably killed them for good this time--but maybe they'll still bloom...probably...I hope?

Look What's Waking Up

Although it's still chilly out, my 'Red Riding Hood' tulips and daffodils are beginning to make their annual appearance.  

I'm a little surprised that they've all come back, actually.  They were swamped by morning glories just about the second they got done blooming last year, and I was afraid they might not have gotten a chance to properly rest and re-fuel.  

Shows what I know, eh?