Coming this spring!

Raintree sent an invoice.

We have the following (some I ordered, some were bonuses) coming in the spring:

10 crowns of Jersy Knight asparagus

1 Rosa Rugosa Alba

1 P. aureosulcata Bamboo

1. Rosemary-4 inch pot

1True Grosso Lavender

1 Horsradish

1Fred Boutin Lavender

1 Highbush cranberry

Dirty Laundry

Well, clean, actually. I've been intending since Labor Day to sum up my Clothesline Challenge. From May 29-Labor Day Weekend, I did 108 loads of laundry. Forty-eight of them were line-dried. I didn't quite make my goal of 50%. It was cold and rainy at the end of this summer, and I thought I'd get out and improve my percentage after Labor Day, but, honestly, I didn't. I may have dried 2 or 3 more loads before the weather got yucky.

Other laundry--

I did not count, in these totals, 4 outdoor furniture cushions that I washed in the washer and were dried outside, 4 loads of laundry that Ben did, nor 2 loads of laundry I did at my mother-in-law's house while we were on vacation.

Thoughts--

I love laundry dried on the line. I love seeing the clothes flapping in the breeze. I love seeing the different sizes of my kids clothes all lined up. I love the smell of clothes dried on the line. Tried doing towels, but, yeah, prefer not to. Usually dried those with underwear, etc. in the dryer. I did hang kitchen towels and beach towels. I made my line bigger(it's not attractive) part way into the summer. I have a large-capacity front loader, so a load included a lot of laundry. I would like to get a better line, but what I have works, although I would need a different system in order to really up my percentages. I can't generally dry more than one load at a time, and with 6 people in my house, being able to dry more than one load would be advantageous. Benefits? Yummy-smelling clothes, fewer wrinkles, cooler house, cheaper electric bill, an excuse to be outside.

Pouring through the seed catalogs...

Working to make a realistic plan and not overdo the seed purchases...Everything looks lovely.

On the list, but not specifics yet--

Early season tomatoes in addition to some later ones--we're hoping to start these from seeds this year because it is our understanding that the blight came from the nursery tomatoes.

pickling cukes

potatoes

>>I need to do some research and we need to take some precautionary measures regarding disease with these due to last year's problems. This will include some new soil.

In self-watering containers--

bush cukes

mini eggplants

mini melons

mini bell peppers

basil

Other-

pumpkins of some sort (have a couple of different types of seeds already)

radishes

onions, particularly scallions

garlic

horseradish

thyme

broccoli--probably a couple different varieties

cauliflower

lettuce

spinach

turnips

carrots

sunflowers

snap peas

peas

peppers

---again need to do research here--we've never had good luck with peas or peppers. I'm hoping a self-watering container will help with the peppers.

flowers/herbs (some for companion planting)

borage

nasturtiums

sunflowers

poppies (a couple varieties--we love these)

hollyhock

calendula

lavender

Hoping our perennials come back strong this spring.

We also have some other things coming this spring that I ordered back in July from Raintree. I have an email in to them to confirm what's coming, because I can't remember anymore, LOL.

Fall Plantings

So, obviously, it's been awhile. I guess at some point, I just ran out of steam. The garden continued producing, might actually still give up some treasures if I should venture out and dig them out from under the snow, but, most likely, we are done for the season. Up until just a week ago (December 3), we were still harvesting some lettuces, a few radishes, and turnips from our garden. Turnips are new to me. I've never eaten them before. I like them. I've eaten them raw and roasted with potatoes and carrots. Not everyone here shared my enjoyment of them, but I'm thinking if I prepare them right, more might. They grew heartily this fall when nothing else really managed. It didn't really freeze until late, but was unusually cold. Of my fall plantings, they were the only things that really produced, aside from the second-to-the-last planting of lettuce. The raised beds, which were left untouched by rabbits in the spring, were feasting grounds (apparently, I never actually witnessed them) in the fall. I imagine those bunnies greatly enjoyed those precious radish, lettuce, and carrot seedlings when everything else was dying off or had grown too tough for their liking.

Also planted this fall, 3 lingonberry bushes, 3 blueberry bushes, half a dozen lipstick strawberries. The berry bushes are dwarf varieties that we are hoping will eventually spread and serve as groundcover on the hill. The lipstick strawberries are a shade variety with bright pink flowers. They are apparently not especially prolific producers, but I am hoping to fill in an area previously covered in myrtle in the front beds of the house. Hopefully, all of these and numerous new shoots from the strawberry plants we grew last summer will tolerate the winter.

Now, our garden beds and new plantings are covered in over a foot of snow. I am already thinking and planning for next year. Unfortunately, I didn't get the garlic and horseradish I had hoped to plant this fall.

I got a few seed packets when I ordered the fall plants and also pre-ordered a few things for spring planting. I can't even remember now what I ordered, LOL. I know there was bamboo in there.

I hope to post soon on our lessons learned this season.

Slowing down...

Things have certainly slowed down here. The corn plants (now empty of corn) are turning brown, the sunflowers as well. The cukes are nearly done. The lettuce continues, kale, cabbage and broccoli, though the broc and cabbages have been chewed up (I've never seen the culprit), and I'm not expecting much from them. We have some new sprouts--turnips growing quickly, little baby lettuces and spinach, baby onion sprouts, radishes. I'm not sure that the peas are going to do much. The snap peas are spindly and I am beginning to think that's just how they grow, but I always picture a big, bushy plant. Only a couple of the replanted peas have come up, and one of the original planting died, so there are maybe four plants.

The solstice is near. Today is cool. Lows are predicted in the 40s tonight. I don't know how far out we'll get without frost, I am hopeful, but not counting on much from here on out. I harvested all but one of our second planting of carrots, gathered enough scarlet runner beans for tonight's dinner (this took about a week, LOL), and pulled the last few little ears of corn left. So, that's pretty much the end of it. There are still the seedlings, but it will be some time before we see anything from them. The rest of the scarlet runner beans will be allowed to mature, and I'll throw them in soup or something. The beans are pretty and the kids will enjoy that even if they don't eat them. There may still be a few cukes left, definitely some salads, one beautiful rainbow chard plant that I haven't brought myself to harvest anything from yet, plenty of kale. Soon, we will take down the sunflowers and corn. I hope to make a shock with our corn for decoration. I will save some calendula seeds, though I am betting I won't need to plant any since they have been so prolific that they will probably reseed themselves.

We also have to prep for blueberries, lingonberries, strawberries, and bamboo coming in October. At least I think I do. I placed an order for some things, and some of them will come in the spring and some this fall. I did not keep track of what was coming when. So, I guess it will be a surprise. :0P

Corn!

We have harvested all of our corn--there wasn't a lot, maybe 24 ears altogether. It was delicious! Perhaps due to the amount of real estate required, it isn't worth it for us to grow our own, particularly because our family eats that in about 2 meals. Especially because there is a local farmer that sells absolutely delicious corn at his stand near Ben's work. Now, ours was just as good as theirs, and it is awesome to know that we can grow it here. If we could not buy corn that was just as fresh and tasty, we would likely plan to grow it again soon. And, maybe since cukes are out for another year or two, we will anyway; I don't have definite plans for next year yet. The neighbors were entertained by the corn sticking up over our fence though, and we very much enjoyed the harvest!

New Friends

This year, our garden has attracted some new friends to our yard. We have always had our share of wasps, but this year, our oregano made some honey bees very happy, and as Ben noted, probably made for some funky-tasting honey. Joining the honeybees at the oregano were plenty of bumble bees, which have also been quite pleased with the presence of lots of sunflowers. We have also watched several goldfinches perched on the sunflowers. And, we have had a tiny hummingbird visiting our scarlet runner beans in the late afternoons. I have only seen a hummingbird here once since we moved in about 8 years ago!