tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80324073416513100112024-03-05T02:06:42.146-08:00A Maine GardenMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-21688241823350304472016-10-06T07:25:00.000-07:002016-10-06T07:58:28.866-07:00The Real Story of Chicken Soup for the Soul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMpWNsWDQl0YofL8QJauWZ_CVjC7sBIJnV562PNh9T3HIu1awThFiXrCXmgo6fR_JDpTyf2ao08HR1QRNDnCTbwi9fiFUxwnlqNhhQDKIV5-6_2TE6F1SXBVeMgBQ2l_IZoFxDzhQ3_az/s1600/IMG_4280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMpWNsWDQl0YofL8QJauWZ_CVjC7sBIJnV562PNh9T3HIu1awThFiXrCXmgo6fR_JDpTyf2ao08HR1QRNDnCTbwi9fiFUxwnlqNhhQDKIV5-6_2TE6F1SXBVeMgBQ2l_IZoFxDzhQ3_az/s320/IMG_4280.JPG" width="240" height="320" /></a></div><br />
Day 2 of being home sick. It's never fun. Yesterday was a blur. Bed and fever do that to us. Today fever persists but at least I'm up and ready to eat some soup. I knew that the chicken noodle soup of my youth was what I needed. So into the freezer I went. No chicken. Well, not what we might call traditional chicken. Only chicken feet and necks. Let me begin the story there.<br />
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A few months ago a friend got her chicken back from the butcher and she was going to toss the feet and necks. "Who on Earth would want these?" she said to me. More people than you think was my thought. So I told her I'd buy them from her. They've been in my freezer ever since. So into a soup pot they went. I'm not going to lie and tell you they looked appetizing while they were cooking, on the contrary. It was rather unsettling seeing chicken toes among boiling water, carrots, and onions. But I continued. Before bed the pot went into our much cooler mud room so I could skim the top. But come morning I found the entire pot was rather congealed. Keep going, I thought. As I separated out the chicken I found myself doing something I don't usually do when making soup. I found myself giving thanks. Thanks to those chickens who were about to make me feel better. Why did I do that? Was it because I was so intimately involved with those critters? Was it because it was still very obvious what I was cooking? It was unlike the feelings we may have when putting a plastic wrapped, prepackaged chicken breast or thigh into a soup pot. And then it hit me. This is what we as a culture are missing. We are missing that connectedness to our food and our food preparation. How else could we blindly allow the continuation of such horrific meat lots? I knew this, I really did. But this allowed me to really feel it. I felt blessed.<br />
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After it was separated and just the broth remained, I added leeks, carrots, celery, garlic,parsley, and basil. All were from my garden. Chard and kale came from our local, and much loved CSA. Ginger and mushrooms came from the local grocery store. As I was chopping I remembered how beautiful the sage out in the garden looks and how I needed that in the soup too. Sage is a wonderful medicine, well at least it is for me. So out to get sage I went. It was a beautiful day. The sun felt good. It's been two weeks since I stood in the sun in my garden. And I realized that maybe that's why I was sick. I've become disconnected from the food that feeds me. The sun, the garden, the food grown in the garden. While getting my weekly CSA is a great thing and I'm so happy for it, I have come to believe that there is nothing like the spiritual connectedness we have from gardening and growing food and medicine in our own yards. This is what we need to feel wholly connected to our place, our planet, ourselves.<br />
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Take this winter to think about what you can grow in your back, side, or front yard. Even if it's just a container or two. I bet you will be so glad you did. <br />
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May we all feel peace from growing our own food,<br />
MaryMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-65387993593433296362015-07-03T10:30:00.000-07:002015-07-03T10:30:35.622-07:00My Life Like a Garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJSqE_KbBC892BQthCdf-AjVG4UYfTAdVfsun7qbf7tAvDZyE5jIKlhTtheKcJcKPMBK0_aO33cbR5WK-YLem2XJuX44WaVmZXRllVckIymYJmcpRPOY7-Q2ezkCjhvwxcqDacvKEZ1tz/s1600/chamomile.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJSqE_KbBC892BQthCdf-AjVG4UYfTAdVfsun7qbf7tAvDZyE5jIKlhTtheKcJcKPMBK0_aO33cbR5WK-YLem2XJuX44WaVmZXRllVckIymYJmcpRPOY7-Q2ezkCjhvwxcqDacvKEZ1tz/s400/chamomile.png" /></a></div>Chamomile in the garlic, <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mWDioYJT-iR__a4d2-5SliBMeNDu_RWyqa8Vhfg3lRN8HixHNDoeZaHA3Edjhz5nStRZsns2aBSgKlrO2WyeyjtriOEyc9_0mGmwbXJ4BA9gyQbu9CM0LzZRc5VieJG36dA5oKhL25ih/s1600/onions+lettuce.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mWDioYJT-iR__a4d2-5SliBMeNDu_RWyqa8Vhfg3lRN8HixHNDoeZaHA3Edjhz5nStRZsns2aBSgKlrO2WyeyjtriOEyc9_0mGmwbXJ4BA9gyQbu9CM0LzZRc5VieJG36dA5oKhL25ih/s400/onions+lettuce.png" /></a></div>lettuce in the onions, <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrZ0-uu9a9Ma7arGAxOVeGXHXFWSGJSQyHeD7JFRiCAPSalZQrWI5jtqCdo7j_lgLCRagN1N0cDa80uMTC3q0x60loa6fZ4ih_BSZBZtPrwFtDHa5rx3wjvUJzLsF6NsvD7T8vCYn608m/s1600/beets+dill.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyrZ0-uu9a9Ma7arGAxOVeGXHXFWSGJSQyHeD7JFRiCAPSalZQrWI5jtqCdo7j_lgLCRagN1N0cDa80uMTC3q0x60loa6fZ4ih_BSZBZtPrwFtDHa5rx3wjvUJzLsF6NsvD7T8vCYn608m/s400/beets+dill.png" /></a></div>dill in the beets, <br />
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and garlic scattered everything. That's what I found outside this morning in my garden. After being away for almost two weeks at a writing workshop, I was finally able to meander through my gardens, coffee cup in hand and check out the state of affairs. Picking garlic scapes I noticed all the sunflowers in the upper garden were nothing but sticks. I guess when you lose your dogs over the winter the deer realize they now have the upper hand of all things edible. Looking at the "where the strawberries should have been" patch I'm reminded that my husband accidentally mowed them, thinking he was helping me with my weeding. As I walked and weeded I thought about those strawberries and how I need to go strawberry picking before the season ends. I wondered, "Is the season over yet?" That's how out of touch I am this year. <br />
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Quickly realizing that the entire garden needed weeding I decided to focus on the onion bed. It was still in the shade of the raspberries so I got down on my knees and gave it a go. Two little house wrens didn't like my closeness to an obvious nest so decided to sing to me while I worked. Making mental notes to myself of all the "out of place" items that needed to be pulled I realized that I make that same mental note every year and I never do it. I always continue to let that lettuce grow in the onions and the garlic and chamomile to self sow everywhere. I guess the garden is a reflection of ourselves. Like the thoughts popping in my head the chamomile and calendula just pop up and look pleasing right where they are so there they stay.<br />
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Happy 4th of July. It's going to be a beautiful Maine weekend. <br />
MaryMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-57341239102507754812015-06-23T09:30:00.002-07:002015-06-23T09:30:32.307-07:00How a Garden Teaches Us to be Open<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ8-zdmmLJKxtmNjADifkRZOrQrThEtJIF047iMduRAaOfnJOzUBj6TD7GW1RP9ukjK0JEV2HOaIDBM2AYa9Di1r5ZqVdH4j-6_gpYDGCRNyoB54PQu4-iYpmZnu8gIp8ihB3SpSV0xKw2/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-23+at+12.23.12+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ8-zdmmLJKxtmNjADifkRZOrQrThEtJIF047iMduRAaOfnJOzUBj6TD7GW1RP9ukjK0JEV2HOaIDBM2AYa9Di1r5ZqVdH4j-6_gpYDGCRNyoB54PQu4-iYpmZnu8gIp8ihB3SpSV0xKw2/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-06-23+at+12.23.12+PM.png" /></a></div>Under an Umbrella in the Pouring Rain Looking at the Tomatoes and Garlic <br />
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Rain. Rain does more than replenish the gardens of much needed water or the wells we often take our water from. In the midst of a busy gardening season rain replenishes our souls. The 2015 garden season began extremely late and has been very slow to start. With an incredibly busy and stressful school year the gardens didn't get put in until after school got out. This is a first that the garden is in so late. It wasn't until June 18th that planting began! With that said, some greens, onions, and root crops did manage to get put in early in May. But when school got out on June 16th and I finally had the time and energy to begin planting I turned right around and went back inside after I took one look at what lay ahead of me. A garden totally overgrown with weeds (and raspberries!) and near empty Remay tunnels where rows of lush greens should have been. <br />
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I posted on Face Book that I wasn't going to garden this year. It was just to much. Too overwhelming. In my 30+ years of gardening I never felt like that before. So maybe I really did need a year off. I could join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and/or shop at the local farmers markets after all. But like the kids I teach who shut down completely when a new task seems overwhelming I just stepped back and gave it time. I gave myself permission to not do it. And then, son of a gun, two days later I went out again and pulled a weed near a spinach plant. (Yes, it really did take two days to go out again!). With that small action the 2015 garden season began. And I'm so glad it did. <br />
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Gardening teaches us so much about life. It teaches us that things never go as you expect but that in the unexpected, joyful and wonderful things can happen. It teaches us that patience is a magnificent. When we are patient, the opportunities we thought couldn't be, blossom. Gardening teaches us to gently nourish the small weak ones because in that nourishment great things can grown. Never give up. Gardening teaches us that too. When we don't give up, something good happens. It may not be what we thought, but if we're open for the possibilities, it may be something new and marvelous; and gardening teaches us that too...to be open to the unexpected. <br />
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So, for the past five days a whirlwind of planting and weeding has occurred and in the "openness" that this year's garden is encouraging in me I"m trying a few new things. I'm not planting corn. Instead I'm playing with mulching with leaves from our maple trees. In the spot where corn should have gone is a very thick layer of leaves from last fall. I want to see how well they suppress weeds and if they allow moisture to penetrate when they aren't shredded. Will worms and microbes thrive? Tomatoes are also in another area of thick leaf cover. I just pushed some leaves aside and planted tomatoes. I didn't even put cutworm collars around them. Will they grow? Potatoes weren't planted until June 20th which was the day after <a href="http://www.fedcoseeds.com/">FEDCO Seeds</a> posted a question on their FaceBook page that asked, "Do your potato plants have flowers yet?" Holy cow! Mine were't even in yet. When I cut them to prepare for planting many had black edges so I only planted half of what I expected. I am reminding myself to allow the unexpected. Something great may come from this. Maybe I'll get to know my local farmers better as I begin to support them more. <br />
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So, Rain. It nourishes the soul. It gave me time today to stop, reflect, and come to these conclusions that feel so much better than the initial feelings of defeat. So go ahead, grab your umbrella and walk in this rain through your garden and then just stop. Stop and look; listen and feel. That is what soul nourishment feels like, at least to me.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JPt-kAdr3LbkTAc5-TlfsKk5sCRNjGZYAab1NEtj-zqFPr_-IXBocnlyHQOUwPwn4vkhw75oFpJSXrmyjT78sHR9NDReX4H2gafTcIVlikqqjndWjOzk1c-COc5MlqilEBAwuf95E6A9/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-23+at+12.23.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JPt-kAdr3LbkTAc5-TlfsKk5sCRNjGZYAab1NEtj-zqFPr_-IXBocnlyHQOUwPwn4vkhw75oFpJSXrmyjT78sHR9NDReX4H2gafTcIVlikqqjndWjOzk1c-COc5MlqilEBAwuf95E6A9/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-06-23+at+12.23.28+PM.png" /></a></div> Nourish the tiny sage seedlings<br />
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Mary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-77229522454294870052014-07-30T08:22:00.002-07:002014-07-30T08:22:28.603-07:00When to Harvest<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKOl5mv5s3mJwECDO_ncWa7ukQMq7Vqf75h6_4TZmuhL34L7JBmL91qMwtFn5Id3c65Ed8JhmncG2wLgDIMfKLFab6JUghP6n6CldLWGppNqr6lzeUT6Dv3nHmnvRi_ik1wOeX3_CyJNI/s1600/IMG_1799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKOl5mv5s3mJwECDO_ncWa7ukQMq7Vqf75h6_4TZmuhL34L7JBmL91qMwtFn5Id3c65Ed8JhmncG2wLgDIMfKLFab6JUghP6n6CldLWGppNqr6lzeUT6Dv3nHmnvRi_ik1wOeX3_CyJNI/s400/IMG_1799.JPG" /></a></div>Just when I was about to give up hope on my eggplants I found this. <br />
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As we shift from planting/mulching to harvesting/tending the question of when to harvest comes up a lot. It was nice to find this link that gives simple tips on how to tell when a variety of foods are ready for harvest: <br />
<a href="http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/when-to-harvest">http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/when-to-harvest</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qee44pjDR6dbtK7EL8hamw2QwzbFS0IUU4jNVk01u19weESpojil48IWXIeiOcuxiYI6DV9ns59k96VIcyXKVEydCZUbaw8rHo8BxpyF0mdZ3s88leKchWxRXHqn7Lm92oorvchKnbgJ/s1600/IMG_1797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qee44pjDR6dbtK7EL8hamw2QwzbFS0IUU4jNVk01u19weESpojil48IWXIeiOcuxiYI6DV9ns59k96VIcyXKVEydCZUbaw8rHo8BxpyF0mdZ3s88leKchWxRXHqn7Lm92oorvchKnbgJ/s400/IMG_1797.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Something else that made me smile: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyGQft5GKhCs7C5ni7CQ793dskMP5CWVHhWJqWvMENvo2fJvoOiA9GkKodo4BHDY7dvGclzQmPKcuyNiE7qrIAKfpCTXVTzjINiCxzxnmR-WUarLvjxFcV9caB1kxLbTpB6EPJWuZbvRg/s1600/IMG_1796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyGQft5GKhCs7C5ni7CQ793dskMP5CWVHhWJqWvMENvo2fJvoOiA9GkKodo4BHDY7dvGclzQmPKcuyNiE7qrIAKfpCTXVTzjINiCxzxnmR-WUarLvjxFcV9caB1kxLbTpB6EPJWuZbvRg/s400/IMG_1796.jpg" /></a></div>I've planted quite a few of these around my gardens over the years never to get one to bloom or come back the following year. Until now. First beautiful bloom of cardinal flower. Lovely. <br />
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I tried to take photos of the bee filled sunflowers but with a breeze it was hard to do. So I'll post one I took the other day at our school garden. I just think it's the prettiest picture. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiDqVJSzLn3CyeOJAnwpgx4UAGaVNimYqBYtsceKsyzjiGh4Xgw4MbnIfuadgEGizquyempHkjV8Q9sChPLmboid1R_mxJbLdU2hyphenhyphenjvH43i04_pinQY03cOwE7MWplXGbpbeuiwZ2tfqp/s1600/IMG_1777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiDqVJSzLn3CyeOJAnwpgx4UAGaVNimYqBYtsceKsyzjiGh4Xgw4MbnIfuadgEGizquyempHkjV8Q9sChPLmboid1R_mxJbLdU2hyphenhyphenjvH43i04_pinQY03cOwE7MWplXGbpbeuiwZ2tfqp/s400/IMG_1777.JPG" /></a></div><br />
May your harvests be plenty and delicious,<br />
MaryMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-37499281909734272442014-07-27T12:06:00.003-07:002014-07-27T12:10:23.445-07:00What's For Dinner?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5e_HXP0fr3G1ukd__FQDXgeqX7F4NH_8zh6dKTKfT9wa3gtqTT_c0Ylky1SwwjpfRV3qbkPIQgg5fTgG1mpM_6F8EhSnQ4n2p3o7okxKiLCKnOKMu6_FXgje8-ycfgS-7cZ6H5x9gZG3/s1600/dinner+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5e_HXP0fr3G1ukd__FQDXgeqX7F4NH_8zh6dKTKfT9wa3gtqTT_c0Ylky1SwwjpfRV3qbkPIQgg5fTgG1mpM_6F8EhSnQ4n2p3o7okxKiLCKnOKMu6_FXgje8-ycfgS-7cZ6H5x9gZG3/s400/dinner+pic.jpg" /></a></div><br />
As I was working in our school pumpkin patch today with a friend I got a text from my husband wondering what I wanted for dinner. He was planning on BBQing pork chops that we had gotten from a local farm. Years ago I gave up eating meat. As my children got older they really wanted meat on the dinner menu. So we began to eat it again. Then I watched a movie. I don't remember the title exactly, maybe Food Inc or something like that. It ended, or at least I stopped watching, at the most inhumane death scene of a cow. That was the first time I had heard of factory farming and saw the slaughter houses that follow. I know this may sound silly but I cried like a baby as I watched that. I couldn't believe we, in this country, could, would, treat another living thing like that. So I began researching factory farming and that was when I stopped eating meat again. It took a while to get my family to stop purchasing meat that lived a life of absolute torture but it happened when local meat became available. The local foods movement has made local, grass fed, humanely raised and butchered meat available again. So our family made the switch. At first my husband said how expensive it was. Then we began to raise hens for eggs. We became acutely aware that the local meat wasn't in fact expensive. The problem was the grocery store meat was cheap. And the only way to get such cheap meat was to raise the animals it comes from in cramped quarters eating extremely unhealthy food. The local meat is in fact the true price of meat. Believe it or not this story does lead to, "What's for dinner?" <br />
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So I thought about what I wanted for dinner. I didn't have a clue. When I got home I went out into the garden to see if there was something for dinner. I knew there were still lots of greens. But I wanted more than sautéed greens over rice. A basket of greens and the contents of the above basket is what I came in with. Dinner. Isn't it great to walk out back and go grocery shopping! <br />
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May your garden baskets be full! Bon Appetit! <br />
MaryMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-23591749845481756822014-07-21T12:02:00.000-07:002014-07-21T12:02:27.679-07:00Herb ButterMy family loves to use herb butter in place of butter for some cooking and eating. A favorite is for radish sandwiches. Simply butter rye bread with herb butter and pile on thick slices of radishes to form a sandwich.<br />
We also like herb butter on toast, when frying eggs, and to use when making grilled cheese sandwiches. <br />
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It's so simple to do:<br />
Gather a nice sized bunch of culinary herbs. I use what is on hand. A favorite combination includes french tarragon, common sage, rosemary, basil, dill, thyme, lavender, parsley, lemon balm, garlic chives, and chives. But you can use whatever herbs you enjoy. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9xHh7Hm1ebt4MkdqpEf_GMGwukXOJFc9R_DBAktMVrL-_2eIq0gQckHNr-XMPIK3wFd-bgYtF4p7yLdkeeFcnd70WXcxb7dMyK9yapDeFxluPoc4pjsBehTSygay9AmXdm1CJhIDjxno/s1600/IMG_1755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9xHh7Hm1ebt4MkdqpEf_GMGwukXOJFc9R_DBAktMVrL-_2eIq0gQckHNr-XMPIK3wFd-bgYtF4p7yLdkeeFcnd70WXcxb7dMyK9yapDeFxluPoc4pjsBehTSygay9AmXdm1CJhIDjxno/s400/IMG_1755.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Remove unwanted debris including stems<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEf14NV-T3H6LBOnjW0zvk8IoERP8Q3N9407XM6bzjV_5bukTgzHdBT_Ca87A9L28C5srZTR3kk0ZiGYBieMatcSDI8IruLS676VxUP2CyzLPgcLDeRhs-CbJeuShE1lUdjLHYfnfniZB/s1600/IMG_1757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEf14NV-T3H6LBOnjW0zvk8IoERP8Q3N9407XM6bzjV_5bukTgzHdBT_Ca87A9L28C5srZTR3kk0ZiGYBieMatcSDI8IruLS676VxUP2CyzLPgcLDeRhs-CbJeuShE1lUdjLHYfnfniZB/s400/IMG_1757.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Chop fine<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-0pj1JbKqVNK5Cd5vNr7XGup9huPAW0EzZe7CjYalAbeSTIjQXeWmA1gA3VWs3oEgMrBNzUwumzdLLCZoJlBnqjKWSWDpMszGqoDk8PScww0QyZKzscH_ir9NnuIePVmLOsKh-F-fIyV/s1600/IMG_1758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-0pj1JbKqVNK5Cd5vNr7XGup9huPAW0EzZe7CjYalAbeSTIjQXeWmA1gA3VWs3oEgMrBNzUwumzdLLCZoJlBnqjKWSWDpMszGqoDk8PScww0QyZKzscH_ir9NnuIePVmLOsKh-F-fIyV/s400/IMG_1758.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Mix with room temperature butter. Real butter. Made from local, grass fed animals is best.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
Mary<br />
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Mary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-58099226042189584052014-07-21T08:13:00.002-07:002014-07-21T11:51:53.508-07:00Bee Swell - Free Bee Poster <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LFUId-qWJVuhGmIOH1XoyyG6bowhLAEW3IcDzxcdXkwVpL6iKrn6GEjIOOoyYu9LYaRnEp4MoWHmSWMSyoVZnh4Q_vWWwIPimrei3XeQ_h-t9VrRiM5K4FoP4S9neYQZjOliOMdga6G2/s1600/Bee+Swell.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LFUId-qWJVuhGmIOH1XoyyG6bowhLAEW3IcDzxcdXkwVpL6iKrn6GEjIOOoyYu9LYaRnEp4MoWHmSWMSyoVZnh4Q_vWWwIPimrei3XeQ_h-t9VrRiM5K4FoP4S9neYQZjOliOMdga6G2/s400/Bee+Swell.png" /></a></div><br />
We need bees to pollinate the food plants we grow. Without pollinators we lose a lot of food choice. Did you know that 53% of plants sold at major retailers tested positive for bee-killing neonicotinoids? Ask before you buy! Learn more and download a beautiful bee poster for free! Another reason to buy plants from small, local greenhouses and farms. <br />
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<a href="http://http://beeswell.org/posters/">http://beeswell.org/posters/</a>Mary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-28230355842960631262014-07-20T16:14:00.000-07:002014-07-20T16:20:48.133-07:00First Thinning of Carrots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszhGLeL66SaNQ8dlHuT5ahGIzi2C-tgBTQ9xQCzToasojqQhW1nO0fKIpCANuik3M5dOWrCMXp_mBBeS2KLII8YJlp9lYu86w9iClJITWJKfqcp7xGzoaaZqGL_yy8OMFncZhtI24alwI/s1600/IMG_1739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszhGLeL66SaNQ8dlHuT5ahGIzi2C-tgBTQ9xQCzToasojqQhW1nO0fKIpCANuik3M5dOWrCMXp_mBBeS2KLII8YJlp9lYu86w9iClJITWJKfqcp7xGzoaaZqGL_yy8OMFncZhtI24alwI/s400/IMG_1739.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmmYKUx_DWheNB5nhwTJSnsYNoT8eHmubJ41OVmmlnuysdYlrqx0cTT5ApbJlSHHl7EvthekxgYTXnIO8-MxMyXwr2udw5PHuGQL5XPmiICr9I6zLSaflFg1TMYypFPxvNz03vObWG8oY/s1600/IMG_1742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmmYKUx_DWheNB5nhwTJSnsYNoT8eHmubJ41OVmmlnuysdYlrqx0cTT5ApbJlSHHl7EvthekxgYTXnIO8-MxMyXwr2udw5PHuGQL5XPmiICr9I6zLSaflFg1TMYypFPxvNz03vObWG8oY/s400/IMG_1742.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILzLgH7toCROlMYKiz5Ghq_u2kIH1dewaRQ0KSyj2PBEUTmwL68oEINrokUhYFP864wG74AeAnquN4BUynRYuWhQXHWJ0zXgFZtpfn-xe8idMBQ0lhNaqA4700BDlNiqSAVgHWb85Ywiw/s1600/IMG_1741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILzLgH7toCROlMYKiz5Ghq_u2kIH1dewaRQ0KSyj2PBEUTmwL68oEINrokUhYFP864wG74AeAnquN4BUynRYuWhQXHWJ0zXgFZtpfn-xe8idMBQ0lhNaqA4700BDlNiqSAVgHWb85Ywiw/s400/IMG_1741.JPG" /></a></div><br />
We wait for and enjoy the first carrots of the season. I postpone my thinning so that first thinning can be eaten. While I like to harvest carrots after a good frost (because I think they taste sweeter), these first carrots are so good. They are warm like the earth and mild, delicious. <br />
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One easy way to eat carrots is the classic carrot salad. I admit I like the simple, traditional grated carrots, raisins, and a dash of mayo with some allspice and sugar added for flavor. But I love David Lebovitz's recipes so here's his not so classic French carrot salad: <br />
<a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/07/carottes-rapee/">http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/07/carottes-rapee/</a><br />
If you are like my daughter you just park yourself in the carrot patch, pull and eat. That's how she likes her carrots. And no matter where she lives, she calls or texts me about this time each year to ask if the carrots are ready. I tell her they are and there is a bowl of water next to them waiting for her. She always tells me she'll skip the water. <br />
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So it's that time of year. Whether you like them cooked, raw, grated, mixed with other ingredients, or plain and soil coated right from the garden; I hope you enjoy your carrots!<br />
MaryMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-35508239850106987262014-07-19T16:10:00.000-07:002014-07-19T16:17:12.755-07:00Probiotics for your Plants? It's the Fungus Among Us<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWcXg5fRexSbUHgUd-gGFvRtMv8csIUb7OTj7uWDLJkiTa6NOxgYC7BWDnNnDmFYOEAwz2DWUu188HqW6miW2mzSzYkqnRT1FSLOUHHG6T9X-CLS0vJ_ZDruOiWxEcAgMqZdE1e6lhbJb/s1600/mycorrhizae.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWcXg5fRexSbUHgUd-gGFvRtMv8csIUb7OTj7uWDLJkiTa6NOxgYC7BWDnNnDmFYOEAwz2DWUu188HqW6miW2mzSzYkqnRT1FSLOUHHG6T9X-CLS0vJ_ZDruOiWxEcAgMqZdE1e6lhbJb/s400/mycorrhizae.png" /></a></div><br />
Fungal mycorrhizae, the life force behind a healthy garden. In a previous post I was trying to capture the role soil plays in a healthy garden and found myself rambling about compost and worms which are very important but I couldn't quite capture the intricate and wonderful world of the soil. The mycorrhizae, or fungus roots (really hairs not roots) called hyphae or mycelium, are what has a fantastic relationship with the roots of your plants. That relationship is called a symbiotic relationship. A give and take. Some of the sugars the plant roots obtain via photosynthesis get transferred to the mycelium of the fungus and in return the mycelium of the fungus transfer hard to obtain nutrients to the plant roots. Perfect! This symbiotic relationship was the much needed missing piece. Below is a link to an article that does a fabulous job explaining this and is so worth the read. When you get a chance, go out into your garden and do some digging and look for mycorrhizae in your garden soil. And if you can get a hand lens use that to look at these lovely hair structures hiding in your soil a bit more closely and enjoy! <br />
On a little side note I must say that I love how the article starts with the invention of the microscope. Always a wonderful science story.<br />
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Article link here: (you'll have to copy and past; sorry the live link option isn't working) <b>http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/mycorrhizal-fungi-zm0z14aszkin.aspx#axzz37xFxH0hA<a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/mycorrhizal-fungi-zm0z14aszkin.aspx#axzz37xFxH0hA"></a></b><br />
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May your mycorrhizae be there and be strong!<br />
MaryMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-87985161506457658942014-07-17T18:26:00.001-07:002014-07-18T04:50:29.586-07:00Garden Helpers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpZIZB1FmBDSGaWEuB_0qiiTqWN38gK4BVN2r3DQyzhMZaBY-hPH5bBEta3D5np3Jj_e6ghfeMg0eQFuJpu8ceRLroZSheNpVS4pf974dACsbkYcWqDVAzUzA9Ox9vRXmfBb3gqJi3y3y/s1600/IMG_1734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpZIZB1FmBDSGaWEuB_0qiiTqWN38gK4BVN2r3DQyzhMZaBY-hPH5bBEta3D5np3Jj_e6ghfeMg0eQFuJpu8ceRLroZSheNpVS4pf974dACsbkYcWqDVAzUzA9Ox9vRXmfBb3gqJi3y3y/s400/IMG_1734.JPG" /></a></div><br />
We all need a little help from our friends and our gardens are no different. Here are a few things I have that help with making the garden a better place. Those of you who know Bill and Rachel of Zone 4 Perennials recognize this turtle garden mascot. Very cute little fellow and he does a great job watching over the garden.<br />
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So important are the bees <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEf2gUGIsJVh29qd0Uza6wZgCW0cHf1APpUvR5Le76E9Ul6e0EIZTrQzR0d_nPK4UsnEU5KeFJ-eYTA5D7iVApsaIE_TuhpjR3AsO1ClqLV_caPCn-ScIF9fcjPsnnuIgjIu0eiTEqNWl/s1600/IMG_1636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEf2gUGIsJVh29qd0Uza6wZgCW0cHf1APpUvR5Le76E9Ul6e0EIZTrQzR0d_nPK4UsnEU5KeFJ-eYTA5D7iVApsaIE_TuhpjR3AsO1ClqLV_caPCn-ScIF9fcjPsnnuIgjIu0eiTEqNWl/s400/IMG_1636.JPG" /></a></div><br />
A leaf cutter bee box to attract leaf cutter wild bees <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2nm7HI4zqz0Ly9F3dhaw9fa_elowzQ0KI9oRmBJOjsx8p06xlxSiQym8aI-qUZrlmEv1Hq613n006A9vktqoFt3rxWYuWahU3PWW4mLQ6M6ZGA3sSOXOs1GxVbmqSo5bhvbqzDpiqFSj/s1600/IMG_1732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2nm7HI4zqz0Ly9F3dhaw9fa_elowzQ0KI9oRmBJOjsx8p06xlxSiQym8aI-qUZrlmEv1Hq613n006A9vktqoFt3rxWYuWahU3PWW4mLQ6M6ZGA3sSOXOs1GxVbmqSo5bhvbqzDpiqFSj/s400/IMG_1732.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Now for friends of the soil we have compost builders such as the girls.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NBdUZSmsvN0w5xrsONglS624-KXSCRdOzDmPqrPGlk7aIQBybrDx4Kh3IzhkyY1iFZsNcF_r3XwOExzvQ49rCtlxhC4CRorTchdaAiSlfsPK6F4i80Ugah7WZ7Y9Urab0zXwQ8kXls-r/s1600/IMG_1723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-NBdUZSmsvN0w5xrsONglS624-KXSCRdOzDmPqrPGlk7aIQBybrDx4Kh3IzhkyY1iFZsNcF_r3XwOExzvQ49rCtlxhC4CRorTchdaAiSlfsPK6F4i80Ugah7WZ7Y9Urab0zXwQ8kXls-r/s400/IMG_1723.JPG" /></a></div>And for great compost, their bedding <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgNqMXBjwgxYDzXl7iG9VCbwQkX3RrZvDSMsx9t9GyGYqtn3YBJkIlkLA8y8PosRHJv2v0x24U6V9EiH7wAdCgHPMqxbFdoEUj-RDuR1ZR1veDH6-PpfGA1W1RFCW50t0DaY_HKc6w1Ja/s1600/IMG_1675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgNqMXBjwgxYDzXl7iG9VCbwQkX3RrZvDSMsx9t9GyGYqtn3YBJkIlkLA8y8PosRHJv2v0x24U6V9EiH7wAdCgHPMqxbFdoEUj-RDuR1ZR1veDH6-PpfGA1W1RFCW50t0DaY_HKc6w1Ja/s400/IMG_1675.JPG" /></a></div><br />
And then there is vermiculture aka the worms and their worm castings <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvAG3CFRPELnN5XxQLIR1EgYGZRHxmbATBEsxqGTUvLo8_3X-4E3guY6JFyoV2LzufeJhtdRdC65_Ul6Dz0kL-CGzgm-KuSJVXlJwtpK_ZyTL4if_qF5TzJZ-qedy86l_xxst-JeACDFNO/s1600/IMG_1692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvAG3CFRPELnN5XxQLIR1EgYGZRHxmbATBEsxqGTUvLo8_3X-4E3guY6JFyoV2LzufeJhtdRdC65_Ul6Dz0kL-CGzgm-KuSJVXlJwtpK_ZyTL4if_qF5TzJZ-qedy86l_xxst-JeACDFNO/s400/IMG_1692.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Compost tea <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQyWszeWyax3WHtq5mtJP5YaaTVGMym_BOCmujw4wUydVvQsNziWMoVNBhVz8rp9ph-aQopKsToxH7a2rmnsg90xvUxSdLyKNIqe0tcG5_83U4tgqEmxycmrC5c3MNWTUK-x2R2RAEUcY/s1600/IMG_1691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgQyWszeWyax3WHtq5mtJP5YaaTVGMym_BOCmujw4wUydVvQsNziWMoVNBhVz8rp9ph-aQopKsToxH7a2rmnsg90xvUxSdLyKNIqe0tcG5_83U4tgqEmxycmrC5c3MNWTUK-x2R2RAEUcY/s400/IMG_1691.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Yes we get by with a little help from our friends and I hope you and your garden do too,<br />
MaryMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-77048131807475347142014-07-16T05:20:00.001-07:002014-07-16T05:20:23.838-07:00Beets!First thinning of beets! <br />
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Before thinning <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FjoCppxVIhkqLp476vrV1Y0yN7Mhk0TSkY3vfinh71zc-mQYhnKORhdtaWJPH-bBAVnFFf1kUrkEpam-11fMh5ChkY9d7bnRUkwEsjWB6iDnkSYu-sLRx0xFhtsN9fxWcYj6rIzdOiwI/s1600/IMG_1717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FjoCppxVIhkqLp476vrV1Y0yN7Mhk0TSkY3vfinh71zc-mQYhnKORhdtaWJPH-bBAVnFFf1kUrkEpam-11fMh5ChkY9d7bnRUkwEsjWB6iDnkSYu-sLRx0xFhtsN9fxWcYj6rIzdOiwI/s320/IMG_1717.JPG" /></a></div><br />
After thinning <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrhG47PovQaRVFFlSA9ktrmdjchcYJAi2v7SGFCTagDc3LCWXOcyLt2egfkbLHZd7_FgK5Tsk2dFhxku26zJKYO5jeo1agT3Ysp08oBUEj4vSH0c6wAnUy7p-YEXGY4OOHSltDjwWs6mW/s1600/IMG_1738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrhG47PovQaRVFFlSA9ktrmdjchcYJAi2v7SGFCTagDc3LCWXOcyLt2egfkbLHZd7_FgK5Tsk2dFhxku26zJKYO5jeo1agT3Ysp08oBUEj4vSH0c6wAnUy7p-YEXGY4OOHSltDjwWs6mW/s320/IMG_1738.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Now to steam them and serve them with a little herb butter. I steam the roots separately from the greens since they take longer. But serve them both together. Delicious!<br />
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I'll post a great way to make and use herb butter soon.<br />
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Mary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-77705134046329976142014-07-15T10:13:00.001-07:002014-07-25T04:15:29.217-07:00Pictures of a Maine Garden in JulySlowly the gardens make the gentle transition into summer and the variety of colors, shapes, and sizes become more and more apparent. Here are a few photos showing some of this transition. You can click on them to enlarge them. Enjoy!<br />
The garden near my house:<br />
Astilbe <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHr0XEvvI5I8Q6gmfwYP1ewXnzRtrxB84GpQiCfd2TAP2JhWy-pWSxxy7Pvdzx0w0CxGsSGXiv_KCm1CZ9CRKKJ5rOe4Bh2i7opVboY8xYaNQf3GFwkA75GVKOpvewW3FnUHmDAHXNFEDs/s1600/IMG_1632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHr0XEvvI5I8Q6gmfwYP1ewXnzRtrxB84GpQiCfd2TAP2JhWy-pWSxxy7Pvdzx0w0CxGsSGXiv_KCm1CZ9CRKKJ5rOe4Bh2i7opVboY8xYaNQf3GFwkA75GVKOpvewW3FnUHmDAHXNFEDs/s320/IMG_1632.JPG" /></a></div>Common Sage <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdoTrGuE8M7tw9B0xLB1lJ4lpNhyphenhyphenLl_t-lZj-Su39ZdBL6IYys3YuI3CPIRyzDCzKmsZjL4W4DVH8LIoTmHxBpZTuXarJUUVW1F_4IKxe6WVSmMO95j2AyyputEhjL6-en2rnwiAzyqyBi/s1600/IMG_1635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdoTrGuE8M7tw9B0xLB1lJ4lpNhyphenhyphenLl_t-lZj-Su39ZdBL6IYys3YuI3CPIRyzDCzKmsZjL4W4DVH8LIoTmHxBpZTuXarJUUVW1F_4IKxe6WVSmMO95j2AyyputEhjL6-en2rnwiAzyqyBi/s320/IMG_1635.JPG" /></a></div>Japanese Indigo <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKAL0bKPuBCqf3Lm_ermFQDOKfMk_h851Ymb_nrnGW0r3618b7HpgQK2HQEMCr8qOD5qGLpdVZI3Ytb3pnA9CamHQ-pkWNnG5HPRsZ800L_euoPW3dEZB70-n82CPrOQPMlPlJ0G9dC8RO/s1600/IMG_1639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKAL0bKPuBCqf3Lm_ermFQDOKfMk_h851Ymb_nrnGW0r3618b7HpgQK2HQEMCr8qOD5qGLpdVZI3Ytb3pnA9CamHQ-pkWNnG5HPRsZ800L_euoPW3dEZB70-n82CPrOQPMlPlJ0G9dC8RO/s320/IMG_1639.JPG" /></a></div>Butterfly Weed <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujLA2HvnAngoNDs1Ggr4OhTRWQa_BWx0uC4WdKBXjo3MfCGT7jz-5qqmwzbiE0tPb-3_k_9WGqAr3t-V1RQ5X4xUqsTHcRw3_H9kWBsC-ePImQHMpMfGPcedwEavFoB270gbzN29RGoDq/s1600/IMG_1641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujLA2HvnAngoNDs1Ggr4OhTRWQa_BWx0uC4WdKBXjo3MfCGT7jz-5qqmwzbiE0tPb-3_k_9WGqAr3t-V1RQ5X4xUqsTHcRw3_H9kWBsC-ePImQHMpMfGPcedwEavFoB270gbzN29RGoDq/s320/IMG_1641.JPG" /></a></div>Dill <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRqkFVlZHSfTadA1cB7-hJ2a8gXjToUOAOrAQjp21BrNAZtoKGDdNYdqUkmo88a_FKbraipy7_9f59QmX1KFmcKclJW8oi2T_waSWbdH9SgUnnMi9FV21-wO0jThc0sr1z_coQBUpjpZ2X/s1600/IMG_1643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRqkFVlZHSfTadA1cB7-hJ2a8gXjToUOAOrAQjp21BrNAZtoKGDdNYdqUkmo88a_FKbraipy7_9f59QmX1KFmcKclJW8oi2T_waSWbdH9SgUnnMi9FV21-wO0jThc0sr1z_coQBUpjpZ2X/s320/IMG_1643.JPG" /></a></div>Basil <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6omXBNVuNIqiDGCqUykUbzdVqNdXy8Oh5Sgg94tkJ1wHSOAWFP2ADDpDY8iT3rDO0GmgdJslm-zoPzea7I5ek_1_-WD_VgSxHfE2d3QPnTckqUjQEPHWJMLUXRupCVDPcCwDK1fAqemG/s1600/IMG_1699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6omXBNVuNIqiDGCqUykUbzdVqNdXy8Oh5Sgg94tkJ1wHSOAWFP2ADDpDY8iT3rDO0GmgdJslm-zoPzea7I5ek_1_-WD_VgSxHfE2d3QPnTckqUjQEPHWJMLUXRupCVDPcCwDK1fAqemG/s320/IMG_1699.JPG" /></a></div>Milkweed - heavenly scent! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh929-Hy3RrSmjQoPLlG-Rb1aXfhOkvvafJDhwvO5JdytXAGz-SXwnU-m7m86reizP6URw6LOwGqj3rnBWwn0Giy7iriAozgF7TcmYaT1XqfcUqXxP8FNHQZI9OUQMZrAwahw1_RUw5dtYH/s1600/IMG_1644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh929-Hy3RrSmjQoPLlG-Rb1aXfhOkvvafJDhwvO5JdytXAGz-SXwnU-m7m86reizP6URw6LOwGqj3rnBWwn0Giy7iriAozgF7TcmYaT1XqfcUqXxP8FNHQZI9OUQMZrAwahw1_RUw5dtYH/s320/IMG_1644.JPG" /></a></div><br />
From my lower garden:<br />
Self sown "wild" garlic with scapes <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUgLe0Z0ETDOCHFLGAEsqsUGpyl0vaxZa7S39MJIvt5irqxToWpOiJsx1BTPerfDqE6O0E-amlaf_FLJcv8z2cHrcdiSjBJwRPsOgnyGODtfsfcFBySl8x9Z8rX1SKRE5BceF-s3xb1tX/s1600/IMG_1645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUgLe0Z0ETDOCHFLGAEsqsUGpyl0vaxZa7S39MJIvt5irqxToWpOiJsx1BTPerfDqE6O0E-amlaf_FLJcv8z2cHrcdiSjBJwRPsOgnyGODtfsfcFBySl8x9Z8rX1SKRE5BceF-s3xb1tX/s320/IMG_1645.JPG" /></a></div>Winter Squash, Delicata or Acorn....I forget but will know soon enough! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpzoDRxho60_Pj5YwTqnsfxksncjBvpCc6J0DEai3Sfl1Nj4MyMCPExlAkTvQLLnwvyL1zzoOYY4kGc-lEQ_xiKw2V1Q6L54MwvqsV0tDl0PHzZpA4a8nqCUJiD1P3C66Io5fjkKtAQ7W/s1600/IMG_1647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpzoDRxho60_Pj5YwTqnsfxksncjBvpCc6J0DEai3Sfl1Nj4MyMCPExlAkTvQLLnwvyL1zzoOYY4kGc-lEQ_xiKw2V1Q6L54MwvqsV0tDl0PHzZpA4a8nqCUJiD1P3C66Io5fjkKtAQ7W/s320/IMG_1647.JPG" /></a></div>1 of several beds of onions <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh462qMxNRcP8fPfPRo5tfcD-YUhPlKpN7UZxcrB8VK_VkD7MLNkDvxUj-X_-EibQ6bxrQuJV2mklw6WHJW5esxvpEY2cP6eFZFVbha6UdPv2Udy0311xFPB_WGyxhH50UYBy76okilg2yQ/s1600/IMG_1646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh462qMxNRcP8fPfPRo5tfcD-YUhPlKpN7UZxcrB8VK_VkD7MLNkDvxUj-X_-EibQ6bxrQuJV2mklw6WHJW5esxvpEY2cP6eFZFVbha6UdPv2Udy0311xFPB_WGyxhH50UYBy76okilg2yQ/s320/IMG_1646.JPG" /></a></div>Spinach, Swiss Chard, and Borage <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznQOQ2xfFSg50PDP-GuFOiOB-uDeg5TEFty7MGg-1XkQV41529WnjTS-lWphhYmjr0wGVjpss_-XhKim13_3-AEwKMRtlq-d7jI-chsbhukkXw8p_VIp7KO9I4QtZxpI3jCH7BPspEMVm/s1600/IMG_1651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznQOQ2xfFSg50PDP-GuFOiOB-uDeg5TEFty7MGg-1XkQV41529WnjTS-lWphhYmjr0wGVjpss_-XhKim13_3-AEwKMRtlq-d7jI-chsbhukkXw8p_VIp7KO9I4QtZxpI3jCH7BPspEMVm/s320/IMG_1651.JPG" /></a></div>Flowering Cilantro <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiurLDcfQuQuWuTnBmwlYO5-eWehC9wnzthyphenhyphenfIdnJoazeWyFGyUHgr8MXL57yw0N8npYjuISUlDhWLUisNp9u1I2GlEGRfxEHZ6uGM1KAjpobosa0DU4qL-CmRzNnrpPIj3e-27qjpNJ3ov/s1600/IMG_1654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiurLDcfQuQuWuTnBmwlYO5-eWehC9wnzthyphenhyphenfIdnJoazeWyFGyUHgr8MXL57yw0N8npYjuISUlDhWLUisNp9u1I2GlEGRfxEHZ6uGM1KAjpobosa0DU4qL-CmRzNnrpPIj3e-27qjpNJ3ov/s320/IMG_1654.JPG" /></a></div>Lettuce, having been cut once <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCQ3cgnThktD_WoJNNrU9aLkuu2cngZqScIbhIvLb8kWVV8x-biOhgg5OaKq1rFVsUHsyqz7m7DiKVIK6eDkDLDBq3EauM0_ATrd4ZVVrh_0phQNXpAoKUvZ_G_9tn-2qIo8tMVMS3DY2/s1600/IMG_1715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCQ3cgnThktD_WoJNNrU9aLkuu2cngZqScIbhIvLb8kWVV8x-biOhgg5OaKq1rFVsUHsyqz7m7DiKVIK6eDkDLDBq3EauM0_ATrd4ZVVrh_0phQNXpAoKUvZ_G_9tn-2qIo8tMVMS3DY2/s320/IMG_1715.JPG" /></a></div>A Sour Cherry Tree outside my lower garden <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuxEqpVPf8lI7eKvbe4QD0Xb-rWpL_tDTSF3uhB0bmJlaYJj_Tt5arkSvsHFNTeUBiYGEs7KoRD3FqXWmzeDFShyFaLEKlsmCXY3D_c4MFKryTLf7EIxhkEm7otq4VqfIVIih35sCBNOi/s1600/IMG_1656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVuxEqpVPf8lI7eKvbe4QD0Xb-rWpL_tDTSF3uhB0bmJlaYJj_Tt5arkSvsHFNTeUBiYGEs7KoRD3FqXWmzeDFShyFaLEKlsmCXY3D_c4MFKryTLf7EIxhkEm7otq4VqfIVIih35sCBNOi/s320/IMG_1656.JPG" /></a></div>From the middle garden:<br />
Scarlet Runner Beans and Morning Glories <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RsEmtpAYvzUTxAy0l5zcVFQMxDBsjlnNersNCx0Ou57xbOU0VUbcE3vEV-cwA-Acz09KDfIx4L3awgEpIcVk7x8Y97pP7bj5gL0FAYvjW4eGfAvCQHRVrFHvX5wXvMio1ft6dcWzJen_/s1600/IMG_1659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RsEmtpAYvzUTxAy0l5zcVFQMxDBsjlnNersNCx0Ou57xbOU0VUbcE3vEV-cwA-Acz09KDfIx4L3awgEpIcVk7x8Y97pP7bj5gL0FAYvjW4eGfAvCQHRVrFHvX5wXvMio1ft6dcWzJen_/s320/IMG_1659.JPG" /></a></div>Pumpkin <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBytJvMeyjyOFHKP84nMe5RL6pAn6XWA7saV36s_iZ4ENIi9Op7P1DM7wwj0Dafrh4YCY4CDMZOTI_ZKMNQQDKpTIcMmu2k3sjMGe1ra9NNQXZlDbIKrvdSwq82DrY6tP8ydmTJ_7YnvF0/s1600/IMG_1660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBytJvMeyjyOFHKP84nMe5RL6pAn6XWA7saV36s_iZ4ENIi9Op7P1DM7wwj0Dafrh4YCY4CDMZOTI_ZKMNQQDKpTIcMmu2k3sjMGe1ra9NNQXZlDbIKrvdSwq82DrY6tP8ydmTJ_7YnvF0/s320/IMG_1660.JPG" /></a></div>Raspberries <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzm3na7Rxxfz2nagGJVrJJObuizhpSr8PlEbfMMinSKtmNlp_SvGaY31lQpro5O5tpNntrDaupbiuWLvrqGxNnjKy174tg6YjA-CpFiDWM-uPEtvQiAXI66B8JrGjM3l-CSTeYKeOEmuQb/s1600/IMG_1661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzm3na7Rxxfz2nagGJVrJJObuizhpSr8PlEbfMMinSKtmNlp_SvGaY31lQpro5O5tpNntrDaupbiuWLvrqGxNnjKy174tg6YjA-CpFiDWM-uPEtvQiAXI66B8JrGjM3l-CSTeYKeOEmuQb/s320/IMG_1661.JPG" /></a></div>Potatoes (potato bug free!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TQSpcR_pNda3zVc5zNE3gsSY5VKYSKDZ-y7CAVXzZqfE3GrZjEiy5NnvXh-zMEWv7qfHfNZOavgdhvY96zFpURHGtYvhuhW1KEs1rH_-jJJ78SLyvh76dzbBxR8uMpCu1GlpR-M4tPY9/s1600/IMG_1663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TQSpcR_pNda3zVc5zNE3gsSY5VKYSKDZ-y7CAVXzZqfE3GrZjEiy5NnvXh-zMEWv7qfHfNZOavgdhvY96zFpURHGtYvhuhW1KEs1rH_-jJJ78SLyvh76dzbBxR8uMpCu1GlpR-M4tPY9/s320/IMG_1663.JPG" /></a></div>Onions <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLBNIk7e5-d5DQqEQ6eSPilgU0XpxJTS3r_oDWFdQW9pCn6JHMUI7TslVbrdvXyvbBg_OG3Z2LPU_lgaY13jLKL3dtJadz8iAZBoqcmcTpwmgvNToDHJOGlUuPMPbrNih4mDCQJhEkfvk/s1600/IMG_1653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLBNIk7e5-d5DQqEQ6eSPilgU0XpxJTS3r_oDWFdQW9pCn6JHMUI7TslVbrdvXyvbBg_OG3Z2LPU_lgaY13jLKL3dtJadz8iAZBoqcmcTpwmgvNToDHJOGlUuPMPbrNih4mDCQJhEkfvk/s320/IMG_1653.JPG" /></a></div>Garlic <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74LKM4JAzKlO1kOzjCyMXNJ62y0hglbRq1cayJkOdPO2YEta7QEKvHP0DP8TIz18O3rySFN1LtMzPLq2tVwyxP4k2rezzeoH37cyoTHaGwsvXqZ23Y6CVe_NDCGcEXLnS0qrXm5MZKtx3/s1600/IMG_1704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74LKM4JAzKlO1kOzjCyMXNJ62y0hglbRq1cayJkOdPO2YEta7QEKvHP0DP8TIz18O3rySFN1LtMzPLq2tVwyxP4k2rezzeoH37cyoTHaGwsvXqZ23Y6CVe_NDCGcEXLnS0qrXm5MZKtx3/s320/IMG_1704.JPG" /></a></div>Corn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXFT8TAZlrQBc_8KLRyWlQmY6N3DM8H_qYrss2k5li8VzvT_wP6lVwT6Q01fQL3R6-mK95Kvz3Mn-0_dYEmO7QXe-yc8EIHsf1XQrcTltIHwcId9RudXC2K9y7DANZaQe72xHWJKwLyOg/s1600/IMG_1706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXFT8TAZlrQBc_8KLRyWlQmY6N3DM8H_qYrss2k5li8VzvT_wP6lVwT6Q01fQL3R6-mK95Kvz3Mn-0_dYEmO7QXe-yc8EIHsf1XQrcTltIHwcId9RudXC2K9y7DANZaQe72xHWJKwLyOg/s320/IMG_1706.JPG" /></a></div>The upper garden has my tomatoes and some... <br />
Red onions and beans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhfLJfcyT8iFpbDUFBPoBrI2biEtUj6UtuFfKbl515Hu7puhpFNGS4y8qJjfKxyLGup0g3-uJhJ7JHgPpppsbxRqhE43BtGL4R81qeIHYoefFzsppjEskufuLNCOw6f4kRKqB7aklVz0-/s1600/IMG_1669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhfLJfcyT8iFpbDUFBPoBrI2biEtUj6UtuFfKbl515Hu7puhpFNGS4y8qJjfKxyLGup0g3-uJhJ7JHgPpppsbxRqhE43BtGL4R81qeIHYoefFzsppjEskufuLNCOw6f4kRKqB7aklVz0-/s320/IMG_1669.JPG" /></a></div>Perennials such as strawberries in front of asparagus <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiZpGQfuDhJt7bYpQ8gtw192gW1D3IGGIZWNbRNk7FvLBAtFZDLCguVqs9OBbDdN8rRskUXaJenMyeg9yjwja9aUuv5_jatTpSMcHpZZ-ua5BNC99kekgD263h2D6My6KGEncxoRGX1-z/s1600/IMG_1708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiZpGQfuDhJt7bYpQ8gtw192gW1D3IGGIZWNbRNk7FvLBAtFZDLCguVqs9OBbDdN8rRskUXaJenMyeg9yjwja9aUuv5_jatTpSMcHpZZ-ua5BNC99kekgD263h2D6My6KGEncxoRGX1-z/s320/IMG_1708.JPG" /></a></div>Rhubarb <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwlVKS38NCvGRwQFXBp0Y-NIeBHj6tttZmw4zAuVXITfLy_V3ODM5GjFL6_EU5RYgSXjfqbu1VSLeg3v7_694BgeZwYHnyElX7WjcZzlG1WihqWyQJpuirdEz_jJbbPBgbX7Zcrflzn60/s1600/IMG_1709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwlVKS38NCvGRwQFXBp0Y-NIeBHj6tttZmw4zAuVXITfLy_V3ODM5GjFL6_EU5RYgSXjfqbu1VSLeg3v7_694BgeZwYHnyElX7WjcZzlG1WihqWyQJpuirdEz_jJbbPBgbX7Zcrflzn60/s320/IMG_1709.JPG" /></a></div>Horseradish <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8iZCoqVSkw9WY6ntcVvIRUUV9WPUpeZkmDlt8udu-qfk-T-5FGVzi9v-YkzW-fHtAxAT5dU2ENiiANHPcevQzjM5Kub8IdpsS_CwdooTL6DoHA8yI0UmvamtXxOObXeb03-B5efmKOwO/s1600/IMG_1674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8iZCoqVSkw9WY6ntcVvIRUUV9WPUpeZkmDlt8udu-qfk-T-5FGVzi9v-YkzW-fHtAxAT5dU2ENiiANHPcevQzjM5Kub8IdpsS_CwdooTL6DoHA8yI0UmvamtXxOObXeb03-B5efmKOwO/s320/IMG_1674.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Where the garden was years ago. I moved it because even after several years of soil building there was never a worm to be found. I suspect the previous owner enjoyed his chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOLEvO5kKVSQBcYNbe8T4FBZBV17Xm21nu3m-RQFxHWg_csb6tF7_y2jUuWJHgpyKtcDWrRvPQ3eV7h14zkOkJMA3-dtSNWmZfeebvKPVjZEw8S2lDlYFjnIVSTIByHxVeQpGoXlQEX-r/s1600/IMG_1676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOLEvO5kKVSQBcYNbe8T4FBZBV17Xm21nu3m-RQFxHWg_csb6tF7_y2jUuWJHgpyKtcDWrRvPQ3eV7h14zkOkJMA3-dtSNWmZfeebvKPVjZEw8S2lDlYFjnIVSTIByHxVeQpGoXlQEX-r/s320/IMG_1676.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Kyle's hops<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajRpsCf3GiRuHL17vMSio92mUiIGlEgbIsLLf6KHQcQvrpMPtao0dgcGWhW-P94e6SiLWztnnDWSMDZpsnq5m6g2axGk_Ph5Y7uJi2NlNlNI5RxCkHZ1Z6twJ3cSgC6MvMM3PwFFQ0SHy/s1600/IMG_1678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajRpsCf3GiRuHL17vMSio92mUiIGlEgbIsLLf6KHQcQvrpMPtao0dgcGWhW-P94e6SiLWztnnDWSMDZpsnq5m6g2axGk_Ph5Y7uJi2NlNlNI5RxCkHZ1Z6twJ3cSgC6MvMM3PwFFQ0SHy/s320/IMG_1678.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Hop leaves <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRLno6hyphenhyphenqGBycmY6tR_kpgVnvqnUifNTn7ZqNlftWAzNOkCUz_NRfTVMr65fm0-OMR3oG_G92lP7vx88MHiaoAIXvAohTkUaf8BBAplAhlT9EG1K6t1Vs138ap88zZrWMvQFtqy4HeZOyC/s1600/IMG_1679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRLno6hyphenhyphenqGBycmY6tR_kpgVnvqnUifNTn7ZqNlftWAzNOkCUz_NRfTVMr65fm0-OMR3oG_G92lP7vx88MHiaoAIXvAohTkUaf8BBAplAhlT9EG1K6t1Vs138ap88zZrWMvQFtqy4HeZOyC/s320/IMG_1679.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Around the yard<br />
Plum tree <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHH4U3zCh3WFlZlDP4geBe5SrJTpCz8jubB_c5w9Kh8N1ejZ8a7HaiEA2EMGotRntsx1NJOBnIVwJa8e2BOkXbOn3tP5EiADzt6pNguVBwn6VnPuM3dZp3dASPqhsWvflUvV4IJgiefzI/s1600/IMG_1696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHH4U3zCh3WFlZlDP4geBe5SrJTpCz8jubB_c5w9Kh8N1ejZ8a7HaiEA2EMGotRntsx1NJOBnIVwJa8e2BOkXbOn3tP5EiADzt6pNguVBwn6VnPuM3dZp3dASPqhsWvflUvV4IJgiefzI/s320/IMG_1696.JPG" /></a></div>Blueberries <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qQ0fDvn6yKuPDqKDFs2eFFqHbGL9FOymbKAwx8b-z31SCUQC_0O_mzFRXIQuHPzSZEstQHvQFzdMsNCt3S4Et0uqhZQnctQwT-p-tH-FIpbXx2HbSHmpndExFvUB7fClrKFIaZLL93A-/s1600/IMG_1687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qQ0fDvn6yKuPDqKDFs2eFFqHbGL9FOymbKAwx8b-z31SCUQC_0O_mzFRXIQuHPzSZEstQHvQFzdMsNCt3S4Et0uqhZQnctQwT-p-tH-FIpbXx2HbSHmpndExFvUB7fClrKFIaZLL93A-/s320/IMG_1687.JPG" /></a></div>Black Cohash <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHLJsnh1lmztJiTWTFUOmI-llrK8f9SspnjyxzslBDIftNrqrTm_kCOWGuF4YCqQHAqdxQ4LWIba4kYMBq3opBVy0ldDRsooJEL8AYngtb5edIl3tvQUW60xlKU9N4IxpGv1OjxOdEj4E/s1600/IMG_1685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHLJsnh1lmztJiTWTFUOmI-llrK8f9SspnjyxzslBDIftNrqrTm_kCOWGuF4YCqQHAqdxQ4LWIba4kYMBq3opBVy0ldDRsooJEL8AYngtb5edIl3tvQUW60xlKU9N4IxpGv1OjxOdEj4E/s320/IMG_1685.JPG" /></a></div>May Apple (I think) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQFdz8R_FQxivN4XKT-oTNoEGjrDb-HXnwz7e08HlPWoQihLheexQSK_y8z7ldQv1zLvJNNuWN9yYdE_y25X5PlPjAZ6PrGErfZ5JXxO3b-8U4wGHKHz9nY7umo_K_TYhTmTEzJHXwJjJ/s1600/IMG_1730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQFdz8R_FQxivN4XKT-oTNoEGjrDb-HXnwz7e08HlPWoQihLheexQSK_y8z7ldQv1zLvJNNuWN9yYdE_y25X5PlPjAZ6PrGErfZ5JXxO3b-8U4wGHKHz9nY7umo_K_TYhTmTEzJHXwJjJ/s400/IMG_1730.jpg" /></a></div>Mary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-55572552686773573342014-07-15T06:51:00.003-07:002014-07-15T11:02:35.777-07:00Spring Moves into Summer and Conserving Water<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWv-O-nJG0w_0rWH2vHjKBKQKN1azqGg4t7UnCeFZbvxemQ2cMK6QBtWSqYOx0adndHDTzRZavAEJmydUmK-Z4JIF-VPcw-KIgLDih5dTnxInz2Mc8VY6HHFAzMczv4Uv7Yezj4B6W3ORO/s1600/IMG_1691.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWv-O-nJG0w_0rWH2vHjKBKQKN1azqGg4t7UnCeFZbvxemQ2cMK6QBtWSqYOx0adndHDTzRZavAEJmydUmK-Z4JIF-VPcw-KIgLDih5dTnxInz2Mc8VY6HHFAzMczv4Uv7Yezj4B6W3ORO/s400/IMG_1691.JPG" /></a><br />
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With the passing of the pea season and the arrival of raspberries comes summer in Maine. Summer and the routines it brings are indeed welcome. And summer routines often revolve around water. Finding water, keeping water, spreading water. The above picture is of 2 of my rain barrels strategically placed so they catch rain water as it rolls off the roof. They usually fill after each rain fall. The one on the left has compost brewing in it and is a great holder for compost tea which gets sprinkled on plants as needed. The one on the right is clear water. I use it to water plants around the pool area and in the garden near the house. I also use it to fill the chickens' water holders. <br />
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As for peas, this was a great pea season here. The only issue I had was with munching deer. I guess they just love the tips of pea plants. This picture shows a tip eaten by a deer. The deer left its signature, the back tip of the nibble clearly left behind and visible. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwIgd48HGwSz4SYre7YeGnfVtyBi8S3Qu59l9AidE70LF6_ww1_DDE69DcKE0QCdMjNbcxOaps8k0S__iSHB0U7im9i1XQ2Ai_OLSVSpqgb27wVqoRwhwZFHoGG3MSifazNdRQ6Vvv0qc/s1600/IMG_1666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwIgd48HGwSz4SYre7YeGnfVtyBi8S3Qu59l9AidE70LF6_ww1_DDE69DcKE0QCdMjNbcxOaps8k0S__iSHB0U7im9i1XQ2Ai_OLSVSpqgb27wVqoRwhwZFHoGG3MSifazNdRQ6Vvv0qc/s400/IMG_1666.JPG" /></a></div>Thankfully there seemed to be enough for the deer and us. As I picked my last peas today I meandered over to what I thought of as "the dreaded raspberry patch". I say that because last year while I was away the raspberry patch got away from me. It is EVERYWHERE! I've been pulling new sprouting plants all along the edges of the garden trying to keep them in check. They are winning and this has been bumming me out. Until today when I looked at all the raspberries I have! Wow. This is going to be quite the harvest. I noticed something that makes perfect sense and I should not be surprised by it. But when I saw it I was. Last year when I cleaned out the chicken coop all the litter went in a spot next to the raspberries. Well now that spot is IN the raspberries and the raspberries growing around the litter are noticeably larger and quite juicy! Note to self; compost raspberries...after bush whacking them back! But before I do that I plan to make these Raspberry Shortbread bars with the one jar of raspberry jam I have left over from last year: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/12/austrian-raspberry-shortbread/ <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPhOvAtUl6VjKzTs6BbS6LZiWDk2a-49TCvgk6_-V9bD2snqVGkVdFm5dcny2mVEUNBh8Spt2xkwUC08inuDlClezJa6NYik7exVOqRMKofAp25ve7Brc-utvdd97xoGPnozn3FOKlsTe/s1600/IMG_1646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPhOvAtUl6VjKzTs6BbS6LZiWDk2a-49TCvgk6_-V9bD2snqVGkVdFm5dcny2mVEUNBh8Spt2xkwUC08inuDlClezJa6NYik7exVOqRMKofAp25ve7Brc-utvdd97xoGPnozn3FOKlsTe/s400/IMG_1646.JPG" /></a></div>A bed of straw mulched onions.<br />
Finally we have some much needed rain and some time for me to share what I have been up to in the garden the past few weeks. It's really simple since it's been all about mulch. Getting the paths mulched is always a huge undertaking for me. This year I did something that should have been rather obvious in years past; I mulched the pathways as I planted. So while it was still a big deal to get caught up on this, it wasn't as physically demanding as in years past when I spent a solid day mulching the entire garden. With the paths mulched I've turned my attention to mulching the beds. I must admit that this mulching pathways before beds always seems backwards to me yet it's what I always wind up doing. Seems to me that I should mulch the beds first. Protect those precious seedlings and newly sprouting seeds. But the pathways are where the weeds are and where they get so big and unruly so quickly. So that's where I begin. The other issue that I struggle with and I think most gardeners also deal with is getting enough material to use for mulch. This year a generous friend found a source of inexpensive hay and some free leaves and pine needles. That was a huge help as what I usually use, straw, is very expensive. I usually avoid these newly found materials for a variety of reasons so I am eagerly watching to see how they work out. The hay went on thick in the upper garden, mostly around my 30 tomatoes. First I lay double thickness or more of newspaper and then lay the hay over the newspaper nice and thick as seen in this picture: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxKj94VTET0wwTnVWzeDc4hOTt5skt5I3tg3pAJeJQPW6wxR9-BtAuSkPtbO6GXO5QRvlV-yNBTaHFUurOmN7wZ7aVPLyH58KTAzd14MctDW1lBg6g9xIv804fJ40O8Uxke5RwYv71ZiV/s1600/IMG_1671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxKj94VTET0wwTnVWzeDc4hOTt5skt5I3tg3pAJeJQPW6wxR9-BtAuSkPtbO6GXO5QRvlV-yNBTaHFUurOmN7wZ7aVPLyH58KTAzd14MctDW1lBg6g9xIv804fJ40O8Uxke5RwYv71ZiV/s400/IMG_1671.JPG" /></a></div>This is the garden that doesn't have beds yet. And I've given each tomato plant lots of room for air circulation as I always worry about that dreaded late blight. So there's alot of ground that needed to be covered. So if worse comes to worse I can till it even though I prefer not to till my garden and I usually don't. But if weeds crop up from the perennial hay I can do that. The leaves I put in the rows of my middle garden, between corn and pumpkins as shown in these photos. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQ8682OyLZkXzYeyHY6jLw4coCnC33kxILo5snlwiEzgoosfdND-sG6xTp5yMPFDJXmtxicTRowiYRenMqs0IkawEZimY0nOUexwjWo2s_4KoxNgyXXvevdb9x71BJRvbGqj-GL24_nCG/s1600/IMG_1657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQ8682OyLZkXzYeyHY6jLw4coCnC33kxILo5snlwiEzgoosfdND-sG6xTp5yMPFDJXmtxicTRowiYRenMqs0IkawEZimY0nOUexwjWo2s_4KoxNgyXXvevdb9x71BJRvbGqj-GL24_nCG/s400/IMG_1657.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvmH54uMUdVDYoiib37wdZ_qx6F4KWygbDdiJT2kpNXDlfeEB2zYpkWwiQpD9Dbw3v6X6xdD8ErzIFDKwToojmvBO_BC76xTZhqy66l1f-G6d539J7XMm84D2ysy-bakMGRoxasaVb8K2/s1600/IMG_1658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvmH54uMUdVDYoiib37wdZ_qx6F4KWygbDdiJT2kpNXDlfeEB2zYpkWwiQpD9Dbw3v6X6xdD8ErzIFDKwToojmvBO_BC76xTZhqy66l1f-G6d539J7XMm84D2ysy-bakMGRoxasaVb8K2/s400/IMG_1658.JPG" /></a></div>I worry water won't be able to get through the leaves since they are not chopped up. We'll see. The tape flapping over the corn needs to be removed. It works great when corn is first planted to keep crows from yanking the newly emerging seedlings and flying off with them. And the lovely pine needles went on thick around the blueberries. Perfect! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_uprFMIjMIIb5-pXz8aQ12bCZ6kWs9oJPqLGmQtBfbCJ4MoNaZSzhQouGtiyOJm7qunJSgkn3U12qt8XGp1dNYw85wgz9g0p1RReeepprLlGo6Aph-GEEYgMk0A62OCdkxhSE4FBwW3H/s1600/IMG_1686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_uprFMIjMIIb5-pXz8aQ12bCZ6kWs9oJPqLGmQtBfbCJ4MoNaZSzhQouGtiyOJm7qunJSgkn3U12qt8XGp1dNYw85wgz9g0p1RReeepprLlGo6Aph-GEEYgMk0A62OCdkxhSE4FBwW3H/s400/IMG_1686.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Now that the rows are mulched the mulching routine for the beds has to be carefully timed. It's not as scientific as it sounds. Basically it means to mulch after a rain. Weeds are easy to pull when the ground is moist. So rain or water, weed, and mulch. I sometimes water the mulch since I want that wet too. If I understand how water moves, it moves from wet to dry, I don't want the moisture moving up into dry hay. If it actually works like that. Maybe I should experiment with that thinking. Another reason why gardening is so fun, lots of opportunities for experimentation! The row covers on the cucumber beds have been removed and the beds are now weeded and mulched. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfbIskdEsBDsi9e5jNwKZZ-DZWZs6Xr5-hOc9c3-OVjTUE5oM1vhsTx7ASON-8Zb8EK711EP8kTkzdVoaSxvhwF79UqtIVzfXv10q43SiWsV1UHzn0gDeVX0PkZDDMVhgNDxpw4RYX-FE/s1600/IMG_1649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfbIskdEsBDsi9e5jNwKZZ-DZWZs6Xr5-hOc9c3-OVjTUE5oM1vhsTx7ASON-8Zb8EK711EP8kTkzdVoaSxvhwF79UqtIVzfXv10q43SiWsV1UHzn0gDeVX0PkZDDMVhgNDxpw4RYX-FE/s400/IMG_1649.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyS2E2JUozNMpROwRJHtlJXzGKAEmguWlbHU4yApDQmOlD2kgVfrUub9nMv65WORTdDDnu2B4b-cIrmvHIxk5fg0ytI32pVFB3TOkXa3Cu1KBHcNeODxZFGLmDlZU05rEdGBpnaGeWDwcR/s1600/IMG_1648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyS2E2JUozNMpROwRJHtlJXzGKAEmguWlbHU4yApDQmOlD2kgVfrUub9nMv65WORTdDDnu2B4b-cIrmvHIxk5fg0ytI32pVFB3TOkXa3Cu1KBHcNeODxZFGLmDlZU05rEdGBpnaGeWDwcR/s400/IMG_1648.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Mulching may seem like a lot of work because it is. But it's time well spent as it saves work over the long run. Weeds are a drag and steal needed nutrients from your vegetable, herb, and flowering plants. Dry ground and dry plants are too because it causes them stress. And stressed plants say things that bad bugs hear. It's true! Lots of research is coming out on that now and I find that fascinating! Mulching takes care of both those things. Plus I love the look of a mulched garden.<br />
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May your garden be mulched, your rain barrels full, and your garden everything you hope for. Because "Gardens make the world clean and fresh." American Horticultural Society<br />
Mary<br />
Mary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-14805546176840757932014-07-02T16:33:00.001-07:002014-07-17T09:30:08.506-07:00The Enduring Garlic Scape<br />
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Anxiously awaiting the coils to form on top of the carefully planted garlic. That's what I do each spring as I watch the waking garlic shoot up. I patiently wait and wonder, "When will I begin to see those amazing coilies?" Well, they are here!! Just in time for 4th of July. What was planted last October, sat quietly under a thick blanket of straw and snow, and then slowly began their climb to the sun. The garlic scape appeared almost as if to give thanks to the long awaited heat of the summer.<br />
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For the past, oh I don't know, 15 years or more I have ordered garlic bulbs in the fall, planted them in October (perfect timing when you think about protection from all the vampires!), watched them grow through the following spring, then harvest them in the dead of summer. But last year I tried something different. I saved my biggest and best bulbs from that summer's harvest and planted them in the fall. Now I am watching this second generation of mine develop the long awaited scape. It feels just a bit more special to me this year. Kind of like my own grandkids! <br />
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What to do with garlic scapes? To be honest I've only ever made pesto out of them. Because I love it so. I love to freeze it in tablespoon fulls on a cookie sheet and then pop them into freezer bags. I use them all winter long in soups, over fish, on pasta... But this year after I have my share of fresh scape pesto and before I begin my freezing I'm going to add some to my humus. Why not!? Rather than add garlic bulbs I'm going to add scapes. <br />
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I hope you are able to grow or find garlic scapes at your local farmers market. They are so worth the try.<br />
Here's a recipe from a cooking blog I enjoy to help you enjoy your scapes!<br />
<a href="http://www.doriegreenspan.com/2009/06/i-seem-to-be-on.html"></a><br />
http://www.doriegreenspan.com/2009/06/i-seem-to-be-on.html<br />
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MaryMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-45808528434685075092014-06-22T15:34:00.001-07:002014-06-22T15:57:49.069-07:00The 2014 Season - Strawberries, Spinach, Lettuce, and Snow Peas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-02tEyusK3kM/U6dXbXvT07I/AAAAAAAAE0o/LpRn28oVJvA/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-02tEyusK3kM/U6dXbXvT07I/AAAAAAAAE0o/LpRn28oVJvA/s320/image.jpg" /></a></div>My Garlic Planted Last Fall<br />
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How can a gardener have time to garden and blog? By giving up Facebook, that's how! School ended Wednesday and was followed with the most amazing weather we've had in a while. Real Maine spring weather. Cool, dry, breezy, and sunny. Over the past few days I have been able to get the gardens planted and mulched. Always a relief to get mulching done. This year I'm using hay in the back garden and straw in the lower garden. Years ago I only used newspaper covered with hay. But hay is tricky as it's a perennial. So the possibility of hay seed taking hold in the garden is a real threat. I was always lucky as it usually worked like a charm... but I also roto-tilled every season. Since I stopped using a rototiller I've switched to straw. Straw is an annual so any seeds that sprout will die over the winter. Even though hay seed makes me nervous I find myself using hay again this year since I got a few bales for cheap. Straw is wicked expensive. My fingers are crossed.<br />
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Early yesterday morning I was watering with a liquid seaweed diluted water and I noticed the tops of some peas and tomato plants nipped off and the telltale deer sign was there. They always leave a little tip along the top. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wu3uovTTSH0/U6dZL-o3E-I/AAAAAAAAE10/rin5j5PUIgw/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wu3uovTTSH0/U6dZL-o3E-I/AAAAAAAAE10/rin5j5PUIgw/s320/image.jpg" /></a></div>I've been picking spinach and lettuce for about two weeks now and my first batch of strawberries this morning. We've been nibbling on them all day. Wonderful! <br />
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Is there anything better than sun warmed strawberries? Yes, organic sun warmed strawberries. I just read that the inorganic strawberries available in the grocery store are sprayed with up to 13 pesticides. Wow, now that is just wrong. Here's a link to one article:<a href="http://www.organicgardening.com/living/pesticide-on-fruit">http://www.organicgardening.com/living/pesticide-on-fruit</a> So to have homegrown, organic strawberries just makes sense and tastes pretty darn good. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5w4IUQ_5avQ/U6dZmIP2RSI/AAAAAAAAE2I/cM24xDy76Yw/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5w4IUQ_5avQ/U6dZmIP2RSI/AAAAAAAAE2I/cM24xDy76Yw/s320/image.jpg" /></a></div>Here is a picture of my eggplants. Not so good. I know every garden has things that just don't grow quite right and my peppers and eggplant prove that as they look awful. I was so proud of them when they were ready for transplanting. I grew them from seed and they thrived. They were so beautiful. Now they look just terrible. Yellowish, purplish, stunted, and lower leaves dropping off. Any ideas what that may be? I'm thinking a combination of a nutrient deficiency and too cold soil or nighttime air temps.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HtznpdsUVk4/U6dXy4d2dQI/AAAAAAAAE1c/OtZauo2p940/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HtznpdsUVk4/U6dXy4d2dQI/AAAAAAAAE1c/OtZauo2p940/s320/image.jpg" /></a></div>As we begin yet another gardening season here in Maine, may your gardens be lush and productive. May you enjoy the work the gardens bring. And may you just be happy.<br />
Enjoy the time,<br />
Mary Mary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-67907017113114531142012-08-19T18:54:00.002-07:002012-08-24T09:23:51.798-07:00Beneficial Insects<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVD2xUg_hUWTrLAwRM82JmVKWrSsKpIHOAJtPTlSNK3bG2Hdyf2KvJvfpZJiGyt3aXOigeOqeIDKJxOsxHW46IfwBbadxBeG_myIlU3QhButDCGTUZxFSVfK_M9qp8L4tkOngIDaBCKn8B/s1600/IMG_0690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="162" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVD2xUg_hUWTrLAwRM82JmVKWrSsKpIHOAJtPTlSNK3bG2Hdyf2KvJvfpZJiGyt3aXOigeOqeIDKJxOsxHW46IfwBbadxBeG_myIlU3QhButDCGTUZxFSVfK_M9qp8L4tkOngIDaBCKn8B/s200/IMG_0690.JPG" /></a></div>
A lovely monarch caterpillar. It's been years since I've seen a monarch butterfly in my yard so this discovery was an unexpected treat. Each evening during my late summer walk around town I use to look for monarch caterpillars to bring into my classroom. I walked past a large patch of milkweed, the monarch's host plant (plant that female monarchs lay their eggs on) and their favorite food, and checked it for caterpillars. Each year it was the same, nothing. Not one caterpillar. I finally gave up. My middle school students would look too. Nothing. Obviously I wasn't the only one who hadn't seen one in a while. There was a brutal snowfall and freeze in their Mexican winter habitat a few years ago and that had a devastating effect on the monarch population. So I decided to sprinkle milkweed seed (the plant in the foreground in the picture below)along the edges of my yard hoping to lure them. It took a few years but finally the plants grew. And they even sprouted up in my garden which wasn't great as they have an underground root system that spreads. But this one plant which is in front of the Echinacea I decided to let stay and I'm glad I did (even if the caterpillar in the photo above was on a dill plant). <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNrq5V8kFLOj8tqceASsm0V8GdzEsktO-gSZJ6-UEtdH798mkVllnq5LxqT2LdMtPC3YZocHEkR1rwFK_6mnnzakDohxe582H85G-nBVfMRF7E64Y7L-nmOBHLuxdPB_txjEnEfEMwLhz/s1600/IMG_0691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="160" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNrq5V8kFLOj8tqceASsm0V8GdzEsktO-gSZJ6-UEtdH798mkVllnq5LxqT2LdMtPC3YZocHEkR1rwFK_6mnnzakDohxe582H85G-nBVfMRF7E64Y7L-nmOBHLuxdPB_txjEnEfEMwLhz/s200/IMG_0691.JPG" /></a></div>
While monarchs may not be considered your typical "beneficial" garden insects in that they don't eat insects that damage our plants, they are beneficial to the overall environment and thus our gardens. Many insects are helpful because they go from flower to flower bringing pollen from one to the other. That makes them pretty beneficial to me. This is the basis of pollination and many garden plants require such pollination in order for their fruits and veggies to grow. Squashes are one example of a plant with an absolute need for such cross pollination. So any insect or bird we can attract to our gardens will help with making the garden stronger and more productive. Not only are butterflies helpful to our gardens they are just lovely, a visually appealing addition. By planting flowers that attract butterflies and bees we are encouraging such beneficial insects to visit and do their work. Shown in the picture below is a Butterfly Bush which is not only beautiful but it has a fragrance that can't be beat. This particular plant is enjoying a visit by a lovely little butterfly. I wish I could remember the name of it. But as Rachel Carson once said, "It's not half as important to know as it is to feel." I find that true now with this pretty little butterfly. It's just pretty to look at and nice to enjoy. Nectar providing plants like this Butterfly Bush are so important to include in your garden especially once you've set up a habitat which lures butterflies to your garden. By including such nectar providing flowers you provide the food, aka nectar, that they will love to drink. Over the years I've planted flowers, perennials and annuals, with the goal of luring butterflies, bees, and birds (not crows!) such as hummingbirds to my garden and this year it seems that the plants have matured to the point of working. Honey bees, native bees, bumblebees, butterflies, moths, many types of birds are always flitting from flower to flower. And I must say that it's rather nice. So consider including flowers in your veggie garden. They will make your garden look pretty and inviting as well as provide the needed diversity to lure beneficial insects. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Enjoy these glorious late summer days and plan for some butterfly plants in your next year's garden,
Mary
PS - A list of butterflies and preferred host plants can be found here: <a href="http://www.thebutterflysite.com/create-butterfly-garden.shtml">http://www.thebutterflysite.com/create-butterfly-garden.shtml</a>
List of nectar plants: <a href="http://www.thebutterflysite.com/butterfly-food.shtml">http://www.thebutterflysite.com/butterfly-food.shtml</a>
Mary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-43381872015451224272012-08-04T17:55:00.003-07:002012-08-04T17:55:58.202-07:00Plums<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Lovely plums from our beautiful Japanese plum tree. This is the second year this tree has given us delicious, sweet, juicy plums. Two years ago was the first time we ate plums from this lovely little tree. Then last year we were disappointed that there were none. So I'm thinking it might bear fruit every other year. Once we eat our fill and feed some to the chickens (they love them as much as we do) I'm going to make a batch of "Plums in Vanilla Syrup", a recipe from a fairly new canning book called <i>Tart and Sweet</i> written by Kelly Geary and Jessie Knadler. This book caught my eye last year as it's written by two talented, young women. Kelly is an award winning young chef from NYC and Jessie is a well published young writer from VA. Together they come up with tantalizing and creative recipes for putting up small batches of summer's harvest. They see that canning is going through a renaissance as they put it and they are inspirational in helping modernize the flavors of canning. Here's a link to their book: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tart-Sweet-Canning-Pickling-Recipes/dp/1605293822/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344127706&sr=8-1&keywords=tart+and+sweet">http://www.amazon.com/Tart-Sweet-Canning-Pickling-Recipes/dp/1605293822/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344127706&sr=8-1&keywords=tart+and+sweet</a>
Hope you are able to enjoy some delicious and nutritious food from a garden.
Keep pulling those weeds, picking your ripe produce, and enjoying them any way you can.
MaryMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-34914345522474338782012-08-04T09:40:00.000-07:002012-08-04T09:59:19.820-07:00August: Gardens Mulched and Chickens Happy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPwqF_xfUdJzW-7yNAegCz1wpKXDgIfzqrxe7DlIwc4X7dcSGI1jIwGYJ3xxcW6n_-BumgknjER8-KQQgCNP8yiJylAJ2Wwb5lymnYcbu_saxxwegT4aWqJZX38RkAcSAtwe51G56M0ya/s1600/100_5277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="178" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPwqF_xfUdJzW-7yNAegCz1wpKXDgIfzqrxe7DlIwc4X7dcSGI1jIwGYJ3xxcW6n_-BumgknjER8-KQQgCNP8yiJylAJ2Wwb5lymnYcbu_saxxwegT4aWqJZX38RkAcSAtwe51G56M0ya/s200/100_5277.JPG" /></a></div>
Milkweed; I started growing milkweed a few years ago when I noticed I wasn't seeing monarch butterflies. This year they are back and I'm delighted! But I did notice that planting milkweed in the garden is not a good idea. Very invasive. So I've left them out along the edges of the lawn and trees.
Well, besides milkweed blooming it's a hot and sunny day here in Maine. High 80's and rather hot in the sun. But the coop and run are built and the garden pathways are (mostly) weeded and mulched with old hay that I got from a very generous friend. Same friend who shared her lovely Dominique chicks with me. What a good friend and all I had to do was give her maple syrup. Great barter I think. As far as weeding and mulching I say mostly because the top garden pathways have not been weeded or mulched because last summer I had the "bright" idea to use a heavy duty landscape fabric to mulch the pathways of the then new upper garden. Sure did work beautifully last year. Not so much this year. The weeds are coming up through the fabric and making pulling impossible. I will never use landscape fabric in the veggie gardens again. I will stick to my old method of weeding, then covering with newspapers and hay, and then watering. I do plan to get some cardboard from an appliance store nearby to do the upper garden. I usually newspaper and top off with old hay on the pathways and use straw mulch on the beds. But since I waited so long this year it seems many of the beds don't need a layer of straw mulch as the plants are big enough and close enough that shade is being naturally provided. That leaves me with a day of outside chores at a more relaxing tempo. I can take that. Nothing like gardening in a swim suit and jumping in the pool whenever the heat gets to be too much. Oh about every 30 minutes or so. I've also decided to finally make that naughty mint syrup and enjoy a mint julep by the pool later in the day.
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But before I put my suit on and start my relaxed day of swimming and gardening I'd like to share something else I've noticed from all this being late with garden chores this year. Like everything else the squashes (pumpkins, cukes, summer and winter squashes) were all planted late. The good news is that they are basically unaffected by cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and stink bugs because there aren't many here. This is very interesting because last year the garden experienced an infestation that I dealt with by manually picking those yucky bugs every single morning and evening. Also of interest is that according to Johnny's Selected Seeds,local farmers are infested with cucumber beetles this year to the point of using conventional (yucky poisons) to deal with them. I still wonder why using poisonous chemicals in gardening is considered "conventional". Shouldn't organic be considered conventional and spraying poisons be unconventional? Cucumber beetles are bad because they inject a bacterial illness into the squash plants causing major harm. My guess is that when they emerged from the soil earlier this year and didn't find any squash plants they flew off in search of some. Ha! Another major bug issue I have had in the past was with potato beetles. I mean major gross. Then last year I happened to be late with my garden planting of potatoes and noticed, no beetles! So potatoes were planted late again this year, on purpose, and again no beetles. Hummmmmm....I think I will plant potatoes and squashes late again next year. By late I mean mid June for potatoes and late late June for squashes. Even with late planting I harvested my first batch of pickling cukes yesterday for countertop pickles and am sure I'll be canning pickles and dilly beans this week. Perfect timing for me...early August.
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With all the gardening updates how can I not share an update on the chickens? We are settling into a routine and have noticed they love their run. Solo is a great rooster and he takes care of his girls. They stay close together all day long. They leave the coop in the morning when their little pop door is opened and they return to the coop on their own at dusk and take their places on their perch. One thing that I am debating on is when/if they will free range. I just wish I stayed home all day to let them do that. We'll see maybe a few hours in the late afternoon early evenings when people are home. We unfortunately have a dang fox that lives near here and wiped out a neighbor's hens. I, for good reason, worry about that. For now Solo and the girls spend their days in the pen and seem pretty content. I have noticed that they love peas, the whole pea plant pulled out of the garden roots, shoots, leaves, peapods, peas, and all. When I throw some pea plants in the run they go wild over them, almost as wild as they do when I give them very cold watermelon and grapes. Besides peas, watermelon, and grapes, up there on their list of things they enjoy are chard and beet greens. While researching what chickens like to eat I found "Chicken Scratch" at Nicholas Seeds and ordered a seed packet. It is a packet with a variety of greens seeds that is very good for chicken health. I will dig up one of the peas' beds as soon as one is empty and plant a bed for the chickens. We'll see how that goes.
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That's it for today. Glad to be back doing updates. Hope it's not too hot where you are and if it is (and if it isn't) I hope you are able to have access to plenty of clean water for you, your garden, and your animals.
Happy Gardening!
MaryMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-63977344878397752652012-08-01T02:37:00.000-07:002012-08-01T03:25:09.332-07:00Welcome Dominiques!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Chickens! This summer has been all about chickens. What started out as a fun classroom project hatching six Dominique eggs at school has turned into building a coop and run for six hens and one rooster. The rooster above, Solo, was the one successful hatch out of our six eggs at school. How could we give him away!? This is the reason for not writing here until today, August 1st.
A friend of mine raises and is actually a hatchery for Dominiques and BuckEyes, beautiful heritage chickens. She said I should try Dominiques because they are a gentle bird, more so then the BuckEyes. Yet she loves the BuckEyes more. Wiki says that the Domniques came over around the time of the MayFlower or something along those lines. I think they are from Haiti. They are very hardy in cold climates and are good egg layers. After she gave me six eggs and another friend lent me her incubator I set them up in school. 21 days later Solo hatched. We didn't know if she was a girl (hen) or a boy (rooster) but his light color and proud cockadoodledoo yesterday morning as he entered the run confirmed our suspicions.
We have spent the summer building brooders, transforming a horse stall in our barn into a coop, and building a run. Who would have thought that it would take so much thought, research, time, and money! But it's six weeks later and all is almost complete. A final window went into the coop last night. Once that's secure and the nest boxes are put in the coop all will be set....for now! Even though I have been gardening all summer, I have always been behind. Behind on planting. Behind on weeding. Behind on mulching. But constantly watering, watering, watering. Never have I ever had to water so much. This is the driest summer I can remember. Now that the coop is done I've finally weeded the entire garden (thank goodness!) and mulched the lower garden. It is raining as I type, thank goodness again, so I'll mulch the remainder this week.
Here are some pictures of our summer's project: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Young Chicks in the Brooder
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Our Barn
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Welcome to the Coop, Barn Entrance
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Taking Down Shelves in the Stall
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Putting Up a Wall in the coop
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View of the Coop and Pop Door to Run
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View of the Coop, Human Entrance
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The Run in a Covered 3 Sided Extension of the Barn
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Back Shot of Run
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Solo and The Girls; First Day in the Run
There we have it. Our new coop, run, and more chickens. Welcome!
More posts to come sharing our building journey, our final touches: roost, nesting boxes, and new window.
Only 12 more weeks to eggs!
MaryMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-87191169401863918872012-03-03T07:06:00.001-08:002012-03-03T07:08:05.512-08:00Time to Start the Peppers and EggplantStarting peppers, eggplant, and parsley this weekend. I'm going to do another planting of onions as well. The leeks and shallots are real slow to start but the yellow and red onions are up and I'm trimming them for the first time this morning. Will taste good in our breakfast omelets. <br />
This weekend we are changing my lighting set up a bit and getting more grow lights up. The garden season is here :)<br />
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Happy seed starting,<br />
Mary<br />
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PS - My friend Rachel is guiding me on the timing of seed starting this year. If you live in the Central Maine area you must keep your eyes out for Zone 4 plants at your local growing center. Those plants are the absolute most hardy perennials in Maine!! And if you're looking for a wholesale supplier of amazing perennials that your customers will drool over contact them! Their names are Rachel and Bill. <br />
They have a Facebook page. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/zone4perennials?sk=info">https://www.facebook.com/zone4perennials?sk=info </a>Mary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-4549524936716438332012-02-21T14:00:00.000-08:002012-02-21T14:00:20.369-08:00You Know You're a Gardener If....Just had to share; wonderful! And I'm sure many of you will relate.<br />
<a href="http://www.nwedible.com/2012/02/you-know-youre-a-veggiegardener-if.html">http://www.nwedible.com/2012/02/you-know-youre-a-veggiegardener-if.html</a><br />
Enjoy your garden...oh and "gardens make the world clean and fresh" AHSMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-83090922586434046042012-02-20T19:02:00.000-08:002012-02-20T19:07:11.003-08:00The 2012 Season Begins with the Starting of Onion Seeds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihclc_iNZMvppY5fVNyg1hohy2TTiDK5rxyCiCXzQnoKAs3HwEDxHNIA7mUje0GpFacPYpM13EIbIhT-PPS7k-r5jPaT3vQVpYgsWqW9R-R4vEJCmZirNaxCtaSCv9FmiqPrgkN7U9clI0/s1600/100_6956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihclc_iNZMvppY5fVNyg1hohy2TTiDK5rxyCiCXzQnoKAs3HwEDxHNIA7mUje0GpFacPYpM13EIbIhT-PPS7k-r5jPaT3vQVpYgsWqW9R-R4vEJCmZirNaxCtaSCv9FmiqPrgkN7U9clI0/s200/100_6956.JPG" /></a></div>Getting potting soil ready to plant onions. I'm using Johnny's Seed Starting mix this year. Been using it at school and we love it.<br />
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Yesterday I tapped 16 sugar maple trees and today I planted onion seeds. February 20th and I am thinking I should have started them a week ago. I ordered my seeds from FEDCO and I planted 2 types of yellow storage onions, 1 type of red onion, leeks, shallots, and bunching onions. My dilemma is, do I put a heating pad underneath? I've read that heat helps seed starting a lot. So I'm giving it a try. When I Googled onion seed starting I was pleasantly surprised when I was brought to a MOFGA article by Jean English. Here's the article: <a href="http://www.mofga.org/Publications/ArticlesforReprinting/StartOnionsFromSeedNow/tabid/1066/Default.aspx">http://www.mofga.org/Publications/ArticlesforReprinting/StartOnionsFromSeedNow/tabid/1066/Default.aspx</a><br />
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Let's hope for a good garden season. It's been a dry winter and I'm hoping we won't have a dry summer.<br />
Happy Seed Starting,<br />
MaryMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-19675327170410390082012-01-29T11:18:00.000-08:002012-01-29T11:19:10.707-08:00Soil Life and Nitrogen ContentGreat blog on gardening and this is a great post on soil. The top 3" to be exact and the life that lives there. There is a great chart showing the amount of nitrogen in different organic matter and if it's a fast or slow release. Also links to some "how to grow" cover crops. <br />
<a href="http://networkedblogs.com/tj6EV?a=share&ref=nf"><br />
http://networkedblogs.com/tj6EV?a=share&ref=nf</a><br />
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Seeds and seed catalogues are arriving! A great one came this weekend: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. This one is new to me but what a catalogue!! And it's free. Go here to view website:<br />
<a href="http://rareseeds.com/">http://rareseeds.com/</a><br />
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In anticipation of the coming season,<br />
MaryMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-27781374188642855622011-11-26T07:18:00.000-08:002011-11-26T07:21:11.016-08:00Happy Thanksgiving and Reflections of the Previous Season...and of course the season coming up. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkqMLb1HR3A9cWFRRZ0bmDDrRqsTDMYBMb35ZPTRqsv6VnBchd6BrYUfeScHGogDKQRwzQQdyV0QJN6dI3mB5m_md_5LoPBxoJ5JCJtOw-Hz731XNxbNKqCdtsl1qoxT-8H8sMAI7gPFj/s1600/100_1600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkqMLb1HR3A9cWFRRZ0bmDDrRqsTDMYBMb35ZPTRqsv6VnBchd6BrYUfeScHGogDKQRwzQQdyV0QJN6dI3mB5m_md_5LoPBxoJ5JCJtOw-Hz731XNxbNKqCdtsl1qoxT-8H8sMAI7gPFj/s200/100_1600.JPG" /></a></div><br />
It snowed up here in Maine the day before Thanksgiving and now, 2 days later, I sit with time on my hands. This is a very unfamiliar feeling. So I come back here to reflect and write those reflections.<br />
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Reflection #1) Buy a few Elderberry bushes and plant out back. Take a look at this page <a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/08/respect-your-el/">http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/08/respect-your-el/</a> and you will see the motivation behind my wanting to plant some more bushes. I have one next to our pool. It has grown OK for years but the past two years it has gone steadily downhill. I don't know why. I finally give in to the need to get new bushes and plant somewhere else. Earlier this fall I had a flu followed by bronchitis which was then followed by a sinus infection. I haven't been that sick in over 15 years. During that time I thought about elderberry and for good reason. Elderberry is said to be very helpful for flu and cold. Make a hot toddy (hot water, juice of a lemon, honey to taste and then some, and a dash of elder berry syrup). Sip throughout your illness. To help you sleep, add a jigger of whiskey to the hot toddy before returning to bed. Sleep and sweat you will! <br />
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Reflection #2) Take more time in the planning and designing stage of the garden. Last year and to be honest, every year, I just plant until I run out of room. How silly of me. A veteran gardener and I still make that #1 mistake. I had plants in my garden that my family doesn't even like. I was just curious about these heirlooms that I planted them. And they took up a lot of precious space. So, to cure this yearly problem I will get out the graph paper and ruler and plan my garden. I'll begin before I order seeds and I will take into account what I can logically harvest, preserve, and share. I'm actually looking forward to mapping next years garden. First I need to make a map of this past seasons so I can be sure to rotate. I usually do map out my garden beds as I'm planting but didn't even do that last year. I'll let you know how this preplanning and designing goes. Watch for a spring time post.<br />
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Reflection #3) Preserve more herbs. I let a lot of herbs go by last summer. I used them daily in my cooking but never seemed to take the time to put some by. I now regret that. <br />
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Reflection #4) Buy a freezer - There is so much that comes from the garden that can be frozen. Yet due to lack of freezer space I let a lot go by. While we eat a lot and I give a lot away there is still more that can be put up. While I like to can and I do, a freezer would allow me to put up so much more. From summer squash, to green beans that don't make it into my dilly beans, to all the water that is left over from sautéing or steaming veggies, to tomatoes, to fruit....all lovely candidates for the freezer. Buy a freezer.<br />
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Reflection #4) Try something new. Last year I tried 2 new varieties of tomatoes, a Russian black tomato and an Italian Heirloom tomato. Both were amazing and will now be staple tomatoes I plant. I also planted some Italian broccoli that I didn't get anything from and the plants were so big! Not sure if it was just the variety or if I somehow managed to have too much nitrogen in my soil (which I highly doubt).<br />
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Reflection #5) Plant more onions. <br />
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Reflection #6) Try, try, and try again to grow lettuce, spinach, and onion tops throughout the winter months. Figure out the coldframe! The coldframe was great for hardening off plants in the early spring but I really want to figure out how to use it to grow greens throughout the winter months. <br />
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Reflection #6) Plant more blueberries.<br />
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So that's it for my reflections and goals as of now. I'm sure they will change once I get that map and design going. <br />
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Enjoy your garden planning this winter!<br />
MaryMary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8032407341651310011.post-87049790770471568502011-09-25T16:36:00.000-07:002011-09-25T16:36:00.879-07:00Growing Food Aids the SoulWonderful article - <br />
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<a href="http://www.organicgardening.com/living/food-body-and-soul?page=0,2&cm_mmc=facebook-_-OrganicGardening-_-content-living-_-bodysoul">http://www.organicgardening.com/living/food-body-and-soul?page=0,2&cm_mmc=facebook-_-OrganicGardening-_-content-living-_-bodysoul</a>Mary Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18287227769371622812noreply@blogger.com0