My Garden – Mon Jardin – Mi Jardin – Mein Garten – Daily Adventures & Thoughts

No matter the language, my garden is my paradise. To watch the lovely birds that nest in the trees and bushes. The bees, butterflies are such a joy to see.

Tag Archives: Seed


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Being adventurous and growing lettuce, onions and carrots! A walk along the shore.

Tuesday, September 20,2013

About 3 weeks or so ago, I decided to just trying growing some greens .. the first day of frost here in Victoria isn’t due till November 1 .. so I filled up my new plant containers (a sort of waterproofed fabric with grommets for drainage).  This one has green onions and two types of greens .. quite a few have sprouted and I believe that I will be able to harvest some for a few meals.

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Some (non gmo, organic) Red Bowl lettuce .. and I’ve planted some coriander in all 3 containers.

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And some multi-coloured carrots!

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This is my first time at growing squash .. some sites state that long vines should be cut so that all of the strength would go into the growth of the squash.  Being a timid soul, I didn’t do that .. thus this lovely little squash growing at the end of a long stem of vine.  Hurrah!!

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Heritage strawberries.   Interesting that I paid nearly $7 for a plant from a market and only $2 at a plant sale in Port Alberni!  Yeah for Port Alberni.  Anyway, next year I plan to start more of these from saved seed.  They are a rampant grower!   And the berries are so tasty.  I believe they are “Fraises des Bois” and here is a good site for saving strawberry seeds:  http://gardentherapy.ca/save-alpine-strawberry-seeds/

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Last week I ventured down to Dallas Road .. the tide was the lowest I’d seen .. so I walked about for a bit. 

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Lovely skies set the scene for a quiet stroll ..

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The sea birds were enjoying the peaceful serenity .. sharing a bit of gossip, enjoying the view ..

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This little guy was taking a little snooze …

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I wasn’t wearing my walking shoes and some of the rocks were a little slippery so I proceeded along slowly … striving to maintain my dignity!  After all, falling by yourself takes on a different view than it does when walking with a friend, then it’s not so bad, eh?  One can imagine all kinds of reasons why someone would fall when walking by themselves ,,, at least, with my active imagination anyway!

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Tiny little worlds of living beings in the little tidal pools ..

09Logs left behind by the receding waters ..

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Dreamy skies …

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And then the brilliant rays of the sun and puffy cumulus clouds take over ..

06I walked on a little .. and turned back …. enjoying the sweet solitude of the early morning .  A little moment in time when the crowds were somewhere else.  I love these moments.

This is truly a lovely time of the year.  A delicious blend of sun and rain.   Now .. I love the rain.  Absolutely love it.  It’s a time when I can actually get something done in the house.  And walking in the rain is a delight.  Memories of getting soaked as a kid, then in the house, change into dry clothes.  Mug of hot chocolate or tea.

Speaking of walking .. time to get out and see what’s happening in the neighbourhood!  Maybe I’ll meet some lovely little doggies!

🙂


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Enjoying the sights and sounds of flowers, birds in our lovely backyard as Autumn takes over..

Thursday, November 8, 2012

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  Well .. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again .. where does the time go?  Time doth fly on winged feet …

Monday loomed bright and sunny .. so I spent a lot of time outside.  How could I not.

Drinking in the lovely autumn perfume of the fallen leaves .. mixed in with the scent of the apples decorating the lawn .. still lots hanging from the branches.

Happy birds chirping throughout the yard.   So happy that DH & I planted so many trees in our yard .. all those years ago.

Such a variety of birds hide amongst their branches.  I’m sure there must be a variety of tiny little nests tucked away for little families to grow in the spring.

Ours is quite a happy yard.  Activity all day long.

The birds know that there is a source of food for them here.

Not just the bird seed and the suet blocks.  They feast on flower seeds, the lichen on the branches.  Tiny bugs that travel the highways of the branches and leaves.

They sip from the raindrops that cling to the leaves after the rains.

And they provide us with an ongoing visual feast of delight in seeing them perch throughout the yard.   On the garden hoops that encircle the garlic beds, on the handles of my gardening tools.   They perch on the edge of the little water dishes that I’ve put out for them …

Their happy chirping sounds and songs enrich the air with their joy.

What a lovely little world this is .. our back yard!

So much to enjoy.

So today, I’m just tapping away a few words .. sharing some photos taken a few days ago.

And now I must go and work away on my landscaping course.  Numbers to crunch. Drawings to make.  Shapes to practice on blank paper, transforming marks into squares and circles.  Using mostly a Sharpie .. and sometimes pencils.

Lots to learn .. lots to do .. an intensive number of weeks remain before the course is done.

I’m quite enjoying this challenge to unleash my inner artist as I travel along this new pathway.

🙂

 

 


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Enjoying watching the eagle activities high up in the sky .. and seeing the Juncos dining on the Joe Pye flowers!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Quite a downpour of rain today .. the yin and the yang of weather here .. as yesterday we were treated to a lovely sunny day!  Which I spent outside, potting up lots of plants.

Lots of time spent looking up at the skies.   Saw 2 eagles soaring in a thermal ..then a 3rd, and by the time I saw the 4th, I ran into the house, grabbed my binoculars and was soon out on the sundeck, gazing skyward.

I didn’t take any photos, as I would only see dots in the sky … with my binoculars I was able to get a much closer view.

At one point, there was one eagle fast approaching the other .. so close I could see the white feathers blazing against the sky.  I know, white feathers don’t really blaze, but I wanted to put some action there!

I remember the last time I saw this behaviour, it was courting time and the eagles had locked talons together and tumbled through the sky.

But, this is November .. so I was puzzled.   They soon were out of sight, so I scrambled down the stairs, along the sidewalk, through the gate, out to the road and down to the large empty lot down the street.

Here I stood for a long time, looking at the eagles soaring majestically (ok, they always soar majestically, it’s a given!) overhead.   All of a sudden I saw some frantic activity and noticed a seagull dipping and diving .. at this point, they were flying around some tall trees and I couldn’t exactly see what was happening, but guessed that the eagles were looking for lunch and the gull was handy.  The time was in the late morning .. and this is the usual time that I’ve seen the eagles out looking for food.

Along came a flock of crows .. and I’m not sure at this point if they had any influence on the eagles flying away, but I lost sight of them.  The long line of crows continued .. there were hundreds.

Oh I just love these moments.

Anyway, back to the yard.  And what did I see there!

Juncos in the Joe Pye Weed (aka Eupatorium maculatum)

There were some lovely Juncos .. sitting quietly atop the Joe Pye Weed, happy as could be.   This plant is supposed to top at 6 feet, but my plants are much higher than that!

There is a line up already

They vied for space … preferring the top of the flower heads.  See, there was even a lineup!!

Can you see the little Junco in flight, left side?

I was trying to get some action shots .. and I like the flow of the wings as this Junco determined where he was going to fly.

This was the “height” of fine dining!

They look so happy, all nestled in place.  I’m glad that there are quite a few seeds for them to eat.  And so, there is lots of food for the birds to eat, all throughout the yard.

Here is a close up of the seeds that the Juncos loved

Here is a closeup of the fine little seeds …. along with the fluff that helps transport the seeds through the air .. ready to be planted elsewhere in the yard.  Perhaps I’ll be lucky enough to have more of these beautiful, tall flowers.  Butterflies love them.

My circle of treasured beach stones encircling the cherry tree

I stopped for a few minutes .. to admire the Calendula plants seeds strewn a few months ago … slow-growing, usually I’d have lots of bright orange flowers by now.  Notice the circle of potted plants behind .. well, I do have a lot of plants, don’t I!!

And here is the “peace sign” ..

Ok, I got this idea of a “peace” symbol from another blog site:

http://debsdiscoveries.wordpress.com/

She has a great site!  Go visit .. go on!!

Such lovely times to be had in the garden ….so many magical moments!

Always  … remembering .. to look up on the sky …for special surprises!

It’s been a lovely day!  Despite the rain .. I like the cozy feelings of being inside while the rain pelts down.

And I also love walking in the rain . . with my cheerful, blue skies & puffy white clouds lining the inside of my umbrella.  Happy walks.

🙂


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It helps to know what kind of a person you are! Especially with procrastination.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

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Nearing the end of October already!  Fall is here.  And brought with it the rains. But .. there are still sunny breaks now and then.   And the weather reports show that Thursday is to be a sunny day .. so guess I’ll be going outside to plant.

Yes, plant.  For I have again succumbed to the plant sales and purchased yet more and more perennials!   Some magnificent plants and way cheaper than wholesale!     And I need to get them dug into the ground before the frosts arrive .. so I think I have a few weeks yet.  Is that procrastination?  I think so.

Our yard is starting to look like a little park, but not the kind with clipped grass.    Instead, the kind that you wander around, seeing a mixture of plant types all growing well together.  Both the taller screening plants and the mid to low-level bushes and ground covers.  A relaxing, comfortable place to be.

I’m starting the Ecological Landscaping course in 2 weeks and I just know that I’ll be learning how to properly space plants and also what to plant where.   So I might be moving a lot of these plants around next spring.  Or not.  Depends.  That gives me leeway for more procrastination, eh?

Right now I’m in blissful ignorance of all that future learning.  I do, however, look at the plant labels to see if they have preferences for sun or shade, so that is good.

I refilled the bird feeders and happy to see the Juncos’ returning.   Or maybe they’ve been here all summer and I’ve just missed them.   I make sure that I buy good bird seed suet for them.  I just can’t bring myself to use the Miracle Grow Scott brand, as they had put poison in their bird seed a few years ago (so that vermin wouldn’t eat the seed).  I was so upset, that I called the company and when I checked the coding of the packages that I had, I found out that this batch was fine.  However, this has clouded my vision of their product and so I now use other brands.

We consumers trust a lot, don’t we?   Is that trust misguided?  Shouldn’t we check the products that we buy to ensure that there is nothing harmful in them?  GMO‘s (they are voting in California, Proposition 37, to create a law that requires that GMO’s be listed on food labels:

http://action.ewg.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action

But there is good news on that link also, about Johnson & Johnson (their  many products are listed) will  remove dangerous chemicals like formaldehyde-releasers and triclosan. Johnson & Johnson is the first major personal care products manufacturer to take such an important action in favor of its customers’ safety.

Now .. isn’t that good news!!

Things are slowly changing for the better, it only takes the Power of One and then progress happens.

But enough about that .. I just started out chatting about my garden and procrastination and whew .. I went off on another path!

So during the past few days, I’m walking through my garden ..looking at the recent plant purchases, playing around with where to dig them in for the winter.  I can always move them, right.   Now that I’m armed with the amazing EM (effective microorganisms) I feel that I have magic for the plants.  And I do.  I’ve mixed up a batch of 16 litres (8 – 2 litre plastic milk containers).  Started 3 days ago .. and have them all covered with a towel and sitting on my plant propagating sheet, which I plug-in for an hour or so a day.  I think this batch will be ready in a few weeks.    It mixes up quicker in the warm summer.

I  noticed that the sweet peas have grown to be quite tall, nearly 7 feet!  And producing a great quantity of seed pods, which I’m collecting when they are ready.  I’ve already planted some for the spring …my gardening neighbour gave me lots to plant in the fall.  So I’m looking forward to a veritable of forest of flowers in the spring.

I’ve procrastinated about planting, about gathering, about many things this year.  But the most obvious sign of this habit was noticed by me yesterday.  When I looked at the container of garlic seeds and little garlic buds (from the hardnecks) that I’d placed “just for now” in a container outside.

With all the recent rains, the seeds have started to sprout!!!  Now, I can’t just leave them there …you know that I have to plant them!  I know that these seeds will take years to produce cloves, so here goes, I’ll be putting them into those lovely styrofoam rooting flats and let them grow till next spring.   Then I’ll decide if I’ll actually plant them up in beds or pots or whatever.  sigh.

Well, that’s enough rambling for now .. time to get going with this day.

🙂

 

 


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The tenacity of life … the power of the Chinook, very empowering

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

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One of the things that we did on the weekend was to make a trip to Stamp River.  We’ve flown over this “little patch” of river many times .. but it was only when we drove to this BC Park & Campground and wandered along the pathway of this turbulent bit of water ..that we could really appreciate the magnificence of the raw power of the rushing waters and the salmon run.

This year was a record for the Chinook .. they were so thick in numbers, you could almost walk along the surface of them. Of course, I’m kidding .. .but there were millions of them.

Nothing equals the raw power of the sounds of the thundering movement of the river as it wends it’s way along.  And really, really .. the spectacular sight of the salmon intent on getting back to their spawning grounds.  Being true to their being.  Awesome.

The sheer numbers and their sole focus was absolutely humbling in every way.   Who are we mere mortals, struggling along in our daily lives, filled with all sorts of meaningless activities … besides the basic instincts of wild animals simply living their live as nature intended.

We spent some time along the river.  Speechless with the view of such power .. words weren’t necessary ..   .

If you’ve ever spent time at such a place, then you will know the atmosphere of which I speak.  The raw power and absolute majesty of the nature fully alive was very powerful and fully inspirational.

What things can I not do, with the energy of this sight embedded in my heart?

So .. I took away with me a fully recharged energizing enthusiasm … it felt good to be thus renergized.   From nature.

Twas a great day.

And now .. out to the garden.

I’ve been going through my seed packet supply .. it’s quite sizeable.  Seeds going back to 1990.

So I did a little experiment.  I soaked 3 packages of tomato varieties .. in EM  . .. then placed them in seeding cells.  I know that it is July and some of the seeds, if they do germinate, might not attain a ripe red stage. But .. I just had to try!.

The I found some Calendula and poppy seeds .. so I just scattered handfuls around the back yard.   These I know will soon germinate and blossom .. adding more colour to the yard.

My lovely garlic is nearing the harvesting stage.  Seems only a few months ago I was carefully reshaping a patch of the garden, lovingly placing the cloves in little rows.  Feeding them EM and seaweed.  Soon, gulp, I will discover if the bulbs will be large or if all the goodness has gone to the stalks.  Well .. there is always next year.

And if I keep the sight of the salmon in my mind’s eye .. well then .. I’ll just keep on trying and trying till I attain a giant crop of garlic.

I’m already planning a shift change for next years garden .. but for now … I’ll just enjoy this one.

Happy Gardening.


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Sunday .. a day of sun .. enjoying the beauty of flowers and the joys of flying.

Monday, June 25, 2012

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We were very lucky yesterday, the weather did not turn out as predicted and we were treated to a hot sunny summer’s day!

Lots of flowers blooming away .. thanks to the previous day or two of rain.

I’ve been noticing, over the years, how randomly placed plants seem to just somehow group themselves together into a most cosy group of flowers.

Yesterday I was noticing the lively colours of the pansies were intermingled with the low growing thymes and the delicately scented lavender flowers.

And the sunflowers, dwarfed in their containers, growing quite happily with the lupins.  How sweet this will look, with the purple lupins growing alongside the bright cheerful yellow of the sunflowers.

The transplanted foxglove, which last year grew to well over 6 feet .. when it was in a richer area of soil and .. transplanted to the edge of a grassy area, in more clay soil .. grew to a diminutive height of less than two feet.

But next year, who knows?  It will acclimatized itself to the tougher growing area and will most likely resume its former grandeur.

I’d cut down the robust Lavatera plants, since they’d been rapidly going into seed .. and there are enough of these tough little plants anyway.  There’s no fear of not having lots of these plants.   In another week or so they will be tall and flowering again.

The rosemary plants are nearly 3 feet high now .. a far cry from the barely 3″ eight when I planted them, 3 years ago.

Some of the sweet peas have gone to seed … I’ll just plant the seeds and there will be another crop.

I love the tenacity of these tough plants, mostly drought resistant but they do love the water and flourish with an abundance of that.

Yesterday was a day to relax, wander around the flowers.   Spend some time up in the air, flying through the skies.  And time to read through my Compost Tea & textbooks from my gardening course.  The intricate subjects of soil and plants still unfolding .. so much to learn.  And loving the journey.

Another great day .. and on with this one.


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Flying and Gardening .. what a great mix for a Tuesday, wouldn’t you say?

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

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Tuesday starts off nice and sunny.   Plans to go outside and play in the garden change .. as DH & I head off to the local airport.

Early lunch.

Tuesdays, Dak prepares authentic Vietnamese food and today this is curried chicken!  With 2 decadent pork deep-fried egg rolls.  I’m so hungry after a few days of not being able to eat much .. and chow down.  Still, need help from my DH to finish the generous portion of curried chicken, rice, pea pods and green peppers.

A few cups of tea and then we are outside … DH to prep the plane for our flight .. and me .. to tend to the garden outside the restaurant.  I’ll post a few pics later.

Due to the magical mix of EM, lots of sun and ample rain .. all the plants are growing well.  Except .. a bit of care is needed.  The Calendula flowers are rapidly going to seed and need to be ruthlessly cut down ..  no worries .. they will grow again.

I was so busy clipping and watering, that I didn’t take pics .. but will remedy this next week.  For yesterday, though, I showed tough love  .. cutting away the sections that were going to seed ( I have tons of Calendula seeds anyway).  The Mallow plants (like mini-lavatera) are at least 3 feet high, the seed heads have been forming and so it is time to cut them down.   I have millions of lavatera seeds collected from previous years, so no worries.

The lavender and pansy flowers are quite lush.   The sages are also flowering and I’m hoping to collect seeds from the purple and the green/white variegated sages .. this year.

The Rosemary plants are thriving.  As a matter of fact, all of the plants here are drought tolerant .. that’s why I chose them .. so they are tough as nails.

Next time I go out there, I’ll take lots of pics to share!

So I connected the hose and started watering the plants .. until it was time to fly away!

Being that it was such a beautiful sunny day .. the airport was kind of busy, so we had to wait a little bit before we took off.

What a marvellous time we had .. flew local .. I never get tired of this.  And so thankful that DH provided me with ground school and hours of co-pilot time (with the most wonderful instructor, Kirsten .. she is the best . an amazing instructor) last year.

I am so very happy when we are up in the air.  And, really, not having a sense of direction ..I’m ever so content to sit in the passenger seat!

Loved seeing the fluffy clouds way up high in the sky.  Seeing the tidy ploughed fields below.  the farms looking like little play toys.

After our flight, DH allowed me to dismiss my co-pilot duties and continue on to the garden so that I could finish a thorough watering of the garden area outside of the Dakota Cafe.

Not having my clippers, kneeling pads, and other gardening paraphernalia . .I worked away with a cutting knife, deadheading flowers and then watering the beds.   I’ll work more next week.  I love this volunteer gardening at the cafe .. and have plans to liven up the planter pots.

So tea … and relax in the sun for a bit.

Later, back home .. time to continue with the side yard plantings.  More boxwood cuttings are planted, along with the Southernwood.

And .. emptying the styrofoam planters .. I see the amazing root formations that have taken place on the Southernwood and the other cuttings, including the cedar cuttings.  These I tried, just for the heck of it, last fall.

Yesterday, when I removed the green cedar sections (branch tips) from the planters .. I didn’t actually see roots .. but, I did see the sturdy thick layer forming at the bottom of the stems .. which appear to be the beginnings of hardy roots.   So .. I coat these in mycorrhizal powder and put them all in a single pot … for the summer.  Then, in the fall, I’ll put them back in one of the styrofoam rooting planters.

Then, time to empty the Rubbermaid containers full of seaweed.    Place some around the garlic, some around the squash and tomato plants.  Some, also, in the new veggie section where I will be planting the Kentucky beans .. today, definitely.

I see that Yorkshire Tea has a contest on right now .. a chance to win a YT teapot .. so I quickly fill out the online form and submit.  Fingers, toes and eyes crossed.

This was  quite a day.  Spent mostly in the garden .. with a lovely bit of time way up in the sky with my sweetie ….   it was a great day!

🙂


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A fresh batch of garlic scape pesto all mixed up! Enjoying time spent in the garden.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

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And so the winds continued yesterday.  Sun came out .. .went for a break, then decided to shine for a while.   Glad to have you back, transforming the yard!

I’ve started taking a teaspoon of the EM concentrate every day .. as it seemed to have been very effective in warding off a recent ailment that was bothering me.   Yea again to the magic of EM.   I’d listened to someone who shared that she has taken a spoon daily for a few years and has managed to avoid catching strong colds that were affecting her friends.  Those kinds of colds that really knock you off your feet.  So I’ve heeded her story and have begun with the daily EM.  It tastes quite sharp and not bad at all.

Decided it was time to mix up a batch of garlic scape pesto… so quickly chopped, put in the blender, added olive oil, finely shredded parmesan and almond slices (slightly browned in a small cast iron pan).  Loosely guided by a recipe found on the ‘net .. I soon had a delicious mix prepared.  Garlicy .. delicious.

Next, I placed a small amount in wax paper and into the freezer, to firm up a bit.  Later, I placed sections in a small square of w/paper, formed into a small circular shape, and piled them in glass containers for the freezer.  Now, I’m all set to use a bit in the next recipe.

And speaking of which, I found a great blog with a variety of pesto recipes and one in particular for pesto broccoli quinoa .. I’ll reblog that one!

Yesterday I was getting back in my stride … feeling so much better.  Spent hours outside … finally potting up those herb seeds from a gift years ago.  Funny, the seed packets note to “use the seeds before 2006” … ha ha, I scoff, as I soak the contents of each packet in a diluted EM solution.  We’ll see, my pretties!

Don’t know what I’ll do if all the seeds sprout, though!  There are: coriander, thyme, parsley,  basil and some spinach.   Bumper crop.  Then I found some lovely squash seeds and my wonderful luffa.  I’ll just try a few of the luffa seeds .. to see if I can actually grow some.  Fingers crossed.

Then I spent some time unpotting some Scotch moss, separated some of the plants into two sections, soaked them in diluted EM and placed them at the side garden, in front of the boxwood.  This area is starting to look great.  And I scattered hundreds of Calendula seeds in this area.  These flowers grow like weeds.  Lovely yellow and orange coloured petals.  Then I can collect the petals for future use.   Ah, at times it seems as if I’m regressing .. I used to do this years ago.

I plan to get back into soap making .. on a small-scale, just for the fun of it.  I’ll not use tallow this time .. will focus on the cocoanut base and other plant-based materials.  And I do not plan to go into business this time … so will just enjoy the pleasure of creating a small variety of soaps for friends and myself.

Watched the baby sparrows learning from their parents, how to feed at the bird feeders.   I can hear their tiny chirps high above in the trees.  They sound cute.  Still looking forward to seeing the little woodpeckers, chickadees and other birds.

Funny how time just disappears in the garden.  Such an enjoyable place to be.  And I’m very slowly decluttering ..   planting the cuttings started last year.   Collecting all unused plant pots.   I’m really making headway .. and  … enjoying the journey!

🙂


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Procrastination doesn’t bode well in the garden .. seeds sprouting in their seed packets!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

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  Yesterday, another lovely hot and sunny day!   Spent some time spreading out some rock weed to dry on some lattice frames.   Perfect for soaking tired hands & feet later on.  Seaweed is perfect for soothing tired muscles, sore from lots of gardening.

So very much to do in the garden .. that’s what happens when chores aren’t organized, I find. However, it’s never too late, I tell myself .. as I wandered around . .. sorting out where to start first.

I’m quite surprised when I visit the area of the garden where I have organized my propagating and seeding area.  Uh, oh, all those packets of seeds that I left out on the table, with all the best intentions of putting them in seeding flats … and then I’d gone on to other things.  Well, most of them have sprouted.

I’d purchased a lot of them at a Seedy Saturday, months ago.  Then stored them neatly in a clear acrylic box, for future use.   After that, I’d taken them outside and so .. now .. after periods of rain .. some of them have actually sprouted in their envelopes.  Strong plant roots have broken through the paper barriers and grown and grown.

Opening some of the envelopes, I’m surprised to see strong and vigorous green growth!  The Pea seeds (a rare German variety) were well rooted.  I soaked the envelope in a little bucket of water, so that I could easily separate these treasures, without harming the root structure.   And I installed one of my wonderful pvc sections, joined in the middle, to form an arch and placed on long rebar stakes, held firmly in the ground.

Next, I hung plastic netting to the sections (last year I’d placed screws along the sides of the pvc, so that the netting could be held firmly in place) and fastened it snugly.   Then, busy gardening, I dug a long trench, planted the pea seeds, watered with EM and placed seaweed carefully around the seeds.  This keeps away the slugs.  No “slug bait” needed here.  Nature rules.

Soon, these strong little peas sprouts will be rapidly climbing the netting.   I foresee a heavy yield of these peas .. and will save some for seeding next year.

Once that was done, I returned to the table to check on the next packet of sprouted seeds.  These turn out to be Kentucky Wonder Beans .. and wow .. do they live up to their name!  Again I placed the seeds in water to loosen up the roots and pot them up, temporarily, in pots, to plant today.  I’m running out of garden space .. so spend some time, planning another temporary garden section.

I notice that the basil and flax seeds have been thoroughly drenched and so I soak them and place them, temporarily in pots, ready for planting.

Procrastination just doesn’t always work in the garden.

I mix up another batch of EM (effective microorganisms) .. the magic elixir that enriches the soil with a mix of bacteria, fungi, et al, that makes the soil come alive and encourages splendid new growth.   And I water some of the veggies with the EM ….. healthy soil, healthy plants.

And I tuck seaweed around the base of some blueberries, to deter the slugs which have been munching away on the leaves.  They aren’t doing that anymore, thanks to the seaweed!!

I love the new temporary raised bed, by the wild and crazy tree.  A wonderful mix of spoiled hay, leaf mulch, alpaca & goat manure, plus compost.   I had one remaining board left from the original raised beds of years ago.  That formed the front edge of the new bed.  Next I collected bricks from around the yard and made a facing, so it appears as if the bed is solidly established.

Then I placed sections of boards on top of the facing board, placed flower planters on top and interspaced them with beach rocks .. so now it appears as if this bed has been here for a long time!   (photos tomorrow!)

So .. today .. lots to do … setting up more little temporary beds and will plant those Kentucky beans there.

Basil & tomato plants to place in sunny areas.

Tidying up.

Bird watching.

Lots to do .. and looking forward to this day!

🙂