Silhouette

Ever since I’ve lived in my house, I’ve admired our neighbor’s mulberry tree through each season.  In spring, with it’s new green leaves, it instills hope as I glance at it doing this and that in the house.  In winter, even when it’s bare of any leaves, the thin branches look like a vast network of veins, reminding me of the interconnectedness of all living things.

One evening about a week ago I settled on the couch under a blanket at twilight.  I stared out of the window at that mulberry tree and marveled at it’s beauty against the evening sky.  This is what I saw:

March Tour

Every so often I enjoy a little garden tour for the blog, sharing the essence of the moment in my little corner of the earth.

I’ll start with my personally most anticipated moment of early spring-my Red Baron peach tree in bloom.  It seems like when everyone else’s trees are already blooming, my peach is taking her sweet time.  The garden always has a way of reminding me of patience.  The first flower is about to open.

I have sown some seeds in toilet paper rolls as I did last year but out of sometimes laziness and sometimes forgetfulness, every few nights they get left out over night.  It’s still in the high forties at night, so we will see how well they germinate.  Here’s the first seedling I spotted, which happens to be the heirloom tomato named Cherokee Purple.

The new Minnie Royal cherry tree planted in January is off to a nice start!

My tried and true sugar snap peas lend a delicate touch to these winter months.

The arugula is almost 6′ high! I have thoroughly enjoyed their display.

The arugula flowers up close. I made a sweet bouquet using these for the dining table.

My broccoli is a bit small, but the intensity of flavor will make up for any lack in size.

Today’s last photo is of a succulent in a hanging basket. Although you can’t eat it, I couldn’t resist including it since the evening light hit it just so.

Tag, You’re Fruit

One of my favorite edible garden blogs, My Tiny Plot, did a post a few months back about a plant tag making system that utilizes aluminum tags, metal punches, and a very heavy jig to make custom, professional-looking tags. They last a lifetime and never rust or fade with time.  I’d love to have one of these sets in the future, but seen as though they are in the UK through Alitags and have their own hefty price tag (no pun intended), I decided on the stay-at-home/mom-on-a-budget version.  I came across a pack of 50 aluminum tags at a local nursery today for the friendly price of $7.99.  Using either a ball point pen or pencil, press firmly as you write the name/date/etc of your prized trees.  For me, I wanted them for my fruit trees, but they are perfect for just about anything that you don’t want to forget in the garden.

I am now the proud owner of 8 fruit trees, up from just 2 less than a year ago.  I finally found a place for the new bare-root Gold Kist apricot (I sacrificed a lack-luster rose near my kitchen window).

So I mentioned that I was at the nursery today…and I got one more bare-root.  I swear.  Last one.  Snow Queen white flesh nectarine.  I do already have the Double Delight Nectarine with yellow flesh planted January 2012, but I didn’t have a white flesh.  So there’s my reason.  HA!  It’s perfect for low chill areas, less than 300 hours and it has amazing reviews on taste.  I even had a spot picked out before I went to buy it.

You know those root-knot nematodes that got me all down and out last summer?  And I solarized one bed for three months?  Well I pulled some beets from that bed and, you guess it, root-knot nematodes still.  So, I decided to plant the Snow Queen in that bed.  It’s grown on citation rootstock, which is nematode resistant and does well in wet soils.  So there, you little buggers!

Poking around the Garden

I was thrilled to see that the bare-root cherry trees (Minnie Royal and Royal Lee) and Gold Kist apricot that I newly planted just a few weeks ago are already forming buds!

The sugar snap peas are also taking off finally.  Here are some that I planted in a pot about 2 months back.  Just yesterday I planted a row of peas in the ground so that I would have more through spring and early summer.

As I was poking around I realized that I wasn’t the only one doing some poking this afternoon.

As you can see I was caught by the Silkie on the left before I could capture their four behinds sneaking around behind the vegetable bed.  Too funny!

I love seeing the four of them out and about together (when they’re behaving themselves). The three Silkies just snapped out of a spell of broodiness and Henrietta is much happier having her partners in crime back.

My Eyes are Bigger than my Backyard

The first fruit tree at my home was a peach tree, now about 5 years old and hitting her stride.  I then added a Diana fig a year later and a few citrus (which failed-citrus and I do not mix).  Then last January I bought my first bare-root trees.  A Burgundy Plum and Double Delight Nectarine.  At the time I did a post of my new additions and their planting.  I love bare-roots for two reasons: they’re cheaper and way easier to fit into my car.

Oh!  Gee!  It’s January again!  And I just happened to find myself at my favorite nursery with an amazing selection of bare-root trees from Dave Wilson.  I just went to browse.  Really.  And then I remembered research I’d done on two cherry tree varieties that were just developed a few years ago for mild winters.  Low chill varieties Minnie Royal and Royal Lee.  And……they pollenize each other!   Living on the coast of northern San Diego, we receive anywhere between 200 and 300 chill hours each year.  Fruit trees each have their own hour requirement in order to produce fruit.  So, it’s important in a place like mine to plant varieties considered “low chill”.  Up until Minnie Royal and Royal Lee came out, growing cherries in a warm winter area was not possible.  Until now!

The ONLY reason why I decided to buy these beauties instead of just admire was because of a little orange tag I read attached to each type.  It stated that Mazzard rootstock was used to graft the trees on and it just so happens that this type of rootstock is….wait for it….resistant to root-knot nematodes (see my post about how to identify and get rid of)!  Now that they are in many areas of my edible garden, I figured this would be a great way to manage the problem.  Plus, Mazzard is good for wetter soils, which I have.  As a rule, fruit trees like well drained soils.

But, I couldn’t leave with just two.  Oh no.  A low-chill Gold Kist apricot (300 chilling hours) somehow weaseled it’s way onto my cart!  Now, I’ve heard that apricots are a bit harder to grow than most other fruits (along with apples), but to me they are the holy grail of the backyard orchardist’s collection.  You can buy them at the grocery store or farmer’s market for a very limited time, but I find that usually they are picked to early and are hard and a bit sour.  So I thought I’d give it a whirl.  Ah the things I will do to taste the sweet, juicy flavor of a perfectly ripe fruit.

When I planted the Burgundy Plum and Double Delight Nectarine in my front yard last year, I amended the soil and added homemade organic compost as a mulch on top of the soil (thanks to my sister-in-law).  They seem to be doing fairly well, but haven’t grown much.  The nursery specialist said that the first year you want bare-roots to be focusing on root growth.  The fruit will come in the second or third season.  I decided not to amend my native soil this go-around with the apricot and cherries in my backyard.  I’ve read that some recent studies concluded that adding compost or amendment can cause the water to pool around the roots.  In addition, when the roots grow beyond the amendment and reach the native soil, they tend to turn back around to find that amended soil again.  This can end up forming a huge ball of tightly formed, twisted roots that do not naturally extend outward.  Makes sense.  In order to still provide my beauties with food and nutrients, I’ve decided to use my sister-in-law’s organic compost again as a mulch on top of the soil and then cover that with shredded leaves and grass clippings to keep the good bacteria alive.  In this way the compost will infiltrate the soil over time.  Ok, enough talk, more pictures.

Here’s what the roots of bare-root trees look like!

Minnie Royal

Planted Minnie Royal cherry tree. About 15 feet from the Royal Lee.

Royal Lee planted in the middle of my main edible bed. This is a south facing area at the bottom of a slope, which receives full sun. It’s the coldest part of the garden, being at the base of a slope, which is great for chill hours.  The Diana fig is in the background.

I haven’t yet planted the apricot, as I’m trying to figure out the best place for it.  I’m running out of space!  We’ll see what I come up with.  On a side note, here’s Henrietta’s before and after.

Here’s Henrietta a few months old in Sept. ’12.

Here she is this morning. Nicely filled out and seemingly lighter in color. 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer’s Twilight

I enjoy letting my 4 year old take her own photos. Every now and then she hits one out of the park. This is a reflection of the banana tree (which is technically an herb) in it’s own flower petal which had fallen on the ground.

Summer scallop squash has been exploding in the raised bed.

Purple and rattlesnake pole beans.

The year’s second crop from the 4 year old Diana fig has been big for our little tree. Although they are smaller the second time around, they are just as sweet.

Here is the cool weather-loving Czechoslovakian heirloom tomato named Stupice (pronounced Stu-peach-ka). I had great luck with it last year. I love that you can continue to have tomatoes into the fall when other have withered away.

It’s my first time growing arugula, or “rocket”. I’m amazed at how fast it germinates (3 days!), and at nearly a 100% rate.

A photo my daughter caught of me at twilight out in the garden.

The Garden Has Gone Bananas!

My banana tree typically fruits every other year and now is it’s moment in the sun.   Traditionally the bananas never ripen (I’m guessing due to the slightly less than ideal dry climate of my So. Cal. backyard).  However, it’s a fun occurrence in the garden and you never know, maybe this will be my lucky year.

Once the fruiting stalk has finished giving it’s every ounce of energy to the fruit, it does die, but thankfully there are always new shoots and young stalks.  I read today that the banana is botanically classified as a berry!  And, these plants are not really trees because they lack any sort of woody features, but are rather an herb!  The trunk is composed of the main fruiting stem enrobed by leaves.  Cool, huh?  My chickens seem to be already aware of this, since they love to snack on the base of the plant, and have even been known to cause one or two to, “timber!”

Such a stunning visual impact. Quite eye-catching for the garden!

Hornworm, Harvest, and Hen

It had become obvious in the last few days that hornworms had finally ascended into our vegetable garden.  And they grow.  Quickly.  One has to stay most vigilant or one morning you’ll wake up to completely bare tomato plants.  Most small ones go to the hens but the biggies they wont touch.  And I found one that gave even me the shivers.

Giving a little context.  This must be a delicacy in some country, right?

Many days I like to harvest a few things here and there as needed for the evening’s dinner.  Only when I have an impressive lot do I warrant it as a photo opportunity.  Today was one such day.

Peaches, lemon cukes, yellow cherry tomatoes and various beans.

Our beloved peach tree has pumped out what I believe to be the most peaches out of any other year.  (I probably say that every year).  This is just the tail end of the fruit, as many were beginning to fall and bruise, which told me an intervention must be made.  I even find joy when I see a bird or two nibbling.  What’s left of those just ends up going to the hens, which they seem to revere as hen candy.  My daughter’s cousins were over the other night playing croquet and badminton and in each of their hands was a warm, soft peach.  What a memory.

Speaking of hens, I must tell you that my music student’s mom is quite tricky.  She’s the backyard breeder who graciously gave us our 5 silkies last September.  At last week’s lesson she told me about her Swedish Flower Hens (could they have a better name?) that she was looking to re-home because she’s trying to downsize her flock.  She described them as medium sized birds, with a tan color and super friendly personality.  Oh, and then she mentioned their vibrant blue eggs.  Yup.  So I agreed to MEET one at today’s lesson.  Just as she handed her to me, she began walking back to her car.  I stuttered a bit and said, “But I have to talk to my husband, first!”  Her motto is, “Ask for forgiveness instead of permission.”  I requested that it be a week trial run and she agreed.  Sneaky!

Getting to know our new visitor.

And let me just say….she’s beautiful!  She’s almost at laying age.  A bit bigger than my silkies, but not much.  In my time with her so far, she likes being near people.  She stood next to my chair for a good 15 minutes.  Then I came in the house for a few minutes and my eye caught her walking through the door and under the dining room table!

I promised myself not to name her and really see how the interaction goes with our original 5.  We’ll see how the next week goes!

Things Are Heating UP!

Now that Summer is officially here and has brought with her consistently high 70’s daytime temps and low 60’s nighttime temps, my veggies (and I) are thanking her.  The tomatoes are starting to really set fruit, whereas for the past month the flowers were just falling off before swelling into fruit.  The Moon and Stars Watermelon is starting to actually look like a vine instead of a little seedling.  The peaches on the no-name peach tree are nearing full ripeness.  Cucumbers are happily weighing down my trellis.  Baby pumpkins are peeking their little selves out of the vines and all is right with the world.  Or at least in my garden, anyway.

Cherokee Purple Heirloom Tomato on it’s way to ripening.

The Moon and Stars Heirloom watermelon has started to take off in recent days.

Peaches giving a rosy “Hello! Here I am!”

This Cherokee Purple Heirloom tomato is growing in a grow bag! This is my healthiest tomato plant and has set more fruit than any other Cherokee Purples around the garden. GO Grow Bags!

Case in point.

And more from the same grow bag tomato plant.

Lemon Cukes are ready for munching!

And I’ll leave you with a photo of my most recent harvest. Long Live Homegrown!

Earth-Friendly Produce Bags

I sure was a spoiled mommy on Sunday.  Breakfast in bed, flowers, time with family.  I received a wonderful gift from my parents that appeals to my environmentally conscious mind.

I bring washable canvas bags to the grocery store to pack up my food in for the drive home.  Something I usually feel bad about are the numerous plastic produce bags that I use to put my fruits and veggies in.  You know the ones!  I do re-use them for such tasks as picking up chicken poo or storing veggies from the garden in the fridge.  However, they always end up one way or another in the trash.  Now with my new  mesh produce bags, I can treat Mother Earth a little kinder.

As you can see, I have two kinds of bags.  One kind is made by ChicoBag, called rePETe Mesh Produce Bags from the Produce Stand Collection.  These little cuties allow ethylene gas, nature’s ripening agent, the opportunity to escape – making these bags perfect for apples, avocados, pears, oranges, onions and potatoes.  Since the mesh allows the gas to escape, the fruit will “keep” longer.  This company also makes bags to lock in moisture for other veggies like squash, broccoli, carrots and celery and Hemp-Cotton bags to absorb excess moisture and restrict airflow for green beans, nuts and grains.

The other 6 canvas looking bags are to completely replace those plastic produce bags provided by the grocery store.  They are made by Simple Ecology, 100% organic cotton (yes!) and even include the weight to deduct by the cashier, so you’re not paying for the weight of the bag every time you check out at the register.  They really have thought of everything!

This is a small step that can extend a long way for the earth.