The First Blueberries of the Year...
I should be thankful that I have the modern conveniences that make it easy to have laundry day more than once a week. But boy do I get tired of spending so much time in that laundry room...I have got to paint those walls!!!!
The day before yesterday I took some garbage to the can and discovered that during the last few days of rain the blueberries had ripened! So Liam and I picked them! I got three pounds from my little bushes. There are still more to come but I don't think they will amount to that much. I picked up some fertilizer for them and next week (after our heat wave) I will get that taken care of. With most of them it means moving the crushed rock out of the way and cutting through the weed block to get to the dirt at the base of the plants. But if you would see how badly some of them are doing this year....well I am ashamed I have not taken better care of them!
So God once again handled the watering for me and things are looking so good out there! And a friend said something the other day that made me rethink all I had been thinking...about the garden that is. Every year I plant my tomatoes and just about all the seedlings in a hole that I have added something like Miracle Grow or some other super enriched potting mix to. And every year I have some die off from these plants. This year I assumed it was the rain that was drowning the roots of the tomatoes, but we just had several days of rain, lots of rain, and the tomato plants are thriving. Her mother in law told her that the very thing I do every year could be burning the roots of my plants! Here I thought I was giving a boost to them but in reality I could have been causing them damage! So next year I plan on fertilizing after they are established in the ground. Let's see if that changes things a bit!
So like I mentioned, God has once again watered things well for me! Now the heat comes...near triple digits by Tuesday!!!!! Can I hear an UUHHGG! So in the last two days I took advantage of the cooler, cloudy temps to get things weeded and planted. On Monday we visited Auntie Pam and went to a garden store near her home where I picked up my normal proven to work green bean seeds. I got those in the ground the day before yesterday. Out of roughly 24 feet of rows, planted twice, I got a total of 8 plants that came up. Sadly my hope that I could get heirlooms to work and save my own seeds has basically flown out the window! At least with the staples like green beans and tomatoes. I also picked up more cauliflower plants while getting the seeds and a pointed hoe. Where in the world have the pointed hoes gone?! I had to go to a garden store in Vancouver to find one! Anyway...everything that needs to be in the ground is in the ground now. Well...except the Japanese Long cucumber seeds that I am germinating on the counter. Another heirloom I have replanted twice and not had come up.
Since my peas didn't make it, I am going to plant cucumbers in their place...that way they can use the fencing and climb and save me ground space...clever huh. Now if it is just not too late in the season for all this to happen!
Liam has been such a help in the garden these last two days. He set his mind to weeding and cleaned out an area each time! He understands about pulling up the roots as well, but even if he didn't get them, his diligence in working was enough! He played in his pool yesterday as it got up to 80!! Boy was that sun hot on our backs! Then a large cloud would pass overhead and since they were moving so slowly we would get a wonderful break from the sun! We need to figure out some sort of shade for his pool. After a while of playing and weeding he said he was hungry. I told him that there was food growing all around him. I said he could fill his tummy outside. So he trotted off and ate some strawberries and blueberries. About a half hour later he came to me and said "mommy I'm hungry on the inside now", meaning, I want the food in the house already!!
So...now with no further delay....pictures of some of the beds and yard after the weeding....
The day before yesterday I took some garbage to the can and discovered that during the last few days of rain the blueberries had ripened! So Liam and I picked them! I got three pounds from my little bushes. There are still more to come but I don't think they will amount to that much. I picked up some fertilizer for them and next week (after our heat wave) I will get that taken care of. With most of them it means moving the crushed rock out of the way and cutting through the weed block to get to the dirt at the base of the plants. But if you would see how badly some of them are doing this year....well I am ashamed I have not taken better care of them!
So God once again handled the watering for me and things are looking so good out there! And a friend said something the other day that made me rethink all I had been thinking...about the garden that is. Every year I plant my tomatoes and just about all the seedlings in a hole that I have added something like Miracle Grow or some other super enriched potting mix to. And every year I have some die off from these plants. This year I assumed it was the rain that was drowning the roots of the tomatoes, but we just had several days of rain, lots of rain, and the tomato plants are thriving. Her mother in law told her that the very thing I do every year could be burning the roots of my plants! Here I thought I was giving a boost to them but in reality I could have been causing them damage! So next year I plan on fertilizing after they are established in the ground. Let's see if that changes things a bit!
So like I mentioned, God has once again watered things well for me! Now the heat comes...near triple digits by Tuesday!!!!! Can I hear an UUHHGG! So in the last two days I took advantage of the cooler, cloudy temps to get things weeded and planted. On Monday we visited Auntie Pam and went to a garden store near her home where I picked up my normal proven to work green bean seeds. I got those in the ground the day before yesterday. Out of roughly 24 feet of rows, planted twice, I got a total of 8 plants that came up. Sadly my hope that I could get heirlooms to work and save my own seeds has basically flown out the window! At least with the staples like green beans and tomatoes. I also picked up more cauliflower plants while getting the seeds and a pointed hoe. Where in the world have the pointed hoes gone?! I had to go to a garden store in Vancouver to find one! Anyway...everything that needs to be in the ground is in the ground now. Well...except the Japanese Long cucumber seeds that I am germinating on the counter. Another heirloom I have replanted twice and not had come up.
Since my peas didn't make it, I am going to plant cucumbers in their place...that way they can use the fencing and climb and save me ground space...clever huh. Now if it is just not too late in the season for all this to happen!
Liam has been such a help in the garden these last two days. He set his mind to weeding and cleaned out an area each time! He understands about pulling up the roots as well, but even if he didn't get them, his diligence in working was enough! He played in his pool yesterday as it got up to 80!! Boy was that sun hot on our backs! Then a large cloud would pass overhead and since they were moving so slowly we would get a wonderful break from the sun! We need to figure out some sort of shade for his pool. After a while of playing and weeding he said he was hungry. I told him that there was food growing all around him. I said he could fill his tummy outside. So he trotted off and ate some strawberries and blueberries. About a half hour later he came to me and said "mommy I'm hungry on the inside now", meaning, I want the food in the house already!!
So...now with no further delay....pictures of some of the beds and yard after the weeding....
Gotta' love those squash that just volunteer to come up and perform....I leave most of them to see what will happen. They could even be cantaloupe!!!!!
Cabbages and Bok Choy are loving the rain and cooler weather...these weeds are now a thing of the past and this area looks much cleaner. Those are sunflowers in the tires....Liam planted them.
Another area that was taken care of yesterday. These are the only heirloom plants that are doing well, Pink Brandywines. You can see the corner of the chicken coop and the fenced in yard area. We have two chicks that will be living in there soon (I hope)...another reason I don't like going into the laundry room! I didn't get a picture of it, but the day before yesterday I walked past and saw Fiona's head, she was laying inside there napping....no wonder she is always covered with pine shavings!
So I have caught you up again in my life. Well...I still haven't told you about the homeschool convention last weekend...but that will have to be my next post.
Have a wonderful day!!!
So I have caught you up again in my life. Well...I still haven't told you about the homeschool convention last weekend...but that will have to be my next post.
Have a wonderful day!!!