Big Haul at PAR Davies 7/3/13

Our colorful bounty

 Hi Everyone,

TOTAL HARVEST TODAY 62 lbs

TOTAL HARVEST TO DATE 516 lbs

What a colorful display. Too bad I cut off the top of the photo with our big box of potatoes!

We had a bountiful day today and got to harvest a lot of great veggies. Workers included Susan, Cathy, Jamie, Greg, Lauren, Trisha, with newcomers Michelle Page, Peggy Griffith, Bari McDuffie, and myself. Welcome to the newcomers, we are glad to have you.

The first order of business was the harvest, which included cucumbers, green beans, squash, peppers (bell, serrano, jalapeño, shishito, banana), tomatoes, onions, eggplant, garlic, potatoes and basil…and a bouquet of zinnias were picked for the office at Hillwood.

One note of caution with the barn refrigerator. We need to be careful not to shove things way to the back because they tend to freeze. So some of the squash and tomatoes that were harvested Saturday were frozen : (     Greg made the temperature a little bit warmer, so with doing this and being careful where we place the produce in the fridge, I feel we will still be able to harvest on Saturday and keep in the fridge until Wednesday.

The last short row of potatoes were dug, and the voles actually left a few pounds for us. Then one of the potato towers was harvested. I wasn't expecting too much from it, but was pleasantly surprised. We ended up with a not too shabby total harvest of 14 lbs. of potatoes, not counting the potatoes harvested previously.

Greg and Bari digging into the potato tower
and then deciding to just dump it ...

... Russets and Yukon Golds tumbled out

Jamie set 10 traps for voles…mousetraps with peanut butter and oatmeal for bait. These were set by the holes and covered over with dark containers. I sure would like to see these critters gone so we can feel good about planting a big fall root crop.

Greg fertilized the squash, blackberries and pear trees with comfrey tea. Thanks Greg, I know it is a smelly job, but somebody has to do it. Susan gave all the container plants some fish fertilizer. The little Minnesota Midget Canteloupes look super with some as big as golf balls. I can't wait to try one. We have four containers of these and they are climbing all over the place. The Hugelkultur bed with the watermelon and regular sized cantaloupe is also covering the ground, with little melons starting to appear.

We got excited about the cucumbers!

Camilla F1 Hybrid cucumbers - about a foot long!

We have these and other varieties of cukes growing in tomato cages interplanted with bush green beans. These are the first ones ready. Several people were interested in the variety (Camilla F1 Hybrid.) I bought these pricey seeds ($6/pkg!!) for myself and shared a few with PAR. I will definitely get a package for PAR next year, since they are so prolific and pretty. They are just like the 'English' cucumbers you get all sealed up in a package at the store. They are costly but worth it, and doing just as well in my home garden. They are also parthenocarpic (self pollinating), as are both varieties of our zucchini (Cavilli and Partenon), with the Cavilli being very light green and Partenon dark green. I got these because I thought they would do better under the row cover. The Cavilli seems especially resistant to the vine borer. I got all of the above seeds online from Gourmet Seed.

We've started filling beds that have been emptied out with more bush and pole beans. Half of our empty space was planted, and next week we will finish out our succession bean planting.

Bean planting ladies

I need to report on our espalier pear trees. One tree is coming along well, but the other has had all but one limb knocked off. I don't know if more will sprout, but if we get no more limbs by next spring, we will have to dig it up and start over, because of the need for a pollinator.

Espaliered pear tree has reached the second level

Today was our first tomato harvest (not cherries). The plants look good, except for the Jet Star which had a lot of leaf damage from the early blight, but they are still putting out top growth and lots of tomatoes. At least the blight didn't take over the entire tomato crop, and there were no hornworms spotted today. I feel sure we will have a good many varieties to bring to the Tomato Tasting on the 18th…….be sure to let me know if you can help pick and set up.

Trish cleaned up the therapeutic herb bed, clearing out space for our comfrey to expand. Lauren checked out the 'Sweet Fall' squash bed for vine borers, and hopefully stopped what appeared to be several early sites. But the plants look very healthy and have little squash on them. Check out this link below that tells about this squash, which was a another gift from Julie Morgan from Seed Savers.

I've been forgetting to say many thanks to the guys who finished putting up the fencing. The bottom half of the fence was reinforced with strong fencing to keep the deer from kicking it in. Many thanks to Jamie, Greg and John….and thank you Bob H. for starting this project. We feel more secure now. And thank you Jamie for keeping our garden watered with the irrigation system. You are fast making yourself indispensable.

One last thing, Saturday workday is iffy at this point, with rain forecast. I will send out a notice late tomorrow or Friday as to what the plan is.

EVERYONE HAVE A GREAT INDEPENDENCE DAY - BE SAFE!

'Til later,

Dianne

Visitors to PAR: Young Children, Young Deer, and Young Frogs

Children from Funtime Learning Center with their teachers

PAR Davies recently welcomed 10 youngsters from Funtime Learning Center and their teachers, Anne and Jean, to tour the garden. 

The fun began the minute the children arrived.  A newborn fawn startled up about 10 feet from the bus and bounded away!  It took a few minutes to convince the children that they would never be able to catch up with the fawn and pet it.       

Susan showing off a squash plant and bush beans

G.A. Crosby and Susan Phillips led the children around the garden talking about the different vegetables. The children were amazed to see G.A pull a carrot out of the ground!

Each child harvested a carrot - yum!

We showed the group how to repurpose discarded "junk" for use in the garden.

The sedum-filled typewriter

The boys were especially interested in the one-inch toads that were hopping all over the garden.  They wanted to take some back to class, but we convinced them that we need the toads for insect control.  The teachers were greatly relieved!

Boys and toads, a natural combination!

What a great day!  I don't know who enjoyed it more, us or the children.  We love to show off the garden and to demonstrate how we grow vegetables organically.  We especially like to show "city kids" where their food comes from.  Let us know if you want to set up a tour!

Susan

Perennial Petunias and Pistachio Pesto

Mystery plant

I love alliteration!

A friend sent me this picture (how do you like the disembodied hand?) that she took in Jackson, MS and wondered if I knew what it was.  Thanks to the miracle of Google Images, I identified it as perennial Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana.)

Known by several common names (Desert Petunia, Mexican Bluebells, Mexican Petunia), this plant is hardy to Zone 7a, likes full sun to partial shade, and will grow from one to three feet depending on conditions.  It likes moist, but well-drained soil.  Each bloom lasts only one day, but it flowers from spring to fall.  The flowers are a pretty purple-blue.

You can propagate from seed or from cuttings.  Be aware that in good conditions it has been known to self-seed "aggressively," meaning invasive!  Does anyone in Memphis have experience with this plant?

Fettuccine with Pistachio-Mint Pesto and Tomatoes

Last Sunday night I cut some mint from my garden and used it in a recipe from this month's issue of Cooking Light:  Fettuccine with Pistachio-Mint Pesto and Tomatoes.  (Have you noticed that I love Cooking Light?)  It was delicious and easy!  You can add chicken or shrimp if you want.

Have a great weekend!









http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/fettuccine-pistachio-mint-pesto-tomatoes-50400000128797/

Cobb Salad with Green Goddess Dressing

Cobb Salad with Green Goddess Dressing from Cooking Light

I just wanted to share one of my favorite dinner salads with you.  We had it last night and I remembered how much I like it.  The dressing has several ingredients, but you just dump everything into your blender or food processor, so it's not a big deal.  I put in cooked, crumbled bacon instead of the chicken, but you can add almost anything you like.  It's the dressing that phenomenal!  It's from Cooking Light - enjoy!

Tomatillos and More - PAR Davies 6/12/13

A bounty!

Hi Everyone,

 TOTAL HARVEST TODAY 54 lbs

TOTAL TO DATE 384 lbs

What a great day. As usual a lot was accomplished with all our garden workers….Susan, Jamie, Melba, Greg, John, Mary Elizabeth, Trisha, Lauren and myself. First off, we had a great harvest of a variety of onions, beets, zucchini, a few cherry tomatoes, banana peppers, cabbage, chard, garlic and basil. We sent a good amount of basil and garlic to the women's shelter along with our pesto recipe. Suzanne was our delivery girl today. The peppers and cherry tomatoes are just starting, and next week we should start having more. I believe we will also be able to harvest some of Aunt Ida's Pole Beans.

Jamie, John and Greg got busy with the irrigation system and the fencing. It will be several weeks before they get everything accomplished in those two departments, but they did get a good start. As always guys….we appreciate you.

Melba checked beds for bugs/disease and did a lot of weeding along the way. Lauren tied up tomatoes and tomatillos, both of which look good. We are having yellowing of the bottom leaves of some of the tomatoes. Both Susan and I have that on our tomatoes at home too. Could it be all the rain that we got earlier as the problem? Is anyone else having this problem?

Our tomatillo crop. I believe we may be able to harvest some
within 2 weeks (3 varieties--green, purple and pineapple)

We uncovered the squash bed and have now left it uncovered. One of the plants has a vine borer but no squash bugs. I think with the cover being left off now, we will start getting more squash, as there are plenty of 'babies' on the vines. We did get several of the Cavilli zucchini from one plant that was not covered. Trisha fertilized with our Comfrey tea. We did not get a chance to harvest more Comfrey, but maybe the Saturday crew can. Susan and Mary Elizabeth harvested cabbage and cleaned out the beds. We did not put the cabbage leaves in the compost because there were still Harlequin bugs and eggs present. Susan side dressed the pole beans that were planted down the center of the cabbage, and watered them in good.

All of our peppers are doing well. We have many varieties of peppers planted this year….Jalapeno, several varieties of Bell, Yellow Snacking, Shishito, Corno di Toro Rosso, Habanero, Purple Beauty, Regular Banana and Giant Banana, Serrano and Pimento, in addition to two more of the seeds I got from Peru--Rocoto (a vining type) and Aji Amarillo. Except for the Bell, we have just a smattering of each variety.

Here are the bananas, the first variety to get ripe

The okra is up and needs to be thinned out. These are the seeds that spent 7 years in a freezer and 3 years in my fridge. Obviously, there was not a germination problem, and they will have to be thinned soon. Greg finished mulching the okra bed today.

The voles are still at it, and so far they like potatoes, carrots and beans. We re-armed the traps, and this time we propped up buckets over them as advised by Mary Elizabeth.

We fixed the containers so the Minnesota Midget cantaloupes could climb on fencing. All the containers were watered and the last of them were mulched. With a thick layer of mulch, the containers aren't drying out so fast. All container plants seem to be doing very well. The watermelon and cantaloupe beds that G.A. planted are really thriving.

Below is the Ciagua (S. American 'cucumber') that is finally taking off. It should climb our 10-ft. fence and then some.

The Scarlet Runner Beans (below) are pretty, and they are starting to get little beans. These beans are supposed to be edible, so I will check to see how they are prepared. The arched trellis will be beautiful when covered, so being able to eat them is just a bonus.

Scarlett Runner Beans

A good bit of the garlic was harvested, and Jamie, Susan and I took it home to dry. We will get the rest of the garlic next week. I wanted to get some more things planted today, but we ran out of time. Most of our beds are planted full, but there are a few empty spots and those areas where the voles took out things that can be planted with beans or peas or whatever seems appropriate.

We were really hot and thirsty by quitting time. If you haven't been to the garden in a while, remember to bring something to drink and hats, sunglasses, towels, etc. Take a break if you start getting too hot. Susan is going to start coming to the garden on Wednesdays at 7:00 a.m., in case anyone wants to start work when it's cooler, and I will be there by or before 8:00. We will still work until at least 10:00. So come when you can and work whatever time is convenient for you. We appreciate whatever time you can give us.

The weather looks favorable for Saturday, and I will be sending out a 'To Do' list Friday. Stay cool.

Dianne

Hosta Miscellany

Memphis is a hosta-loving town!  At this year's sale sponsored by the Mid-South Hosta Society, over 1600 plants were sold - a record number.  Were you there?  I was in line for the opening and you  would have thought we were waiting at St. Peter's Gate!

I've fallen in love with mini hostas, mainly because I've run out of room in this garden.  (BUT - we've bought a new house!  With a bigger yard!  And it's like a blank slate because it hasn't been tended for years!  More in future posts...)

Back to mini hostas.  Here's my small collection:

Clockwise beginning at the bottom left:  Frosted Mouse Ears, Justine, Spinach Souffle, Wonderful, Rainbow's End, Blue Mouse Ears, Green Mouse Ears (the tiny one in the middle.)  I also have Holy Mouse Ears...

...but it's in my Heavenly Garden along with Pilgrim, Cup of Grace, Cathedral Windows, and Guardian  Angel.  And yes, that's a heuchera 'Midnight Rose.'  I know it's doesn't exactly fit in with the heavenly theme, but that's where it had to go.  You know I love heucheras!

But I digress.  I mainly wanted to link you to a great hosta discussion that Margaret Roach had recently with Tony Avent.  You can read about it here and there's also a link to the podcast.  Tony has a 10 foot rule that may intrigue you and there's scientific information that helps you understand about hosta colors and fading and fragrance.

Speaking of Tony Avent, I bought a book recently at Booksellers at Laurelwood called The Roots of My Obsession, edited by Thomas C. Cooper.  In it are essays by thirty great gardeners telling why they garden.  Tony says,

I was born with a fully functional 7.0 horticultural operating system, along with some specialized apps like an obsessive personality, and overactive imagination, an overly logical brain, and a touch of ADD.

Sound familiar?  I'll share more of these gardeners' motivations as I read the various essays.  I'm trying to take little bites of this book so I can prolong the pleasure!

p.s.  -  If you know someone in the market for a zero-lot line house in East Memphis with a great shade garden, let me know!

Blessings in the Chaos - A Correction and an Apology

Shimmers Within the Storm
© Jan L. Richardson janrichardson.com
(Used with permission!)

Last year I discovered a lovely poem called "Blessings in the Chaos" and posted about it here. Usually I verify the author and ask permission to use the poem.  I have tried to remember what happened with respect to this poem and have no memory of it (I have a hard time remembering last week, let alone last year!)

But I received a very gracious email from the real author, Jan Richardson, which I will quote in full:

Hello--

I found you via your lovely "Garden Musings" blog. I'm grateful to you for sharing "Blessing in the Chaos" in a post on May 4, 2012, and wanted to let you know that although the blessing has been traveling the web as having been written by John O'Donohue, it's actually one that I wrote for my blog The Painted Prayerbook, at this post:

http://paintedprayerbook.com/2012/01/24/epiphany-4-blessing-in-the-chaos/

I quoted John O'Donohue in the post, and evidently a few readers thought the blessing was by him as well and began to circulate it with his name attached. I just recently discovered this, and would be so grateful if you would correct the attribution on your blog. If you would provide a link back to the original post on my blog, that would be lovely as well!

Thanks so much for your help with this, and thank you for good work. I send you many blessings!

Peace,

Jan

I sincerely apologize to Ms. Richardson.  Her poem is lovely and I hope you will take the time to check out her Painted Prayerbook site and her other sites as well.  She is an amazing artist in addition to being a gifted writer.

I'm almost glad I did make my mistake because it led me to her.