Community Garden Workday for May (2019)

This past Saturday was our monthly workday for the Community Garden.
A small crew came out to do a bit of maintenance.
We all noted how well the garden seems to be doing,
thanks to some tweaking of the irrigation by several members.



The main job for this workday was to harvest the garlic,
but it wasn't quite ready.
Once the two outer leaves turn brown and dry out,
the garden will be revisited to get the task done.
We moved on to weeding,
a job that never seems to end!

The lavender that was transplanted last month
is doing well along the perimeter bed.
It will be so lovely to see and smell the fragrant blooms!

Every bed is spoken for at this point,
and those who are leasing beds have been busy planting.

Several beds contained summer squash in various stages.

This profusion of peas is popping out of its box!

The sweet purple flowers are an added bonus.

There were plenty of tomatoes ripening on the vine.

The okra was seeded last month and has taken off!
The improvement in the irrigation has made all the difference.

Luscious lettuce of several varieties had my mouth watering.
Early spring is the ideal time to enjoy this harvest.
It's warm enough to grow, but cool enough to prevent bug problems.
At least for now.

These potato beetles were found in the eggplant bed.
Read more about how to deal with these pests.

With our work quickly done,
a friend and I decided to check out a couple of thrift stores in town.
It was a good balance of volunteer time and me time.
So glad to be part of the crew.

Garden Friday

 Welcome back to Garden Friday.

There's a lot of green going on in these parts.

The cool snap we had this week didn't seem to bother a thing.

Here's what we've got growing.

 The lettuce is still tasty, although some is turning bitter,

with the onset of bolting.

There are baby lettuces and newly sown varieties as well,

so I hope to be able to harvest for the next few weeks.

 It's yummalicious time!

Snap peas are consumed fresh off the vine,

so they usually don't even make it into the house.

It's my reward for doing my gardening chores.

 The October beans germinated well and are growing the best

out of all the varieties I have tried.

These were obtained from a local nursery.

 It never ceases to amaze me that we can grow enough food

to feed a family, all starting with just a tiny seed.

 The first nasturtium leaf was sampled this week.

I had known about the flowers being edible,

but recently learned that the leaves can be eaten as well.

I could see adding this to salads.

Nasturtiums are planted as a companion plant

throughout the garden, to help ward off pests.

 The leeks in the hugelkultur bed were planted 

at the same time...

as these in their own container.

The difference in maturation is massive!

Maybe they need their own space

and felt crowded in the big bed.

It might be good to have two different harvest times,

that way we can extend the season of eating.

 Sweet potato slips are doing well in the indoor "greenhouse".

With their planting time approaching,

I think we might just have enough to get a bunch in the ground.

This was the first time I've grown my own slips,

and I will be repeating the practice next year.

It was so easy, and fun to watch besides!

 Our local ACE hardware was giving away free onion sets,

since the season is more or less over.

How can you pass up free?

I grabbed a handful of firm, dry bulbs.

 Another gift I received just yesterday,

was these Indiana cantaloupe seeds from a neighbor.

She said that she used to buy these melons

when she lived up north, and they were the best things she ever tasted.

I'll throw some in a pot and see what we get.

The mailbox bed has been a bit disappointing.

I sowed a mess of flower seeds in it

and only a handful of things have come up.

Guess I'll be scouting the next plant swap or farmers' market

to get some things to fill in.

The flush of the iris blooms is eagerly being awaited.

A fresh coat of paint helped our butterfly marker

brighten right up.

It is placed in the butterfly bed,

which is filling out quite nicely.

gaillardia

It's a stupendous time to be a gardener here in the Piedmont.

With daytime temps in the high 70's and low humidity,

it's a wonder I come into the house at all.

Here's hoping that you are able to enjoy

all Mother Nature has to offer.

Birdhouse Gourd

My friend Steph grew gourds last year on her property.
Boy, did she grow gourds.
She was practically overrun.
Being the sweetheart that she is,
she gifted me with one not too long ago.

What a lovely opportunity to create a home for our feathered friends.
With a few simple tools, it was easy enough to do.

The flat-ended screwdriver easily punctured the dry outer shell.

Then I cut through the perforations with a utility knife.
Inside was found the dried flesh and a bonus!
I scooped out what was inside.

Wire was used to make a handle for hanging.

The same screwdriver was used to create ventilation holes in the bottom.

This will also allow for drainage, should it get wet.

An easy, free craft project!

Now to find the perfect perch.

The bonus found inside was a host of dried seeds,

so that I can start the whole process over again!

Nature is forever giving...

Garden Friday

Something wonderful arrived in the mail last week.

A gift from my farmer friends Faye & Lynn down south.

He raided his stash of tumeric
and sent me up a mess of it!
There was plenty to plant and share with fellow gardeners.
Tumeric is one of the best foods for inflammation.
Once it gets to growing, I'll show you what it looks like.
The leaves are edible.

The weather has been conducive to working outside,
so a few projects have been worked on.
There is always another project... 

One thing I crossed off of my list
was to fashion "cages" out of some of the grapevine
to protect the newly planted beautyberry from the mower.
I like the look and think I will work on making
other garden structures using the leftovers
from the wattle fence project.

This Freckles variety of lettuce
started taking off this week.
It's just as well, as there are other varieties that are bolting.

Nasturtiums have been planted in several locations 
around the veggies, to deter pests and add some color.

 The beets seem to have awakened this week too,
with a good dose of rain to encourage them right along.
Next week's cooler temperatures may help these do even better.

The garlic and shallots will be harvested in the next two weeks.
The beds will then be planted with sweet potatoes
and butternut squash.
I'll need to build a trellis or frame to accommodate the climbing vines.

 Surprisingly, the okra germinated earlier than expected.
There are two varieties planted,
the standard Clemson Spineless,
and the Bradford Family type that I grew last year.

 Cucumbers have a good start in the straw bales.
A trellis was recently added behind it to support the climbing tendrils.

Some of the strawberries in the straw bales are doing fine,
a couple of others didn't transplant well.
I'm hoping with a good soaking that they will bounce back.

 All is not well, however, with the beans.
Something's been after them,
but I have a solution in mind
and will work on finding what I need this weekend.

 The apple tree is loaded with fruit
and I'm keeping an eye out for spots on the leaves and fruit.
Several folks have told me that apples and peaches can be grown without spraying,
so I am inching back toward hope.

Tall Verbena

The butterfly garden has filled in well,
and everything seems to have suddenly just taken off.

 This dwarf variety of Joe Pye Weed is looking healthy and strong.
It is one of the best butterfly attractors.

gaillardia in bud

and in bloom

 These gorgeous blossoms jumped out at me when I was weedwhacking.
What a unique composition of color and texture.
Wish I knew what it is.

 These peonies belong to a neighbor across the street.
They are so amazingly complex, yet delicate.

garlic bloom

This weekend's rainfall is a welcome gift.
Even though it prevents many outdoor activities,
there is always a way to dodge the raindrops 
and get something done in the garden.
Working on the wattle fence will be priority one.

Here's hoping you get just the amount of rain your garden needs!