thinning the crop

I thinned out some of the fall brassicae, this time those I pulled to make room are large enough for food. The screen netting is working well to this point. Healthy, lush, greens are filling in and climbing taller in the crisp cool air. A broad mix of brassicae, with two varieties of Swiss chard […]

back to the garden…

Another week off from work: this time the summer heat has broken, meaning it’s easier to spend more time on garden projects. I spent yesterday morning working on the last gate of the fence project. The cooler weather this week should help me check this item off the list. The bottom of our drive will […]

the garden of happy accidents…

Sometimes, I simply let things happen in the garden and see what they do. Last year, I installed cedar lattice down the property line fence. Virginia creeper showed itself the prior year, and I encouraged it to grow upward. It flourished this spring. When the Japanese beetles hit this year, they decimated the creeper, but […]

flora and fauna

I present to you: things in the garden, from the past two weeks…

rise, my brassicae, RISE!!!

Mwah… Mwah… Mwah-hahahahaha! The first fall brassicae bed, about two weeks in…? I’m fascinated by how similiar the broad variety of brassicae start out in their growing cycle. They’re so identical, but they will be cabbages, and broccoli and cauliflower and mustard greens and kale and kohlrabi and brussel sprouts and and and…

quonset hut no. 2

Mental note: half inch PEX piping needs half inch fitting, not three quarter. Meh. The second bed is properly covered. The first covering offered a quick learning curve, so the second structure is sturdy and even. I will have to go back into the first one to add some extra cross braces. The extra bracing […]

fall beds no. 1 & 2

Both beds are now sown for fall harvests, both covered with screen netting, since the first attempt was stripped bare. Contents below… Bed No. 1: Bed No. 2: Apologies for the janky panning in the first video…

visitors in the carrots

Swallowtail caterpillars continue munching away on our carrot tops: Also, exactly pne of our carrots is going to seeding, proving the relation to Queen Anne’s Lace:

fall redo, plus stuff

To all the brassicae pests nibbling up our fall bed, I offer up to you a big, giant “F-U”! Bugs have picked clean my first attempt of a fall garden. So I am stepping it up: The potatoes are still a midsummer experiment, but the ones that sprouted are still growing: These native wildflowers (of […]

brad’s atomic grape

The most intriguing tomato I have grown is Brad’s Atomic Grape tomato. Two years ago was the first try, and I lost all the tomatoes I had started from seed. Last year I had better results with my “from seed” efforts, and I got four sturdy healthy plants. Then we had long, dry periods of […]