Little Cabin, Little Garden

My New Fave! Farmville

2009-11-17T13:53:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this game :)

Want to be neighbors?

The Great Sunflower Project

2009-06-15T05:29:00.000-07:00

I finally got my seeds for The Great Sunflower Project!

They are Lemon Queen. I hope they attract a lot of bees!

That Wascally Wabbit!

2009-06-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

Doesn't she look innocent?
She has a voracious appetite and has eaten things in my garden that I thought rabbits would not touch such as my garlic and potatoes.
The sweet potatoes are in a raised bed two feet high. Yep, they have been pruned.
Still, she is very cute and does not run away when I am working in the garden.

How To Seal Jars Using a Foodsaver

2009-05-31T06:47:00.001-07:00

I think this is the clearest explanation of how to seal jars using a Foodsaver vacuum sealer that I have seen.

Of course, you do realize that this method is only to be used for dried and dehydrated foods, not fresh foods.

Green Thumb Sunday, Purple Leaf Plum

2009-04-12T21:53:00.000-07:00

Gardeners, plant and nature lovers can join in every Sunday. Visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Our Purple Leaf Plum is gorgeous this year! Happy Easter!

Oh, Deer!

2009-04-10T10:32:00.001-07:00

See the pretty yellow daffodils all in a row?

Wait! Why is there a bud lying loose on the ground?

And what happened to the tips of these leaves? Daffodil leaves are not squared off at the top!

It has been a mystery to me as the daffodils have been there for 25 years unmolested till this year. Finally I solved the mystery by seeing what was happening with my own eyes. Unfortunately the culprits bolted before I could take their picture.

There were two deer working their way down the row pruning the daffodils! One of them was content to bite off the ends of the leaves. She did not eat them, just bit them off and tossed them aside. The second deer was picking the buds. Again, not eating them, just nipping them off and tossing aside. Over and over and over again.

I am confused. I can see trying them and not liking the taste and moving on. It is doing it over and over and over again that I do not understand.

I was glad to solve the mystery.

Seeing Red

2009-04-10T10:21:00.001-07:00

I saw red this week. I found this little patch of red moss. The patch is about 2 1/2 inches across.

I found this gorgeous red tree branch. The rest of the branches were not red so don't know why this one was.

And my favorite is the Redbud that is just starting to bloom.

Trash and Treasures

2009-04-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

I took a long walk around the cabin property and found a lot of trash. I was happy to find these glass jars before hubby hit them with the brush mower! One of them was an old Taster's Choice coffee jar and I don't know what the rest were. There was also an old window screen and a bunch of rusted cans.

I walked some more and found this toy saw. I wonder what child left it here?

I also found a few places that look like this. Ugh! I will have to get them cleaned up!

Now on to the treasures! I found these blue flowers. Barbee has confirmed they are Virginia Bluebells.

Some fiddleheads just starting to open.

Some tiny flowers. Barbee has confirmed that they are Spring Beauties.

And finally, my favorite find of all, an antler! It is from a spike buck. This is the second antler I have found on my property and I love to find them.

Driveway Life

2009-04-07T05:12:00.000-07:00

Our driveway is absolutely covered with these tiny white flowers. At first I thought they were specks of vinyl dust from cutting pieces for the siding, but they are actually flowers. Millions of flowers. That is my shoe in the picture to give some scale. My camera does not do close-ups.

I dumped this sand from my saltwater aquarium on the driveway. This weekend hundreds of bees of several different sorts found it. There were a lot of honeybees and several smaller kinds.
I will be shoveling the sand up and putting it in the garden area where they can get at it without being run over by a car.

Garden Work

2009-04-07T03:59:00.001-07:00

I planted some suckers from my lilac bush at home. They are small but do have roots.

The bucket is my attempt to water them slowly and thoroughly. It is a five gallon bucket and has a small hole drilled at the bottom to trickle water slowly to the plant.

I have also surrounded it with a circle of fencing held in place by two stakes. This is an attempt to keep it safe from the lawn tractor.

This is a Red Delicious Apple Tree bought at Home Depot. It is surrounded by the same fencing as the lilac and also fed by a drip bucket. The wood is fit through the holes in the fencing to hold the tree upright till it grows enough roots to hold it in place.

I was shocked at how few roots this tree had. When I took off the nursery sock the soil just fell away and there were hardly any roots at all. I do hope it is able to make it.

This is the pea patch. Hubby used our new flamethrower to burn off the grass. I have Sugar Snap peas on the left and Alaska peas on the right. Yes the posts are different heights. I use what I have. I have strung 6 rows of string and will add more strings as the peas grow.

This is the onion bed. There are three rows of red onions and one row of white.

This is my potato experiment. I figured if potatoes will grow in straw, why not try growing them in shredded paper. Can you see why? Yep, the paper blew out of the cages and is everywhere!

Even wet, it blew!

The cages are made of fencing with two inch squares and i thought for sure those small squares would hold the paper securely. Nope. Now I can play fifty-ywo thousand pick up!

I put some soil on top of the paper to hold it.

Green Thumb Sunday, Tulips!

2009-04-05T15:53:00.000-07:00

Gardeners, plant and nature lovers can join in every Sunday. Visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

These little tulips are a puzzle to me. They were planted two years ago and last year never showed themselves at all. I wrote them off and forgot about them and now here they are blooming beautifully!

I am really surprised they made it as they are lees than a yard away from a groundhog hole and a skunk hole. I thought for sure someone had eaten the bulbs!

Green Thumb Sunday, Daffodils!

2009-03-29T15:46:00.000-07:00

Gardeners, plant and nature lovers can join in every Sunday. Visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

These pretty yellow daffodils have been growing in the same spot for 20 years now. This fall they will be moved to their new location all around the perimeter of the new garden fence.

They have needed dividing for years now but I just did not have a good place to replant them.

The Wild Strawberry Project

2009-03-22T05:29:00.000-07:00

Click on the image in the sidebar to be taken here for updates to the Wild Strawberry Project. Scroll down to see updates in this post and further down to see the FAQ.

FAQ:

What is the Wild Strawberry Project?
I am attempting to naturalize the wild strawberry on my six acres of land in West Virginia.

How can you help?
When the wild strawberries come into season you can help by saving me one berry. Squash it on a paper plate or paper towel or coffee filter, etc. and let it dry and then mail the dried strawberry to me. Make sure you protect surfaces from the juice of the berry when you squish it. I will plant it and let it grow in my WV garden. Eventually the birds will eat the wild strawberries and spread the seed. It will be fun finding new plants in unexpected places.

Can I send anything else?
I would love violets! They would probably need to be sent in a damp paper towel inside a ziploc bag.

Will you reimburse my postage?
I am not able to reimburse postage at this time. This is strictly a goodwill effort on your part. I will keep all your addresses and can email you a choice of seeds as I harvest. I am planting a good number of different tomatoes this year and there may be one or two you would like.

Grow Your Own 2009, Leaf Lettuce

2009-03-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

Somehow I have missed seeing Andrea's Grow Your Own project until now. I realized right away that my leaf lettuce deserved to be included.

I grew it in my basement under grow lights and it made our hamburgers extra special tonight.

I did not grow the tomato, but I have a few dozen plants started under the same grow lights in the basement.

Very Productive Weekend

2009-03-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

During the course of the weekend the cabin went from looking like this:

to looking like this!

Quite an improvement!

We also put up our garden fence. We got deer fence from Deerbusters. This stuff is 7 1/2 feet tall which means the posts are 9 feet! We had to stand in the back of the truck to reach to put them in.

After we were done it looked like this:

The garden is 50 by 100 feet and that pile of brush you see inside the fence is 42 by 35 feet! The brush will be chipped up to put on the paths.

I made flags out of strips cut from grocery bags to tie all around the fence. This is so the deer will realize that the fence is there and not walk right into it. I will take the strips down after a few weeks.

We did not make the gates yet, so still work to do on the fence. There will be a gate in the middle of each of the 50 foot ends and a path wide enough for the little tractor and trailer to make it through.

I could not believe it got up to 80 degrees over the weekend when on Wednesday it was 8 degrees overnight.

I can hardly wait to get back and lay out the beds and start planting!

Green Thumb Sunday, Crocus

2009-03-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

Gardeners, plant and nature lovers can join in every Sunday. Visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Finally! A bloom to blog!

Apparently this is my lone crocus. I do not remember ever planting crocus, but here it is anyway.

Biggest Snow Fall This Winter

2009-03-03T03:53:00.000-08:00

This is the sight that greeted me when I opened my front door this morning.

Six inches of fluffy white snow!

I prepared to do battle and ventured forth, shovel in hand. After a bit two of my neighbors came out and dug in too. Our driveway is about 100 feet long. The bit at the end where the plow comes through is the worst.

Fortunately, all but the bottom 1/2" was a light fluffy powder, so it was not heavy to move.

When we were done it looked like this.

All the thin layer of blowing snow melted off later in the day so all the concrete and asphalt was clear. C'mon, Spring!

It is forecast to be 10 degrees tonight and 70 degrees on Sunday. Yay! Crazy March weather!

Sprouts!

2009-02-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

Green things are happening!

My Peas for the Snap Pea Challenge are sprouting!

I did an experiment and pre-soaked 12 peas overnight before planting. I also planted 7 peas without pre-soaking. All the pre-soaked peas are sprouting, but the ones I did not pre-soak have not sprouted yet.

There is one little sprout in the picture :)

My broccoli was inspired by the peas. Broccoli is usually slow to sprout, sometimes taking three weeks to show green.

My broccoli was planted on February 16th, the day after the snap peas, yet sprouted on the same day.

The peas took their time and the broccoli was speedy!

If you look closely you can see a couple of little sprouts in the picture.

I found a new hardiness zone map I had not seen before and found I have my last and first frost dates wrong!

Oh no! That means I have to get cracking on starting the plants I want for home.

According to this site my last frost is April 20-30 and my first frost is October 19-29.

Actually, these dates are closer to my own experience so I will revise my plan to reflect these dates.

The dates for West Virginia are still accurate.

C'mon Spring!!!

Seed Saver's 2009 Yearbook

2009-02-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

I eagerly await the arrival of this catalog every year. It is usually the last catalog I get, but the wait is worth it.

I heard that someone got theirs last Friday and I have been on the lookout for the mail carrier every day since.

This catalog is 500 pages of hope for our seed future. The seeds in this catalog have been grown by gardeners in their own gardens to pass on to the rest of us. Heirlooms galore!

I am one of the lucky few that was able to purchase a lifetime membership in the Seed Saver's Exchange back in the mid-seventies. I don't order many seeds but it is good knowing they are there.

Snap Peas Planted

2009-02-15T11:25:00.000-08:00

I have planted my Snap Peas for the Snap Pea Challenge. I am trying two different methods of seed treatment. I pre-soaked the twelve seeds planted around the edge of my planter but planted the seven seeds in the middle straight from the package.

I planted them in an icing bucket from the bakery at my local Safeway grocery store. I made a trellis from an old tomato cage. The prongs go all the way to the bottom.

I took the picture outside but the peas are inside in their pot. I wonder how many days it will be till they sprout?

That is Jenna's book, Made From Scratch, in the picture with the peas. I got it from the library.

Ice Fountain

2009-02-08T13:49:00.003-08:00

Yesterday on the way out of town I spotted a fountain of ice. It was too late to take a picture when we returned home, but today I went over and got this shot.

The fountain was only spraying in short bursts today, not full blast like yesterday. The temperature got into the 60's both days too so it has melted a lot. With the spray from the fountain and the cold temperatures I bet it was magnificent at it's peak.

Snap Pea Challenge

2009-02-08T12:32:00.000-08:00

Jenna at Cold Antler Farm has set up a Snap Pea Challenge. I am participating. I chose Burpee Super Sugar Snap Peas to plant.

Planting date is next Sunday, February 15.

Come on along and join the fun!

Clouds

2009-02-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

I love clouds and often look skyward just to see the different shapes. I spotted this one from the car today. A perfect Awareness ribbon! LOVE it!!!

Black Bean Brownies

2009-02-02T06:49:00.000-08:00

I read about Black Bean Brownies on one of my groups but the instructions were less than explicit.
I searched Google and found several references and pieced together this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 box Brownie mix (9x13 pan size)
1 can black beans (15 ounce size)

Method:

Drain and rinse the beans and the can thoroughly.
Put the beans back in the can.
Fill can to top with water.
Dump beans and water into blender or food processor. (I used the food processor)
Whir them around till they no longer look like beans. They look sort of like chocolate cake batter at this point with flecks of darker chocolate.
Dump the bean mush into a bowl with the brownie mix and stir it up.

Pour it into a 9x13 pan that has just the bottom greased. Bake it according to the directions on the box.

Mine were done at the long end of the bake time. My box said 28-32 minutes and 32 was about right.

Leave a bit of batter in the bowl to lick.

This recipe uses no eggs so reward yourself!

As you can see in the picture I did not wait for them to cool before topping with ice cream and sampling.

Now, would I make them again?

I could not tell there were beans in it. The batter and the finished brownies tasted of nothing but chocolate.

The brownies did not rise as much as I am used to. They stayed flat.

The brownies were very rich and dense. They were almost too sticky. The flavor is fine. It is the texture that I did not like as well.

I think I will try them once more, but bake them in a square pan and perhaps add some walnuts.

I do prefer my other brownie recipe where I simply replace the oil with applesauce and follow the rest of the directions exactly.

Green Thumb Sunday, Claytonia (Miner's Lettuce), Claytonia perfoliata

2009-02-01T06:29:00.000-08:00

Gardeners, plant and nature lovers can join in every Sunday. Visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

About a month ago I planted some Claytonia, lettuce and radishes in an empty 5 gallon aquarium as an experiment.

The lettuce did not thrive. It sprouted, but it stayed sad and spindly and most of the plants only have one set of true leaves.

The radishes grew like gangbusters but no radishes, only leaves.

The Claytonia seems to be thriving and is blooming. The blossoms are tiny and white.

Miner's Lettuce is another name for Claytonia.

I have a feeling that once I plant some outside I will never again lack for it.

Winter Sowing

2009-01-28T12:39:00.000-08:00

I winter sowed my seeds the end of December and have been waiting ever since then to get a picture of them with snow on them. It started snowing yesterday and finished with a half inch of ice today and here are my containers waiting for warm weather to start sprouting.

I have peach, pear, apple, redbud, hazelnut, gingko and many others planted in the bottles. The bottles are sitting in under bed storage boxes. The bottles and boxes both have holes in the bottoms for drainage. Each box holds 24 bottles. The top part of the bottle is cut most of the way through and has tape to hold it shut. The lids are off the bottles.

I would never have enough room to start all of these seeds indoors and start my tomato and other plants too. I am anxiously waiting to see what sprouts. Each bottle is numbered and I have what I planted in each written in my garden notebook.

GardenWeb has a good winter sowing forum and there is a Yahoo group as well.

Chocolate Cake Day, January 27th

2009-01-27T12:17:00.000-08:00

My son gave me this neat brownie pan for Christmas. It is called the Create N Celebrate Perfect Brownie baking pan by Lifetime brands.

Today was chocolate cake day. For me brownies are the ultimate chocolate cake. This time I even frosted them!

Here is the recipe I used:

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

1/2 c. applesauce (my own, made by me from real apples!)
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs (I used powdered eggs)
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. Hershey's cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray brownie pan (will also work in a conventional square pan)
In large mixing bowl blend applesauce, sugar and vanilla.
Add eggs, using spoon, beat well.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually blend into egg mixture.

Spoon into prepared pan.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan.
Cool, frost with Frosting. Or frost the first one warm and let the frosting melt! Gooey and good!

Frosting
6 tbs. margarine, softened
6 tbs. Hershey's cocoa
3 tbs. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. confectioners' sugar
1 tbs. milk (I used powdered milk)

In medium bowl cream margarine, cocoa, honey and vanilla.
Add confectioners' sugar and milk and mix well.

I set the bowl of frosting beside the brownies so each person could frost their own with as much or as little as they wished. The frosting amount is generous.

Canning Shelf

2009-01-23T06:31:00.000-08:00

I found myself getting frustrated trying to find all my canning jars and supplies.

I used to have a canning shelf. Like this one.

I was unable to find one like it for sale in the United States so I improvised.

The shelves I used are from WalMart. I had to have them shipped with their Site to Store shipping, but that was only an extra 99 cents.

Of course then I had to pick them up at the store. In our WalMart the Site to Store pickup location is in the back behind the shoes and craft area. I had to hunt for a clerk, but it was easy from then on. I did have the foresight to take a cart back with me.

I used two shelf units to construct my shelf. One of the features of a canning shelf is that the shelves are turned upside down so there is a lip all around the shelf to help prevent the jars from sliding off. I used 8 shelves for my unit. I have two shelves left over and have ordered one more shelf unit to use with them to make a seven shelf unit.

One plus of combining two units into one is that there is extra bracing available to use. With extra shelves and extra bracing the unit is very steady. The second set of shelves will be installed right next to the first one and I will use the bolts provided to bolt the two sets of shelves together along the side that touches.

I used the top hole for the top shelf and then skipped 4 holes and put the next shelf in the 5th hole. I skipped 4 more holes and put another shelf in the 5th again. Then I skipped 6 holes and put the next shelf in the 7th hole. I skipped 6 holes again and put the shelf on the 7th hole and this time the second set of legs also attaches there. Then I again skipped 6 holes and put a shelf in the 7th hole. For the last 2 shelves I skipped 7 holes and put the shelf in the 8th hole. This puts the very bottom shelf in the second hole from the bottom.

I will use the shelves to store all empty jars as well as full ones. All the canning jar boxes are stacked in a trash bag in the attic crawl space.

I keep all my glass jars whether they are canning jars or not. Yesterday I got out my sacks of saved jars and removed the labels. My favorite labels are the ones that come right off after a short soak in the sink. The stubborn labels had to be coaxed off with Goo Gone.

Then I ran them all through the dishwasher. It was full of jars! Now they are all on my new shelves.

I use the ordinary jars to store dehydrated foods. Lately I have sliced and dried a LOT of apples. I got the neatest tool from Freecycle. It has the option of coring and slicing or coring, peeling and slicing. I have been leaving the peels on.

I have to watch myself or I devour the apples! An added bonus to drying them is that they can be powdered in the blender and the powder mixed with water to make instant applesauce. I like the applesauce made fresh this way much better than the jarred applesauce. I am saving all the cores in the freezer to make jelly with.

Here are the shelves with the third unit added. Remember, I combined three units to make two to get more shelves.

The unit on the left has eight shelves and the one on the right has seven.

How do you store your jars? I would love to hear :)

The Harvest 2008, Before The Great Garden Makeover

2008-12-16T02:24:00.000-08:00

Here is a summary of the garden production in 2008. This is the year I decided I had to drastically change the way I was utilizing my garden space and the way I was gardening.

I began by ripping out all the old garden beds. The existing beds were all four feet deep and right up against the foundation of the house. I could not reach them to plant, weed or harvest so they were always pretty much a mess. They also had our own soil from the yard in them and it is clay.

The new beds are two feet deep and I can easily reach to the back. I had one bed in place in time to plant beans and had a good harvest.

In 2008 I harvested:

10 Lemon Boy Tomatoes, plant pulled 10-10
24 Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes, plant pulled 10-15
294 Green Beans (in new bed), plants (14) pulled 10-23, due to being killed by frost
35 Roma Tomatoes, plant pulled 10-15
6 Yellow Summer Squash, plant pulled 8-4
62 Purple Beans, plants (3) pulled 10-22
63 Potatoes, 1 of which is red, last dug on 11-6

The Lemon Boy tomato plant was obtained from a Freecycle listing. I originally had two plants but a windstorm shortly after planting took one of them and the banana pepper plant as well. I did not find even bits of the plants. They were just gone.

I got the Mortgage Lifters at WalMart. Twenty-four tomatoes from two plants would not pay my mortgage.

I purchased the green bean seeds at a local nursery in late summer. Their distributor had picked up all but two packages of beans and I bought both. The pole beans sprouted but never got more than a few inches tall. The bush beans took off!
Wow! I was quite pleased. They were in a new bed filled with Mel's Mix a la Square Foot Gardening.

The summer squash were completely riddled with borers. The poor plant tried it's best and if I had paid more attention I would have caught the problem earlier.

I had three purple bean seeds sprout in an old bed. The plants only got about six inches tall but did well under the circumstances.

The potatoes were the biggest surprise. Two years ago I planted three small potatoes from my father-in-law. I got a handful of potatoes but nothing to brag about. Last year the potatoes sprouted from bits left in the ground but almost immediately died and were not seen again that year. I did not even try to dig them.
This year three plants came up. I totally neglected them as I could not reach them. They actually did quite well. I did have one potato I could not explain. One potato was red. All the rest were white. I have saved it to plant again.

Not a horrid harvest but I am really looking forward to Garden Season 2009.

I Made Laundry Detergent

2008-11-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

I used the recipe at:
http://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_laundry_soap_recipe

I used a bath size bar of Ivory soap and followed the rest of the directions except for waiting for it to set up before pouring into empty detergent bottles.

I poured it into the bottles right after finishing mixing it in the bucket.
I did not have enough empty detergent bottles as someone helpfully disposed of the empties.

The detergent gelled fine in the bottles. I did not fill them all the way full so there was room to slosh it around and mix it up.

My Ivory soap was a bar that I had had for a while and had dried out some. That meant that when I grated it I got a fine powder instead of the curly slivers. If I do try the recipe for the dry detergent I will use an older bar of Ivory. I age the bars for shower use as they last longer than the new wet bars.

It will sure be nice if it really works as well as some people say. I have seen mixed reveiws.

I did not take any pictures as it is not really very photogenic and there are plenty of pictures at the recipe site.

I Made Grape Jelly!

2008-10-02T14:46:00.001-07:00

This is the tree that was covered in grapevines. The vines had pretty much killed the tree and we wanted to cut it down. I told my hubby that once it was down he could not finish cutting it up till I had gathered all the grapes.

Here is a pair of standard size scissors next to some of the grapes. They were really tiny grapes and most of the fruit was filled with a seed.

I collected a plastic grocery bag almost full of grapes still on their stems. Once they were cleaned and rinsed they looked like this.

First I froze the grapes overnight. That is a trick I learned a long time ago by accident. It helps the fruit to release more juice.

Then I made the jelly using this recipe.

I followed it pretty exactly although I ended up with 4 1/4 cups of juice. I used 3 cups of juice to make the jelly and ended up with 6 jars of beautiful purple jelly!

Find Who Carries the Seeds You Want

2008-09-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

Mother Earth News has a fantastic new search engine.
This is the description, copied from the page:
Are you looking for a particular vegetable, herb or flower variety and it's not available in your favorite catalogs? Our new Mother Earth News Seed and Plant Finder lets you quickly search the online catalogs of more than 500 mail order seed companies. All you have to do is type in the variety you're looking for in the search box below, and you'll get a list of links to the companies offering the variety. (For variety names with two or more words, put the entire name inside quotation marks for the best search results.) You can also search for any crop and browse the newest or rarest selections.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Find-Seeds-Plants.aspx

Green Thumb Sunday, Virginia Red Cedar, Juniperus virginiana

2008-09-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

Gardeners, plant and nature lovers can join in every Sunday. Visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

The Virginia Red Cedar is not a cedar at all. It is a juniper. At the cabin we have a LOT of it. Unfortunately both hubby and myself are allergic to it. We are slowly removing it.

See my September 9th post to see who was living in this one.

Seeds I Have On Hand For Planting

2008-09-12T04:37:00.000-07:00

Beans

Spaghetti Bean, RARE ENDANGERED SEED

Apparently near extinction. Saved by one man in MN since 1991. If you take these please grow out and spread seed around. Medium green tender pods if picked young.

Eggplant

From Iran, no other description at this time

Greens

Miner's Lettuce, Claytonia

Tomatoes

Beam's Yellow Pear 71 Days Ind.
Bright yellow 1 and 1/2 inch pear shaped fruits. These produce huge, bushy plants that yield very large quantities of 1 oz., 1 1/2-inch, bright yellow, pear-shaped cherry tomatoes that will give you fruit until frost. The tomatoes of this yellow pear tomato variety are zesty sweet and delicious. A beautiful salad or snackin' tomato. If you are growing several colors of cherry tomatoes include this one. A great tomato choice for a patio or planter garden. A good producer even in cooler coastal regions.

Black Cherry 65 Days Ind.
One of the only having black skin. Color is a deep red, with blackish hues, Flavor is oustanding and this one rose to cult status right up there in popularity with Brandywine.

Black Mountain Pink 80 Days Ind.
An old and very rare Kentucky heirloom saved by Austin Isaccs. Huge pink fruits can grow over 3 lbs! Very dense flesh is a beautiful deep rose with garnet streaks. Flavor is outstanding. Seeds come from an abandoned homestead in the Black Mountain area of Harlan County,Kentucky around 1933.

Black Pear 80 Days Ind.
Mahogany fruits shaped like miniature pears. Potatoleafed Plants with exceptional taste. Dark brown tomatoes are shaped like miniature pears and flavored with an excellent, rich taste. Potato-leaved plants produce an abundance of these beautiful, 4 to 6 ounce fruit

Bloody Butcher 55 Days Ind.
Delicious, 2" diameter, red fruits grow on fast growing potato leafed vines. Sensational general use fruits have a rich heirloom flavor and a deep red color, inside and out. If it's hard for you to wait for ordinary tomatoes to ripen, try these. In less than 8 weeks, they're ready to enjoy... and enjoy you will. Plants will yield five to nine 2" fruits per cluster. Plants require staking, and will produce until frost. Indeterminate. Six hours or more of direct sun per day.

Box Car Willie 80 Days Ind.
Prolific yields of smooth, reddish-orange fruits averaging a large 10 to 16 oz.! With an old-fashioned flavor you'll remember from childhood, these high-yielding, multi-use tomatoes will last throughout the season and are ideal for canning, freezing, or for home-cooked meals. Crack-free and disease resistant

Cherokee Purple 85 Days Ind.
Large dark purple tomato from Tennessee is rumored to have come from Cherokee Nation. Oustanding flavor . One of the best Black Tomatoes.

Jaune Coeur De Pigeon 75 Days Ind.
Yellow plum shaped tomatoes. I inch brilliant yellow with a wonderful flavor

Paul Robeson 75 Days Ind
Russian Heirloom. One of the most highly regarded black tomatoes, Medium sized mohogany fruits with that classic salty, smoky taste. Original seed sent to SESE by Marina Danilenko, a Moscow seedswoman. The tomato was named after Paul Robeson, operatic vocal artist who was an advocate of equal rights for Blacks. His artistry was appreciated world-wide, especially in the Soviet Union.

Peron Sprayless 70 Days Ind.
Introduced in 1951 by Gleckler's from Argentina. Large, disease resistant, and they produce an abundance of 3-4-inch, uniform, smooth, red, round, fruits are above average in vitamin C and have a good balance of sweet to acid flavor. Good Container plant.

Porter 65 Ind.
Pink Cherry tomato. These large plants produce an abundance of tomatoes! The fruits are deep red in color, weigh about 4 ounces each, and are sunburn and crack resistant. An excellent canning tomato that does well in hot weather!

Prudens Purple 72 Ind.
Large potato leafed plant produces huge abundance of exquisite tasting 1 pound fruits. Rivals Brandywine in taste. Produces even in heat and with cool nights.

Salt Spring Sunrise 70 Days Ind.

Snow White 65 Days Ind.
1 inch white or pale yellow tomatoes are like candy on the vine. Prolific. Very pretty cherry tomato that matures to a cream color. Plants are highly productive and the fruits are sweet. The ivory-cream color persists throughout the fruit when cut.

Sugar Gem 71 Days Ind.
A huge sprawling plant producing heavily laden clusters of golf ball sized red fruit. Sweet! "Candy-on-the-vine"

Weeping Charley
An excellent-tasting, almost paste tomato, this variety produces big, fat Roma-shaped tomatoes, but these are sweeter and juicier than standard paste varieties, with good strong, real tomato flavor and heavy production

Yubileyny Tarasenko Ind.
Pointed egg-shaped, trusses with 15-27 fruits, very productive, Ukrainian, bred by famous amateur gardener Tarasenko

Zogola 85 Days Ind.
Luscious deep red beefsteaks. Out produces all others. Taste equal to its huge fruit. Rich and tangy, noble and strong. Tons of meaty tomatoes on disease resistant plants from Poland.

Squash, Melons, Cucumbers

Tuscan Canteloupe

Tuscan Melon is a small, round, very sweet melon. A perfect serving size for 2 people, these melons can be enjoyed freshly sliced for a wonderfully sweet summer snack. Tuscan Melon tastes very sweet with a high brix level and a rich honey finish, usually tasting sweeter than regular cantaloupe. Tuscan Melon has an orange flesh and a luscious flowery aroma which makes them a lovely addition to summer cooking. This melon variety is easily recognizable by its tan skin (like a cantaloupe) with dark green striations encircling the melon unlike any other type of melon. The flesh is indented slightly where there is dark green striping.
Store in refrigerator after picking.

Tomatillo

Seeds I want:

Cabbage, Red and Green both
Cherry Tomatoes, more, more, more!
Cilantro
Dill
Gherkin Cucumber
San Marzano Tomato
Sunflowers, several kinds
Beans, Beans and more beans to plant for dry beans

Strangely Shaped Potato

2008-09-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

I don't quite know what to think about this one, but I grew it in my garden :)

Requiem For the Fish

2008-09-10T18:06:00.001-07:00

I have a small water garden on my deck at home. The garden has a fence of hardware cloth wired to the top and a ceramic pot in the bottom for the fish to hide. I also keep a fountain going in the pond. All this in an effort to keep the critters out and the fish in.

All in vain once again.

Last year it was a cat that kept coming back. I caught it actually down in the water chasing the fish. It caught every fish.

I did not see the predator this time. I checked on the fish at night and in the morning when I went to feed them the fence was crooked and the deck was littered with scales and bones.

I only put the little feeder goldfish from WalMart in the pond but these had grown to six or more inches long since spring.

When I do keep them through the summer I overwinter them inside. I have a seventy-five gallon tank with more goldfish in the basement. I will not be putting any more in the pond this fall.

The plant in the picture is a Dwarf Papyrus that I got at WalMart last year. I overwintered it in the basement fish tank. I put a flowerpot under the papyrus pot so the plant can stick out the opening at the back of the tank. The tank is by my plant grow lights so it does okay.

I also have Water Hyacinths in the pond. They are huge and have done absolutely splendidly this year. I have not been able to keep them happy through the winter. They turn yellow and melt.

Sunset Surprise

2008-09-10T17:58:00.001-07:00

The night before the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna rolled into WV made for a spectacular sunset. Just look at that sky! My husband made the comment that the old saw about Red sky at night, Sailor's delight would have been wrong this time.

The surprise was in a different part of sky from the main event. I happened to turn around in time to catch this unusual display. The clouds look like the picture is sideways but it isn't as you can see by the trees. It was really neat and faded quickly. I was very lucky to catch it.

Jolly Green Giant? No, it's an Imperial Moth caterpillar, Eacles imperialis

2008-09-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

Imagine my surprise when I caught sight of this fellow! At first I thought it was a misplaced Tomato Hornworm, but quickly realized Hornworms do not have hair. This one does not have a lot of hairs, but it does have some. I did not touch it as hairs can sting!

The caterpillar is eating the leaves of an Eastern Red Cedar, Juniperous virginiana, which is actually not a cedar at all but is a Juniper.

To see pictures of other caterpillars that have stinging hairs go to:
http://whatsthatbug.com/caterpillar_3.html

It is a beautiful pink and yellow moth when it is an adult.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/4757/bgimage
This caterpillar is quite large.
It is bigger around than my index finger and almost an inch longer.

To see an excellent photo go here.
http://www.thehiddenworld.net/eacles.html

The Local Wildlife Approves

2008-09-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

The wildflower garden at the cabin has been getting rave reviews from the local wildlife. In this picture there are two deer. One is right in the middle of the garden by the milkweed plant that I had to stake because they had knocked it down. The second deer is emerging from the garden on the left of the picture. There were four deer but the other two did not enter the garden this time.

A little later I looked out and saw a skunk scurrying as fast as it could headed for it's hole under the bird feeder. The skunk is the small black spot just to the left of the garden.

Soon after that the grounhog headed home. The groundhog burrow is just to the right of the birdbath base.

I am quite pleased that the garden is so popular. Often it is not very pretty because of the wildlife but it is there for them.

Green Thumb Sunday, Honeysuckle, Lonicera albiflora

2008-09-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

Gardeners, plant and nature lovers can join in every Sunday. Visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

I smelled this Honeysuckle before I saw it. I was not expecting to see any blooming this late in the summer.

87 Beans!

2008-09-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

We went away over the long weekend and when I got home I picked 87 beans! I know they should have been picked every day, but sometimes it just doesn't happen.

I was pleased that my bean eating critter had not damaged a single one of the beans. I did not see a hole anywhere.

Green Thumb Sunday 2, Ivyleaf Morning Glory, Ipomoea hederacea

2008-08-31T11:19:00.000-07:00

Gardeners, plant and nature lovers can join in every Sunday. Visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

I know this is NOT the usual sort of plant to showcase but I am sure growing a bunch of it. I do try to eradicate it, but it is persistent. Anyone know just what it is? Click on the picture for a better look.

The mystery plant has been identified as an Ivyleaf Morning Glory. See more about it here

http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/iphe.htm

Bean Pest

2008-08-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

Somebody is eating my beans. To the right you can see the holes and just left of the middle is the critter. I think it is some kind of caterpillar. Anyone know?

This is the second one I have found. The first one was bigger and a little greener. They are very flat on the bottom. They are not slimy like a slug.

Monarch Butterfly, Danaus plexippus

2008-08-28T06:39:00.000-07:00

My garden is a success! I have Monarch caterpillars!

The poor milkweed in the picture was all bent over by whatever has been sleeping in the garden. I pounded in a metal fence post and tied it up with some strips off an old towel.

The caterpillars are happily munching away. I was surprised that the plant still has so many leaves.

I spent a lot of time watching them.

They grow fast and then the biggest ones just disappear. I read they look for a spot away from the milkweed to climb and make their chrysallis.

This one is eating a seedpod. I am curious about that. If the seedpods get eaten then they cannot produce seeds which means fewer plants for the caterpillars to feed on.

I will be adding more pictures to this post and keeping it strictly on the topic of Monarch Butterflies.

Praying Mantis

2008-08-27T08:17:00.001-07:00

My son found this little fellow on the back yard fence last evening. Because it was on the fence I could not get the camera far enough away from it to not blur the picture. You can see the typical mantis stance with the front legs ready for action. This one is about three inches long. Look how dry the grass is! We have not had nearly enough rain.

West Virginia Weekend

2008-08-25T09:17:00.001-07:00

This weekend the brush pile went from this:

to this:

This tree is one of the reasons we are cutting the brush back. To get to the vines before they kill any more trees. We have a LOT of vine-strangled trees.

The vines are of many sorts. Grapes are the worst offender followed by Poison Ivy and Virginia Creeper.

Here is how I dealt with a Poison Ivy vine this weekend.
Here is a Poison Ivy vine climbing a tree. Almost all the green you see is Poison Ivy Leaves.

This vine has already made hundreds of berries. Berries have seeds in them. Birds find Poison Ivy berries quite delicious. Birds poop. When the bird poops, out comes the seed ready to grow in a new location. Die, vine, die!

This is what the Poison Ivy vine looks like climbing the tree. Brown and hairy.

I used a pruning tool to cut off a section of the vine about six inches long and then sprayed the bottom portion of the vine with Poison Ivy killer. I cut a bigg enough portion so that I can tell at a glance that the vine has been cut and can easily see if a smaller vine grows up bridging the gap. Be careful not to touch the vine, leaves, berries, or the cutting part of the tool. Poison Ivy sap will get on your skin and itch like crazy. The rash takes up to two weeks to appear.

Another chore we tackled was cutting up this fallen limb.

It just about filled our cart.

The bark has already fallen off and the branches are scored by the scars left behind by Bark Beetles. Bark Beetles kill many trees, but the scars are works of art. Click on the picture to see it larger.

First Green Bean Harvest

2008-08-25T09:03:00.001-07:00

Yep! I picked the largest bean in this picture. One green bean. The first of many as you can see.

Something I noticed is that the first blossoms were white and now I have several blossoms on the same plants that have a pink tint to them. I wonder if it is a sign of some deficiency?

Sunrise

2008-08-25T04:30:00.001-07:00

I went for my walk this morning under a gorgeous sky. We were at the cabin for the weekend. I have a billion pictures to post but am going to break them up and do several short posts with them.

Green Thumb Sunday 1, Queen Anne's Lace, Daucus carota

2008-08-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

Gardeners, plant and nature lovers can join in every Sunday. Visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

The fields were full of Queen Anne's Lace this weekend. Yes we have a field at the cabin.

Of course AFTER we got home I found out about Queen Anne's Lace Jelly.

There are a LOT of recipes on the internet. I am going to do a boiling water bath if I get the chance to make some, just to make sure it will keep.

If you want to try, please be careful that you are indeed picking Queen Anne's Lace and NOT Poison Hemlock!

Beans Are Getting Bigger!

2008-08-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Beans continue to grow. You can actually see them in this picture :)

The mystery Alliums continue to put on a show.

Now for a strange one. I noticed this tomato is getting ripe, but only on half of it! It has a crease in the front that makes it look like it could possibly be two tomatoes but the back is smooth so it isn't. Strange!

Cicada Killer Wasp

2008-08-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

The Cicada Killer Wasp is BIG! We have them all along the dirt road leading to the cabin. Click on the picture to see it larger.

They dig long tunnels underground, often several feet long. They capture and paralyse Cicadas and lay eggs on them. When the young hatch they feed on the still living Cicada. Here is a burrow entrance on our road.

The pictures were taken last year. I have not been able to get a decent picture of them this year.

Cicada, Baby Beans and DIY Tree Guards

2008-08-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

Last evening my hubby and I took a stroll around the block. We have a nice circular route that is just over a mile in length. I found this cicada along the way and brought it home to take it's picture. I don't know which kind of Cicada it is. If I find out I will add the information here. Cicadas have anywhere from a one year to seventeen year cycle. This one has a lot of green on it's body. Cicada Identified! It is an Annual Cicada also known as the Dogday Harvestfly.

You will have to take my word for it that there are actual baby beans in this picture. Really! They are so small that they just don't show in the picture. These are the Bush Beans. The Pole Beans are still not doing well. I may try them again in the spring.

DIY Tree Guards. The next time we go to the cabin I will be taking these tree guards. I got the plastic pipe free from Freecycle and cut them in about eight to ten inch lengths. Then I cut a slit lengthwise to facilitate slipping it around the trunk.

If you make them do not be fooled into thinking you do not have to cut the lengthwise slit. You may be able to slip it over the top of a young tree but the tree will grow and eventually you will want to remove it. Make the slit now as it will be very difficult to do it later.

It took me about twenty minutes from start of project till everything was cleaned up and put away. I used an electric handheld saw for the project.

Hopefully the tree guards will help save the young trees from my husband's tractor and my weed whacker.

Here is a picture of a tree guard in action!

Baby Bird Update

2008-08-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

It turns out that the local place to take baby birds, rabbits and some other assorted wildlife is TLC, The Life Centre, in Leesburg, VA.

The address is 165 Ft. Evans Rd. and the phone number is 703-777-5755. I would advise calling first and making sure they can handle your emergency.

They also have a website:http://www.criticalcareattlc.com/

They hold the animal for a rehabilitator to pick up and you do have to sign a release form. There is no charge.

The little bird was alive and squeaking when it was dropped off so maybe it has a chance.

I have added some pictures to the previous post.

The Most Incredible Thing

2008-08-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Most Incredible Thing just happened! I cooked on the grill and was going out to the deck to put the cover back on the grill. I saw something on the railing and seriously at first thought it was a pile of bird poop. Then it moved!!!!!!!!!!

Little by little a crack appeared.

The crack got bigger and bigger.

Then it rolled over.

And the top popped off.

It struggled and soon the rest of it was free.

Here it is out of the egg.

And here it is in my hand. So tiny!

I have the baby in a makeshift nest of cotton in a margarine tub on top of an aquarium light.

I finally found the right people to call. I left a message and am waiting for a call back.

They are the Wildlife Rescue League.

They referred me to The Life Centre and that is where I ended up taking the baby.

This is how I transported the baby, in a pill bottle.

I took the picture where it hatched. The specks on the railing are bits of the broken eggshell.

You can see how just glancing at it I thought it was bird poop at first. True, it was not broken at that point but this is the side that was up. It has a very faint blue tint to the white. The speckles are a dark brown and are concentrated on the rounded end of the egg rather than the pointier end. I offered the egg to the clinic as a help in identifying but they did not want it. I am still searching for what it might be.
The theory is that a Crow or Blue Jay robbed a nest of a smaller bird and settled on my deck rail to eat it. I scared it off when I went out to cover the grill and it dropped the egg. I don't know as all I saw was the egg. It was pure coincidence that it was ready to hatch right at that instant.

147

2008-08-18T09:22:00.001-07:00

That's how many boards I ended up with. Almost all of them had nails that needed pulled out. I put the nails in a one liter bottle as I removed them. Before tossing the bottle I screwed the lid on. I have had too many nails in tires to take chances with them.

The boards are four feet long but almost all are damaged on each end where they were ripped off their former wall. No problem. I will make smaller beds for now. I was worried about being able to afford the good lumber for constructing them. I started and got three made with untreated pine. My thinking was to get them made and usable first and then gradually replace them with cedar or redwood. Now I can make as many as I like with the boards and have them all in place by spring. Yes, I still have to finish painting the foundation too between tearing out the old beds and putting in new. I can build potato bins with the boards too. Yay!

Bonanza!

2008-08-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

Do you know what these are? These are about 30 free barn boards that were used as paneling. They were offered on my local Freecycle list and I snagged them. I think there are closer to a hundred boards but some are cracked or have pieces cut out where outlets and switches were.

Currently I am busily pulling out nails and staples. Look for future reincarnations of the boards around the garden and cabin. They are all about four feet long and varying widths and tongue and groove too.

In the garden the Bush Beans are flowering. The seeds were planted in the ground outside on July 16 so one month from planting to flowering. Now I am anxious for beans to eat!

In one of the old beds some volunteers of some sort of allium are beginning to flower. I have no idea what they even are and will be bidding them goodbye when the new beds go in. I still have a Lemon Boy tomato plant in that bed.

Beans, Beans

2008-08-13T08:12:00.001-07:00

Last night with my husband's help I moved the garden away from the wall and added sand underneath to make it more level. Note to self: do not water the garden before attempting to move it! It was HEAVY! It is more level now, but this winter I will level it more. I also attached the trellis netting to the uprights. Yes I should have done it before but I had not ordered it yet. I did look for it locally but the garden stores here did not have it this late in the season.

The Bush Beans have really taken off. I expect flowers any day now.

The Pole Beans still had a poor germination rate but a few of them did grow. I decided to go with what I have and see what they do rather than trying again to start more seeds. The Pole Beans are a darker colored plant than the bush and can be seen behind the Bush Beans.

The onion sets I planted have not done anything above ground. I hope they are setting roots below.

Another Fine Weekend

2008-08-11T08:34:00.001-07:00

When we got to the Little Cabin I noticed my Butterfly Garden was looking very neglected. I weeded it and it looks much better now. A lot of grass and even some poison ivy had found their way in. Something large likes to sleep in the very middle of it so the middle area is always trampled down. Whatever it is also knocks over the birdbath on a regular basis.

The Monarch Butterflies love the Purple Coneflowers.

Finally! The Monarch Butterflies have found the milkweed :)

A load of brush headed for the new brush pile. We have a LOT of brush and a lot of it comes equipped with thorns.

This is the new brush pile we have started. There are a LOT of thorns in this pile.

This is a branch of one of the Osage orange trees. You can see the fruits on it. This is only a small section of one branch on a very large tree. Ouch! Besides having the large fruit that can fall on your head unexpectedly, they also have two inch thorns that are extremely sharp and tough and can penetrate anything.

As you can see from this one in my husband's hand the Osage orange fruit are BIG! The trees are quite tall and when the fruit falls, look out! Too bad they are not good for anything.

Wild Grapes! We have a TON of grapevines growing wild. Most of the fruit is HIGH in the trees. I found this vine with several bunches of fruit lower to the ground where I could see them. The grapes are so little!

Another Mystery Tree. I am going to try and identify the trees we have growing on the property. This is another that I do not yet know the name of.

On the way home, before we even got to the paved road, we saw this little fellow. He was not acting at all like a raccoon should. His back was humped and he was moving slowly. Another driver saw it also and was on the phone, hopefully to the local DNR. We were concerned about rabies.

Death Of A Summer Squash

2008-08-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

I had noticed that my summer squash plant was a little wilted. I erroneously believed it to be from lack of water.
Nope. It was because of these little creatures.

Here is another picture of one inside the stem of the plant.

In theory it is possible to save the plant by slitting the stem and removing the borer. The stem is then buried and should produce more roots in the damaged area and go on to produce more squash.

However by the time I had dug out NINE! of the little beasties I decided to pull the plant and try again next year. My fish thought the borers were a tasty treat!

I was unfamilier with what the adult form of the squash vine borer looks like but after I looked it up I realized that I had seen an adult hanging about.

This site has info. on the borer.
http://yardener.com/YardenersPlantProblemSolver/DealingWithPestInsects/PestInsectsInTheVegetableGarden/SquashVineBorer

Here is a picture of the adult.
http://www.origins.tv/MothPhotographersGroup/Files/Live/Misc/RB2536bRichardBreen.jpg

Row covers, foil or duct tape around the stem, and extra vigilance in noticing the entrance holes and signs of wilting are the current environmentally friendly methods for combating the beasties. I can see trying the foil or duct tape but I think the plants get too big for row covers.

On the plus side I planted the barely sprouted pole beans in the garden. I have four more that have not sprouted yet so will wait on those. I found some bits of root where the first ones never came up. Maybe a bird got in and ate them before I even knew they sprouted.

Tomatoes and Heat

2008-08-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

Apparently the tomatoes were not ripening for so long due in part to the heat. This article explains: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/tomatoesnotripening.html

I also probably pruned too much foliage off of mine. The fruits ripen better when shaded. Live and learn.

I have not been overly impressed with how any of the tomato plants have done this year. That means I get to try new varieties next year :) I am going to start them from seed in the spring next year and see what happens.

The ones I am not happy with this year are the Roma and Lemon Boy. Mortgage Lifter is marginal. I have had more tomatoes from it but I also have two plants.

In other garden news the pole beans I started indoors are just starting to sprout. I guess the seed is good after all. I wonder if they did not like the temps outside?

Whatever ate the bean plant did not visit again. I also saw no signs of a hornworm. No new damage.

Hmmm....

2008-08-01T05:33:00.000-07:00

This morning I have had intruders. I think probably a hornworm on the Mortgage Lifter tomato and I have no idea on the bush bean. One plant is neatly nibbled off three inches above the ground. It is one of the back ones and the front ones are not smashed and no marks in the soil. I have replanted the spot.

No Show

2008-07-31T14:19:00.000-07:00

The pole beans have been a complete no show. I planted some in paper pots indoors today to see if they would sprout.

The bush beans are about eight inches tall. All but two of them sprouted and the two that are not up yet have roots so there is still hope.

I bought some Red Pearl onions at the grocery store last night. I planted nine of them to see what would happen. I have not found out much about them. Some sites say they will never get bigger and some say they are small because they are grown close together to keep them that way. Maybe they will think they are in their second year and make seeds. I am curious to find out.

I have been watering the garden with the water from my fish tanks. I have four freshwater fish tanks to choose from. Of course all but one tank are in the basement so I may not keep it up. So far the plants are happy with it.

My Grow Guide

2008-07-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

I found a really neat site that let me plug in my last (May 10) and first frost (October 15) dates and then it tells me what I can do for that time period. The drawbacks are that it only displays one week at a time and only one planting season, Spring or Fall for that week. I put together the following list for my area.

My Grow Guide
http://www.chestnut-sw.com/growform.htm

February 16th
Sow indoors, New This Week
broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, head lettuce, onion seed, parsley

February 23rd
Sow indoors, New This Week
chinese cabbage, collards
Sow indoors, Ongoing
broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, head lettuce, onion seed, parsley

March 1st
Sow indoors, New This Week
brussles sprouts, eggplant, peppers
Sow indoors, Ongoing
chinese cabbage, collards
Sow indoors, Last Chance
broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, head lettuce, onion seed, parsley

March 8th
Sow indoors, Ongoing
brussles sprouts, eggplant, peppers
Sow indoors, Last Chance
chinese cabbage, collards

March 15th
Sow indoors, New This Week
early tomatoeslate tomatoes
Sow Outdoors, New This Week
spinach
Sow indoors, Last Chance
brussles sprouts, eggplant, peppers

March 22nd
Harden Off, New This Week

leeks (2/16 - 2/22), onion seed (2/16 - 2/22), parsley (2/16 - 2/22)

Sow indoors, Ongoing

early tomatoes, late tomatoes
Sow Outdoors, Ongoing
spinach

March 29th
Sow Outdoors, New This Week
kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, onion sets, potatoes, radishes, turnips
Harden Off, New This Week
broccoli (2/16 - 2/22), cabbage (2/16 - 2/22), cauliflower (2/16 - 2/22)
Transplant, New This Week
leeks (2/16 - 2/22), onion seed (2/16 - 2/22), parsley (2/16 - 2/22)
Sow Outdoors, Ongoing
spinach
Harden Off, Ongoing
leeks (2/23 - 2/29), onion seed (2/23 - 2/29), parsley (2/23 - 2/29)

April 5th
Sow indoors, New This Week
leaf lettuce, okra
Sow Outdoors, New This Week
beets, peas
Harden Off, New This Week
chinese cabbage (2/23 - 2/29), collards (2/23 - 2/29), head lettuce (2/16 - 2/22)
Transplant, New This Week
broccoli (2/16 - 2/22), cabbage (2/16 - 2/22), cauliflower (2/16 - 2/22)
Sow Outdoors, Ongoing
kalekohlrabi, mustard greens, onion sets, potatoes, radishes, spinach, turnips
Harden Off, Ongoing
broccoli (2/23 - 2/29), cabbage (2/23 - 2/29), cauliflower (2/23 - 2/29)
Transplant, Ongoing
leeks (2/23 - 2/29), onion seed (2/23 - 2/29), parsley (2/23 - 2/29)
Harden Off, Last Chance
leeks (3/1 - 3/7), onion seed (3/1 - 3/7), parsley (3/1 - 3/7)

I am not going to put all the information in this post. I did upload the information to GoogleDocs and you should be able to see it here.

The Garden At Home

2008-07-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

When we got home I was glad to see that the beans are sprouting.

That picture was taken yesterday afternoon. Look at them today! All nine in this square have sprouted.

None of the pole beans have broken through yet. These sprouts are the bush beans.

When we got home yesterday there was a yellow summer squash ready to pick.

I don't think it was in the house ten minutes before hubby had it sliced and breaded and frying in a pan.

I picked a second one today.

I also picked three Mortgage Lifter tomatoes. We had them and the second squash for dinner.

Not much happening in the old garden except the potato plants are still flowering.

I am tempted to join in the potato experiment on one of my lists. Some people have just now planted potatoes to see if they can get at least new potatoes before frost. I think the potato experimentation will have to wait for next year though. I may try some in trash compactor bags then to see how they do. I want to perfect my potato box design for next year too.

Busy Weekend

2008-07-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

We traveled to our cabin on Thursday and came home yesterday. Right away I noticed that my birdbath was missing it's top. I do not know what did it but the middle of the garden was flattened.

Then I noticed that our groundhog was back. It has lived under the cabin since the slab was poured in 1984. Well, it and it's decendents. It also has holes in the garden and who knows where else. It was out of luck last month as a mama fox took over the hole under the house. She is still around, but has moved to another location. Here is the back door of the hole. You can see the dirt tossed up around the bottom of the house wrap.

And here is the front entrance.

When hubby went to mow he noticed this large dead tree that had lost a big limb.

We have two surviving baby trees. I don't know what one is but this one is a Tulip Poplar. The trees really need to be watered more regularly than we can when first transplanted.

Hubby cut down some more brush this weekend. Can you believe the size of the leaves and thorns on this Greenbrier? The thorns are nearly an inch long!

While hubby was cutting brush I filled in some of the anklebreaker holes. They are the holes left by the roots of the little trees when the lot was bulldozed. The holes are impossible to see but just the right size for a foot to slip into and twist or break an ankle. I mark them with a white stick when I find them so I can find them again to fill them in.

I walked back to the far section of the lot and realized I had not posted the picture of the new chain. It shows up much better than the old one. We replaced it over the 4th of July weekend.

The Osage Orange fruits are just starting to drop. They are the size of an orange and have a citrusy odor but are not good for much. The trees are very tall and if one of the fruits hits you in the head you will feel it! No picture yet, but maybe after a few more fall.

We have a few evergreen trees that we kept. They are all the children of this tree. From this angle it does not even look much like an evergreen.

We have several Redbud trees. This little one used to be in the brush line but we rescued it. It was covered with brambles and vines. It seems to be happy and is covered with seed pods. I would like to grow a few more.

I saw a lot of critters this time. There were some baby Mockingbirds with Mom Mockingbird watching over them. Lots of Robins. They kept getting too close to the baby mockingbirds and Mom Mockingbird kept chasing them away. I did not want to upset her so did not try to get a picture of the babies.

There were a lot of toads out, especially in the morning. Being near the river we have dense fog most mornings which makes the grass wet. That brings out the toads. Here is a picture of one rather large fellow.

I had intended to pull some grass out of the garden, but it was all flat where most of the grass was so I left it for now. There are a lot of flowers blooming.

The Purple Coneflowers and the Milkweed are almost the same color.

I wish I knew the name of these berries. I have been told by several people that they are poisonous and have only seen a Brown Thrasher with one in it's beak. They are quite pretty. If you know what they are, please tell me. They grow on a bush that gets to be about twelve feet high. No thorns. This is one of the few plants we have without thorns.

Last I had the time to read two books. Adventures In Nature by Edwin Way Teale. Amazon did not have a cover photo so i uploaded the cover of mine. I wonder if they will approve it? This is a nice book but I would advise getting it through interlibrary loan if you wish to read it.

The second book I read was Insect Potpourri: Adventures In Entomology edited by Jean Adams. I wanted to read this one especially as my father has an article in it. In Chapter Four: Insects Around The House he wrote the article War And Peace in Wardrobe And Pantry by J. Richard Gorham.

Again, even though Amazon lists the price on this book as $84.95 you are better off getting it through interlibrary loan.

Inch By Inch

2008-07-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

I rediscovered John Denver singing this song for Sesame Street and thought it appropriate to add. Enjoy! Lyrics are below.

Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row
Someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
'Til the rain comes tumbling down

Pulling weeds and pickin' stones
Man is made from dreams and bones
Feel the need to grow my own
'Cause the time is close at hand
Grain for grain, sun and rain
Find my way in nature's chain
To my body and my brain
To the music from the land

Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row
Someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
'Til the rain comes tumbling down

Plant your rows straight and long
Thicker than with pray'r and song
Mother Earth will make you strong
If you give her love and care
Old crow watchin' hungrily
From his perch in yonder tree
In my garden I'm as free
As that feathered thief up there

Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row
Someone bless the seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
'Til the rain comes tumbling down

'Til the rain comes tumbling down

Greenthumbr

2008-07-17T04:12:00.000-07:00

I am trying out a new garden journaling site called Greenthumbr, http://greenthumbr.com/
It is brand new and still has bugs to work out but so do I.

Beans In The Ground

2008-07-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

Today I planted the first beans. Two squares of Kentucky Blue Pole Beans (58 days) and two squares of Landreth Stringless Bush Beans (52 days).
I do not think we can eat more beans than that :)

I originally thought I would cut the weed cloth to put around the plants to help keep cats out. When I put the paper collars for cutworms aroundd the pole beans, the weed cloth just bunched and looked ugly. I left off the collars for the bush beans and did use the weed cloth. I will see what happens. I can always stick a straw in next to them when they come up.

I soaked each kind in water for an hour before planting. I soaked each bed well too both before and after planting.

I did go to Starbucks and get a bag of Espresso Pods. Lovely little things! I crumbled them up and put on top of the soil and weed cloth.

In other garden news the lone yellow squash is finally producing and has a half dozen babies.

I picked the first two Roma tomatoes. I only have one Roma this year.

This is one of two surviving bean plants. A few more came up but died. We had a horrid windstorm that broke off several plants this spring. This one is still very small but is covered with flowers. No beans yet.

There is a Purple Leaf Plum Tree on the line between us and our neighbor. It had a HUGE crop of plums this year. I hate to see them on the ground going to waste but they are so incredibly sour that I have been unsuccessful in making anything edible out of them. Sad.

First SFG Bed

2008-07-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

Today I got the first of my new Square Foot Garden (SFG) beds set up and filled. All that is lacking is the trellis netting and the plants.
The bed is 4 feet wide by 2 feet deep. I have it divided by an additional brace across the center. I wanted them sturdy enough to pick up and move. I am working hard to build them.

I used untreated pine 2x8's. The front piece is 48 inches wide. The back piece is 45 inches wide. That is so it can sit between the two 2 feet long boards on the sides. The center board is 22 1/2 inches long.

I am trying something new and only time will tell if it works. I covered the bottom and inside edges of the boards with housewrap. We covered our cabin over the 4th of July weekend and I had some left over. I thought it might help the boards to last longer if they were not actually touching the soil.

I put commercial grade weed cloth and 1/2" hardware cloth on the bottom. We have had terrible trouble with moles. I also laid a piece of weedcloth between the foundation of the house and the dirt that was put back. Then the weed cloth was folded over under the back edge of the bed. I put another piece of weed cloth under the right edge of the bed and left a piece sticking out. The next bed in the row will sit on this piece of weed cloth too. I did not want to build one ginormous bed as I want it to be moveable should the occasion arise. I had trouble in the past with weeds behind and between the beds and am trying to prevent that.

I know that Mel does not endorse the PVC pipe trellises but the white looks better against the house. Hopefully it looks nice enough that the neighbors will not complain. I used 1 1/4" PVC for the bottom sleeves cut in 1' lengths. There are three of them as my husband thought it might need the extra support. The sleeves are held in place by pipe clamps. The clamps hold so tightly that they would have to be unscrewed for the sleeves to move. The uprights are 1" PVC and are 5' tall. I wanted them higher but my husband was worried they would not be sturdy enough when loaded with plants. I had just a small piece left over from two 10' sections of PVC. The trellis is fastened to the inside of the bed. This takes up some bed space but as it was going to sit up against the house I felt that was the best way to do it. The trellis is easily removed and reinstalled by sliding the legs into the permanent sleeves.

The grid is just pieces of lath held together with screws at the crosspoints. It is just sitting on the bed.

The beds are filled with 1/3 perlite/vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 compost. All ingredients were purchased with the exception of the perlite which I was given. There are 8 quarts of perlite in this bed. I tried it because I wanted to see how it compared with vermiculite. I did not like it and will not use it in the other beds. I also did not like the EarthGro Organic Humus and Manure and will not be purchasing it again. It was more like clay with a little manure mixed in. The beds look different colors because i mixed up the compost in turns and whichever one ended up in the top layer of the bed is the color you see. Both beds have the same ingredients from the same bags.

I will be covering the exposed soil with squares of weed cloth covered with mulch. I will cut x's in the weed cloth where the seeds/plants will go. I plan on a fall sowing of beans and maybe salad greens, onions and garlic for this bed.

Fresh Paint

2008-07-12T13:23:00.001-07:00

The fresh paint does make a difference! But I do not like painting! You can see how it did look in the post prior to this one and now it looks like this.

I got bitten or pinched by a baby praying mantis while I was painting. He got me in the crook of my elbow. I did not even know he was there till he grabbed or bit me. I don't know which, but it stung a little. I looked and there he was, all inch and a quarter of him. I shook him off into the lilac bush and off he went. I think they are really cool and hope he sticks around.

Here is a picture of some of the boards I took out on Wednesday. The trash company does not have to pick up boards at all so I am disposing of them very slowly.

You can see my yellow summer squash plant behind the boards. That bed will be replaced eventually as well. And so on around the back of the house. Where we live we are only allowed to grow vegetables in the back yard. Also any garden structures must be made of wood, not of a permanent substance like brick and they must be completely within 3 feet of the foundation of the house. I can dig up dirt and plant other things in the back yard, they just cannot be enclosed in anything. The gardens I am doing now are a start.

I got three seed catalogs today. Park Seed, Burpee and The Cook's Garden. They are all their spring or summer catalogs as I ordered them late. Up till now the garden has not really been planned or easy to take care of or very productive. I love fresh veggies and am hoping to change that. I am letting the foundation dry today and tomorrow am going to put in weed cloth in strips along the wall that was painted. I will put strips a foot wide the length of the wall, then shovel in the dirt, level it, fold the edge of the weed cloth over and set the new boxes on it. There is always a gap when the box is set against the wall and I have had trouble with weeds lurking back there.

My Hardiness Zone and Planting Dates

2008-07-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

According to the map I am in zone 6B for VA and WV both. I am in the dark yellow in both locations. But according to Garden Web's Zip Code US Zone Finder I am in zone 7 in VA and zone 6 in WV. Interesting. According to The Trumpet Vine, http://www.loudouncountymastergardeners.org/trumpetvine/Fall%20Trumpet%20Vine%2006%20(2).pdf, my frost free date is May 10th. According to the same source, http://www.loudouncountymastergardeners.org/trumpetvine/Fall%20Trumpet%20Vine%2006%20(2).pdf , my first frost date is October 15.

http://www.growit.com/bin/USDAZoneMaps.exe?MyState=va

http://www.growit.com/bin/USDAZoneMaps.exe?MyState=WV

I am about as close to a major river at both locations too. In VA it is the Potomac and in WV the South Branch of the Potomac. I have yet to see the river from our home in VA but it has actually washed over the WV property once in 1985 and a couple more times has been on the extreme lower edge of the property. The flood in 1985 was a 100 year flood meaning that on average it only floods that badly once every 100 years. You may like the read the book that was written about the flood. Killing Waters: The Great WV Flood of 1985 https://www.tamarackwv.com/catalog/product/KillingWatersTheGreatWestVirginiaFloodof1985,1860.aspx

According to this PDF http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-331/426-331.pdf my last killing frost is the end of April and the first killing frost is October 19th. This gives me an average of 182 days frost free. I know from experience that there are often several days of warmer weather both before and after the first and last frost. So if I cover the plants I may get a bit more growing time.

Here is a PDF with fall planting dates for my area. http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-334/426-334.pdf

Here is a PDF to order publications from the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-331/426-331.pdf

Other Publications of interest to me from the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service include
Composting 426-325 http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-325/426-325.pdf
Compost: What Is It ans What Is It To You 452-231 http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/compost/452-231/452-231.html
Sweet Corn 426-405 http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-405/426-405.pdf
Cucumbers, Melons and Squash 426-406 http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-406/426-406.pdf
Leafy Green Vegetables 426-408 http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-408/426-408.pdf
Vegetables Recommended For Virginia 426-480 http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-480/426-480.html
Tomatoes 426-418 http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-418/426-418.html
Monthly Gardening Tips http://www.ext.vt.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Docs.woa/wa/getcat?cat=ir-fv-gt
Virginia Cooperative Extension Publications List http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4984991149650018929&postID=6249095705845523520

This is the last one for today.

I will put all these links in the sidebar as well. I do know how to embed the links but prefer to have them visible :)

Snake!

2008-07-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

I was out in the back yard. I got all the old boards from around the old raised bed garden dug up. My husband wants to paint the bricks of the foundation before I put the new square foot beds in so I was digging a trench along that wall to make the painting easier. My shovel turned up what I thought at first was a huge worm as it was wiggly and pink. Then it righted itself and started to move away and I saw it was a snake. Brown on top with a pink belly. I picked it up because I do that with snakes as long as I am sure they are not venomous. On the way into the house I realized my son was home and called him downstairs to see it. He was not as thrilled as I was. I had to go downstairs to get my camera and then back outside for the picture holding the snake all the way. The angle of the picture is meant to show the pile of rotten wood that was the old raised bed I took out. Unfortunately, my hand is blocking the veiw of most of it. You can see the trench I was digging against the wall. Here is a top veiw of the snake.

And here is the pink belly.

I would love to know what it is if you know. I did find out that it is an Eastern Worm Snake. Aptly named, since I did at first think it was a worm.
http://www.dgif.state.va.us/WILDLIFE/information/?s=030019

Lastly, I harvested the last bit of produce from this bed. I did not plant it at all. I leaned the onion against my shovel so you could get an idea of size. I am not really even sure how it got there in the first place as it was right up against the wall and I did not plant it. I have had onions on another side of the house in the past so maybe something carried it around the corner.

Now to get my husband to the store to buy the paint. I would love to get a fall crop of something from the new garden this year, but may have to put in hardy stuff that will overwinter and get a fast start in the spring.
I was hoping to use the old boards to make the new garden beds but they are too far gone. Making the new beds is expensive!

First Post

2008-07-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

I have been pretty good about blogging my knitting, but not about my other interests.
This blog will chronicle the little things I do for enjoyment aside from knitting.
The little cabin is our home away from home in WV and the little garden is at our home in VA.
What sparked this sudden blogging enthusiasm?
We are doing big things to the little cabin and I am starting a garden based on the Square Foot Gardening system developed by Mel Bartholomew. http://www.squarefootgardening.com/
For instance, a week or so ago I saw an ad on Freecycle for free fill dirt, just come and get it. At the little cabin there are a lot of holes caused by the clearing of the lot. We chose which trees to keep and the bulldozer cleared the rest leaving holes where the roots pulled out of the ground. Those are the holes I wanted to fill with the dirt. We did go and backed right up to the woman's back gate. She had put in a new patio and that was where the dirt came from. I put down a tarp in the bed of the truck. She and my husband started shoveling into two buckets. Each bucket held 4 shovelfuls of dirt. As each bucket was filled, I replaced it with an empty bucket and dumped the dirt into the pickup. We really got a rythym going and the truck was half full in no time. This is what it looked like. (Yes, I loaded it with the tailgate up, this picture was taken as we were about to unload it)

We took turns shoveling it into our little garden cart.

Then my husband pulled the cart with his lawn tractor around to the holes. Then I shoveled in the dirt and he leveled it with the rake. Then I put the grass seed on top.

We had another big project for the Fourth of July weekend too. Wrapping the little cabin with house wrap. And we did! It looks great and the rain does not come through the walls anymore either. Yes, it really did use to. We also got the siding pieces put up around most of the windows, doors, air conditioners and corners.

I was pleased to see the Purple Coneflowers in my garden blooming. The butterflies love them although the butterflies were being camera shy. The garden sits on the remains of the brush pile where all the bulldozed brush was piled up when the lot was cleared. Most of it we actually chipped up in the shredder. Some was cut up for firewood and a small pile was burned. The mound the garden sits on is what was left of the bigger stumps and dirt after everything else was gone. There is a groundhog tunnel under the garden and we often see the groundhog out grazing.

On our way home I made my husband stop and take a picture of this sign on the cemetary. 'Nough said.
http://www.historichampshire.org/cems/levels.htm