Happy Thanksgiving

I don't mean to brag...okay, I do...but I ate some lettuce from my garden today. Yes, it's November 26th. I'll like to take full credit for it, but it's one of the warmest Novembers on record. I'm aiming for some on December 1, but it's really up to Mother Nature.

Leaves and Fire

On Friday the day began with the golden glow of autumn leaves clinging to the trees. By the end of the day, each leaf covered our lawn in a puzzle of brown and gold. Yep, most of the oak leaves fell and they all fell at once. With the wind blowing the leaves sideways and the addition of rain mixed with snow, we weren't sure that our daughter's day-before-Halloween party would have a bonfire, but my husband came to the rescue so the girls could roast marshmallows, burn marshmallows, and become budding pyromaniacs as only a fire can inspire.

Also, please note that my entries will be few and far between now that the growing season is over. (Well, I have a few lettuce plants that I will harvest soon.) Yet I have already received my first seed catalog!

Pumpkin Days

Yesterday we visited 4R Ranch for Pumpkin Days. We took a hay ride, picked a pumpkin, and got lost in the corn maze. The weather cooperated so we have a great time.

The corn maze is a clever invention. Since a farmer usually grows field corn for his livestock, why not carve a maze before harvesting it? The corn stalks are too high to see the pattern. This particular maze was tougher than usual, probably because some complained that it was too easy in earlier years and partly because we took many wrong turns and ended up in some circles. The point of the maze, for me anyway, is to enjoy the experience. Many people like to hurry through the maze competitively, but we just followed my daughter while she led the way, creating some fun family time.

Melted Snow

Yesterday's snow has melted. That's two days of snow this early in October. I am worried about my fall garlic because I have not planted it yet. First it was too warm. Then it was too wet. Now it's the snow? Only in Minnesota!

Snow?!?

Yep, the first snowfall (about a half inch) welcomed us this morning along with temps in the teens (at least on my thermometer on the north side). Now it's getting blustery, too. Isn't this a bit early? Yes, indeed. I heard on the news that this is only the seventh time it has snowed this early. I still have lots of garden work to do, but it's a little tough with--gasp--a windchill.

October Freeze

My three pots of impatiens had overflowed, covering the deck steps. Now they are shriveled stems,weeping and blackened. The culprit? Our first freeze of the season arrived last night. It's a sad time for me, a gardener, because the growing season is over, except for some tiny lettuces that I planted earlier. (They are tiny because they have survived a slug infestation.) We're supposed to get some warm weather after this push of arctic air, so I'll keep the lettuce covered. Hopefully they'll make it. Snow is on the way tonight. Ah, life in Minnesota!

First Days of Fall

Thirty quarts of tomatoes. That's what she canned. Not me. For anyone who has read my book, Grow It. Eat It., you have probably guessed that I don't like to can. I much prefer filling the freezer.

So that's what I've been working on. Beans. Apples. Tomatoes. Peppers. Basil. (I have a love affair with basil. I love the taste and smell of it. I love that when I'm done working with it, the smell lingers on my fingers. For me, it's a symbolic smell, the smell of late summer, of delicious dishes with pasta and tomatoes, of a garden full of produce and flowers.) So it's now wonder that I have a backache, but it's nothing that a good night's rest won't help. And it will be worth it on a blizzardy winter's night when I open the freezer for a taste of summer.

Demented Squirrel

"Bwaaaaack!Bwaaaaack!" Yesterday a demented squirrel had taken up residence in the tree outside my window. As I tried to work on the computer, the squirrel scolded some creature, real or imagined, constantly and consistently. Does it ever eat? or poop? The squirrel had been screeching for an hour and a half. I tried to scare it out of the tree, but it just scolded me from a higher branch. The sound echoed through the house. When I shut this window, the sounds entered through other open windows. If I were a predator, I'd go after that squirrel not for a meal--just for some peace and quiet.

P.S. The plums were amazing. The wildlife thought so, too, because my daughter and I only got a taste.

P.P.S. With the unseasonably warm weather, I have a second crop of beans. Delish!

Bloodthirsty

They're small. They're fast. They're bloodthirsty. It's a new batch of mosquitoes. Surprisingly, when you get as many mosquitoes as we do out here, you get to know the different kinds. I'm not a biologist, but the bugs have personalities. Some mosquitoes are big and lazy. Others stay in the shade, avoiding the heat of the day. But this batch is the bloodthirstiest, probably because the days before frost are numbered.

In other news, the petunias that I almost killed are still almost dead. I really can't bring myself to pull them up. One of the pots has some new growth, but that might be seeds sprouting rather than re-growth on the old plants. Is it foolish to keep trying? If there's one thing that makes a gardener in Minnesota going, it's hope.

Apple Day

Last Saturday was apple day, so named by my daughter. My daughter, my tall husband, and I picked apples from one tree, we sorted them, and we used the apple peeler/corer/slicer. That tool is a miracle! My daughter was in charge of the slicer, and together we made some applesauce and froze three bags of apple slices. We slept well that night. And I still have two crisper drawers full of apples. The next tree will be ready for picking in about two weeks. Just enough recovery time!

slow beans

The beans are slowing down. I suppose it's inevitable because fall is upon us. With all this cool weather, my pumpkins are still mostly green. However, the apples are ripening well and even though I forgot (or did I procrastinate? I wanted to do it later...)to use my organic methods to keep the bugs away, they are relatively bug free this year. The wild plums look they will be juicy, though they're not ripe enough yet. Acorns fall with every breeze. Yet I thumbed my green nose at the weather by planting another batch of lettuce.

Blue Jays Grown

"Screech, screech," echoes from the bird feeder and into the room where I type. It is the loud and obnoxious call of the blue jay. These jays are the babies that have grown up, looking like their parents and mastering the art of flight. On bad days, that call drives me crazy. One early morning, the pre-dawn call outside my open bedroom window made me wonder why I like these birds at all, with their hoarding of bird seed and obnoxious noises. But I do like them, maybe because we saw them from the time they were eggs.

A Mistake Or Two

After I got home today, I took a look at the flower pots in front of the house. Why did they look so limp? Dumb me. Even though the garden has had plenty of water with our excessive rain lately, the pots had dried out in the heat. (Yes, heat. What an odd summer.) I gave them a nice long drink of water, and I set the watering can near the front door so I won't forget tomorrow. Will my plants survive? I hope so. But this is the second time I've forgotten to water the pots this summer.

So why would I, a garden writer, admit to such sad mistakes? It's because sometimes I watch the garden superstars and get discouraged. They don't make mistakes (at least that viewers are allowed to see). Since everything looks so good on tv, I feel like I could never compete, so why bother trying? The point of gardening is that I like to do it, and I will make mistakes since I am only human. My garden may never look like the cover of a magazine, but I've been eating fresh produce for months, and fresh flowers grace my kitchen table.

Cool, Cool Summer

Yep, it's a cool summer. I just picked a handful of peapods. In August! Even though I planted the early pumpkins, I am skeptical that I will get any fully ripened ones this year. I can't believe I am saying this because I prefer the cooler weather for being outdoors (I can wear long sleeves so I don't get bit by flies and skeeters): We need some heat!

Thanks to the Netting Goddess

Yesterday I picked beans in long sleeves, long pants, gloves, and netting that covered my head and looped under my arms. Whoever invented netting, thank you. True, mosquitoes buzzed unrelentingly in my ears the entire time, but it didn't really "bug" me because I knew they couldn't get me.

Please click on my Book Lady Linda website on the right for information about the second printing of Grow It. Eat It.

New Alarm Clock

I haven't written in a while since I have been having computer problems. Someday when I win the lottery, I will buy a fast computer and get rid of dial-up! Here's what's been happening in my garden.

I have a new alarm clock. For the past few days, two adult turkeys lead their nine chicks through our front yard at about 7 am. I hear the anxious "cluck, cluck" as they cautiously head out from the woods and into the lawn. Sometimes they visit the garden (must be why the Mexican bean beetles are pretty much non-existent this year). And they have completely stripped our wild raspberry bushes. Next year I will plant some domestic raspberries for us humans and cover them with a net.

The Scarlet Tanager has visited the garden, eating the june berries. Just a few are left on the tree.

The green beans are so delicious. I sauteed a few in olive oil and oregano. I cannot believe the difference between the store bought beans and the ones from my garden. I grew three varieties and I can taste the difference. My daughter chose the Roma as her favorite.

The tomatoes and peppers have recovered from the hail, though the plants look small. Yet they are healthy and producing fruit.

As always, no matter how much room I leave for the pumpkins, they fill it up and spill over. This is a good metaphor for my garden, since I always seem to underestimate how much space plants need.

Problems with Peapods

Okay, it's not really a problem. This year I planted extra peapods, one of my favorite veggies, so I'd have enough for freezing. Usually I eat them immediately and I never seem to grow enough. So this year I was prepared with extra rows so I couldn't possibly eat all of them.

I never thought that my daughter would eat them. Two things happened: the introduction of ranch dressing and a crunching contest. I suppose dipping anything in ranch dressing will make it taste good. For the contest, we sat across from each other choosing the firmest pods and crunching them between our teeth. She won. And I guess I did, too, since my daughter now eats one more veggie.

Toad Rescue

My strawberry patch is covered with a large piece of plastic netting with holes an inch wide. When I checked the patch, there was an extra large toad, tangled in the netting. I gently tried to free him, but he had moved forward through the netting. Although the toad was as wide as my palm, he was corseted at his middle by the inch square netting. I freed all his limbs and the brave fellow tried moving forward, only tightening the netting around his middle. So I used my scissor to gently snip the netting and free the poor toad. He seemed perfectly fine now and ambled off to the shade.

Garden Update and Blue Jays

With dirt under my fingernails, I am happy to report that our recent rain has helped the weeds spring back to life. And my vegetables are starting to perk up, too.

We've already been eating lettuce from the garden, of course, and I think our radishes and peas will be ready soon as well. I spent lots of time mulching the garden since hot weather is predicted soon and I want to protect the plants and soil from the heat.

Earlier this spring, I observed lots of activity in a small pine tree near the edge of our yard. A pair of blue jays built a nest, using lots of sticks and one of my broccoli plant markers. We set a milk crate nearby so the short ones in our family could peer into the nest as the baby birds grew. And grow they did. We could barely see the eggs, then we saw fuzzy heads with open beaks, later we saw a few feathers with eyes that looked right as us, and finally the crowded nest with the fledglings in their blue feathered glory ready to fly away from us. The next day they were gone. I miss them, and I watch the feeders looking for blue jay siblings in that awkward stage of flight.

The Ants Go Marching

Suddenly I was covered in ants, like some insect horror movie. I brushed them off, fighting down a panicked scream.

Where did they come from? It turns out the door frame of our garage door was crawling in ants. The door is rotting from the bottom up and last fall I repaired the door as best I could, but it's had another winter and spring to continue rotting. We'll have to replace it soon.

In a wild guess, I filled a spray bottle with hot water and lots of soap. I sprayed the door frame, and so far it seems to have worked. No more ant showers.

I have absolutely nothing against ants, and if they lived in my yard (and some do), I would leave them alone (and I do). However, once insects invade my living space, well, let's just say I'm not so good at sharing with them.

Return of the Skeeters

Unfortunately, the mosquitoes have returned with a vengeance.

My daughter swats at her arms and legs as she waits for the school bus to pick her up. It doesn't help that it is gray and damp without a breeze.

Needless to say, this severely curtails my garden time, which may be a good thing since I have multiple sore muscles as I have tried to get as much time working before these critters start biting. I have installed my new moss garden (an experiment that I can report on later) and planted most of my vegetable garden and fixed up my flower gardens. I still have more work to do, but I think it looks pretty good right now. Once the hot weather hits, I'll have more weeding, but if it's windy or sunny the mosquitoes should leave me alone.

Today I will water the seeds and seedling, but I will be covered up from head to toe. The mosquitoes are flesh magnets and will find the tiniest exposed spot. I feel like an explorer adventuring into dangerous territory unsure if I should ever return.

My Garden

What's my garden like? Since I am a garden writer, I should have fabulous gardens, right?

Well, the fact is that the highlight of our property is the woods. We have many oak trees along with ironwoods, elms, ash, and basswood, which attracts many different woodpeckers. The wild fruit trees (hawthorn, juneberry, chokecherry) attract song birds, such as cardinals, indigo buntings, and scarlet tanagers. Our hummingbord feeder gets lots of business over the summer. The spring ephemerals include violets, anemones, jack-in-the-pulpits and columbines. The pond (um...swamp) is home to wood ducks and lots and lots of mosquitoes.

We have a lot of shade, so veggies grow in the only sunny spot. I don't have enough sunny space for corn, but I grow lots of tomatoes and peppers. Raised beds hold everything together, needed especially because of the clay soil we have. My fruit garden is a raised bed with blueberries and strawberries. What I grow, I eat. And I try to freeze lots for the winter.

My flower gardens emphasize part shade and full shade plants, and since we are rich in many ways but not particularly in cash, I have varieties that are sturdy and traditional, not cutting edge. I save money and the garden still looks fabulous. And I have lots of experiments going on. So one part of the garden may not look so good as I wait for the results, but then other parts of the garden make up for it.

After seeing a photo of Martha Stewart's perfect (and I mean perfect) gardens, I felt discouraged because I knew I didn't have enough time in a day to make my yard look like that. So I would prefer to offer encouragement to whoever reads this. Gardens do not need to be perfect. Gardens are meant to be enjoyed. I love playing in the dirt. I love picking fresh veggies. I love a sweet whiff of fragrance from my flowers on a hot summer day. So what if I don't have designer flowers or a weed-free lawn? I just love what I do.

Smelly Compost

She plugged her nose and said, "It stinks."

I recently read an article about schoolchildren who were putting their lunch scraps in compost. Bravo! However, the reporter seemed to think emphasizing the smell added a light hearted touch to the article, so lots of kids talked about how the compost pile smelled.

Compost does not smell when done correctly.

Perhaps the compost has too much wet material, so stirring in some dry material (such as leaves or straw) may help. Perhaps the children are adding more than just the fruit and veggies scraps. Perhaps the pile isn't "piled," meaning that a compost heap needs to get tall and wide before it really heats up.

On a cold afternoon, I stepped outside and added some scraps to my compost pile. It radiated warmth, warmer than the air temperature, so I knew that it was working. For the best compost, alternate brown and green materials, pile it high, and stir it once in a while. Sometimes adding a handful of dirt can help the process get started. If the compost doesn't break down at all and seems especially dry, watering can help.

Compost holds living organisms, so I try to make things comfortable for them--not too wet or too dry, plenty of food choices, and some air for breathing. And then I get some black gold.

Recommendations

People will often ask me for sources of good garden materials. I have no problem buying supplies on the cheap and reusing them year after year. I have bought plants from garden clubs and I welcome plants from my neighbors’ garden. However, when I first moved into my house I received some daisies from an old neighbor. The daisies didn’t last, but the Creeping Charlie that snuck inside the plants has to this day. So my advice is to be careful of free items.

I have had excellent luck with Pinetree Garden Seeds. Their prices and shipping fees are reasonable. They have had the best customer service of any seed company with which I’ve had contact. Other good choices are Territorial Seed company and Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

For organic products, I’ve had good luck with Gardens Alive! They have a solution for just about every garden problem.

I have better luck at the nursery/garden center that only sells plants. The employees are knowledgeable and sometimes a horticulturalist is on staff. It’s worth the extra money. The seasonal stand at the corner of busy intersections often neglects the plants or sells substandard materials.

Also I have not received any money for these endorsements…let me know what places you recommend.

First Post and Hopes

My hope for this blog is to get people excited about gardening. Hopefully we can discuss some good organic methods for growing and production of all those fresh fruits and veggies. I'll keep you posted on what's going on in my garden and I hope you'll share what's going on in yours. I'll also try to mention my appearances so that you can ask your questions in person.

Here is my list of chores completed tonight: watered grass seed and lettuce seedlings, planted peas, transplanted broccoli into the garden, and watered all the small seedlings I have started indoors.

As I write this I realize that I should have started this blog earlier in the season, when I could have described my ennui with the winter, my delight in the warmer temps and longer days, and the first glimmers of spring in the woods. Maybe next year.

Thanks for reading.