Attack of the Gopher Hunter

I started writing my blogs about my resident Gopher Family in 2010 and thought that through diligent efforts the pest would just leave and find better pickings elsewhere. Well “surprize – surprize”, they’re back and have returned with a vengeance each of the last three years.

Since the gophers (ground hogs) had been setting up living space under all my back yard sheds, I decided to cover up all their crawl spaces and put extra wide base boards to cover all these areas.  It worked for most of the spring and summer but come July the varmints returned and started their “excavation projects”.  It was like the “BIG DIG – Boston Tunnels” all over again.

After seeing the first hole, I quickly covered it up again and filled it with large stones. I was sure the critter couldn’t remove all those stones. The next morning, I checked and like “Bob the Builder”, the little varmint had dug out all the stones and piled them neatly on the side.  This must be an educated varmint. Maybe he is an MIT grad with a degree in “HOLE-OLOGY”.

I then looked up on the WEB for solutions to rid myself of this scourge. You can see some info at the web site below.  http://m.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Gophers

Among some of the solutions to rid oneself of this pest included: To spray fox urine around the holes, put chicken wire fencing a foot deep in dirt around the garden, put netting over important plants.  Smoke them out with smoke flares. Flood them out of there network of holes with water from the garden hose. Attach a hose to car exhaust and stick in hole and fumigate them. Use  Mole Pest Poison pellets. Catch them with a have-a-hart trap and release elsewhere far away. One guy found they were bothered by light and setup a strobe light system triggered by a light sensor. Of course he was in a secluded area with no nearby homes. Maybe they like disco dancing.

The more people I talk with, the more I found they have similar problems. All my neighbours have gopher problems as the little varmint runs from one yard to the next ducking under a shed. Even friends living in other towns and out of state have these pests. There seems to be population explosion of these little critters.  Maybe I need the Pied Piper to play a tune and lead them all into the deep ocean or off a high cliff. How about on the next space shuttle to Jupiter.

I often wondered how farmers deal with pests like this.  Locust plaques, dust bowls, cotton weevil, rabbits, deer, moles, etc……  You can see some photos of the thousands of farmer pests at the web link below ……  http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=farmers+pests&qpvt=farmers+pests&FORM=IGRE

Each year I look forward to having a garden. However this year I am so discouraged with the devastation that this creature has caused with digging holes and eating my vegetables and flowers. He truly is a rodent that needs to be eradicated. I’m all for living in harmony with nature but enough is enough.

Taking care of a garden is a lot of hard work. I started my seedlings in March and then transplanted them to trays in a mini greenhouse. I then prepared the outside garden with tiller, covered with weed cloth, assembled a drip irrigation system. I then fertilized, pick some weeds, tied up the vines, repaired the fence, cleaned the filter screens in the water hoses and fixed the leaks in the rain barrels and a million other tasks. I even bought some veggie flats to make up for ones I lost.  Dis I do all this to just pick a few veggies?  Maybe I should just buy them at the grocery store. However, it has always been about the thrill of seeing those little seeds become actual veggies that I nurtured and had something to do with it.  You can see some photos of my trials and error in the garden from start to finish at the web link ….  

https://plus.google.com/photos/108806068200291783388/albums/5906170436881188753

Be sure to look at the devastated Zucchini and “Morning Glories” before and after photos at the end of the series.

I have made some progress with fighting the “Gopher Attack” or is it the “Attack of the Thing”.  I have recently put out some Poison Pellets and have caught several Gophers and a few Possums in traps.  “Sayonara” you little beasties.  But it’s like Custer’s Last Stand, a losing battle. With every one that I catch, there are dozens more.  Maybe I need a Star Wars Phaser or a Flash Gordon Ray Gun.  Should I call “GHOST BUSTERS” or “SUPERMAN”?  Boo Hoo.

Comments always welcome….   Markryan82@comcast.net

 

Mat Watering System for Seed Pots

Mat Watering System for Seed Pots

Planting seeds in mini pots indoors a few months before the spring growing season is a good way to get started early and have a variety of plants ready to put in the outdoor garden when the temperature is right.  In New England you need to start seedlings indoors a few months before the last frost which is after Memorial Day (the last Monday in May).

However, this method does take time and patience. You also have to be careful watering the seedlings so that they get just the right amount of water and light once germinated. If you water too much, the bottoms of the seed pots will be sitting in water and can rot easily. If you forget to water on a regular basis the seedlings will dry out and die. To help prevent drying, a dome cover over the plant trays will reduce rapid water loss. With the dome in place, water will recycle through the soil, transpire through the plants, evaporate into the air and condense on the dome roof. It will then drip back into the soil and start the cycle over again.

Another method to supply water to seedlings is by the (Mat Watering System). In this method the seed pots sit on a wet mat made of absorbent cloth that wicks water up from a reservoir below. The seed pots resting on the mat can then wick up the water into the soil as needed. In this method, the seed pots are not sitting in water and not susceptible to root rot.

If you are careful, placing seed pots in plant trays with a dome can be a sure fire way of keeping the pots moist but not too wet. Check the plant trays often and make sure that the bottom of the tray always has at least a quarter inch of water. Once the seedlings germinate, you need to have a light source directly over the plant tray for continued growth. Using fluorescent lights hanging above the plant trays and keep the bulbs close to the seedlings at first. This keeps the seedlings warm and also gives them adequate light for photosynthesis and growth.

Once the seedlings are a couple inches tall, thin your pots to a few seedlings per cell. Overcrowding will kill the plants. Back off the lights a little at a time so that they are always a few inches above the top leaves of the plants.

You can buy a commercial (Mat Wicking Kit) but can accomplish the same thing with a few items that can be found locally. Place about ½” water in a plant tray.  Cut a piece of flat Styrofoam to fit into the (10x20”) plant tray. You can buy insulation Styrofoam in sheets measuring (14.5 x 48 x ¾ inch) at Home Depot ($8.00 for a 6-pk). Use thin washcloths as the wicking cloth to wrap around the Styrofoam. You can buy a pack of 18 washcloths for $4.00 at Wal-Mart’s. Lay down about 3 washcloths on the top surface of the Styrofoam. Overlap the cloth so that about two inches is under the Styrofoam on both ends. Place the Styrofoam with washcloths on top into the tray with water. The water will absorb or wick into the washcloth material keeping the top surface wet.

Now place the seed pots on the wet washcloth surface. If you use Peat Pots for the seed pots the peat will absorb the water from the washcloths and keep the soil just wet enough for good seed growth. If you use plastic seed pots, you will need to cut small wicks (about 1x3 inches) and stick them in the bottom of the plastic pots. The small wicks will absorb water to keep the soil in the pots damp.

It is best to water the seed pots the first time with a sprinkling can from above. Make sure the soil is good and damp but not soggy.  Once the soil is wet you can then plant seeds in the soil. Use a pencil to make a small hole in the soil surface. Place a few seeds in each hole and lightly cover with some loose soil. Usually seeds are planted at a depth equal to the thickness of the seed.  Future water should now be added at the ends of the plant trays and not sprinkled over the surface since this will disturb the seeds. Water will now wick up from the bottom of the tray into the cloth mat and into the seed pots as needed.  You can see a YouTube video of this whole process at the link below …. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjpIX2rGA1c&feature=youtu.be

Comments are always welcome … markryan82@comcast.net

The Gophers Are Back

The gophers I had last year in my back yard are back. Over the last month I have seen a family of four eating all the clover in the grass lawn. My wife thought they were so cute, as they foraged for greens and rolled and played. We would watch them with curiosity as they ran across the lawns in neighbor yards.
But now the tide has changed. The rascals have started to eat all my flowers. They have even eaten the flowers on the deck in pots. My neighbors and I are exasperated with the devastation they have caused to the landscape. I know they have to eat, but why not just the crab grass or weeds.

I am now fed up with the gopher’s eating habits and decided to get out all the guns. I started with the old myths to keep out varmints. That’s what Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny use to call them. The old myths advocated putting moth balls around the garden or using fox urine.

I sprinkled a whole box of moth balls around the bushes, the foundation and under the garden shed. Now I can smell the odor as I come in the driveway 30 feet away. I bet no moths will come within ten feet of the house. After leaving the balls scattered around I saw the gophers actually sniffing them. That sure didn’t work and now I have a hazardous waste site with (naphthalene) scattered around. I guess I am going to have to pickup all those balls.

Next I tried fox urine. This was advocated as the crème de la crème of animal deterrents. It comes in a spray bottle and stinks to high heaven. I sprayed it everywhere around the house foundation and under the shed where the little varmints are living. It smells like a bar room in the in the city or a back street alley. Now I have stray alley cats frequenting the area.

My last thought was to get a Haveahart Trap. I looked online and found out that this works pretty good but you need to be careful not to catch other animals or to get bitten by one or sprayed by a wayward skunk. I looked at Home Depot and Aubuchon Hardware online and found the best price at Aubuchon. You can see the web link below…. http://lawn-and-garden.hardwarestore.com/79-504-animal-traps.aspx

I needed a larger size for the gopher and got the 32x10x12 inch one, ($54.95).  It comes in a flat box and is supposed to quickly spring out into a box shape, but not for me. Is anything ever easy? I had to read the directions several times to see how it unfolded and how to set all the clips and wires so it was functional. In addition, I had to bend the latch slightly that holds open the trap door.

I loaded the trap with some fresh lettuce and cucumbers but no luck after one day. I then loaded it with a cut up apple and left it overnight on the side of the shed near the gopher den. The next morning there it was, my first critter. I told my wife and she said to release the poor critter and worried that the family of four were going to be separated from each other. I then released it for several reasons. One was to make the wife happy, next to see that I could open the cage without getting bitten and lastly to see if I would catch another one on a second try.

I was worried that the gopher would run back at me and up my leg when I opened the cage door. So I braced my self for the attack of “GODZILLA” and opened the trap door. To my delight, the gopher scurried off running quickly under the shed. A few minutes later I imagined hearing some animal snickering and the whole gopher family laughing. “I’ll get you varmints next time, said Elmer Fudd”.

The next morning I set the trap again with fresh apple pieces and I caught the mommy gopher. I covered the cage with a sheet to quite the animal and put it in the back of the SUV. I then drove to the town park which is next to the town forest and released the “cute” critter. As she scurried off into the woods, I thought I heard animal swearing but it was probably just my active imagination.

I set the cage again over several more nights and have caught the rest of the gopher family. They are now all living together in a larger woodland area with plenty of food to forage. I wish them well but don’t expect any post cards.

You can see some photos at the following web link ….. https://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/Gopher62411#

Comments are always welcome…. markryan82@comcast.net

Multiple Rain Barrel Drip System (Part 2)

Last month I built a (one barrel) Rain Barrel Water System for my garden. Unfortunately, one barrel full of rain water will only last a couple of days to feed all the plants, if there is no additional rain. Consequently, I added two more barrels (total of three), so that I would have garden water for a least a week without a refill. If there is no rain I have to supplement the water in the barrels with a garden hose.

In order to have the rain barrels provide water to the garden automatically I also bought a water timer that comes on at a set time each day and allows the water to run out of the rain barrel through a main half inch hose. The main half inch hose is then connected to a network of smaller quarter inch hoses ending in drip emitters at each of about 50 plants. The emitters are preset for one gallon of water per hour for a garden hose pressure system. In the rain barrel gravity feed system with very little pressure, the water drips at about a quart of water per hour. I have the water timer adjusted for 30 minutes per day in the early morning to provide each plant with about a half quart of water.

The barrels are set on top of building blocks (8x8x16 inches) to give adequate support for a barrel full of water. The blocks are piled two wide and six high for a total height of 48 inches. This height provides enough water pressure for the water to run out of the barrel by gravity only with no need for a pump. It is also important to level the blocks so that each barrel is exactly level with the next barrel. I found for my set up that the two block sets had to be 26 inches apart on center so that the manifold pieces would be level and fit together.

The rain barrels are connected together with a PVC pipe manifold. As rain runs off my garden shed roof into a rain gutter, it is piped into the first rain barrel. Since the barrels are all connect at the bottom with a manifold, the rain water fills all three barrels simultaneously. Excess water runs out a top hole in each barrel. Make sure you have a good seal on all the PVC connections with PVC cement. In addition, put some silicone tub sealer around the connection where the PVC comes out of the bottom of the barrel. Once it gets wet with water, the seals are hard to fix.

I selected ¾ inch PVC so that all the connecting pieces could eventually connect to a regular garden hose with a simple pipe adapter. The total cost was about $200 for a three barrel system or less for a one barrel system. The approximate individual cost is as follows: Three trash barrels ($30), One Water Timer ($30), PVC Manifold for 3 barrels ($20), Drip Hose ($20), Drip Emitters and Hose Connectors ($30), Drip Irrigation Starter Kit ($25), and Thirty building blocks ($45). Although the cost may be a large investment, the system will last for years and save a lot of time with the automatic watering.

Most of the parts can be purchased at Home Depot (drip hose and kits). Additional parts can be purchased online from DropWorks.Com or DripDepot.Com or Amazon.Com. DripWorks.Com has an interactive catalog where you can flip pages and look at all the garden accessories.

I tried several water timers from Home Depot but they all had a diaphragm-valve and needed water pressure from a garden hose to work. I did some research online and found that a water timer with a simple ball-valve did not need any water pressure to have it open and close and could work with a rain-barrel gravity feed and almost zero water pressure system. Looking online I found the Gilmour Water Timer to work the best. I ordered one from Amazon.com and got it in a few days. It has been working great now for a few weeks.

You can see some photos of the three barrel system and its construction at the Picasa link below…
https://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/GardenRainBarrelSystemPart2#

You can see a YouTube video at the link below…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4XLihRNbfE

You can see my previous Blog on one rain barrel at the link……
http://opennutshell.blogspot.com/2011/05/garden-plants-and-rain-barrel-drip.html

Comments always welcome…. markryan82@comcast.net

Garden Plants and Rain Barrel Drip Irrigation

Getting the garden ready is always time consuming but can also be rewarding when completed. In addition, to the weeding and watering all summer, you also have to watch out for the garden pests whether they be       humans, animals or insects. That is where a good fence is handy. After a hard winter with a lot of snow, I had  to repair some of last year’s fence with new screening, wood braces and screws. I recently noticed some animals prowling he area looking for tasty vegetable leaves to eat. The gopher is back, a raccoon, a brown fox, skunks and plenty of birds. You can see some photos and a video at the web links below. Read on first.
The next chore is to rototil the soil and rake out the rocks and debris. The New England soil seems to grow rocks like potatoes. Each year I find more and more. I then add some fertilizer, compost and dry manure to replenish some of the nutrients used up by last year’s plants.

The first plantings are the potatoes and onions. These are hardy and can be planted even before the last frost which is around Memorial Day, in southern New England. I dig a trench around the outside garden fence and drop in the potato cuttings with eyes facing up about six inches apart. I then cover the potatoes with about four inches of soil and pack loosely. As the plants grow, I push more soil around the stems so the roots and potatoes grow deeper. I use the same method for the onions.

The next plants are a mix of vegetables. Although I usually start plants from seeds beginning in March, the time just passed by too quickly, so I bought some already grown plants in flats at the garden center. This year I bought three types of tomatoes (cheery, big boy and early girl). In addition, I got some eggplant, peppers, butternut squash, zucchini, romaine lettuce, and string beans. You can see a diagram of the garden and the location of plants in the photo link below.

I then placed each plant between 1 and 3 feet apart so they will have room to grow. Latter I will put six foot tall stakes and metal baskets for the tomatoes. I also tried to place the plants in a different place from last year’s plants. This helps with more nutrients and also eliminates any plant specific fungus that may be stiil around from last year. After digging each plant hole with a trowel, I place in the plant and firmly pack in the loose soil. I then make a small circular trough in the soil around the plant with the trowel so that when I water, the water stays around the plant and doesn’t run off.

This year I decided to put in a drip irrigation watering system. This conserves water, allows for slower and deeper watering, the water soaks into the soil over time and prevents water runoff. It also keeps the water at the roots where it is needed and off the leaves where fungus or mold grows on wet leaves that results when water is sprayed on the plants.

I connected the main drip hose to an elevated rain barrel, thus allowing the water to run by gravity feed through the network of hoses. This eliminates the use of garden pressure hoses or electric water pumps. There is one ½ in. main water hose that runs down the center of the garden connects to a network of ¼ in. hoses running out to each plant. On the end of each ¼ in. hose is a drip emitter that allows 1 GPH of water to drip on to the plant roots.

Later I will install a water timer to the main hose that comes out of the rain barrel. The timer will be set for about 15 minutes to provide about a quart of water to each plant. After trying several water timers, I found that most timers are made to run on the end of a garden faucet which has about 30 psi pressure. This pressure helps regulate the diaphragm valve to open and close. However, this type of timer will not work on a rain barrel gravity feed system since the water pressure is very little about (0-1 psi). Consequently, I bought a Gilmour water time that has a ball valve that does not depend on pressure and will work in the rain barrel setup.

Hopefully, my rain barrel water system with a timer will be a great addition to the garden for those times that I am away from home during the summer. No more watering the vegetable garden with garden hose in hand which normally took about an hour moving the hose around each side of the garden and soaking about 50 plants.

You can see a video clip of My “Rain Barrel Drip Irrigation System” on YouTube at the link below …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KroiW2PWFxU
You can also see some photos of the garden plants and the rain barrel watering system by clicking on the link below….
https://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/GardenPlants#
You can buy a drip irrigation starter kit and supplies at several places. Checkout some of the websites below…
Home Depot…. (type in the search bar…drip irrigation kits, water timers) http://homedepot.com/
Amazon….. (water timers) http://amazon.com/
DripWorks…. (kits, hoses, connectors) http://dripworks.com/
Drip Depot…. (mini emitters, connectors) http://dripdepot.com/

Comments and suggestions welcome… markryan82@comcast.net

Gardens and Gophers - 2010

The harvest this year has been pretty poor. I only got a few good size zucchini and some yellow squash. The eggplant has been nibbles away and the corn is dry and small. The tomatoes seemed to be stunted in growth with leaves dry and brittle. All of this is probably due to lack of rain water. However, I am still getting a lot of cherry tomatoes.

Last year there was too much rain water, this year it is too dry and hot. If you depend on Mother Nature to help water the garden, you were out of luck this year. Since I have been away from home several days each week, it has been hard for me to water the garden on a regular basis and consequently the plants have suffered.

Another reason has to do with a critter that is living under my back yard shed and near the garden. He has been feeding on the big leaf vegetables and after a few weeks my zucchinis have no leaves. He has also nibbled on the juicy stems near the base of the zucchinis which has prevented the plants from getting water.

Consequently, I have written a going away poem for my little garden friend. Hope you can appreciate the humor and frustration.


My Friend Gomez

Gomez and I get up early every morning to tend the garden. We start by weeding and trimming the edges. I pull out the dead leaves. Gomez nibbles the juicy ones, as his plump body wiggles and weaves.

I use a hoe and Gomez likes to use his paws with sharp claws. I turn up the soil to root out the tough weeds and Gomez looks for the grubs on which he feeds.

After a while I add a little fertilizer with a triple 10 blend while Gomez likes to add a natural one, dropping a little here and there achieving the same end.

I tried to coax Gomez to start his own garden far away from mine. I spread some moth balls and fox pee around Gomez’s den, so he would find some other place to dine.

Now that he has eaten all the zucchini leaves, he nibbles away at the grass. There isn’t much left of that either, since the dry summer sun has burned it up fast.

I think its time for Gomez to take a trip, so I ordered a special traveling box that is just the right size. It’s called a Have-A-Heart-Trap, I hope he will like the surprise.

I hear they serve great meals in Gomez’s future home in the woods down south. However, I think I have had enough with Gomez and like a mad dog, I am beginning to foam at the mouth.

If you haven’t guessed by now, my friend Gomez is a Gopher. One of God’s little creatures that have some great purpose in life, but only God knows what for.

Yours truly,
Farmer Mark

Garden Update 7-7-10

I got my first zucchini of the summer this week. Although I have been watching the garden grow and weeding each week, the fruits and flowers and vegetables seem to pop up and grow overnight. You can see some photos of the garden at the link below ……
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/Garden7710#

Everything seemed to be growing well with very little watering during May and June. The natural rain water has kept all the plants healthy. However, I did water some by hand with a watering can from the rain barrel, mostly on the days that I planted new plants. To keep the water around the plant, I dug a circular trench around each plant with my fingers. This keeps the water near the plant roots and prevents it from running out.

However, the hot and dry spell we have had this week has really sucked the water out of the soil and consequently caused the plants to droop. Since rain is not predicted until the end of the week, I did have to give the garden a good soaking with water from the house garden hose. Since Wilmington, MA, where I live, still has some water restrictions, you can only water with a hand held hose after 5PM and before 9AM. I even saw flashing signs up in North Reading, indicating a water emergency. All the water we got this spring from the torrential rain has entered the water table, then streams, rivers and out to the ocean and back into the water cycle. Unfortunately, we will have to wait again for mother-nature to pour some back on the land.

You can see from the photos, which I have a good size pumpkin and zucchini patch going. I put these plants in an area where I have composted for a few years. The soil is now nice and rich and full of nutrients. Another reason I plant the zucchini here is to keep the “American Bamboo Plants” from growing. They are very invasive and aggressive weed-trees that take over a garden area if left unchecked. I have tried weed killer and even dug up the roots, but they continue to spread. They grow like wild fire by root propagation so leaving just a small piece of root in the soil is enough for a new plant to pop up. I weed them out each night and the next day they are back. My only salvation is when the zucchini patch spreads out and takes over.

Hopefully, the summer will not be so hot and dry and we will get some rain, at least once per week. As the season progresses, I’ll let you know what’s available. If you are in the area, drop by, I love sharing my harvest or just a cup of coffee or (ice tea).

See you around the pumpkin patch.

Comments always welcome …. markryan82@comcast.net

Garden Potatoes and Cold Frame Transplants

Garden Potatoes and Cold Frame Transplants

A. Potatoes
In April, I rototill the garden and then rake out all the dead weeds and rocks. I then add some garden fertilizer (10-10-10) and/or some compost that I turned last year from lawn grass clippings. I help the compost pile with some lime and try to turn it every week.

In May I rototill the area on the outside of the garden fence and then hoe a trench to plant some potatoes, onions and dalais. You can buy bags of seed potatoes, small onions bulbs and dalai tubers in a garden shop for a few dollars a bag.

You can also grow your own seed potatoes. Just pick some potatoes at the grocers with developing eyes and then set them on top of the refrigerator for a couple weeks. You should then have several potatoes with a lot of eyes.

Cut up these seed potatoes into small two inch pieces, each with an eye. Plant the potato pieces in a garden trench about one foot apart and cover with a couple inches of soil. Water well. In about two weeks you will see green plant shoots sprout out through the soil.

You can see some photos at the link……..
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/GardenPotatoes51310#

B. Transplants
After growing some vegetables from seeds, starting in March or April I move the seedlings to a cold frame. As the seedlings got bigger, I transplanted them to individual pots and leave them in the cold frame for a few more weeks.

I built my cold frame from (1x2 inch) wood strapping and then covered it with clear plastic all around (bottom, top, sides). I stapled the plastic to the wood frame so that it was air tight. I then put the plants in individual cups with holes in bottom in a large tray.

When watering, soak the soil in pots and then fill the outside tray with water about half full. The plants will absorb extra water from the outside tray as needed. The water will last about 4-5 days and then you will have to water again. The temperature inside the cold frame will be much higher than outside and you will see the water condensing on the inside of the plastic. In extreme heat, you will need to vent the cold frame for a few hours per day.

At the end of May or first week in June you can move the transplants from the cold frame to the garden and water at least once per week. Water more often if there are several continuous hot days. Most plants will thrive on one cup of water a week.

You can see some photos at the link ….
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/GardenUpdate6610#

During the rest of the summer, just weed and water as needed (at least once per week). Also, I need to stake and cage tomato plants in a week. I will harvest most vegetables in August.

Let me know if you would like to try some fresh garden vegetables. I’ll save you some.

Comments always welcome: markryan82@comcast.net

Seed Starter Kits

Seeds Starter Kits

I usually plant seeds indoors in April which then produce seedlings that are ready to transplant outside on Memorial Day in May. There are some great starter kits that are available with everything you need including seeds, soil, plant trays and clear dome lids. You can see the whole process and some photos at the link …
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/SeedStarterKits33010#

This year I found some great bargains for kits and seeds at different stores. You can see them all in the photos. I first saw that the Dollar Store had 4 packs of seeds for $1.00 although the variety is limited. I heard they also have this same price at Walgreens. That was a bargain since most seed packs are $1.00 to $2.00 per pack. When buying seeds I usually like the Burpee brand and you need to check the package date. This year’s packs should say 2010 although I have tried seeds from previous years. If packs are kept really dry you can keep them for a long time. Grain seeds found in 2000 year old Egyptian pyramids have been known to grow into viable plants.

Next you need some potting mix which has the soil, vermiculite and some fertilizer all together. I like the Miracle Grow brand. However, I also buy a bag of Perlite that I mix with the Potting mix to make the soil retain moisture longer. I general mix the Perlite with the Potting soil in a ratio of one to ten.

I then fill the seed trays with the potting mix with the trowel. I then press each pot with my thumb to compact the soil a little and then add extra mix to the top. I then water the soil so that it is damp but not muddy. I do all my trays first and let the water absorb into the soil mix.

I then organize the seed packs that I have selected and try to determine how many plants I want so there will be enough room in the garden to transplant them all. Normally I with plant four to eight seed pots per seed pack. I put the seed pack on top of the seed trays to get an idea how many seed trays I need and can manage.

I then separately remove a pack from the top of a seed tray exposing four to eight seed pots just so I remember which seed pots I am working on. I then poke a hole in the soil with a pencil point and twirl it big enough for the seeds. Large seeds like squash are about a half inch long and a quarter wide. You should probably plant seeds no deeper than their width and then cover loosely with damp soil. Carrot seeds are very fine and should only be lightly covered with soil. Make sure you mark each group of pots with a numbered popsicle stick to identify which pots have which seeds then record the number and seed names in a chart.

Check to see that soil is damp. If not, lightly sprinkle again with water making the soil damp but not muddy. Now cover the seed tray with the plastic dome. The dome prevents drying and keeps the soil damp for several days. I generally check every day and most of the time I water every five days if there is a dome cover. Trays with no cover will dry out faster and need to be watered more often.

Keep the seed trays warm at about 70 degrees during the germination period. In about two weeks the seeds will sprout into small green seedlings. You can now remove the dome cover and expose the seedlings to light for 10-12 hours per day. You can do this in a south facing window with sunlight or with a fluorescent light on a timer switch. If you have fluorescent blue grow lights they are even better but are more expensive. Hang the lights so that they are 4-6 inches above the seedlings. Keep moving the lights up as the seedlings grow. The lights will provide the energy needed for photosynthesis as well as some additional heat.

In about two months or after the last frost, you can move the seedlings outside. I generally put them in a cold frame outside covered with clear plastic to keep them warm. Keep them outside in the seed trays for a few days to harden up and get them use to the outdoor temperature changes. After hardening you can plant them in the garden evenly spaced according to package directions. A few feet apart for tall plants like tomato and more space for vine type plants like squash. Use marker stakes to identify the plants.

You can see a chart of the seeds that I planted this year below with some comments. I will let you now later this summer how they grow.

Comments Welcome: markryan82@comcast.net

Mark's Seed Plantings Garden Plants - Summer 2010
Number -Type Package -Date Planted -Comments
1 Mixed Herb Seeds Herb Garden Kit 4/5/2010 Basil, Chives, Dill, Parsley
2 Foxglove -Excelsior Perennial Garden Kit 4/5/2010 Burpee-Christmas Tree Shop
3 Hollyhock -Chaters Perennial Garden Kit 4/5/2010 Burpee-Christmas Tree Shop
4 Shasta Daisy - Alaska Perennial Garden Kit 4/5/2010 Burpee-Christmas Tree Shop
5 Alyssum -Busket of Gold Perennial Garden Kit 4/5/2010 Burpee-Christmas Tree Shop
6 Columbine - McKana Perennial Garden Kit 4/5/2010 Burpee-Christmas Tree Shop
7 Columbine - McKana Perennial Garden Kit 4/5/2010 Burpee-Christmas Tree Shop
8 Marigold Burpee 4/5/2010 Dollar Store - 4/$1
9 Shasta Daisy - Alaska Burpee 4/5/2010 Dollar Store - 4/$1
10 Echinacea-Purple Cone Burpee 4/5/2010 Dollar Store - 4/$1
11 Sunflower-Mammoth Burpee 4/5/2010 Dollar Store - 4/$1
12 Marigold Burpee 4/5/2010 Dollar Store - 4/$1
13 Zinnia Burpee 4/5/2010 Dollar Store - 4/$1
14 Zinnia Burpee 4/5/2010 Dollar Store - 4/$1
15 Morning Glory Burpee 4/5/2010 Dollar Store - 4/$1
16 Tomato-Cherry Burpee 4/6/2010 Walmart
17 Tomato-Roma,Plume,Paste Burpee 4/6/2010 Walmart
18 Tomato-Beefsteak Super Burpee 4/6/2010 Walmart
19 Carrot-Danvers Half Long Burpee 4/6/2010 Walmart
20 Summer Squash-Zucchini Burpee 4/6/2010 Walmart
21 Squash-Early Straightneck Yellow Burpee 4/6/2010 Walmart
22 Eggplant-Black Beauty Burpee 4/6/2010 Walmart
23 Carrot-Danvers Half Long Burpee 4/6/2010 Walmart
24 Sweet Corn Burpee 4/7/2010 Walmart
25 Sweet Corn American Seed 4/7/2010 Walmart
26 Broccoli Burpee 4/7/2010 Walmart
27 Pepper Burpee 4/7/2010 Walmart
28 Cucumber-Large American Seed 4/7/2010 Walmart
29 Cucumber-Pickle Bush Burpee 4/7/2010 Walmart
30 Pumpkin-Big Max Burpee 4/7/2010 Walmart
31 Pumpkin-Big Max Burpee 4/7/2010 One year Old -2009 Seeds
32 Cucumber-Tendergreen Burpee 4/7/2010 One year Old -2009 Seeds
33 Garden Bean-Tendergreen Burpee 4/7/2010 One year Old -2009 Seeds
34 Sunflower-Mammoth Burpee 4/7/2010 One year Old -2009 Seeds
35 Lettuce-Summer Crisp Burpee 4/7/2010 One year Old -2009 Seeds

Frost On The Pumpkin

Well we finally got the freezing frost this week. The temperature has plummeted pretty quickly. It was 28 degrees outside my door this morning and I had to scrape the ice off the car windows and use the defroster-heater.

The first signs of frost mean its time to take in all the late vegetables from the garden. Even though there may be some warm days in the 50’s, the cold nights below 32 will certainly kill most plants.

As I checked my garden, I could see the frost glistening on the tops of all the melon heads (watermelon, pumpkin and squash). Although the crop wasn’t spectacular I got my share for a small garden. Out of 3 pumpkin plants I got 17 small pumpkins. Two were hybrid crosses with squash which most people call SQUMPKINS. I also got some early fall vegetables like broccoli, carrots, egg plant and giant sunflowers.

My biggest squmpkin was 15 inches across and weighed 50 pounds. You can see photos of my pumpkins at the link below … http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/PumpkinBlog101309

You can also see an article and some photos of the giant pumpkins at the Topsfield Fair. The winner this year weighed 1471 pounds. See the link at …. http://multimedia.boston.com/m/26704718/giant-pumpkin-winner.htm?q=giant+pumpkin&index=1&seek=3.879

The world’s largest pumpkin was recorded at 1725 pounds by a woman in Ohio. See the story at the link below …. http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/dpgo_Ohio_Woman_Grows_Worlds_Largest_Pumpkin_mb_20091006_3900624

I grew the pumpkins from seed and then transplanted them to an area adjacent to my neighbor’s yard. We now call this the community garden. I normally use the area for a compost pile but lately it has overgrown with an invasive plant called American Bamboo. I prepared the area by cutting out all the bamboo trees and removing as many bamboo roots as possible. One tiny piece of root will propagate to a full bamboo tree. I then roto tiled the area and planted 8 tomato plants, 3 cucumber, 3 squash, 3 watermelon and 3 pumpkin.

The plants grew like wildfire in the composted soil and quickly choked out the bamboo. Everything was going great until the tomato blight attacked. Most of the tomato plants had 2 inch green tomatoes until the leaves turned black and shriveled up. Shortly after, the tomatoes all rotted on the vine. Needless to say, I didn’t get any good tomatoes from this garden area but did get some cherry tomatoes from another garden area about 100 feet away.

At the end of the garden season I generally pull out most plants and then mulch them with a lawn mower and after compost everything with the roto tiller. However, this year I pulled out the black tomato plants separately and put them in the trash. Maybe this will get rid of some of the tomato blight and maybe I will find a cure for this garden disease before next season.

Although the garden pests, bugs, rodents, mildew and blights certainly decrease the garden harvest, it becomes a challenge to plan a counter attack and reap some rewards. The battle with Mother Nature has always been one of man’s biggest obstacles but maybe the battle will be a little easier next year.

Comments are always welcome. Send email to markryan82@comcast.net

Zucchini & Meat Casserole and Other Tall Tails

I got the first couple of zucchini from my garden last week. A beautiful green fruit about 14 inches long and 5 inches wide. My God, “Its Bigger than Both of Us” as Imogene Coca would say on “The Sid Caesar - 1950’s TV Show”. Most people like these zucchinis about half that size for cooking in casseroles or boiled and served with butter. Although the zucchini was almost picking size four days earlier, I had gone away for a few days and it tripled in size when I got back. It was like the pod people in the movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”.
See photos at the link …. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/ZucCasserole72609

Zucchini plants are so prolific. They continue to flower and produce fruits all summer - (More Pod People). I usually will pick the first few and give them to my wife to cook in various ways. She has a ton of recipes which are all delicious. However, I know she has reached her cooking limit when I see the zucchini green color to her eyes as she imitates “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” and slaps me on the head with her giant green tail. At that point, I give away the rest of the “pod” crop to family and friends to spread the wealth and propagate the “alien” species.

I decided to grow most of my vegetable garden from seed this year and involved the grandchildren. Once the seedlings reached about 4 inches in height, I could plant them in the garden. You need to time this so you can plant them in the garden after Memorial Day and the last signs of frost. However, like most plans and several delays, I eventually planted the seeds in late April in the house and waited for them to grow to maturity. I hoped Bernie Madoff didn’t help produce these seeds.

I gave a bunch of seeds and seedlings to my grand daughter to put in a garden at her house. I also gave her some plastic fencing to put around the plants and keep them safe from “Space” invaders. She put up the fence her self and delicately put all the plants in the ground. She watered and weeded the garden and took special care of the little seedlings. However, “Alien Creatures From Outer Space” in the form of a ground hog ate most of the plants and the garden fell apart.

To make sure that I had a viable garden this year, I also bought some already grown plants at the garden center. They were duplicates of the ones that I was also growing from seed. I was now growing both seedlings and plants of zucchini, squash, tomato, carrot, lettuce, broccoli, pepper, egg plant, cucumber and a bunch of herbs. Nothing like “hedge hogging” your bets. I also moved the plants from the house to a cold frame outside in May.

After Memorial Day, I planted all the garden center plants in my regular garden and almost ran out of space. A few weeks later, the seedlings which I had growing in a cold frame were now ready to plant in the garden. Since I had no more space to put them in the regular garden, I cleared a spot near the compost pile and made another garden. My neighbor also provided some space on an adjoining compost area. We now have a “Farm Coop”. Maybe we should apply for Federal Stimulus Money.

Unfortunately, the area was also home to an invasive bamboo plant that grows like wild fire and is competing for the same space as the seedlings. This reminds me of the movie “War of the Worlds” where the space creatures try to take over the Earth. Will the alien “Bamboo Creatures” win? Stay tune for the exciting conclusion next month. Although I dig out and snip off most of the bamboo sprouts every other day, there deep roots continue to produce more and more alien creatures.

Although my garden is fenced in, I noticed that some of the plants were still being eaten, especially the Strawberry plants and Lettuce and Corn. To help protect the plants, I made a few screened boxes. After using the boxes on the Strawberries which only produce fruit in June, I moved the boxes over the other tender plants (corn, carrots, and lettuce) to protect them. So far they are doing fine.

Yesterday, my wife tried a new recipe for “Zucchini Casserole” with ground hamburg and served it for dinner. It was truly delicious and outstanding. After some pleading, she shared with me her secret recipe which I have described below. However, like Mr. Phelps says from “Mission Impossible” you must destroy the secret in 30 seconds to prevent a world wide zucchini epidemic.

Zucchini & Meat Casserole (Secret Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 zucchini (1/4” slices), 2-3 eggs, bread crumbs, 1 pkg mozzarella cheese (shredded), 1 lb. Hamburg (see meatball cooking instructions below), marinara sauce (make your own).

Directions:
Meatballs (crumbled after cooking) - mix together 1 lb. Hamburg, 1 egg, 5 slices Italian Bread, (wet with water and shredded), Romano cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Make meatballs and broil. After, cool and crumble.

Casserole - Dip zucchini slices in egg batter, bread crumbs and place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil and bake at 425 until tops crusty. Then layer zucchini slices in casserole dish with other ingredients in following order: 1. sauce, 2. zucchini, 3. ground meat. 4. grated cheese. 5. Mozzarella cheese. 6, sauce. Repeat layering to fill dish. Bake at 350 for one hour.

Remember: “Don’t Tell Bernie”. - Recipe Will Self Destruct In 30 Seconds

Garden “Signs”

Signs can be interpreted as either ones that you paint or clues that indicate something. When planting a garden you need both. The painted signs are used to identify plants and the other signs will signal when its time to plant the seed, or thin the seedlings, or transfer the seedlings, or water, or protect from frost. A successful gardener has to constantly be vigilant for “SIGNS”. You can see some photos of my “Signs” at the link below …..
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/GardenProgress62309?authkey=Gv1sRgCPyltYz3pariHQ

This year I started some plants from seed. In early May, I had my grandchildren help me with putting the seeds in Peat Pots and trays. I then put the trays in a cold frame that protected the plants from cold weather outside while the seeds germinated to seedlings.

The cold frame had a wood skeleton which was covered with clear plastic. On warm days I would open the cold frame for air circulation and at night close it to protect the plants from possible “signs” of frost.

During the next month the seeds germinated to seedlings and grew to 6 inches tall. This was a “sign” which indicated they needed to be transferred to larger individual pots and then eventually planted in the garden.

Later, I painted some “signs” to help identify the plant sections mostly for garden neighbors and visitors that would stop by to chat. I put the painted signs on wood dowels at different places in the garden.

I watered the plants frequently so that the soil never dried out while the plants were in the cold frame. I used water that I collected from a roof and rain barrel system that I built. After putting the plants in the garden, I watered as needed with a watering can. Most plants only need a cup of water a week to survive. However, I didn’t hand water much since it has rained most of the month of June.

Since I started the seeds late, I don’t expect a harvest until late July or August. Most plants produce fruits in 75 to 90 days. The development of flowers is a “sign” that pollination and fertilization will take place. After fertilization, the bottom of flowers will generally develop into the fruits.

As you patiently wait for “signs” of harvest time, you keep busy tending the plants, and watching for “signs” to weed, water, tie and support plants, and treat for pests and fungus. Harvest time lasts about a month and will produce about a bucket full of vegetables every other day in a small 20x30 foot garden. . Although I try to use most of the harvest, I give a lot away to family and friends.

Comments are always welcome. Send email to markryan82@comcast.net .

Strawberries

I planted some strawberry plants a few years ago and they have spread by runners to cover a larger area (3x8 feet). However, my harvest has been limited by the eating habits of local rabbits. Just when the berries were ripe enough I would find a bite out of the sides of most of them. You can see some info about protecting you plants from rabbits and other garden pests at the link ….. http://www.gardenguides.com/pests/tips/rabbits.asp

This year I decided to protect the plants by covering them with netting. However, my wife suggested using some cheese cloth she had. I took the cheese cloth and tried to cover most of the plants and it worked for a while but when wet with rain the cloth squished the plants.

My only other solution was to build some box frames with plastic or wire screening. I had a few pieces of chicken wire and plastic screen leftovers and made myself two boxes (1’H x 2’W x 3’L) to cover the strawberry bushes. After covering them, I got a pretty good first harvest and the berries were nice a sweet and plump. Even those that were still a little white or green, ripened to red in a few days in a bowl at the window sill. See the photos at the link below ……………. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/Strawberries6509

Strawberries are easy to grow and produce some delicious fruits. There are several varieties that have been cultivated for the grocery shelf which are either June Bearing (one crop in June) or Ever Bearing (several crops throughout season). They are also categories by the flowers into 3 types; short day, long day and day neutral. The day neutral plants flower all the time and produce fruits all season. You can see more info about strawberries at the links below …… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry
or http://gardening.about.com/od/fruitsberriesnuts/a/Strawberries.htm


Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Send email to markryan82@comcast.net

Time To Get The Vegetable Garden Ready

Normally I start planning my vegetable garden about March and then put the plants in the garden after Memorial Day. I try to decide what plants I should buy and which ones to grow from seed. I start looking in the department stores and garden centers at the plant displays and mentally making lists of what I need. However, I also keep seeds from last year’s plants too. To do this, I remove the seeds from the fresh vegetable, dry them out on newspaper, store them in paper envelopes and then label them with name and date and special comments.

In addition, I also buy some full size plants in six pack flats or individual quart size containers. Checking around at the different garden centers the prices have increased this year for the quart size plant containers with a full grown plant. The average price is about $3.49 per container but you do get a full grown healthy plant about one foot tall.

The price of a package of seeds varies from one store to another. I like Burpee Seeds sold at Walmart’s for $ 1.00 per pack. Marketbasket had packs for $0.69 and Christmas Tree Shop had packs for $1.99. I finally decided to buy 15 different seed packs from Walmart, some potting soil mix (with vermiculite), some (2x5) peat pots, some (4x9) planting trays, and some craft sticks to label each peat pot.

I invited my grandchildren over the house at the end of April to help me plant some of the seeds and let them each pick a variety to plants from the 15 choices. I gave them a Seed Info Chart that I had made from the information on the back of the seed packs. See chart at the link ......
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/SeedInfo5409?authkey=Gv1sRgCNOghL__gKCMpQE#5332153768917807394

I then set out a card table in the basement and covered it with newspaper. I put the supplies nearby and explained to the children how to plant the seeds. The kids quickly chose their seeds, loaded the peat pots with soil mix, made the seed holes with a pencil, dropped in the seeds and covered them with soil. See photos at the link …….
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/GardenBlogPics5409


We then carried the peat pots outside to a cold frame that I made with wood strapping and clear plastic. I told them that the clear plastic would allow the sunlight through most of the day to keep the seedlings warm. We then watered the peat pots and closed the top of the cold frame to keep the heat in overnight and protect the plants from any frost.

In Wilmington, MA where I live, you generally have to wait until after Memorial Day to be safe from cold nights and frost before you can take seedlings from the cold frame and plant them in the garden. The seeds take about two weeks to germinate to tiny seedlings with two little leaves. I told the grandchildren that I would water them each day and send them pictures by email to see how the plants develop over the next few weeks. However, they would have to help me plant them in the garden at the end of May.

I got the garden ready last week by tilling the soil with my gas powered Honda Mini Tiller. This is a great tool which has four circular blades with tines that dig into the soil and turn it over. The next step is to decide where to put each vegetable plant and how far to space them from each other. I generally make a chart of my garden area which is 10 x 20 feet and pencil in the approximate location of each plant with a designated number. Some of the plants can be placed along the garden fence about one foot apart and some of the others are placed two or three feet apart. See the chart at the link .....

http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/GardenPlotDesign5409#5332151825200309666

That’s it for now. I’ll let you know how the garden develops during the summer. If you have any suggestions, questions or comments, send email to markryan82@comcast.net.

pH Saves the Pumpkin

Just like Charlie Brown, I have been waiting all summer for the Great Pumpkin to arrive. However, a few weeks ago some white patches appeared on the leaves of my pumpkin plants. Overnight it spread and now has jumped over to the zucchini and squash plants. The original pumpkin plant has a ripe orange pumpkin at its base but the stem and adjacent leaves are all brown. Some nearby pumpkin plants still have green leaves but the white spots are spreading fast.

Not wanting to loose the plants that I nurtured all summer, I looked up some info online and found some possible answers. When I Googled the question, I got some info from Yahoo Q/A. Some contributors described the similar white patches that I saw. Those that answered said it was a white powdery mildew fungus which could be killed by either raising the pH or adding a competing bacteria. There are several spray-on commercial products to treat the white powdery mildew by raising the pH like Serenade, Safer Fungicide and Safer Three in One. However, a homemade solution can be made with one table spoon baking soda and a few squirts of liquid detergent mixed with one gallon of water.

Selecting the homemade recipe, I quickly made up a (baking soda-liquid detergent) solution in a two gallon watering can and sprinkled it all over the plants. To cover all the plants in the 20x35 foot garden, I made up the solution about twelve times. As soon as I sprinkled the solution on the leaves the powdery mildew dissolved and the leaves regained some of their green color. I’ll have to watch the plants over the next few days to see if this really works. You can see photos at the link ………………
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/PumpkinMildew81708

The baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is an antacid that neutralizes the acidic pH and kills the fungus. The liquid detergent helps the water solution stick to the leaves without washing off. Hooray for pH (the power of hydrogen). A pH scale 1 - 7 - 14 is used to measure the amount of hydrogen ions. Values closer to (1) are more acidic (have more hydrogen) where pH values closer to (14) are more alkaline. Sometimes soils are more acidic because of certain minerals in the soil but also due to high amounts of acid rain. You can neutralize the acidic soil by adding lime and some fertilizers.

Looking further online for info related to powdery mildew, I came across a commercial product called GreenCure. It’s environmentally friendly and non-toxic. Its active ingredient is potassium bicarbonate and has a surfactant that helps stick to leaves and plants. This sounds a lot like the home ready described above (baking soda-liquid detergent) which costs a lot less. Click on the link below for more info on GreenCure ……. http://www.megagro.com/greencure.htm?source=Y-greencure

Edible Flowers

Many flowers are edible and can be used as garnish, in salads or as the main course. When doing an online search I found the following link …. http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/blflowers.htm
which lists about 65 edible flowers and also ones to be avoided. Some edible flowers and fruits can also be seen in my garden at the link … http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/EdibleFlowers72808

Among the edibles are the squash family (zucchini, summer squash, melon and cucumber) with its big yellow flowers. You use the male flowers for cooking and cut off the inside stamens and green bottoms. You then dip them separately in a bowl of egg batter and bread crumbs and then fry them in a pan with olive oil for about ten minutes. Scoop them out with a spatula and drain on paper towels. Serve them in a dish with light seasoning and you have delicious flower chips. Another Italian recipe that my neighbor told me about is to stuff the yellow flowers with mozzarella cheese and anchovy paste. Then fry them as above. Other stuffing can also be used such as ground pork, mushrooms and other cheeses.

You may have already eaten flowers in foods such as cauliflower, broccoli, or capers. Other flowers and their tastes are basil (lemon, mint), arugula (nutty), carnation (peppery), chives (garlic, onion), cornflower (sweet clove), dandelion (mushroom), fennel (sweet licorice), pansy (sweet to tart), or rose (sweet aromatic). Some flowers may be allergens so check first.

Most flowers on a squash plant are the male flowers. There are about ten male flowers to one female. The males have the stamens with the pollen and the female has a swollen bottom like a pickle that becomes the squash after it is fertilized. Bees, birds and wind help spread the pollen from male to female plants. Some varieties of squash have only female plants which develop into seedless fruits and increase the harvest.

Addendum.......................

As an addendum to my blog on Edible Flowers, I decided to add some email suggestions that I got from some friends. See one below ….

“Mark…..Few know how delicious zucchini blossoms can be. In my family we also stuff the blossom end with and Italian hamburg mixture for added delight. Nasturium blossoms are also edible and make a dramatic presentation on a composed salad (slightly peppery in flavor.) Of course marigold blossoms are edible and so are rose petals! …Joe L.” ……

So I fried up some zucchini flowers stuffed with hamburg and dipped in egg and bread crumbs. What a delight and worth the effort. See photos of the flower picking and cooking process at the link…. http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/FriedZucchiniFlowers73008

Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Do you have any flower recipes?

The Harvest

Planting a garden is certainly hard work. You till the soil, make a design, arrange the plantings, water, feed and weed. Then one day the fruits arrive and you gather the harvest. And so life goes. We all have high hopes that the seeds we sow will someday bear fruit. Click on the link below to see pics of the garden ……
http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/Garden71208


The garden is coming along pretty well this year. There has been plenty of rain with warm days and cool nights. I planted an assortment of vegetables and expanded the garden with another 10 x 8 feet section. It now measures 20 x 35 ft. I also installed another rain barrel collection area to serve a new garden section. With a 50 square foot roof rain collection system, I can fill a 28 gallon rain barrel with one inch of rain per week. This is just enough water to keep the plants in my garden healthy. With the current rainy weather, the garden has been watered naturally and I haven’t had to use the rain barrel system much. However, I do make sure that the plants are watered at least once per week and more in hot and dry weather.

Although I tilled the soil in the garden and added compost to start, I do fertilize the plants every few weeks with Miracle Grow. One tablespoon of fertilizer added to one gallon of water. I then use a watering can to soak the ground beneath each plant. I can generally fertilize 10 plants with one gallon of fertilizer solution.

This year, I planted tomatoes, zucchini, butternut squash, watermelon, cucumber, potato, eggplant, bush beans, peppers, corn, and a few herbs. I generally planted them about three feet apart and placed wood stakes and wire baskets on the tomatoes. I also put a 3 foot fence around the garden to keep out the animals (rabbits, squirrels chipmunks, ground hog, and birds.

I put in three types of tomatoes (9-big boys, 9-early girls and 9-cherry. All the plants now have green fruit. The big boys and early girls will be ready to pick in a couple of weeks. The cherry tomatoes are already turning red and I have gotten about two dozen fruits in the last week.

The 9-zucchini plants have done well also and have produced about 15 big fruits. I have given several away to neighbors who have used them to make zucchini bread, casseroles and just plain boiled served with butter. My wife has made several casseroles where she slices the zucchini, dips the slices in egg and bread crumbs and layers in a baking dish. She adds layers of cheese and stewed tomatoes and then bakes it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Delicious.

The 9-pepper plants and 9-egg plant have fruit about half size and should be ready in a few weeks. The 2-butternut squash plants and 2-watermelon plants have fruit also about half size. The 2-cucumber plants have been producing several good size cukes during the last few weeks.

I planted 10-potatoe plants that I grew from a potato with eyes and then cut into two inch size cubes. I planted each in a cup and grew them for about two weeks until the plants were 6 inches high and then transplanted to the garden. The plants are now 12 inches tall and should have small potato tubers. I will pick them in a few weeks when they are a little bigger.

The 3-bush bean plants have done pretty well. However, they have produced about 10 beans per bush which are quite hard fresh off the plant. You need to cut them and boil them to make them soft enough. I sprinkle a few on salads for additional garnish. I think you need a lot more plants to get a good harvest.

Only 4-corn plants have survived from the six original. I tried one of the cobs today. I wrapped it in wax paper and cooked it in the microwave for 5-7 minutes. With a little butter and salt it wasn’t bad. I think I need to wait a couple of weeks for bigger cobs and bigger kernels with more of a sweet taste.

I did plant 10-lettuce plants after Memorial Day and they were all nibbled to the ground in a few days. A fond memory of Memorial Day. It must be the bunny rabbits. However, I don’t know how they are getting over or under the fence. They must have their own key. Ha Ha Ha. If you are lucky, I may share my harvest with you. See you around the garden.

Anniversary Garden Room

One way to landscape a house lot is to arrange plantings in different areas to highlight a specific feature or purpose. Some landscapers call these garden areas “rooms” where you can sit and dream and watch the clouds roll by. The garden room can be under a shade tree or near a bird bath or special shrub or even a vegetable garden.

This being my 45th wedding anniversary, I wanted to set aside a special place to share with my wife on those long summer days in the shade. Previously I had built a garden trellis and planted rose bushes along the sides. After a few years of watering, fertilizing and tying the branches to the trellis, the roses look pretty good this year. Using this as a base, I drew a design with some plantings and sitting chairs to enhance the area.

I first cut out the lawn along the garden edge near the rose trellis into a semicircle. I think curved garden edges are more attractive then straight lines. You can follow the description below with photos found at the link …..

http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/AnnivGarden61908

I then selected some annuals and perennials and Adirondack chairs to place in the area for best effect. I arranged them along the left and right of the trellis archway facing out into the center of the yard. I found that plantings look best when placed in bunches rather than separating them into single plants.

In addition, perennials can be divided and transplanted when they start to over grow an area. One of the perennials that I have plenty of is called tick weed or “coreopsis” which grow in bunches and have small yellow flowers. When transplanting keep the plants in a bucket of water as you move them from one place to another.

Hope you like the garden room. Maybe it will give you an idea to construct your own so you can watch the clouds roll by. "Look, that cloud has the shape of a puppy dog”.

Garden Stakes and Wire Baskets

The plants have now grown for a couple weeks since first planting on the last week of May. I have watered them regularly, alternating with water from the rain barrel and house water.

Water from the rain barrel is limited by the amount of rain fall and the size of the collection system. My small sytem only provides about a barrel of water per week if it rains. During drier periods, I have to supplement watering my garden plants with house water.

The vegetable plant roots are well established and the plant stalks now need stakes for support and wire baskets for spreading branches. I have a supply of stakes and wire baskets that I reuse each year and have placed them on the garden fence as seen in the photos. The wire baskets are placed over each tomato plant and a wood stake is added to the side for additional support. See link for additional photos ...... http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/GardenStakes61408

The garden needs to be weeded every few weeks. I use a hoe with a five foot handle to and scrap the weed seedlings off the top soil. Deeper rooted weeds need to be pulled out.

Although there is a garden fence, some small animals (chipmonks, rabbits, birds) have gotten into the garden and nibble away at tender leaves. One way to protect vulnerable plants is to place neeting over them. However, the bunny rabbits were quicker this year add ate all my lettuce plants down to the ground as well as the strawberries that were just ready to turn red. Next year I will have to be a little quicker with the net.

Rain Barrel Project (Water for the Garden)

Rain barrels have been used for hundreds of years to collect rain water and use it for a variety of domestic purposes. In the US, this source of water is used mostly to water landscape and garden plants. However, rain water can also be used for drinking purposes if it is first filtered and treated to get rid of solid debris and biological contaminants. A good source of information about rain water and the use of Rain Barrels can be found at the web link http://www.rainbarrelguide.com/ . Although the article shows the approximate amount of rainfall collected on a roof, you can get better estimates at the following web link http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/RainwaterGuide2.html#TABLE3.0 .
From Table 3 of this article, it has been calculated that one inch of rain falling on a 1000 square foot roof area will capture 562 gallons of water. That would be about 28 gallons of water per inch of rain for the 50 square foot roof and rain barrel project described below.

The average rainfall for Wilmington,MA is about 48 inches and evenly distributed over 12 months or about 4 inches per month. See link for average rainfalls http://www.idcide.com/weather/ma/wilmington.htm Since one inch of rain from the 50 sf. roof system described below will almost fill a rain barrel, this would produce about 4 rain barrels full of water per month or about one per week. With some conservation measures this amount of water is enough to irrigate a small 20’x30’ garden. Most plants only need about one cup of water per week.

Rain barrels can be purchased online and shipped to your home with most costing about $100 and up. You then have to buy a hose kit that attaches to a catchment system that funnels the water off a roof into the barrel. Some rain barrel types and costs can be seen at the web link http://www.cleanairgardening.com/rainbarrels.html .

However, you can build a simple rain barrel system with supplies found at the local hardware store or other retailers such as Lowes ( http://lowes.com/) . A list of the needed items is found below and can be purchased for about $50 including rain barrel and catchment system.

Items Needed: (Item and Model Numbers From Lowes.Com Online Source)
1- Corrugated Hose (Universal Sump Pump Drain Kit, (Item #: 189255, Model: 56171-LWS1, 8.97), 1- Vinyl Trash Can, 32 Gallon,(Item #: 227199, Model: 3405152BL, $12.74), 5 - Gutter Brackets, (Item #: 13777, Model: AW106, $2.38 = $11.90) , Left Gutter End Cap White, Item # 12496, Model # AW201A, $2.04, Right Gutter End Cap White, Item # 161550, Model # AW102Z, $2.04 , 1- Vinyl Gutter, 10 ft., (Item #: 13720, Model: AW100, $5.86), and Latex Adhesive Caulk, Item # 219873, Model # 11530, $2.24

Photos of the completed Rain Barrel System attached to a small yard shed (8 x 12 ft) can be seen at the web link http://picasaweb.google.com/markryan312/RainBarrels6108 .

Instructions:
1. Attach gutter brackets to face board on the eave of a shed roof. The brackets need to be spaced a couple feet apart to support the gutter. Each bracket has to be a quarter inch lower as it nears the down spout end so that the rain water will run along the gutter to that end.
2. Using a saw hole bit, drill a 1 ¼ in hole in the vinyl gutter about 4 inches from the end.
3. From the sump pump hose kit, find the smaller threaded hose attachment and screw the threaded end into the gutter 1 ¼ inch hole. (The corrugated hose will be attached here later.)
4. Slide the gutter into the attached brackets along the roof eave. Catch the front and back of each bracket with the gutter.
5. Attach the left and right gutter end caps.
6. Drill a 1 ¼ inch hole in the middle of the barrel cover.
7. Measure the distance from the gutter to the barrel and cut the corrugated hose to approximately this length at the nearest joint.
8. Attach one end of hose to the gutter down spout and secure it with a water hose clamp from the kit.
9. Attach the other end of the hose to the barrel cover by using the other larger threaded hose attachment inside the barrel cover.
10. Take up any slack in the hose by turning it in an (S) shape and tying it with plastic ties along its length. (See photos for visual illustration.) You can also cut hose to exact length.
11. Use silicone caulking at the gutter end caps and the down spout hole to prevent water leaks.
12. Test the system by pouring some water into the gutter to see that it runs to the hole end and down the hose to the barrel. Use a watering can to scoop water out of the rain barrel and water plants.