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

A Camping - "Staycation"

Getting away on vacation has always been a way to relax and have a change of pace from one’s daily life. Whether it be a short trip to a friend’s house in the next town or across the country or around the world, looking at new surroundings and talking to new people rejuvenates the soul. However, with the economy in a recession people have less money to spend and are re-thinking the distance they travel and are vacationing closer to home. These closer to home vacations have been dubbed staycations.

With the price of gas now half what it cost last year, most vacationers are hopping in the family car and driving a few hours to their vacation destination rather than taking a more costly airplane trip. You can reduce the cost even more by taking a camping trip which can vary from sleeping in a tent to staying in a luxury motor home. You can either use your own trailer or rent one at the campground to try it out first.

When I retired in 2003, I bought a camper trailer and used it to travel around New England during the summer months. My wife and I would stay at various campgrounds for a week and then come home for a week before heading out again. This allowed us to vacation and also take care of things around the house. Our favorite places were Wells, Maine, Sandwich, MA and North Woodstock, NH. However, two years ago I traded in the old camper and got a bigger one which can sleep up to eight. We can now take the grandkids with us without being over crowded.

This year we found a campground in northern NH where we can leave the trailer for the entire summer season. The great thing about leaving the trailer at one campground for the summer is that you can come and go as you please. No making reservations, no packing and unpacking and no pulling the trailer back and forth. Our campground is called Crazy Horse and has all the amenities that we need and is close to area attractions that we might like to visit. You can rent a trailer campsite for about $40 per night, $250 per week or $1700 for the 5 month season (May 15 to Oct 15). Rental fees are much higher at campgrounds with more amenities or those near the ocean. You can visit the Crazy Horse web site and see what they offer at the link below …… http://www.ucampnh.com/crazyhorse/default.asp

Another great thing about a trailer camper is that you have a home away from home. You drive the trailer into the camp site, unhitch the trailer and now have the car to use for short trips nearby. You can sleep in your own bed, make your own meals and have most of the amenities you would have at home. In our trailer there is a queen size bed, a sofa couch with a pull out bed, a fold down dining table bed and two bunk beds. In addition, the trailer has a slide out where the side wall slides out making the trailer 4 feet wider which increases the living space to 12 feet x 30 feet. There is also a kitchen area with double sink, gas stove, microwave oven, refrigerator and central AC or Heat. There is a full bathroom with vanity, sink, toilet and shower-tub. There is a dining table, sofa couch and entertainment center with flat screen TV, DVD, radio. In addition, there are plenty of storage cabinets for clothes, games, toys, pots and pans, towels and toiletries.

Most campgrounds offer full hookups for the trailer which means you can connect to water, sewer, electricity, cable TV and WiFi. Although you have all these conveniences, your trailer is in a wooded setting with a pond or stream nearby where you can enjoy mother-nature right at your doorstep.

You can cook meals inside the trailer in a modern kitchen or outside over the rustic campfire or gas grill. We general will eat breakfast inside and other meals on a picnic table outside. At night, we sit around the campfire and toast marshmallows on sticks and tell stories. During the day we can swim at the camp pool or local pond. A large lake is nearby where we can go fishing or boating. The time seems to drift by slowly while you relax and watch the clouds drift by.

You can also visit nearby attractions like Franconia Notch, Echo Lake, the Flume or Cannon Mountain. There is also a shopping center nearby for buying groceries or other forgotten items. For longer stays, you can visit local shops or historical attractions or covered bridges in downtown Littleton, Bethlehem, Franconia, Sugar Hill, North Woodstock or Lincoln. For the more adventurous there is Kayaking, Biking, Hiking, Mountain Climbing or Fishing and Boating.

On a recent week we met my brother-in-law and his wife and spent the day sightseeing the local back roads. As we drove along the scenic routes, we saw majestic mountains in the distance and nearby rolling farm lands with cows and horses. We stopped at Cabot Creamery in Cabot, Vt.; we ate at Anthony’s Diner in St. Johnsbury, Vt., and had pastry at the Rainbow Café in Danville, Vt. On another day we visited the Old Grist Mill and Covered Bridge in Littleton, NH. and walked along the downtown streets and visited the local shops.

In the evening we went back to the campground and walked to the camp office. As we approached, Barbara and Joe, the camp owners, were sitting on the front porch talking to other campers and invited us to join them. Later, they had a “Make Your Own Sundae” activity at the Pavilion for all the campers. The ice cream party gave us the opportunity to meet some of the other campers and share some conversation and laughs.

This is certainly my kind of staycation. A quiet day at your own pace. Do what you want when you want. No long lines, now traffic, no airport delays. “Life Is Good”.