Random Observations. 9.13.15

August-Planted Beans.  9.13.15

Chinese Chive Seedlings, One Year.  9.13.15

Random observations around the yard.

I don't know if the beans that I planted in August will reach bearing before first.  It's worth a try and doesn't hurt anything.  If the frost kills them, the plants will be turned into the soil and improve tilth and soil nutrition.

The Chinese chives that I planted from seeds last fall, made nice little plant bunches.  No where near the harvest or bloom stage.  Probably next year.  These were planted on the surface in a planter box, left outside over winter, then kept sheltered this year.   Taking them out of the planter was like removing a cake from a cake pan.  Then I sliced the seedling bunches into 8 "pieces of cake" and planted in the bee forage bed, last week.  I imagine they will bulk up and bloom next year.

I'm leaving the sweet corn stalks in place to improve soil.  I cut the tops off and chipped into pieces a few inches long, then left them at the soil surface.   The buckwheat seedlings have grown around them.  This is less like "Three Sisters" garden than "Two Sisters and a Friend" since I didn't include beans but have added buckwheat.

Corn Stalks, Buckwheat, Squashes.  9.13.15

Pink Banana Squash.  9.13.15

 Itching to harvest pink banana squash.  This one grew really big.  Not quite ready - stem isn't dry yet.

Chinese Beans - seed saving.  9.13.15

Meyer Lemon.  9.13.15

Ning's beans didn't do so well  A few have tiny beans.  I don't know if those will make it to harvest before first frost, either.  These two are the only ones that made it to seed-saving stage.  If they grow, that will be 5 plants next year.  If those produce 5 pods of 5 seeds each, that will give 25 the following year, and then we are in business.  A genetic bottleneck but with beans that should be OK.

It's possible some of the old packets of Chinese bean seeds are still viable.  Getting to the end of those.  See next year what happens.

Meyer lemon looks good.  Should be more lemons than I need.  They are expected to ripen next year.

Bee Forage. 9.1.15

My Bee Border.  9.1.15

Honeybee Foraging Buckwheat Flowers.  9.1.15

 This is a difficult time for honeybees to find forage.   There isn't a lot blooming in the fields out there.  Some dandelions, wild carrot, and tansy ragwort.  Tansy ragwort has toxicity issues.  The honeybees don't seem to care for the wild carrot and have been ignoring the local dandelions.

While, in bee terms, my gardening efforts are small, they do forage heavily on some plants that I selected for that purpose.

Buckwheat - the foraging is variable.  Sometimes when I look, there are few bees present.   Then I look again an hour later, and the buckwheat flowers are full of bees.  Overall, this plant seems to be very good for honeybee forage.

The Chinese chives flowers are always full of bees.  As a perennial, this plant has good potential for bee forage in a flower border.  I don't know how much it takes to make a difference, but the bees are crazy about it.

There are always some bees on the French marigold flowers.  More on orange flowers than on yellow or brick red.  I am saving seeds from these plants for next year.  I like the yellow and brick red better, but I am saving some from each so the honeybees get some they like too.

Borage continues to bloom and honeybees continue to forage it.  This is the 3rd wave, from volunteer plants.

Pink Sedum is in full bloom.  Each flower head is busy with multiple honeybees.

All of these plants make an attractive front flower border.  The annuals and perennials make a nice mixture.  The perennials can be divided for more plants next year. and in the case of the Chinese chives, both divided and seeds saved.  I have cut dried flower heads from those, saving in a paper bag to dry more thoroughly.  I am saving seeds from the annual French marigolds.  I might from the borage as well. So next year, this bee border will be zero cost, and little effort.  I don't  have buckwheat in the border.  The garden rol of buckwheat is to build soil and potentially provide some grain.  However, a few buckwheat plants would also be attractive in a flower border.

Honeybees Foraging Chinese Chives Flowers.  9.1.15

Honeybees Foraging Chinese Chives Flowers.  9.1.15

Native Bee Foraging Marigold Flower.  9.1.15

Native Bee

Honeybee Foraging Chinese Chives Flowers.  9.1.15

Honeybees Foraging Sedum Flowers.  9.1.15

Buckwheat Stand.   About one month after sowing.  9.1.15

Honeybee on Marigold Flower.  9.1.15

Kitchen Garden. 9.1.15

Part of Kitchen Garden.  9.1.15

Kitchen Garden, ready for fall more or less.

I finished the first of two new raised beds for Chinese chives.  Those are reused cinder blocks.  Very easy.  I can add one or two or three...  blocks and call it a day.  Then the next day, or next week, add some more.  Soon enough, they are all in place.  The soil mix is mainly decomposed sod, molehills, and well aged chicken house compost, all from this yard.

I planted the first of the chive beds.   These are mainly from the prior one.  They needed refreshed soil, and needed dividing to regenerate the clumps.  Some were from a container that we sprouted last year in the sunroom, then had in the yard waiting to be replanted.  Some are volunteer from other raised beds.

I feel better, with all of beds either in use for producing something, or with cover crop for regenerating the soil and feeding the honeybees.

New Chinese Chive Raised Bed.  9.1.15

Kitchen Garden.  9.1.15

Its not Martha Stewart, but good enough. 

Fall Gardening in Kitchen Garden. 8.30.15

Garlic for planting.  8.30.15

 It may be early, but I planted the first of the garlic today.  These are cloves from this year.

Changes-
Instead of 8 per row, they are 6 per row.  Instead of 10 rows, there are 8.  I did that to give them more room.

It might be too early.  Last year I planted late and they did not get in much growth before the first freeze.  I can plant more in a few weeks.

This bed has the following rotation:

First Garlic Planting.  8.30.15

2013: strawberries
2014: strawberries.
2015: beans
2015: now, garlic.

I used the largest garlic heads.

I also cleaned up the 1/2 of an 8x8 bed that had E.W. Onions.  That got topped of with some yard soil and planted with buckwheat for green manure.

I started the 4x4 cinderblock bed that I have been gradually building, for replenishing the Chinese Chives.   Will progressively replant them into this bed over the next few weeks.  The soil is enriched with aged chicken compost, and a sprinkling of Epson salts and lime.  Prior testing showed my soil is acidic, and a bit low in calcium and magnesium.  I mixed the additives into the soil and watered to get it ready.

Bee forage. 8.16.15

Chinese Chive Bee Forage.  8.16.15

 Main bee forage currently is Chinese Chive.  They prefer Chinese chive to all other currently blooming flowers.  These are really pretty.  For the looks and bees, drought and freeze tolerance and sturdiness, this plant is an excellent flower border plant.  They are also delicious as a filling for the world's best Manchurian dumplings.

The borage is also foraged fairly heavily.

Not just honeybees.  Other larger and smaller pollen foraging insects, butterflies, moths, hoverflies, and small bees, forage the chives.

Sedum flowers are not open yet.  Bees find the few flowers that are almost open, and check them to see if they are ready yet.

Oregano is heavily foraged but in decline.  They will probably be done in a week.

Bees are ignoring California poppies.  Not on the marigolds much now, either.

Flower Bed For Bees.  8.16.15

Insects on Chinese Chives.  8.16.15

Despite what I read, the honeybees and other bees, ignored the nasturtiums.

They check penstemon without much enthusiasm. Maybe this cultivar is not tasty.  I don't know the cultivar name.

Parsley fell over and may not bloom.  Only one plant.

A flower border for bees is incredible fun.  The air is alive and active, with bees and other foraging the flowers.  So much more than a sterile, store bought, "designer" "HGTV" border.

Bee Forage. 8.9.15

French Marigolds with Foraging Bumblebees.  8.9.15

Container-Grown Milkweed.  8.9.15

 There is not a lot out there for bees to forage.  Dandelions are having a moderate bloom.  On the deck, the large containers of marigolds attract many bees, continuously.  Mostly bumblebees.  Given the dearth of bee forage now, I am thinking I should plant some big patches of marigolds next year.  Each flower produces a big crop of seeds, so it will cost nothing if I save the seeds.

It looks like they prefer gold to yellow or red.  I am not certain about that.

Milkweed has not reached bloom stage.  As a perennial, I did not expect that until next year.  The plant I grew in container is much larger and more robust, compared to the plants I grew in the ground.  There is a big diversity of size and appearance, in keeping with what were probably wild-collected seeds.

Chinese chive is a major attraction for honeybees, more than bumblebees.  This variety is the heirloom type I collected as seeds from my parents' yard in Illinois.  I know those were there for more than 45 years, because I was the one who planted them.  They survived the intervening decades without care, in fact my parents didn't like them, so just mowed along with the rest of the yard.  This variety - land race?- is smaller and much later blooming, compared to the commercial Chinese variety Ning obtained.   Both are good forage for bees.  I will collect more seeds from my Illinois Chinese Chive, intending to have a large patch of those for bee forage in a couple of years.

It's interesting to view the Chinese Chive next to some Wild Carrot.  Both flowers are white, with small flowers.  But the bees very much prefer the Chinese Chive.

The second wave of borage is blooming.  Smaller than the first wave.  Bees constantly forage the borage.  There are 3rd wave borage sprouting from seeds.

The Joe Pye Weed that I grew from seeds last winter, is making flower buds.  The Anise Hyssop that I grew from seeds is growing, but I doubt they will bloom this year.  Perennials are a 2-year investment in time and space, but once established, I don't have to start from seeds again.

Milkweed Plants Grown In Ground.  8.9.15

Honeybee on Chinese Chive.  8.9.15

Blooming Chinese Chive.  8.9.15

Bees Prefer Chinese Chive to Wild Carrot.  8.9.15

Red Sedum with Honeybees  8.9.15

Red Sedum with Honeybees.  8.9.15

Winter Puttering. 2.10.14

Borage 6.5.14

 No new photos today.  I puttered as much as my energy allowed.

Cleared up about 50 sq foot area in fig row, that I covered with black plastic last fall, to kill grass.  Now it's apparent the area was used by previous owners to dispose of fireplace ash.  The grass and weeds were thick so apparently not too toxic.  In the center of that area, I have already planted a start of "King" fig.  In the cleared portion, I smoothed with garden rake and scattered borage seeds for bee forage.

Borage grows rampantly.  Big lush, muscular, drought tolerant plants.  The honeybees and bumblebees both love it.  This is a much larger area, compared to last year's few borage plants.

I uncovered the rest of the killed grass.  That area needs some rain for softening, then some more borage seeds.

Between the fig trees in the row, I've laid down plastic to kill grass.  Each section is about 25 square feet.  I want to use each section for bee forage.

Borage with honeybee.  7.5.14

 Based on last year's results, other great bee forage plants include Phacelia "Bee friend", and Dutch clover.  Last year Dutch clover took over much of the yard.  It is not visible now, but I imagine when the warm weather hits, it will do so again.

I have also bought seeds for a patch of Crimson clover, and a patch of Agastache.  It's not a huge increase in the size of the bee forage area, but bigger than last year and with some more experiments.  All organic, no pesticides, no neonicotinoids, no round-up, just nature.

Borage.  7.5.14

I have also increased the amount of Chinese chives - another flower the bees love to forage.  Being perennial, all I need to do is save seeds and sow them.  Any that grow, are in addition to the existing clumps.

Borage with bumblebee.  7.5.14

Dutch Clover with honeybee.  7.5.15

Phacelia tanacetifolia "Beefriend"  6.22.14

 In addition to clearing that area, I planted a mini-dwarf Jonagold apple tree that I grafted last year, using sucker from rootstock of another minidwarf tree and scion from the top.  This is in a perennial, shrub, and herb border.  They are more ornamental than useful, but again, some bee forage, and a few apples should result.

I planted some Egyptian Walking Onions that were lying around sprouting.

Phacelia tanacetifolia "Beefriend"  6.22.14

I provided the last pre-spring nitrogen boost for young trees in the mini-orchard / food forest.  The trees that benefited were:  Two sweet cherries; 2 years old.  One North Star tart cherry.  2 years old.  Newly planted American persimmon, Yates; and 2 year old Nikita's Gift and Saijo persimmons.  The Saijo might be a mistake - near bearing size and I read nitrogen boost can call fruit fall.  All three of the three-year-old pawpaws.  Hollywood plum, 1 year old from cutting.

None of the plums got nitrogen boost, none of the peaches - those grow too rampantly as is, and are bearing size.  Rule of thumb for me - if bearing size, and last year's growth was more than a foot, then the extra nitrogen is probably not needed.  The plums grew more than 2 feet, and the peaches grew 2 to 3 feet, last year.  Ditto for Montmorency cherry.

There was some left over, so all of the fig trees in the fig row, south of the house, got nitrogen boost too.

"Nitrogen boost"  is euphemism for pee-cycling, or Urine Fertilizer.  In this case, I used 1:4 dilution.  One 1 liter, diluted, was watered in around each of  3 trees.

It's an early Spring.  Plum and peach buds are nearly open.  I hope we don't get a hard frost when they are susceptible.   If we do, we do.

Still anxiously awaiting Raintree nursery order and scion from Fedco.  Maybe end of the month.

borage. chinese chives. Bee forage. Borage. 7.4.14Chine.4.14

Bumblebee on borage.  7.5.14

Bees are actively foraging borage and Chinese chives.  The yard is bee paradise now.  The borage is massive.  I did fertilize with organic nitrogen earlier this year.

Next plan for Chinese chives is to have most in one raised bed, permanent.  A few will be planted around in the flower beds as ornamentals.

Honeybee on borage.  7.5.14

Chinese Chives.  7.4.14

Bee Forage. 6.29.14

Honeybee on Chinese Chives.  6.29.14

Honeybee on onion flower.  6.29.14

 Honeybees are foraging the yard actively.

They especially like Chinese chives, onion flowers, and Phacelia.   This is my first try at phacelia.  Very pretty and easy.

The bees are actively foraging Ning's wildflowers as well.

Honeybee on Phacela.  6.29.14

Wildflowers.  6.29.14

Ning's wildflower meadow.  6.29.14

Honeybees on Chinese Chives.   6.29.14

Phacela.  6.29.14

Progress Report. Rain. No Puttering. Grafting Illustrations. 3.26.14

It's been very rainy.  Constant rain for a week.  I'm concerned the plums and peaches may not pollinate.

When I use a small paintbrush on anthers there is no visible pollen.  Washed off.  Just water.

Today about 50F.  Inside poly tunnel raised bed, 55F.  Not enough sun to warm it up.  Portugal Red Pepper I moved a week ago looks OK, maybe some new growth.  Chinese chives a foot tall.

At about 3 weeks, only one Four O'clock from the first, room temp non-soaked batch has germinated.  At about 1 week, one Four O'clock from the second, soaked, seed-warmer batch germinated.  So now, so far, I have 2 plants.  Better than none.  It looks like another is beginning to push up seed growing medium.   Will keep them on the seed warmer a few weeks.   No conclusions.  Not a randomized, controlled, statistically analyzed trial.  I think the soaking and warming is probably beneficial.

On Grafting, so far the grafts look OK.  Slowly swelling buds on all.  None have shriveled.  With the cool wet weather, they might look OK if they have not taken.  Found some illustrations from Gutenberg.org which are available to everyone to download.

Whip and Tongue Graft Illustration.  Dr. John A Warder.  1867.  American Pomology.  Apples. 

Side Graft Illustration.  Dr. John A Warder.  1867. American Pomology.  Apples. 

Whip and Tongue Graft Illustration.  H. Harold Hume.  1906.  The Pecan and Its Culture.  

Cleft Graft Illustration.  H. Harold Hume.  1906.  The Pecan and Its Culture.