Potato and Four O'Clock Update. 5.25.22

 I planted this row of Four O'clocks in a narrow wedge shaped  next to the fence in a sort of "Hell Strip" area, too narrow to mow and difficult to care for, especially watering.  I grew squashes there last year.  I also planted a row of early potatoes (Envol), which I hope will be done before most of the heat and watering season start.  

Today I filled the potato trenches by about 2/3 and cultivated the rest.  I also gave both some general purpose fertilizer.

The far end is only a foot between fences.  I may resort to landscape fabric to keep that part relatively clean.

First Sweet Corn is Finally Planted. 5.25.22

 This is about two weeks later than last year.  With the cool weather, that might not be a setback.  This is a new variety for me, "Orchard Baby".  Apparently the ears are short, just five to six inches long, two ears per plant, and the plants are only three to five feet tall.  Ready in 65 days, which is very early (and here possibly more like 80 days).  Victory Seeds description.  Baker Creek Seeds description.  Mine came from Baker Creek.  These originate in Canada and were sold by a North Dakota seed company, so should be adapted to my latitude, and short season.

The rows need protection from birds, rabbits, deer until about a foot tall.  Then they are OK.  I planted close and will thin.  My experience is I often have low germination, maybe birds get the seeds anyway,

I'll probably plant another variety in two weeks.  I'm thinking Early Sunglow Hybrid, which is a bit larger, about the same season length (68 days) and also not as water and is more "corn flavored" than more modern supersweet varieties.

Blooming. 5.25.22

 This was sold as a cranberry bush but I don't know for certain.

Rhododendron, probably 50 years old.

Laburnum

Viburnum

Lilac

Not blooming, but colorful Japanese Maples.

Most of the Peppers are Planted. 5.24.22

 Planted, with irrigation and paper mulch in place.

I added a large container for three more, and am setting up a second one.

Blooming. 5.24.22

 Horseradish

Some Irises

Weigela

Starting Annual Flowers and Pickle Cukes. 5.23.22

 I set up containers flower seeds - French marigolds (my saved seeds), African marigolds, Thunbergera, Cosmos, Cleome.  This year I was going to grow flowers even if it kills me LOL.  

I also planted bush cucumbers seeds, for pickles.  Next, to plant nasturtiums and zinnias directly.

Today's Gardening. 5.23.22

 I had a long task list, got through a fair amount.

Filling in growing soil for the first container potatoes, and almost filled in for the second ones.

One of the containers was filled with a commercial soil that I just wanted to use for the first potatoes container.  I finished emptying it out.  I didn't refill it yet with the looser soil that I want to use for its next occupant, which will be a pair of Serrano pepper plants.

I finished planting peppers in the pepper raised bed.  Three Early Jalapeños, two Banana peppers, three Thai Dragon peppers and a Cayenne.  I still have Serranos, some Jalmundos (a giant Jalapeño type), and a Tabasco to plant, and some to give away.  The drip lines are installed and 1/2 of the paper mulch.

I also transplanted a half dozen Rudbeckias, planted the three Rosemary cuttings that have grown roots, and did some work on the squash bed.  Enough for one day.

A Loaf of Sandwich Bread. 5.23.22

 I used the mixer to make a batch of pizza dough.  That's just flour, water, yeast, a little salt.  I kneaded it together, let it rise.  Now it needs to age a little in the fridge, up to a week, maybe two.

Then I made a loaf of sandwich bread.  I used a recipe on the King Alfred flour website. This bread has potato flour and milk powder as dough conditioners, and some butter.

I made a mistake and cut the butter back by 1/3 without adding liquid to replace the difference.

The dough was a bit dry.  I realized my mistake and kneaded in a little more water.  It was a bit lumpy before rising.

I realize that dough hooks have been around for a generation of two, but I have always kneaded by hand.  I like being part of the process, and feeling the dough texture with my hands.  That is becoming more difficult, and it's more messy that kneading in a bowl, so the mixer is worth a try.  Cleanup is also easier.

Since the surface was a little lumpy so I kneaded a few times by hand.  Let it rise until very puffy, punch down, made into loaf and let it rise again.  I cut some slices across the top.

It came out really nice.

The bread is maybe a little crumbly inside.  Maybe I over-kneaded.  The flavor was excellent and it was  very tender.

More Forsythia Cuttings. 5.23.22

 A few months ago I forced some forsythia flowers, and kept them to see if they would grow roots.  All I did was shorten the lower end when growth started at leaf nodes, to get some of those new nodes under water.

These are a modern, shorter variety with larger flowers.   I don't know the name.  Rooting ranged from lots of big roots to none.  It's easy to see that new roots often emerge at the nodes, often where there is new stem growth at those nodes.

These are an old historic variety, which is what I'm using for the hedge.

I really didn't try.  I just filled the water jars when the level was low.  The goal is to have the plants close together in the hedge.  I think these will grow, with a little extra watering for the next month.  Eventually, I want it to be a privacy hedge.

Making a Small Water Feature. 5.21.21

 I've been wanting a small water feature to give a calming  atmosphere in my garden.  I haven't found what I wanted, so I'm making one from a ceramic planter.

The inside is unsealed clay, and it has two large holes that need to be sealed.  I'm using self adhesive rubber patches, and liquid rubber sealant.

The  I sprayed with white rubber sealant.

I messed up an area, so will get some more rubber sealant spray and repeat.  I think this will work.  I ordered a floating, solar powered mini fountain, and it will stand on a bird bath pedestal that is missing its bird bath.

Today's Gardening. 5.21.22

Today I installed and tested the drip irrigation system for the sauce tomatoes. They will also need a  support system - my idea is to make a horizontal trellis, using bamboo.  Then they should be almost no maintenance until harvest in Aug or Sept.

Here is Rufus inspecting the fresh eating tomato plants.  I ran the irrigation for an hour.  With the warmer weather, the leaves are greening up as I hoped.  Several have blossoms.

A couple of the irrigation fittings have popped off with the water pressure.  I used a zip tie and zip tie gun to tighten the  better.  Time will tell.  These valves may not be meant for this hose but they were a lot cheaper than the brand name valves.

I laid black plastic for one of the squash beds.  It's about 3/4 done now.  I have last year's experience to tell me that they grow and produce amazingly well with a black plastic mulch, and weeding problems drop to almost zero.  These will also get drip irrigation this year.  I ordered some more tubing for that.

I also installed a cedar trellis for the Honeynut butternut squashes.  I haven't grown them before.  Here is its Wikipedia page.  I also haven't grown squashes on a trellis.  

I suppose, if the squashes look too heavy for  the vine, I can make little hammocks for them.

Lemon Sugar Cookies. 5.21.22

 Today I made a batch of the usual peanut butter cookies.  Then I made a batch of Lemon Sugar Cookies.  The recipe was on the back of a flour package, Bob's Red Mill, and can be found here.  I don't know if it is copyrighted so I linked.

Here is how they came out.

These have a flavor and texture similar to Madelines.   I like them better than the Madelines that I made.  The contain zest from an entire lemon, plus 2 tbsp of the juice.  The recipe stated it made two dozen.  I though it would make more, but it was exactly two dozen.  Very tasty, lemony cookies.

I wonder if the same recipe could be used, but substitute a Mandarin orange or Tangerine for the lemon juice.  It would need to be as acidic for them to rise so nicely.

Mounding Up Container Potato Plants. 5.20.22

 Today I mounded up the grocery Red potato plants, and less so for the container Envol potato plants.

Planting Sauce Tomatoes. 5.20.22

 I was anxious to get the sauce tomato plants planted.  Today I cleaned up the raised bed for them, planted them, and applied kraft paper mulch.

I think next year I'll grow about half as many.  This year is an experiment to see which varieties do better, and whether the home-saved Roma VF seeds give a good crop.  I get the drip irrigation installed next.

Today I Completed the Batik Quilt. 5.19.22

Today I trimmed off the excess batting and backing, sewed together the binding and sewed on the binding.  After washing, here is the quilt.  It's about seven feet by seven feet, good for a queen size bed.

I think I started this quilt March 2021.  I wanted to try a disappearing nine patch for some time, so here it is.  It's  change in style from the more traditional quilts I've made, and much more colorful.

Quilt is Almost Done. Batik Disappearing Nine Patch. 5.17.2022

No garden today.  I had to be around for contractors and fuss over sick Rufus.  He seems to be improving.

I used the indoor time to finish the quilting for the batik disappearing nine patch quilt,

This is a description of how a disappearing nine patch works.

Here is the actual traditional nine patch quilt that I finished earlier this year.

Back to the current project, I opted for the modern quilting concept of sewing parallel lines.  

I think parallel lines are a good choice for this modern, geometric quilt with colorful fabrics.  It can be tedious, sewing lines repeatedly.  I used painters' tape to help me keep the lines mostly straight.

I finished all of the quilting.  

Now I need to trim off the excess batting and backing, nice and even with the quilt top, then sew on the binding which makes a nice border and edge for the quilt.  I chose plain black cotton fabric, which I think will make kind of an elegant binding.

I did not prewash the fabric.  When it is washed, I hope the washing and drying will give it a kind of crinkly quilted look.  Sometimes it works.

Chocolate Chip Cookies. 5.25.22

I made Betty's (Betty Crocker) Chocolate Chip cookies today.  We had pecans so I used those instead of walnuts.  The chips were something like 65% cacao.

Actually, I did like the last batch where I used chopped peanuts instead of walnuts.  They are all good.

My oven needs two or three minute more than the recipes state.

The bag of flour had  recipe for lemon cookies.  Maybe those are next.

Extremely Pruned Hardy Chicago Fig Tree Alive. 5.15.22

 This is the Hardy Chicago fig tree that I gave a major workover in mid March.  The final result looked like this:

I wondered if I killed it.  Now most, or all, of the branches have big swelling buds.

Harder to see, below.  But they are there too.

Give it a few weeks.  Fig trees are very resilient.  Assuming these branches continue growing, they should be tipped at about a foot, and then at another foot.  This variety bears on new growth, so maybe...