Thursday, August 20, 2020

Zinnias. 8.20.2020

 This year I didn't do as well with zinnias.  Something ate the first batches that I planted, and the second group never really took off.  Finally I bought a six-pack, which was so root-bound that I had doubts about the viability.  However, they grew and some of the earlier seedlings are starting to bloom too.

So far, there hasn't been much honeybee activity in the zinnias.  Not like, say, alliums, poppies, milkweeds, etc.


No a zinnia, but an African marigold.  It's not supposed to have single flowers.  They rest of the plants have fully double flowers.  But I like this one more than those.  I think I'll save seeds from it.

More zinnias, this time from the seeds that I planted.  On the side is a "wild" petunia.


Four O'Clocks. 8.20.2020

 When I first started growing Four O'Clocks, I thought they might be difficult to grow.  I planted the seeds inside, coddled them, transplanted, gave them TLC.  Now, having grown them for many years, I usually just plant the seeds directly in the garden.  This year I didn't even try.  Within the vegetable garden are volunteers that grew from volunteers that grew from  volunteers.  I transplanted some, left some where they were.  They turned out very nice.

I don't think I ever bought or planted pink 4 O'clocks, but here they are.  

These red ones are a very rich color, quite lovely.

I think I planted this yellow one in front of the house a few years ago.  It comes up every year.

Honeybees generally stay away from 4 O'clocks, but there can be exceptions.  It's possible that the flowers bloom before the bees are active, and close up too early.

This year I want to save seeds separately for each color.  They are all nice, and have an antique feel to them.

Dahlias. 8.20.2020

 I grew these dahlias in the vegetable garden.  There, they were safe from deer and rabbits.  I didn't tie them up very well, and the garden is crowded, but some came out very nice.

 


 

First Taste of First Redlove® Calypso® Apple

 This was the first apple from my first-leaf Redlove® Calypso® apple tree.  The apple fell off the small tree, so I took that as a signal it was not going to ripen further.

Some precautions -

First year fruits are not always reliable indicators of the future fruits from the same tree.  Next year, this tree might have larger, sweeter fruits.  Or it might not.

This fruit might not have fully ripened.  The tree does have two other fruits.  Maybe they will ripen further.

A small tree may not be able to support full ripening.

That said, this small (about silver dollar size) apple was colorful on the inside.  The  flesh had a crisp, juicy texture.  It was not astringent or bitter.  What it was, was very tart - like a lemon candy.  Or a pineapple, or grapefruit, but crisp.




Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Peach Bud Graft Took and Growing. 8.11.2020

 This is the leaf curl resistant "Sunny Day" peach that I did patch grafts.  I think they both took, but the heat was too much and I was unable to look after them for a while.  One started growing, but the other one dried out and baked.  I think I'll just let them alone except for watering and shelter, and cut the top from the one that took, next Spring.  I might keep the other one for another graft attempt next year.




Garlic. 8.11.2020

 The bigger garlic heads are Music, the smaller ones are Spanish Roja, I think.  I'll save about 5 of the largest to plant next year.  Raised bed, inside fence, made a big difference.  Animals didn't eat them and they did really well.  The fall planted ones were bigger than the spring planted ones/


Saving Poppy Seeds. 8.11.2020

 These are Shirley poppies.  It's interesting how many seeds one can collect from the pods, even though the pods seem small.  I'll continue saving them, since the honeybees like them so much and there aren't as many other bee forage plants blooming now.



Some Flowers. 8.11.2020

 The Four O'Clocks are all volunteer. I moved a few seedlings this Spring and left the rest where they were.  I think they are a few generations past the original seed packet now.  There were only two yellow flowered plants.  I want to save those seeds, so I labeled them.  They are open-pollinated so who knows what the seedlings will be.  Honeybees don't seem to like them.  Despite being Four O'Clocks, they seem to bloom best in the am so should be "Nine Am O'Clocks".  :-)

This dark one is especially brilliant.  It's not a pure red.  I think the marble types interbred with the pure color types.

These are wild petunias.  The flowers are the same size as the Four O'Clocks, but the leaves are very different.  Also, they stay open in the afternoon, when the Four O'Clock flowers are closed.


I just like taking photos of flowers with bees.

I didn't think the honeybees were into dahlias, but this time there were a few.



Rufus Got A Haircut. 8.11.2020

 Before and after.  I wanted to take him to a groomer because he is very strong and Mr. Squirmasaurus and I'm still recovering from surgery.  However, when I took him there, the waiting area was a tiny enclosed space and there were three women struggling with three very large pitbulls.  And none of those people were wearing masks.  Not wanting to contract coronavirus just to have him groomed, I took him home and did it myself and here we are.  Not the best grooming job, but then again no viruses were contracted in this bath and haircut.  All that wool will go into the compost, lots of Nitrogen and Sulfur.

After.   I guess in the time of coronavirus, casual clothes are accepted.

Before the haircut.  Where's the dog under all that wool?



Garden Update. 11 Aug 2020.

 Lots of food and collecting seeds.  Shirley poppy seed heads are becoming light brown, so I cut them off and place them, pod down, into glass jars.  The dry seeds fall into the jar for collection.  It works out almost the same for garlic chives.

Harvest:  beans, potatoes, cucumbers, a few peppers, blackberries, a few figs, Asian pears.


Here is a cucumber salad I made, all but onions from the victory garden.


Here are some Roma beans.   I love these.  They are great, stir fried or air fried with a little seasoned salt, garlic, oil.

Here are some Chinese beans, from many (20?) years of home-saved seeds.  Tasty and "meaty", similar in a way to Romas but a more distinctive flavor.

Lots of big cucumbers.  Next year, try one or two plants instead of three.  These might be hybrid so 
I'm not sure if I want to save seeds.

Triple Crown Blackberries.  Of the ones I've grown, more productive, better flavor, juicier than almost any other.  This year I will cull out the inferior Arapaho, Babycakes, and maybe Prime Ark Freedom.


I big Brunswick fig.  This tree's production is miserly, but requires almost no maintenance and I have room, so I leave it there.  The figs are huge and sweet, when they ripen.

Still lots of summer squash.


Friday, August 07, 2020

Garden Update 7 Aug 2020

 I haven't been posting everything.  We have had some good stuff for the kitchen, out of the garden.  I guess since this is the "Coronavirus war", this is my "Victory Garden".  In addition to the photos, we are getting a lot of bush beans, especially Dragon's Tongue, a spotted thicker Roma type bean.

Breba figs are ripening.  The big brown fig is a Brunswick, which rarely gives anything.  The others are all Desert King, very flavorful and sweet.  Both trees are cutting-grown. Neither gets any supplemental water any more.


Kennebec Potatoes.  This row us providing about 3 pounds per plant.  These are very good.  Eight plants in a row gives about 24 pounds per row.  These are great air fried or baked.

Triple Crown blackberries.  For productivity, flavor, size, juiciness, Triple crown beat, by far, all of my other varieties- Arapaho, Prime Ark Freedom, Ebony King, Babycakes.
The first tomatoes of the year.  Sungold and Bush Early Girl.  OK, Early Girl did beat the other slicing tomatoes, with no other ripening ones on the vine yet.  Haven't tasted it yet. 


Wednesday, August 05, 2020

Gardening Update. 5 Aug 2020.

I haven't taken photos of the harvests.  The garlic is all harvested, and we have been digging lots of potatoes.  Beans are doing well.

Here are some flowers.  This flower bowl with dianthus, petunias, and others, is doing well.

Many of the honeybee flowers are done.  The most activity now is on a few remaining poppies, oregano, and a few onions.  That's not enough to sustain the bees.  I planted the garlic bed, about 4 by 8 feet, with phacelia seeds, and a former iris bed, about 5 by 6 feet, with buckwheat.  I don't know if these well be helpful, or just serve as a cover crop.  I usually plant disturbances, such as molehills, with clover seeds.

I'm not adapting well to the change in the Blogger platform.  I will continue trying.  I may have to stop labeling, and just allow the search function.  The new label function is too difficult for me.


Sedum Planter.  No watering this summer, doing well.  Honeybees love the sedum flowers.  8.5.2020


I think the poppies start with a lot of pollen.  The honeybees mob the pollen - laden flowers, then when it's gone, that's that.  I'm starting to save seeds from these Shirley poppies for next year.


The oregano is one of the last flowers of the summer, that honeybees really love.  It's difficult to take a photo - these flowers are full of motion.  My plan is to divide them again this fall, for more plants next year.


These onions didn't do well at all, so I let them bloom.  Honeybees love all allium flowers.


These are garlic chives that finished blooming and are starting to set seeds.  Honeybees love these too, so the plan is to collect the seeds and plant more next year. 


Another Shirley poppy with lots of pollen for honeybees.

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Sempervivum and Sedum. 7.28.2020

This Spring I stuck a lot of cuttings from Sedums I had around the yard, into this planter by the mailbox. I also planted a start from the Sempervivum from my parents (grandparents before them). I think this is one of my favorite garden details now. The sedum cuttings take almost no effort - just cut pieces from the old plants, use a stick to make holes and stick the cuttings into the holes. I barely even watered them.
This spring I stuck cuttings of sedums, and a start of sempervivum, into this planter by the mailbox.  7.28.2020

Chestnut Graft. 7.28.2020

Late last winter I grafted chestnut varieties onto branches of the Marissard seedling chestnut tree. The reason is that tree is about 15 feet tall and still not blooming. They all appeared to take, but when I unwrapped one of the Marigoule grafts, it fell off. So that one appeared noncompatible. This Marivale graft looked OK and continues to look good. These were all whip and tongue grafts.

This tree is upwind of the others.  I want it to at least produce some pollen for those trees.  Marissard is not considered a pollen producer, although it's hard to know what a seedling would do.  If I had it to do over again, I would not have used that variety or a seedling, but I don't have it to do over again.  So attempting grafts is the next best thing to try.

Maravale Graft on Marissard Seedling Chestnut Tree. 7.28.2020

Maravale Graft on Marissard Seedling Chestnut Tree. 7.28.2020

Saving Seeds. Taiwan Sugar Snow Pea. 7.28.2020

This Spring I planted some old Taiwan Sugar snow pea seeds that I saved about 6 or so years ago.  About 2/3 of them germinated and grew. They were earlier and the plants were smaller, about 4 to 5 feet, compared to the Oregon Spring ones that I grew, about 6 to 7 feet tall.  It was hard to find new seeds of these online, so I saved seeds again.   Some are brown with crispy shells, which I think is how they should be.  Some are green and larger pea, but the shell is brown.  I think those need  a longer drying time.

These are the dried and drying snowpea pods.  I think the ones that are not fully dry will be OK once they are dried out. 7.28.2020

These are the shelled snowpea seeds.  I will let them dry some more then store them in an envelope.  7.28.2020