Many of the Bearded Irises are Blooming Beautifully. 5.14.2021

 It's interesting, how nice they are with no effort on my part.  Most of these are historic varieties and most are hand me downs via the curb side "Free Iris Rhizome" freecycle method.  I've given away many that way too.

I still need to learn how edit better on Ipad or add the names on my lap top computer.

Beverly Sills

Curbside Hand Me Down

Immortality

A modern type but I forget the name.

Another Curb Side Hand Me Down.

This was a Curb Side Hand Me Down, many years ago.  I'm certain the variety is "Accent.

Another Hand Me Down.

Iris dalmatica

A "Found in the dog park illegally dumped" Hand Me Down.  Quite Lovely.

This variety is modern, "Red Dirt Road".

Planting a New "Meteor" Pie Cherry. 5.13.2021

 After the neighbor's gigantic, majestic, aged apple tree fell on some of the trees, I ordered a "Meteor" pie cherry to replace the injured "North Star" pie cherry.  The North Star may still survive, but I had a spot and it takes a while for a tree to gear fruit.

Meteor is described as a genetic dwarf, reaching 10 or 12 feet or so, heavy producer, self pollinating tart cherry.

This was from Burnt Ridge.  I think the have the best quality bare root fruit trees around.  This one was no exception to that.

I am intrigued by the sprouts on the rootstock.  I cut them off.  This rootstock - Mazzard - may be one tat makes a lot if suckers.

Sewing New Cadet Caps. 5.12.2021

 Cadet caps can be ideal for someone who doesn't have a protective pad of hair on top of their head.  Like me.  For some reason, I keep hitting the top of my gead on cabinet doors and tree limbs etc.  That causes injured scalp.   Purchased baseball caps and similar often have no padding for scalp, they have a coarse, rough inside, plus have a button or rivet in the center.  Hitting ones head on that feels like being struck with a ball peen hammer, painful and causes skin tear, bleeding, and scab.

A cadet cap has a one piece fabric top.  No center rivet or button.  By adding a quilted layer to the top, it's protective.  A few months ago, I sewed a few flannel cadet caps, with quilted tops.  Those are protective and comfortable, and warm.  They are also easily washable and can go into the dryer.  Flanell does cone out a bit unkempt after laundering.  With warmer weather, I wanted some different caps.  Something less warm, but durable Nd easy to wash and dry like any other clothing.

I made this one using denim harvested from a pair of thrift store jeans.  The lining is quilting cotton, for lightness and absorption and air exchange.  However, being heavy denim this cap is still quite warm.

This denim was at the outer limit of thickness and stiffness that my sewing machine and skills can handle. I sewed the quilted top to the inside liner before sewing the liner  the outer shell.  I was not able to sew in a sweat band.  The top is a little lumpy.  However, these caps become somewhat form fitting.

I made the bill using the same heavy / semi stiff interfacing as before.  It makes a somewhat flexible bill that I like.  

During the winter I bought some duck fabric on line.  I used that to make a second cap.  This time, no hat band.  The sides of the liner are the same fabric, and the top of the liner is a sandwich of muslin / thin quilt batting / muslin.  The sides also have a thin fusible interfacing for a little stiffness.

I like this cap much better.  It's lighter and cooler.  I don't  care as much for the stitching I added to the top, but maybe that will look better on washing. I have more duck fabric, so might make another without that extra stitching.

Delicata and Pink Banana Squash Seedlings. 5.12.2021

 About a week ago, reading about squashes, I decided to plant some Delicata squash seeds.  Delicata is a pepo species squash, so on saving seeds will need isolation from Zukes which are also pepos.

One seed germinated from the packet.  I dont think they were all that old.   Maybe two or three years?  Anyway, where one seed germinates, there is hope and that can be all it takes.

One of the Pink Banana Squash attempts has finally yielded seedlings.  This is from seeds that I saved from last year's plants.  No way to know until the fruits form, if they are pure PBS.  My home saved seeds were bigger and plumper than those I bought in previous years.  Maybe that's a factor.  If the newest ones or other attempts grow, I'll also plant those seedlings.

PBS is a maxima species squash, so last years squash might have mixed with Kuri, Galeux, or Kabucha which were nearby at the time.   Those genetics will be easy to spot, if that is the case.

This is potentially a good squash year.  I already have seedlings I the ground, growing vigorously.  I didn't expect that for two or three more weeks.

Time to start thinning apples. 5.12.2021

 Some of the apples set fruit very well.  The clusters needs to be thinned so that there is one apple per cluster, and separate by about 4 to 6 inches.  Thinning makes for larger, sweeter, earlier, more flavorful apples, less limb breakage and more likely to bear next year.  It's a good reason to have small size trees or espaliers, since a big tree would be too much and possibly dangerous to work due to the need for ladders.

This is a North Pole cluster, before and after thinning.  I use a kitchen shears.  Today I thinned North Pole, Liberty, Gravenstein, and some of the pear trees.   The earlier the better, so I'll be thinning for a week or two.  I use kitchen shears.