Playing with Gourds. 9.25.17

 These are birdhouse gourds that I grew last year.  I let them dry in the sunroom, where they developed discoloration, I assume from molds, as they dried.  When they dried completely, that growth stopped, leaving interesting colors and patterns.

This week I played a little, and sanded 2 of them with #220 sandpaper, then gave them a coat of oil - based, satin finish, polyurethane. 

I think they came out interesting.

There are several more to play with.  I think I'll try growing them again next year.  Our season is a little short and summer a bit cool, for optimum growth and production, but I liked what we did get.

Fall Fruits - First Harvest 9.23.17

The smaller red apples are Jonared. 

The small peaches are Charlotte, didn't do great this year but still, it's some fall peaches. 

The golden apples are Porter.  The large red/green apple is Sutton Beauty. 

Dark blue, Stanley Plums.

Various Asian pears.

At the center, an Asia/American pear hybrid, "Maxie".  Actually, not very good.  Maybe I didn't let it ripen enough.

Prime Ark Freedom Blackberries 9.16.18

 These are some of my first Prime-Ark Freedom blackberries.  I'm very impressed with the size, juiciness, sweetness, and flavor.  I have never seen such large blackberries.

Unfortunately, the deer like eating the plants.  I'm building a better enclosure for them.  I definitely want to see how they do next year.

Sweet Treat Pluerry and Hollywood Plums. 9.3.17Plum

Plums as of 9.3.17

Hollywood is almost overripe, and Sweet Treat are just coming into their prime.  Together, and along with some grapes, they make a great sweet fruit salad desert.

I didn't know what would happen with Sweet Treat.  There isn't much info out there on pollinators.  All I had blooming when Sweet Treat was in bloom, were Hollywood and Crimson Spire plums.  Apparently that was enough.  This is about year #4 for this tree, first substantial crop, a couple dozen plums.

Updates. 8.26.17

Blueberry Pie.  Mid Aug, 2017.

 I haven't been keeping up on the garden blog.  With historic high temperatures, no rain - expected this time of year - and deer issues, I haven't had the time. 

I'll come back and add some text later, but here are photos from the past couple of weeks. 

The blueberry harvest was great.  The difference between this year and previous years, was bird netting.  Made all the difference in the world.

I wondered if there would be sweet corn, due to the slow and irregular germination.  Plus rabbits eating a lot of the plants.  Now, there is a good harvest of sweet corn.

Sweet corn, beans, chilis.  Mid Aug, 2017.

 The beans that I recovered from 15 year old seeds, last year, are doing quite well.

Peppers are doing great in their cement block raised beds.  They do have deer protection fencing.

Two of the chestnut trees that I planted late winter, put on 3 to 4 feet of new growth.  The other one put on about 3 inches.  I'll sort out the varieties later.  They are well protected by deer fencing.

I wondered if I planted the onions too early.  They did amazingly well.  Huge onions.  The biggest were Ailsa Craig.  Growing from seeds, and planting early, definitely worked.

Sweet Corn, various planting times.  Mid Aug, 2017.

Russet Potato Harvest.  Mid Aug, 2017.

Chilis in cement block raised bed.  Mid Aug, 2017.

Chestnut tree, first year, mid Aug 2017.

Chestnut tree, first year, mid Aug 2017.

Ailsa Craig onions.  mid Aug, 2017.