Dog Dayz of August

It’s the first Monday in August 2020...must be time for a garden update! 

First of all, allow me to state the obvious: it is hot. And humid. When I clocked my morning walk today at 7:30, it was already 72° and 94% humidity. The forecast has a chance of rain today, but I’m not holding my breath...been there, waited in vain for that. You can probably tell how hazy that picture is. Hot and hazy.

Anyway...

It’s a good time to take stock of how this year is going in our gardens. One thing is certain, spending copious amounts of time in one’s gardens is a great pandemic survival technique! So, I will count “daily gardening” as a plus for this year so far.

We gathered an amazing amount of blackberries from the four 2-year old plants that are located in what we call “the fence garden.” It’s an area along the backyard wooden fence that runs north to south, which we have tried to protect from the dogs by adding a parallel wire fence, allowing for about three feet by thirty feet of fruit and flowers. Next year we hope to add some blueberries to the mix. The blackberries have finished for the year, so we will be cutting off the canes to prep for new growth for next year’s berries.

The year-old Rose garden is better than we’d initially thought, owing to our fear of losing so many new plants to the drought last Summer through Fall...when the poor babies had little to no established root systems. We did lose a few, but we’ve added six more from an auction of Alba’s roses (she the former president of the Gwinnett Rose Society who passed away late last year and who asked that her roses be auctioned for funds for the GGRS). Every single one of them seems to be thriving! And although the garden itself is starting to look weedy because it has been entirely too hot to work in it lately, it continues to give us bountiful blooms for our dinner table display. 

Also in the plus column was the decision to sow so many flowers in and around the kitchen gardens. The zinnias, marigolds, and sunflowers have been attractive assets, both in color and in being pollinator magnets. From mid-morning to early evening, we enjoy the activity of a record number of bees, butterflies, and birds. And we pack the vases of roses with many more colorful blooms!

In thinking about the Kitchen gardens, I think if I had to pick a veg winner this year, it would have to be our beans. We have picked enough to eat and to freeze...and given several “messes” to neighbors. I staggered planting several varieties, starting as early as March, and I pick them on a near-daily basis in order to keep the vines productive. 

However, a remarkably cold and wet April delayed planting of almost everything else, meaning all crops are behind schedule as far as production is concerned. And then Mother Nature turned up the heat and turned off the taps in July, meaning more stress on the already-stressed tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and corn. More stress=less...and smaller...produce. Sigh.

Still we continue to enjoy our little slice of Heaven on Earth here in Georgia...hot and humid as it may be. I am spending some time, researching plants to create a Dye Garden, hoping to make a match between two of my favorite activities: gardening and knitting. Speaking of knitting...here’s a picture of a recently-completed cotton shawl that was done for a Ravelry Mystery Knitalong (MKAL) called “Dog Dayz.” Timely, yes?

Anyway...again...

I’ve identified the area of the yard that will be converted from lawn to flowers, and I’ve started purchasing seeds to start the plants for Fall. I’ve also designated my old crockpot for a dye-pot, and I’m researching how to create dyes from the plants I grow as well as how to dye different yarn fibers. More on that at another time...

Between now and then, though, we came up with a rather unique way to both kill the grass in that area AND beat the heat of August: a play pool on any old rug! Missy M ordered it to be delivered here in time for her week-long staycation this week; Mr. T aired it up with the air compressor; and we filled it and hopped in yesterday! Ahhhh...

Beginning...Again

I'll admit it.  I've neglected this blog...far too long.  Last year (2010) was spent in the garden, not posting about the garden.  Today, that changes.  Beginning of the year.  Beginning of new habits.  Perfect time of the year to get in the habit ("...that thing which we repeatedly do") of writing my gardening articles on a regular basis.



The Garden, Year One (2009): 
Ten tomato plants, ten pepper plants.  And, Ducky.

 To recap, we are now beginning the third year of a four-year plan to turn the undeveloped half-acre in the rear of our suburban property into a productive and beautiful garden space.  We commonly refer to this space as the Way Back, which is located under Duke Power transmission lines.  We are fortunate that we only have the lines over our property; there are no transmission towers to contend with, thank goodness. Still, because they have an easement on that area of our property, there are some challenges to reach our gardening goals.  This blog is all about meeting those challenges head-on...and achieving our goals.

The basic plan is this:  we've divided the whole Way Back into four quadrants, bisected by a wide, central, mulched path.  Quadrant 1 is in the lower left as viewed from the gate, beginning on the north side of the picket fence.  Quad 2 is on the lower right.  Quad 3 is in the upper left, and Quad 4 is in the upper right.

Quads 1 and 2 are designated for vegetable and flower gardens, and have been the main focus of the past two years' work (2009 and 2010).  Quad 3 is to be the orchard and will be this year's main project (2011) .  Quad 4 is to be the berry patch and will be the main focus for next year (2012).  For folks who move, on average, every three years, making a four-year plan is quite a committment.  Making it happen will be just shy of a miracle!

So, what can you do in the garden in January, you ask?  Well, just like with personal habits, it's the month to take a look back at what worked in the garden last season/Summer, and then to make plans and set goals for the coming months.

Since it is so cold and damp outside at present, I am reviewing the photos I took of the garden this past season to refresh my memory.  When the weather warms up a bit, I plan to take a Coffee Walk (that's what I call my early morning stroll through the Way Back, where the garden space is located) with a small notepad in hand; I'll jot down some notes of things I want to do again...and things I want to change.

To keep it simple, I'll mention three things that worked great for us in the second year of the four-year plan:



Garden Year Two (2010):
Adding the wide center path

1.  We laid out the garden around a wide central path that leads to an area we call the Rondel (an oval-shaped area, directly under the center of the transmission lines.)  The path gives much-needed definition to the planting areas.  It is lined with recycled newspapers, covered with hardwood mulch; this keeps the weeds to a minimum.  It is also wide enough to accommodate the wagon and the wheelbarrow, making it easy to brings bags of garden soil amendments and mulch close to the spot where they will be used.  The Rondel (an idea we got from P. Allan Smith's TV gardening program) is where our resident pot-person, Hyacynth Bucket presides over the bounty.  Although the photo (right) does not show it, we lined the sides of the path with the rocks and stones that we removed from the planting areas.  More than one person has remarked on that little feature!

The Right Veggie Garden, Year Two (2010):
Adding amendments; setting up wide rows;
and creating a bean trellis (like Old Salem)

2.  We added loads of amendments to the (at times, rock-hard) clay soil, and we figured out how to get water to the area.  This area has not been worked or planted in years...if ever.  Duke Power whacked down any trees that sprouted and grew above their stated limit of 15 feet; any vegetation that lived was on its own for moisture and nourishment.  Remember:   there is no faucet to easily provide water to the Way Back.  Solution:  we had our sprinkler guy come put a faucet-like nozzle on one of the sprinkler heads, which he had re-positioned to be nearest to the garden.  Now, I can attach a feeder-hose from the nozzle to the web of soaker-hoses that snake through the rows and schedule watering of the whole area when the sprinkler goes off.  This is important because the water that comes through the sprinkler system is metered separately from the water that goes to the house; sprinkler-system water isn't charged the sewer fee...which is typically twice the amount of the charge for the water fee!





Garden in Summer 2010:
Flourishing peas and corn;
Rondel and Hyacynth are visible



3.  We planted the garden using wide rows, mulching them with leaves, with cardboard moving boxes, and with straw.  The leaves we got from our own and our neighbors' oak trees when they fell in the previous Fall.  The cardboard moving boxes came from our move to NC.  It's all good!

In addition to the wide rows, we added the use of row covers to length our growing season and provide us with a fall crop of lettuce.  How exciting!  We'd never had a fall crop before, so this was really a keeper as far as we are concerned.  We will also use row covers in the spring and summer in an effort to control pests without using pesticides.





Visiting the gardens at Old Salem, NC

4.  We took some time out to visit other gardens. OK, that's a fourth thing, but very important.  I got the idea for the wide central path from the kitchen garden at Biltmore Estates, and we were encouraged in mixing vegetables and flowers in our garden by the ones we saw in Old Salem.

In the next post, I'll outline some things I want to do differently in the coming season.  Meanwhile, take some time to review your own photos...or, if you are fortunate enough to have warmer weather than we have, get out in your garden for a walkabout.  Take good notes...there'll be a test!  (Just kidding, of course...:)

Happy Hoeing!



Gardening with the Giants

This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship...I hope! As lovers of plants by nature and gardeners by choice, we are setting out on a journey here at our new home in North Carolina...and this blog will be our chronicle.

Our home sits on the front 2/5 of a somewhat unusual subdivision lot...starting with about 90 feet across the front (south), radiating to about 128 feet across the back property line (north), joined by nearly 275 feet down one side (left/west) and over 288 feet down the other side (right/east). But, it's not the property lines, nor their irregularity, that make this lot unusual. It's the Giants that loom over the back 2/5 of the property. You see, we have Duke Power Transmission lines crossing our property in the area we now call the Way Back (yard). While we are fortunate to not have the actual towers in our yard (see photo, right), we do have multiple lines overhead. These present both challenges and opportunities.

When we first started to tame the wild overgrown area that will one day become our vegetable garden, along with several "flower garden rooms," I searched the internet for suggestions...experiences...mere mentions...of how other folks have approached gardening under transmission lines. To my surprise and dismay, I found very little information indeed.

As always, we intend to "make lemonade outta the lemons." This blog will be a record of our gardening activities on our property, including how we handle our own Giants...and create a beautiful and productive suburban garden in the process. Hopefully, it will serve as a source for others who are attempting...or who have thought about attempting...taming the overhead Goliaths and peacefully coexisting with their masters...the regional power company, with all their rules and regulations on what one can and cannot plant on one's own property.

Stay tuned!