Long time...No See

Hello again! It’s been far too long since my last post. And in the intervening years (has it truly been 4 years?!?), we moved from North Carolina to Georgia...so, all new gardens to talk about. I will take the next few posts to catch you up, but for now... I just wanted to jump back in to my blogging journey at my current spot. It’s the first of June, 2020, so that means posting my “first of the month” photo. And here it is:

First of the Month Photo: June 2020

Well, that looks very different from the title photo, doesn’t it? Yes, when we retired, we downsized from 2500 square feet of row gardens with a few raised beds to about 500 square feet of raised beds (unimaginatively called the Raised Bed Garden or RBG) and containers (located mostly in the Garden Pen). You might notice a different pup, too. That’s Logan, my pointer mix garden guard guy...we adopted him in 2017 after we moved to our smaller abode in Loganville (called Casa 303), where we helped our hearts heal after having to say an unexpected goodbye to Abbie (who developed cancer of the spleen).

Logan is one of four current members of Our Drool Gang, the others being Winston (you remember him...Aussie mix); Pepper (another Georgia adoptee...supposed to have been part black lab; turned out to be mixed with either Great Dane or Appaloosa); and Rowan (the family basset hound...you know we have to have one, right? He is technically Missy M’s dog, but he has lived with us since he arrived...when he bonded with then-puppy Pepper.) All of that is to say, if we want to grow anything here, it must be protected by a fence or barrier of some sort. Sigh. We do what we must, right? At least we do not have a deer problem!

As we near the 3rd anniversary of closing on this property, I’m happy to report we have made great strides in putting down roots and making this our own. We started with excellent bones, including mature landscape with trees (including a gorgeous magnolia), flowering shrubs (like the gardenias ), and fencing around the rear and sides, as well as well-established bermudagrass lawn, front and back.

The first thing we added was the garden shed...the exact model as we built in HPNC...but we paid a bit extra to have this one built onsite for us.

Then, Mr. T built the U-shaped, hip-high raised beds...and we promptly enclosed the RBG with a gate. After one season, we knew we needed more growing area that could be a bit more adaptable to changing needs...and the (enclosed) Garden Pen was born. This year, he added a newer version of a feature of the Wayback Garden in HPNC that we missed (visible in the title photo): the tuteur!

Additionally we have planted our roses in our side yard, visible from our Coffee Room just off the kitchen. And we have recently tested the waters to see if any can survive the Backyard Dogs by adding 4 container specimens we bought at a recent estate sale of the former Prez of our local Rose Society. Mr. T took inventory last week of the survivors after the first winter: 33 bushes. Half of the number we had in High Point, but that’s ok...especially when it comes time to do the monthly rose care chores. One of the 6 successful transplants from the HPNC Rose Garden includes Don Juan, in full bloom on a trellis as I write this.

Don Juan

And you know we have our share of irises and day lilies...many brought as transplants when we moved. This is the first year to bloom in their new home for several...and we are doing our best to chart their new locations around the property.

Forever Redeemed 

Elvis’s Cape 

Strawberry Shortcake

So that brings us up to date...sort of. At least it gives us a place to begin...again.

Stay tuned!

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!



Let's Get Started

“Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle …a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl.  And the anticipation nurtures our dream.”

-Barbara Winkler

 

People who know me know that I hate to wait. Hate. To. Wait.  And, that's what Winter is all about to a gardener.  Waiting for the snow to melt (as Gus is doing, left).  Waiting for warmer weather.  Waiting for to get the garden started. 
 
But it doesn't necessarily have to be, does it?  There's always the planning, the research, the anticipation.  And, that's what we've been doing for the past few weeks around our house.  Our planning has focused on what we will put where in the area of our property we call the Way Back. 
 
 

The "what" we have been researching in garden books and seed catalogs all season.  And, then, on Saturday, we went to our local Tractor Supply for dog food and bird feeder supplies...and there they were.  Seeds!  I'd read that there was a shortage (surely, they jest...:), and that you'd better buy 'em when you see 'em.  OK, I'm good with that.  We got peas, beans (2 kinds), lettuce (4 kinds), carrots, squash (2 kinds), cantalope, watermelon (2 kinds), cucumbers (2 kinds), peppers (3 kinds), tomatoes (4 kinds), and corn...plus several flowers.  Some we will start indoors and transplant, some we will direct sow, some we will do a bit of both.  And, of course, there will be additions in the form of transplants from the Farmer's Market when the time comes.
 
We then set up the Birthing Center, as we are calling the starter area.  Mr. T had already "plasticized" the screen porch for the Winter.  He stapled long sheets of plastic over the screens to enclose the porch and provide a cozy air-lock between the two doggie doors (which must be kept accessible at all times).  Even on the coldest snow days, the temperature on the porch was 5-10 degrees warmer than the deck, and the water in the dogs' bowl never froze.  We moved metal shelves into the protected area and will attach plant lights for heat and light.  I got some Seed Starter mix at TSC, and I plan to recycle those cardboard rolls from toilet tissue and paper towels I've been collecting. More on that in another post.
 

Now, about the "where."  Other than a couple of hastily tilled rows where we could host some tomato and pepper plants purchased from the Farmer's Market in late June '09 (after our move from MO to NC was completed), the Way Back is virgin ground. 
 
Well, "virgin" isn't exactly the right word...but, what I'm trying to convey is that this part of the property has been neglected as far as having a garden or anything other than weeds and tall grasses growing on it.  Duke Power, who maintains a right of way through our Way Back for their transmission lines (left), has seen to it that nothing taller than 15 feet has grown here in years.  And, because of this lack of vegetation, the ground had hardened to something resembling a parking lot.  But, that's changing, even as we speak.

Last Fall, Mr. T took all those moving boxes, knocked them down, flattened them out, and put them in the area where we wanted to expand our vegetable garden for 2010.  Then, he covered them with leaves (hoo-boy, do we have plenty of those!) and grass clippings.  Direct composting...right there out in the open!  And, I'm happy to report:  it worked!  That photo to the right shows the degree of decomposition of the moving box and the leaves, after 6 months. 

 

Amazing! We had read about this process, but had our doubts. Heck...nothing could have been easier, and it took care of lots of boxes and loads of leaves. 

This weekend, which was warm and sunny with highs in the 60's, was the perfect time for the first till-under of the covered space.  Mr. T (left) got about 2/3 of the new garden patch turned with the rear-tine rototiller before both it and he ran out of gas. Of course, the boxes are still decomposing, so we will have some chunks this year...but nothing we can't live with. Also, Mr. T will make another pass or two with the tiller before we plant this area.

We'd recently read some negatives about using a tiller in the garden. The writer said that it was just turning up the bad soil to the surface...and destroying the worm tunnels (and worms, too, I suppose) that help keep the soil aerated.  Well, I have to say that we've seen few worms in this dirt since we started working it.  Hopefully, by amending the soil...and turning it...we will be making the area more hospitable for worms.

 

Not to be outdone...or, to miss just a great day to be out in the garden...I got my hand tiller (it's a combination of a stirrup hoe and a three-tine tiller) out and attacted the area under the former bean trellis...which is really some sticks and branches stuck in the ground and joined by strong string.  Lo and behold, the ground was workable.  So, I got that packet of peas (Ferry Morse Alaska) out and planted my first seeds of the season.  Then, Mr. T double-dug the lower part of the row, and I powdered 1/3 of the resulting wide row with Nantes Coreless Carrot seeds.  Then, since there was still some daylight, I hand-tilled some more of the row and sprinkled it with Black Simpson and Grand Rapids leaf lettuce seeds.  Rushing the season?  Possibly, since we have another cold front on the way on Thursday of this week.  But, still...
 
The garden is started!
 

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!