jonesen’
5 September 2010, by gj
The past two weeks were much quieter and I was able to get a lot done.
Of course, having 2 long weekends in a row didn’t hurt either.
Mandolin scored a nice new rain barrel for what the store paid for it –he’s getting good at getting deals:
let it rain!
I was able to harvest 2 of the 3 dry shell bean beds:
two 1/2 gallon jars and counting
I must have dropped a bean
I finally laid down the cardboard boxes, plus a few more that had accumulated:
no weeding here for a while
I scored a great deal on seeds:
seeds 10/$1 ...who could resist?
Can’t say that I’ll miss the squash (at least for a while):
the end of the summer squash
It’s proving to be a great season:
fresh food dirt cheap
When my back hurts and I’m tired of shelling and dehydratiing and canning and freezing and so on, I just open this cupboard:
what makes it all worthwhile
Categories: jonesen', summer
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22 August 2010, by gj
The past two weeks in the garden have been intense and exciting.
I filmed a segment on gardening with kids for Yoga Journeys.
planting some heirloom seeds
Johnny Braz and Phil Jevin
Opened my new pressure canner only to get a free chuckle:
don't know why, but I found this funny
Picked the first cantaloupe:
first of the season
Could not help but think of tuning my ukulele to ‘my dog saves seeds’.
Yes, the mind is the first thing to go.
the dog ate my cucumber
Bean Mania
just the tip of the bean-berg
Did not get the powdery mildew in time.
orphaned squash
Found my fall veggies coming up:
time to start thinning
Didn’t get to the cardboard boxes yet…er, still.
organic weed killers
SaveTheWorld sent me a recipe link for
Swiss Chard Quesadillas…she must be hungry.
the veggie that keeps on giving
Heavy rains and high winds this morning took down some corn stalks.
(Yes, I was taking pictures during the storm.)
down but not out
But happy to find this:
aww, babies are soo cute
Categories: jonesen', summer
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8 August 2010, by gj
The heat has abated some but temperatures remain in the 80′s with little rain.
Watering the garden is starting to take its toll on the plants (they want RAIN DARNIT!)
not this again - WE WANT RAIN
I’ve planted my fall garden:
~turnips, white radish, beets, parsnips and rutabagas where the onions used to be.
~added mushroom soil to the now empty garlic bed and planted lettuce and asian cabbage.
~threw caution to the wind, and a handful of cabbage seeds too; to see if I could recreate a garden from 25 years ago.
~planted spinach and kale where I had harvested the broccoli, now almost done
~planted white peas using upside down tomato cages to trellis
~took a chance and planted a few heirloom zucchini seeds
~planted some short season wax beans
see peas?
fall garden starting
Found baby butternut squash and more cantaloupe, watermelon, zucchini and spaghetti squash
squash a'comin
Harvested the first batch of green beans
green beans
Held back the dry bean onslaught using a discarded bed footboard
get back beans
Started the canning – homemade jalapeno salsa and spiced red cabbage so far (recipes to follow).
This little guy and two of his friends popped up, coincidentally, right around my birthday.
gnew gnome in the garden
cabbage and caution to the wind
Categories: jonesen', summer
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25 July 2010, by gj
The hot temperatures continue, though we were fortunate to get a little rain this week. Not much was done outside because of the weather, though I did plant some carrot seeds.
For this post I’ll let the pictures lead:
a friend in the garden
can you see the baby eggplants?
this radish will be part of todays lunch
I see canning jars in my future
cabbages under attack - GJ to the rescue
cantaloupe fresh, with vanilla yougurt, or as spiced melon balls
heirloom squash Delicata should be a nice sub for my failed sweet potatoes
the onions are falling down faster than I can pull them up
careful where you step! the vines are in the pathways
colorful summer squash
won't be long until baby corn and beans
strawberry runners filling in the gaps, should be a good crop next year
saute swiss chard with onion and garlic for a delightful main or side dish
the basil is growing as fast as the weeds
lunch waiting to happen
Categories: garden planning, jonesen', summer
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18 July 2010, by gj
I could not resist putting the Ladies sign over their door - don't they look like they are reading it?
This week we finally saw some rain, but still no relief from the 90 degree heat. With that combination the garden is extremely happy.
Unfortunately, that includes the weeds, too.
So this week:
I weeded the beds a lot, watered some
Discovered the first of the cantaloupes, brussel sprouts and summer squash
Laid down a lot more cardboard and mulch in the pathway to continue to combat the weeds
Dealt with the seemingly bottomless onion bed
Discovered that The Ladies will not be contained by any 5’ high fence. I also learned that they do actually return to the coop in the evening, and was surprised to see that they will come whenever I call them.
Enjoyed eating celery, radishes, swiss chard, cucumbers, a volunteer red potato, broccoli, garlic, cabbage and onions from the garden – even more so because Mandolin was on vacation and he did the cooking
So what did you do this week?
Happy Gardening!
~GJ
Categories: jonesen', summer
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11 July 2010, by gj
Baby Giant Jalapenos, Hot Cherries, Cayenne Ristra
Unseasonably hot and very dry again!
This week I:
Added a run to the coop
Started building a winter container garden (its just never enough for me)
Heavily mulched the squash hills against the heat wave (95+)
Watered, watered, watered as the heat wave and dry spell continued
Harvested small sweet peppers (to encourage more growth), dill, broccoli, swiss chard, raspberries and some lettuce for the chickens
Continued pruning the tomato plants
Finished painting the chicken coop
Picked the first of the Hot Peppers
Learned something new: as I harvest the small onions that are ripening too soon due to the heat, the ones left are able to get more of the water supply and are getting really big!
Categories: jonesen', summer
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5 July 2010, by gj
enjoying their new home
Happy Independence Day!
This week:
Pulled the Snow Pea vines and used them to mulch the trashcan Potatoes
Pruned and tied up the Tomato plants, used the trimmings to mulch those Potatoes again
As the Lettuce is bolting, I began feeding it to the Chickens
Added a fan to the Chicken Coop and began painting the coop
Harvested the remaining Spinach, blanched and froze
Added new pages to the blog and website
Categories: jonesen', summer
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5 July 2010, by gj
fresh raspberry vinegar
Happy First Week of Summer!
This week:
I harvested the last of the Snow Peas, using some of the more mature pods to save the seeds for next year
Picked Raspberries; froze some, made vinegar out of the rest
Pulled the Onions grown from sets and dried some of the tops to use in soups and cooking this winter
Continuing to eat Lettuce and Spinach
Mulched the Potatoes with very raw compost
Tried to root fresh Basil bought at the market
save some seeds for next year
Categories: jonesen', summer
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