It has been a few weeks since my last post, typical of a busy summer schedule when gardening! We have arrived at the summer doldrum stage: totally too hot to put in more that 2 hours of work (even before the sun is over the trees!) Mugworts, Plantains, Fleabane…totally out of control as Margaret Roach says it is enough to “throw in the trowel” However, we have used this time to do a bit of science and discover the fungi, insect pests and diseases lurking in the undersides of leaves and rocks, and to practice some techniques that were not so successful last year.
We have always stood by a rule when on a hiking vacation: Do something easy, do something challenging, and learn something new. This has served us well over the past 10 years, and so applying the same concept to each year’s garden has been my plan. The difference however is that the results are not instant, they take a season of growing to rate the success, or failure of the attempt.
#1 Companion planting: This is familiar to me, I have done it in the past and it has always been…just OK. I had done the “three sisters” in 2018 Corn, beans and Squash and if I remember correctly the squash was a bust, the beans were great and the corn was OK, not sure that we have long and hot days to support the corns cycle…but it worked. This year I attempted companion planting in a couple of locations with tomatoes, squash, onions in one bed, carrots, basil, parsley, spinach in the elevated kitchen garden beds, and finally in some grow bags that were filled with peppers and onions (that one seems like a natural ! lol) This year’s attempt…meh. Yellow spaghetti squash that ran on the ground fell victim to the squash borer. I think I only have one that may have escaped, but the season is half over, we shall see how that plays out. The green acorn squash in my huglekultur is doing fantastic! as always it never disappoints,
#2 Autopot Self Watering system: This system is something new to us, but was a precursor to setting up our new Palram 6′ x 8′ polycarbonate greenhouse kit. I set up the system in the middle of the field so it has a full day of sun. The self-watering system was filled with water from my rain barrel and the entire system was covered with one of the garden tents that cover my raised beds. I planted Eggplant and Broccoli Rabe in the pots, and the system worked really well! I am awaiting my greenhouse to be built in that location by the end of August…so exciting!
#3 Learning something new: Science! reading the leaves of plants and following up on the clues was my assignment to myself. I was always against the idea of “fertilizer” as I grew up with chemical enhancers in the garden, but I have come to accept the fact, that once a plant is in a pot…its as if you adopted a pet, or took on a sourdough starter. Yellow leaves, red leaves, brownish spots, mold, fungus among us… everyday is another sign that the plants need something. Organic fertilizer is a happy option, that takes care of the NPK issues, and researching images and extension websites has been an adventure in learning! Fruit trees and shrubs like our orchard and grape vine have benefited from this research. Maintaining a schedule of spraying very specific, very targeted areas have helped the plants. I was always against sprays in general, but there are so many organic options, as well as natural solutions that can be used that I don’t feel so torn. I have seen ladybugs, bees, asassin bugs, beetles, weevils, snakes, frogs and wasps in the garden so this year there is a nice balance of nature. One thing I saw less of (thankfully) are the preying mantis’s. Last year, there were so many in my garden, there was hardly anything else! Introducing Preying Mantis into a garden is like using a nuclear weapon! they do NOT care what they eat, if it moves they will eat it. I was terrified to go onto my garden paths I knew they were watching and waiting to pounce.
So we have August and September ahead. I have been planting new seeds for next round of fall plantings, and we are looking forward to new adventures in the Greenhouse.
Grafedie in the Library 