Mid-November herb harvest: Oregano,
sage, lemon
balm, spearmint, and winter savory
Garden Log 2011
Notes and quotes from The Living Way
backyard farmer
11/27
Who would have thought, but out to the
garden
I went today. The day was partly sunny and mild
and our recent snowfall nearly melted which
encouraged
outdoor fun! On the job list today included
emptying my
rainwater buckets. As usual, I brought some of
the
water into the house for future use (watering
plants,
etc.). I also emptied our accumulated bags of
compost,
picked up some wood scraps for kindling, and last
but
not least, harvested herbs! Lo and behold, a few
survived
the recent snowstorm without mulch (I forgot!),
so I
grabbed a basket and went to work. I harvested
more
lemon balm and oregano plus the last of our thyme
and marjoram. What a thrill! Herbs are one of my
favorites in life. They make such wonderful
additions
to living raw: enhancing flavor, color, texture,
and
nutrition (!) all of which makes eating a special
pleasure!
11/23
We woke to snow today. The backyard had
turned
into a typical wintry scene, though not exactly
picturesque here in semi-rural Maine. At least
the
snow offered visual relief to our otherwise
less-than-
orderly yard. Light snow fell most of the day,
and
I must admit that I was happy to see the end of
our garden for 2011. This backyard farmer
welcomes retirement until spring!
11/22
A forecast of 8"-12" snow
tomorrow sent me
scurrying to pull everything edible from the
garden
and put the backyard to bed. It was no small
task,
considering that I began this herculean effort in
the
late afternoon. It was as good as dark when I was
ready to pick the last of our Beedy's Kale, spade
up the celery (how beautiful!), grab the parsley,
harvest the herbs (thyme, sage, oregano, winter
savory, and lemon balm), and bundle up their
respective row covers. My grand finale was
mulching the herbs with a blanket of straw and,
believe it or not, covering the last of our
nettles
with blankets and tarps in order to hold them
through the snow storm. Call it 'wild
expectations,'
or just a wild idea, if you will. We do like our
nettles and want to make a few more pestos
before retiring them for the season!
11/21
WOW! It was sunny and warm again today.
I
took advantage of the friendly weather by
finishing up some important garden work:
fixing the compost bins, pulling up a few Golden
beets, harvesting more nettles, picking the last
of our arugula, and raking up straw mulch from
the garden so that I could cover more of our
herbs.
Little by little I am putting the garden to bed.
It is
a bittersweet exercise. Nevertheless, we are
thankful
for the bounty of beautiful, fresh food that we
have
enjoyed from our backyard.
11/20
What a beautiful day today...warm and
sunny!
I mulched our strawberry plants and some of
our herbs in an effort to protect them through
the winter. May they rest well!
11/19
Today I had fun lifting row covers and
harvesting
the fresh herbs that are growing underneath! I
also
picked a large basket of stinging nettles that we
use to make a pesto. Before going in the house,
I checked the rest of the garden and cheered it
on,
hoping it will respond by producing at least a
couple
of more weeks!
11/15
It was another balmy warm day, though
'gray' in
terms of cloud cover. Before lunch, I took a
quick
trip out to the garden to snip some herbs for our
smoothies. Lemon balm, parsley, and stinging
nettles were my choices. They smiled at me when
I peeked under the row covers and were happy to
be chosen and picked for our smoothie feast
today.
Later in the afternoon, I ventured out into the
backyard
to see what was happening. The garden was quiet
in
comparison to former months of 'peak activity.'
For
the most part, our remaining greens are snugged
under frost-protective row covers. Celery,
Beedy's
Kale, parsley, and other herbs are still growing
well.
I picked several stems of Kale and pulled up two
struggling Celeriac plants. Only the tops were
edible.
Sadly, it was not a good year for celeriac. I
also
picked some Arugula and covered the rest. Since
the
harvest is waning, we use our greens sparingly in
order to savor the season as long as possible.
11/3
Unusually balmy days made working in our
backyard gardening delightful. A special
treat was a basketful of Arugula, one of my
favorite greens! I also emptied our compost
and cleared more of the land.
11/2
It was a bright, sunny day as I ventured
out to
check our remaining crops. All seems to have
survived our recent snow storm. As I lifted the
row covers off the herbs and kale, the plants
smiled back at me! They were happily green
and still growing well. I harvested a large
basket
of Beedy's Kale and filled another basket with
assorted herbs. Our nettles are still strong and
healthy. Some of them are poking their heads
through the snow. I hope they last much longer!
It's a treat to still harvest food from the
backyard
at this time of year!
10/30
Snow today!Ugh! Two days of hard work
preparing
for the event was worth the effort. Knowing that
the
garden was secured for this 'unusual' weather
event
was comforting. As much as possible, I like to
hold
on to the garden. Thankfully we only had about
three
inches of snow.
10/28
It was another day of busily preparing
for our first
snow storm that is due to arrive tomorrow. There
was
much to do! I started off early by going to the
farm
supply store and buying some straw for mulch. I
came home, unloaded the three bales,and then
proceeded to mulch our garlic bed. The mulch must
be at least six inches deep in order to protect
the
garlic bulbs during the winter. To extend the
straw
supply, I raked up a goodly amount of straw mulch
from last year's bed. I piled it high and deep.
By
mid afternoon, the job was done. I then tackled
other garden tasks: emptying the compost and
covering the bins. I also harvested some kale
and herbs. As a grand finale, I placed row covers
and blankets over our existing crops in order to
protect them in the coming snow storm. We are
praying for a mild storm with little snow!
10/27
I spent a long day in the garden today.
I finished
planting our six rows of garlic...292 bulbs in
all.
Then I mulched the rows with our antique horse
manure and some pulverized lime. I also pulled
up the last of the tomato vines and other
assorted
dead brush. The tall, fall grasses (probably
weeds)
that grow in our garden are favorite drieds, so I
uprooted several clumps to add to future dried
flower arrangements. I also dug up some leeks
(so beautiful!) as well as our one and only
Detroit
Red Beet. Sadly, it was not a good beet year for
us. Later in the afternoon I dug up a few Golden
Beets. The greens were better than the root, the
slugs having beat (no pun intended) me to the
beet!
Last but not least, I dug up some of our
Jerusalem
Artichokes. They were big and succulent. I filled
a small pail and brought them in the house. With
great delight, I pre-washed several to take into
the kitchen. We will happily grate them into our
salads. As the sun began to set, I called it a
day
for gardening.
10/17
It was a bright, sunny day with a brisk,
fall wind
as I rushed to pick more of our grapes that have
grown over the fence on the school's football
field.
With cart and basket in hand, I ignored the game
in progress in favor of harvesting handfulls of
purple jewels. The clusters were plump and
fragrant!
There were so many that I could not pick fast
enough
much less pick them all. Hence, I went for the
biggest
and best. After nearly an hour 'in the vines', I
came
home with thirty eight pounds. This is the
largest
ever, single harvest. The grape harvest now
totals
184lbs.
10/16
Today I went out to finish preparing next year's
garlic bed. I dug and mounded six rows in the
warm sun. I also pulled all the told tomato
vines,
dug out weeds, and did general clean-up in the
garden. Earlier in the day I trimmed our lovage
plant and did compost. Weeding was extra easy
after our recent three days of torrential rains.
Gladly our grapes were still good.
10/9
Due to constraints in time, entries in
this log are
sadly lacking. To be honest, it is a challenge to
keep up with everything! As of this update, our
garden is thankfully still growing well. Though
overgrown with weeds both tall and small, I
am still harvesting goodly baskets of kale,
arugula,
tatsoi, and herbs not to mention wild edibles
which
have taken off like weeds. Happy findings amidst
the disarray are beautiful cucumbers that hid
themselves under wilting, dried leaves, and best
of all: gorgeous grapes! Our long-awaited grape
harvest is in full swing. Total harvest to date
is
74lb. and the harvest is hardly begun. Thanks to
unseasonably warm (would you believer 80+
degrees?)
the grapes are filling out better-than-ever. They
are finding themselves into the wholesale market
locally and, of course, into our mouths! What a
taste! We are juicing them and making fruit
leathers.
The juice is indescribably rich!
As yet I have not harvested any of
our celery. I
have purposely waited to do so, noting that it is
looking increasingly better each day. As much as
I looked forward with great anticipation to
harvesting
our Golden Beets, close inspection of same
several
days ago showed significant slug damage. I was
devastated. I dislike sharing our garden with
slugs
(or any other pest for that matter)! As the
weather
cools, I will start pulling up our Goldens and be
thankful for what remains of these yellow
beauties.
They are one of my favorites. Much to my dismay,
beets did not do well for me this year. The
harvest
will be slim.
On a happier note, our nettles are
having a great
time spreading themselves around the entire yard
as are other wild edibles and invasive
herbs/ornamentals.
Next spring I will need to thin out various
plants in
order to keep some semblance of order in the
garden.
I don't mind 'wild', but it can get out of hand!
Locales,
if you want some cuttings next spring, let me
know!
9/4
An abundant harvest has been on-going,
keeping me
on my toes inside and out! Tomatoes are now
coming
in by the baskets-full: beautiful yellows, reds,
and
greens. What a treat! We are eating as many as
possible before freezing and dehydrating them.
The
summer squashes are nearly done. It is a
bittersweet
experience never the less a fact of life. Our
herbs are
going strong. We are making herb pestos and
drying
extra harvests for winter use. Our grape vines
are
slowly ripening toward another record harvest. It
will
be a full time job just to harvest them, but I'll
get over
it!
8/26
This morning I harvested squash,
tomatoes,
and herbs. As I picked and looked over the
garden,
I thanked YHVH for taking it safely through the
soon-coming tropical storm Irene. I talked to the
plants and told them to 'hold on tight.' All is
well.
Later in the day I took care of the compost and
secured the remaining row covers. Just for the
fun of it, I pulled a couple more large
scallions.
Wow. What a thrill. After many years, I have
finally
grown scallions that are like those at the
farmers'
market! I must be doing something right!
8/20
The harvest is coming in very quickly. I
am bringing
in large baskets of greens and having fun finding
cucumbers amidst all their leaves. Hunting for
them
is sometimes challenging, since they hide well!
8/16
Another surprise greeted me in the
garden today:
I found another St. John's Wort growing next to
one
of our tomato plants. I was delighted. We know
have
a grand total of five St. John's!
8/1
Our summer squashes, zucchini, and
cucumbers
are coming along well. The heat and rain has
accelerated their growth and soon we will have
good pickings. I can hardly wait! I also looked
under another row cover and happily discovered
that our Pac Choi, Bok Choy, and Tatsoi were
eady to harvest. We love these 'orientals' in raw
soups and salads!
There has been no sign of the ground
hog(s)
since the last sighting. We pray that they either
choked to death on our stinging nettles or
decided to move to a less hostile environment.
No matter what, all appears quiet. Thank you,
YHVH!
7/30
Today I began lifting some of the row
covers
to see what was happening inside. Much to
my delight, our Bede's Kale was back to life!
I was ecstatic! Then I checked under another
row cover to look at the arugula. Wow! It was
gorgeous: big and beautiful! It was the best
crop I have ever grown. I now see that row
covers are the only way to grow certain
crops. I am glad to learn this lesson!
7/27
Daily trips to the garden yield harvests
of
herbs and other raw delights. Summer rain
showers are helping to keep the ground
moist. The rains are an anwer to prayer.
This morning I picked a small basket of
our red raspberries. The yield this year is
very lean. Our grapes are all over the place.
We have over fifty feet of dense-leafed vines
that sport an astounding number of grapes.
At present the grapes are slightly larger than
marbles, but plumping up gradually thanks to
adequate rains.
7/26
Today was not a happy day for me. I saw
the ground hog scoot across the yard as
I went out to pick herbs this afternoon.
Suffice to say, I do not like to share our
yard (much less our garden) with a four-
legged varmit.
7/25
Upon returning home, I looked over the
garden
and was glad to see that everything appears to
be growing well without any visible ground hog
interference. Weeds have grown higher, but I
decided to let them continue growing in order
to hide our edibles from the hogs. Hopefully
the weeds will help deter their appetites.
7/20
For the most part, garden activity for
the past few
weeks has been sparce. This fact is attributed to
two factors: 1. being somewhat dismayed at having
two resident ground hogs, and 2. being away.
Before
leaving town, I secured the garden with as many
row
covers as I could and left the matter with YHVH.
I
had done all that I could to protect our
investment.
The rest was up to Him. I know He'll do a good
job.
7/15
Today I made another delightful
discovery: another
St. John's Wort plant is growing along our fence!
I celebrated the discovery by harvesting the
delicate
yellow flowers in order to make more massage oil.
Now we have a total of four St. John's Wort
plants
in our yard. They are gifts from YHVH!
7/12
There was bad news from the garden
today. The
ground hog was still there. Worse yet, there were
TWO hogs, not one. I was devastated. They have
taken up residence in a remote area of the yard,
a
difficult place to access. I suspect that routing
them
out will not be easy. This is not a happy day for
me.
Much to my dismay, I dragged out the row covers
and began defending our plants from future
attack.
I hope the tactic works.
7/11
While I was out harvesting herbs and
wild edibles
this morning, I made a wonderful discovery: an
abandoned 5 gallon bucket that was perched
hap-hazardly in the backyard was sporting a good-
sized St. John's Wort plant! I was elated! We
have
mourned the loss of our giant stand of St. John's
ever since it drowned in the July 2009 Maine
'Monsoon' when it rained ALL month. Since it is
an important herb in our lives and few local
growers
sell seedlings/cuttings, we finally persuaded a
green
house friend to part with some of hers. That she
did.
Last month we purchased a fair-sized St. John's
from
her and proudly planted it in the 'old spot.' I
pampered
it with fresh compost, antique manure, and
fertilized
it with Miracle II Agriculture Blend. I am happy
to
report that it is growing well.
Much to my delight, about a week ago
I discovered
a St. John's Wort growing in our upper garden
near
the house. I was ecstatic. The plant is over one
foot
tall and is blooming happily. A couple of days
ago I
went and picked the yellow blooms, put them in a
small jar, and covered them with extra virgin
olive oil,
capped the jar and then placed it on a sunny
window
sill in the house. This is St. John's Wort
massage oil
in the making. It is a remarkable oil with
wonderful
healing qualities for aching muscles, etc. Don't
tell
the FDA what I just told you.
7/10
Help came today for the ground hog
debacle. A friend
tackled the job by plugging the hog holes with
large
stones and now all is quiet in the backyard...no
sign
of the varmits. If they are not dead in their
underground
bunker, I am believing that they are sufficiently
terrorized so as to leave our yard forever.
In the meantime, I keep working the
garden and doing
'damage control.' Due to wet weather, I have had
to
plant some of our beets three times. Germination
is
not the greatest this year even with new seeds.
Suffice
to say, I am disappointed with the performance of
some crops so far. I believe the downturn is the
sign
of the times: earth changes, too much rain,
chemtrails,
and the radiation factor. However, I am doing my
best
to work the land.
We had several more tomato seedlings
given to us, so
I placed them in the manure pile. I don't know if
they'll
do well there, but it was the only option. The
garden is
FULL! I am bringing in armfuls of herbs, some of
which
we are dehydrating. As time permits, I use the
herbs
in dehydrated crackers and treats. We especially
like
the stinging nettles. I use them in quantity in
soups,
crackers, and sweet treats. Lily also makes a
delicious
pesto with them!
Today I picked another small basket
of blackberries.
They are abundant this year and so good! We enjoy
them as a late morning snack.
7/9
Today I discovered that we had TWO
ground hogs.
This development was devastating. I rallied
around
for extra prayer support, believing to see an end
to
this dilemma before the varmits made an end to
our
garden.
7/7
After being away for a few days, we came
home to
find that a ground hog had taken up residence in
our
backyard and cleaned out our lettuce, beans,
cucumber
seedlings, and assorted herbs (especially dill).
I was
not happy. I immediately set out our Hav-a-Heart
trap
and hoped for the best. In the meantime, I put
row
covers on remaining crops that might be potential
meals for the critter.
6/4
At last we awoke to a beautiful, sunny
day! I took
advantage of the weather by redoing our compost
bins (what a messy job!) and preparing for
seedlings
that arrive tomorrow. I planted more sea kale and
direct-seeded a row of my favorite arugula, then
sealed them under a row cover to safeguard them
against voracious flea beetles. Suffice to say,
this
is serious warfare: dig a trench around the
planted
bed and then cover the edges well with
soil. I learned
this tactic from local farmers, and it works. We
also
were gifted with another load of antique manure
today
which I will spread on the upper garden after its
weeded.
It looks like next week I will be living in the
garden,
since there is so much to do!
6/3
It was a cool but overcast morning when
I went out
to work in the garden. I planted two more
Cavendish
strawberries (many are now blossoming!) plus 3
small
Valerian seedlings, a Thai Basil, and a Globe
Basil. We
love basil and hope to find some other varieties
to plant.
I moved some of the antique manure onto parts of
the
garden, broadcasted some green sand, and
harvested
Egyptian onions, chives, nettles, and taragon.
For a
special thrill, I rescued a tiny remaining shoot
of our
St. John's Wort from one of our nettle patches
and
transplanted it into a safer part of the garden.
We hope
it survives, since our beautiful 5' x 4' stand of
St. John's
was drowned in the July 2009 Maine 'monsoons.'
6/2
A friend gifted us with a pick-up truck
load of 50-year
old horse manure. I normally do not allow animal
soil
amendments in the garden, but I figured this
'antique'
manure was safe enough to use after aging for so
many years. I do use Green Sand, Phosphate Rock,
and Soya Meal regularly, but I've been searching
for
more soil improvement. Hopefully this vintage
manure
will work.
6/1
It was another day of weeding and
harvesting between
the raindrops!
5/29-31
More power-weeding again today. As I was
clearing
an area, I noticed that our new Happy Rich
seedlings
were looking poorly: flea beetle damage plus they
were
bolting! I was devastated. I clipped off the
heads and
hope they survive. For safe measure, I will
direct seed
a back-up supply and row cover them. Flea beetles
demand drastic action!
5/27
Today I continued my weeding marathon.
The action
is suspended only for investigating wild edible
candidates.
New to the list this year is Shepherd's Purse,
Lettuce
Saxefrage, and Mallow. Our nettles have spread
all
over the yard. Everywhere I go, I bump into them.
It's
like meeting old friends! I'm now handling them
with greater
confidence without being stung. I guess we really
are
good friends at this point. I've been harvesting
the nettles
for use in juice, raw soups, crackers, and a
delicious
pesto.
I also planted our new Happy Rich
Asian Greens. They
look lovely! While I was putting them in the
ground, our
neighbor gifted us with his fresh grass
clippings. I was
quick to put the pile to work as mulch for the
Happy Rich.
My last stint in the garden today was clearing a
bed for
planting beet seeds and broadcasting some
pulverized
lime.
5/26
After lunch I took advantage of the good
weather
by working in the garden: planting our new
Cavendish
strawberries. They are gorgeous...big, green,
healthy!
I also tucked in several rows of King Richard
Leeks
seedlings and direct seeded some sea kale. I've
been
wanting to grow sea kale for many years. I hope
the
seeds and weather cooperate! The rest of the
afternoon
I 'power-weeded' a large part of the garden,
digging up
many dandelions. After the rain, they come out so
easily!
I rinsed the roots outside in some rainwater
before
bringing the plants inside the house to
dehydrate, so
that we can enjoy dandelions in the off season.
We're
also eating our fair share fresh and 'rare
(raw)!' Lastly,
I put up the poles for our pole beans.
5/25
At last, what a beautiful day! I
celebrated by taking
my first wild walk in our neighborhood this
morning.
What a thrill! It was a joyous adventure, filled
with
many fabulous finds.
5/8
Daily I am harvesting beautiful greens
from our
garden: lovage, lemon balm, chives, oregano,
Egyptian onion, and comfrey plus beautiful, wild
edibles- nettles, dandelion, Queen Anne's Lace,
and grasses! They are mmmmmmmm...good!
5/6
Our strawberries are up- 13 plants
total! Today
I went to Johnny's Select Seeds up the road and
purchased 25 more plants...on sale. I will plant
our new 'JEWEL' strawberry cuttings as soon as
I prepare a bed.
