Category: Garden

First cucumbers

On By CarynIn Garden

This year my husband moved the metal trough “raised” garden bed out into the meadow where there is more sunlight. I set a trellis in the middle and planted cucumbers. I have meant to run a timed watering line out there, but it hasn’t happened yet. I haven’t had to hand water often, though, because we’ve been receiving frequent rain. It has worked. I’ve been harvesting cucumbers!

Photo description: first two cucumbers from my garden in a metal water trough with trellis

I’m training the vines up the trellis to keep the cucumbers off the ground, which works really, really well.

I have not installed deer deterrent yet in the form of a fence or barrier. That is on the to do list.

Training cucumbers

On By CarynIn Garden

My cucumber plants are starting to grow vines! I have a trellis set up in the raised bed and would like them to climb that rather than drape off the sides of the bed. I found it helps to gently hook the questing tendrils around the metal. I wrap the tendril around the post, then hook it back through the loop, like a knot, but not tightened.

Photo description: cucumber tendril looped around a post, then around itself

Alpaca mulch

On By CarynIn Garden

I connected with a local alpaca farmer and picked up two fleeces that were not spin quality. One was second cuts (not prime fiber) and full of vegetable matter, the other she had washed vigorously and it felted.

Photo description: plastic bin full of partially felted brown alpaca fiber

I wanted them to run an experiment with mulching around my pumpkins, so I placed the “waste” fiber around the plants, not up against the stems, and watered them down.

Photo description: two alpaca fleeces laid down as mulch around pumpkin plants, then watered in

Now the waiting and watching. My hope is that the fiber will felt into pads and block weed growth and provide protection from the dirt for any pumpkins that form.

Onions

On By CarynIn Garden

Walking through TSC I saw onion sets and grabbed a bag on a whim.

Photo description: bag of red onion sets, pumpkin patch in the background

I planted the onions around my pumpkin and cucumber plants. Some of the sets were dry and didn’t seem viable, but others were firm and a couple had some green already at the tip. Six days after planting I noticed a few of the onions were growing.

Photo description: freshly watered soil with onion leaves coming up

I’ve tried onions from seed with no luck. I was hoping the squirrels and other critters would leave onions alone, but I found one set excavated. I’m hoping to harvest some green onions when they are young. I don’t have much hope that there will be mature onions this winter.

More Mistflower

On By CarynIn Garden

The flower bed in the back yard where I put more of the Gregg’s mistflower filled dirt had sprouted the native flower, along with a bunch of oxalis.

Photo description: landscaping terrace full of Gregg’s Mistflower sprouts and oxalis

I’m rather excited to see what happens with this terrace. We won’t mow it, but let the plants continue undisturbed. My hope is that this will be a good location for the mist flower and we will be able to see the clouds of butterflies from our kitchen window.