The Vegtable Garden!

           I've been gone for awhile, but yes I am still in the garden. the veggies have popped up, so have the weeds! I attacked them before taking the photos for you.

           I planted the potatoes and corn in ditches, the potatoes have been hill'd up already. the corn has a few inches to grow and I will start to fill the rows in and hill them too. It gives the corn a stronger base to hold the stalks upright when the wind blows, like it does here.

           I've tried many types of wires and stakes for the peas to climb on, but find they like plain old string the best. I planted yellow and green pole beans, I like Blue Lake green pole, they stand the heat better. I planted them behind the corn to protect them a bit from the hot wind.

           My crazy compost pile is going to give me all the squash and tomatoes I'll want, also dill and camomile and a few other herbs, I let the pile do this as it covers it, and helps work it down. and makes it look good while it gives me my own organic seed produce. Like killing a bunch of birds with one stone, and reaping rewards at the same time! Hey! what ever works! I AM NOT a conventional Gardener, I'm organic AND opportunist, Ha ha.

           I just had to fill in the corner of the photo with my sunny carnations, they look like pink peppermint twists! so nice for a little color.

           Good luck with your garden too! Its good for the soul! :)

Spring Tilling and Diging.

                         Last fall I tilled my vegetable plot and seeded fall rye, a green manure to be dug under in the spring. We have mainly a heavy clay soil here in the Cawston area, and composting is good for breaking it up and stopping it from compacting. clay is rich in nutrients and needs to be broke up so the plants can use it. left to its own it becomes hard for roots and locks up the iron and boron. I work in organic compost every year,but I like to apply a thickly grown green manure every second year. I knock it down about April 15 with my small cultivator, let it wilt for 2 weeks and work it in again. Left for another 2 weeks (mid May) and I am ready to start digging under my rows and start planting the early crops. Peas, Potatoes, Parsnips, Carrots and the cabbage family's. I transplant plants and sow the rest of the seeds on and after the 24 of May. Leaving the beans till last by June 1st, as they need warm soil lasting through the nights.

                                Tilling in my fall Rye

PLANTS for GREEN Manure:  Legumes ( pea and been family) as nitrogen fixers.

Alfalfa.

Clover.

Agricultural lupin.

Vetch:  All nitrogen fixing plants.

Others:  Such as Buckwheat, Rye, Oats, Millet, and Mustard.

All these need to be mowed or tilled under BEFORE they seed! To prevent self seeding.

                        Happy Cultivating! *_*

Daffodils, a sign of spring!

My Daffodils are in full bloom and look so bright! This year I have to dig them up and separate the bulbs. I give them a month after the flowers are done, about the end of May to dig them up. This gives them time to store up food for next year. Don't forget to prune the flower stalks when they wilt so they don't lose energy going to the seed head.

I shake off excess dirt and hang them to dry by their tops, in bunches like onions. when the tops are dry I prune the tops and any dry roots with my clippers. I let them dry another week spread out on newspaper and store them in a cool place in paper bags. I also dust them with some sulphide powder in the bag to kill any bugs or mold.

I will replant where I want in mid Aug. to give them a chance to develop a good root before freeze up. As I am going to change their location this year, so I will fill their old bed with annual flowers. the new bed will be well dressed with compost and peat moss, and after planting will be mulched with a couple inches of clean straw.

Garden Friends!

      Some vegetable plants grow great together. They can look quite showy in a group, and make your vegetable plot look like a work of art!

       Onion tops tend to blow over in the wind here, so I plant a long bed of 2 rows of carrots with 1 row or onions down the center, with enough space between to pass a pointed hoe. The bushy carrot tops hold up and protect the onions.

       I plant corn 4- 5 seeds to a hill early, with a pole in the center. when the weather is warm enough for them I plant 3-4 pole been seeds by the pole and transplant 2 cucumber plants at the sides of the hill. I  train the cukes to twine around and up through the corn, and it looks quite grand!

      Little beds on the edge of the garden in full sun for lettuce, green onions and radish, surrounding 1 or 2 Eggplants looks quite elegant!

      Fennel looks furn umbrellas growing over your cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts and seams to repel ants and aphids

      Sunflowers look nice growing by the fence or gate, but remember to keep them away from your potatoes and pole beans.

       When planing where to put plants, think about you sprinkler flow and try to place tall at the back and sides and flow down to the shortest at the front, this also looks so nice to see.

        Mary golds are compatible to the garden, not too many (as too much can sour the soil) and chamomile for color and attracting the bee friends, Cosmos love the garden too!
                                                    Have Fun! *_*

Garden Adversary's

 Some vegetables in the garden do not like to be planted together or in the next row to each other, and do not do well.

 PLANT:                             GARDEN ADVERSARY:

 Asparagus;-------------Garlic, onion.

 Bean,bush;-------------Basil, fennel, kohlrabi, onion family.

 Bean, pole;-------------Basil, beet, cabbage, fennel, kohlrabi, onion family radish, sunflower.

 Beet;--------------------Mustard, pole bean.

 Broccoli;----------------Pole, Lama, and snap bean, strawberry.

 Brussels sprout;-------Kohlrabi, pole been strawberry.

 Cabbage;---------------Pole been, strawberry.

Cantaloupe;------------ Potato.

Carrot;------------------Celery, dill, parsnip.

Cauliflower;------------Pole been, strawberry.

Celery;------------------Carrot, parsnip.

Corn;--------------------Tomato.

Cucumber;--------------Potato, sage.

Eggplant;----------------None. 

Kale;---------------------Pole been.

Kohlrabi;----------------Pole bean.

Leek;---------------------Bean, pea.

Lettuce;------------------None.

Lima bean;--------------None.

Onion family;-----------Asparagus, bean, pea, sage.

Parsley;------------------None.

Parsnip;-----------------Caraway, carrot, celery.

Pea;----------------------Gladiolus, onion family, late potato.

Pepper;------------------Fennel, kohlrabi.

Potato;------------------Cucumber, Pumpkin,raspberry, rutabagas,squash family, sunflower, tomato, turnip. 

Pumpkins;--------------Potato.

Radish;------------------Hyssop.

Rutabaga;---------------Potato.

Spinach;-----------------Potato.

Squash;------------------Potato.

Strawberry;-------------Cabbage family.

Tomato;-----------------Pole bean, dill, fennel, potato.

Turnip;------------------Potato.

            Happy Planting Planing!!! *_* . 

A Spring Poem

"Similkameen Spring Returning"

Spring is returning to the Similkameen Valley,

The air is becoming soft and moist.

Soon the river will be full of Whitefish, 

Where once the Salmon used to run.

I love to watch spring returning to my valley,

Alternate days of sun, rain and snow.

I look forward to the river run off,

Watching the mountain lose it;s blanket of snow.

Spring is indeed returning,

when Pussy Willows bloom.

The hens are busy laying now,

The roosters crowing with delight.

Yes, spring is returning,

 The pruning all most done,

I look towards my garden tools,

And look for signs, of the first green sprouts

                               

 By; Jean wornell.

Pruning

                      It's Sunday and I am finishing my pruning. Bushes, willows, rose bushes and grapes. I burn my trimmings to kill any bug eggs, bugs and any scab or twig bores imbedded in the wood cuttings. This goes for any cuttings from fruit trees too. Makes a nice evening fire to roast some marshmallows on! *_*.

                      I trim my grapes back to 3 buds per branch stub that I keep, the stubs about 18" apart.

                      Fruit trees I snip off the suckers, and saw back any large branches I wish to shorten. Taking care to cut 1" after a bud. Take out all dead branches or twigs.

                      I have a climbing rose bush, so I just cut off the dead  ends, and train the rest on the trellis.

                      Its good to have a good book on gardening to peek at, to give you hints on taking care and trimming any berry bushes you may have. The different berries all have their own special way of pruning

                       Now is also a good time to surface clean the area around the bottoms of trees and berry bushes, fertilize and mulch, for a good spring bud feed. Also a good time to pull the winter mulch on the Strawberry Patch off to the side and let the sun and air in.

                         See you out in the yard! *_*.