There was little watering required Saturday morning, thanks to Barry's thorough efforts the day before. We water everything by hand, which can take a person-hour when everything needs a soak and the tanks are running fast, longer if tank pressure is down or we have to use city water. I watered a few of the vulnerable front yard perennials and Barry watered the containers later in the day. Most critical right now are the three newly cut and potted haskap branches that have been working on their root balls for at least three months.
Morning is supposed to be the best time to harvest herbs for drying. Prior to flowering is also highly recommended. I can't arrange the latter at this point so decided to at least do the former, cutting a largish sprig of sage with one purple flower on the tip. The leaves were washed, patted dry and spread out on two dehydrator trays. Hours later there was almost nothing left of them. I hope it has mitigated the odor of drying garlic from the previous two days.
The morning harvest also included a few ground cherries, a couple of zucchinis, the first ripe bunch of grapes, two ears of corn, the first raspberry of the final crop.
The morning harvest also included a few ground cherries, a couple of zucchinis, the first ripe bunch of grapes, two ears of corn, the first raspberry of the final crop.
Weeding has eased off lately, largely because of the lack of rainfall, I believe. It would be nice if it is also an indication that I am winning the battle for the garden beds. Unwanted foliage is still rampant in other areas and I try at least to nab the flower heads before they are ready for flight. Dandelions are rare these days, but sow thistle and hairy goat's beard continue to plague me. I pulled up purslane, grasses, pig weed, and a few undesirables that I know well by sight but can't name. CBC Calgary recently aired some feedback to pesticide restrictions in the city from farmers who say urban weed seeds end up in crop fields and increase their herbicide usage. This is interesting. I try to do my part for the Coaldale area farmers, but without the use of toxins.
Besides the noxious weeds, I also disposed of some of our abundant borage, at least the parts that appeared to be done flowering. Where there are blossoms, there are bees, which I like immensely. Nevertheless, any part of the plant with an aphid feedlot gets removed, nectar-producing or not. Though we don't poison them, we also do not provide an ant-positive atmosphere. For the most part, I am too late to prevent self seeding of borage for next year; most of the flower capsules were empty. Unlike sow thistle and field bindweed and deadly nightshade, this is a plant with huge leaves that I will have no trouble locating and removing before it goes to seed next year.
The garden had some midday visitors, a Lethbridge friend with her mother and aunt from out of town. They lightened our zucchini load by three and left us with two jars of home made home grown raspberry jam. I'd say we got the better deal on that one. For a moment I considered the danger pay factor of harvesting zucchini, but raspberries are hazardous, too.
After lunch I returned to the boulevard, where I had been breaking up some old sods to use as a base for a new bed. The sods came from where the lawn has been replaced on the boulevard and from some parts of the back yard and have been drying in the hot sun for some time now. They fragmented quite easily. Not knowing (or not wanting to decide) what to do next for bed preparation, I brought some salvaged bricks from the back and continued the winding border around the elm tree then installed a short brick pathway across a strait in the bed. We don't have enough bricks to complete the loop and I have no solution to that, other than to use plastic edging until we happen upon some more unwanted bricks. An elderly woman cruising by with her walker told me I am a glutton for punishment, in reference to my toiling under the afternoon sun. She may be right; I had to take some ibuprofen for a headache early this morning. Now the headache is gone and I'm pleased with the progress I see when I look out the bedroom window, even though the project is far from complete.
While I worked on the boulevard, Barry picked most of the remaining basil, some badly slug-eaten, all past it's pre-flower prime, and prepped it for a large batch of pesto. He used sunflower seeds for the nut component. We grow enough sunflower seeds that we could have used our own (from last year) if only we could find an easier way to get them out of their tough shells, and before the tiny creatures get to them.
After the tools were put away, we clinked our beer glasses together and toasted the bounty of our garden. The beer is from the store down the street. We grow hops, but both plants are male, so no actual hops are available. We don't grow barley, unless those volunteers from the straw bale are barley. (We both chewed on a mouthful of the grains and decided they were gummy enough to be wheat.) I'm not keen on adding beer-making equipment to our already over-stocked household.
The ensuing dinner included dill zucchini with garlic sauce (our zucchini, onion, dill and garlic; imported oil, rice and yogurt), potatoes (ours) with pesto (our basil, garlic, Swiss chard; imported sunflower seeds, parmensan cheese, and oil) and sour cream (imported), beet greens (ours), beet salad (our beets and onions; imported vinegar,, sugar and mustard), and corn (ours) with imported butter, plus curried lamb sausage from the Old Country Sausage Shop. We are a long way from providing our own meat.
After dinner I meant to write and post this recap, but fell asleep instead (because of a poor sleep the night before, no due to Saturday's modest exertions). Today is another day. We have so far watered the works, harvested more zucchini, and sliced zucchini and garlic for drying. Barry is in construction mode, finishing a raised bed he started weeks or months ago. I should get back to work.
While I worked on the boulevard, Barry picked most of the remaining basil, some badly slug-eaten, all past it's pre-flower prime, and prepped it for a large batch of pesto. He used sunflower seeds for the nut component. We grow enough sunflower seeds that we could have used our own (from last year) if only we could find an easier way to get them out of their tough shells, and before the tiny creatures get to them.
After the tools were put away, we clinked our beer glasses together and toasted the bounty of our garden. The beer is from the store down the street. We grow hops, but both plants are male, so no actual hops are available. We don't grow barley, unless those volunteers from the straw bale are barley. (We both chewed on a mouthful of the grains and decided they were gummy enough to be wheat.) I'm not keen on adding beer-making equipment to our already over-stocked household.
The ensuing dinner included dill zucchini with garlic sauce (our zucchini, onion, dill and garlic; imported oil, rice and yogurt), potatoes (ours) with pesto (our basil, garlic, Swiss chard; imported sunflower seeds, parmensan cheese, and oil) and sour cream (imported), beet greens (ours), beet salad (our beets and onions; imported vinegar,, sugar and mustard), and corn (ours) with imported butter, plus curried lamb sausage from the Old Country Sausage Shop. We are a long way from providing our own meat.
After dinner I meant to write and post this recap, but fell asleep instead (because of a poor sleep the night before, no due to Saturday's modest exertions). Today is another day. We have so far watered the works, harvested more zucchini, and sliced zucchini and garlic for drying. Barry is in construction mode, finishing a raised bed he started weeks or months ago. I should get back to work.
You could try the Lethbridge building salvage place for bricks possibly? Not that I'm trying to add to your workload!
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