Cherries and Strawberries

About 4 years ago we purchased a nice Montmorency cherry tree from a nursery that was going out of business. Every year it has bloomed beautifully but no cherries. We were beginning to wonder if it was labeled wrong and not a self fertile tree meaning I would need two instead of one. Today, as I was watering I looked up in the tree and saw something shiny and red. What could that be? Closer investigation revealed not one but three perfect red cherries! I know three seems pretty lame but, nonetheless they were awesome. Unfortunately I inhaled them before I took a picture! The strawberries are also in full fruit. Last year I moved them from the garden to a raised bet dedicated to their care. As a result we did not eat many last year but I am happy to say I see some strawberry deserts coming my way this year! What is your favorite thing to do with fresh summer strawberries?

Creative Gardening

Gardening is not a static endeavor. It is a creative adventure. One must constantly think up new ways to attack the weeds, organize the layout and come up with new ideas to make it better. Well maybe not always new ideas but creative versions of old ideas. Take for example my hog panel trellis. I have planted gourds on both sides. I plan to train the vines up and over in an effort to save some garden space. Trellising is not a new idea and using hog panels is probably not either but, it is a new creative option for my garden to help me get more into my small urban lot. I hope it works well for me! I am even more excited about the fact that they are scraps from someone's yard. All I had to do was ask. They were happy to let them go, and I was happy to have them! I am all about ease and minimal effort. These were cut to size(approxx 3'x5') using a dremel. Anchored in the ground and wired at the top it took about two minutes to put them up and will take about the same to store for winter. They probably will not win any awards for attractiveness but I don't think anyone will be the wiser when they are covered in vines!

Rain Rain Rain

It has been raining here for two days solid. I am starting to get cabin fever and need to see the sun. Even the plants are feeling it.

I have a dear friend who does crop insurance. She is telling me her farmers are calling with multiple failures. First from the wicked hail that proceeded this storm and second from the four inches of rain that have fallen. I am trying not to think about it so I have been perusing Mini Farming (Brett Markham), The Backyard Homestead(Storey Publishing), and Cultivating Life(Sean Conway).
As I result I huddled into the garage to build this bamboo trellis:

I think it will look great covered in sweet peas and morning glories. I also have dreams of rain barrels and clothes lines dancing in my head. I should probably just head down to sew the wedding gift and baby gift that I am behind on but I need to get my craft room back in order from the furnace replacement. Somehow gloomy basement work is even less appealing today than it normally is. What do you like to do on a rainy day?

Tomato Wars

The long winter has driven me outside to the garden! I am very happy to spend the days in the sun and breathing fresh air! This year we have vowed to be more dedicated to the garden than ever. We will harvest more, eat more, preserve more and of course spend more time doing it. I have decided to do a little experiment this year. Everyone knows I garden so someone donated some red plastic to me. The idea is that the red color boosts tomato production. I think it is probably a bunch of hooey but since they were free and will at least keep the weeds down next to the plants I will give it a try. Do you have any secret garden tricks?

I want to ride my bicycle......

One of my favorite things about being URBAN farm girl is bike riding. This is something that I think was seriously lacking from my youth. It was not really all that fun to ride your bicycle down a gravel dirt road or around the 1/8 of a mile loop around the grain bins. If you did, you most likely had a flat tire while you were doing it. Eventually the solution was a set of solid rubber supper sucker tires. I still had no where to actually ride the bike and a horse was a better bet. Urban living provides endless bicycle opportunities and I love it. I do have to admit that I have slowed down a bit since A was born but nonetheless I am working it back in slowly. Recently my passion has been renewed by an old dusty gift from my mother in law. I already thought she was the best MIL one could have but this has stepped it up a notch! Enter one beautiful, canary yellow Schwinn Breeze! I have given it a quick spin around the block on the little bit of air the tubes will still hold. Now I must wait with baited breath for the tubes and tires to be replaced!

It has this super cool generator headlight that works from the spinning of the front wheel. I have already tested it and can see the light bulb come on from just walking the bike in the driveway!

Lastly, it has my initial on the seat! LOL! Can't beat that! I am thinking some white wall tires and a vintage basket will look superb! Thank you Connie!

First Harvest

One month in and I am already delinquent in my posts. Sigh. Not to worry we have been traveling to the wide open spaces of Nebraska! Little A's first long car trip since the initial disaster at two months old that left me in tears. I am not a proponent of t.v. for young children but I do have to say that the portable DVD player is a must in these situations! I am also happy to announce the first harvest of 2010! Check out these beauties! They were seeded in about 6 weeks ago! I don't mean to brag but.....

The iris are also still blooming quite nicely. A few of these are new to my garden. The anticipation of watching the blooms open is better than a holiday gift! Maybe if I had an SLR camera I could do them justice.

Iris Spring Forth

According to Wikipedia, the genus Iris has over 260 species and takes its name from the Greek word rainbow. In my garden I have at least 30 different colors and varieties. Iris is easily one of my very favorite plants due to their seemingly infinite varieties and colors. Their foliage adds great structure to the garden and their hardiness makes them a must have. If you plant shallow and don’t keep them saturated or in constant shade Iris will serve you well. Unless you are looking for something special, I would take a look at what your friends have. They will most likely be willing to share. I myself have on occasion asked a stranger if they would be willing to spare just a corm or two