Jam It

Do you see these beauties? I had to stand at the corner of the strawberry bed defending it with a hose from would be marauders(my husband and daughter) in order to get enough for some strawberry jam! As I am sure you have noticed my lack of posts, I am seriously short on time these days! Watering, weeding, summer fun and such has kept me very busy. As a result I decided to give freezer jam a try. It takes much less processing time and is really simple to do. Basically you mix pectin, fruit and sugar together and then mash the fruit. Allow to set for a bit and then you can put it in the same jars you use for regular canning and throw them in the freezer. Google a few different recipes, I picked mine from a recent issue of Organic Gardening. The flavor is just as good if not better. The texture may be a bit runnier but that just makes it more suitable to ice cream topping if you desire!

Poppies

What do you think of these poppies? They look more like peonies to me! I missed the blooming of my peony while I was in California. I have been waiting for five years for that thing to finally get big enough to bloom. Wouldn't you know it happens while I am out! I started it from a root. All I can say is slow and painful. This poppy reseeds itself in my garden in random places. I was looking for the bright orange variety and ended up with this very pink carnation looking one. I'll try to seed for the orange ones this fall. In the meantime, I will enjoy this one with its carnation like flower and sleepy seed pods.

Color

Well I am glad to be home but seem to have brought a cold with me. I am hoping it is just allergies....something in California I was not used to. I found lots of wonderful things in my garden when I got home. Amazing what a week of hot weather can do!
I seeded these California Poppies last summer. I have always liked them for their vibrant color, willingness to self seed and their need for little water. Needless to say I am really pleased to see how nice the color plays with the purple of the salvia. I would like to say I planned it that way but I did not. I am however pleased with the result and would recommend it for someone looking for something vibrant in the garden!

On Vacation

Taking some time to help a friend. See you when I get back!

Mulch in the Vegetable Garden

In an effort to make my life easier and to reduce my water consumption, I am going to work really hard at mulching the the vegetable garden. My mulch of choice is going to be grass clippings. They are typically readily available and break down nicely adding organic matter to the soil. You can use green or dried. I happen to have some dried that were the result of someone power raking their lawn. After the plants are up, I will be weeding and then dressing with a thick layer of mulch. You will need to keep it pulled back from the plant stems and make sure you have a good source. I would recommend someone you can rely on to tell you if they have applied chemical to their lawn. If they have, you will need to skip on the clippings for three complete mowing cycles before you can utilize that source again.

The Garden is in!

Late is better than never! I am happy to say the first round is planted! The irrigation is in place and the tomato cages are ready! I just need some growth now. Hopefully some growth of something besides weeds! You will see that I use soaker hoses to water the garden. I think they are pretty efficient at putting the water just where you need it-at the plant and not all over the garden. The hoses I have been using are a recycled tire rubber. While I love how they work, I am less than impressed with their longevity. If you roll one up with the slightest kink during winter you are destined to have a crack. Every spring I make several splices and put things back together. I am not sure its worth it since 50' of hose costs about $12.00 and the splices cost about $3 not to mention the pain of having to do it every spring! How do you water your garden? Have any suggestions?

Personal Responsibility

One of the things I really hate to do is get on my soap box. So get ready, I'm getting on a soap box. Last Friday I attended a lecture hosted by the City of Greeley's community garden group. We listened to a gentleman speak about permaculture. To sum it up the basic premise of permaculture lies in sustainable cultural practices. In other words our individual responsibility to live and exist sustainably. Don't worry I'm not talking patchouli, earth homes, love and peace. I'm talking basic personal responsibility to do right by our planet. There are other cultures in the world that do it much better than we do here in the U.S. For them its the norm and not considered "hippy" to do things like sort your trash daily and install grey water systems. It's just the way you do it. We all need to start somewhere. Every day choices might be a good place to start. For example take a look at Batter Blaster. It is indeed organic. That's good right? Organic in a propellant filled, non recyclable can. Watch the demo video. Personally I was a bit insulted. It takes me five minutes every Sunday to whip up homemade batter for pancakes or waffles. Yes, flour, milk, eggs etc. Five minutes flat. No waste and no chemicals. Well, maybe some waste but the chickens take care of it. Everyday we all need to consider the impact of what we do from how we throw away to what we choose to buy. I'd just like you to think a little bit about how you can make little improvements in your everyday. It all adds up.