Where Did Summer Go?

Summer now seems like a dream. I know it happened, but I must have been in a fog after the hell that was the coronavirus spring. Or it just went too fast. With all the isolation time, I spent most of it in my garden.

Last fall in an attempt to downsize and eliminate so much of the work and weeding, I ripped out a lot of beds, covered the bare dirt with cardboard, and spent the winter tromping on it to flatten it all out so weeds wouldn't grow. It was a lot of work, but I had confidence this would in the long run make my life less exhausting and more enjoyable. A friend of mine not too long ago exclaimed, "Don't you love strolling in your garden?!" I looked at her in disbelief, "When? When would I have time to stroll when there is always too much work to maintain it?" I made a point to let her know her husband tends to do all the "work" for her.

Then this spring I removed the cardboard, dug up what weeds attempted to grow and covered everything with bark. THREE LOADS of bark! But I love it:

It's such a clean look and it worked! I spent very little time this summer pulling weeds! Hooray!

I did add one plant last year that didn't do much, but I was told it would bloom the following year. Asparagus:

And it did once it grew to eight feet tall!

The bees went absolutely crazy. I don't have photos of them, but during midday I'd see up to five bumbles on one blossom. It was a spectacular plant.

The apple tree went crazy with apples. All the organic spraying I did all winter really helped. Beautiful apples, but then they started dropping about fifty every night. I fed them to the deer and gave them to a friend who has pigs.

The Italian prune tree also went crazy. I gave lots of plums away to friends and sold them to strangers. I counted 1740 plums, not counting the ones the family of seven raccoons ate every night.

Then there is the fig tree! I've never had figs. Last year I transplanted the fig tree out of its pot and into a garden outside my fence that gets sun all day long. The tree is loaded, but it's October and they are still green. I don't know anything about figs so I'm not sure when they ripen. We'll see.

I also grew basil on my deck, and onions, beets and spinach in my raised planter. 

The summer war started and ended with a hornet's nest. I check the eaves of my house and outbuildings all the time in the spring for the start of nests, knock them down, and feel safe. Not for one minute did I ever expect hornets to make a nest UNDER my deck!

One day while I was walking over the deck on the way into the house and wearing sandals I felt a pinch on my foot. I rubbed my foot not sure what that was and continued. I came out the door the second time and a hornet stung me on top of my foot. OMG! The pain was so intense. I had something in my hand and swung at him, he dodged, and came back for another attack. I ran in the house fast. After treating the sting to the best of my ability, I watched from the safety of my glass door and sure enough, baby hornets crawling on the deck just outside the front door and disappearing between the planks. I had not noticed them before. At dusk I peeked under the deck and there was the nest about sixteen inches in height. Holy mackerel! It must have been there for a while but I never noticed. I got some spray. It didn't work. I went through two cans and even after I poisoned the nest, knocked it down, hornets still hung out on the deck. So I began watching for them and when they appeared, sprayed them directly with the spray. There was one hornet that I'm sure was the leader, relentless and mean.

The deck needed repairs so it was important to get rid of them. Even as I started working on the deck two months later, one hornet buzzed too close, but after being swatted left never to return. So scary.

My sting swelled and turned bright red. The pain was intense like an electric shock and lasted for days. After a few days I called the doctor to find out if I should be concerned. They suggested I outline the swelling with a pen and watch to make sure it doesn't grow. People die from these stings. In another twenty four hours the swelling went down. Nasty bugs!

My fall project is cleaning out the daisy garden. I'm going to make it a pink garden. It's the last one to be redone for downsizing!

Hooray!

Wildlife Friends

I love wildlife. Well, as long as they aren't living in or under my house. Or using my garage roof as a toilet. I enjoy watching them wander through my gardens because I know they appreciate all the work I've done to make it welcoming and beautiful. Actually, I'm sure they don't care if it's beautiful just edible.

I am reading a book on how to make your property wildlife friendly. Most of it has to do with habitat conservation of acreage, but there is a little section on residential backyards. For the most part, this has been my goal all along. I've grown hummingbird and bee-attracting plants, fruit trees and berries, birdhouses, and a little ground-level bird bath. What I didn't realize is more varieties of birds will use a ground-level bird bath than a pedestal-style bird bath. I had a pedestal bath once and the animals would climb on it, knock it over, and break it. I always thought ground-level baths would be more dangerous for them. Placing it near a bush or under the tree makes it safer. Mine is under the cherry tree.

My fruit trees are dripping with fruit. Literally. I've been selling bags of the Italian prunes to prune-tree-less customers, but once everyone had a bag I can't even give them away now. This week I plan to pick the whole tree and take it to the food bank. The apples are just now starting to ripen.

Every morning I go out and pick up at least twenty windfalls of apples and as many Italian prunes. By afternoon there is another load. It's a lot of work. If I don't do this and let them rot on the ground not only does the fruit mold and create fungus damaging the trees, but the rats come over for a snack. If they visit too often they start feeling at home. In years past I have thrown the apples over the fence so the deer can eat them, but if they don't eat them, it gets messy and attracts wasps not to mention rats. This year I've put the fruit in fruit baskets so it's contained but available for the deer or other animals.

By the end of the day the baskets are full and by morning half empty. Today while I was picking up apples and putting them in the basket my neighbor drove up along side and said,

"I don't know if it's your intention to have the deer eat out of the baskets?"

For a moment I felt defensive, ready for a fight, but I smiled and replied, "Yep, that's the plan."

He continued, "Well, last night there were three magnificent buck eating. It was quite the sight." He left before I had the opportunity to tell him if they eat their fill out of the basket, maybe they'll leave his garden alone!

Hooray!  I knew the deer were eating because they are messy eaters, leave large footprints plowing up the dirt, and crap all over. More importantly, I was glad the neighbor seemed happy about it. People in this neighborhood love to thoughtlessly own barking, biting obnoxious dogs, but they usually don't hesitate to kill a wild animal. Most of them hunt the deer. I really don't like most of my neighbors.

I tend to have incredibly sensitive hearing, bionic hearing, due to chemical sensitivity, and I sleep with the windows open. Most nights as I lay in bed and can hear animals lapping the water in the bird bath. I love getting out of bed and watching them. Usually raccoons. I think they are just noisier than other animals, but on occasion I spy a opossum. The raccoons are noisier, also, because they take a whole bath while drinking. Multitasking. I always know when a raccoon has visited - the bird bath is almost empty and what is left is mud.

Last night there was a fat raccoon who must have drank water for fifteen minutes. It's not a very big bird bath and I was compelled to run out there and re-fill it, but I know it would have frightened him away. He circled the tree then came back and drank some more. So I've added a raccoon pond! The only containers I have that would be suitable are two ten-gallon aquariums. I placed large bricks along side for sitting platforms.

Well, see if it works. I placed it in the backyard which is more private, but I won't be able to watch. I'll know if they use them - the water will be dirty.

I'm thinking maybe I should build another pond, but the last one was a hassle to maintain. Hmmm...

UPDATE: OH! This morning I awoke to some clatter. I thought maybe the deer were wrestling with the baskets of apples and prunes. I took my flashlight and shined it around and saw some dark lumps up in the prune tree. I ran downstairs and opened the front door. One mama raccoon with four fat babies all up in the prune tree trying to find something to eat. I think opening the door and shining a light on them made mama nervous. She started growling lowly at them and they all hustled down the tree and in single file gingerly exited toward the backyard. So cute. I don't think they are using the raccoon pond. It is looking a little dirty.

Italian Prunes

My Italian Prune tree is LOADED this year. Thousands of prunes. Last year I think it only produced a small bowl full. This year I've already given away five bags and have barely made a dent in the supply! Aren't prunes good for your colon? Added bonus!

HOORAY!!

Garden Update

My fruit trees are going crazy. More fruit than I've ever had before. I guess it pays to spray them down all winter with sulfur.

The apple tree is so crowded it has expelled at least a thousand apples as it self-thins.

Below is the second bucket of baby apples that sacrificed themselves for their bigger and stronger siblings. I just hope the apples that survive don't look ugly like they did last year. Crossing my fingers the sulfur worked on the fungus/virus/bacteria or whatever that was. We'll see. It's a learning process for sure.

The Italian prune tree is the same and all the extra prunes are now turning yellow and falling off. I'm trying to help both trees by thinning them by hand as well.

The cherry tree has never had so many cherries. It has two different varieties and the early variety is packed, more cherries than I've ever seen. As I recall, last year this variety produced about two cherries. And that is not an exaggeration!

The squash and carrots on the deck are doing well, too!

I have a really hard time thinning plants. In these two tubs I think I planted eight seeds each. I knew I couldn't keep them all, but at the time I didn't think they would all sprout. ARGH! It was like murdering babies. I ended up keeping two plants in each tub which is probably too many, but I couldn't kill the last one. They seem to be alright so far, but maybe when their vines start spreading they won't want their mate in the tub with them!

The fig tree, on the other hand, has produced NOTHING.

The friend that gave it to me told me to put it in a pot as I wanted to take it with me when I move, but I think that was bad advice. Another friend said when he put his fig in the ground it finally started producing. I'll transplant it this fall, but the problem is I don't know where! I've run out of full-sun space.

Spring!

I love Spring when everything comes alive, the sun shines, the birds sing, and the blossoms explode. Last year my fruit trees were contaminated with some kind of fungus that destroyed what little fruit they produced. All winter I sprayed the trees with sulfur. I read this sulfur is organic approved, but I don't know. It stunk so I had to wear my HAZMAT costume for fear of a poisoning. I think (hope) it paid off. My trees look fantastic!

APPLE TREE!

CHERRY TREE!

ITALIAN PRUNE TREE!

Fig leaves sprouting with two baby figs!

A sea of bluebells.
I love bluebells!

Does anyone know what this plant is? I planted some seeds in a bed and this plant came up. Not sure what it is. I guess I'll wait until it blooms to find out!

Spring is so lovely!

Fruit Fetuses

Oh, my fruit trees are fruiting! It's so exciting. It looks like I'll be once again up to my eye balls in fruit this year. I can't wait!

Apple babies:

Again, the apple tree is overloaded with some branches loaded with three to four little apple babies in a cluster.

Last year some of the baby apples fell off or later in the season I had to pick about 200 so the branches wouldn't get weighed down and break.

Cherries are loaded too. Babies are lovely:

Italian prunes are developing, but they aren't as loaded as the apple and cherry trees. Next year I'll have to chop off a branch to get it producing more.

So lovely.

My lettuce is ready to eat, already! Lots of green onions and radishes, too. I've eaten a few early peas and in another few weeks they should be ready to harvest.