by Susan | Jul 24, 2016 | Garden, On the Farm
Although I’ve paid my garden little attention since planted, it seems to be growing strong. As are the weeds! I’ve managed to keep the weeds in the beds to a minimum, but between the beds is another matter. Still, there are hits a misses here and there. This...
by Susan | Oct 4, 2015 | Garden
The day was sunny and cool, a high of 60. Yet, inside the greenhouse, even with the door and a vent open, the temperature was 80 degrees. I spent the afternoon in there yanking out the spent squash and cucumber plants and cleaned up the beds. Despite the fact that we...
by Susan | Sep 7, 2015 | On the Farm
This is the first year that I’ve been successful at growing giant sunflowers. I’m fairly certain the chickens sabotaged my prior attempts by eating the seed. In early summer I planted a row of Burpee’s Mammoth sunflower seeds right in front of the...
by Susan | Aug 2, 2015 | On My Mind
Summer has finally arrived with hot and humid weather. After waiting so long for summer-like weather, I have to keep reminding myself not to whine. I really don’t like hot and humid. I don’t do humidity. With cool weather just around the corner, my mantra...
by Susan | Jun 21, 2015 | Out and About in Maine
I had the opportunity to tour a friend’s garden this weekend. The experience has me dreaming about rows of garden beds. Agribond over hoops cover a row of tomatoes started in January in their sun room. Onions planted in the fall were wintered over in a double...
by Susan | Nov 25, 2014 | On My Mind
I’ve mentioned my greenhouse from time to time. We’ve been planning a green house for years. We started small with two variations of a cover for my raised beds. We talked of a hoop house and then possibly re-purposing a tent frame structure into a...
by Susan | Sep 28, 2014 | Garden, On the Farm
“Holy tomatoes!” exclaimed Hannah when she spied the result of my morning’s work. With ground prep beginning today on the greenhouse, we needed to move the garden fence to give Paul space to run the tractor. You can see the need for the fence. The...
by Susan | Sep 7, 2014 | On the Farm
The day lilies are all but spent. One lone blossom remains in my garden. I stopped to admire the flower and was surprised to discover that I’m not the only one? enjoying this last bright beacon of summer.
by Susan | Aug 31, 2014 | Garden, On the Farm
This last weekend in August found me in the garden wishing I could restart the month. I’m not ready for the growing season to wind down, especially when I’m having such great success with my hugelkulturs. I’d love another month of warm weather to...
by Susan | Aug 9, 2014 | Garden
I love days like today – sunny summer days when the only thought on my mind is working in the garden. It’s satisfying to see the garden producing. Although, harvesting from my garden is a bit like playing Twister. It’s so wildly overgrown that...
by Susan | Aug 2, 2014 | Garden
It appears that I’ve finally hit on a gardening strategy that works in my inhospitable clay soil. After a few years of playing with raised beds, my hugulkulture experiment is yielding fabulous results. My pumpkins and cucumbers are waist deep. I wasn’t...
by Susan | Jul 20, 2014 | Garden
Snapshots from the garden this weekend… My hugulkultures are doing great. You’re looking at pumpkins, zucchini and cucumbers. In hindsight, I may have placed them a little close together and set the fence? in a little too tight. I can’t move in...
by Susan | Jun 9, 2014 | Garden, On the Farm
Gardening in a climate where you run the furnace 6.5 months out of the year can be challenging. Not only are we fairly far north – the 44th parallel – we’re near the coast. That means practically no spring and short, cool summers. Add to that the...
by Susan | Mar 16, 2014 | Garden, On My Mind
The ground may be frozen and snowy, but spring arrived in my mailbox yesterday. Given my gardening history, I may have been just a little optimistic when ordering seeds – 32 varieties!?A typical spring involves me starting seeds, killing the seedlings at some...
by Susan | Oct 28, 2013 | Garden, On the Farm
I spent the afternoon harvesting (almost) the last of my veggies. The Bennett family could live like Kings if one could survive on carrots, garlic, and herbs alone. ‘Cause that’s what I’m most successful growing! Everything else this year has been a...
by Susan | Aug 14, 2013 | Garden
This spring,Granny Gadget sent me hens and chicks. Not of the laying variety, but a new plant for my garden. They looked a bit like a cactus. I didn’t have a plan for them, so I just tucked them into an empty space to keep them alive. They were cute, if a bit...
by Susan | Aug 7, 2013 | Garden, On the Farm
I have only been seriously gardening for the last few years. I work painstakingly to create the perfect garden environment for growing my vegetables. I read up on growing veggies. I test pH levels. I work in peat and compost and diligently weed the garden beds. I...
by Susan | Jul 24, 2013 | Garden
Something has invaded my kale bed. I went out last night to harvest some kale for dinner and found the entire bed nibbled within an inch of its life. Upon further inspection, I found these tiny green worms to be the culprit. I spent hours last night searching the...
by Susan | Jun 15, 2013 | Garden, On the Farm
My lilacs are in full bloom making the garden smell wonderul. As I sit and write this, the breeze is carrying the scent of lilac in the window. Late this afternoon, when we were feeding critters and putting things away outdoors, I found these Hummingbird Clearwing...
by Susan | Apr 27, 2013 | Garden, On the Farm
Last summer I lamented that my raised bed gardens didn’t do as well as my neighbors’. He told me his secret is lining the bottom of the raised bed with moss – plain old moss from the woods – to retain moisture. Eager to begin planing, I decided...
