Companion planting: regrets, I have a few...

 I've never really tried companion planting before, so I did a little research (dangerous) and decided to plant borage and nasturtium with some of my vegetables.  

The borage is supposed to be an all-around good companion for many vegetables.  It adds trace minerals to the soil, attracts pollinators by the droves, and is supposed to repel tomato worms (verdict - after picking about 40 hornworms off my plants yesterday, I'd say that's a myth).  All parts but the roots are edible, and it's said the leaves have a taste like cucumber.  I have eaten a few of the flowers and they are sweet delights, but the leaves and stems are covered with prickly little hairs that make me itch like I've been infested with fleas.  They sting a bit, too.  That might just be me and my uber-sensitive skin, but I can't imagine trying to choke down a leaf of this plant.  Also, nobody really let on that they may overtake whatever you're planting them with.  

Back in late May/early June, I planted five tomato plants in my big planter and peppered in a few borage and nasturtium seedlings.  Won't they be lovely when they bloom, in amongst the tomatoes?

 

Oh my aching head...

There are tomato plants in there, I swear.  I did have to pull the center plant as I inadvertently pinched the wrong leader and rendered it worthless, but the other four are doing well despite these thugs.  Trying to get water to the tomatoes is a feat; if it's early morning or late evening, there are sleepy bumble bees to watch out for on the borage flowers.  If it's middle of the day, there are hyperactive bumble bees, honey bees, hornets, and hawk moths to avoid.  In this area I've already had run-ins with a paper wasp nest on my porch railing, and an underground yellow jacket nest in the lawn.  I've become so petrified of being stung (two stings on the same ankle, one on the thigh) that I mostly avoid this area altogether, and it's become a bit of an overgrown jungle at this point.

So neat, so tidy.

Two months later...

Yikes.

As for the nasturtium, I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor of the blossoms.  I'd read they had a "peppery" taste; in truth they are more like a really good radish.  I love radish, so I've eaten quite a few of the blossoms.  I've also read that they will self-sow and run rampant and honestly, I'm ok with that.  They're pretty flowers and beneficial plants for insects, and are often used as a sacrificial plant to lure aphids and damaging beetles away from main crops. 

A few years ago I planted some creeping thyme in with my strawberry plants as a "living mulch" if you will.  Worked great the first year, ok the second year, and now...well, 

I've tried to pull what strawberry plants I could find out of that ridiculous mat, but most have been lost.  I had planned to try a xeriscape lawn with the creeping thyme, but went with wildflowers instead.  I still hope to pull this up and transplant it somewhere that it can expand its territory unbothered by my silly restrictions.

I also tried companion planting vegetables with vegetables, but a hungry woodchuck kept mowing down whatever I planted, so I kind of gave up trying.  There's always next year.

Project #2 - In Which I Enter the Home Stretch

 An additional pound of crimson clover seed has been sown and I'm beginning to see signs of germination!  I really hope this cover crop has enough time to mature, but only time will tell.  I just noticed this morning that 5:00 am isn't nearly as bright, but it's still light at 8:00 pm.  Hopefully that's enough daylight to help the seed along. 

I've moved my new perennials into the middle bed and set up the old bird cage that was part of my water feature at my last house.  Instead of planting directly into the cage, I set up an old galvanized tub at the base to plant in. I'm only planning on annual vines inside the cage, so this should do nicely.  Unfortunately, until the plants have a chance to really take hold and bush out, the warped shape of the center and path really stands out.  

I planted a couple of deeper rooted perennials along the rock edging of the gravel patio, which is not over the actual leach field.  The next step is to set my concrete pavers for the soaking tub to set on.  I'm not sure if I'll build the trellis over it this year yet - there's still fencing to be done and the pond to finish.  With the recent humid weather followed by thunderstorms, weeds and lawns have become absolute jungles.  I've already had a handful of encounters with hornets and yellow jackets and disturbing underground nests, so I'm kind of terrified to mow at this point. I'm almost praying for an early frost!

Project #2 - Mostly Done

 I've spread nearly all the loam and have sown my first round of crimson clover seed.

There's about 2 yards of loam left and we're going to lose that on mom's front lawn, I think.  It's getting there.  I didn't plant any clover in the middle section because we went to a local plant sale last weekend, and I was able to cross reference all the plants I purchased with a toxic-or-not-to-cats database as well as research the depth of their roots beforehand.  I have a bevvy of shallow rooted, cat safe perennials to plant inside the circle.

We just came out of a brutal heat wave and my garden isn't faring well.  Tender cool weather crops bolted in the heat, and much of my garden was mowed down by a woodchuck.  I cannot get over how much devastation that little bugger managed to do in such a short amount of time!  I've been using home-made garlic spray and some store-bought stinky granules, and they seem to work.  As soon as we get a thunderstorm or I water the garden, it's washed away and I need to re-apply.  

There are some success stories, though.  Once again my onions and shallots are doing great.  My tomatoes have green fruit, and my cucumbers are flowering like crazy.  The carrots I planted in the stock tank are simply amazing - I'd forgotten how good a carrot just pulled from the earth smells.  The mules are very happy to have these tasty treats.  And I'm very happy to say the ornamental corn I'm growing in pots is doing fantastic!  I'm just hoping the raccoons don't ransack it if it actually produces some ears of corn.

My perennial beds are loaded with color.  I've been mapping the beds, numbering the plants, and photographing the flowers.  I'm determined to have every plant in my care properly identified...which is more difficult than it sounds.  

elecampane

liatris

pink tiger lily

straw foxglove

delphinium

back to front - bitterroot, veronica, English daisy

bee balm

filipendula

so. many. daylilies!

    

stargazer lily

My tractor guy was out here last week and reset the posts that the tree company pulled, so that's done.  He dug the preliminary hole for my pond, too.  It's going to be somewhat smaller than I anticipated, but I can always add another down the road.  I need to get that started, and finish the gravel patio ends.  I feel the pressure of mid-summer, when daylight begins to wane sooner and the threat of winter seems to haunt my every waking hour.  Every moment is precious right now, and I'm trying to get at least a portion of my to-do list taken care of.  Rush, rush, rush, tick-tock, tick-tock.

Project # 2 - In Which Another Project is Started Before the Last Project is Finished

 I sincerely don't know what my problem is.

I ordered 10 yards of loam for the wildflower meadow, which is insane because I was not ready for it.  But there it is.

I started moving it by the wheelbarrow full and in two nights this was as much as I could accomplish, which included re-weeding quite a bit of the area.

Brutal hot weather has set in, and I'm not having it.  I've completely missed my window of opportunity to get any sort of annual wildflowers in at this point.  Having a short growing season is definitely a challenge; time is of the essence.  Instead I'm working toward using a cover crop.  I had bought a quantity of field peas to sow, then realized they were better suited to autumn sowing.  I've now redirected my attention to red clover, which is supposed to grow quickly, provide decent flowers for pollinators, and the first hard frost should do it in.  If it ever cools down enough that my ample derrière can manage a decent day's work, I might actually get this done.

Backyard Project #1.5 - The Gravel Path

 After much sketching and staring at the dirt, I finally decided upon a path shape that will meander from the gravel patio, through the wildflower meadow, and down to the deck.  Since the pond and the deck are still just pipe dreams, and knowing the land upon which I stand to be a veritable rock quarry, I'm not sure where the exit path will be.  I know where I want the pond and the deck, but that doesn't mean they'll actually be where I want them.  For now I've laid the entrance path and the loop, and edged the area I want to be my meadow (vs. the area beyond it, which is whatever happens to grow in craptastic soil).

I've used the no-dig edging that wouldn't work for the patio, and while it's fairly easy to create circular patterns with that, it's a little more difficult to curve the straight landscape fabric.  I did the best I could, and tried to keep the path equal in width the entire way.  Unfortunately - see the above description of my property - pins don't always pound in where you want them, even on ground that's been excavated heavily. 

Close enough.  I'm hoping once the dirt is down and plants are growing, the path won't be such a focal point.

I must have miscalculated for my pea stone, because it's very thick on the patio and makes walking a little tricky.  Since I obviously had some to spare, I skimmed a layer off the patio and used it for the path.  This section is thinner, and I didn't need to use the base gravel. 

I used the remaining edging to define the perimeter of the meadow, which isn't an exact geometric shape, either.  Perfectionists will lose their minds if they enter my back yard.

Before my loam arrives, I need to dig up that last bit of stubborn stuff invading my meadow, and I need to finish the edging on the patio ends.  

I'm debating whether to hire a fence company to install the short bit of privacy fence that will run from the house to just beyond the bathtub (still covered for winter...I knew I wouldn't be using it this year!) or to do it myself.  I've done so much fencing in the last six or seven years that I'm pretty much over it, but I need to save my pennies, too.  I have a feeling I'll end up doing it myself, and my back will hate me even more.

Backyard Project #1 - The Gravel Patio

 After much hemming and hawing, I decided not to have a deck built off the back of the house just yet.  Instead I've decided to create a pea gravel patio.  There's a long, narrow spot between the house and the edge of the leach field, so it'll work great on that area.  I did lots of reading about creating gravel patios, and figured it was something I could tackle. 

SO!  The patio.  

The first thing I had to do was remove the masses of weeds and clover that had taken over the newly excavated area in the last two years.  I tried using Reputa and my little york rake, but that didn't get down into the soil enough to rip the weeds out by the roots, so there was much hoeing and chopping and forking and swearing, but I got the area fairly knocked out.  Once things were loosened, I was able to drag the rake over the area and clean it up a little.  I tried not to get too far into the soil, because I was told not to take any soil off the top of the leach field, and try not to compact it too much by driving over it.  Well, I kind of adhered to that.

I let it sit for a few days and bake in the sun, then raked it one last time by hand to clean up any residual debris.  I then marked out the area I wanted to use, made my adjustments, and laid down some landscape fabric.

My research led me to understand that the best method of laying gravel is to use a larger aggregate with a binding material, which creates a more stable surface.  I went with 3/4" crushed gravel, and on top of that I would put a layer of pea stone.  The area is roughly 30'x15', so I needed about 3 yards of each, give or take.  I called the local gravel folks and told them what I needed, and set up a delivery.  In the meantime, I combed the interwebs looking for the perfect edging.  What I wanted was the new fangled, no-dig edging.  Let me tell you, pounding in the pins for the landscape fabric had me swearing all over again (hello, soil with mostly rocks) and I knew I was taking a gamble on that type of edging, but I wanted it to be secure.  I found some that was described as 4 1/2" tall and purchased a couple rolls of it.  It arrived the day before the gravel delivery and I was horrified to discover the 4 1/2" was the length of the edge that gets bent inward and fastened to the ground to the top of the actual edging, meaning that the actual edging was only about 1 1/2" tall.  I was figuring on 4" of stone, so this clearly wasn't going to work.  In a panic I called about six different places that sold landscape supplies, went online again and searched, but kept coming up empty.  There was a thin pound-in edging, but I had used it before and I wasn't impressed with it.  At the very last minute, staring out over the back yard and desperately trying to solve my dilemma, I noticed a pile of stones at the edge of the pasture.  These were the stones that had once been a field stone wall that we had to remove for construction, and I had piled them up knowing I'd use them for something else.  Oh, happy day!  I would use field stones for edging!

I didn't need them to be some perfect wall, I just needed them to hold back the aggregate, so I lined them up and will add to them later.

A very blurry (but the only one) picture of the crushed gravel.

And it worked!  I kept the ends open so that once I got the bulk of the pile spread by hand, I could drive Reputa over it with the york rake and move it around a little.

The pea stone was delivered the next morning, and since it was ridiculously hot and humid, I waited until the cool of the evening to spread that.  I did it by hand, and rushed the job because we're supposed to have some rain tomorrow.  

The rain should really help settle everything in.  I've left it fairly thick on both ends because I need to stone it in, then I can really work on leveling out the humps and making it pretty.  The end behind the mini split compressor will be the sitting area, since that's the most level spot.  

Once I've finished this, I'll be working on the wildflower meadow in front of it.  It's almost surreal to think I might actually have my own yard by the end of summer!

 

Catching up

 Well, it's been a while.  

On the seed starting front, I'm happy to say that my pansies, impatiens, and petunias all exceeded my expectations.  I used what I could, mom used what she could, and I gave the rest away.  Some of the veg I started didn't do as well.  My broccoli bolted shortly after I planted it, but that may have more to do with the relatively cool spring we've been having.  We had one weekend in early May where the temperatures were ridiculously hot, then it dropped back down to the 60s during the day, 40s at night.  At the moment our average is low 70s during the day, 50s at night, and I'm loving it.  After a few years of going from winter straight into summer, we're finally experiencing a proper spring.

The veg garden is slow but coming along.  The cauliflower seeds I started seem to be doing better than the broccoli, and my sweet peppers are a little odd looking but thriving.  I have a feeling some of the strange growth patterns may have to do with the seeds being 4 to 5 years old at this point.  I direct sowed my cucumbers and green beans last weekend, and I think I'm done for now.  I have radish, onion, shallots, peas, beans, cukes, tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower, head lettuce, celery, and for the first time in decades, carrots.  

The perennial holding beds are all set up and I've started transplanting the plants I had temporarily housed in my mother's spare beds.  Everything is doing well, but I did lose some of my shade plants over the winter.  

I have been battling bindweed in and around these gardens all spring, and I almost wish I'd used landscape fabric weed block instead of cardboard.  I added a thick layer of mulch to each bed and the bindweed vines still poke through by the hundreds.  It's nearly a full time job trying to stem the tide of this invasive plant.  

One of the biggest transformations this spring is the area that will be my woodland garden.  I had a crew of tree experts come in and take down some hazard trees near the mule track and park out the area between mom's driveway and mine.  I had originally wanted most of the large oaks and what I thought were worthless trees cut, but the young man who owns the tree service convinced me to keep them, because they are quite spectacular.  He and his crew took out the smaller trees, cleaned up some of the invasive brush species, and did some pruning on the larger oaks to mitigate the acorn issue I have in the autumn.  The result is amazing.

pre-clearing

post clearing

I'm excited to begin working on this area, but first I need to get that track fenced.  

I've also built a small garden in front of the house where I've planted my Primrose Lilacs, and I've filled the giant planter with tomatoes, nasturtium, and borage.  I planted my clematis between the giant planter and the steps, with a miniature catmint 'Cat's Pajamas' to help shade the clematis base.

I have yet to begin working on a back yard plan, but I'm hoping to get that fenced in soon so I can develop some semblance of a garden area.  Since the leach field takes up most of the area directly behind the house, I've decide to plant a wildflower garden over that.  Anything planted over a leach field needs to have shallow roots so as to not interfere with the system, and wildflowers are a perfect fit.  I can plant some shallow rooted perennials as well; coneflower, creeping thyme, lupine, etc.  I have a feeling this summer is going to be a busy one.