I host my main blog on tumblr, so I've moved this one over there as well for ease.
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what's in bloom sept 10

what's in bloom sept 10, originally uploaded by jocelynb.

seed saving -- fall 2011

seed saving -- fall 2011, originally uploaded by jocelynb.

This.

"Did you know you have thistles in your yard?" -My mother in law. Trying to be helpful.

July 15th - it briefly stops raining

What's in bloom on July 15th.
Hosta. I just planted these a few weeks ago in a shady spot on the side of the house.
Lupines -- not quite in bloom, but they will be any day. Their colour is lovely.
Creeping Jenny -- I know many people consider this plant not much more than a weed, but I like it. The little yellow flowers are so delicate.
Pink catchfly, an heirloom variety from Heritage Harvest seed.

The pots behind the garage, in the alley. The succulents on the left having the beginnings of blooms on them, as well. This seems late compared to last year, but I guess that isn't surprising, with the way things have been going.

In bloom on July 9th

In bloom on July 9th - old-fashioned vining petunias. I raised these plants from seed, starting them in the house months ago. It was not worth the effort.
Sweet peas, of course. I planted a flat of these from Holes earlier in the spring, scattering them throughout my garden. They are now in bloom everywhere. Beautiful!
And a bizarre succulent that looked like Hen & Chicks in the store, but when I planted it it began to grow two of these giant spikes, and now the spikes have beautiful, delicate pink flowers on them. Since it didn't have a tag, I shall name this plant "Space Oddity."

I got at least three mosquito bites in the process of running outside and taking these few pictures. Also it is raining. Normally Edmonton has one of these shortcomings at a time in summer, so both at once is interesting.

Lots of other things are on the brink of blooming, including lots of other succulents and the lupines, but in order to photograph them I have to order a telephoto lens from Amazon since I am OBVIOUSLY not going outside.

in bloom july 1

in bloom july 1, originally uploaded by jocelynb.

sweet peas, arugula & yarrow, potentilla, something red (I forget)

the arugula bolted the first hot day. It's actually quite pretty. I tasted one of the leaves this morning and it was VERY spicy -- but I might still eat it. Depends how hungry I get, har har.

2 setbacks

i. This happened several weeks ago now, but I just remembered after reading posts about stolen plants on Apartment Therapy and Life on the Balcony. When I bring plants home from the store I tend to just set them in a space in one of my raised beds until I'm ready to plant them, and sometimes that takes several days as I tend to buy plants I'm not sure what to do with. One such plant was stolen out of my raised bed, IN MY YARD, and it was one of two the same. Someone stole one little $2 annual and not the other?? It wasn't the loss of the plant itself that was discouraging, so much as the knowledge that someone was wandering around in my yard. My neighbour suggested that maybe two crows carried the plant off, holding the pot in their beaks, and I've chosen to believe that story because I like it much more than the alternative.

In previous years I have used old pop or juice bottles, spray-painted black, to try to keep plants warm in the early spring. And I have had those stolen out of my yard as well (presumably for the deposit although I don't know if they can even recycle them once they've been spray painted). It's funny how your own yard feels like so much a part of your territory that it's hard to imagine anyone going in -- even though in my case, there is no gate or fence between the yard and the front street, so people do make their way through more regularly than I would like. (There is a narrow sidewalk between my house and my neighbour's which connects the front sidewalk with the back alley. This year we built a fence across it in the back, and later this summer I hope to put a gate across it in the front. I think a big part of the reason people wander through is psychological -- because it's not closed off, it feels like there's no reason NOT to explore.)

ii. Two days ago, I pulled out all my broccoli and cauliflower from the Back 40 (only 8 plants). The plants were full of holes and very droopy, so I could tell something was wrong. When I pulled them out, their roots were full of what I imagine must be cabbage fly maggots. It was pretty disgusting. I had inter-planted garlic among my brassicas to try to keep the bugs away, but apparently that wasn't enough. I have a half-dozen more growing in the East Farthing, plus some kale, all under floating row covers. I will see whether those become infested as well. I'm getting to the point where I don't think I'll bother with brassicas anymore. It's up to the last few cauliflower and broccoli, as well as the baby Kale, to change my mind.

(The way I wrote that made it sound like I have a baby named Kale. The weird thing is that, working in a public library, I am exposed to weird names for kids CONSTANTLY and the first thing that occurred to me was, hmm, Kale is kind of a nice name. And I imagine it could be for a boy or a girl since, let's face it, it's a vegetable.)

Bees in the garden

I just ordered one of these Mason bee boxes from AndrewsReclaimed on Etsy. I’m excited to take this next step in attracting yard wildlife. You can’t keep bees in Edmonton, and I don’t know if I would want to even if it were allowed – while the idea appeals to my pioneer woman sensibilities, the truth is that the jars of honey we purchase a few times a year at the farmer’s market are more than enough for us. If we kept bees, I don’t know what we would do with all the honey.

But the other wonderful function bees have in the garden, of course, is pollination. So I thought I would try a bee-box, mount it somewhere (maybe on my garage?) and see if I get any mason bees in residence next year. Mason bees are solitary creatures who like to nest in hollow holes or tubes. They are also pretty friendly (well, as friendly as a bee can be), since apparently they rarely sting. Plus I don’t think you can get in trouble for having a box for them. Because the City Bee Inspector (from the Department of Unexpected Wildlife, the DUW) might be like, “Ma’am, you can’t be keeping these bees,” and I would be like, "I’m not keeping bees. That’s a garden art object. I don’t know why it has bees in it."

I am also considering buying a box of ladybugs to help me take care of my aphid problem. Does anyone know where to buy live ladybugs in the Edmonton area?

In bloom | June 1

In bloom | June 1, originally uploaded by jocelynb.
Phlox (I think?? I forget), strawberries, chives, blueberries. 
My blueberries have never bloomed before (I just planted them last year). I was not expecting the tiny flowers. They remind me of old-timey bloomers.


I've been having a stressful time at work recently. The garden is a very welcome distraction. I wish it was more pleasant to be outside, but the bugs have been intense. Note to self: plant more carnivorous plants. Earlier today I killed a mosquito, and I gave it to Emma, just for revenge.

I hate you, Edmonton. I've been feeling a little warmer toward you recently, but that was just Stockholm Syndrome.

may29 (3), originally uploaded by jocelynb.

Hops vine growing on a cool trellis we got from Home Re-Use-Ables. I had never been to this place before -- it's amazing! I'm not sure what this trellis was in its previous life -- two long segments and two short ones. They're just kind of sitting on the ground now in the Back 40. Once I get some paving stones, maybe I'll do something more permanent to attach them.

what's in bloom - may28

what's in bloom - may28, originally uploaded by jocelynb.

From left to right:
Bleeding Hearts - I believe the variety is "Galaxy Red"
Crabapple - Although we don't have many blossoms this year.
What I believe is arctic campion
Lilacs. I am not particularly fond of lilac flowers, but I love the smell at this time of year -- you can catch it on the air sometimes, without even seeing a bush nearby.

Succulents on the steps

Succulents on the steps, originally uploaded by jocelynb.

I put some succulents (plus a couple other things, sweet potato vine and silver falls dichondra) in my tiered pot, and ice plants in the little pots. (Last year they took over my beds, so this year they're contained.) Most of these are perennials, so I'll try to find a post for them in the ground in the fall.

The yard -- May long weekend

The yard -- May long weekend, originally uploaded by jocelynb.

The yard as it looks today. Lots of stuff growing, lots still to do...

New back beds!

New back beds!, originally uploaded by jocelynb.

My neighbour salvaged this fence from the garbage, repainted it, and built a gate across the back of our lots. We are both growing stuff back here, although only the pots on the right are mine-- most of the property is the neighbours'.

seedlings

seedlings, originally uploaded by jocelynb.

This morning I had breakfast with some friends and they brought me these lovely seedlings. I attribute their loveliness to the fact that they have a greenhouse, because that conveniently contributes to my belief that I should build a greenhouse.

The back 40

The back 40, originally uploaded by jocelynb.

My mom and I painstakingly cleared this area out (well... partly) and I built another 36 square feet of raised beds back here. I also cut down about 10 trees in order to let the sun shine on this area. There is still lots to do.

A beautiful story

Once upon a time, there was a glorious Queen of England named Victoria. Victoria loved vegetables so much that she invented a new holiday, Victoria Day, at the end of May, so that Canadian gardeners could plant their gardens.

(I've been so busy over the last week or so that I haven't had any time to think. And Saturday and Sunday were PERFECT transplanting weather here. On Saturday and Sunday it was a bit overcast, with alternating sunny periods and little rain storms. And then today it's raining for real, hopefully helping all those plants get established. I'm going to upload a few photos to flickr though and I'll post them here too.)

In bloom this week: Double-hanging plum

In bloom this week: Double-hanging plum, originally uploaded by jocelynb.

Just saw the first blossoms today!

sort of a garden poem

There is something so satisfying about THIS EXACT TIME OF YEAR
because the baby weed trees in my yard are the perfect size to be weeded:
small enough that they have a single long root, and are easy to pull out of the ground;
large enough that spotting them and pulling them out is satisfying.

an unpleasant wilderness

an unpleasant wilderness, originally uploaded by jocelynb.

A pioneer woman update.

I’ve been pleasantly adrift from the Internet this week as I immerse myself in a giant yard project. The largest looming thing on my to do list for the past two years has been the approximately 180 square foot area between my garage and the edge of my yard. This photo shows the area as it appeared in July of last year. The house’s previous owners had dumped all kinds of crap back there — garbage, plywood, pruned branches from trees, etc. There is a huge compost bin built of rotting wood in the back left hand corner of the picture, which you can’t see because the weeds are so high they cover it completely. ALSO SHOWN! About a dozen weed trees (at the back, against and indeed growing THROUGH the fence), which completely block the sun and drop thousands of new potential weed tree seeds on my yard every summer. AND! Invasive thistles. Which are called Canada Thistle even though they are not in fact a native species. So the place is really mired in a lack of semantic organization as well as a lack of actual organization.

So this week my mom has been here, and we’ve been tackling the wilderness. We have sawed down trees, built garden beds, and carted out wheelbarrows-full of garbage and dirt full of quackgrass. A partial list of other items uncovered in the pile: drinking straws, pop can tops, McDonald’s ketchup packets; a child’s sock; 4 rubber/tennis balls; 2 strands of Christmas tinsel and one piece of rope; a Hot Wheels car; and my favourite, the winner of the garbage-pile sweepstakes, a leaf from a fake plant. SO META. Oh, and a nest full of mice. Gheeegh.

So that is where I have been. Taming the wilderness, like a pioneer woman. “After” pictures to come shortly.

The emotional roller-coaster ride that is mystery plants from the Zellers garden centre clearance rack

Mystery plant outside, originally uploaded by jocelynb.

So, I am a total sucker for plants on the clearance shelf in garden centres -- the sketchier the garden centre, the greater my sense of pathos. (Actually the reaction I have is almost identical to the one I get from Spike Jonze's Ikea commercial. Or, actually, this clip from Community. Because the part of my brain that personifies things without consciousness has had too much caffeine. OR NOT ENOUGH LOVE.)

Anyway, as a result I end up with these sad, bedraggled plants in my garden sometimes, and I don't necessarily know what they are, or even whether they are annuals or perennials. BUT! This one is apparently a perennial! Which means that I really got my $1's worth. I have three of these, and they have pretty, variegated pink leaves. Plus their new spring shoots look DELICIOUS. And pink! Like Gaga Pink! Yay spring! Yay mystery plants! Yay lamp!

This picture also signifies the fact that I'm finally out in my outside garden, trying to clean up some of the disastrous last-year mess. I did NOTHING to clean up my garden last fall. I mean, literally, the snow is melting and under the snow are pots, and bags of lawn clippings, and 8 months' worth of dog poop, and apparently at least a few plants that are going to grow again. (Or at least, they'll grow again if I hold up my end of the bargain and clear away the debris that is blocking the sun.) But it's still not really at a point where I'm comfortable taking pictures of it. Just take what you see in this picture -- mud, dead leaves, dead plants from last year -- and extrapolate.

In praise of enthusiastic plants

chard, originally uploaded by jocelynb. Less than 24 hours elapsed between left-hand and right-hand pictures.

I love the plants that are started inside closer to last frost because they're showmen and keeners. I planted swiss chard (variety Five Colour Silverbeet), zucchini (Costata Romanesco, which I had great luck with last year), and cucumbers (Early Russian and Armenian, which by the way is actually a melon) on Saturday. Over the past couple days it seems they've been sprouting one plant per hour.

When I checked the plants yesterday morning when I woke up, there were a couple of slight disruptions in the soil where the chard was about to poke up. By the evening, half a dozen little plants had sprouted and spread their initial leaves. By this morning there were about 15 shoots. No sign of the zucchini yet, but the Armenian Cucumbers are all sprouted, and so are most of the regular cukes. No offense to the slow germinating peppers and asparagus of earlier this year, but these are my kind of plants. I guess because I have the patience of a first-grader!

And I have more of this to look forward to, because the only seeds left to start indoors (this coming weekend) are the melons and squash. I'm going to try two varieties of watermelon (Sugar Baby and Cream of Saskatchewan) as well as Bennings Green Tint squash. And then I will get to wait for all THOSE to sprout.

April 26 2011: Taking the seedlings out for a walk

Once a week or so, I take my older seedlings out of their watering trays and give them some liquid fertilizer. (Once they get their first set of true leaves, they're ready to start getting fertilizer.) I start them on a very dilute mix (one-quarter of its regular strength) and build them up to full-strength fertilizer by the time they're ready to plant outside. My plants are on about half-strength fertilizer right now. You can see most of my seedlings in this picture -- the only ones that aren't down here are the very new ones which haven't sprouted true leaves yet -- chard, cucumbers, & zucchini, and a couple varieties of flowers. (Oh, and the cauliflower and broccoli are still in the lightbox upstairs.) You can also see the totally decrepit old freezer our house's previous owners left in the basement -- it is too heavy to move up the stairs! HOW DID IT GET DOWN THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE? Theory: the house was built around it.

I guess I could just give them fertilizer in their usual watering trays, but I'm wary of that because I don't want the fertilizer to collect in there -- it stops being dilute if the plants are sitting in it. So instead I take them out and put them on other trays just for today.

This is kind of a big job at this point, so to help make the work worthwhile I'll leave them sitting out for a couple hours with the fan on. I'm not sure if this is just superstition, but I have heard that setting seedlings in the breeze from a fan helps to prevent damping off.

I'm contemplating starting to move some of the seeds outside during the day -- partly to harden them off, but also partly just because I'm running out of space and lights. If it was just a little warmer, I would consider planting some of the tougher plants out. We are still getting night-time temperatures of 0 or a few degrees below, so I think it's almost time to plant out the artichokes, broccoli and cauliflower. In the meantime, I will just have to keep squishing them in, since I'm obviously not going to stop starting new plants -- that's a little too logical.

Dispatch from the basement (Zone 2 probably)

I have a great feeling of accomplishment because I finally washed all the little pots from last year's seed-starting. This is such a boring job, I never feel like doing it, but now that it's done I do feel good about it.




 

And here is a picture of the first artichoke to poke through. It still has its seed casing stuck to it. I will give it a day or two to see if it can crack it on its own. I've pulled them off in the past (VERY carefully) with no ill effects. But I don't like playing God :)

As of today I am up to 8 asparagus sprouts and 1 artichoke. I've been impressed with the germination of the asparagus. The package said they germinate in 2-8 weeks, and I had my first sprout 10 days after planting. I really think my heat mats help with this. (Yes, the heat mats also constitute playing God. For some reason it's different.)

Outside temperature: -16. Believe it or not this is balmy compared to the -25 to -30 weather we've had for the past couple weeks. Bring on spring!

the umpire calls hotbox

www.flickr.com

The Hotbox!
I have 3 little baby asparaguses now so today I moved them into the light box I made this winter. I like to call it the HOTBOX!!! because it reminds me of Wes Anderson.

I made it out of a storage tub on wheels and IKEA components. HOTBOX!

Mini project: self-watering seed starter

Mini project of the day: self-watering seed starter. I'm starting another set of seeds today (artichokes!) and I had some plastic bottles and containers sitting around on my counter I decided to re-use.

I cut this water bottle about in half and turned the top around and stuck it inside the bottom. Easy. The self-watering part actually consists of a hole I punched in the lid, which I then threaded some wick through. I used wick from patio lanterns because I happened to have some sitting around, but I think any cotton string or fabric would do the trick. The final step will probably be a cover of some kind, just until the seeds sprout -- maybe just the working man's greenhouse, saran wrap. So far it seems to be doing pretty well -- I gave it a thorough misting after I put the seeds in, and watched the water move down into the water reservoir via the wick. There is something so satisfying about this, and something so counter-intuitive, to me. I will never really believe in the notion of "self-watering," were the evidence not BEFORE MY VERY EYES.

I love the versatility of plants, the way they grow almost anywhere. I recently picked up a new gardening book and (like every other gardening book seemingly) it features little tomato and chile plants growing beautifully in old olive oil tins. There is something so appealing about these images to me, but I never seem to find any attractive old containers lying around. Everything in my house is clear plastic, and once contained Chinese or Indian takeout, it seems. Oh well. The important thing is that plants WILL grow in there, they just won't look as elegant.

I have a couple more improvised planter projects I've been working on, which I will post over the next few weeks as I start to move plants into them.

The first seeds of spring

The winter is still feeling really bleak here. We woke up this morning to a fresh layer of snow over everything.  Last week it was down to the mid- minus-30s with the windchill. And yet! Today has this note in my calendar: 12W Asparagus. It's hard to believe, but we're about 10 weeks from last frost -- 12 weeks from safe planting. Before I started a garden, I never would have guessed how much this feeling of anticipation and excitement over the year to come could help the last few months of winter go by faster.

So here they are: Asparagus, variety UC-157, an open-pollinated hybrid variety that is supposed to be be an early producer. I pre-soaked them for about two hours and then planted them. (And yes, those are leftover cake container lids helping to keep them moist. That's how I roll: eco-friendly, cheap AND tacky.) I've heard that asparagus are supposed to be tough to start from seed, and maybe not worth the effort -- finnicky, slow germinators, and then at least two years from planting until they actually produce good asparagus spears. I did see some crowns (the one-year-old plants) at garden centres last year, and I was tempted by them, but by that point it was too late in the season to plant them -- and I have also read that they take a long time to recover from transplanting. I don't have high hopes for these ones, but if they're looking at all promising in three months' time, I will find a (permanent, sunny, well-drained, trench-dug) spot for them in my garden. Because, honestly, they are SO GOOD baked in phyllo pastry.