Monday, December 5, 2011

Harvest Monday


Here is this years potato harvest. The harvest was a little dismal. I didn't plant a lot of them and what was planted had a rather low yield. The ones I planted in my half-barrel did the best by far.

This weeks main garden task will be to plant the garlic. It is rather late to plant garlic but in the past I have had good results from late plantings. I also have to get my season extenders in the garden. I cleaned them all up last weekend. There is not much point in planting them at this time but I should be able to get something growing in them by late February.

At the moment all that is growing in the garden is broccoli. I'll have to check what is worth harvesting this week.

Happy Gardening Everyone!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Some Photography

As mentioned in my last post, I have been shooting like mad for the past few months. I have capture all kinds of birds lately! Either I have been really lucky or I have been spending entirely to much time with my camera. Following below is a selection of shots I have on my Flickr page:

Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-tailed Hawk, Juvenile
Red-tailed Hawk, Juvenile
Turkey Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Female
Red Breasted Grosbeak, Female
White-tailed deer
White Tailed Deer
Giant Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail
Mute Swans
Mute Swan Family
Eastern Bluebird, Juvenile
Eastern Bluebird, Juvenile
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Young Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle, Two year old
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Nashville Warbler, Female
Nashville Warbler
Pied-billed Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Osprey
Osprey, Juvenile
Juvenile Sanderling
Sanderling
Black-bellied Plovers
Black-bellied Plover
Great Egret
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron, Juvenile
Black-crowned Night Heron, Juvenile
Black-crowned Night Heron, Juvenile
Green Heron
Green Heron
Baltimore Oriole, Female
Baltimore Oriole, Female
Baltimore Oriole
Baltimore Oriole, Male
Red Headed Woodpecker
Red Headed Woodpecker
Red Winged Blackbird, Female
Red Winged Blackbird, Female
Common Gallinule
Common Gallinule
Sandhill Crane Family
Sandhill Cranes
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane Colts
Sandhill Crane Colts
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Female
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Cedar Waxwing
Cedar Waxing
Mute Swan Baby
Mute Swan

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Garden Update

It sure has been a while since I have done a post! The garden has slowed considerably in the past few weeks and I have been consumed with photography this season, hence the blog neglect. Overall this season was so so, good thing there always is next season. There is not a lot left in the garden at the moment, the only thing ready for harvest at the moment are potatoes & peppers. In terms of fall crops I never got around to starting any so the garden will be quite quiet this fall. There is a nice patch of spring broccoli that is starting to produce again though and I will at least try to sow some fall greens. Everything needs a good clean up as well including the blight stricken tomatoes. Below are a series of harvest photos I found on my drive, taken since my last post.





Monday, August 29, 2011

Harvest Monday

This weeks Harvest Monday includes the following:
  • Two Roman Candle tomatoes, grown from seed shared by EG
  • Two Feuerwerk tomato
  • Two Mortgage Lifter tomatoes (Excellent tomato, the one is the size of two hands!)
  • A bunch of Japanese Black Trifele tomatoes
  • Two Cherokee Purple tomatoes
  • One Pink Berkley Tie Dye tomato
  • A bunch of Velvet Red cherry tomatoes
  • Three small heads of my funny looking broccoli
  • Three Adam's Gherkin cucumbers
  • A couple handfuls of Dragon Tongue beans
The garden has really started coming into its prime now. It has been a long wait but at least it is starting to pay off. Next week should bring some potatoes, peppers & green pole beans. The pole beans have taken ages, I planted them at the end of May and they are just starting to set now! Good thing gardening teaches patience.....

Monday, August 22, 2011

Harvest Monday

I am getting my Harvest Monday post in quite late today. As you will see below I am finally harvesting tomatoes. It has been a painful wait this year. I should really learn to not grow all late producing heirloom tomatoes one of these years....

Here we have Feuerwerk, Pink Berkley Tie Dye and Japanese
Black Trifele tomatoes. There also is a group of Adam Gherkin
cucumbers. I am really not fond of the cucumbers. They taste
good but they are really prickly to pick, like a cactus.

This basket-o-maters includes Giant Belgium, Cherokee Purple,
Japanese Black Trifele and Pink Berkley Tie Dye tomatoes.

Now for the prized piece, A Hillbilly Potato Loaf tomato.
These truly are the best tomato ever made and the first one
of the season! Even though the yield is very low I keep growing
them because they taste so good.

Lastly a couple heads of my strange broccoli. They are all
growing heads like this this year. It is almost like it wants
to turn to cauliflower. Tastes fine at least.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Harvest Monday

Here goes another addition of Harvest Monday. It has been a slow garden this year but things are picking up now.

These are the first tomatoes of the season, a handful of
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes. Looks like by next Monday I
should have actual full sized heirloom tomatoes.

A full basket of Dragon Tongue beans. These always do well
in the garden. Looks like my Blue Lake pole beans are still
taking their sweet ass time.

Two quarts of cucumbers were ready for harvest. This basket includes
Adam Gherkin F1 and Rocky F1, both are Parthenocarpic varieties.

This evening I harvested my Cascade Hops. This is their
second year and they are doing very well. They will be dried
and used to make beer. I am still waiting on the Nugget
and Goldings hops to mature.

Lastly the first head of Broccoli. These took ages this year
and are coming in kind of strange. It would appear broccoli
does not like cold springs followed by hot humid summers.