Sunday, October 17, 2010

Fall is upon us











My apologies for not being current with the blog posts. It has been busy with Mom arriving, the fence project, and numerous work projects.




The fence posts are in and getting the time and help to complete the hanging of the fencing has been a challenge. But recent developements in my shcedule looks like it will be up by the 25th of this month.




All of the remaining produce has been harvested, and all of the summer "fodder" has been thrown into the garden along with my eggshells and coffee grounds to "ferment" over the winter.




Also check out the photos of my new "neighbors" which are Black Faced hornets. Very cool little guys and very non aggressive unless you disturb the nest. We had a smaller nest right above our front gutter last year and we were never bothered by them.




Hope to stay more current and will be adding more photos soon.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Hints of Fall







Sorry for the delays in updating the blog. I have been overwhelmed by the fence project and readjusting my work schedule.



Today is 65 for the high and last night we almost put a fire in the living room. Brrrrrrrrr. But a lot of the garden is finally showing signs of improving and the new stuff is looking a lot healthier.



It is the local opinion that the cause was two-fold. One was the extreme and continous heat which actually bakes the nutrients in the soil and the lack of bees and minimal polination.



The photos show the latest yield and my Lambs Ear are ready for their new home near the patio.



Today is more driveway work, one side is completed and I am into the south side. Should have it done by Oct.



Fence post holes will be dug thhis comming week and the materials are arriving Tuesday. Hope everyone is ready for fall!!!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

WEEDS..........grrrrrrrrrrr!




Here I go again to cull the weeds in the herb gardens and the pation garden. As you can see in the photos, there is a lot of overdue work to due there. Most of it will be done today and finished up by tomorrow hopefully.


Tried some squash today for the sunday meal. It was very flavorful, but a little premature with the skins being a little chewy. But I mixed it with some of our Roma tomatoes, fresh Coriander and Basil and it was excellent. Probably be another few weeks before it is ready.


All the herbs are in flower mode, so the harvest and drying of those will be soon. I try to get enough to give to the neighbors and the wives in our social group for my multi spice seasoning mix. I dry Basil, Oregano, and Sage in a paperbag in th fridge. Then grind the dried herbs together in a Braun coffee mill. Put it in a shaker and it is perfect for Italian cooking, and time saving also.


Time to clean up the dinner dishes. Have a good one!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Sod Transfering from Driveway


When I began the driveway project, I thought of how watesful it was to simply throw the sod and grass diggings into the woods. Some of the strips of sod were perfect "mini lawns" that I thought could be useful. As you can see, Maddy thinks so also.

The sod was not really a problem because I still had garden foundation and drainage gravel exposed in one main area. So I began laying the sod strips up against the open areas so the entire corner was covered in sod. After watering it every day, it is showing good signs of rooting and it should produce a nice soft green elevation to that area in the spring.

The diggings and clippings I was able to use in the areas of the "swamp" to continue to build up the low land for water control. Over the years I have added 2-3 inches in that area, but this amount should really help raise it for better drainage.

Feeling under the weather since Friday, so there won't be a lot happening outside. But hopefully in a day or so I will be back to normal.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Driveway Project Progress

YEAAAAAAAAAA!......the north side of the driveway anti encroachment project is almost finished. I am about 15 feet from the road and have added approx. 2 feet to the width on that side. I am saving money on gravel by raking the excess gravel from the "turn in" and dumping it on the new exposed driveway. A little more labor, but a lot of money saved on the cost of fill gravel. I will begin the south side Tuesday and see how long that side takes. We are now looking for ideas to border the driveway so I don't have to do this every year.
The rest of my projects will be on hold until the fence gets up. We've already changed the design and the material choice 3 times so........we'll see how that goes during the next day or so. We want it up ASAP. But we don't want to rush into a costly or unattractive project that we may regret later or find less expensive to do.
Also getting ready to replant the Mexican Petunias from the starters to large clay pots for better growth and space. The Lamb's Ear is about 2 inches high now and looking great.
Not much else for now, have a good one!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

New Plans

Our newest project is now to build a fence in a section of our yard to prevent the babies from apporaching the road. We had a BAD scare recently involving our littlest one and a Chevy Tahoe and the decision was made to go the fence route. All is well with her, but that was all we needed to do the right thing for them now, and the future. Should have been done years ago, but lesson learned and now it is being done. My good friend and neighbor Dan Slotman, owner of Slotman's Landscaping is going to help me with the erecting of the fence and making it asthetically attractive to keep the yard from NOT looking like a prison. We will begin this week after the materials are delivered. I will get some photos up of the project when we start. Not what I was planning on doing the next couple weeks, but well worth the security and the peace of mind. Hope all are enjoying this excellent weather....cya!

Friday, July 30, 2010

Before and After







Thought you'd like to see the driveway photos showing before I began the "anti-encroachment policy", and what it looks like when it is cleaned and cut back. I do have an additional benefit though because the sod I cut out is replacing worn or burn spots in the lawn. With a little watering, those patches will look great.



It takes me about 45 minutes to do a 3-4 foot section, then another 10 minutes or so to rake and fill the gravel over it. Very time consuming, but worth it in the end.



Perfect day for it. No humidity and around 76 degrees and clear. Hope everyone is enjoying their weeked, cya!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Lots of Help







Just a quick post as I take a break from the driveway project. This will be the last time I let the lawn encroach into the gravel driveway for THREE YEARS!! Anyway, as you can see in the photos, I am having a lot of help in the yard from the "kids". As cute and as funny as that is, it is amazing to us discovering each of their special "talent" for helpng out and there is a noticeble accomplishment when they are done. Ava is the soil and grass clipping removal expert, Beans is the root and tree limb ripping guy, and Madeline keeps the moles, field mice and chipmunks in line.......don't need to go into that one.............OMG OMG MADDY NO!!!. So you see, they all have their purpose in horticulture. See ya soon.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Everybody Drinks!!







Well, as I have been posting, the heat and humid weather has been brutal. Both on the plants and the dogs. But.......Friday night and most of the day yesterday it was on and off downpour. Lots of thunder and lighting also. Humidity is gone and we have a good outlook for the rest of the week. This morning all the plants looked well drenched and happy,



I took some photos of the first eggplants and squash peeking out. All the herbs a going great, more photos of those in a bit. Tomatoes are abound, with the Romas winning the race for most of the vines. being filled. I have already worked out a garden trade with one of my neighbors for tomatoes for potatoes, so it always pays to have extra crops to trade or give away.



Tomorrow will be lawn cutting day. My watering and NOT cutting the lawn during the dry spell has resulted in our place being literally the only house on the block with a rich green lawn. Overgrown yes, but not dead and dried out.



Time to go pick some Coriander and basil for tonight's meal and more Romaine for the salads.



Enjoy the weather........FINALLY!



Saturday, July 17, 2010

Cultivation











Well the heat is back at 87 degrees today, but the good news is there is a lot of breeze of the lake. First chance I have had since the week was busy with work related activities all week.


Today is the day for cultivating the corn blocks and pepper plants. Got out the "Bud Frank" special and am now retilling the north side. Should have the entire north section done by this afternoon.

The plants in some places are doing well, but other crops are not as plentiful so far. The Banana Peppers usually produce 5-6 peppers per plant ongoing, but this year they are showing one per plant? Squash is producing small less then hardy flowers also. I am thinking that perhaps with the absence of bees this year and lack of usual pollination may be adding to it. Still early so we'll see in a few weeks. However the tomatoes, coriander, basil, egggplant, and corn is doing great. Also the Lambs Ear is up about 1/2 inche from seed and will be great when grown. Mexican Petunias are also coming along nicely in their starters and should be ready for the patio garden in 2-3 weeks. The only thing that keeps getting trashed are the Tiger Lilies in the patio garden because a certain DOG likes to hang out in them. You can see the culprit in the photo , BEANS aka Jasper. So back to work for now.....cya!

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Relief at Last




Finally got rain yesterday and everything is green and almost tropical. The sun is back today, but not as hot or humid.




Today is lawn cutting and trimming the front beds. Also time to make space for the already encroaching Snow on the Mountain to allow it to move around the cedar tree as planned.




Most "happy" are the "tigers" along the back of the house and they are spreading nicely. I will be removing the small bunch of them in the patio garden and replacing them with the Lambs Ear that has seeded great and now has little sprouts.




Hope this great weather holds out until the rain comes again on Tuesday. Enjoy the weekend!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Summer heat is on!




The heat wave continues to "slam" us and today is no different. Yesterday it peaked at 91' and today is going to be a little less then that. Good news though. The rain has been updated for Friday and it is long overdue. The morning waterings are helping a lot and I am sure the town water department will be throwing a party when they send me the bill for this quarter.




Got a couple good buys today at the Springville Walmart garden shop. Stuff is going on sale now and it's a good time to buy perrenials for next years blooms. I bought two 8 inche pots of yellow coreopsis, which I put in the front patio garden. I also bought two 8 inche pots of huge white impatiens just to fill spaces, which are going in the front driveway bench pots. All for less then $12. Check out the photos in this post.




Well, back up to the garden to continue with the weeding....until the next time.....enjoy the heat!




Monday, July 5, 2010

"WE NEED A DRINK"


Here's the front patio and as you can see, these guys need a drink of water badly. With temps in the mid 80's and no rain in sight for 3-4 days, I've spent most of the holiday watering and weeding. These guys are the last to be tended, which I will do today.

Some darn rabbit got a bunch of my annuals in the driveway pots last night. A small price to pay for having them in the yard each year and seeing them raise their young every spring. A few years ago I planted some romaine on the outer perimeter on the garden. That seemed to keep them happy that year anyway. The blood meal is a great deterent though in the areas that I do not want them.

I'll look forward to the rain next week and in the meantime........endure.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Happy 4th!


This is a perfect weekend to catch up on my weeding and planting of the Lambs Ear in the starter tray. Not worried because it is a perinnial and although planted late, will be back every year.

The Snow on the Mountain have taken well and new growth is abound. Finally a solution for the
dirt under the cedar tree. They were a great buy on Ebay from "nan's garden" and took very well with new growth 4-5 days within planting. See the photo above. The "tigers" are also out and add a beautiful splash of orange to the back of the house.

Gave my first basil, coriander, and oregano clippings to my friend Liz to dry and make the multi spice/italian blend after drying. I like the "cold dry" method personally because it retains the flavor and the color when dried. I place them in baggies in the back of the fridge and leave them open to the cold air. Takes a couple weeks, then they are ready to be de-stemmed and put in the spice shaker.
Had to turn on the sprinklers having had no rain for awhile and facing 4-5 days more without it. The corn is in need of it badly and with raised beds, all of the plants are ready for a drink.
Looking forward to the next few sunny days up in the garden!




Sunday, June 27, 2010

Weeding is the task today

A little humid today and a perfect day to put on the shorts and head up to the garden for long overdue weeding in the corn blocks. I was short of fresh seed when planting, so as in the past I am spacing the seeds close, then replanting the sprouts in the blocks when about 2-3 inches high.

Lost a lot of coriandar and parsley during the last freeze so I now have space to play with. May plant some annuals just for temporary fix. Or just add some late herp and spice seeds and see what comes up.

Not much else for today. I'll begin to add some current photos of the progress soon.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Welcome

Welcome to The Windswept Gardener blogspot. It is a place for home gardeners and folks who like fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers to view, share and post anything relating to that.

Basically this will cater to the northeast region of the US as I live in western New York, just south of Buffalo on the shore of Lake Erie. The name of my blog came from the name of our house, "Windswept" that was on the deed. It was one of the first homes in the area, and sits on a rise above the lake, which is down the road. Because of it's location, we have a constant flow of everything from gentle summer breezes to downright gales. Thus the name of our home.

I moved back to the area after Hurricane Andrew decided to change the "design" of my house and found this house in the rentals. I am from the western New York region and thought it would be a good place to restart. That was 15 plus years ago and since then I met and married my beautiful wife and best friend, and now have a family of several animals including dogs, cats, and a turtle.

I am semi retired and spend most of my days either in the garden, yard, and kitchen. My wife and I are also very much into animal welfare and rescue, particularly the American Staffordshire Terrier more commonly known as pit bulls. Our personal interests vary. Mine is building highly detailed scale model automoblies, hers are scrapbook groups.

I'll begin the garden postings and photos as the year progresses Please feel free to suggest, post comments or photos and again, WELCOME!