MarthaJeanne's Garden 2021

Dit is een voortzetting van het onderwerp MarthaJeanne's Garden 2020.

Dit onderwerp werd voortgezet door MarthaJeanne's Garden 2022.

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MarthaJeanne's Garden 2021

1MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: jan 11, 2021, 2:06 pm

Well, we had sun today. Still no birds at the feeders. It is already -5.7 at 20:00, so I will have to put out hot water in the morning. The greenhouse heater seems to be doing its job properly.

The weather report said that areas that had high fog today get a change - to cloud cover. I'm not sure that makes a lot of difference on the ground. We also get clouds, maybe rain or snow. Oh, well, with lockdown we wouldn't be going out anyway.

2MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: jan 11, 2021, 2:05 pm

Dit bericht is door zijn auteur gewist.

3fuzzi
jan 13, 2021, 6:55 am

>1 MarthaJeanne: my feeders have been fairly active, though it's not as cold here. It's been hovering at the freezing mark or just above.

I had some frost on my windshield this morning and had to scrape it. Driving to work I met with a lot of fog, though. Funny weather.

4MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: feb 5, 2021, 2:25 am

I was just reading about Cyclanthera pedata which might be interesting to grow this year, if I can get plants. Apparently OBI carries it as Blu Inkagurke.

Yesterday we had to open the greenhouse. The sun was heating it up too much. Spring might come.

5MarthaJeanne
feb 26, 2021, 5:56 am

Butterfly! Butterfly! Just one of the early yellow ones. Not really surprising at 13°. I think these are called Brimstone in English. In German they are Zitronenfalter - lemon butterflies.

6MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: feb 26, 2021, 7:03 am

Jerry went out with his camera to try and find the butterfly. The yellow one was gone, but we saw two different orange/black ones. I.e. two different species. We'll see how their pictures came out.

An Admiral and a Small Tortoiseshell.

72wonderY
feb 26, 2021, 10:29 am

Hope comes with wings!

8MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: feb 26, 2021, 11:29 am

https://www.jerrybarton.eu/Miscellaneous/DailyPicks/i-bb2swvw

Pictures one and two are the butterflies. 4 is the robin from
https://www.librarything.com/topic/319448#7425382

We went walking in the Prater this afternoon. At least 2 1/2 km. which is plenty far enough for me. Not very exciting, just down the centre of Prater Hauptallee between all the other walkers, bikers, scooters, joggers, and picnickers off in the grass. It probably got close to 20°, and the sun was out. Not quite crowded enough to worry about distancing, but I think I'd rather not go back tomorrow. There should be more people out on Saturday. Then we bought take out at Estancia Santa Maria, so I don't have to cook until tomorrow.

92wonderY
feb 26, 2021, 11:28 am

You have blossoms too?!

10MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: feb 26, 2021, 11:33 am

Those silly bushes! Jerry says they are Virbenum. Anyway they usually start blossoming around Christmas. There were lots of bees of all different sizes on them today.

11fuzzi
feb 26, 2021, 9:50 pm

>8 MarthaJeanne: love the photos!

12MarthaJeanne
mrt 13, 2021, 4:24 pm

Jede Blüte zählt!

Lots of repetition of stuff I already knew before the first time she mentioned it. One useful tip, though. Sunflowers help reduce the richness of the soil, so I'll try growing them in the butterfly patch this year.

13MarthaJeanne
mrt 25, 2021, 7:10 am

Jerry was out in the garden chasing butterflies with his camera, when he called me out. He got a few pictures of this visitor, and I used the opportunity to clean the bowls and put food and water out for it. It even let me get a picture of its meal.

14fuzzi
mrt 25, 2021, 8:44 am

>13 MarthaJeanne: awww. We don't have hedgehogs here.

15MarthaJeanne
mrt 26, 2021, 3:10 pm

The hedgehog ate most of that, so I added more in the evening.

That serving was mostly gone by this morning. I put more food out, and we saw the hedgehog snacking during the day, but enough was still in the bowl that I haven't put more out. I'd really prefer not to be the only source of food, and I would prefer that the hedgehog(s) eat all the hedgehog food, and not just pick out the meal worms. So eat up overnight and I'll serve more food with added mealworms in the morning.

16MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mrt 31, 2021, 11:54 am

We went to the 'other' garden store this afternoon. I wanted seeds that they carry, and came out with some other stuff, but not as much as I expected. We're in 'Easter rest' tomorrow through April 11. Read: hard lockdown. I suspect that the garden store isn't even growing a normal amount this year after the amount they had to throw away last year.

I did get a better solution for supporting my peas, which should already be in the ground and growing up, but I'm having a lot of trouble getting myself going.

Supper is partly from the garden tonight. The wild garlic is up. I also picked a bunch of sorrel, and will make a nice green cream sauce to serve over gnocci with zucchini and smoked pork.

17MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: apr 1, 2021, 7:55 am

I got the plants and some of the seeds into the ground.

The Parsley and leaf celery are in one of the planters.

I then weeded the tomato bed and stuck the pea supports at either end with string at several levels between. I'm not sure there is enough tension on the strings. We'll see how it goes. Peas (Oregon Sugar Pod) are along both sides of that setup. I set the spinach seedlings between the tomato spaces on the easy side to get to, then laid out the carrot seed tape between the rows of peas. The first row is Nantes - normal orange carrots - as far as the tape went, then Purple Sun, carrying over into a second row. That row finished with Yellowstone, and the bits that remained went between the back tomato spaces.

I got Jerry to turn on the water. The raised beds are all very dry. Now I am tired.

18fuzzi
apr 1, 2021, 8:32 am

>17 MarthaJeanne: I decided to wait to plant, and I'm glad, as the forecast is for unseasonable temperatures heading into the weekend, freezing or below tonight, Friday night, and possibly Saturday night as well. We don't generally have frost after April 1.

The morning glories have reseeded themselves again: I saw volunteers sprouted all along my steps!

19MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: apr 1, 2021, 9:58 am

We're having unseasonable warm weather right now. It will get colder over the weekend, but probably not frost, and certainly not a hard frost. Our neighbour was planting out tomatoes this week - much too early! I always buy my tomatoes from Stekovics in Burgenland, and they start selling on April 22.

Traditionally, our last frost is May 15, but it's been a long time since we had frost then. I feel safe planting tomatoes out May 1, or even earlier depending on the weather report. The bigger problem this year is whether we are supposed to be driving that far. Jerry has an impressive document to show the police if they stop him on his way to church on Sunday. I think it's been over a year since he last played the organ for church, and it's another online service, but they want organ for Easter. (His old normal was the communion services on the first Sunday of the month and special services.)

20MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: apr 8, 2021, 6:53 am

Well, it's April. If you don't like the weather, wait a bit.

Alternating sun, snow, thick clouds, icy rain... There are a few flash points here. The sun shining on the greenhouse sends the temp in there up very quickly, on the other hand if it's open the ice and snow get in, sending it back down again.

I also have problems if bright sun starts reflecting off my iPad or book. I can pull the curtain, but when the next cloud comes, I'm pulling it away again.

And sitting in a cm of snow and ice yesterday probably didn't do the spinach seedlings any good. Wait and see, they still look green now. Oh, yes, what about the peach blossoms? The apple hasn't blossomed yet, so it's OK.

(The neighbour's tomatoes are probably a lost cause, but I won't know until they come out again. This is not their main home.)

21MarthaJeanne
apr 10, 2021, 11:20 am

Warm and sunny again. It looks like the spinach survived, and the peach blossoms look good, and the tree is being visited by pollinators, so all seems to be fine. The daffodils look good, and the first tulips were out today.

I planted lettuce out into one of the containers at the side of the house. It's fairly protected. I also watered the plants in the greenhouse generously, as well as all my plantings. Jerry mowed the lawn for the first time this year. He left a few areas with more flowers than grass. It's been very pretty, but some of the areas were past their peak and getting quite ragged looking.

22MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: apr 12, 2021, 10:47 am

A few days ago Jerry saw a robin on the plastic pillar that holds the summer bird bath. That won't go out for a few weeks yet. We don't get a lot of robins. They are ground feeders, and I am very sceptical of feeding birds on the ground because of the number of cats that use our yard. And yes, they hide in the bushes as close to our feeders as they can get. So I put a handful of meal worms on the pillar last time I put food out for the hedgehog.

Well, I didn't see a robin, but a magpie was just out there scarfing up the meal worms. I may not have good eyesight, but I can recognize a magpie even without my glasses on. I probably should check the hedgehog bowl. But the temperatures have dropped from low twenties to barely teens in the last few hours, and the wind has come up. I guess I shouldn't be a wimp.

The neighbours were glad to get the last few lettuce seedlings. Yes, the snow killed their tomatoes.

OK I put hedgehog food with extra mealworms both places. Now I need a flannel shirt. I'm cold. And even refilled the winter bird bath.

23MarthaJeanne
apr 15, 2021, 12:47 pm

>22 MarthaJeanne: This is really amazing. The birds are eating more hedgehog food than the hedgehog is. (Yes, he's eating, too.) Every day there must be more birds out there on the pillar. No, I haven't actually seen anything since that magpie, but the food is going. This is good because the suet balls are not suitable for ground feeders, and I have wanted to include them without feeding the cats.

24MarthaJeanne
apr 19, 2021, 5:05 am

I told my husband that we should go get plants at a greenhouse today and he was really enthusiastic. Since he just stays in the car and lets me try to maneuver in the mud, I thought that was funny. Turns out he is just happy to go anywhere that isn't the supermarket.

(No Covid restrictions because it is an agricultural business selling its own produce.)

25MarthaJeanne
apr 19, 2021, 8:56 am

We went. Jerry even came in and helped carry and choose plants. We have to go back in two or three weeks for the things that aren't available yet. We actually only bought chard, fennel, zucchini (3 types) and nasturtiums.

26MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: apr 26, 2021, 2:35 pm

We bought our tomato plants today. I'm not quite sure if we were supposed to do that, but I preferred not to run into the crowds that will be there next week. The plants seem fairly small, and I want to give them another week or two of potted life, but at least I have them. I bought 9 tomato plants, which is certainly too many. Also 5 pepper plants, all in the less hot to sweet range. They gave me a basil pot - lots of seedlings, but it is certainly much to early to plant basil out.

Unusually, it was sunny here, but cloudy there. Disappointing as the other reason for the trip was to see birds. We saw a few, including several kestrels and even a few larger birds of prey - probably Marsh Harriers. There were not a lot of water birds around, although the water levels seemed to be better than the past few years. Still not good, but at least not quite as bad.

It did my soul good to be out watching the birds again, if only from the car. I'm not sure my body liked the trip, but I am very sure that it was worth it. Now if only we could have also had a restaurant meal. I didn't even make a good supper. I said either take away pizza or burek from the freezer. He chose the burek.

27karspeak
apr 26, 2021, 11:56 pm

Do you make your own burek?

28MarthaJeanne
apr 27, 2021, 12:06 am

No, the supermarket has good frozen burek for days when I don't have the energy to cook.

29karspeak
apr 27, 2021, 8:14 am

That’s great, I wish ours carried it.

30MarthaJeanne
apr 27, 2021, 9:01 am

In fact both chains carry it. One with their own brand on the box, the other with a different brand, but the boxes are the same size, they have exactly the same directions, are packaged the same inside the boxes, and look just the same.

312wonderY
apr 27, 2021, 11:09 am

>26 MarthaJeanne: I read your post late last evening, and when I looked up ‘burek’ my stomach groaned in lust, I think. I realized I hadn’t eaten any supper and had to get out of bed and make a peanut butter sandwich. Am going to try making some today; I’ve already fried the sausage. Running to the store for phylo now.

32MarthaJeanne
apr 27, 2021, 11:12 am

We buy 'beef' which Jerry prefers, but calls mystery meat, and spinach and cheese, which is the one I really like. Actually a lot of snack stands here sell them, and they are much better than the pizza slices.

33fuzzi
apr 27, 2021, 3:15 pm

>26 MarthaJeanne: >31 2wonderY: I looked up burek...yummy.

34MarthaJeanne
apr 30, 2021, 2:27 pm

Re: https://www.librarything.com/topic/328998#7493397

Should I try to grow my own saffron? Has anyone tried it?

35MarthaJeanne
mei 2, 2021, 3:56 am

A wind storm came up in the night. We also got some welcome rain, but not enough. The sun has come out now, but it is still very windy.

362wonderY
mei 2, 2021, 4:17 am

Good morning! Still almost middle of the night here - 4am.
My gardening exercises have been putting me to bed before 9, so I wake about 3am. I’ll probably go back to bed after a cup of tea.

37MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 2, 2021, 11:02 am

I'm so pleased that the garden store will be open again tomorrow. I have six suet balls left. Also I have no zucchini plants left. That bed is apparently full of slugs. I know it is, because when we removed the weeds they had lots of baby slugs on them. I don't think collecting will be very effective, so I am left with buying 'Scheckenkorn', which is deadly to slugs and snails, but supposed to actually be good for the plants. It's allowed in organic gardens. I haven't used any for years, but in this case...

Also, of course, I want to see what plants they have.

38MarthaJeanne
mei 2, 2021, 1:25 pm

The wind has calmed down now, but apparently they were up to 123 kmh, and knocked down trees, took off roofs, broke up scaffolding. Most of the Covid testing stations were shut as they are mostly in tents on big parking lots.

39MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 4, 2021, 3:01 pm

We were at both the garden centre and the organic greenhouses (>24 MarthaJeanne:) today. Now let's hope the slug stuff works and these zucchini survive. I also bought two lemon cucumbers and a normal one. We really piled things up on the cart at the garden centre. 2 bags of earth, 2 buckets of suet balls, grilling supplies, the slug stuff, even a few plants. The vegetable section was very overcrowded, both with people and with plants. I'll have to try again next week.

One of Jerry's contacts was upset that we bought the tomato plants where we did. 'You should buy them from Arche Noah!' A) it's a horrible drive. B) Once you get there, the terrain is not easy with a walker. 'But, but, they also sell plants at such and such an event right in Vienna.' A) Not sure that event is taking place this year. B) the venue has deep gravel on most of its walkways. Even harder with the walker than the grassy steep hills. C) Always horribly overcrowded.

ETA. Just checked. As I thought the plant sale was cancelled.

I'll probably try to plant some of what I have tomorrow. I'm amazed at how the tomato plants have grown since we bought them. They are really ready to go in the ground. I need to examine the beds tomorrow and see if the slugs ate their nice food tonight. But I should be able to get some of the other plants in the ground, too.

40MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 5, 2021, 8:09 am

I got a few plants into the earth today. Jerry cleared the next bed for me while I did it. The new zucchini plants are much bigger, so might be harder for slugs to destroy. There was still a lot of the slug bait visible.

Since then we've been at the mall. His physio and my exercise (mall walking counts, right?) No new plants, no new books. But at least the stores were open. While we were there the temperature dropped 9°. The wind is coming up. I doubt that I'll do more outside today.

41MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 8, 2021, 8:09 am

The red pepper in the container with the fennel is 'Hei fun' sharpness 0.

The others I bought at Stekovics this year are

Beaver Dam (3)
Jalapeño Neon Yellow (2)
Yellow Cheese Pimento (0)
Chinese Five Colours (5)

OK, that last one is more for looks, so I'm putting it in one of the terrace containers. The other three go over next to the chard and zucchini.

The peppers and cucumbers are all in. (Two lemon, one regular) I also deadheaded some of the spring bulbs. And cut back the clary sage which should be glorious this year, but still has to leave some sun for the lemon cuke.

BTW, Jerry photographed the Allium that is just coming out near the pepper tree. He got too near the tree and got punctured. He did not get much sympathy from me.

42MarthaJeanne
mei 8, 2021, 9:42 am

I just planted two rows of carrot seedlings with the two eggplants between them.

Eggplants are Benary's Blaue Königin and Striped Togo.

About the seedlings. I know, but I have not had good luck with sowing carrot seed the last several years, and this gives me another chance at fresh carrots. The carrot seed from April 1 (>17 MarthaJeanne:) is showing very little results.

43MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 9, 2021, 7:25 am

Planting tomatoes

In the terrace container

2x Belis nativ

1x Phil's One which has weirdly shaped fruits.

In the tomato bed I will start in the East with two cherry tomatoes

Jahoda red, heart shaped

Green Zebra Cherry

----

Tuxhorn red, marbled very large

Azoychka Russian orange mango flavour

-------

Fuego Verde green

Lucky Tiger, colourful tasty

-------
And down in the far bed

Budjanowka red

I bought too many tomato plants.

44MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 12, 2021, 9:13 am

Gardens can be useful. Supper tonight is supposed to be a British chicken curry out of Too good to share. We went shopping, and I got the things we needed: chicken, tikka masala paste, plain yoghurt..., having checked that I had chapatis and spinach in the freezer. So I set myself in the kitchen to marinade the chicken. Grate the ginger, check; smash three cloves of garlic, ooops, there is a whole bulb here, utterly dried up, moldy, and useless. But I really don't want to head back to the supermarket. So I chopped up 6 leaves of wild garlic. It should work.

When the time comes to actually cook the curry it gets spinach, canned tomatoes, and such. I don't think there will be more surprises.

45MarthaJeanne
mei 12, 2021, 3:44 pm

>44 MarthaJeanne: Very mild, but good. I may try to get a different brand of Tikki Masala paste next time. Oh, and real garlic.

46MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 20, 2021, 8:43 am

We went to the garden centre this morning. I need to figure out where to put the knoblauch gras (Tulbaghia violacea) It grows to 60cm, not winter hard. I bought two plants. They also had large plants available. The flowers are lovely.

Also bought "Löwenmaul" - (lion's mouth) Snap dragons, basil, marigolds and other flowers. Store still very crowded with plants that should have been sold in April. People seem happy to help reduce the stock.

--
Found a large pretty pot with dead plant in it. Put both knoblauch gras in.

Pretty pink flowers are labeled Rhodohypoxis milloides. Pink star grass. Might end up too big in containers after a few years. Might end up dead in unraised beds (winter wet).

Scattered shower hit. I even hear thunder, but the sun's out again. Guess I'll take a break.

47MarthaJeanne
mei 21, 2021, 12:55 am

New evidence that spring is here: A cuckoo is calling outside my window.

48MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 21, 2021, 3:42 am

Going to make spinach risotto tonight. The spinach needs harvesting.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/green-spinach-lemon-risotto-crispy-prosciutt...

49MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 21, 2021, 6:31 am

Or maybe quiche which uses more spinach.

I had started harvesting when Jerry came out ready to take the greenhouse apart. Well, all that remains now is to dry things out and put the whole thing away until the Fall. But I'm going to lie down for a while before getting back to the harvest..

The sparrows are funny. Now that I have refilled the feeders they are trying to get to them without going through out line of sight. And more coming in all the time who don't see us until they are at the balls. Quick bite, and off again!

50MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 21, 2021, 12:52 pm

>49 MarthaJeanne: I settled on the spinach quiche from Pflücksalat & Blattspinat, but added the prosciutto from the risotto. I only harvested 600 g of spinach, not the 800 the recipe called for, including a small amount of sorrel.

51fuzzi
mei 22, 2021, 7:43 pm

Your recipe sounds delicious!

52MarthaJeanne
mei 23, 2021, 1:05 am

It was.

53MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 23, 2021, 12:51 pm

He put more pictures up. https://www.jerrybarton.eu/Miscellaneous/DailyPicks/i-7VNRd57

He had to ask me what the little citrus is, so I ended up chopping two of the (overripe) limes up and using them in the salad as the sour part of the dressing.



I've got lots and lots of lettuce right now. I love having the variety. I also sent a bag to Jerry's pastor. First time in over a year that I've been able to do a Sunday harvest to send to church. Maybe next time he goes it will be less wet and I'll have more to offer. Obviously, the rest of the salad was bought veggies. It is still May.

542wonderY
mei 23, 2021, 3:57 pm

All luscious pictures. I thank him for sharing. Did he take the salad picture too?

How long have you gardened at this location?

55MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 23, 2021, 4:08 pm

No, I took the salad picture with my iPad.

We moved here in 2007. I was busy trying to enter books as I packed them. The two homes before that were apartments, so I was limited to balcony boxes. It was nice to have a garden again, but I'm awfully glad I got the raised beds set up while I still had a teenage son at home.

56fuzzi
mei 23, 2021, 6:20 pm

>55 MarthaJeanne: strong sons are a blessing. Mine refers to himself as my "pack mule" since he does the heavy or high-up chores!

57MarthaJeanne
mei 23, 2021, 6:23 pm

My experience is that just about the time when you have gotten them to the point that they are really useful, they up and go off to lives of their own.

582wonderY
mei 23, 2021, 7:20 pm

But then you know you’ve raised a good one. I was attracted to my husband because on the weekends, he would hitch down to his grandparents’ house (1.5 hours from college) and do their gardening chores and nurse them when they were sick. Absolutely a keeper.

59MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 24, 2021, 12:31 am

Know the feeling. My boyfriend kept me and my roommate waiting a very long time once. Turns out another passenger slipped on the stairs, and he had kept him alive with artificial respiration until the ambulance arrived. What can you do with a guy like that? Have to marry him.

BTW this was back before cell phones, so we had no idea.

60MarthaJeanne
mei 24, 2021, 3:51 pm

I wish it would stop raining, but not much hope of that.

612wonderY
mei 24, 2021, 4:24 pm

I wish it would rain. It hasn’t for nearly a month, it feels.

62fuzzi
mei 25, 2021, 6:20 pm

>58 2wonderY: love this!

63MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 26, 2021, 7:59 am

I'm on the lounge again. The birds are complaining.

The red and white poppies have each opened one bloom. The bees are enjoying. Do the nectar and pollen contain opiates? Are the bees trying to get high?

It's so nice having warm son again, but the wind is coming up.

I bought a hanging petunia pot. It has pink and white, dark pink and yellow, purple and yellow blossoms. The pot is hot pink. Probably more than one plant of each. The bees are enjoying this, too.

We got the lawn mowed this morning. Others in the neighbourhood are doing the same. Normally Monday is mowing day, as Tuesday the compostable bins are collected. This week collection was this morning because of the holiday on Monday, but both Monday and yesterday were too wet.

Starling on the balls. flew in low, straight to the feeder and never noticed me.

64MarthaJeanne
mei 26, 2021, 12:59 pm

Just cut back all the rose suckers. Jerry's rose is losing its tag. it is called 'Alchemist'.

65MarthaJeanne
mei 29, 2021, 1:34 pm

I made spinach crepes tonight. Once I added more egg they were quite good. Might as well keep using spinach while I have it.

66MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: mei 30, 2021, 4:55 pm

I sent two bags of mixed lettuce and one of spinach to church with Jerry. The woman who took the spinach was hoping for chard, but that will be a few weeks yet. I'm so glad that my donations haven't been forgotten. Last year there were only virtual services, and I can't send my veggies that way.

I love having generous amounts of greens, zucchinis, tomatoes in the garden, but not having them go to waste when the two of us can't eat it all.

67fuzzi
mei 31, 2021, 3:07 pm

>66 MarthaJeanne: I wish you could send it to me...

68MarthaJeanne
mei 31, 2021, 4:34 pm

>67 fuzzi: Sorry, delivery only at the ESUMC Vienna.

69MarthaJeanne
jun 15, 2021, 5:42 am

Mid June. I've harvested chard once (for church) I also sent a lot of lettuce, but also discarded several plants. It's getting too hot, and it's going bitter. The spinach all shot up, and I've pulled it.

We'll be having our first home grown zucchini of the season tonight, Maybe also a first serving of peas.

The tomatoes are beginning to blossom. So are the peppers. The beans are growing up their sticks nicely, but not blossoming yet. The cucumbers are growing slowly. One has blossoms. I think it's the normal one. Early days yet for the lemon cukes.

Both the apple tree and the peach tree are covered with baby fruits. I should probably go out and thin, but I'm too lazy.

Plenty of fresh herbs. The lavender is just starting to bloom.

All in all, the garden is doing well.

70MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: jun 16, 2021, 11:41 am

Penne with chard and sausage from Garden Fresh vegetable Cookbook is one of my summer favourites. As today is over 30°, it seems fitting. I've been out harvesting and watering. The zucchini plants needed some leaves removed. DON'T grow over the eggplants and peppers! Plenty of space in the other direction.

71MarthaJeanne
jun 18, 2021, 3:40 pm

Garden show today. I bought more clothes from my usual stand. Also some pretty wood print stamps. The big one is a woodpecker. The small ones flowers.

We also bought three of the big sweet lemons we had last year. Need to use them quickly.

It was much too hot for me to feel like spending a lot of time at the few plant stands. We're over 30° and I felt glad that Tara was right at the beginning. I didn't even buy the lemons. Jerry did.

72MarthaJeanne
jun 19, 2021, 2:28 pm

I picked too many peas for supper. Guess I'd better parboil the rest and freeze them. Jerry mixed some with strips of green bell pepper and grilled them. That was very good.

73MarthaJeanne
jun 20, 2021, 11:48 am

The clary sage is blossoming nicely. Actually rather spectacularly.

https://www.jerrybarton.eu/Miscellaneous/DailyPicks/i-NJcNVrC/A

742wonderY
jun 20, 2021, 1:09 pm

>73 MarthaJeanne: A good excuse to wallow in those photos again!

Gosh, that got big fast? Does yours come back from previous years? My pineapple sage does once in a while; but generally I have to re-plant it. And it waits until early fall to bloom.

75MarthaJeanne
jun 20, 2021, 2:06 pm

Clary Sage is a biennial. You have to plant one year for flowers the next, and then it's done. I bought started plants last year, with nothing but big leaves all summer - the plants stayed reasonably sized. All for this short glory this year.

76MarthaJeanne
jun 20, 2021, 3:18 pm

He's put another one up - with bee flying.

77MarthaJeanne
jun 20, 2021, 3:21 pm

>71 MarthaJeanne: Tried https://www.the-pasta-project.com/creamy-linguine-pasta-al-limone/

It was good once we had squeezed more juice onto it.

782wonderY
jun 20, 2021, 5:55 pm

Very impressive, at least to my eyes.

79MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: jun 23, 2021, 3:28 pm

>71 MarthaJeanne: Made https://giadzy.com/recipes/amalfi-lemon-chicken-giada-de-laurentiis/ Good, but I think it would also work with regular lemons. (I used just one of the big ones. Regular lemons would need 2-3 for the four thighs I made.)

80MarthaJeanne
jun 28, 2021, 3:10 pm

One red day lily has blossomed, and Jerry got a cute shot with fly.

https://www.jerrybarton.eu/Miscellaneous/DailyPicks/i-gMhMNd4/A

Sometimes I think that if nothing else, the garden is a good place for insects, and we are helping at least some insects to survive.

81MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: jul 2, 2021, 10:53 am

Reviews are useful. Tonight we'll be eating the zucchini gnocci I mentioned when reviewing Zucchini.

Fast, easy, and use up a few zucchini. Also taste good. (with shrimp). What more can one ask?

Basically, saute your shrimp with some garlic. Add very thinly sliced zucchini, a good glug of white wine, and garnish with parsley.

Of course, you could make your own gnocci, but that's why we have supermarkets, isn't it?

82MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: jul 4, 2021, 3:43 pm

The neighbours noticed that the apple tree is hitting the wires again. They also offered to cut the offending branches back. If I had been doing it I would have cut at least twice as many branches, but I am just not up to the job any more. We need to call the owner's manager and ask for a professional gardener to be sent again later this year.

It's going to be a big apple year. This includes lots of baby green apples to rake up every time we mow. And lots of rotten apples to collect later in the year. Not to mention harvesting the few that I will use. Oh, and the hassle of having very bland apples at home free at the same time that good apples are coming into the shops.

83MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: jul 18, 2021, 11:41 am

I spent some time today raking up apples. Also cutting back the lowest branches. Looks much better, and easier to work there.

I was just out harvesting chard for our supper, and heard something in the dry grass. I looked and disturbed the grass myself. Sure enough, a lizard was back there. It ran off, of course, but I like seeing them.

Good weather for lizards. We're getting the tail ends of the storm that hit Germany. Lots of thunder, wind, rain (badly needed), but the damage is limited around here. The Danube is full, but not in flood. There have been a few roofs with problems, and cellars to pump out. The biggest result is going to probably be the city's grill areas being usable again. Right now it's 29° outside and very muggy. Thunder again. More rain? Who knows. Anyway hot and humid is great for reptiles and amphibians.

84fuzzi
jul 19, 2021, 7:53 pm

>83 MarthaJeanne: the frogs are singing outside my windows right now, it's rainy and warm.

85MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: jul 21, 2021, 11:40 am

The Jahoda cherry tomatoes are beginning to ripen. (>43 MarthaJeanne:) The flavour is disappointing so far.

ETA That's better! OK Those need to be bright red before picking. Some of the Budjanowka red are also ripening, but badly hit by blossom end rot. Not surprising with the weather we've had. I picked the bad ones off, and hope the next few will ripen while there is some moisture available.

86fuzzi
jul 21, 2021, 2:59 pm

>85 MarthaJeanne: if you haven't already done so, put some crushed eggshells at the base of your tomato plants and gently dig them just under the surface of the soil.

BER is supposedly due to low calcium in the soil, and adding a supplement should help.

87MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: jul 21, 2021, 3:39 pm

>86 fuzzi: There are various theories, all of which have to do with how well the plant can get water to the ripening fruit. It's usually not too little calcium in the soil, but rather whether that calcium gets to the fruits. One possible problem is that the soil may be too acidic, and I have had good results with adding small amounts of ash from the grill to the mulch layer. In this case, I know that the plants just didn't have enough water. One day recently I watered, including lots of water on the chard. It then pretended to rain a bit. I checked the soil, and it was dry so I watered again. Really trying to soak that patch. The next morning I stuck my finger in again and could barely feel any moisture.

The good news is that the rain from the big storm really did get into the soil. The city has reopened the grill areas and all my plants are looking much happier. Since I have 10 tomato plants this year, it would take a while to collect enough egg shells to make a difference.

I'm just plain not watering enough, but I am trying to water if I have the energy, but not in the middle of the day if the temps are above thirty. RHS recommends watering tomatoes twice a day if it is hot. Sorry, my body can't handle it.

Since our water is very hard, lack of calcium is very unlikely.

88fuzzi
jul 22, 2021, 6:51 am

>87 MarthaJeanne: thank you. I understand about not watering in very hot weather. I put my hose on a trickle and leave it for 30 minutes to really soak the plants.

Just thinking here, do you mulch your tomato plants? Sometimes a mulch of grass clippings around but not touching the base of each plant can help conserve water by preventing excess evaporation.

89MarthaJeanne
jul 22, 2021, 7:57 am

Oh, yes, I add a double handful to each plant almost every time Jerry mows. I gave them some water this morning. I'll try to get up the energy again this evening. Right now I need to decide if I want to go to the Afrika Tage this afternoon. I have a feeling the answer is no. Too bad, as I was excited that they can take place this year.

90fuzzi
jul 23, 2021, 12:02 pm

>89 MarthaJeanne: I did some mowing this morning and have two bags full of clippings to use as mulch. I'll go spread some over the flower beds after I cool down.

91MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: jul 27, 2021, 11:49 am

The tomatoes are doing much better since I got more regular in watering. There are a lot of good looking green tomatoes out there.

92MarthaJeanne
aug 1, 2021, 2:30 pm

We got some real rain, and cooler weather, and everything in the garden is much happier. Including the slugs. Make that past tense for the slugs. I sent several zucchini and some tomatoes to church this morning. No chard as it was just so wet out there. Not good harvesting weather.

I cut back a few of the szechuan pepper branches that were hanging too low. The ones that I can't reach can stay.I don't want branches hanging into eye height, as they are very thorny.

The next few days are supposed to stay in the mid twenties with varying amounts of rain. Jerry intends trying the sauna again, and then office, so we went out now and moved garden furniture around. I really, really want to finish the piece that I put on my big loom two years ago. Last year I never got it out as if it wasn't too hot the neighbors were making building noise. But tomorrow. With breaks to lie down and read or to rake up apples from the lawn.

93MarthaJeanne
aug 2, 2021, 7:41 am

Yes, now lying on my outside sofa after adding another 30 cm to the woven cloth.

BTW Someone made a nice meal of all the freshly squashed slugs on the terrace last night. There must have been about a dozen, and they have totally disappeared.

94MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: aug 3, 2021, 5:11 pm

Jerry has added several new pictures to his website. I really like this butterfly https://www.jerrybarton.eu/Miscellaneous/DailyPicks/i-RG3VQqW Also notice the same individual a few pictures further.

952wonderY
aug 3, 2021, 6:44 pm

>94 MarthaJeanne: That was an unusually cooperative butterfly!

96MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: aug 7, 2021, 4:36 pm

>92 MarthaJeanne: I wove more on Monday, and did another bit today. Not that much left on the warp beam now. The weather should cooperate somewhat in the next few days.

This is exciting as I really want to replace the old loom, and have even bought the new one, but won't put it together until the old one is empty. The new one is another 60cm rigid heddle loom, this time from Ashford. I considered getting an 80 cm one, but my original thought is still valid - 60 cm is a manageable width given space limitation and the length of my arms. Also I have a lot of heddles for this size, many of them Ashford, and don't really want to start buying again.

My only real concern is warping. I used to do it alone, but it was never easy, and I may not be up to all the back and forthing any more.

97MarthaJeanne
aug 11, 2021, 2:18 pm

It's been a long time since we last saw a Green Woodpecker digging up the lawn. This time Jerry got a picture.

https://www.jerrybarton.eu/Miscellaneous/DailyPicks/i-LSngZcx

982wonderY
aug 11, 2021, 3:28 pm

>97 MarthaJeanne: what is that fern-like ground cover?

99MarthaJeanne
aug 11, 2021, 3:50 pm

>98 2wonderY: Weeds? I think it might be Argh! can't remember the name. It grows to about 15-20 cm if it's not constantly mowed down. Got it. Yarrow.

1002wonderY
aug 11, 2021, 4:41 pm

>99 MarthaJeanne: Oh! I’ve never seen it so thick like that. But I’ve also never seen it escape to the lawn.

101MarthaJeanne
aug 13, 2021, 9:52 am

>98 2wonderY: Found one! Yup, yarrow.

102tardis
aug 13, 2021, 12:17 pm

I have a big patch of yarrow in my lawn, too. I don't mind it. It's soft to walk on, stays green during drought, and I think it's kind of pretty. Also, monocultures are bad and my lawn is definitely not one LOL.

103MarthaJeanne
aug 13, 2021, 12:28 pm

Our lawn is also not a monoculture.

104MarthaJeanne
aug 16, 2021, 9:23 am

The past several days they have been promising us thunder showers. I couldn't see watering if the sky was going to do it anyway, but day after day, stronger forecasts but no rain. This morning I finally gave in and watered. So guess what's happening out there now.

105MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: aug 16, 2021, 4:41 pm

Still raining. The garden is getting a good soak.

Still raining, and someone is moving a lot of furniture around upstairs.

106MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: aug 25, 2021, 2:04 pm

>85 MarthaJeanne: I'm still not getting edible tomatoes off that plant. The two red ones today were not only hollowed out, but there were slugs in there, and another three on the side of the bed where I lifted the fruits up. Yuck!

107MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: aug 28, 2021, 5:21 pm

Supper tonight included green beans from the garden. Also a tomato. Also summer savoury and ground ivy. (That one plants itself.) These went into a white bean and ham stew. With it I made sage fingers from A Herb Cookbook. This is a 1983 book from New Zealand, so you aren't likely to come across it, and it's not fancy, just lots and lots of good ideas for using herbs. But if you do see it, grab it quickly before someone else snatches it away. These are basically just baking powder biscuits with a healthy amount of chopped sage mixed in, but they were super with the stew. Which was also very good.

The problem is that partway through the meal Jerry showed me a picture he had taken of really wonderful looking little purple peppers in our garden. ''Where did you find those?" I had planted it in a flower container and forgotten it. So I just had to run out and pick one. I took a small slice from the end, stuck it into my mouth and bit down on it before quickly spitting it out again. A banana later I was almost down to just burn in my mouth. I think we will call this an ornamental.

About the ground ivy, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glechoma_hederacea
This is a traditional addition to certain stews in Kärnten in southern Austria, and because my lawn is not a monoculture I can pick as much as I like. Or more. I was assured that a Ritschert is only authentic with 'Gundelrebe'. Of course if you don't have a garden, or a well groomed one, you are out of luck.

1082wonderY
aug 28, 2021, 5:19 pm

I too have more than enough ground ivy. I’ll have to try it.

109MarthaJeanne
aug 30, 2021, 12:42 pm

I got two large red tomatoes off the Budjanowka red plant today. No rot, no slugs, good flavour. Finally a good outcome from that plant. BTW I planted it and my bean plants too close together. Very strange coming across big round things when searching for beans.

The other one with big tomatoes is the Azoychka Russian orange. None ready today. I think I like their flavour even more.

110MarthaJeanne
aug 30, 2021, 3:51 pm

>107 MarthaJeanne: A note on the peppers. This is the Chinese Five Colours pepper, which is about as hot as cayenne pepper, noticeably hotter than the jalapeño.

111MarthaJeanne
sep 14, 2021, 7:19 am

Just started Das wilde Leben der Vögel (The wild life of birds). He is complaining about all the well-cared for gardens that are missing yarrow and shepherd's purse. I have both.

Isn't it wonderful when you can feel virtuous for NOT weeding your garden?

112tardis
sep 14, 2021, 12:42 pm

>111 MarthaJeanne: yes! Congratulations! :) I have yarrow, too. Not shepherd's purse, though. I think it may not grow here. I have other things for birds, though :)

113fuzzi
sep 16, 2021, 2:47 pm

Catching up...

>94 MarthaJeanne: what a lovely shot!

114MarthaJeanne
sep 27, 2021, 11:48 am

Neighbours just called. They have too much for their organic garbage bin this week. If they take ours out for us, could they use our extra space? Well, yes, except that about an hour ago I pulled up two of the zucchini plants and stuffed them in. Before that there was lots of space, but not so much now.

In the process I found a good zucchini and one that had hidden itself. Not quite sure what to do with that one.

115MarthaJeanne
okt 4, 2021, 12:50 pm

I did not get the winter greens into the ground in September, but it is still quite warm. Four rows each of spinach and Vogerlsalat (Common names include lamb's lettuce, corn salad, common cornsalad, mâche, fetticus, feldsalat, nut lettuce, field salad). The Vogerlsalat turned out to be seed tape, which was a welcome short cut. I may not be terribly keen on planting right now, but come March I'll be delighted to harvest.

I took out the final zucchini plant as the last fruits didn't get any bigger over the past week.

116MarthaJeanne
okt 7, 2021, 2:51 pm

I've started pulling the tomato plants. OK, A tomato plant. In the process I harvested several tomatoes. There are still baby eggplants out there and finally a few red sweet peppers. I have some bought dough in the refrigerator that needs using.

Ah! Not making supper tomorrow. My husband has too busy a social calendar. I'll do that Saturday. But I do get to go downtown while he is at his first party.

117MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: okt 15, 2021, 8:36 am

I wanted to check on the caramel berries (Himalayan Honeysuckle) as this year it has really fruited well. I just found an online information "has toffee tasting berries when ripe but are dreadful and very bitter before then." Now you tell me! Apparently they have to be very dark and soft to be edible. The one I tried wasn't.

118MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: okt 17, 2021, 10:50 am

Took out the Chinese five coloured pepper last night so Jerry could take the peppers to church.

Took out another tomato today. I also watered the greens. The spinach is coming up.

Later: I'm going out again to pick chard for supper.

119MarthaJeanne
okt 26, 2021, 12:33 pm

Today is the National Holiday, so we decided to spend it doing Garden work.

First we took down the screens from the terrace door. Hey! we can just walk through. Next we needed to be able to get into the shed. So we finished turning the basement bed back into a sofa, and were able to move the big loom down there. Big progress!

Then we started on setting up the greenhouse tent. We actually got a lot done before I tripped and fell. Then we started to zip things up and realized that the top and the bottom are not aligned properly. Oh. At that point we both had run out of steam. Maybe energy to work, but not to think, and that doesn't work well.

Besides finishing that job, we also need to rake leaves and apples. The bio bin gets collected tomorrow. The pavillion needs its roof taken down, and maybe we can get the sofa into the shed for the winter? I did cut down the rose branches that were lying on the roof, which is a step on the way to doing that, plus.

--

Since then we have raked and gone out to dinner, including a Caipirinha so no more work tonight.

120fuzzi
okt 26, 2021, 12:51 pm

>119 MarthaJeanne: I'm tired just reading all that you did! :)

1212wonderY
okt 26, 2021, 12:57 pm

Me too! You and Jerry are quite a team!

122MarthaJeanne
okt 26, 2021, 1:09 pm

Last time we hired two refugees to help us, but they were so energetic that I felt out of control.

At least with just the two of us, if I need to stop and think the next steps through, or just stop and sit, I can take my time.

I do feel a bit guilty about the refugees, who are still around and could still use the work, but I just don't have the energy to keep up with them.

Oh, and when I closed the basement bed into a sofa, I found a book that I didn't think I owned - in fact I recently borrowed it from the library, but hadn't gotten around to using it, so I am really pleased to have it to work with. It will be useful for another project I've been working towards. I've made zoom loom squares for a bag, but want to make a tablet woven strap. Just don't have the experience to do it without good directions.

123MarthaJeanne
okt 27, 2021, 6:18 am

Jerry realigned the tent, and we got two zippers zipped. It is hexagonal, but we won't zip the two sides with doors. The problem is that the zipper ends are corroded, so getting them started is a real hassle. So far today we have tried pure violence and filing. Cola is sometimes helpful, but makes a mess. I could get the electrics set up - heater, ventilator, driveway lights - while he is out. The plants all really need water, but that needs to wait until they are settled inside. Right now they are light and easy to move.

124MarthaJeanne
okt 27, 2021, 12:00 pm

We tried the zippers again. We have decided that gorilla tape would work better than zippers.

125MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: okt 28, 2021, 11:48 am

The tape is not good, but better than we managed with the zippers. The electrics are working and the plants in place and watered. Poor babies were very dry, because I didn't want to move them wet.

We also got the roof off the pavilion (5 minutes max), and various bits and pieces under cover. The outside sofa frame fits well under the shed overhang. I need to keep an eye on the pillows, as sometimes mice think the shed is a nice winter home. But I just don't know where to put them inside.

I need to set up the driveway lights. I may reduce the number of hours that they run. Nobody in either house is up and out early morning any more.

Of course there is still raking to do, vegetable beds to be cleared, ... but having my citrus safe is a big relief.

I lost plants last year because it was too much hassle to water. It's still going to be a hassle because of having to get the water from inside, but the set up is much better with so many fewer plants. The three citrus are next to each other - they get rain water, partly undone by the fake Jasmin in front of them. but you can actually walk through if both doors are open.

126MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: okt 30, 2021, 10:51 am

We managed about half an hour outside. It wasn't all that cold - 12° - and the sun was out, but the wind was fierce. Still I cut up another tomato plant, and trimmed back the overgrown herbs. We raked apples and leaves, and Jerry cleared out the dead plants on the fence. Two plants weren't dead yet, and even had flowers, so they went into the tent.

Progress. Not a lot of progress, but enough to be visible.

127MarthaJeanne
nov 9, 2021, 9:15 am

I got the winter lights up. Now we can see when we are out 'late'. Currently that means after 18:00. And it's still early November.

Jerry used his trimmer on the hedge and other things that were poking out the fence. This included the goji bush, which has the unpleasant habit of sending several shoots out wherever you cut it. I've tried to be careful NOT to trim it at the fence. So I went in with the branch cutter and cut it down as close to the ground as I can get. I also tried to pull the root with the digging fork, but it is in a weird corner. We'll see what it does in the spring. I doubt that I can get rid of it.

128MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: nov 25, 2021, 10:44 am

BBC Good Food had a few interesting recipes this month. Two are baking recipes using coconut milk.

The third is a chard and squash tart. Well, I have a couple of small squash lying around, and the chard patch needs harvesting, so guess what's for supper. I remembered to harvest before it got too dark. The big question was whether we needed a run to the supermarket. We have decided that we can replace chopped hazelnuts with fried up bacon for the crunchy ingredient, and that a mixture of leftover sour cream and soft goat's cheese will do instead of mascarpone.

We are still raking leaves a couple times a week, with the thought that very soon the compostables will only be collected every other week. Good to keep at it while we can. The apple tree is getting fairly bare, so this should end soon. We had our first real frost this week. Snow is predicted for tomorrow. Suppose I should have filled up the bird feeders while I was out. The birds tend to ignore the feeders this time of year with so much wild fruit and seeds available. Until it snows. Are the other sources covered over, or do they suddenly want the fat? They also are grateful for hot water in the bird bath instead of ice. Keeps me busy.

1292wonderY
nov 25, 2021, 11:10 am

I need to consider feeding the birds this year. The bread I’ve thrown out in the yard had been totally ignored; but the neighbor with all the busy feeders is moving away. Need to come up with a squirrel-proof design though.

130MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: nov 25, 2021, 12:48 pm

Squirrels aren't a problem here, and I wouldn't mind feeding the European grey squirrels. The American red squirrels haven't made it here yet.

----

This recipe was not written for home kitchens. I simplified a bit, and ignored the final hour of chilling on the baking tray. Do they really think most home refrigerators have an empty shelf for chilling a tart before baking? The butter before making the dough - not really my thing, but it works. The dough before it's rolled out - good idea, and I was busy making all the other components. But once the tart is made it needs to go in the oven so it's ready in time for supper. I also wilted the chard in the frying pan instead of steaming it. That meant I could skip pressing out all the good juices. I think I also saved several pans in the process.

131MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: nov 26, 2021, 9:01 am

We need to go to the supermarket. It rained all night, and then changed to sleet. Jerry wanted to wait for that to stop, with the result that we now have a few centimetres of snow. I just checked my bird food supplies. If the snow sticks, I'll need more before the lockdown ends. But it probably won't, so I'm probably OK. But it looks like we may have a few days of this.

I'm in the process of cleaning the summer bird bath and putting the winter one out. I'm glad I brought the good one in last night. OK, winter bird bath (aka large plastic plant saucer) is out with hot tap water in it.

I have also knocked the snow off the olive tree and some of the lavender. The thermometer says 1°. This is wet and heavy.

132fuzzi
Bewerkt: nov 30, 2021, 8:07 am

>129 2wonderY: can they jump from the trees or is it just a way to keep them from climbing the pole that you seek?

I have baffles on both my feeders, which keeps all but the most reckless squirrels off the feeders (reckless because they leap over 10' from the roof of the house).



>130 MarthaJeanne: this year some squirrels climbed up the banana tree and chewed through the wire of my peanut feeder, they are rodenta non grata right now, ha!

133MarthaJeanne
nov 30, 2021, 8:57 am

What took me some experimentation was keeping the corvids off the bird feeders. The suet balls I buy are usually in a plastic net, which, in theory at least, can just be hung on any hook. However, the various crows will just pick the whole thing up and fly off with it. not to mention chasing the little birds off. The empty nets are also a pain, as they fly around the yard.

I now have sort of tower cages that the small birds can grab and peck away at. Eventually the pieces fall through, and bigger birds get them from the ground. There is also a ring cage which holds more balls, and offers a variety of perches - but still just to the smaller birds. That one is furthest from the house, and gets the most visitors. There is a tower somewhat closer, and the other in the pepper tree right at the terrace. When that one starts being visited a lot the others are probably empty, or the birds are also thirsty, as the bird bath is just under it. I have watched birds come and alternate between water and food. But you can't move in the living room without scaring them off.

134MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: dec 3, 2021, 7:32 am

I want glow worms in my garden. (Lampyris noctiluca) Not only are they very pretty on dark nights when they are mating, but as larvae they feed off of snails and slugs.

Problem, they only glow and mate when it's really dark. Even at new moon, our garden never gets really dark. When we moved here 12 years ago you could frequently see stars. Now, almost never.

Oh, yes, this was brought on by reading Vesper Flights. 'In Spight of Prisons'.

135MarthaJeanne
dec 9, 2021, 9:44 am

Snowing all day (most of last night, too) at just above freezing. Twice I've replaced slush in the bird bath with warm water. I also freed the olive tree of lots of snow each time. It was never meant for a climate with heavy snow.

136MarthaJeanne
jan 7, 2022, 5:58 pm

Time to get this up to 150.

It got cold again overnight. I gave the birds hot water this morning to replace the ice. Then I noticed that they had devoured all the balls. Strange. They haven't been eating much lately. Usually we need snow for them to be this hungry.

Doesn't matter though. I bought another big box on Wednesday. A bit earlier than normal. Just getting nervous in case they lock us down again. I can get suet balls at the supermarket, but I much prefer the packaging at the garden centre.

137MarthaJeanne
jan 7, 2022, 5:59 pm

I did not plant the winter greens early enough. They did sprout, but they sure aren't growing. I would have used some for our salad tonight.

1382wonderY
jan 7, 2022, 6:01 pm

>134 MarthaJeanne: I’ve only seen glow worms once, out on my ridge top. I’m usually not out there in the right season. They are magical!

139fuzzi
jan 7, 2022, 7:13 pm

>136 MarthaJeanne: I've not seen suet balls anywhere. I usually buy squares from a local store.

140fuzzi
jan 7, 2022, 7:18 pm

>137 MarthaJeanne: I planted carrots, beets, and snowpeas in containers, but only the snowpeas sprouted.

A couple days ago I decided to dig under the weeds that had sprouted, but when I started turning over the soil with my trowel ants were everywhere!

I think they ate the carrot and beet seeds.

141fuzzi
jan 7, 2022, 7:21 pm

No snow here, it's just getting cold. Tonight the forecast is for the temperature to drop to 22F, which is very cold for this area!

142lesmel
jan 8, 2022, 1:51 am

>136 MarthaJeanne: I sort of worry about a lock down; but in all honesty, I feel like the US is too stupid to actually lock down as a means to slow/stop the virus.

143MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: jan 8, 2022, 2:33 am

>142 lesmel: We had a lockdown from the end of November until mid December. Stores were closed except for food stores and drugstores. Museums, restaurants, libraries ... It really did improve Covid numbers, and our omicron is a few weeks behind most of Europe. But now numbers are soaring. Schools are due to reopen Monday after the Christmas break. Current talk is that they really want to avoid another lockdown, but that will be the talk until two or three days before the next one.

The suet balls have seed in them, and I have sort of wire cages for them. In good weather the birds tend to ignore them. But they really seem to depend on them if we get snow.

144MarthaJeanne
jan 8, 2022, 5:05 am

It's the annual bird count weekend. I'm half way through my hour, and I have three species. Blue Tit, Field sparrow, and Great Spotted Woodpecker. I can even claim 2 woodpeckers. (You only claim ones you saw at the same time.) Last year there were no birds. I watched several times, but it was rainy and miserable.

145MarthaJeanne
jan 8, 2022, 5:26 am

This was funny. There have been two woodpeckers around. One on the big ring in the apple tree, the other on the smaller holder near the driveway.

Just now the one on the ring flew off. The other one soon flew to the apple tree, watching off where the other one had gone to. Then he started to slowly move towards the ring, still looking off away from it. After a while, he flew to a branch just by the ring. Only after some time there did he relax and fly onto the ring. Another few seconds, and then he started feeding.

These woodpeckers are about the largest birds that can feed on these cages. I suspect that the ring is easier for them to grab. The littles - tits, sparrows, robins, etc can get better hold. The larger birds - pigeons, crows, jays, starlings like to come around and peck at the bits that fall to the ground.

146MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: jan 8, 2022, 5:38 am

OK. Hour's up. I've done better in previous years. Sunshine helps. Today is cold - just about freezing at 11:30. Overcast but dry.

In general, we are losing our birds. Which is why I work at having the balls and making sure there is liquid water for at least part of the day. However, that is on the terrace where I can get to it easily, and the birds are also getting shyer. They won't eat the balls here unless the ones further away are gone.

147MarthaJeanne
jan 8, 2022, 5:49 am

>34 MarthaJeanne: Looking back through the year. No saffron this year. I'm not sure exactly what happened. I should have been able to buy the bulbs in July. There was a lockdown part of the month. One of the major local growers has moved on to other crops. The other grower's website said their market stand was open, but it wasn't.

1482wonderY
jan 8, 2022, 6:44 am

Add some Jerry pictures to nudge your thread on.

149MarthaJeanne
jan 8, 2022, 7:22 am

I also was reminded of a few recipes to reuse. The chard and sausage pasta is good in the summer, but the garden has chard now, too, and I have the sausage. Also plenty of sage for the sage biscuits. We both have rough throats, so they would even be medicinal.

150MarthaJeanne
jan 8, 2022, 7:24 am

151MarthaJeanne
Bewerkt: jan 8, 2022, 7:28 am

When we got back from shopping there was still/once again a woodpecker on the balls.

I didn't find a picture of a woodpecker on the ring of balls, but here is a sparrow. https://www.jerrybarton.eu/Nature/Bird/i-tpG4C37/A
Dit onderwerp werd voortgezet door MarthaJeanne's Garden 2022.

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