Spring Has Ended But We Welcome Summer!
The spring season has ended with our harvest of sugar snap peas and, believe it or not, rose petals. That's right, rose petals! We pretty much harvest anything we grow in our yard if it can be used. Last Wednesday, the roses had fully bloomed and had begun to fade. Rain was in the forecast for Thursday so we brought them inside. In a short time, we had separated the petals, which were just about to fall of, and laid them out on cookie sheets. We then put them into the oven at 250 degrees for about ten minutes. After they cooled, Lois applied a "fixer" from the craft store and has turned them into a scented potpourri. (Hey, I just grow stuff. She's the one who knows what to do with it all!)
The sugar snap peas were a wonderful success. We've been having them with meals and the overflow has been vacuum sealed and frozen for future use. We've also begun freezing the overflow of strawberries. The last of them will be picked in the next week or so. We've also picked some of the cherries, the first small zucchinis, and even an early cucumber!
Our crops in containers are continuing to do well. The container shown below has calendula flowers and two herbs - basil and tarragon. Using containers really helps us maximize the vegetable garden area in our confined urban "backyard". Placing them in the main garden would condemn them to being swallowed up by large spreading plants like butternut squash and zucchini.
Of course, with the coming of summer warmth, it's time to be vigilant, too. The first of the garden pests have made their debut. The slippery, slimy guys who slither out from under rocks, boards or any other ground level hiding places after dark are the slugs. In just an evening, a few of these creatures can decimate your young, tender plants. Organic controls, pellets with a high iron content, can be purchased at garden centers. Unfortunately for the slugs they have a big appetite for a thing that will kill them.
You may also want to try your own slug control utilizing small cans such as empty tuna or cat food containers and a six pack of the cheapest beer you can find. Simply fill the tins with beer and press it lightly into the soil of areas experiencing slug damage. The slugs will be attracted to the beer and the they will drink themselves to death. A caution: a container with dead slugs in it is not a pretty sight! I'll spare you by not posting a picture of that consequence!
Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you here again next week.
Comments? email me at chuckscards42@hotmail.com
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