Rogue Raspberries

I like to think I'm an observant person. But, when I got home from the Little League tournament yesterday, the Riverman informed me that we had actual tomatoes and peppers, which he saw when he was weeding. I hadn't noticed them in the morning before I left, but there they were! So, when I went on my walk through the gardens this morning, I went really slowly -- paying close attention to what was going on not only with the veggies we planted this year, but also with the flower beds.

In the veggie bed, I noticed another tomato and a few more peppers but no new ripe strawberries. (I did get to eat one yesterday!) And, in the flower beds, the yellows are coming out now that the blues and pinks are fading--coreopsis, primroses, and stellas. The martagon is *just* getting ready to bloom. (A friend to whom I gave a clump a few years ago said hers started blooming on Thursday, so I've been on the lookout for them.)

I checked out the raspberry patch in the back and it looks great! I don't think there'll be enough for jam this year, but we'll definitely have enough for several breakfasts and snacks. Then, I walked through the hosta hill. "It's filling in nicely," I thought. "Starting to look really established." I looked again and started laughing because at the top of the hill -- tucked between two hostas and on the other side of the sidewalk from the raspberry patch -- was a raspberry!

My neighbor was reading her paper outside and heard me laughing, so she came over to see what was going on. I pointed to the rogue raspberry and she started laughing, too. Then we both noticed a tiny raspberry coming up in the crack on the steps and laughed even harder! She asked if I planned to let them grow where they were or if I intended to move them. I think I have to move the one growing in the steps, but may leave the one in the hostas. We'll see...

Have you had plants come up in unexpected places? If so, have you left them or returned them to their "proper" location? Post a comment and let me know!

Anticipating First Fruits

I'm looking forward to tasting the first strawberry from our garden. Oh, I'm also looking forward to eating the veggies we planted, but for me, there's nothing like that first strawberry of the season. Mmmmmmm. I love that sweet, sometimes tart, juiciness that makes your mouth so happy! Not to mention the satisfaction that comes from having grown the fruit yourself.

I had thought that day was here last week. But, when we got back from Wabasha, I found the ripe berry on the mulch near the bed with one bite out of it. Dang squirrels. "I'll teach them," I thought, "I'll put some bird netting over the bed to keep the creatures out." Things were looking good this week, and yesterday, there was a ripe berry again! But, I wanted a picture first and the battery in my camera was dead, so I told myself I could wait until evening.

You can see where this is going, can't you?! Yep. I got home and found the berry expertly snipped off and the hull in the bed. The berry was gone -- completely. Something had gotten it through the netting! There are two more berries nearly ripe. I hope by the time I get home this afternoon I will be able to taste one!

Deluge after Deluge

The evening we arrived in Wabasha, we went for a walk on the dike road, which leads to Lock & Dam Number 4 on the Mississippi. The Riverman insisted we wait until it was dark so we could see some fireflies. It was cloudy, but we could still see some stars. And, the limestone on the path was light enough for us to find our way. I confess I was skeptical about the fireflies, but they did not disappoint. As a matter of fact, it was breathtaking -- like walking through a crowd of paparazzi! (We heard some frogs, too.)

They are lonely but otherwise fine

While we were having this magical experience, it poured buckets of rain back home. We listened to the radio on Thursday morning to hear about rain totals of between 4 and 6 inches! All we could think of was our poor garden—so carefully planned and planted—getting pelted by hail and washed out by so much water. We tried hard to not worry, but by evening, we decided to check in with the neighbor who had agreed to keep an eye on things. When I got her text, shown here, we both had a good laugh!

Sunday brought deluge part deux – which we watched from the sunroom. “The crops” survived the strong winds and the 1.25 inches of rain. Whew! The forecast shows some fairly dry days, so I’ll be watering again today.

I was struck by the role water played in our vacation. We canoed in it, saw birds over it, heard the frogs in it, and were dazzled by fireflies near it. Sunday, when it was so steamy, we drank lots of it! But, we also heard the sump pump going off pretty frequently and worried about “the crops” getting drowned from it.

A Visit to the Tree House

Last week, the Riverman and I went to Wabasha, MN, where a friend has a cabin on the backwaters of the Mississippi River. We arrived Wednesday evening and had planned to canoe on Thursday and Friday. The weather, however, had other plans. We did get to spend some time on the deck of the cabin – enjoying evening cocktails and morning coffee and birds, birds, birds!

Because of the slope from the cabin to the river, the deck feels like it’s actually IN the tree tops. I had the distinct feeling of being in a tree house! It was so restful. And, the bird watching (and bird listening) was fantastic. We counted several birds from the deck and several more from the canoe when we were able to get out on Friday morning.

The most amazing bird encounter was when a mature Bald Eagle swooped directly over our canoe. It was so close I actually ducked! From the tree house, we saw a Wren, who was busy building a nest near the deck; a Blue Jay, who chased a squirrel in a nearby tree; several Woodpeckers; several Orioles; some Red Winged Blackbirds; and a yellow Finch. And, on a hike we did Thursday afternoon, we saw several Bluebirds!

I did have my camera, but wasn’t quick enough to capture digital images of these winged creatures so I will need to be content with the vivid images in my memory.

Radish Redistribution

The radishes in the Urban Farm project came up really quickly. And, they needed to be thinned. The Riverman asked me what that meant. I told him that we needed to pull out some of the radishes so the remaining ones would have room to get round. His eyes widened in disbelief—or horror—or maybe some of each. He was uncomfortable committing planticide – even for the good of the remaining plants. But, he did it. He got through part of the row and then stopped.

I continued thinning later in the week – but, knowing how sad it made him to discard the little seedlings, I tucked the thinned plants in among the Brussels sprouts and beets and watered them in. The next morning, they looked great. "Hooray," I thought. "More radishes for salads and veggie juice."

Peppers with redistributed radishes

Riverman finished thinning the row on Sunday, but didn’t water immediately because we were expecting another deluge that evening. Monday morning, they were looking pretty sad – flat, actually -- even after the heavy rain. They looked somewhat perkier yesterday, but I’m not sure they’re all going to make it.

When we looked at the beans last night, he asked if they needed to be thinned, too. I told him they did. Hmmmm. I wonder if he’s scoping out places to tuck in the thinned out beans.

The Farmer and the Flower Girl -- Birth of the Urban Farm

Earlier this year, the Riverman started talking about having a garden -- "not flowers, mind you. I'm talking food," he said with a hint of a smile that told me he wasn't really saying flower gardening wasn't real gardening. I told him it sounded like an awesome idea and I'd help in whatever way I could. He squinted at me like I had just set him adrift on an ice floe. "Hey," I teased him back, "It's your project. You're the farmer! I'm just the flower girl. " Being a little more helpful, I told him I thought a raised bed would work well and that we could put it in the front -- where I'd placed the veggie boxes in the fall of 2010. See the post Sunny Sunday in the Garden for info about the veggie boxes (and a super cute snapshot of Monty the wonder dog).

Riverman Plants the Raised Bed

We talked for weeks about building the raised bed -- how big should it be and where would it get the most sun? Where would we move the existing veggie boxes? We discussed "the crops" we'd grow. I put in my bid for a couple of tomatoes and some squash. He had a hankering for radishes, carrots, peas, and beans. We also got cukes, brussels sprouts, beets, peppers, onions, and strawberries.

In Early May, we went to the local garden center and picked out some seeds and seedlings. The following week, I cleared some space for the new raised bed (8 x 4) and on Mother's Day weekend, we built and filled and planted the bed.

Squash and Cukes

On Wednesday, we planted 5 blueberries -- 2 North Country, 2 Patriot, and a Chippewa. By Thursday (Syttende Mai), we had radishes sprouting out of the ground! The Urban Farm project is underway!

Lying Fallow

2011 was a big year and Auntie K's Garden needed to lie fallow. In addition to the poor weather (we had just finished a winter with the most snowfall I can remember -- followed by a cool rainy spring) there were lots of losses. My neighbor and good friend (also a gardener) died last March of Leiomyosarcoma. I was with her for her last 8 weeks, which was a huge privilege and an emotional journey. (She shared many plants with me before she died, so she does live on.) And, in June, my adorable canine companion of 14 years, Monty the wonderdog, went to dog heaven--another painful loss. I miss him terribly.

But, it wasn't all losses. 2011 brought new love, which is exciting and life giving and wonderful. We share a love of the outdoors and we spent much of the summer hiking, biking, or canoeing. (He's known as "the Riverman," but I think this year, he might be better known as "the Farmer.")

With so much change, I was pretty emotionally spent and didn't feel I had it in me to blog daily -- or even less frequently. And, so, Auntie K's Garden lay fallow.

I'm back at Auntie K's Garden, and perhaps you will be, too. Or, maybe you've just found us! Earlier this year, the Riverman and I decided to do some urban farming at Auntie K's garden. So, in addition to the posts about the flowers and bugs and weather, I'll keep you up to date on the Urban Farm.