Homestead Delivery!! PBR slugs, and Tomatoes are taking over

It may not seem like much, but last Thursday I went out into the garden and picked a few things to deliver to Power Puppy and Chef. Each of them received a bag of freshly picked mesclun, lettuces, swiss chard, nasturtium flowers, peas, yellow neck squash, and a mix of herbs.

Of course, I clipped a few sprigs of fresh Lavendar for their bedside stands, and some freshly picked Salal Berries.

It felt so good to be giving them this little bit of food fresh from the garden, even if it was hardly more than a salads worth per person.

The garden is growing along smoothly, and I am super happy to see the difference each day.  Right now I am battling two problems though; space, and slugs. I did the right thing at planting and planned out how much space each thing would take, and there are now crowding issues. My space issue however, is that I want more!  I want more space to grow more things!  Already in the works for next year is a plant to extend the garden another ten feet or so, add boxes to the raised garden portion, and soil improvements.  Ideally I wanted to do them this year, but, time and money got in the way.  Next year, during the winter I am going to build up the boxes around the beds, mix the soil, layer with compost and manure, and have it ready for next years planting in Spring.

But, that is only the first problem, and it hardly is a problem, it is more of an addiction.  As to the other problem, slugs, it is a never ending battle.  In an effort to stay simple and away from chemicals, I am using  an old trick my grandma used to use.  Filling small containers with beer.  The slugs are attracted to the beer, climb in, get all drunk, and drown.  Not a bad way to die all things considered.  It does mean though, that each day I need to chuck out the slug beer goo, and refill with more beer. Now.... I love beer, but I am not about to use anything of quality to drown slugs if I can help it.  Thus, for $6 I picked up a six pack of PBR, cut the bottoms off some coke bottles, and placed the slug traps around the problem plants.  It worked earlier... worked really well... perhaps this time I will need to put at least ten more traps out to keep them from eating everything.

And to round this post out, here are a few photos of the garden as it is, including the  tomato plants that are now standing nearly 4 feet tall!!! 

 

July Sunsets

Wanted to share a few photos.... it was so beautiful. Have been eating two salads a week from the container garden, fingerling yellow neck squash and zucchini, and handfuls of snow peas.  Nummy!

Summer Potlucks

I grew up with a family that loved to gather for various reasons and eat. Whether it was a holiday, a birthday, a wedding, an excuse to have a garage sale (which has now become a full event replete with a parade), or simply to have every one in one place for just a moment. Many fond memories of family members and community members gathering around, each coming with a dish of homemade goodness. These potlucks were a foundation of our family and our community, and when I was a child my grandmother collected the stories and recipes for my grandfather to compile into a book aptly named Olga Potlucks and Memories.  My grandfather enlisted my little youthful hands to help him piece together copy after copy of this book to sell at the Olga Artworks as a means of raising money for the Olga Community Club.

At each potluck, there would be pies of local berries, freshly harvested seafood, casseroles, grilled meats, and the requisite freshly harvested vegetables and fruit.  Family gardens yielded the colorful abundance that would end up on our table, and eventually our overflowing plates. There always was some sort of campfire, sometimes music (live or on the stereo) and enough cheap wine to keep the world happy.   It is with this mentality that I was excited to have the 'homestead' over for dinner on Saturday.  Each person, brought over a unique dish, and we gathered around the campfire outside to chat until way after the sun went down.

I was reminded that night that what makes a friendship, or a community, strong is those moments.  When we all gather around and break bread with one another, tell stories of fears and dead things, gawk about slug porn, and simply laugh about nothing and everything. I love our friends and neighbors.... they make the day fulfilled, and the soul uplifted.  These are the stories I hope to share in my own book, years down the line.

Come along... to Alexanders Rag time... what?

There has been great advances in the homestead! Delectable treats from Chef, and a new pallet garden for Super Mom! PP has moved into her new place with a sweet comfortable retreat in the backyard, best enjoyed with wine and sunsets. These days are sunny and hot, and they bring all sorts of wonder to the garden. Super Mom and family have acquired a large amount of buckets and pallets, perfect for fence and container gardening. My little part of the homestead is growing faster than I can keep track of! I messed up the watering one day and accidentally killed off small things pumpkin, and I feel horrible for it.... but everything else is growing so fast that I am rushing to make sure the peas climb the trellis and the tomatoes are properly supported. At the same time there is a push to get the slug traps out, since the last few days their slimey trails have been spotted along the garden paths and across the cucumber leaves. A few cut bottles filled with left over beer have attracted and drowned over 20 of them, but I can't seem to stay on top of it. There has been no sign of rabbits, deer, or even dogs, breaking through the fence, which I am thankful for. Will post photos tonight!