Observation Sketch 4

It's going to be a hot, hot week! Let this sketch remind you of where to go to cool off!

- Dan

Veggie Haul and Pizza

Yesterday we did a little harvesting from the garden and got some more delectable veggies!

We used some of them to make dinner: home-made pizza!

 

 
As you can see, our family likes options!

 

I will not be posting anything tomorrow as it will be a fantastically hot weekend and I will be camping at Green Peter Lake! So see you again Sunday!


- Dan

Before and After

I thought it would be great to take a look at how far the garden has come along in the last couple of weeks...

Before 05.12.13

After 06.26.13

Before 05.12.13

After 06.26.13

- Dan

Flowers

Some more shots of flowers in our yard...

Crocosmia

 
Anthony Waterer Spirea

 
Asiatic Lily

 
Dahlia

 
Hydrangea

- Dan

Oh Rain, Rain, Rain

Today I had a little fun with some photography in the rain...

Typical overcast sky in the Willamette Valley

 
Drip, drip, drip

 
Muddy splashes up the eaves of the wood shed...

 
Raindrop and the frilly husk of European Hazelnut or, as we call them, Filberts

 
Still have some Snow Peas ripening

 
Tomatoes are coming along nicely

 
Snow Peas are still flowering

 

 
Raindrops on the corn...

 
Asiatic Lily

 
Chocolate Vine

- Dan

Wonder Beet

Remember these beets?

Well... Look at this monster I picked the other day!

And then I chopped it up for dinner.

- Dan

Observation Sketch 3

Here is another older sketch from my journal. I need to start sketching again!

 

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

- Dan

Stringing the Beans

Today we put up a string system for our pole beans!

We took three fence post per row and pounded them in. Then we ran twine tightly along the top and bottom of the posts. Afterwards we looped thinner string vertically around the twine in a triangular pattern down the whole row.

See our efforts below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Dan

 

 

Raspberries

Yesterday we thoroughly picked through the raspberry patch. We will probably have to do it again very soon, as a lot of berries are just almost there. Some if the canes themselves aren't looking as healthy this year but there are lots and lots of berries to pick!

Notice the little spider on the left berry!

Raspberries canes are biennials, meaning they have a two year life cycle. The first year, they sprout up and grow tall and green. In the first winter the leaves shed and all that remains is a woody cane that looks like a stick. The next spring they revive with new growth and this is when you get some fruit. 

New canes or "suckers" should have sprouted with this second spring as well. So you should have a constant supply of canes as long as they aren't killed off by something. DO NOT get any kind of weed killer anywhere near them (we've learned that the hard way). The next spring when new growth emerges on the canes (wait for it, otherwise you cut out alive ones too) just cut the ones that are not budding (dead canes) to the ground. This helps keep a healthy patch and keeps diseases at bay.

Look at all those berries!

If suckers are coming up in less than desirable spots, you can transplant them very carefully! I have found that most will live if you get some of the roots with it and give them plenty of water to get re-established. They will look sad for a few days, but after a while they should start to perk up. Don't give up on them too soon! You can also simply pull them if you don't want them (just be sure you have a few left somewhere).

While we were picking the raspberries we noticed some giant blueberries had ripened on one of our bushes! Tried to capture their size (sorry the pictures are slightly out of focus). The fruit is from a Patriot Blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum 'Patriot'.

 
We couldn't resist picking a small handful and eating them all up!

- Dan

Pansies and Violas

Here is a glimpse of some of the pansies and violas we have growing around the house this year.

 

 

- Dan