Seascape and Tri-star strawberry plants

Seascape strawberry

Tri-Star strawberry

Other than the alpine strawberry, these are the two varieties that I have in my garden. They are both everbearing strawberries and have produced in their first year. The tri-star strawberry is located in only 1/2 day of sun and I still got a decent amount of fruit! 

Also see: variety recommendations page

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Japanese maples

These were all planted for my husband on Father's day this year. They don't look like much now but it will be very interesting to document how they grow and their color changes through the year.

Japanese Maple Beni Kawa

Japanese maple "crimson queen"

Japanese Maple "Green Mist"

See what else is growing in my garden. 

Sochi Green tea

Another plant I've totally neglected this year. Poor thing. I have high hopes that if I start to take care of it this year it will produce much better in the next.

Unfortunately the goats seem to like green tea and will pull me toward it and munch off the stems. Goats like tea. Hmm.

Sochi tea. Planted spring 2010. 

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See what else is growing in my garden.

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Himrod grapes

Himrod grapevine. Purchased from Raintree and planted spring 2010. 

I purchased this variety because it notes that it is a seedless and early ripening variety. I hope to make lots of raisins and have lots of fresh eating grapes.

See what else is growing in my garden.



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Asian Pear combo tree

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

4 varieties: Shinseiki Yoinashi, Hamese, Mishirasu 

Asian Pear Combo Tree

Anyone out there in blogland know anything about these varieties?

See what else is growing in my garden.

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Here's What's Growing in My Garden

Today I ran around and took pictures of all of the fruit trees and misc. perennials in the garden. I figure I better keep track of exactly which varieties I am growing before I lose all the tags. Sadly, I have lost most tags for my blueberries and lost the tag for my peach tree, so I have no idea what variety they are. Soon I will be posting a picture of each variety and its tag.

Fruits
Apple tree--spartan 
Apple tree--honeycrisp
Apple tree--red boskoop
Apple tree--shizuka
Apple tree--Enterprise
Apple trees--Columnar
Blackberry--chester
Blackberry--oachita
Blackberry--triple crown
Blueberries
Cherry tree-Lapins
Cherry tree-Early Burlat
Citrus--Bearss Lime
Citrus--Improved meyer lemon
Cranberry: Highbush
Asian pear combo tree
Asian plum combo tree
European pear combo tree
Grape--himrod
Hachiya persimmon tree
Honeyberry bushes
Fig--Vernon's Brown Turkey
Mulberry--Illinois Everybearing
Nectarine--hardired
Peach tree
Pawpaw trees
Strawberry plants--seascape and tri-star

Garlic
California early
California late
Music

Nuts
All-in-one Almond
Franquette Walnut
Hazelnut

Ornamentals, etc.
Japanese maples
Sochi Green tea

Perennial vegetables
cardoon

Siberian Pea Shrub




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California Late garlic

I got more garlic in the ground today. I'm feeling boring because this is one of the most common supermarket varieties. But it is very cheap through Peaceful Valley. After the year I had with the awfully puny garlic harvest, I didn't want to spend as much money. But every other year has been a great success, so I'm hoping it is just because of the cold, wet summer.

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Casper Eggplant

I grew this variety last year, but neglected to take a photograph. Good flavor, but the thing grew giant thorns like a Himalayan Blackberry. Actually it was more like a dorsal finn. Ouch.

Gardening equipment

Leaf Blower

Mini roto-tiller

Scythe--by Art of Propietation

Good hoes vs, bad hoes--by Gene Logsdon
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Garden Structures

Cucumber Trellis--by New Life on a Homestead

Free Fence from Pallets--by New Life on a Homestead

Stringing Tomatoes--by This Garden is Illegal

Helen and Scott Nearing's house and gardens--by Chiot's Run

Homemade bricks--New Life on a Homestead

My rock paths

Root cellars--by The Never Done Farm

Simple Garden Trellis--by Diggin Food

Antiqued Spoon Plant Markers--by Shrimp Salad Circus

Tomato Cages--by New Life on a Homestead




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Miscellaneous gardening

My front yard garden

Fall Gardening Resolutions

Apple variety website

Heucheras

Natives in my yard

How to make mason bee houses--by Rob's DIY

Steve Solomon's gardening books

Why you shouldn't refrigerate tomatoes--by The Washington Post

When/how to pick pears--New Life on a Homestead

Black mold on stored onions--New Life on a Homestead
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Slugs

Ugh. Slugs. Here in the Pacific Northwest, they are the bane of gardeners. I've messed around with various control methods for years, and am now conducting experiments to find out what works and what doesn't. I have not found any deterrent to be helpful. Beer traps drown some slugs but other slugs take a big fat drink and move on. Trapping slugs with boards, tiles, rocks, etc., is moderately helpful.
Stay tuned... I will be updating the site regularly with my findings until I find the method that works the best.

War on Slugs

Bombarding slugs with traps

Slugs and eggshells

Are slugs repelled by copper?

Ashes as slug repellent/insecticide...does it work?

Slugs and beer... the results of my first beer trap experiment

Diatomaceous Earth and slugs... another efficacy experiment

Will slugs cross coffee grounds to get to the leaf? Yes.
 
The secret to getting your chickens to eat slugs




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Pests, Diseases

Diseases:
Fungal problems in fruit trees
There's a fungus in my yard
Tomato sunscald
Cucurbit Problem Solver

Tomato Problem Solver
Split tomatoes--by New Life on a Homestead

Pests:
Armyworms--by Gardening Without Skills
Cabbage root maggots
Slugs--definitely check out my extensive experiments on slug control!
Rabbits--by Antiquity Oaks
Voles--by Throwback at Trapper Creek




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Chester thornless blackberry

Another variety I planted in the fall and is starting to bear fruits.

Chester thornless blackberry. It's hard to tell but these blooms are pink.

Will slugs cross coffee grounds to get to suculent leaves? Yes.

Another popular theory, debunked.

Exhibit A: a big fat slug in a styrafoam box with a kale leaf surrounded by coffee grounds.

Exhibit B: the same scene, about an hour later. The slug not only went for the leaf but managed to move it to the other side of the box.

For a list of all of my slug control experiments, please see this page. 

Other seed varieties

This page is dedicated to varieties that I have not had great luck with. Please keep in mind that I am located in zone 8 and plants may behave differently in your region.

Cucumbers:
Mexican sour gherkin
Pearl hybrid

Eggplant:
Casper

Fruits:
Italian Alpine Strawberry

Legumes:
Tiger's Eye

Potatoes:
Georgia Jet Sweet Potatoes
Purple Peruvian Potatoes

Tomatoes:
Taxi



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Seed and plant varieties I recommend

These are plant varieties that I have had good luck with. Please keep in mind that I am located in zone 8 and plants may behave differently in your region. Also, I would love to hear of any varieties that you find you want to place in your garden every year. Hey mom, what's that romano bean I raved about when I came to see you? I can't remember.

Brassicas:
This variety of Kale

Cucumbers:
Marketmore cucumbers
Alibi 

Fruits and berries:
Chester thornless blackberry
Triple crown blackberry
Scarlet Sentinel Columnar Apple
Spartan Apple Tree
Strawberry plants--seascape and tri-star

Legumes:
Kentucky Blue pole beans
Mitla Black Tepary Bean
Scarlet Runner Beans

Peppers:
Beaver Dam

Potatoes:
Yukon Gold

Squash
Success PM 
Yellow crookneck

Tomatillo
Mexican Strain




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Purple Peruvian Potatoes

Many sellers rave about this variety but I am going to give it a big thumbs down.

I really wanted potatoes last night so decided to dig some up. I dug the ones that were dying back first, which were the Purple Peruvian potatoes you see in the photo. Note that what you see is the result of four plants. I highly doubt that this was due to growing conditions as they are planted with other varieties on all sides. That big red potato was from another plant nearby.

Not only that,  but the texture is bad. The skin is thick and the flesh never seems to completely cook, giving the impression of undercooked potatoes.

Looks like I got a bad strain, but won't be trying again.

Diatomaceous Earth and slugs... another efficacy experiment

As part of my War on Slugs, I stopped at a feed store to find out if they had Diatomaceous Earth, so that  I could test out the popularly held belief that DE will deter slugs away from food crops. All they had was a sample of a food grade version (sold as a flea repellent for dogs and cats). I  don't if using food grade versus regular DE would truly matter as a slug repellent, but the guy behind the counter was certain it would not, so I decided to bring it home and test it out.

Note that these are the same slugs that I used in my wood ash experiment.As you can see, I placed a tender lettuce seedling in the corner of this box and a large line of DE surrounding it.

This morning I opened the box. Not only was the lettuce seedling devoured, but the slugs crawled out of the box. Gross! I  found one, but the other one is missing. Ick. Guess I should probably leave my experiments outside, eh? Oh well, won't be the first  time I found a slug in the house (yes, there's that many slugs out here!).

So the question for me now is this: does it matter if it is food grade or not? Well, all the sellers on the internet seem to think not. I may do another experiment, but I doubt it works and it is expensive. Besides, there is some controversy over whether or not DE harms earthworms. I also wonder what affect the stuff would have on beneficial organisms and bacteria.

Can anyone out there shed further light on the issue?

For a list of all of my slug control experiments, please see this page.

Building rock paths

In the winter, the paths around here are muddy hazards. Especially if we are leading a goat (Falcon) up to the milking area. They like getting to the stanchion as soon as possible so they pull as hard as they can, sometimes even choking themselves. This makes for a lot of falling and accidents.

So Ed and I are thinking we need gravel paths. Thing is, Ed wants to buy gravel, but I don't want to have to buy rock when we have so much laying around. So I've decided to try to build paths out of what we have on hand. Since I have started challenge to rid the garden of slugs--this means that I will need to move a lot of rock from the gardens anyway.

I started by using my new mini tiller to loosen up the soil for a pathway.

Then dug some slightly deeper areas, where I placed the largest of  the rocks I could find.

On top of the large rocks I will place medium size rocks, and then rocks that get progressively smaller.

Guy and the dogs are helping and playing with a toy that Aunt Grace got for Guy. Sorry, Grace, the dogs popped it but they are still having lots of fun!

Anyway, the path is pretty rickety, but I am hoping that the clay soil will help stabilize them over time. I'm hoping it will eventually look like a dry river bed (which I'm pretty sure this property was originally anyway). Will keep you posted on whether this was a good idea or not.