The Harvest Chronicles by Late Bloomer

It's been a slow growing season, and now the work begins. The hail storm, while severely damaging the eggplant and chile peppers, seems to have caused them to grow to heights never before seen. Suddenly (it seems) they are heavy with fruit. The tomatoes are just late; some of them were badly damaged and never grew much taller, but are likewise loaded. I have dubbed a yellow summer squash my 'golden zuccini' because of its gargantuan size. Good thing it can be seen! Lots of winter-type acorn squash will be OK if protected from the early frosts. Now the work begins.
Tomatoes to can and freeze, eggplant to blanch and freeze for some special dishes this winter. Chilies to peel and freeze. 'Zuccini' to shread and freeze. Apples from my son's trees and pears from the produce store to put up dried, frozen, and canned. This is the only kind of kitchen duty I tolerate; the results can be admired for months instead of minutes. Last winter I experimented with unusual combinations of dried herbs to make soothing, warming teas, so this fall I am harvesting and drying larger quantities and trying new ideas. In my garden a marigold, Mexican terragon (tagetes lucida), has a wonderful anise flavor. I have several varieties of mint, and a mint relative, lemon balm (melissa officinalis).

My sage (salvia officinalis) a favorite for dressing of course, is a fabulous ingredient for tea. Epizote, an herb which grows in southern New Mexico and Mexico, makes a wonderful medicinal tea and is an ingredient in the famed cuisine of Oaxaca. I haven't tried the oregano, thyme, or rosemary for tea, but who knows? Lavender flowers from a friend's garden add a subtle aroma and taste to any tea. It is said the rose hips contain vitamin C. The Mexican terragon and the epizote are grown from seed as tender annuals in this area, and the rosemary's pot spends the winter in a window. The rest are reliable perennials. A word about mint: large containers for control! Some areas of my yard are weedy with it. My favorite tea so far is a combination of sage, mint, dried orange rind and ginger, all brewed with whole cardamon and green tea (optional). You can add pepper corns and whole cloves, if desired. Try drying orange and lemon peelings and fresh ginger slices for your tea. Wonderful! Share the ideas! Let us know some of your favorite tea ingredients.

Making [Soil] While the Sun Shines by Late Bloomer

Oh, the composting! Because of Peter's comment about hail's only advantage being that of making compost-able materials, I checked the drainage area / cum 'open space' behind our yard. Where flood waters have piled debris against trees and bushes, I found yards and yards of shredded tree leaves and twigs mixed with eroded dirt and the good tan stuff from clippings left behind when the area was mowed. WOW, already warm and cooking, with lovely large worms.

This wonderous stuff will be a great jump start for next year's compost needs in addition to supplying much needed fill material. This leads me to the berm story. For fifteen years I have slowly built up an area behind the yard, meant to keep flood waters away from the lower garden. It is composed—or should I say decomposed—of clippings, prunings, greens, browns, and grass from our yard and those of other gardeners. I call it my sanitary land fill.

A nice dry-stacked wall contains it, thanks to the recycling of two neighbors' driveways. The old stuff has long since become soil, and the new hail-made stuff is enough to top it off. With a little soil on top, the berm will be planted with native grasses like those they are using to replant along the path the city just installed through the new open space.

Gardening on the Cheap by Late Bloomer

This has been a strange year for this veggie and fruit gardener. First, frozen apple blossoms, followed by cool wet weather, lasting long after its time. Then two hail storms. It's very rare to have hail here, let alone such damaging storms. I've seen many violent winds and heavy rains in my day, but not in such ferocious combinations.

The results have not been pretty or productive. Last year at this time my daughter-in-law was coming over to pick an over-abundance of chile peppers and eggplant. This year, zilch. Nada. Now, with August half gone, and the peppers are just setting on and the eggplants beginning to bloom. I am hoping for a very long Indian summer.




As can be seen in the before and after images, four weeks after the first bad storm, the eggplants that were hail-shredded twice are taller and putting on new leaves and flowers. What troupers! Several pepper plants were uprooted with the last storm's swirling winds and driving rain, but the hail did little damage to them. The cosmos that adorn the garden were very unceremoniously thrown down, but they didn't seem to mind the bare roots; they just pointed their branches to the sun. Salvia and marigolds are un-phazed. All roots have been reburied and the plants propped up, so the garden keeps on keeping on...

I do have lots of green tomatoes and a plethora of yellow summer squash. The winter squashes—which I consider to be the jewel of the garden and kitchen—are making huge leaves and long vines—maybe too big and long. One acorn type is putting on fast-growing fruits, but the crown jewel, an heirloom called Hopi Orange, is only just blooming. I doubt there will be any 15 pounders this year!

Sadly, the apple tree will not have its usual every-other-year bounty. A late freeze look the blossoms before they opened. There are few apples, and those are hail-pocked and small. The good news, all the time usually spent putting up the bounty can be used for other purposes, like putting up my feet.

Day Late, Dollar Short by Late Bloomer

That's me; story of my life. Yesterday (late as usual) I began the repotting of seedlings for the veggie gardens, fed and watered them well before using up all the milk cartons I could find. Now what? Large plastic cups is what; too many plants as usual. And because I haven't built that cold frame I promised myself, the little plants have spent too long in their tiny starter pots. There was no indoor room to expand. A few words about my ON THE CHEAP philosophy, AKA very GREEN: Plant everything possible from seed, including last year's left-over seeds, and even seed from organic market veggies. If you grow heirlooms, their seeds should be viable, too. Everything is worth a try. Start 6 weeks early. Don't forget to feed them (I forgot). Near the end of April, have an outdoor place to keep your re-potted baby plants safe from weather and frosty nights. Plant in the garden around June 1. Make use of window sills: Save cuttings from begonias, sweet potato vines, coleuses, and geraniums. Take second cuttings in mid-winter when they get leggy. Pot up your culinary herbs for winter use. There: not only fresh herbs, but a green view all winter long. Now that you've saved a bundle on all those nice healthy plants, enjoy!

Weedy Things by Late Bloomer

One week in May:
Don't get me wrong. Last month I even loved seeing the weeds because I had been green-starved for too long. But that time is past and I have declared war on the unwanteds. My weedy things are another story. Weedy things are those self-seeding, spreading, creeping, and multiplying wonders that sometimes get carried away. I confess, I often let them take over in places where I need that kind of help.


Grape hyacinths make baby bulbs that magically sprout everywhere. They are not my favorite thing and are harder to remove than bindweed. But the unusual blue floweres are very welcome in early spring.




Lily of the Valley is beautiful with its little white bells lighting up all the shady places. They spread like the dreaded broadleaf grass in my yard.


Mint is very guilty of this too, but easy to control in a whiskey barrel.











Raspberries have woody spreading roots, but are easy to dig up and move or pot up and gift—unlike the horrifying thicket-ing habits of my grandmother's lovely yellow prairie rose nearby.








Dragon's blood sedum is my favorite ground cover. Started twenty years ago from one plant, I have it everywhere and it keeps out weeds as every good ground cover should, and spreads only where welcomed.




The silver dollar plants have heart shaped leaves and bloom profusely right along with the tulips. They are very weedy, but are not competitive, so they don't mind being surrounded with rampant garlic, mint, dandelions and grass. Later in the season they produce lunar-like seed pods for dry bouquets. Sweet Woodruff is delicate of leaf and flower, and spreads where invited.

The loveliest accident in the yard is a pale pink rose that grew and spread from the root ball of an aspen planted years ago. When it jumps the grass stop and invades the lawn it gets treated very badly.

Lakewood Greenhouse Tour by Late Bloomer

Tuesday May 12




A dozen Master Gardeners gathered at the Lakewood city greenhouse on a warm spring morning made warmer by being in the greenhouse. The fans were turned off so that we could hear manager Mollie Fendley introduce us to our surroundings, which quickly became hot and humid. The greenhouse is very spacious and filled with vigorous plants, like an acre of spring green.



Mollie does not spray for insects indoors, and the only chemical concession make is the addition of a 21-18-18 fertilizer, mechanically mixed with water, for the hand watering of the annual plants. Annuals and perennials are grown from seed here. Starting in July, Mollie starts mums for autumn plantings, and poinsettias for the holidays. The latter are used in city offices and taken home during holiday break.

At the potting bench we are shown the artificial soil (a commercial potting mix) used in the greenhouse. Mollie has discovered that there are fewer problems with rot and damp-off if she mixed it 50/50 with squeegee,
a kind of pea gravel/ sand mix. The formulation is useful for the perennials, especially the more dry-tolerant xeric types. Annuals, perennials, and some shrubs are grown here for use in numerous Lakewood parks.

Mollie keeps a scrapbook of beautiful plantings throughout the city, and discussed changes being made, such as incorporating more water-wise and xeric plantings in the gardens. Lakewood's gem of xeric gardens is at Kendrick Lake park where low hills of plantings are grouped in different growing systems, and all plants labeled for viewer education.

In the greenhouse is a long table of alpine specimens being grown for a new display there. In addition to the usual annuals, and some very unusual and newly discovered perennials, the greenhouse is producing vegetable plants
which are for the employees and for a garden on premises for adding something special to the usual lunch fare of the workers.

As we headed outdoors, we were introduced to Greg Foreman
who is Mollie's new boss, and the Horticulture supervisor for Lakewood. He showed us a stash of conifers which has been given to the city by a homeowner who had changed his mind about a landscaping project. The workers will be keeping the potted trees alive and well before deciding what to do with them.

There is a fairly large structure next to the greenhouse that is used as a cold frame. It is like a small greenhouse, but has only ventilation (no heating or cooling) and is used primarily for cacti.
Also outside are several raised beds
where the viability of new plants is studied before their use in public beds. A discussion about the annual plant sale ensued, probably because this area of the yard bore no resemblance to the mob scene on May 2nd when they sold out in the first two hours to record crowds. Next year's sale will be planned differently to allow for the increased interest, and for efficient payment for purchases. Mollie is open to suggestions.

Thanks to our hosts for an informative tour, and to Heather for arranging the opportunity. Mollie and Greg both commented that we were virtually the first group of adults to tour the facility, and she was pleased with the enthusiasm and knowledge of the Master Gardeners. As for your reporter, I wish there were a way for the city to get around its hiring policies that make volunteering here impossible.

One Week in April by Late Bloomer

Instead of the usual Wednesday at the potters' wheel, I found myself out in the front yard, trying to makeup for lost time by tending to some old projects. A veteran saver of GOOD STUFF, it's no surprise that I am now very PC with my GREEN life style. The path beside the house has been paved for around 20 years with bricks and tiles salvaged from construction sites, and scrapes of stone from here and there. Last spring, my neighbor gave me some nice flagstones left over from his project. As you can see, the job has been on hold for a year. This week's goal is to finish laying the stones in soil that will eventually be planted with some kind of low-growing thyme. This almost bare patch of ground was the first front yard veggie garden in our neighborhood. How GREEN is that? In November 2007 I smothered a large area of grass with layers of newsprint covered with a mix of manure and compost. Over the winter the grass died, never to return. (Unfortunately, this didn't stop the bindweed, but that's a story for another day.) The garden was planted last spring with indoor-started plants, and we harvested eggplant, tomatoes, chilies, kale, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, and assorted herbs. The soil is rich and the location ideal for sun-loving veggies. Our freezers and pantry hold enough food to get us by until the this year's plantings are producing. The October-planted arugula and spinach have been showing up in salads for many weeks now, and the perennial lemon balm and thyme are demonstrating their appreciation for all that snow last week. The arugula has such pretty white flowers; unfortunately it is bolting. Meanwhile, this year's crops are behind schedule. Lots of seeds were ordered over a month ago, but have not yet arrived due to an "unprecedented interest in gardens" this year. Some plants are growing under lights in the laundry room
and will soon be outside in a portable mini greenhouse—as soon as I build it out of the old fence boards and windows that are gathering dust in the storage area. Provided of course, that I can find them under all that other STUFF... Thursday, the day after Earth Day The flagstone path awaits.
It is already warm and will reach 80 degrees today, the prognosticators say. Meanwhile, I get waylaid by the trash beside the house, then the leaves in the window well. Another barrel-full for the compost! Then I am distracted by the bushes that need pruning, and the ground becomes littered with red twigs. Back to the stone laying; but first I must put down grass stop at the path's end; and before that, have to dig up the edge sod. All the while I am thinking about the window well covers we bought last year. If I can get that clean well covered over it will be one less latrine for the raccoons... FridayApril 24 The stone path is finished (as promised) and is watered to settle the dirt and set the stones. Getting waylaid again, I chopped weeds in the garden space in preparation for planting some of the seeds that finally got here yesterday afternoon: carrots, cabbage, peas, kale, swiss chard, beets, onions, and salad greens. I fix the water connections near the front porch, only to get drenched by the nozzle on the new coiled hose, which sprays out everywhere but its end. After replacing it with another nozzle I went in to make a lunch which included last summer's kale and chard from the freezer, cooked with garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil. After a quick trip to the gym to un-kink my back, I'll be downstairs starting more seeds under the lights:delphinium, valarian, butterfly bush, paprika peppers, and cone flower. It is difficult starting perennials this way, but I love propagation in all its forms. And, isn't saving money GREEN, too? Saturday April 25 Today is pottery day; I got some yard work done before I went, as it is hard to pull myself away from the studio once I get there. Finished cleaning up after the stone laying project: Excess dirt from the path project is loaded into the garden cart along with a bag of manure that's been sitting in the driveway since early March. The barrel of leaves from the window well cleanup will comprise the third layer in a new compost pile. This wonderful chicken/rabbit/goose/hay manure is from my friend's "farm" here in the heart of Lakewood. Her property is one of several in the area which is still zoned for animals. She always gives me a ribbon-topped sack of shit for my birthday. Wow, does that stuff grow veggies! SundayApril 26 ...is a gloomy day complete with a cold wind. No outside work today. I buy some grass stop and a hoop support for the peony which always spills into the driveway. The store's nursery is overflowing with flowers, trees, and shrubs. I make note of shrubs and roses to plant into my next front yard project: a new bed along the front sidewalk that will have water thrifty small shrubs and perennials. This border will give us a little more privacy, discourage vegetable foraging, and replace more of the water-thirsty turf. I tend to the seedlings in the laundry room. The tomatoes are growing fast, especially the heirloom Roma type that I got from a friend two years ago. The seeds have been saved from last year's crop. This is my way of not only saving money, but continuing the world's seed bank. My daughter-in-law has given me a wonderful package of baby food jars filled with saved seeds. Another friend contributed special seeds from his yard. All are here in the flats, and I await their awakening. On the way upstairs I gather up the last winter squash that was harvested in October. This is an heirloom variety named Hopi orange, and I see in my mind's eye the mesa-living peoples who grew this magnificent food. It has a tough skin, thick succulent flesh, and best of all, viable seeds for its continuing re-genesis. There is enough flesh here to make a pie, some soup, a veggie dish, and maybe some cookies. MondayApril 27 It rained and snowed last night, nice and wet and I give thanks for the moisture. The potted primroses on the front porch are still blooming as they have been since early March.
Tough plant; I had no idea! No yard work today. TuesdayApril 28 Today I am begin edging the front yard veggie garden, before the grass can start spreading into the area again. I like a mowing strip around beds, so there will be a row of bricks just inside the grass stop. The bricks come from another stash of GOOD STUFF that has been awaiting action for a couple of years. One son operates heavy equipment, and twice that year he called to invite me to salvage bricks from houses that were being torn down. The car's shocks were groaning from the trips across town, but well worth the effort. There are plenty left for the original project—paving under a grape arbor, built three years ago with the help of another son. Taking a break from the kneeling, it's time to tackle pruning. One bush is topped; it is getting too tall and needs to be coaxed into filling in better. A gigantic rabbit brush is taking over the entry way, and gets a very severe haircut. I know for a fact they never get this big in the wild... WednesdayApril 29 Still working on the garden edging. The seedlings under lights are doing well. The peppers and eggplants are growing faster now that I have put a heater in the room. I need to get that mini greenhouse built soon; some of the plants are nearing a size that needs repotting. The choices about the seedlings' thinning have been made. It is hard to pinch off the extras; it feels like murder. There is no more room under the light, so I will need to move some things into window sills that are already crowded with cuttings from last year's annuals: coleus in lovely dark red and lime green, and the stunning bright green sweet potato vine for companionship. The wintering-over geraniums are more than a decade old, and have provided two cuttings twice since fall. That's it for the week. OK, OK so it's a week and a day; but Monday didn't count.