2012 Spring Garden Update

I finally have all of my raised beds planted so thought I would do an update for my blog.

The 5 beds you see contain  Yellow Patty Pan Squash, Zucchini, Cucumbers (being grown on a trellis), Pole Beans, Beets, Tomatoes (both determinate for canning and indeterminate for eating). Nothing looks really great right now but many of these were just recently set out.

Bed # 5 still has onions and garlic which we planted in the fall.

We are just now starting to harvest and dry them.

Here is a recent picture of my potato box.  It is still growing quite well.  I do need to add some more soil right away.  This is as tall as I will make the box.

We should start to see some produce in a few weeks.  We are already getting some small Patty Pan squash forming.  It won’t be long now.

Front Yard Landscaping

For some time, Leona and I have been wanting to remodel our front yard and exchange the majority of the lawn area for shrubs and other landscaping choices.  We wanted to conserve water and we felt this would achieve that goal.  The first two pictures show what we did to the front yard about 5 years ago shortly after we first moved to this house.

The next stage of the project which we are just finishing was to remove most of the sod in the front yard.  So I’m off to Hertz Tool Rentals to rent a sod cutter.

For those of you who have never done so, please don’t use a sod cutter right after a huge rain.  Take my word for it, sod is heavy when wet.  Thank goodness, I had Leona to roll up and load the sod onto the truck.  Seriously, my son Eric was here to help and we definitely needed his brawn.  Leona advertised “Free Sod” on Craigslist and we had about 10 respondents so we were able to give the sod away and did not have to haul it to the dump.

Next, we brought in some big rocks (Top Rock Landscaping) and placed in the area.

After that, we were off to Green Acres Nursery to select plants.  When we started planting, I dug the holes and Leona did the planting.

After, all the plants were in, I ran the drip lines and then brought in about 4 yards of black bark (from Hastie’s Capitol Sand and Gravel) to spread.   Additionally, I installed edging between us and our neighbors and brought in some small drainage rock for along the sidewalk.   So far, so good.

Next I needed to reroute some sprinkler lines for what little lawn I had left.

And finally, I installed new low voltage lights.

Two final pictures – Of my help-mate and supervisor without whose encouragement and prodding I would not have tackled this project.  She is the counter balance to my procrastination streak.

The last thing I need to do is rebuild the water valve in the back yard and install a flow restrictor and filter and then I can call the city for buy-off of the project.  They provide a $1/sq. ft. rebate if you meet certain requirements.

I can say with surety that we are glad this project is completed.  It’s been a lot of work.

Potato Box Update

I thought I would provide an update on how my potato box potatoes are doing.  Here is a before picture

and current.

So far so good – I added some more potting soil a  few days ago.  They are growing quite well.  Here’s hoping for some good potatoes.  Another update will follow in a few weeks.

Additionally, my onions and peas are also faring pretty well.  Take a look.

Jimtown Store – Northern California Day Trip

A day trip in the Alexander Valley – what could be better? Recently, my honey and I did just that. We had been in Santa Rosa, CA visiting relatives (Jason, Janaize, Georgia, and Caroline)

and decided to take a short trip to the Jimtown Store just northeast of Healdsburg.

It is a fantastic little place that is great for stopping when you are on a Sunday drive or a weekend wine tour.

It is a good place to have lunch when driving through the area. The thing I like most is the little picnic area in back. There are grape vines covering the patio and in the fall, clumps of grapes hang from the ceiling.

They have a nice lunch counter and various items for sale. In addition, they have antiques in the back of the store. The food is good and the service is great. If you are in the area, I highly recommend a stop at the Jimtown Store.

Garden Update – March 2012

I learned something about Brussel Sprouts this year.  They need to be planted far earlier than early November.  I was probably two months late in getting them in the ground. As you can see by this picture, they have already started to bolt.  I just pulled them and added them to my mulch pile.  Next fall I will try again but will plant in late Sept or early October.

However, our onions and garlic seem to be doing fairly well.   I’m looking forward to planting the summer garden.  I did plant some peas and beets in early February and a second planting of both on March 5.

I got the grandkids to help me out the last time.

They are enjoying helping out in the garden.  Cody is not much help though.  All he wants to do is play.  Since he still not yet two, I guess that’s Ok.

Potato Box

I have read quite a lot about gardeners growing potatoes in wood boxes, old tires, planting containers, etc.  So – I decided to build this box and see if it really works.  I’m going to “Green Acres” nursery this afternoon to get some seed potatoes.  I’ll post my results in a few weeks.

Wish me luck!

Sonoma’s Best – Northern California Day Trip

On a recent trip to the Sonoma valley, we stopped at “Sonoma’s Best” store and deli.

We were very pleased at what we found.  Not only do they have a deli,

a wine store,

a coffee bar,

an outside seating area,

and a raised bed garden,

they also have adjoining cottages, Les Petites Maisons, which are perfect for a romantic getaway.  The owners, Tom and Gayle Jenkins, have renovated the property and have created a very attractive place to visit – whether for just a cup of the Blue Bottle coffee or to spend the weekend.

Please don’t visit Sonoma without a stop at Sonoma’s Best.

You’ll be glad you did.

First Cauliflower of 2012

I just picked my first Cauliflower of this years winter garden.  It’s the first time we tried to grow these so even though it is not quite a big as can be purchased, we are might proud of it.

How much more in tax will Apple Pay?

After listening to the SOTU speech last night, I began to wonder how much more in taxes the President would have Apple pay.  It seems they just had a very profitable quarter and they definitely have about 20,000 employees in other countries.  They doesn’t seem to bode well for them under the President’s new tax proposal.

While I do agree that we should use the tax code to motivate companies to keep their manufacturing in the United States, I am anxious to see if the government really follows through.  Somehow I doubt that the President will be as harsh toward Apple as he is toward oil companies.

Wanted – Politicians who tell the Truth

The current state of politics remind me of the line from “Julius Caesar” where Caesar tells Brutus “The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” As long as we the public play the fool and allow our elected leaders (or would be leaders) to lie to us about what they believe, will do, have done, want to do, etc., we will get the exact type of leadership and government that we deserve.

Both political parties are guilty of telling lies to us and about each other and are basically saying just about anything that will enable them to get elected or reelected. I, for one, am sick of it. Reading this article this morning set me off.

The country is so polarized around politics right now that it is almost impossible to imagine how we will ever solve the ever-growing problems which we face. Our debt is ballooning, our education system is becoming second-rate, we have millions unemployed, and most of the country think we are heading in the wrong direction.

The best answers we get from Washington are to either spend more and raise taxes or spend less and cut taxes. Surely a better answer is somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, we seem to be out of deal makers. Most of either retired or given up. Even the President, who should be leading the way, has given up and is strictly in campaign mode.

We are in big trouble if things don’t change. We must demand honesty and integrity from those we elect.