Our Farm Journal
9/1/10
We did get 3/4 of an inch of rain, very pleasant but not enough to do
much good. Now we are watching hurricane Earl, hoping we get rain
and not a lot of wind. We are so dry that we would not complain
about the wind if it brought several inches of rain with. It
appears the coast will be battered regardless. I will certainly
harvest tomatoes and cabbage Friday morning. This week is so
hot with such a breeze I'm not getting much done besides watering.
I will have canning tomatoes to sell. I went to the Amish hardware
store in Syrma and got jar lids. I have regular lids for sale at
$2.00 a dozen and wide mouth at $2.70 a dozen. I am canning
applesauce and tomatoes. Gilbert picked the apples because they
were falling off the trees. It is so early and so hot I have to
get them canned quickly. I have some perennials on sale as well as
shrubs. Sally
8/25/10
We are supposed to get some rain today and tonight. We are so
dry that I will harvest any cabbage that is ready or tomatoes that are
nearly ripe or ripe. If I don't the sudden moisture will cause
them to split.. the rain is coming just in time for my shrub sale.
The nursery I order my shrubs from must have had a slow year last year.
The shrubs I ordered came in a much larger size than I ordered.
Eight inch ones I ordered for next year came 18 inches tall, !8
inch came two feet and a half feet tall. Each fall I bump any
shrubs I have left up to a larger pot so they don't get root bound.
I don't want to have to buy larger pots so I'm having a 20% or more off
sale on the large shrubs. My prices are already very reasonable
because I have low overhead. Plants planted in August and
September have lots of time to get settled before winter. Hoping
to see you, Sally
8/19.10
I went to a greenhouse/ nursery trade show at Eastern States this
week. I spent all day Monday soaking everything so the plants
could go two days without watering. Even so Darel had to do some
watering why I was gone. I spent yesterday watering and getting my
2011 supplies order in. To get the early order and show discounts
the order had to be in by five yesterday. The bus ride was long
but the show was great.
Some buttercup squash are ripe. If you can't make a mark in the
rind with your fingernail the squash is ripe. The butterfly bushes
are in bloom and butterflies are busy getting the pollen. The
blooms are pretty and so fragrant. I don't deadhead them because I
enjoy watching the finches go after the seed. I have
several of the bushes in two gallon pots for $5.99. Butterfly
bushes die back to the ground over winter. They don't come up
until the end of May so it is important to mark them well. Every
year the bush comes back larger. I'm going to plant some white
phlox next to mine. I think they will look nice togather.
The forecast continues to be dry. make sure any new plantings are soaked
down four or five inches each week. Sally
8/9/10
The article above was copied from the Extension gardening news.
If you are not receiving the Piscataquis Gardening news in your e-mail
you should call the Extension Service at 207-564-3301 and subscribe.
Sally
7/28/10
I got behind on watering this weekend and Monday's wind really put
some plants in stress. Half a row of green beans didn't get
watered, the beans in that row are not as good quality as the rest.
Now it is already Saturday and the week is gone. We lost one day
in a very nice way. Friends we were stationed with when Darel was
in the service 50 some years ago stopped by. We had a wonderful
visit. It was a beautiful day with a strong wind making the 90
degree temperature OK. but that same warm wind put me behind on
watering again. Vegetables are coming on, lots of cucumbers and
summer squash. The potatoes aren't very large, I haven't watered
them. I sell out of tomatoes as fast as they ripen.
When the barn swallows leave it is time to plant fall broccoli and
lettuce. Broccoli and lettuce do so much better the cool days of
fall. I have seedlings for sale. Barn swallows left a
week or so ago and I thought the tree swallows were gone this
morning. The ten or so that have been lined up on our power
line were gone. Then I noticed a 100 plus lined up on the line
running into Gilbert's house, flocking together to leave. Their
leaving tells us summer is on its way out. Temperatures are a
little cooler too. If you can water new plantings, this
month is a great time to plant perennials and shrubs. I must go water
perennials and shrubs so they will do well when you get them.
Sally
7/20/10
Water, water, water! This is beautiful weather but we do need
rain. All the rain is going around us, the last two rainy days we
got a tenth of an inch. I'm so thankful we have a good well.
I just noticed I've repeated what I wrote last week. But that is
what each day has been with the heat and breeze, a challenge to keep
things watered. And of course the weeds are growing fine! I
have succeeded keeping cucumbers, well watered, we have plenty, by next
week I think we'll have enough so people can start making pickles.
I have read that if you place a few slices of cucumber in an aluminum
pie tin and put the tin in an area where pests are a problem the pests
will leave. The chemicals react with the aluminum, giving off a
scent that slugs and the like can't stand. Worth a try.
I have several of the new hydrangeas in stock. They are
starting to bloom and are very beautiful. August and September are
great months to plant shrubs and perennials as they will have plenty of
time to settle before winter. Even now is good if you are able to
water the plant. If you put in any plants this spring please soak
the soil around them down several inches once a week. I hope you
are enjoying your summer, Sally
7/12/2010
We think we've found why I keep having a problem with publishing on
my web site. Time will tell. Water water water, we are so
fortunate we have plenty. We've had some rain, many of you have
had nice rains but the storms went around us. Good in that we've
put up a lot of hay. An inch of rain a week is best for vegetables.
Newly planted shrubs and trees have to have that much. I'm
opening the vegetable stand tomorrow Lettuce and greens are
on request so if you want some plan to wait a few minutes why I
get them. Many of the perennials are in bloom so plan to take time
to walk through them. Time to shut the hose off and go to bed.
I have another area all set up to start watering first thing.
Sally
6/29/10
We've had a nice amount of rain. Now we need some haying
weather. The weeds are growing well, along with everything else.
At least the ground is soft so they are easy to pull! My daughter-
in- law in Alaska puts a bag of aged donkey manure in a barrel of water
for five days, stirring it at least once a day. She than puts the
"tea" on her delphiniums and bee balm. They always look beautiful.
Another daughter-in-law has her kids put several shovel fulls of compost
on the tomato plants and has lots of tomatoes. I'm thinking all
the good bacteria in the compost or tea fights off the mildew, botrytis
or blight these plants are susceptible to. Today I'm going to
start putting compost on my tomatoes. Sally
6/23/10
Do you have a rain gauge? vegetables need an average of an inch
of rain a week. Some vegetables like cucumbers do better with
more. If you want sweet cucumbers you need to make sure they have
plenty of water. Keep the cucumbers picked to get lots of
cucumber. I top dress my plants with fish emulsion mixed according
to the directions on the bottle. Some people snip the cucumbers
off the vine instead of just picking the cucumber off to avoid stressing
the vine. Did you know a cucumber contains most of the vitamin you
need every day? One cucumber contains vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, Folic
Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and
Zinc. Tired, need some caffeine? For a quick pick me up eat
a cucumber. Enjoy your gardening, Sally
6/16/10
In about twenty minutes the computer person had everything back to
where it belonged on my computer even though he wasn't familiar with the
software. It took longer for him to explain to me what to do!
I am still planting vegetables and flowers. It has been a very
good sales season for me. Between helping customers and watering I
haven't had time to get my gardens planted. I am mulching
everything as I plant. Even though we had a wonderful rain a week
or so ago the soil is quite dry. With so many plants to water I
have to conserve all I can. Mulch keeps down weeds too, the rain
brought on lots of weeds. I use black plastic on crops like
tomatoes and peppers that need warn soil. Otherwise I use hay and
straw which helps improves the soil. Today I'm planting melon,
they are always iffy so they go in last. I hope your summer is
going well, Sally
6/14/10
I am still working on my page, I got one sentence published, see if I
can do it twice. Sally
6/14/10
I'm trying to get back to writing in the journal. I have some help.
Thanks
4/28/10
I haven't been entering anything on my web page because of server
problems. April 20th entry was just put on the web today.
Things are very busy here as we get all the perennials ready for you to
check out. the shrubs and crabapple trees are all in place, we are
putting up descriptive signs today. We not only want to get
everything set up for Open Greenhouse Day on Saturday but I want to
plant potatoes and onions next week. Carol will put in the first
planting of glads also. We are going to try covering our first
plantings of glads with relay this year to see if that brings them to
blooming sooner. Some people put relay over their potatoes so
potato bugs can't get to them. Even with the warm up forecasted to
start Friday it is to early to think about putting in plants that like
warmth. We could well have a frost around Memorial week end with
the full moon. Sally
4/20/10
We are so blessed to have a beautiful day today. Late yesterday
about 300 bareroot plants arrived from the nursery in Minnesota.
Fruit trees, crab apple tree. lilacs and other shrubs that thrive in
this temperature zone. I not only have a nice assortment of
peonies but I have some peony trees. The plants in the greenhouse
are doing great, I'm constantly moving plants to give them all
enough room. Night time temperatures are above freezing now so I
can put plants in the little green house. I can put an electric
heater in there if i have too. Putting plants in there not only
makes room but hardens the plants off so going outside isn't a shock.
Carol has all the tomatoes transplanted. Don't forget the
Bangor Garden Show this weekend. Sally
4/13/10
Our warm weather seems to have leaf, now we are having typical April
weather. The Farmer's Almanac says we will have slightly cooler
temperatures, and be slightly dryer than average in April and May.
There is a full moon April 28th. Once that is past plants like
cabbage and broccoli can be set out or the seeds planted. Onion
sets, peas and lettuce can be planted whenever your ground is ready.
Potatoes can be planted the first part of May. My seed
potatoes and onion sets will be here Monday the nineteenth. There
is a full moon May 27, I wouldn't put out tomato or pepper plants until
after that. You could plant cucumber and squash seeds a little
earlier, when you plant green beans. But I wouldn't set out plants
until after the full moon. I have a special on bleeding hearts
this spring, $5.99 for the old fashioned pink or white. They could
be planted anytime, so can many other perennials. This is a good
time to start your herb garden. Don't forget the Bangor Garden
show the 23rd thru the 25th. And please plan to come by our
greenhouse on Open Greenhouse Day, May1st. If you are anxious for
some color come by now and get some pansies to put in your flower
garden. The ones I set out at church before Easter are looking
great. Sally
4/7/10
I am trying to go over all the gardens and pull any weeds growing
before we till. I put the grass and clover in a bucket for
the chickens so it can't re root. When the tiller tears up grass
and clover it is making lots of little starts that take root. We
are putting shrubs out today that are help over from last year. I
repotted all of them last fall. The minimum number I have to order
is usually more than I sell in one season. the forsythia is
already in bloom, it is the same kind as the large bushes that bloom in
Gilbert and Barbie's field every year. I had five plants left and
sold two of them yesterday right after I put them out. I have more
small ones on my shrub order. Part of my order comes next week,
the rest come the week of April 19th. April 23-25 is the weekend
of the Bangor Garden Show. I am providing some flowers for
Stonescapes and Watergardens but I won't have a booth this year.
The garden show would take all of that week and I don't have time
Admission is five dollars this year. I'm sure you would enjoy it.
Sally.
4/5/10
We had a wonderful Easter celebrating our Risen Christ with
friends and family. Two of my granddaughters painted a mural on
the large mirror in our entry of the angels by the empty tomb with the
women coming to the tomb and the three empty crosses on a hill in the
distance. And there was no mud or snow for the Easter egg hunt.
Today we are transplanting peppers, we are transplanting something
everyday. Bleeding Heart and Hosta plants are coming this week.
I already have lots of hostas but several people have asked for some of
the smaller ones. I'm getting the old-fashioned pink and white
bleeding heart and the ferny Luxuriant that blooms longer and is
smaller. Are you planting a herb garden this spring?
Or starting a bed of catnip for your cat? Catnip and many of
the herbs can be planted now. Not basil, basil likes to be warm,
it is the last thing I set out. We have several days of unsettled
weather coming, lots of April showers. the sun is up and I want to
take advantage of this beautiful day. We still have lots of clean
up to do. It is time to take mulch off everything. Sally
3/31/10
The garden is so muddy it would be bad for the soil to walk in it,
much less work it. The next seven days should dry it up
considerable. I'm going to walk on the straw that is mulching the
strawberries and plant some spinach and lettuce along side of it without
making a seed bed. I'm too anxious. It is time to fertilize
blueberries and strawberries. Make sure you use an acid fertilizer
on the blue berries. I'm going to pull back the straw mulching
the strawberries. I don't usually start cabbage broccoli etc for
transplants until April 10. In four weeks they are the ideal size
to plant. The little plants can take some light frosts. But
this year I think we will be able to set out plants May 1st.
Speaking of May 1st, remember that is Open Greenhouse Day. Many of
your local greenhouses, including us, will be welcoming visitors that
day with giveaway's, a hanging plant for a door prize, and refreshments.
We start our extended spring hours that day: open Saturday's until four
and open Sunday afternoons one to four. We won't be closed Mondays
for the months of May and June. As always any time I'm here
I'll be glad to help even if it is after hours.
Looking forward to seeing you, Sally
3/26/10
One of the things emphasized at the school yesterday: use only
certified seed potatoes. Potatoes we save or tablestock we buy may
be carrying Late Blight without showing any symptoms. Late blight
can only overwinter on live tissues. If we have volunteer potatoes
in the garden fro last year's potatoes dig them up, bag the plants and
put the bag in the garbage, not the compost. sally
3/23/10
A cold raw March day, but since it rained all last night and today
I'm happy. we were so dry. That arctic front coming in
behind this storm doesn't make me happy, a low of six is forecast.
I hope the cold doesn't set back the shrubs that have buds starting to
swell or the perennials that have started. I'm glad I haven't
unwrapped my pots of perennials yet, I will next week. I have a
cold frame full of perennials I started in January. I only put the
toughest in there, even so I'm going to put a perennial blanket over
them. I do have a cold frame full of calibrachoa (mini petunias)
They are fine down to to 26 or so, even lower with a blanket but I'm
moving them back inside until Sunday. Do you have left over seeds.
Check them for germination by counting out ten or so and wrapping them
in a wet paper towel. Keep them warm and wet, count how many
sprout. the price of seeds it is worth the effort. Tiffany
just called, I have to go pick her up from practice. Spring will
be back next week! Sally
3/16/10
I've been potting morning glories in gallon pots with bamboo stakes.
This is the first year I've had morning glories so that they will be
ready to bloom when planted, after there is no fear of frost.
Further south there is no advantage to starting morning glories so
early, their blooming time is sensitive to day length. But I found
out that we can push them because here in Maine our days get longer
earlier. I love morning glories, I plant them around my bird
feeders and over a trellis in the back yard so I'll be my own best
customer. I planted some canary creeper seeds. Canary
creeper is a vine covered with small yellow blossoms. I had said I
wouldn't plant again but I stuck some left over vines by the barn where
they only got some morning sun and lots of moisture. They did
great, there is definitely a place for them. I started some
passion flower vines, not too many, I've ne idea how they will do here.
As always I'll have Black-eyed Susan vines. I have to go water the
greenhouse now. And than I have to water my potted perennials
that are outside. So early to put putting hoses outside to water.
There is a high fire danger alert today, there was one yesterday too.
This beautiful weather has it's downside. But I'm sure enjoying it
and hope you are too, Sally
3/10/10
I have brought "vines" up to date, entering the clematis.
The library that I use to copy pictures from just has "images coming
soon" for clematis. I had to copy from a brochure so they aren't
the best but I think the colors are good. You will see that I
carry both the Jackmanii and the Super Jackmanii. The old
Jackmanii is very hardy, down to zone 2. Until the Super Jackmanii
was available we all thought Jackmanii could not be improved on!
Sally
3/8/10
I'm not a fast learner. I've been trying to get this set
up, it keeps double spacing. I did finally get the font right, now
I guess I finely got the spacing right. So simple when I
figure out the right way to do it!
This weather is beautiful, I keep reminding myself it is too
early to say it is an early spring. Even so I'm starting lettuce
and spinach seeds to put in a unheated cold frame. I don't need to
buy megabucks tickets to gamble. The area where I wrapped my
perennials up still has snow on it. The greenhouse will be pretty
well filled up by the end of the week. I'll make more room by
moving the perennials I've started to the floor along the edges until
they can go out in a cold frame. I've started patio
tomatoes as I put them in large pots and I plan to give patio tomato
pants in small pots to each person who comes on "Open Greenhouse Day",
May 1st.. Except for the plants I put in my hoop house I'm starting my
tomato plants the last week of March in hopes of having better plants.
I'm not starting peppers until March 20th. Peppers can't go out
until the soil is warm and and there has been a lot written about the
peppers producing better if they are set out smaller. Now I need
to go out to the greenhouse and prune my geraniums. Enjoy
this weather, Sally
2/27/10
Things are going great in the greenhouse. Right
now my webmaster is here teaching me how to use the new softwear.
Sally
2/25/10
My plug and cutting
order got here a 8:30, they were due at ten this am. The driver broke
down, he sure was glad to get unloaded and headed to Bangor and a hotel.
I'm glad we were his last stop, he could deliver here after business
hours. The plants are all unpacked, now to bed for me. Lots of planting
the next few days.2/5/10
I start using the new softwear this weekend while my webmaster is off
from work to help me. Jim has warned me there will be a "learning
curve" I can guess my "curve" will be sharp one. Aren't we fortunate.
Enough snow to protect our plants but the huge storms are all going
south of us. The groundhog saw his shadow so six more weeks of winter.
That is good, winter will be "an Old Man" when the ides of March come
and the winds can blow winter away in time for spring. This is good
weather for garden planning. I've been getting ready for spring, making
display cards for all the shrubs. I am so pleased with my shrub
selection this year. May 1st is Open Greenhouse Sunday. By then the
ground will be thawed so you can have your shrub planting out of the way
before it is time to start your garden. In ten days I start the
greenhouse fires. the kids will be glad, the growing shelves in the
laundry are full, now their game table is in front of the window covered
with plants. The wave petunias will be glad too, they are getting to
the size where they want their own space. Enjoy the sun. Sally
1/30/10
My web master has been working on my web page. Many of the problems
I was having are because I am using old soft wear in a new computer.
The web master couldn't make things do what they were supposed to do.
He was on his way to Bangor and is going to buy an upgrade. The hours
I've had him trying to make it work to say nothing of the hours I've spent
on it would have payed for the up grade. He doesn't know yet that all
the journal entries from last March to now are gone. He has a disk
that may have the entries on. I did get most of the shrubs updated and
he did get the pictures to the web. But i haven't put any of the
clematis on the web and I've lots of other updating to do. I will wait
until the new soft ear is on, I will have to learn how to use it.
Hope you are warm, we had frozen pipes this morning. All is
thawed now, the sun is shinning and the wind isn't as strong. Sally
3/2/09
Another weekend, another storm. At least we didn't get quite as
much snow with this one. About 10 inches but it is all piled up in
drifts. There is so much snow covering the seed heads that the
snowbirds are coming to the bird feeders. They are a very pretty bird
close up. The greenhouse dropped down to sixty with the high winds.
As soon as the wind died down a little it went right back up to seventy.
Tomorrow with the sun we will be letting the fires go out and turning on the
exhaust fan.
March 1st is the day I plan to bring the begonia's out of the cellar,
this year it will be March 2ed. There is no sign of life when I bring
up the pots of begonias. After a few weeks in the greenhouse green
shoots will show. By late May when the danger of frost is past they
will be in bloom. I have the nonstop begonia because I love their
vibrant colors and large blooms. Begonias are so adaptable, they do
well with quite a bit of shade. Yet my begonias behind the house have
no protection from the afternoon sun and they live up to their name, they
are covered with nonstop blooms until frost. Than I pot them up in
promix and put them in the cellar for the following spring. I've
always had red and yellow. Last year I tried the mocca mix, a bronze
leaf series. Everyone loved them. This year I've added three
more colors. Begonia look great in a window box by themselves or in a
container with coleus and ivy. Don't forget that Saturday is the
switch to daylight saving time. If you are going by stop in. It
is so nice in the greenhouse this time of year, maybe not as good as a trip
to Florida but a close second! Sally
2/24/09
The greenhouse is warm with lots of little plants. I have as many hanging
baskets as will fit without overcrowding. Tiffany and Rachael are helping me
this year. Rachael is seven. She planted a flower garden last
year and is very anxious whether they will grow back this spring. I
tell her the snow is making a nice warm blanket to protect the flowers from
winter's cold. She echo's many of us, "I just want the snow gone!"
We have lots of pansies. They can go to the cold frames to be
hardened off when the vegetables need room. Pansies, calibrachoa(
million bells) and snapdragons can all take early spring frosts without any
harm. Pansies can go down to 25 degrees. We hope to have enough
vegetable seedlings this year. I've started celery and parsley.
The next few days I'll start peppers. It is too early to start
tomatoes for the garden but I'll start the ones for the high tunnel
greenhouse this week. You can buy vegetables from us that have grown
on soil that has been enriched naturally so the vegetables taste like God
meant them too. They will be picked at just the right stage of
ripeness and they'll be fresh.
BUT Have you thought of growing your own? Gardening give you
many things besides your own healthy food. Other activities cost you
money, growing your own vegetables puts money in your pocket.
Gardening as a family promotes family togetherness. Even if older
children don't really want to help they are learning how to be self
sufficient. There aren't many things as rewarding as picking the
vegetables you have grown together. Vegetable gardening gets everyone
out of the house, away from the computer and video games. It is
meaningful exercise. We carry Johnny's seeds ( at the same price
as the catalog) and lots of vegetable seedlings. Under our links section are
links to Johnny's catalog and Fedco Seeds if you would like a catalog.
Both catalogs are wonderful reading material. Now I must get busy
planting more flower seeds. Flowers are good for the soul! Sally
PET ALERT
Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by home depot, Target and many
Garden centers contains a lethal ingredient called "Theobromine". It is
lethal to dogs and cats. It smalls like chocolate and attracts dogs.
They eat it and die. Coca bean shells contain potentially toxic
qualities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine
and theophylline. Several dogs across the south have died in recent
weeks as people are starting to spread mulch. The mulch is made by
Hershey Company. Their web page says it is toxic but most
animals won't eat it.
2/8/09
The world is so gray. So many people have lost their jobs that we
are all wondering what next? If we aren't directly affected thinking
about those that are has us down. The tremendous sum of money our
nation is borrowing has us all wondering what our grandchildren will be left
with. And it is winter, warm this morning but below zero and windy
tonight. One interesting bit of news, Our son Andrew is on the Outer
Banks off North Carolina. The banks are on the path of the Atlantic
flyway. He says thousands of birds are flying over every day headed
north. Do the birds know something we don't, like an early spring?
Locals there are saying it is early for the flyover.
Our gardens can be a restful, richly flowered haven. A place of
peace and quiet, serene: "Maine: the way life should be". The only
flower garden I have done is outside my kitchen window. Well it isn't
done, a garden is never done. gardens are always changing, but this
garden is beautiful. I painted an old maple syrup pan black for a
pond. I surround it with bacopas, they can take the cold of spring and fall.
Morning glories twine around the shepherd hooks that hold my bird feeders.
There is a mix of perennials and annuals. I love to start
my day breathing the fragrant air, listening to the birds waking up and
enjoying a few quiet moments as I give thanks for the beauty of a new day.
I end my day the same way, letting the beauty of the garden
sooth away the hassles of the day. In my garden all the things the
Lord has blessed me with seem to come to my mind.
Many of you already have beautiful gardens, many are much nicer than
mine. I try to have different flowers and shrubs that will enhance
your already glorious gardens. I would like to help those of you who
don't have a garden or want more. Knowing that in this economy most of
us don't have a lot of money for flowers I've been thinking up ways to make
flowers affordable for all of you and still stay in business. I'm
going to have more flowers in packs this year. Three or five flowers
always look better than one. By choosing flowers I can start
from seed and putting them in packs I can sell 3 or 5 for the price of a
large two gallon perennial. I've tried to have a selection that will
bloom this year as well as the ones that don't bloom until the second or
third year. Since the plant roots won't have as much room to
grow I hope you will come by in May and choose your flowers. By doing that
the plants won't get crowded and you will have the pleasure of the blooms in
the summer. I'll have packs of annuals too. Flowers from a pack
don't make an instant garden like single plants do but they catch up fast
and you have many more flowers for your money.
1/3/09
I have gone high speed internet. If there is interest I'm thinking
about setting up a blog. What do you think, e-mail me. It would take
me a few days, there seems to be some kinks to work out in the changeover.
I'm also trying to update the perennial catalog.
1/30/09
The fruit section of my catalog has been updated for spring of. 2009.
All of the apple trees are semi-dwarf as recommended by extension. Sally
1/29/09
We got a foot of heavy snow last night. No complaints, lots of
areas of the country would trade snow for ice. Besides this storm
seems to have broken the cold snap. Do you have lots of organic matter
in your soil? For every percent of organic matter a cubic foot of soil
can hold 1 and 1/2 quarts of water. If your soil has a high organic
content it can soak up this snow when it melts and release it as your plants
need it. The organic content in your soil can be built up with compost,
green manure crops and cover crops. I mulch with newspapers and any
organic matter I can get. Old hay, even weeds work. This year I
was able to get four large round bales of straw. I rotate my
vegetables. The ones I use black plastic on don't get any mulch but I
do work lots of very old manure that is well rotted into the soil
before I put down the plastic. Most of my garden was run out hay land.
The 3or 4 years of mulching is making an obvious difference. Even in
the old pig pen it is easy to tell where I've mulched. I
have to be careful that I don't mulch vegetables that need a warm soil too
early in the season.
We use a lot of bananas. I'm putting the skins in a bucket to
freeze. I've heard how well roses do with banana peels. Now I've
read an article about tomatoes and banana peels. I'll use banana peels
under my tomato plants as far as they go. It will be interesting to
see if the tomatoes with bananas do better. We sure do have a
wonderful garden this time of the year! Keep planning, spring is
coming! Sally
1/17/09
Even though we are breaking records for cold the temperature has not been
as low as it was in Alaska where the jet stream brought it from. We
visit with our sons and families often by phone, day after day minus 20 was
a high, this cold snap broke records for low temperature and duration up
there. The last three days have been in the forties, we can
expect that in about ten days. Our house is comfortable except for
this corner the computer is in, it runs 4 0r 5 degrees colder than the rest
of the room! So many people are having trouble with frozen pipes,
Gilbert had the pump house freeze in his trailer park, a first.
I went to the agriculture trade show last week. It was very well
attended, many people were small farmer who wanted to be more
self-sufficient and/or raise food for sale. This is a time of
opportunity for people who wish to know where their food comes from and for
those who wish to grow it for them. In addition there is a lot of help
available if you want to have higher quality food and save money by growing
your own. Local nurseries such as Country Junction have varieties of
seedling and seeds that do well in your area, as well as being a good source
of advice. There is a saying, "the best thing to put in your garden is
your shadow." That is true for getting weeds why they are small,
spotting problems before they get serious and for pleasure.
I've been talking to a lot of people about invasive plants. Some
catalogs say yellow loosestrife isn't invasive like the purple. But
people have told me it can be very invasive, a lady told me it was even
choking out her peonies. We baby our butterfly bushes, wanting
them in our flower gardens and in the south they are invasive. We need to be
careful of non-native plants. It was pointed out to me that some
plants do so well at preventing beach erosion but when someone digs up a
plant to take home or a bird spreads the seed so the plant is growing away
from the adverse conditions of the beach it becomes invasive. With so
many plants to choose from it makes sense not to plant something that may
become a problem. Sally
1/6/09
One of my New Year's resolution's is to learn more about invasive plants,
especially about native plants to use in their place. When we buy
plants from other places (non-native) their natural predators and diseases
are left behind. Therefore their spread is uncontrolled and such
non-native species as purple loosestrife, Japanese barberry and Asian
honeysuckle have become serious pests in many areas. Invasive
non-native plants choke out native vegetation, diminish the availability of
food plants for wildlife, and alter the behavior of pollinators,
plant-eating insects and fruit-eating birds. Often the birds suffer,
even starving because non-native berries are not as nutritious as our native
berries. As the birds eat the berries the seeds are dispersed and the
non-native species choke out our native plants. Non-native plants
considered most invasive in Maine include Purple loosestrife, Japanese
barberry, oriental bittersweet, Japanese knotweed, smooth and common
buckthorn, non-native honeysuckles., garlic mustard, multiflora rose, and
small-flowered tickle grass. Burning bush is not invasive in northern Maine
but is a serious problem in Southern Maine. This area is borderline
for it being a problem. As warmer temperatures creep northward
there is the potential for it to become a more serious problem here.
The beautiful lupines are a non-native species that has gone wild in many
locations, choking out native plants. Lupines are poisonous to all
animals. As I rework my catalog this month perhaps I can include more
information. Sally
12/28/08
We had a wonderful Christmas. Our Christmas started at noon Christmas Eve
with a family gathering. All I had to do for a meal was make yeast
rolls. Andrew and Gayle bring pans of ziti to feed everyone! Santa got
here a little later than usual, he had to stop and pull someone out of the
ditch. He brings enough craft supplies to fill my cupboards for
a year. After Santa leaves the children put on the nativity.
Each year as they get older the play gets more elaborate. This
year I used the same script to put on the program at church Christmas Eve.
We've been going to the kid's homes since checking out Christmas gifts. The
grownups had a Yankee swap one evening. Lots of the grandkids are
grown ups now. We went to Doug and Nicole's one evening for their
family Christmas. All nine of their kids were there and all but one of
their grandkids. No one is complaining about missing Christmas and New
Year's dinners this year, they are just glad to be working. We have
Dinner on New Year's day for those in the family who aren't working.
And send home leftovers to those who those who are.
I've planted begonia seeds. They take a long time and I have to
mist them daily. I have shelves with lights set up in my laundry room so
that I can be starting seeds through the month of January. In six
weeks we will be starting the fires in the greenhouse. It gets warm
enough on sunny days for me to spend time out there cleaning.
We got twenty go inches of snow with that last snow storm. Even
though the warm weather and rain has settled the snow the perennials are
still well protected. There isn't much we can do outside now. I've
packed the snow around my fruit trees so the rodents can't tunnel under the
snow to eat the bark. I'm hoping I can do some pruning even with the
snow on the ground. But the weathermen are forecasting another
significant storm for the coming week end. I'll spend my time planning
gardens. If you are drawing up garden plans or even thinking of just a
few shrubs make sure you take the full grown size into account. This
is also a good time to be thinking of planting a wind break next year.
I'm limited to what I can do for a windbreak because our septic system is on
the north side of the house.
Stay warm and Happy New Year, Sally
12/14/08
I finished decorating outside and did some more mulching. The
weather pattern seems to be freezing and thawing, very hard on plants.
By putting on mulch the ground stays froze. My problem with mulch here
is that I have to put it on when it is raining or snowing. We have so
much wind dry straw blows away. Now the straw has plenty of ice to
hold it down. There was so much ice on our telephone line that a log
truck took it out. The line caught the satellite dish and took it out.
That caught the phone line going to the greenhouse and ripped it down.
Fairpoint was right here yesterday afternoon because there were 40 people on
Atkinson road with no phone. We had been told they wouldn't get to
individual houses until Monday or later unless they were in the area.
The phone man said many people were still without power and would be without
for at least a few more days. There are so many pine branches broken
off from the weight of the ice I'm thinking up ways to decorate with them.
I think I'll put some behind the house on the banking. Red bows are
60% off at A.C.Moore, I'll get some to tie on the branches. I've
already put some cull Christmas trees up to block the wind for the bird
feeders but a couple of them could use some more protection. I have an
old stoneware pitcher and wash basin. I'm going to put floral foam in
the pitcher and make a centerpiece with the branches. If I keep the
foam wet the branches should last. I have more ideas than I do time
but I'm never bored! Why I'm writing this I'm helping one of my grand
daughters make Christmas cards for her other grandparents.
Keep you eye out for a calendar with large spaces. As you read
magazines and seed catalogs jot down ideas or jobs on the suggested dates.
Cruise through seed catalogs with post it notes. Mark everything you
might like. You can always pare down to what you have room and
time for. You will get a lot more quality vegetables from a small well
tended garden than a large weedy one. I'm checking my seeds now, I
like to get my orders in by the end of the month so I don't get
substitutions. I'll have Johnny's Seeds here next spring, at the same
price as the seeds are in the catalog.
The only place we have to put up a tree in front of a floor register so
we won't put it up until the end of the week. We always cut a few
inches of the trunk so that there is a fresh cut for the tree to draw up
water. The tree always seem to drink as much the first two days as it
does the next two weeks. Did you know that if you are decorating an
artificial tree you shouldn't be eating or drinking? Artificial trees
shed lead so you should decorate the tree than wash up well before eating,
especially children. From what I've read I'd change my clothes before
I held a baby.
It is up to 25 out, heat wave! I think I'll go collect some pine
branches. Sally
11/30/08
All seems to working. I just got home from church and want to put
up Christmas decorations outside why it is nice out. I have Christmas
trees, I got them from the same place as last year. They are very
nice. At the moment I'm out of decorated wreaths (except for the ones
I'm mailing tomorrow). Decorating wreaths will be a nice thing to be
doing tomorrow when the weather is supposed to be so unpleasant. There
is still time to order a wreath to be mailed to someone who would enjoy a
bit of Maine for the holiday. I'll send it out the day after it is ordered,
delivery time is about 4 days. Sally
11/28/08
My web host updated and I have been unable to get on the web for a month.
He has been working on it today. I'm going to try to put this on the
web before I write very much. Sally
10/26/08
We got a hard frost on the 18th. The ones that didn't get killed
don't look too good. I haven't emptied the pots out yet, I'm
trying to get everything harvested and put away. I'm empting the
greenhouse. I don't have room for all the house plants I'd like to
bring in. If you live close by and would like some houseplants I'd
love to find a home for some. I've been potting up begonia tubers and
putting them in the cellar. The glads are all dug, they will be going
down cellar tomorrow. I'm going to dig up the rest of the celery.
I think I've got three bunches. I'm going to plant them in a tub and
see if they will stay crisp for awhile. Deer season starts on
Saturday. Friends of Darel's will be here the first week, one from
Conn. and one from. Penn. They hunted together in high school and
still hunt together 55 years later! Pretty special. There are a
couple of other men who went to college with them that often show up also.
I didn't put all the apples in applesauce as pies and fresh rolls are a
given. Don't forget the time changes Sunday A.M. Fall back in
fall, so you make up that hour you lost last spring. I'm not
sure when you will be reading this on the web page. Whenever my web
master updates I have trouble getting on the web. Sally
10/15/08
My sister from New York made her annual visit to Maine over the holiday
weekend so I spent most of the weekend visiting. My other sister
lives here in Bradford.. We went shopping Monday and I did get some
Christmas shopping done so I accomplished something. Donna has deer in
her yard frequently so any plants I gave had to plants the deer didn't care
for. I spent some time on the internet getting information on which
plants deer don't like. This winter when I work on my catalog I'll
mark the plants and shrubs. I'm almost through canning and freezing.
I blanch small onions, small carrots and celery, putting them together so I
can just pull a bag out of the freezer for stews and casseroles. I
don't recommend planting now but I often do and I don't seem to lose
plants. I think the extension office says we're ok until the 20th.
The finches must have cleaned up the seeds in the liatris, they are eating
the seeds in the agastache now. I have the anise and the gold, they
seem to prefer the anise. Some people flavor baked goods with anise.
We are being threatened with a frost Friday night. Will I lose my
impatiens? I've been so fortunate to have my flowers so long this
fall. Sally
10/9/08
Yesterday a customer and I walked out to look at the perennials.
The liatris (blazing stars) were alive. Several gold finches were in
them going up and down the spent blossoms eating the the seeds. I know they
will be the last thing I'll trim! In fact I'll probably leave them
until spring, though as many finches as there were working them over I'm
sure all the seeds will be eaten soon. Sally
10/6/08
Many of us put plants in a dark cool part of the cellar for the winter. I
cut them back, spray the with safer's soap and water them well. I read
the other day that geraniums shouldn't be cut back until they show new
growth in the spring. I often root cuttings in the summer and start new
plants to carry over. The ones that I put in a sunny window I take
cuttings of this winter. Sometimes my older plants just don't do well.
I've never had any luck wintering over hanging petunias. I have
houseplants for sale in the greenhouse. I don't heat the greenhouse
very long in the fall. It is hard to believe that soon it will be time to be
getting out my wreath making supplies. The wreathes we mail go out on
November 24th. I'm digging more carrots today. I freeze my small
carrots and onions with some celery so I can just take the bag out of the
freezer and drop it in the stew. Celery can take some frosts so I have
time to harvest it as I dig carrots. I don't have much luck trying to
keep celery all winter and small carrots don't keep well. Six o'clock
and not daylight yet. I'm glad it gets dark early, I'm ready to come
inside and do up the vegetables but I'm always anxious to get going in the
morning. Sally
10/2/08
It has been a long time since I did anything on my computer but check the
weather. The summer has been good to our family, we are all healthy
and bragging over the beauty of a new Great Granddaughter. There have
been ups and downs in the garden . My son across the road and I got hit by
tomato blight, another son just north of us didn't get it. From
talking to people more got hit than didn't. The extension office says
it is very important to get rid of all diseased tomatoes and vine. We
are taking ours way down in the woods. They say never put any diseased
plant or fruit in the compost pile, our piles don't get uniformly hot enough
to be sure of killing everything. Our apple crop is very good so
I'm putting up lots of apple sauce. I canned enough tomatoes before
the blight got real bad to get by.
Sale of perennials and shrubs has been slow but I'm feeling fortunate as
I talk to other greenhouse owners, my business has been better than many
I have a lot of shrubs that would work in a windbreak. A good
thing about last winter's snow, the snow piled up so the wind couldn't get
in the cracks to blow the heat out. But we can't count on that much
every winter..
Things were slow enough so I didn't hire extra help. That means I
didn't get as much done in my flower gardens as I wanted. So
I'll be planting this month. I don't recommend planting perennials
after the 15th, but I plant right up to freeze up. I figure the plant
will do better in the ground than it will do in a pot under my perennial
tables or lined up behind the chicken house. I do mulch everything I
plant. I think every plant should be mulched the first year.
Mulching not only keeps the soil warm so the plants can put out roots longer
but mulch prevents the ground from freezing and thawing. The freezing
and thawing will heave the plant out of the ground and/or tear the tender
new roots. We've had lots of rain. We got two inches today which
was not in the forecast. We certainly have adequate moisture in the
ground for winder. The sun is shining now and we have a pretty good
wind. The way the chestnuts are coming off the horse chestnut tree it
would not be wise to walk under it! I'm closed Sunday and
Monday, open the rest of the week. If you don't see me please blow
your horn. Not only do I want to plant but I've lots of clean up to
do. I'm feeding lots of weeds to the chickens, they love the
seeds. The seeds are out of my garden and it cuts down on my grain
bill. The weeds should pull pretty easy today. Enjoy the
beautiful colors, Sally
6/14/08
We have had some things, such as beans that haven't germinated. I
read yesterday that if you live in a area where hard rains might cause the
soil to crust it is helpful to plant three bean seeds together, skip 4
inches plant three more etc. It is easier for three plants to break
through the crust than one. Also if you plant radishes with the
carrots the radishes will break the crust for the carrot seeds.
The lily beetle, a ugly, bright orange beetle is on the oriental lilies.
I spray them with an organic spry make from the neem tree. I use the
same spray for thrips on our onion and glads. I carry neem and have
some hand spray bottles to mix it in if you don't have a sprayer. I
have lots of lilies for sale at $5.50 each. They have lots of buds.
Our annuals are on sale also. I'm not through planting and I've
weeding to do so I'm still plenty busy! Stop by and pick up some
annual flowers for extra color in your perennial or vegetable garden and
check our our perennial and shrub selection. The roses are starting to
bloom. Sally
5/25/08
We are open all day today and tomorrow. I know the price of gas is
keeping many of you home this week end and you would like to work in your
garden. I have been repotting the perennials from last year, most of
them came through the winter fine but the heavy snow crushed the pots.
I have perennials I started from seed and purchased plugs of
perennials I can't grow from seed. All told I have one of the nicest
selections of perennials around. I also have a nice selection of
shrubs. Yesterday my clematis came in, five different verities.
I will try to get it potted today. Hoping to see you, Sally
5/13/08
The weather forecast for Bradford shows 40 degrees as the lowest
temperature for the next ten days. I'm going to move my cucumber and
squash hills out front for sale. The wind is supposed to be 12 to 14
miles per hour today (instead of the 25 we've had) and go to a stiff breeze
the rest of the week. The fruit trees and shrubs came on Mother's Day.
The trucker wasn't any happier than we were, he wanted to be home.
He'd had a break down in Mass. I'm potting plants instead of planting
onions and potatoes like I should be! Tomorrow! Sally
5/10/08
You haven't seen many notes in the journal because my web master went to
a new server. Every time I tried to add to the journal the computer
would tell me my server was invalid. He worked on my computer on May
2ed and we thought all was well until I tried to add to the journal a few
days later. He has been here a couple of hours today and all the
commands seem to have been synchronized. It is a cold raw day, not a
day when people think of plants. I have beautiful selection of hanging
plants. And a nice choice of bedding plants and plants for containers.
The Sherman Nursery truck did not leave when it was supposed to, the nursery
was afraid it would be sitting somewhere full of plants if the trucker's
strike materialized. They said the order would be here by the end of
this week, it isn't here yet. Over the years Sherman has been so
dependable Neither I nor Ellis Greenhouse called on the order. If you
have preordered anything I will call you as soon as I get it. I will
also put a note here. Sally
5/2/08
4.6 inches of rain. It was a good rain for many of us.
I question if the good balanced out the problems for the people in the
flooded areas but now there is enough moisture in the ground to hold the
warmth of the sun. The truck left Sherman Nursery with the fruit
tress, small fruits and shrubs I ordered yesterday. The Johnny's Seed rack
came in. The rack is mostly vegetable seeds with a few packages of
flower seeds. We have packets of nitrogen fixing bacteria for your
peas and beans. The bacteria makes nodules grow on the roots of the
peas and beans. The nodules enables the peas and beans to pull
nitrogen out of the air. The nitrogen enriches the soil while making
the peas and beans produce more. The baby chicks came today. I'll go
make sure the brooder is the right temperature, than to bed. i love
this time of the year but my bed sure looks good come evening!
Please come by, Sally
4/24/09
It has been so long since I wrote here. The garden show went very
well, catch up has been hectic. I've been moving plants over and over.
A week ago today we still had snow around the green house.
Suddenly it was a large puddle. To get in the store with rubber boots
on I had to walk very carefully so as to not get a boot full of water.
When we got up Sunday morning the water was gone, the frost had gone out.
I spent Sunday afternoon shoveling snow. off the pallet benches to put
plants on them. My greenhouse and cold frames were overcrowded
but I got away with overcrowding, my plants look great. Getting the
plants out that can take the cold made them happier and made the ones left
inside happier. I have snapdragons, pansies, alyssum, calibrachoa and
some other petunias out. I'm putting flowers more outside every day,
as fast as I can get the plants hardened off. My perennials came
through the winter in great shape. Deer knocked the pots all around
but didn't figure out how to get the plants out. I have a lot of
perennials that I started from seed. Today I got five boxes of
perennials that I can't start from seed. Many are
propagated by cuttings. We will be potting plants from dawn to dusk.
I ordered a soil thermometer yesterday. The garden is dry
enough to plant. .I think we are in for a dry spell so I am anxious to get
things planted as soon as possible. But it does no good to
plant anything before the soil is warm enough. Potatoes, onion and
peas can go in cool soil but most plants need the soil warm to do well.
I have onion sets and seed potatoes for you. The ten day
forecast doesn't show any temperature below 36. But neither does it
show any temperatures as high as last week. We'll be transplanting
cole crops this weekend but it will be a few weeks before they are ready to
set out. I'm starting cucumbers and squash family plants early as
think we will be able to plant them earlier than usual. See you,
Sally
3/6/08
The weather has taken up all of my time! We are blessed to have a
snowblower but there is still lots of shoveling. We blow snow along
the sides of the greenhouse. There is still 6 inches or so against the
sides. Now that there are plants on the floor that sis inches must be
shoveled away to let light in. greenhouse. For those reading this from
away we have about five feet of very dense snow on the ground, in fact
the are 4 different crusts in that 5 feet thick enough to support a person.
Things are going great in the greenhouse. My organic fertilizer for
the garden came yesterday in the middle of that storm. The driver said
the roads had been ok until he got north of Bangor. If you are
planning to have a garden of your own I will have a nice selection of
Johnny's seeds in addition to the vegetable seedlings I start. I will
have vegetables if you don't have your own. I hope all of you will
busy as much of your food as possible locally. Not only will buying
locally be a "green decision", as it won't have to be trucked in but you
will know how your food has been grown.
I have had tulips along the side of the house for years. They bloom
early in the spring because of the warmth from the house. I read a
article today that said, "Do not grow tulip bulbs in the same place or
sooner or later they may be attacked by a fungus disease called fire blight.
Either change the soil or location, in other words, follow the principle of
crop rotation." My tulips had run out as tulips do, so last fall I
planted a lot of new bulbs. I used lots of compost. Compost is anti
fungal. I hope they do ok. If you click on the Bangor Garden
show make sure you go to 2008. Their web master is supposed to be
fixing the page so 2008 comes up automatically. We'll all be
ready to spend a day in spring come the first weekend in April! Sally
2/22/08
Does it seem like there are a lot of bad bugs lurking out there to attack
your plants? At one time hedge rows provided an ample supply on insectary
plants to feed and shelter a variety of beneficial insects to keep the "bad"
bugs in check. We can plant a border that can be a landscape feature
and provide the benefit of a hedgerow. Including plants of different
heights is important. Ground beetles require the cover provided by
low-growing plants. Lacewings lay their eggs in shady, protected areas
and spiders like to live in mulch. Spiders are the number one
beneficial insect, most spiders are so tiny you don't even see them.
Some of the plants that attract beneficial insects include angelica, bee
balm, calendula, candytuft, chervil, cilantro, clover, daisy, dill, evening
primrose, fennel, goldenrod, gypsophila, lovage, mint parsley, Queen Anne's
lace, Rue, sunflower, sweet alyssum, sweet cicely, thyme, and yarrow.
you will notice these plants have many small blossoms Not all blooms
are equal--large, nectar-filled blooms actually can drown tiny parasitoid
wasps. Tiny flowers produced in large quality are much more valuable
than a single large bloom. Not every plant in the border needs to be noted
for harboring beneficial insects. You may include trees and shrubs.
Shrubs can be chosen to attract birds. Birds are very helpful
controlling pests. I like to put up birdhouses to help attract them.
Now I must put wood on the fires. It is a sunny day so it won't take
much to heat the greenhouse. I do enjoy the stronger sun and longer
days. Sally
2/13/08
Tomorrow we start the greenhouse fires. I have a lot of plants started in the
house that needs the light and space of the greenhouse. Usually there
is a period during the afternoon this time of year when it is safe to move
plants over to the greenhouse. The forecast looks too cold for next
several days. Greenhouse people, including our suppliers are
complaining about the shortage of sun. Their plants are behind because
of so many gray days. BUT Spring is coming!! I've been
transplanting flowers for the Bangor Garden Show and digging other plants
out of the cold frame to force for the show. From listening to
everyone's plans it sounds like it will a wonderful show Plan to set
aside a day during the first weekend in April to go to the show. Not
only will you enjoy stepping into summer but you will get many ideas you can
use in your own yard.
Speaking of your yard, I have been inventorying plants that are
attractive to birds and butterflies. The common milkweed is host to
the Monarch butterfly. Milkweed is a noxious weed for farmers and they work
hard to eliminate it. There are flowers in the milkweed family that
are not invasive weeds for the farmers. I will have some of them this
year for you to put in your flower beds. You can provide food for
the Monarchs with out hurting farmers. I'll have garden plan for sun
and shade that designed for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies.
As I look out the window at the ice building up on the branches I keep
telling myself that there is no frost in the ground and once it starts to
warm up spring will come fast. We've gained over an hour of daylight
and are gaining more every day. The sun's rays (when we see them) have
a lot more warmth than even a few weeks ago. Sally
2/7/08
The following is reprinted from the extension newsletter
"Piscataquis Gardening". The extension workshops are usually very
good. The extension service is such a good source for information that
I have a link to both Penobscot and Piscataquis extension under links on the
left of this page.
Enjoy Your Garden With Containers and Raised Beds
All gardeners are invited to attend Enjoy Your Garden With Containers and
Raised Beds, a special day-long program on small scale gardening being held
in several locations. The program is from 9am to 3:30 pm on the days
listed. Pre-registration fee of $5 covers printed handouts and
workshop materials. Gardeners should bring a lunch, beverages will be
provided. A limited number of scholarships are available.
"This workshop is for gardeners who feel over whelmed with their past
gardens and are looking for a quick and easy way to grow their own produce
on a small scale." says Donna Coffin, Extension Educator. "Also,
container and raised bed gardens are a great way for new gardeners to get
started and have a successful year growing their own vegetables, fruits or
flowers."
Pre-registration is required. All pre-registrations including your
name, address, the location that you plan to attend, phone number, email and
course fee should be sent to the Oxford Country Extension Office, 9 Olsen
Road, South Paris, ME 04281-6402. Below I have listed two locations
near Bradford. To request more information, find out where the other 9
locations are or scholarship information please call 1-800-287-1482 or email
bmurphy@umext.maine.edu
March 13th Penobscot County Extension Office
March 26tm Piscataquis County Extension Office
bmurph
Some sites have limited seating so please get your pre registration soon.
1/28/08
I've been making garden plans. There are many plans available in
gardening magazines but often the chosen plants don't do well in Zone 5a let
alone Zone 4. My plans will do well here, I'll have the plans
and plants available for you here at Country Junction this spring.
I've been learning about "rain gardens". A rain garden is a
depression, filled with attractive plants, that captures all or part of the
stormwater falling on a property so it can seep into the ground. In
urban areas 50% of the pollution in stormwater comes from the activities of
individual homeowners. Even if the runoff is clean it is a problem.
As we have developed land that was once a water absorbing space the amount
of stormwater entering streams has increased dramatically. High water
erodes steam banks and scour stream beds, compromising habitat for aquatic
plants and animals. Rain Gardens are a great way for individuals to
make a positive impact on the environment while beautifying their
properties. A rain garden needs to be at least 10' from the house so
water will not seep back toward the house. If the garden is further
away from the house it the garden may absorb water from the driveway
and lawn. It should not be placed over a septic tank or within the
root zone of an established tree (building the garden bed might damage
the tree's roots). For more information you can contact your local
extension office. I can help you design a simple attractive rain
garden for your yard. In just seventeen days I will be starting the
fires in the greenhouse. Starting the week of the 18th I will be here
most of the time. It would be well to call before you stop
by. Sally
1/24/08
This is the time to get your hand tools ready to go. The first step
is to clean them. Sand off rust spots and wipe the tools down with
oil. Vegetable oil works fine. Linseed oil rubbed into the
handles will make them seem like new. Tighten ant loose bolts and
sharpen ones that need sharpened. Use a ten inch single cut file,
always filing in the same direction. Clamp smaller tools in a vice so
they don't wiggle. I have one round pointed spade that I keep an edge
on to cut off burdock. When I cut the root 4 or 5 inches underground
they don't grow back. This is also a good time to clean plant pots and
containers. After you wash them rinse them out with bleach, one part
bleach to nine parts water. Recycling is good for the environment and
for the pocketbook. I accept used pots and tray. I clean
them and reuse them as much as possible. It isn't very efficient labor
wise but plastic comes from oil. It is supposed to be very cold this
weekend but than the temperature is supposed to gradually moderate. We
see a big difference in the angle of the sun already, now the greenhouse
warms up on a sunny day. Keep warm, Sally
1/14/08
Another nor'easter! Our plants are well protected this year.
I stomped the snow down around some of my fruit trees why it was warm.
I'm worried this snow will protect the mice from predators and they will eat
the bark on my trees.
An in depth long term study of some people with high blood pressure
showed that the dosage of blood pressure lowering medication could be cut by
30% for those who gardened when gardening season arrived.
If you've made a plan for your yard it is time to decide which area you
want to do first. Trying to do the entire yard will be too much work
and you will probably get discouraged. You might plan to do a
perennial border with some shrubs in it. If you put in some iris and
day lilies in a few years you probably can divide them, having some plants
to put elsewhere. If you need trees plant them as soon as you can.
It is wise to plant shrubs such as lilacs as soon as you know where you want
them. Most shrubs bloom every year including the year you plant them.
If you mulch them they are pretty much carefree. One of the first
things I planted in my back yard was a honeysuckle bush and some winterberry
bushes to give the birds shelter and food. Because of the septic
system I can't plant a northwest wind break. So Darel puts in a couple
of fence posts every fall that I tie evergreens to. I know some people
who stretch a fence between two posts and weave evergreens in the fence.
Windbreaks make a difference in how many birds I attract. My sons'
bring me their Christmas tress when they are through with them.
I sent in my Fedco seed order today. I can't add to that order but
there are a couple of other places I can still order seeds from if you have
a request for a plant I'm not growing. Just e-mail me on the link in the
yellow to the left. Sally
1/7/08
A feeling of enclosure makes a outdoor room seem to have more seclusion
and privacy. If you have a view you want to hide 4' by 8' sheets of
lattice work wonders, so much can be done with a wall like that. To
provide a sense of enclosure without shutting everything out some posts set
4 feet apart with vines growing up them work well. A border of large
plastic planters filled with plants of different heights helps define
an area. Making a bed of gravel, river rocks or even mulch
to set the planters makes the planter border easy to maintain. I love
using sunflowers as a cheerful border. When I plant my sunflowers for
cutting I plant them so there is a room in the middle with a path going to
it. My grandchildren love that. The sunflowers are in the garden
making it easy to know what the children are doing when I'm weeding. I
buy cheap arbors at the dollar store and attach them to rebar painted to
match driven in the ground for strength. I have also painted an old
bed spring black and attached it to rebar. It was cheaper than lattice
and looked great with black-eyed Susan vine growing on it. A relaxing
nook needs a place to sit with some shade. With some imagination you
can make an inexpensive arbor sturdy enough for annual vines. Grape
arbors need to be sturdy but they provide you with grapes as well as shade.
We carry grapes that do well here. I want an arbor covered with
wisteria. It must be a strong one. I have found a wisteria that
is supposed to do well here, I'm very anxious to see how it has
wintered. If it winters over in pots I know it will do well in the
ground.
I'm making myself anxious for spring. I have to remind myself
everything doesn't have to be done at once. If have a plan I can do
some in May, some next fall, some next year And knowing me I'll still be
doing some the next year! Happy planning, Sally
1/4/08
Are spending these cold nights thinking about the ways you are going to
improve your yard next summer. Cost of living isn't going to change It
is time to cocoon! To be happy with your end results you should plan
ahead. Sketch your yard. What areas are sunny? Shady?
Both? What areas do you do what in? ( Dog run, Children's sand
box and play area, picnic table, Just relax.) What is the primary
purpose of your back yard? Your front yard? What view do want to
enhance? What do you want to hide? Are there damp areas or
places that are always wet? Do you want a vegetable garden or do you
just want to mix some vegetables and herbs in your flowers? Do you
like bouquets of flowers in the house? Plant a garden of flowers for
cutting. Do you want to attract hummingbirds and butterflies? If
you enjoy birds you can plan a yard that attracts them. I plant a lot
of sunflowers, many more than I can sell (they are a popular cut flower).
In the fall I cut the plants and tie them together like the farmers
used do with corn. All winter the birds have been on the sunflower
heads. The seeds are pretty well eaten now. If you have comment
or questions e-mail me, I'd love to hear from you, Sally
12/29/07
Are you receiving lots of seed catalogs in the mail? The
catalogs are a reminder to inventory your left over seeds. It is also
a good time to see how viable they are. Take 10 seeds of each variety
you want to check and place them between sheets of damp paper towels.
Place them in a plastic bag and put the bag in a warm place. Check the
seeds in 8 to 14 days. You will know how good the seeds are by the
number that sprout. I recommend Maine's Fed Co catalog in
Waterville, ME. Call 207-873-7333 for a catalog. The other catalog I
recommend is Johnny's in Winslow, ME. To get a Johnny's catalog call
877-564-6697. Both catalogs offer a wealth of information as well as
an excellent seed selection. You may also click on their web page
under my links.
This is also a good time to e-mail me with any questions you may have.
I will be updating my catalog next month but if there is something you will
be looking for in the spring please contact me now so I can have it in
stock.
It is January 1st.After I invited you to e-mail me I got to thinking I
hadn't gotten an e-mail in quite some time so I checked it and found the
link wasn't working. It has taken this many days to get it working .
Now I'll add this to the journal and look forward to hearing from you.
Sally
12/25/07
I left the computer for something and when I got back to entering in this
journal the computer kept telling me I was trying to commit an illegal act.
I finally uninstalled my web page and started over. I had to work with
dell support. I found it amazing to have someone from far away
controlling (and changing) the settings. Older people are advised to
stretch their minds to prevent Alzheimer's. Setting up this computer
has given me plenty of exercise along that that line! Especially when
we were celebrating Christmas at the same time.
Nearly all our Maine family were able to be with us yesterday, twenty-six
of us. I am blessed by a daughter-in-law who makes a wonderful ziti.
On the 24th she makes great large pans of it. All I do is make yeast
rolls. Santa Claus always shows up while we are eating and takes Mrs. Claus
a pan of ziti and some rolls. Yesterday my three year grand daughter
pointed out to Santa that he still had his sneakers on. Than we light the
advent candles and the grand children do a nativity pageant, costumes and
all. Than we pass out gifts. All day (except during the pageant)
we were on the phone taking turns talking to our family in Alaska. We
spent today visiting and now, after a wonderful Christmas, I'm ready to get
started on the 2008 season.
12/18/07
There has been a long time between journal entries because of a dying
computer. I have a new computer.
10/15/07
We haven't had a frost yet. I'm still picking tomatoes, it is a rare day
that something tomato isn't cooking on my stove. Nights I can while I go
through the seed catalogs. We have a wood cook range that heats our water
and the house as well as always being hot to cook on. So it is
economical for me to put lots of food up for the family. Though jar
lids do run into money. I'm so glad I cut back my delphiniums.
They have rebloomed so well I've been able to have bouquets of them in the
house. It pays to cut back delphiniums, the campanulas, foxglove and
balloon flower (platycodon). When they rebloom their blues are a nice foil
for fall's customary oranges and yellows. I shear back nepteta and
veronica for fall too.
Most of my gardening consists of weeding. I don't want to let a
single weed go to seed in my garden or nursery pots. I'm also
planting tulips. I usually wait until after frost because I hate to
tear out blooming flowers, but even the impatiens are still blooming.
Tulips seem to start to run out after three or four years so I add more
bulbs to the bed. Mallow reseeds itself in the tulip bed covering the
tulip foliage When the mallow starts looking rough in early fall I cut
it and plant mums. Along the porch where it is shady I plant some
impatiens and house plants that spend the summer outside. Houseplants should
all be back inside now, They have a harder time adjusting to the indoor
climate when nights are dropping in the low forties. Enjoy the weather, it
is supposed to be a beautiful week with the sun shinning on fall's jewel
colors. Sally
9/19/07
We had a wonderful time Saturday celebrating our anniversary. It
rained off and on but the boys ( I still call our sons 'the boys') had put
up pop-ups and a large hay tarp plus all the room in the house and garage.
Our best man surprised us by coming. All three of the guys that Darel
roomed with in collage were here. Two of them hadn't seen each other
since graduation.
That rain and the other rain we have gotten in recent weeks have caused
weeds to sprout everywhere including in every crevice in the nursery
walkways and all the pots of perennials. So I have lots of weeding to
do. It is important not to let any weeds go to seed in the flower beds,
there is enough weed seeds in the ground without allowing any more to be
added. We haven't gotten a frost yet so I am still selling glads and
other cut flowers. The flowers in my back yard are so pretty.
The morning glories are all twinned around my bird feeder poles. I
never get tired of watching the gold finches and other birds among the
flowers. I have more birds than usual for this time of the year.
I think the dry weather affected nature's seed production.
I raise lilies to sell for cut flowers. Especially my Oriental
lilies suffered from the dry weather this year. Lilies and Iris need
well drained soil but they also nee consistent moisture. This fall I'm
going to run soaker hose down the rows and mulch them well. I brought
some neem this fall to make sure I have it to spray with the first sign of
the lily beetle. Lily and Iris blossoms get smaller as the years go by
and crowding occurs. This is a good time to divide them. I soak
the plant the day before and cut any foliage back to six or eight inches. to
reduce water loss and make the clump easier to handle. I'm careful to
keep the divisions moist and in the shade until they are replanted. I
cut the clumps apart with a spade. I separate the iris into divisions
of rhizomes with one or two fans of leaves I add some compost to
the soil. Next spring I'll add a little fertilizer I'll
close now, in addition to the weeding dividing I want to plant
perennials, there are not enough hours in the day to do all I want to do!.
I'm putting up apple and grape juice and canning tomatoes. I just cut
peppers up and freeze them in sandwich bags. I have a rack over my
wood cook range to dry herbs. Enjoy this beautiful weather.
Sally
9/1/07
We have gotten some rain! I'll enjoy the beautiful forecast now
that we have a little moisture in the ground. It is time to start bringing
house plants in, the nights are getting quite cool. I'll be potting
some plants up and putting them in the greenhouse for sale if you don't have
some. Plants brighten the winter and are nature's air fresheners.
I have scented geraniums to brush against instead of spraying from a can.
Plants that bloom in late summer usually do best divided in spring. Most
people get the new bed ready in the fall and divide as soon as the ground
can be worked the spring. I am so busy I divide now. I make sure I keep the
plants watered and I mulch them so the ground doesn't freeze as fast and
they have more time so settle in. The hardest thing is, the blooms
should be cut off. I never can bring myself to cut them.
On September 14 Darel and I will be married 50 years. On Saturday,
the fifteenth our children are having an open house here at the farm from
10:A.M. until. No gifts please, just having our friends come by to
celebrate with us will be wonderful. We hope to see you, Sally
8/21/08
Frost warnings the middle of August! There is not enough moisture
to hold the warmth. The ten day forecast say no frost the week before
the full moon on August 28th. But I'll sure be keeping an eye on the
weather the first week in September. It's time to prune your tomatoes.
The plants don't have time to produce new tomatoes, they need to grow and
ripen the little tomatoes that have already set on. There aren't as
many cabbage moths around as some years but Nicole is spraying the cole
crops with Bt, a natural bacteria that eliminates the little green worms we
find in broccoli and cauliflower heads. I'm starting to pot up some
house plants .I'll have several to sell come October when we want to bring
some summer inside. The mums are about to bloom if you have some spots
you want to brighten up this fall. Now that it is easier to keep
things water I'm planting perennials. I'm trying to think of a place
to plant the pink hydrangea, Endless Summer. ( The blossoms would be blue if
I watered the plant with miracle-gro's acid fertilizer. Please stop by,
Sally
8/15/07
I never thought I'd be watching tropical depressions to see if they might
bring us some rain. we got a little out of the recent showers.
Monday I was in Bangor. It rained as far as Hudson, than all dry
roads. The cooler temperatures have made it so I can keep up with the
watering so I'm starting to plant some perennials. In July I didn't
dare plant anything for fear I couldn't maintain what we had and water new
plantings. We have lots of vegetables. We are still not getting
enough tomatoes to keep from running out by the end of the day. We
have lots of sunflowers, the glads are doing well and we have some other cut
flowers ready for you to cut. I got some new delphiniums that were
bred in Australia this year. I also got a few of the favorite Pacific
Giants because I thought no new delphinium could match the colors. The new
ones are a hybrid with the P.G. as a parent and the colors are beautiful.
They are much sturdier plants, from now on they are the only kind I will
carry. I'll plant the old ones in my cut flower garden with posts and
a fence to stake them. I also got some hybrid columbine that bloomed
into August. They had plenty of water and partial shade, even so I've
never seen a columbine bloom so long.. I still have some white ones.
I'll try to get more colors next year. I have to have my 2008
greenhouse supply order in today. Thanks to so many of you returning
the plastic containers it will be a smaller order. I know why many
greenhouses don't take them, sorting and bleaching them probably doesn't pay
but plastic is made of oil so I feel we must reuse as much as
possible. It is not a quality of plastic that can be recycled. Hoping
to see you, Sally
8/1/07
The good news is, "We are finished haying.." The last field is all
picked up and on wagons headed home. All but one wagon, last trip of
the season and it has a flat tire. Doug is changing it, as many
stories as we've heard this year of disappearing bales we don't dare leave a
load in the field We still have no rain. Some of the potato
farmers are having their irrigation ponds dry up. I sell; lilies as
cut flowers. We haven't been able to water them. Between the hot days
and lack of water they look like they have been in a vase for a week when
the blossoms first open. If we can't soak the ground down a good eight
inches we don't try to water We're having to be choosy about what gets
watered. Here come the wagons, time to put supper on the table.
Take care, Sally
7/15/07
We have gotten an inch and one tenth of rain in the last seven or eight
weeks. A long ways from the inch a week that is considered best for
garden vegetables. I do very little overhead watering. I'm
watering each perennial or shrub by hand. We have soaker hose on most
of our vegetables we are watering. We have a good well but we are
using so much water that we feel we need to be very careful not to waste
any. If you planted any new shrubs or trees don't forget to water.
Mulch is great at conserving water. Many storms have gone around us.
If you have caught some of these storms you are probably in better shape for
moisture. However it can rain very hard, making lots of puddles and
only be a tenth or so of an inch. A rain gauge is a good
investment if you are gardening. Some of our root crops, cabbage and
tomatoes will split if it has been dry and we suddenly get a lot of rain.
We are closed on Sunday and Monday now. If we are here we
are glad to help you. I still have some pretty flowers and very nice
planters. This is a good time of the summer to walk through the
perennials to see which you may want to add . Hoping to see you. Sally
6/22/07
It has been a long month. fortunately I've had a great season with the
greenhouse business. Thanks! The unfortunate part is that I lost
a lot of perennials last winter I have decided they drown.
Plants in 4 in. pots lived where the same variety died in the larger
pots. I think they lived because they were in racks off the ground (
for the winter I set the pots off the benches onto the ground, out of the
wind.). We had so much rain in late winter that the ground froze and
the plants were in puddles. In some places the snow drifted, than in
April we got a few inches of rain that saturated the drifts. The
plants under those drifts all died, mostly bleeding hearts, ferns and
primroses. I have some of nearly everything else listed, just not as
large an inventory. Many plants came up very late.. Many of my
customers said the same. A lot of people lost perennials, I suspect
saturated ground was one of the reasons. The other was the strange
weather we had last winter, plants didn't get their usual 'hardening off
time'. I started many perennials from seed last December so I have
lots of plants to choose from. Sally
5/17/07
I have heard many people say, " At least with this rain we don't have to
water our hanging plants or containers of flowers." True, but remember
we've had enough rain to leach the nutrients out of the pot. Next time
you do water make sure to give the plants some plant food. As heavy
feeders as wave petunias are they should get plant food next few times you
water if there has been a lot of rain. Sally
5/14/07
I'm going to work on potting up my herbs this week. I'm a great believer
in lots of mulch. I put down a layer of newspapers and than put straw
or cedar mulch over the newspapers. I prefer straw but it is expensive and
needs to be soaked right away so it doesn't blow away. But herbs
like lavender, thyme and sage don't do well with mulch. I mulch them
with sand. Two perennials that don't seem to do well with a lot of
mulch are dianthus and penstemon. It is time to plant fruit trees.
They love mulch. Mulch all the way out to the edge of the leaf line
but keep the mulch three or four inches away from the trunk so it can breath
and rodents and bugs can't hide in the mulch and nibble the bark. I
don't mulch crops that like it warm until the soil warms up as mulch keeps
the soil cool. Clematis likes its roots cool.
I repeat this over and over. but it is so important. When planting
a perennial, shrub or tree don't plant it any deeper than it is planted in
the pot or if it is bear root any deeper than the soil line. Make
the hole wide so that the roots can be spread out. If they come
out of the pot curved gently straighten them out. If they
continue to grow in a circle they will eventually choke on themselves. Happy
planting, Sally
5/8/07
This is the time of the year when I say I must not grow and order in so
many plants next year! The perennials I've grown need to come out of
the greenhouse and go into larger pots. And every day or so I get some
bare root plants of perennials I can't start myself. My front display
of annuals is bright with color. The 10 day forecast doesn't
show any frost but I think there is still cause for concern. We
probably won't get another frost up here on this hill, just the wind.
Even so we won't be planting tomatoes yet, even if tomatoes don't get
frosted they stop growing when the temperature is below 50 for very long and
it takes two weeks of warm temperatures to get them going again.
Nicole has the onions all planted. I'm going to put my shrubs out
today and plant wisteria, I've found a variety is supposed to do well
in zone 4. Enjoy this wonderful weather and remember the fire danger
is very high. Some rain would be good. Sally
4/27/07
Our apple and pear trees are here. One verity of plum is here, you
need to plant two kinds for pollination. Another shipment is coming
next Wednesday. The standard size P.J.M. rhododendron is coming on
that shipment too. I have some Stanley plums which are self
pollinating and the dwarf rhododendron for planting under windows. Now
is the time to start planting. Sally
4/24/07
We seem to have gone from winter to late spring. Last week
there was a foot or more of snow on the mulch, now the plants need to be
uncovered today so they can grow! Many of my herbs are outside
hardening off, they can take a few frosts. It's time to plant new
herbs and I can't even tell which ones made it through the winter yet.
Are you as hungry for blooms as I am? I have some columbine coming
into bloom. Next year it won't bloom for you until late May but you
can enjoy some flowers now if you plant it. I'm hardening off some
hollyhocks. As soon as the lawn dries up enough so I can drive my little
tractor to the flower bed so I can clean up the dead stuff from
last year in I'm going to plant some hollyhocks. This year I'm going
to water them with manure tea to see if I can be successful in preventing
rust. It is time to get the bird house ready, I've seen a few
swallows. I'm putting up some blue bird houses this year Enjoy,
Sally.
4/15/07
I can't believe it has been a month since I've added to the journal! The
garden show went very well but left me way behind in the greenhouse as
always. Roger Swain said the quality of the Bangor show made it the
best show he'd been to this spring.
Usually I start putting flowers out in cold frames the first week in
April. Not this year, too much cold and snow. Eighteen inches of
snow one week, nine or ten the next. So my greenhouse was over crowded
and I spent my time moving plants around so they could all get a turn at air
and sun. I kept extra fans running. It was worth it, all the plants
look good. Yesterday I trudged though the snow filling one cold frame.
Usually I move the plants in a wagon but pulling a wagon though ten inches
of soft snow wasn't very feasible. Today Darel helped me put pansies
and other flowers that can take the cold in the unheated greenhouse.
(There are no below freezing temperatures in the ten day forecast, I'm
planning to plant pansies at the church Friday.) His tractor won't fit
between the greenhouse but it would go through snow so the plants got a farm
tour to get from one greenhouse to the other. A large north easter is
coming in tonight. At the height of the storm tomorrow I've got two
racks of pre planted pots coming. I have a place to put them, now we
just have to get them from the truck to the greenhouse! As soon as the
storm passes I'll put petunias out in the other cold frame. They seem
to do better at cooler temperatures than marigolds, tomatoes and peppers do.
Plus I can spread them out so they will be thicker plants. Last year I
sold out of tomatoes and pepper plants. I have more plants this year
and more varities of tomatoes. I"m going to put wood on the fires and
go to bed. We've got everything ready to hook to the generator, hoping
we don't need to use it. The power went off during the last two
storms so with the high wind forecast we aren't very hopeful. Sally
3/11/07
The scent of lilac's fills my home. They are supposed to be
blooming for the garden show but the many sunny days we've had have brought
them into bloom faster than last year. My house is cooler than the
greenhouse. I hope to slow them down by bringing them in. An added
bonus is the fragrance. Many of my flowers are chosen for their
scent. This week I'll be starting nicotianas. They reseed all
over the flower bed but I plant new plants each year so I'll have early
blooms. Besides some of the plants that are volunteers don't mature enough
to set seed. Hummingbirds love nicotiana too. I've had people
tell me that hummingbirds were hovering over them as they planted their
nicotiana. They are also one of the last flowers to succumb to frost.
I even carry the old fashioned white nicotiana. I plant it under
our bedroom window as it is most fragrant at night. We have a lot of
wind here so I have to plant scented plants in an area where the breeze
won't disperse the fragrance. Sonata, a white double petunia , is
loved not only for it's looks but for its fragrance. Carpet of snow, a
white alyssum that can be planted early in the spring smells good too.
With any luck in a month we can set out some pansies. Last week that
was hard to believe, but this weekend's temperatures are wonderful.
The snow is melting fast. Soon we can prune our berries. If you
didn't get your grapes done in early February they should be first,
than blueberries and raspberries. Fruit trees can be done now. I
just stuck my tools in the shed. I should sharpen my hoes and check
all my tools. I did put stabilizer in the mower and rototiller.
Don't forget the Bangor Garden Show, March 23rd, 24th and 25th. at the Civic
center. Sally
3/1/07
I'm finally caught up in the greenhouse. I start most of our plants
in my laundry, I have shelves of 4' shop lights. But I can't start
everything so I buy it started from Jolly Farmer. Usually I spread
shipment out over a month. Because of the cold weather we had they
combined my order and sent it on their own heated truck instead of DSL.
So I was overwhelmed with tiny plants that needed to be planted. One
flower I can't start myself is Bacopa. It has a lovely cascading
habit, excellent for hanging baskets and planters. Last year I planted it
around the little pond I have outside my kitchen window. It was pretty
all summer, green and full, covered with little blooms,. It was the
last thing to freeze. I grew Diascia for the first time last year and I will
use a lot more of it. It also likes the cool weather, even more than
Bacopa. It was covered with bright blooms all summer. It is a
sun loving flower that gracefully cascades from window boxes and planters.
I used it as a border in front of my sweet peas where it mounded in a heap
of pink blossoms covering the leggy bottoms of the vines. Today I am
planting non stop begonia tubers I brought in last fall. I'll let you
know how they turn out. Sally
2/19/07
We had two nice days, now it is cold and the snow is blowing! My
suggestion is that you curl up by the fire is and plan your "other room".
Spring will come and you will enjoy your yard. My son in Alaska has a fire
pit surrounded by log seats in his yard. He also has a frame he puts
tarps on to make a shelter for a summer kitchen. ( He uses green
tarps, says they blend in with the flowers better than the blue). If
you do have to go out come visit me in the greenhouse. It's warm,
green and smells like spring. Sally
2/5/07
A herb garden is a pleasant addition to the kitchen. Because it is
a addition to the kitchen the herb garden wants to be as close as possible
so the cook can slip out and cut some fresh herbs to flavor what's cooking
easily. Herbs require lots of sun and good drainage. The most
popular culinary herbs need average or better fertility but in general
they are not as demanding as vegetables. I have some herbs that
I use fresh close to the house. Others that I dry are in the garden.
It is easy to make a pretty garden by adding variegated leaf herbs and light
and dark green kinds of herbs. Some herbs have textured leaves, and
then there is purple basil. Some herbs are fragrant , some have pretty
flowers. I plant scented geraniums in my herb garden. I will have
small plants available as well as larger ones for those who want an instant
herb garden. Start small, keep it simple and you're sure to be
delighted by the fantastic flavors of your kitchen herbs. Sally
1/31/07
More on garden rotation. I think a 3 year plan is a minimum plan, a five
year plan is better and easier. Plants in the same family have the
same nutritional needs and the same pasts so should be grouped together.
Plot one could be the cabbage family, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli,
Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, the oriental greens and turnips. We plant
a lot of gladiolus. There has to be three years between the cabbage
family and planting glads. A root worm may be in the ground following
cabbage that damages glads. In the second plot ( which will move to
plot one next year) is the tomato group-tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and egg
plant-and the root crop group-carrots, beets, Swiss chard, parsnips, celery
and parsley. Plot 3 has the squash group: summer and winter
squash, melons, cucumbers, and zucchini. Plot 4 would be the onion. Leeks
and garlic are in the onion family. The fifth plot would
be the legumes. Beans, both bush and pole and the different kinds of peas
are all legumes, as well as okra (if you wanted to try some)*
Remembering that corn should never follow corn and that it is a heavy feeder
put it wherever it fits. The problem with corn is that is tall and may
shade nearby plants. Squash and pumpkin take up so much room that we often
plant them in the barnyard. making sure not to plant them in the same place
every year. Now you see why I suggest graph paper and a three ring notebook.
Enjoy your planning, remember you get more from a well cared for small
garden than a large one that gets away from you! Sally
*Legumes share in the ability to absorb nitrogen from the air and add it
to the soil. Because soil bacteria help in this nitrogen accumulation,
you may want to use a preparation containing these bacteria call inoculant.
It can be purchased where ever you buy seeds.
1/23/07
Many of us have dealt with frozen pipes, me among them. This fall
when it rained so hard water apparently seeped in the basement, soaked
insulation and it fell down. Its all replaced with dry and lots of
snow shoveled against the house. Have you checked your seeds?
This is the kind of weather to curl up with seed catalogs. I look at
lots of different catalogs but when it comes to buying seeds I order from
Fedco and Johnny's Seeds. Both seed companies are located in Maine and
put out wonderful catalogs. Even more important their seeds are top
quality and grow like they claim. The catalogs give excellent
instruction and lots of tips I put a link to both places below. We plan our garden out on graph
paper, keeping it in a 3 ring note book The garden is planned a few
years ahead so that we don't plant the same thing in the same place.
We try to take notes during the summer. It is amazing how easy it is
to forget things. Happy planning, Sally
1/15/06
From the looks of things outside I don't think any of us will be pruning
blueberries for awhile. I'm glad to see some snow before the bitter
cold that is forecast the next few weeks. Plants and grasses will
welcome the protection and I'll be glad to shovel some snow up against the
house.
Do you have seeds left from other years. Try this germination test
to find out if leftover seeds are viable before you spent time planting
them. Place ten seeds inside a damp folded paper towel. Place
the paper towel inside a plastic bag closing the bag part way. Place
the bag in a warm place and check daily to maker sure the towel stays moist.
After seven to fourteen days count the number of seeds that germinated.
Than decide if the seeds are fine (8-10 germinated) or just ok (5 or 6
germinated) If five or six germinated you can plant thicker. If
even fewer germinated you have to decide if you want to bother with those
seeds. Now I must get busy transplanting some plants. Sally
1/10/07
You can prune blueberries now thru early March. Blueberries should
be pruned every year to keep them producing high quality fruit. For
the first two years after planting just prune any dead branches and spindly
growth. For older plants prune out weak, short canes. Than books
say prune all canes over six years old. I prune the thickest canes if
they are gray and the bark is peeling. The canes need to be cut to the
ground unless there are only a few canes. If there are only a few
canes I cut them back to about eight inches and hope they will sprout new
fruit buds. Thin any remaining canes, leaving those with the most
vigorous growth( long thick branches with good fruit buds) Most fruit is
produced on vigorous one year shoots on healthy canes. The fruit buds
are large and shaped like teardrops. Each bud will produce a cluster
of five to eight flowers. The smaller pointed buds are leaves.
Blueberries are such good "duel duty" plants, producing fruit and a
beautiful landscape plant with glossy green leaves in summer and brilliant
red in fall.
It is also time to prune grapes. I'm not very happy with the
pruning job I've done on my grapes. I will try to find some clear
pruning directions and pass them on to you. Raspberries are pruned in
late winter or early spring. Sally
10/3/06
I think we'll see a frost Thursday and Friday nights. The ten day
forecast shows some chilly nights but no frosts after Friday. I have
some flowers so pretty I'll try to protect them. I'm never really
ready to welcome season's end.
Spinach has been in the news. The average dairy farm in California
is larger than Maine's largest dairy. Manure and run off is a
tremendous problem. Not only is there a lot of manure but it is much
higher in e-coli than most manure in Maine. Cows fed a rich diet with
little pasture or hay have been proven to shed large numbers of e-coli.
In addition to the high risk of the irrigation water or wash water being
contaminated there are many more steps the California spinach goes through
on its way to the supermarket. Each step is an additional opportunity
for contamination.
Even though our manure has less e-coli we put manure on in the fall.
No bacteria lives through winter. We also compost our manure,
letting it heat up enough to kill the weed seeds and anything else. We
like to take a section of the garden and put down newspapers. Next we
put down a foot of manure and cover it all up with hay. It heats up
and the worms sped the winter turning it into soil. The weeds and
grass become worm feed too.
I have several house plants for sale. I will pot up some herbs too.
Or if you have your own pot I have some herbs left. Some plants like a
sunny window, others do well in low light. Take time this week to
enjoy the beautiful fall colors. Sally
9/25/06
Still no frost but if you are bringing plants inside for the winter they
need to be potted up. I like to condition them by moving them to a
sheltered place for a few days before I bring them in. And I always
dunk them in soapy water and spray with insecticide soap.
Do you have a slug problem? Don't stop trying to to get rid of
them. They are laying eggs for next year. I don't like to leave
my soil bare but if they are a serious problem leaving the soil exposed will
kill a lot of them. If you are cleaning up some weeds that got away
from you cut the ones that still have flowers or seeds first and gently (so
as not to scatter the seeds) get rid of them. Unless your
compost pile gets hot enough to kill the seeds don't put weeds with seeds in
it.
I'm still planting perennials. They will put out roots until the
soil temperature drops to about forty. This is a good time to divide
peonies and iris. I mulch everything to keep the soil warm longer and
to prevent heaving when it starts freezing, The ground often freezes
and thaws which is very hard on plants. Don't forget to water
everything you planted this year. Enjoy this lovely fall weather and
take time to appriciate fall's beauty. Sally
9/13/06
It is said "Life is hard by the yard, by the inch it is a cinch"
The same is true in our gardening. There is so much I need to do and
so much I want to do that I get overwhelmed. I find that if I will
settle for doing just a little patch eventually I'll have a "whole quilt",.
a whole section of garden.
We escaped frost, I hope the same for you. The weatherman
doesn't forecast another frost for several days. I need lots of
tomatoes, many of you have asked for canning tomatoes. I hope I will
have enough for all of us. We still have another couple of weeks to
plant perennials. I always mulch most of my perennials so that the
freezing and thawing we seem to get in the winter doesn't tear the roots or
even worse heave the plants out of the ground. Mulching is especially
important for perennials planted this year. Happy Gardening! Sally
9/5/06
The days are getting shorter and the nippy mornings tell us fall is near.
It looks like we are going to escape a frost for awhile. Even if we
were to get a frost there is plenty of time to plant some perennials.
But if you are like me and want to bring some plants in for winter cheer it
is time to do so. Some plants I pot up, others I take slips of. The
ones I pot up I leave out for awhile longer, just bring them in on cool
nights. I usually prune them back. Several of my house plants
that I put out last spring have grown so that I will divide them and have
some to sell. I have geraniums, flowering maples, impatiens, coleus,
ivies and several others. I also pot up some herbs. We are at
the end of the sweet corn season. I have lots of other vegetables.
My tomato crop is nothing to brag about but I do have some. Please
stop by, Sally
8/29/06
We got phone calls from three of the Katrina people who stayed with us
last fall. The musician called just to say thanks and tell us he kept
a suitcase handy with some essentials stored in it. Two of the people
who stayed here have married and called to say they now had a baby boy,
mother and son were doing well. We hear from them about once a month.
They pretty well have their lives together. He was from a town on the
delta south of New Orleans that no long exists. They are in northern
Louisiana now. Fema financed a nice trailer for them. There was
no down payment and the total cost was less because of a bulk purchase of
trailers by Fema.
This cooler weather is great for planting perennials. I have some pear
trees left. There is a twenty per cent discount on the trees. As
always whatever you plant needs water, but the sun is lower in the sky so
the plants can concentrate on putting out roots. I am making up my
orders for next year. Is there something special you would like?
E-mail me or stop by. If you call please leave a message. I
spend a lot of time in the garden picking vegetables out of reach of the
phone Tomatoes are coming on very slow. I have dill if you are making
pickles. Also basil for pesto. Hoping to see you, Sally
8/18/06
Wednesday Kathy and I took the bus supplied by Griffin Greenhouse
supply to a greenhouse expo held at the site of the Eastern States Fair in
Springfield, MA. We left here at five and got to the expo close to
eleven. Too many stops! The bus was leaving to return at
three-thirty so we had a lot to look at in a hurry. I spent my time
talking to irrigation and fertilizer salesman. I have hopes of having
mire time to spend on plants instead of watering and a bonus of healthier
plants because the plants are getting a sufficient, even water supply.
I spent quite a bit of time today working with the Griffin consultant on a
fertilizer program for petunias and other heavy feeders. I hope next
spring my petunias will be dark green! Speaking of petunias,
many people are unhappy with their waves. Once a week feeding isn't
enough when it is so hot that plants need watered twice a day. All the
good gets washed out of the pot. They told me today that the waves probably
needed to be fertilized every other day. Speaking of needing to be fed
the haying crew just pulled in so I must close and get food on the table.
Take care, Sally
8/11/06
We homesteaded in Alaska in 1957 and lived there until November of 1976
when we moved here. All of our sons moved to Maine with us but the two
older ones went back to Alaska. Not only was Alaska "home" but they
both could get good jobs as they were known there. They married, had
children and built homes. They have come to Maine to visit several
times but we never went to visit them. They wanted to show us there
homes and the grandchildren wanted us to come see them so they sent us first
class tickets to fly up. We had a wonderful time visiting the boys and
their families. We raised Darel's neice and we hadn't seen her since
1979. She took the two weeks off. Not only did we have a
wonderful time visiting but she cooked all kinds of marvelous food. It
was "open house'" all the time we were there. Many friends we hadn't
seen in thirty years took advantage of our sons" hospitality and came to
visit.
Both homes are nicely landscaped. Keith and Tami have made their
six acres into a park Rise' has several different flower beds, berries
and trees. Her delphinium's were nice and green. Like ours they had
started to turn brown. She sprayed them with compost tea and they came
right out of it. I haven't tried it on mine yet. Both the
delphiniums in my gardens and the plants for sale are a brown mess so I need
to try the tea. None of the weeds had any problems why I was gone!
In fact I was pretty discouraged for a bit but I'm starting to get a few
places clear of them. The vegetables are doing good. we only have a
few tomatoes but lots of everything else. The hot weather and rain has
made for delicious sweet corn.
Next Wednesday, the 16th Kathy and I are going to a New England
greenhouse and garden expo in Springfield, Mass. at Eastern States. As
always the vegetables are self-service. You are welcome to walk around
and look at the perennials but there may not be anyone here to sell them to
you. We are closed Sunday and Monday now, though with weeds and
vegetables to pick I'll probably be here. Please honk your horn or
come look for me (and look at plants) If it is Tuesday thru
Saturday I will be here except for the 16th. Hoping to see you, Sally
6/25/06
This time of the year there is always something that should have been
done yesterday, but at least I'm getting to the point where there aren't too
many things that should have been done last week! A lady came looking
for white cone flower. After she left I kept looking. Finally I
found the pots labeled white cone flower, but no cone flowers. Many of
you have told me there is nor rhyme or reason to which plants made it
through the winter. I must agree. Why I was looking for the cone
flower I noticed that the Sweet William's were only a quarter of an inch
high. I had been going to dump those pots. Now, just a week
later they are 3 or 4 inches high. My luxuriant bleeding
heart is still coming up, I have several nice sized plants, some a few
inches tall and others just starting. The weeds in my perennial
pots and my garden are doing just fine! All this rain hasn't slowed my
garden down. People, plants and Places, early summer edition, magazine
has a very interesting article about a diet supplement that successfully
prevent a dog's urine from burning spots on the grass. The same
magazine talks about hibiscus, I have some left that are for our zone,
zone 4. Take care, Sally
6/13/06
Liners: What the nursery calls the trays of 3 inch pots
that shrubs are sold in. I brought Purple Sand Cherry, Bailey's Red
Twig Dogwood, Cranberry Cottoneaster, Annabelle Hydrangea, PeeGee Hydrangea,
Goldflame Spirea, Pink Beauty Potenilla, McKay' White Potenilla and Froebeli
Spirea in liners this year. These shrubs are $3.99 each in the 3 inch
pots. These shrubs will double in size by fall and double in size
again by this time next year. If you have a lot of landscaping to do
or are on a limited budget these plants are the way to go.
Peonies are about to bloom. My plants are large plants that will bloom
this year. This week my white peonies are on sale for $9.99.
I am sold out of buttercup squash plants but I still have some butternut.
I also have cucumbers, green and yellow zucchini, and yellow squash plants.
I have tomato plants also including three varieties of heirloom tomatoes if
you would like to try something different. We have a nice selection of
annuals and hanging baskets. Hoping to see you, Sally
6/7/06
Deer Ticks/Lyme Disease
We have all read about the problems southern New England and other parts
of the country have had with Lyme disease. The carrier has gradually
been moving north and the mild winter hastened its arrival in our area.
The deer tick is much smaller than the common black wood tick. It is
brown with some black marking and several legs. The most important
thing to know about deer ticks and lyme disease is: If a person
is bitten by a deer tick infected by Lyme there is almost always a red
bulls eye with a white spot in the center at the site of the bite. If
you get a bulls eye on your body, even if you don't see the tick it is very
important that you get on a ten day course of antibiotics. Several
years a go when building fence in Conn, Darel spotted a bulls eye on
his waist and went to a clinic. The doctor agreed that it was a
infected deer tick bite and put him on the antibiotics. He has never
had any Lyme symptoms. A few weeks a go he found an imbedded tick on
his shin with the bulls eye. He called our family doctor and was
prescribed the antibiotics. The antibiotics cost nine dollars.
The doctor said if you get on the medicine within 3 or 4 weeks of the bite
you will not develop lyme.
Now to our gardens and greenhouse. All of our single foliage and
flower plants are $1.50. We still have a nice selection if you have
some containers to plant. Or if you want to use some waves for ground
cover. We also have the yellow impatiens this year. We have a
nice assortment of ferns. The hay scented fern makes an excellent
ground cover on a partly shaded slope. The pume-like fronds of the
ostrich fern make a stately background to your hosta and astilbe. American
Iris, Jacob's ladder and foam flower are some plants that do well in a
shaded border. Looking forward to seeing you, Sally
5/30/06
The last ten days have sort of run into each other. We've been very
busy helping our customers, planting and watering. Some of the
perennials that winter in the pots are just now coming up. Jacob's
ladder blooms early in the summer, I thought it should have been up a few
weeks ago, it is about an inch high.. Many of you know that my fruit
trees weren't leafing out. I called the nursery. They explained
that the trees had been in a controlled climate (winter) until April 29th
when I received them. Because our early May weather was cooler than
average the trees just hadn't leafed out yet. I was afraid they
weren't good trees and stopped selling them. However the company was
right, the leaves have popped out with this warm weather and the trees look
great So I still have lots of fruit trees to sell. I have lots
of other nice plants as I try to stagger my planting so I'll have plants for
people moving to camp. Hoping to see you, Sally
5/16/06
We had better not complain about the weather, we could be in southern
Maine. So far the weatherman is saying the storm is supposed to keep
moving when it gets here. Even so the next several days are supposed
to be cloudy and we are past the full moon. I don't think there is any
hurry to plant warm weather plants but if the only opportunity you had to
plant was now I think its safe to plant. But even though it isn't
supposed to get cold I don't seen any real warm temperatures. Just
good black fly weather! So far my bug magnet isn't working very well.
But my son's and my granddaughter's are. It is wonderful weather to
plant flowers and shrubs, we don't have to water them. Keep dry, Sally
5/8/06
The ten day forecast for Bradford shows tonight's temperature low at 40.
The next lowest temperature forecast is 44. I'm going to gamble that
we won't have another frost and put in petunia's and some other flowers that
aren't too sensitive to cold. I'm going to plant tomatoes and
cucumbers but I'm going to cover them. I don't think there is any
advantage to trying to hurry them if they don't have extra heat. This
week we brought a bug magnet that use propane, $295 at home depot. We
would have liked to have gotten a larger one but the cost and not being sure
of how effective it will be made us go for a small one. Everyone we
know who has one swears by it. I'll keep you posted, we put it in the
perennial display. Many plants and some herbs (sage) are very late
showing green even in a early year like this. Peach trees and oak put
out leaves about the same time. there is a saying, "Don't plant tender
plants until the oak leaves are the size of a squirrel's ear." With
that I'll leave you and go gamble, Sally
5/1/06
We're supposed to get an inch of rain tonight and tomorrow morning.
Not only will that help the fire danger but it always seems that we need a
good rain before things warm up. Maybe we need the moisture for a heat
sink. Rhododendrons are never shipped bare root. Because of high
trucking costs they were shipped in such small pots that they need to be
repotted soon. The endless summer hydrangea came in a very small pot
too. We are selling them for four dollars off if you buy them this
week before we get them repotted. Today we are planting peas, onions
and beet greens. Tomorrow we have to pot up our lilies and
start our cucumber and squash plants. I've been so tempted to start
the cucumber and squash early but it doesn't pay to plant them so early they
get chilled and they don't do well if they are very large when we put them
out. Starting this week we are open 9 to 6 and 6and a half days
a week. We are closed Sunday morning so we can attend church.
With so much to do we are here most evening, just stop by or call to make
sure if you are coming a distance. Our number is 327-1398. See
you, Sally
4/29/06
Our spring shipment of woody ornamentals and fruit tree are here.
we have a nice selection for you to check out and we are adding plants
every day. We have a assortment of ferns for that shady or moist spot.
Some can take a dry location, some can take some sun. Ferns are listed
under perennials Come by and get some creeping phlox for $3.99, we
have 4 colors, some are showing color. Please don't forget that
the fire danger is very high. Sally
4/24/06
April showers bring May flowers. We enjoyed some beautiful weather
but we needed this rain. Things should dry up fast. Gilbert and
Barbie planted peas and onions last night, Now that he has the tiller
on the tractor I want to work up some ground and get mine in. Every
day I put a few more flowers out to harden off. Many perennials and
shrubs are showing green. On Thursday my truck shipment of trees and
shrubs are arriving. If you want to buy any for 15% off this weekend
please call 327-1398 and ask us to set them aside. We want to have the
plants potted up by Sunday evening, To see what is coming click on
fruits and woody ornamentals. Take care, Sally
4/19/0This isn't later in the week, it's later the next week! We
have plants that we started that need transplanting as well as shipments of
plants that I can't start myself. Everything needs to be taken care of
in a timely manner to be the best it can be. And there are only 24
hours in a day! Our bare root shipment of shrubs and fruit trees comes
in on the 27th. Anything brought bare root is 15% off the price listed
on the web page. All shrubs and trees can be planted now. By
April 30th everything will be potted. Some shrubs that are carryovers
or I brought as small plants are available now.
Many of you know that my husband and son build fence. They build
fence to keep animals in and animals out. Some fences are around a
garden to keep deer out and some are a couple of miles long to keep deer or
other animals in or deer out. One of the booths I did at the flower
show was for Allenfarm fence. Darel refers a lot of fences to
Allenfarm fence and vice-versa. We do not do vinyl fence and they
build high quality vinyl fencing. Since they manufacture the vinyl
fence at their plant in Bangor they can custom design your fence.
They also build decorative wood fence, gates, arbors and pergolas.
Allenfarm's web address is www.allenfarmfnce.com
www.allenfOur greenhouse
is open if you would like to look around or want to plant some pansies.
Some other cold hardy plants can be planted as soon as we get them hardened
off. We try to sell only flowers that are hardened off so you can take
them right home and plant . Hoping to see you, Sally
4/10/06
The 2006 garden show is history. A lot of work and a lot of
good times, Later in the week I'll write up more about it with some
pictures and links. Now it is time to transplant vegetables and
marigolds in the greenhouse. We have several different marigolds. For
tomatoes we carry several old favorites and heirlooms. Later this week
I'll plant pansies and have them out on the benches for sale. I want to get
all our perennials listed and some of our annuals. We have so many I
probably not get all of them entered this week. As i update the our
web page I'll list the updates in this journal. So check the journal
in a few days. Sally
4/4/06
In case we forgot that it was still early spring last week this week's
weather is reminding us! You can beat the weather by going to the
Bangor Garden Show this weekend. I hope to see you there.
This week's journal is a day late. Sunday night the frost free
water spigot started shooting out water from a "solid" connection that
had a large crack in it. We got a new spigot and had it fixed by ten
a.m., but the greenhouse was already so dry that it took a long time to get
everything watered. I'm thankful it didn't happen Wednesday or Thursday when
I was at the auditorium planting for the show. It is time to take the
wrap off fruit trees so they have plenty of room to grow this summer.
Wrap left on provides a place for bugs to hide and fungus to grow.
While I'm at it I'll finish the pruning that should have been finished last
month. Any suckers growing up from the bottom part of the truck need
to be removed. They are less likely to grow back if you can pull them
off instead of cutting them. I'm taking the mulch off my perennials
next week. I already took it off my tulips. If your strawberries
are showing any growth the mulch should be moved off the plants.
Ornamental grass should have the old brown grass cut off before any green
starts to show. Remember the fire danger is high. Take care,
Sally
3/27/06
We are potting creeping phlox. As soon as the frost goes out I plan
to plant some on the east side of the greenhouse so we can enjoy them this
spring. The frost will be going out soon, the ten day forecast only
show two more nights in the high twenty's, than above thirty nights and up
to fifty several days. Bleeding hearts and Iris are early bloomer that
I'm anxious to plant, I'm just getting anxious period. And I'm really
not ready, it was so wet last fall that I've lots of cleanup that should
have been done then. Onions, lettuce and peas can be planted as soon
as the ground can be worked, but don't get in a rush to work up all
your garden. Over worked soil loses its structure, the ability to move
air and water in a manner beneficial to growing plants. Several
flowers can take the cold, especially pansies, down to 25 degrees.
Snapdragons and million bells petunias can take a light frost. Make
sure any plants you put out have been hardened off. The cold and wind
can shock plants newly out of the green house. Don't forget to plan to
go to the garden show, Sally
3/21/06
First day of spring and its cold and windy, but warmer and less windy
than yesterday, each day is supposed to improve a little. Past weather
patterns show that when winter has a hard time coming it often has a hard
time leaving. I hope that pattern doesn't extend to summer. It
is drying up fast. When it warms up we will be able to clean up
winter's debris, but fire danger will probably be to high to burn trash.
I have gotten confirmation on my spring shipments. I ordered
twenty of the new "Endless Summer" hydrangea that has been bred for our Zone
4. (Most of this area is a Zone 4, closer to Bangor a Zone 5, some
maps show Bradford as a Zone 5. I'm very careful where I put anything
listed for Zone 5.) "Endless Summer" blooms all summer with pink
or blue blossoms depending on the soil. I will also have the new
"Sensation" lilac, it has purple blossoms with a white border.
"Sensation is a Zone 3. I'll also have the "Hyacinth" lilac that is so
fragrant. It blooms early and comes in white or purple. *Hyacinth"
lilacs are good down to a Zone 2 My shrub order is coming the
last week in April, as soon as I have a firm date I will post it. It
is nice to get shrubs planted as soon as possible, before we get busy with
other spring plantings. Its sunny and warm in the green house
which means I must get out there and water. Have a good week, Sally
3/13/06
Last week was not a good week for the journal! Two times I wrote it
and twice it went somewhere besides on the web page. I tried a third
time and couldn't even get the computer to print anything. On Friday
my web host made a house call and got me back on track (I hope)! It is
taking me a long time to get all my plants entered on the web page.
I'm up to liatris (blazing star) on the perennial pictures. Please be
patient.
Do you have seeds left from years past? Many seeds stay viable for
years if kept cold and dry. Other should be brought new nearly every
year. I check my seeds by placing ten in a moist paper towel. I
put the towel in a plastic bag in a warm place (70 to 75 degrees) and start
checking them in a week. Most good seeds will have germinated by two
weeks. I count the number of seeds that germinate to decide how many
to plant in a row or if I should buy new seeds. We don't carry
seeds. I recommend Johnny's or Fedco. Johnny's phone# is 1-800-854-2580 or
on the web, Johnnyseeds.com Fedco's phone #
is 207-673-7333 or on the web, fedcoseeds.com Both
places are very generous with information and carry seeds that do well in
our climate. And now I must get busy planting seeds that
need to be started now to be ready for us to plant when it warms up.
More flowers. tomatoes and peppers. Take care, Sally
2/27/06
It is hard to think spring when the temperature is is in the single
numbers at noon and a north wind blowing. But it is warm and green in
the greenhouse. We have so many plants in the greenhouse it is
easier to keep the temperature even this week. I'll be starting
flowers like begonias this week. Unlike petunia and pansies they can't
go outside until there is no chance of frost but they need several weeks of
warmth before they bloom. Pansies can a take temperature as low 25
degrees, snapdragons and petunias won't be hurt until the temperature goes
below 28. Wave petunias don't seem to be able to take as much frost as
other petunias. I've got two days before I need to start transplanting
again, two days to add the plants I planted last week. I'm still not very
fast on my computer so I'd best get at it! Keep warm, Sally
2/20/06
We kept the greenhouse warm during the wind and cold buy just barely.
We are set up with generators to keep fans running (and the water pump and
the light bulbs to keep the water from freezing in the barn) so the
greenhouse cover would stay inflated. But it took putting wood on the
stoves every two hours to keep it warm! As the floor gets warm it will
be easier. I've been planting wave petunia seeds. The purple
waves for the hanging pots are all up but there are so many other wave
colors and so many ways to use them. They are a wonderful ground cover and
go well with so many other plants. There are many colors of
petunias that mix well with the wave colors. Sweet potato vine is a
lush fast growing vine that makes a lovely contrast when it mixes in..
Petunias can be planted earlier than the vine but it grows so fast it
catches up. Petunias can take a light frost, sweet potato vine can't
take any frost. I saw wave petunias spilling off a deck.
In the ground around the deck hostas were planted with some coleus mixed in.
Very striking! My crew is here. There is no school this week so
my grandchildren are all working in the greenhouse. Keeping them all
busy keeps me hopping! Do stop by if you are in the area. Sally
2/12/06
It is snowing, the wind is blowing and it isn't very warm in the
greenhouse. Winter came just as we started our greenhouse so we not
only have to warm up the greenhouse, it is cold outside. We are
putting wood on the stoves every three hours. By Tuesday when plants
come in we should be able to keep the temperature at 70. The forecast
say it will be warm enough Wednesday afternoon to move plants out of the
house. By next weekend it will be spring in the greenhouse if you have
time to stop by. With so much to do we are usually here but until we
officially open in April you might want to call to be sure we are here. Our
number is 327-1398. Speaking of next weekend. I have the web address for
information on the Great Backyard Bird Count. The address is http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc.
Keep warm, Sally
2/6/06
Did you know that if you start using a tablespoon of locally produced
honey daily your immune system will become used to the local pollen in it
and won't kick into overdrive this summer causing sneezing and wheezing?
We sell our honey by the pint, quart or gallon.
February 17th thru the 20th is the weekend of the annual North American
bird count. Data from the count give scientists information about the
currant year's seasonal movements., changes in number and distribution of
species, and the impact of climate change. It also provides updates on
the effect of diseases like West Nile virus. Information on how to
participate should be in this Saturday's paper. I'm going to find out
more about it and will have more information in next week's journal.
I'll be starting the fire to warm up the greenhouse Saturday. The
first warm day after the greenhouse is warm I'll be carrying seedlings out
The past two days would have been perfect1 Here's hoping for some snow
to protect the plants in the ground and bank the greenhouse. Take
care, Sally
1/30/06
Winter is the time to look at seed catalogs and dream. Thanks to
our extension service it is also time to find out how to extend our
gardening season. There will be a free program on extending the
growing season presented by Donna Lamb, extension educator. The same
program will be held at three different places, March 12th at SeDoMoCha,
Dover Foxcroft: March 13th at PCHS Guilford: and March 14th at PVHS, Milo.
You are requested to call the site coordinator so they will have enough
materials for each person attending. Dover Foxcroft, Diane Salisbury
564-6525: Milo, Stephanie Sally 943-7317: Guilford, Kelly MacFadyen
876-3577.
A tree fruit growing class will be held this spring by Dave Olmsted of
Olmsted's Orchards in Charleston. The 16 hour course covers all
aspects of growing trees and is designed for the noncommercial grower. Four
books are included in the $125.00 fee. For more information contact Dave
Olmstead at 285-3426.
The Penobscot County Master Gardener Program starts February 7th, 6 to 9
PM in Bangor. The class is a 13 week series and a wonderful class. For
more information call Gleason Gray, extension educator at 942-7396 or
1-800-287-1485.
Would you like to plant your own containers of flowers for your deck or
yard? If you would be interested in a class on container planting to
be held in May ( when containers could go outside without fear of
frost) please call me at 327-1398.
Please check this space each Monday from now on. Even if there
isn't much gardening new I will be mentioning different events of interest
coming up. Sally
| January 6th was the last day of Christmas so I
Put all the decoration away on the weekend. Everything looks so bare!
Now it is time to start perennials that will bloom this year if started now.
Tomorrow I'm going to the trade show to see what's new and attend some
classes. I'm planning to try to get a jump on the season with tunnels
this spring. I'm going to try both vegetables and cut flowers.
Tunnels are one of the classes at the show' I haven't been happy with
my fall mums so I'm going to a class on them too. Portable cold
frames have worked very well for me when I was just trying to get early
vegetables for my family. This is the times of the year to make a few
cold frames. Put in the garden they will give you a spot to start
lettuce. Than they can be moved and cukes and tomatoes planted in
them. I did lose the lid to a late snow one year but it didn't hurt
the lettuce Until next week when I can tell you about the show, Sally |
12/26/05
We had a wonderful Christmas with our family. Now we're starting a
few flowers that need several weeks to be ready for May planting.
There is still time to give me a phone call if there is something special
you want me to grow. I'm doing some sewing in between working on
my web page and studying. I'm taking a landscaping course by mail.
The more years I'm in this business the more I realize I don't know!
As cold weather comes our houses are closed up tighter. We can improve
the air quality in our homes with houseplants, especially the plants with
larger leaves. Next time your in town pick up a few house plants to
absorb some of the things polluting our air. It's sleeting out with the wind
blowing and snow in the forecast. I hope this finds you comfortable by the
fire. Take care, Sally
12/20/05
We are very busy with our church and family celebrating the birth of
Christ. Learning parts and songs, fixing up costumes and keeping secrets!
Keeping secrets is harder for the children than learning a part in a play!
All but 18month old Sally Jo are old enough to be excited about giving as
well as getting this year. Last year most of the Christmas tree
decorations were a one level, eye level for 6,7,and 8 year old children..
This year they made sure the tree has the decorations all nicely spaced.
I still have lots of presents to wrap but they are all here. I am
blessed with a daughter-in-law who brings Christmas dinner. All I have
to do is make rolls. We have Christmas at noon on the 24th. After we
eat we do the nativity scene and than open presents. Santa always
shows up sometime during the afternoon. He is so thoughtful. He
brings construction paper, other paper, crayons, paints, glue, scotch tape
and all kinds of things for Grandma's house. This year he's bringing a set
of scrap booking scissors, what fine things that construction paper will
become!
I have spent today up dating the fruit section of my web page.
If you will click on fruit you will see that there is quite a saving for
early orders. If you have any questions or want an item not listed
please call me. We are closed until February when we start the fires
in the greenhouse. However you are welcome to stop by or call
anytime. January and February go by faster when we are planning for
spring.
May the Blessing of Christmas , along with other joys be yours on
Christmas Day.
Faith to make your heart serene, Hope to keep it light and Peace to
make it bright.
Have a Peaceful and Blessed Holiday!
The Smith's
Happy Thanksgiving 11/22/05
Our southern friends have found jobs and an apartment in Bangor.
The apartment is furnished through the kindness of many people . Their
home is close to St. Joseph hospital making it easy for them to get to
doctor appointments. They are very pleased with the quality of Maine
medical care. I would not want to be sick in Mississippi!
My son Doug and his wife have been building a log home of logs harvested
from the farm. It was a red-letter day last week when the last door
was hung and smoke started curling from the chimney. Six of their
eight children are still home, they hope to have enough of the inside
finished to move in by Christmas. Our nephew has been home from
Iraq on r and r. He tells a very different story than we hear on the
news. He thinks we belong there and that we've accomplished a lot for
the people of Iraq ( and says most of them appreciate what the U.S. has
done) and for the world.
It is time to mulch your perennials. Straw is in such short supply
and so expensive that I'm only mulching a few plants. I have very few
plants that aren't hardy in zone 4. I put up a snow fence hoping snow
will come and cover up a lot of my plants. I started mailing Christmas
wreaths this week. Please call if you are interested in a wreath.
I still haven't finished that part of my web page.
Yesterday I got some Christmas trees for people who want to take a tree home
after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is so early I don't know how many
people will be putting their tree up Friday.
Are you going shopping Friday? May we suggest that you shop
"Maine". Many talented Maine artisians have joined together to make
shopping "Maine" easy this holiday season. The Maine Highland Artisian
Guild have a kiosk at the Bangor Mall (in front of the B. Dalton bookstore)
until Jan1st,2006 The Maine Artisians Gallery is open daily until Dec.
27th at the Airport Mall. On many days they have demonstrations and
signings. On Dec. 23rd from 10am to 4pm at the Bangor Civic Center is
the annual " MARKETPLACE". Maine hand-crafted gifts, specialty foods
and services are all gathered in one place for convenient shopping. If you
stop by for a wreath or Christmas tree we have some gifts (made by family
members) in our store as well as dry beans and honey. Hoping to see
you, Sally
October
Much has happened since I've written in our journal. Sam and Joann
have found their mother and father. Hurricane Rita drove them from the
shelter they were at in Texas. They went to Northern Louisiana where
they had relatives. So many tears were shed that day one would have
thought we had gotten bad news! Sam and Joann want them to come to
Maine. The fishing villages out on the Mississippi delta were wiped
off the map by Katrina and hit again by Rita. The levies out there
were only four feet high but they are gone. The boats were smashed and
the fishing waters were contaminated. About a week later Ron got word
that his son was OK.
The musician went back to Louisiana a few weeks ago. The few cold
morning we've had finished Ron, he left for home yesterday. He had
never seen below forty degrees. He was homesick, and thinking
about snow, wind, and low temperatures made things seem worse.
The garden still has lots of vegetables being harvested. We haven't
had a frost yet so I'm still picking tomatoes. I've sold out of
buttercup squash and cabbage. My cauliflower is beautiful. I'll have
fall broccoli soon. We are still planting perennials but I don't
recommend planting this late. It is still too warm to mulch
plants. I'm having a hard time believing the calendar. In two
weeks deer season will be here and it will be time to set up for wreath
making. we start mailing wreathes the Monday before Thanksgiving.
Take care, Sally
.
9/22/05
Don't ever lose your ID! My daughter-in-law is having to replace
all of hers and even though she is in her hometown it has been hard.
But for our new friend from Mississippi it has been much worse. He
thought he could just have his bank send him a couple of the picture ID he
has with the bank. The bank isn't open yet. He sent an overnight
letter to the county court house in Montgomery, Aba. requesting a copy of
his birth certificate and divorce papers. It took four days to get
there and they sent him someone else's divorce papers! We finally got
him a Maine state ID thanks to a very helpful lady named Ember at Sam"s he
got a picture ID to go with his birth certificate and Maine Savings card.
The people at Dept. of Motor Vehicles bent over backwards to help him.
Yesterday we were able to go to Augusta and get his card. This morning he
went to work. Since 9-11 it has become very hard to get new id's and
you can't get a job in most places without federally specified kinds of ID.
Dealing with FEMA has meant hours on the phone. Everything they try to
do is complicated by the fact that the post office where they come from is
not open yet. The brother and sister have not located their parents
yet. Their home town on the mouth of the Mississippi no longer exists.
Ronnie has not be able to locate his two year son. The child lived
with his grandparents on his mother's side. The musician thinks Maine
is beautiful and the people wonderful but he is very anxious to return to
New Orleans. The other four want to stay here. Sam and Joann are
planning to bring their parents to Maine if they find them.
We are busy putting up vegetables for the winter. I have canning tomatoes
if you would like to put some up. My mums are three dollars each.
This week we are going to start potting up some house plants. I want
to plant more perennials. Fall planting is comfortable for us and the
plants. Cooler temperatures are easier on us and minimize wilting and
transplant shock for the plants. There are no bugs to eat us or
the plants. The soil is soft and there is adequate moisture.
Fall planting gives us all a jump on spring chores too. It is a good
idea to mulch your new plants, giving them some protection for the first
winter. Hoping to see you, Sally
This has been an exciting week for us. Last week my son Doug was
watching the news of Katrina and like all of us was deeply distressed by the
suffering of the people. He put his new 8000 watt generator in his 96
van with 40 galleons of gas and asked and asked the Lord to guide him to
where he should go. He arrived in Poplarville, Miss. on
Saturday. People at a shelter there were praying for a generator to
run the kitchen the Southern Baptist Church was trying to provide food from
and to run a refrigerator needed to keep medicines from
spoiling. After spending a day packing water and ice to older people
still in their homes he left for Maine without the generator but with five
people who had lost everything but were thankful they were alive and wanted
to start over in a different place. Doug's church had told him to tell
anyone who wanted to come to Maine that the church would provide them with
food and shelter and a bus ticket back when they were able to return.
Many people are looking at weeks before they are even allowed to go home.
The people who came with Doug have nothing to go home to and only had the
clothes they had on. One girl didn't even have her glasses. They got
here at 1:30 in the morning, by 3:00 A.M. they each had taken a shower and
felt much better. Darel took Jo-Ann in that morning to get glasses.
Doug took them to Wal-mart that night to get underwear and Wal-mart gave
them each a new outfit including underwear, shoes and socks. Many
other have been generous so they now have all the clothes ad personal items
they need. The brother and sister who are in their twenties have not made
contact with their parents but did get word yesterday that they had
evacuated toward the west. That news brightened things up considerably
for them. The other three have all been in contact with their
families. The musician has played a couple of nights already and has several
"gigs" lined up. He may be moving to a place of his own soon, Bradford
not exactly the center of nightlife.. The couple and the brother and
sister are going to stay here for awhile. The men start work Monday.
They have a ride to with a neighbor employed by the company that hired them,
in fact he got them the job.. All one of the men has for ID is his
social security number on a piece of paper showing that he has applied for a
copy of his card. The couple did go to the place where their trailer
had been. They came away with boot box of belongings. Our church
and Doug's church will get bus tickets for anyone who wants to comes up for
awhile or relocate. But people have to get to a town where bus service
has resumed and so far that has been a problem. Next week
I'll be planting perennials and canning tomatoes. I did get my seed order
for next year in by the first. It is a good thing it wasn't due
this week, I might not have gotten it in on time! Stop by and visit.
The folks with us would like to tell everyone thanks for the warm welcome
and help they've been given to ask that you pray for their people back home
and help them any way you can. Sally
As many of you know I was closed August 17th, right in the middle of the
week. I went to a trade show in Mass. I care about conserving
non-renewable resources. No one know it if they were here on a hot
summer day. The way I water my plants is very wasteful of water.
In addition the water pump is running 18 of 24 hours on a day that everyone
is trying to stay cool with air conditioners. I found that the are
many different systems to choose from but I choose one. Not only will
I conserve water and electricity next year but my plants will be healthier.
And now I can add some new perennials in 2006. With my old watering
system I could not care for anymore plants. Do you have something you
would like me to carry? Stop by and look at the catalog with me or just
e-mail me.With unsettled weather and hurricane Katrina coming the end of
the week this will be a great week to plant perennials or shrubs. I
have a few cherry trees and draft Liberty apples. Hope to see you.
Sally
8/24/05
We say " an ill wind that doesn't blow some good". If you are doing some planting this fall you have a wide choice of nurseries with sales. May was a discouraging month for all of us . By the time things dried out it seemed to late to plant. The weather is beautiful now and perfect for planting perennials.
We have been very fortunate. Sales of perennials have done very well. We have a nice selection on shrubs and parietals at reasonable prices. Our location and the fact that we are a family business allows us to keep our prices down. I have always wished I had my plants in tables and now with so many different ones I'm sure you would all find shopping easier. My son has brought a saw mill. This winter the men are going to get logs and saw them into lumber for tables.
This is good news for you, I'm having a 20% off sale too. I usually leave all my pots of perennials right in place for the winter. This year everything is going to have to be moved so that the tables can be built, than come spring they will all have to be put on the tables. I would very much like to have fewer plants to move around so there will be 20% off my already low prices. I hope to see you. Now I'm going out to prune my tomato plants in hopes pruning will push those pink tomatoes to turn red. We need ripe tomatoes to go with our sweet corn!
Take care, Sally
8/4/05
My vegetable stand is full of vegetables and mornings are cool enough so that I can start my wood kitchen range. We all enjoy the fresh vegetables and I can do most of my cooking in the morning and heat water without turning on the electric heater. But there is a downside, when mornings start being cool it means summer is rushing by.
This is a good time to plant some perennials.The hummingbirds have left the nest and are looking for nectar. There are always some at my feeder but I like to attract them with flowers . I have lots of gayfeathers, delphiniums and different bee balms, including the popular red shades. I have Stella de Oro lilies, phlox and lavender to attract the butterflies. Moonbeam coreopsis, a cheerful everblooming flower produces seeds the finches love. I also have three kinds of coneflowers, another seed producer.
Sedum blossoms are a late season source of nectar for migrating hummers and butterflies. Sedums soft pink flowers deepen to rose, then red, finally turning mahogany. Coral bells and penstemons are another favorite source of nectar.
Stargazer ;lilies are in bloom. If you plant them now you can enjoy them this year and in future years too. Their fragrance permeates the sales area. Green beans are ready, weeds are growing and the last load of wah is ready to hang out. I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather, I choose to quickly forget those terrible thunderstorms we had early this week.
Sally
7/26/05
Do you have an old fashioned snowball bush? Did it lose it's leaves this spring but put out new ones. I have some bad news for you. The viburnum leaf beetle has visited you. If you look closely you will see the new leaves have holes in them. The adults are feeding on the viburnum's now. When the young hatch out the plants will be stripped again.
The person from the state ag department who inspects greenhouses said that most plants will oinly live two years, at the most five years. There is no natural predator in this country. It is possible to spray with one of the more potent poison sprays but she recommended tearing the bushes out and planting something different.
I had both the American cranberry and the gold cranberry for sale. The plants had just gotten their second set of leaves and were looking good when she came as had the snowball bushes After talking to her I made several trips to the woods with bushes. I would suggest planting winterberry bushes in place of the cranberry bushes and hydrandras in place of the snowball bushes.
The snowball bush in front of our house is older than I am and that makes it pretty old! The bush was too tall to reach the top when we put up Christmas lights,even with a ladder. It was a beautiful sight when it bloomed, covered with white snowballs. We can't imagine our front yard without it. I'm not sure what we will do in it's place. We had a smaller bush behind the house that I'd planted several years ago as a windbreak for our birdfeeders. We are going to replace it with winterberry bushes.They'll provide food as well as shelter for the birds.
I'm planting perennial when I'm not weeding. I'll be picking cucumbers this week. The green beans and potatoes are in blossom. The hazy days of summer sure aren't lazy around here but I do love these beautiful days. I enjoy it when we get a rain so there is a break from watering. Hoping you'll stop by,
Sally
7/18/05
Tomatoes are turning color (we've had a few red ones), the cucumbers and squash are covered with blossoms. Soon we'll have organically grown fresh vegetables for you. I have organic eggs at three dollars a dozen.
Wednesday or Thursday will be our last hay day. It's been a good year. Many of our customers have us fill their barns. All those orders are filled and our barns are full. Now we look forward to fill our root cellar and lining the shelves with jars of our own produce we put up. The tomatoes are ripening just on time, I've 5 jars of pizza sause and two jars of salsa left.
There is still time to plant herbs. Your own fresh herbs or herbs you've dried are so much better than store brought, especially sage, basil and parsley. Sage will come back next year as will Italian parsley. Dill will reseed itself if you let it. I have so many weeds I start dill new each year.
Come by and see what is in bloom this week. We have lots of flowers to choose from if you want to cut a bouquet. See you next week,
Sally
7/11/05
Summer is finally here, and with it strawberries and haymaking. I've been getting up early and going up to Ron and Donna Lamb's in Sebec to pick strawberries. They don't use any more sprays than they have to so not all of their berries are perfect but most of them are and they are so sweet and have such good strawberry flavor!If you haven't picked any berries yet you should. Their phone number is 564-3008. Call around 6:00 PM for the next day's picking report.
Our hay crop is good this year. So far we've been able to get the grass mowed, baled and in the barn with no rain on it. I seldom handle hay any more but I feed the hay crew and that's a full time job!
Now that my freezer has lots of strawberries in it I'm going to start planting perennials. I want to make a garden between the greenhouse and the road, around the pond. Many of you like to come by every week or so and walk through the perennials to see what is in bloom. Well guess what? I do the same thing. Seeing what is in bloom helps me plant so I'll have something blooming all summer. I'm not always sure what color a flower is until I see it blooming as the catalog and I sometimes don't describe a color the same.
If you haven't been by do come visit. I'm always glad to get suggestions and you can wander around through the flowers. The roses are blooming as are some of the other shrubs. The clematis is beautiful. Our cut flower garden is coming along nicely if you would like to take home a bouquet. There are a few nice annuals left if you need some extra color. Maybe some coleus or impatients to brighten up that shady area.
I'll try to get back on track with a new journal every Monday so please check for what's new next week. Sally
6/16/05
First it was so wet we couldn't work our ground, than extreme heat and black flies, now back to cold and rainy. Next week is going to be good, perfect to finish the vegetable garden. I have some peppers and tomatoes left. It will be perfect for planting basil and dill.
There is plenty of time to add some color to your flower beds with annuals. If you have a little room left in the garden plant some flowers to cut for your own bouquets. The time is perfect, I have enough flowers left so I'm having a sale.
Flower pacs $2.00
Individual Plants $1.00 each or 4 for $5.00
Ivy Geranium $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00
6/6/05
We seem to have gone from early spring to summer. My hummingbirds are fighting over the feeders all the time and I have three feeders out. Hummingbirds love bee balm and I have several shades. Butterfly Weed, columbine, phlox and trumpet vine are all hummingbird flowers. I have trumpet vine in my nursery. (my nursery contains perennials I started this year in 4 or 5 inch pots) While in the small pots the plants are $2.59 each. Most of my phlox has been transplanted into two gallon pots. I have a few hanging fuchsia left. I have lots of snapdragons and nicotiana left. They both last after frost to feed the hummingbirds that leave late.
Is your garden still to wet to plant? For early taste of tomatos we have some planters (including hanging) of tom thumb tomatoes. We were only able to till our garden last Thursday so a lot of my garden will go in late but I expect it to do well with the warm temperatures and plenty of moisture. When you stop by the greenhouse if you don't see me check the garden. Than you can see all the perennials too. Or just blow your horn. Now I must get breakfast going so I can get planting. Sally
5/23/05
We put our seedling outside so that they are hardened off for you. I've been surprised at how well they have stood up to the past few days of wind and rain. Perennials and shrubs planted in this rain are settling in beautifuly. And the black flies don't bite in the rain!
I have started the fire in the greenhouse some of these chilly days. I've got hanging tom thumb tomatoes and other yourng seedlings I want to keep growing .
Things like the little basil plants won't take this weather.
We're planting some vegetables, the wet soil is slowing us down too. There is no worry about frost so we are planting tomato and cucumber plants. They will be ready to take off next week when it starts to warm up. We have glads and oriental lilies planted for cut flowers.
Looking forward to seeing you, Sally
5/16/05
The flowers in the northern coastal part of our country are lush with vibrant colors due to plenty of moisture. I keep reminding myself of that as I look out at another day of rain. It is perfect weather to plant fruit trees and shrubs. This is the right time for many perennials too. You can plant radishes and lettuce in your flower beds. The radishes will be eaten before the flowers crowd them out and the lettuce is a nice contrast for the flowers.
There is a full moon the twenty-third of May. The long range forecast for that week is cloudy and showers. So we may not get another frost. I�m putting out all of the cold tolerant annuals to harden off so that you can plant them as soon as you get them home.
I have a large selection of plants for containers. Containers planted now will be beautiful by Memorial weekend. If we are threatened with a frost it is easy to put a blanket over a container.
This month and thru June I�m open Mondays and I open on Sunday as soon as I get home from church. Hours are 9:AM to 7:PM Monday thru Friday. We close at five Saturday and Sunday. Please telephone if you need to come earlier or later.
See you, Sally
4/25/05
I started about thirty new perennials late last winter. I'm transplanting them from 4 and 5 inch pots to one and a half and two galleon pots. Some people like to buy the plants from the nursery in the 4 or 5 inch pots for $1.99. When I'm tired of transplanting I check the perennials I started last year. They spent the winter outside in pots. After all the cold and snow of winter I get excited when I see the plants sending out new green shoots.
There is a full moon May 23rd. We often get a frost around the full moon so we can't get in a hurry to plant tender plants. But this is a perfect time to plant fruit trees, shrubs and many perennials.*
Many of you have asked for a rhododendron that wouldn't grow tall enough to block your windows. This year we have the showy Purple Gem which only gets two or three feet tall. We also have the ever popular PJM rhododendron.
Looking forward to seeing you, Sally
*Click on item for a list of what we have
4/12/05
The flower show is over for 2005. I hope you were able to attend; the landscapers each had a beautiful landscape. I'm glad I wasn't a judge! We got an honorable mention for a fantastic spring flower palate. I didn't get to see all of the show, just enough to make me wish I could spend more time in each area.
I've been busy in the greenhouse moving perennials up to larger pots and transplanting annuals. Even though the snow has only been gone a few days some of the potted perennials I started last year are showing green. I'm also planting some eight-inch pans with a mix of plugs, some for shade, some for sun. A pre-planted pot makes it easy for you to plant your container or just have some pretty pots of flowers around.
We're open Tuesday thru Saturday now. We'd love to have you stop by and visit. If the weatherman is right this snow we got today is very temporary, we'll be planting pansies and other spring flowers soon.
4/5/05
It is so beautiful in the greenhouse with many flowers in bloom. Alas, by Wednesday noon the blooms will be gone! Country Junction is doing the flowers for Tapley Pool�s booth at the Bangor Garden Show this weekend, April 8th thru 10th. I hope each of you will take a day to step into spring at the show. Besides 17 life-size landscape creations there are 85 vendors. Each day there is a series of gardening demonstrations. You may check out the show at www.bangorgardenshow.com
Back to those blooms in the greenhouse, all the blooms that bloom in the next few weeks will be cut off as I prune the plants. I want them to put energy into a strong root system.
Its time to pull the mulch back from the strawberries and other plants you covered for the winter. See you at the show! Sally
About Us |
Gardens |
Greenhouse |
Fresh Vegetables
Furniture |
Gifts |
Wreaths |
Directions & Map |
Links |
Route 11
1204 Main Road
N. Bradford, ME 04410
Phone: (207) 327-1398
(leave a message)
Fax: (207) 327-2076
Email: countryjct@gmail.com
|
