FULL PRODUCTION

Our gardens are in full production now.

Every morning we are able to pick 180 - 290 grams (1/4 to 1/2 pound) of mixed greens for lunch.

Bug shirts are still needed as the black flies are everywhere.

Beets, lettuce, spinach, onions growing in the same bed, waiting their turn to be picked; some aren't quite ready. We are amazed at how much produce we can grow in such a small space.

Looks like the carrots are ready to be thinned out. Mary planted three varieties and we are curious to see which ones we prefer. It will be September before we are pulling carrots to eat. They actually taste better after a light frost.

Our tomato plants are healthy and showing new growth. We will have to give them extra protection tonight as it is going down to 2*C.

Our mixed garden greens ready for our salad today.

I think it has been a week since we've gone to the grocery store. With more produce available in our gardens we have fewer reasons to shop in town.

Stay safe everyone and thanks for stopping by.

NEWEST ADDITION

Had a visit with the newest member of the family this morning; too young to bring home but old enough for a cuddle.

There are six available and all of them are adorable.

Mom keeping a close eye on her babies.

Looks like this is the one Mary has fallen in love with. It will be another month before she comes home so I suspect there will be many more visits to watch them grow

Thanks for stoppig by and stay safe everyone.

PLANTING ASPARAGUS

Today we planted asparagus roots.

These arrived yesterday and look healthy and vigorous. We have 48 to plant so this will expand our asparagus bed considerably.

We were outside working shortly after 6 this morning and now it's time for breakfast.

This weather beaten cart that defines one corner of our garden reminds me of all the happy visits we had as kids to my uncle's seed mill. He used that cart to move bags of cleaned seed and we spent hours playing hide and seek in that old mill.

GREAT MEMORIES!

CUCUMBER BED FINISHED

Saturday morning bright and early I was at Northwood Lumber to pick up my order. These were the cedar 2x4s I needed to complete the cucumber bed. Edward had called and we arranged our pick up time and location. Because of COVID-19 the public cannot enter the mill, but right on time Edward brought my order out. Fast, Efficient, Dependable.

First job was to line the bed with landscape fabric then fill the bottom with rotten stumps, limbs and branches. These will supply the bed with vital nutrients as they decay and also help to hold moisture so we can reduce the watering cycle.

I then scooped up a bucket of rough compost to cover the logs. This too has a lot of matter that will decompose over the next year.

This we compressed with our weight and we know there will be further settling as time goes by. That's perfect, as we want to add a topping of homemade compost each year before planting.

Bags of potting soil completed the process and then Mary was ready to plant. Note the protective clothing as the blackflies are at their worst this week.

Mary selected plants from the tray she started a month ago. Those black smudges you see across the middle of the photo are just a few of the thousands of blackflies swarming us as we worked. Fortunately they only last from Mothers' Day to Fathers' Day. Glad those two celebrations are not further apart.

Mary then suspended strings for each cucumber plant to climb as it grows. These were anchored by tucking them under the roots as the plants went into the soil.

Now we need to wrap the bed in plastic to creat a warm environment for the cucumbers. They prefer heat and moisture for optimal growth.

Yesterday we had our first radishes from our gardens. So far this season we've enjoyed: spinach, asparagus, lettuce, pea shoots, rhubarb and chives all growing just steps from our back door. This morning (Monday) Mary enjoyed her first fig of the season, grown indoors on her fig tree.

I'll post more pictures as we harvest throughout the summer.

Thanks for stopping by and stay safe and healthy everyone.

NEW VISITORS

We've had several new visitors this week. When I opened the blinds this morning this guy was staring back at me. No sign of mom but s/he didn't look that old. Watched me for a few minutes then meandered off into the bush.

This Indigo Bunting stopped by for breakfast the other day. Enjoyed a quick meal then left and we haven't seen him since.

This is the first time we've had a Wood Thrush at our feeders. You don't see many this far north as they usually stay in southern Ontario.

Finally a White-crowned Sparrow which we've seen before but we always enjoy his visits. He will spend the summer in the area then head south when the cold weather returns; a true Canadian "snow bird"

No idea why we've had so many enjoyable sightings this week, but we are happy to see new faces regardless of the reasons.

Stay safe and healthy everyone and thanks for stopping by.

CUCUMBER BED

Today we added a cucumber bed to our garden collection. The bedrock here is just below the surface so raised beds make our garden much more productive. Raised beds are also much easier on Mary's back.

I use rough sawn hemlock and as you can see not all boards are exactly the same.

Hemlock is rock solid and heavy. Carrying one 10 ft board was a good workout but I soon had it cut to fit. What you can't see in this photo are the thousands of blackflies enjoying lunch on my arms and legs.

2x4x10 ft. hemlock or cedar are not available from our local lumberyard for another month. I may have to use spruce to finish the upper structure and replace them later. It would be a simple fix and allow us to plant cucumbers tomorrow.

We are already eating spinach, lettuce, asparagus and pea shoots from our gardens and we have tomatoes doing well in our little greenhouse. It looks like trips to the grocery store will become fewer as each week passes.

Our gardens this evening.

Spinach, peas and lettuce are all happy with the cool evenings and warm days.

Thanks for stopping by and stay safe everyone.

WILD LEEKS and FIDDLEHEADS

Today we enjoyed a pan of stir-fried wild leeks and fiddleheads for lunch. Last week we went searching for them as they are both in season right now here in Ontario.

Wild leeks can be enjoyed raw, pickled or cooked. They're the perfect addition to a spring salad, you can use them in soups, pestos and stir-fries, or you can dehydrate them and grind them into powder.

Fiddleheads are called as such because they resemble the end of a fiddle. In fact, they are actually the tender unravelled stem and leaves of a baby fern. We eat the Ostrich fern. It can be found in Ontario in low lying wet areas near (or in) forests and tastes like a cross between asparagus and snap peas.

Fiddleheads should be picked only when tightly coiled. When harvesting take less than half from any one crown to ensure a sustainable harvest. Taking more can harm or even kill the plant.

Nutritionally speaking, fiddleheads contain about 22 calories, 3 grams of carbohydrates, 2.8 grams of protein and 0.2 grams of fat per half cup serving. They owe their beta-carotene content to their deep green color. Fiddleheads also provide a good amount of vitamin C, niacin and potassium.

Happy foraging everyone.

PAINT and REPAIR

As you can see our water tank has shifted and needs to be stabilized. Mary wanted to wash down the chicken coop so we decided to get both jobs done at once. As I pumped out the tank Mary hosed down the coop. We will let it dry and then repaint it next week.

This pile of boards came from the roof of the long coop. They need to be painted before we put the new roof on so we set up a paint station and got to work.

It's black fly season and Mary was bundled up as best she could to avoid any bites.

An hour later we had gone through a gallon of paint and everything was drying. Today we will take a break and go searching for fiddleheads and wild leeks.

Stay safe and well and thanks for stopping by.

CHICKEN COOP BEAM

An extra pair of hands come in handy when you are faced with heavy work and demanding tasks. First step was getting the last of the roof off the old chicken coop.

Jamie was here to help direct as I brought the beam over to the coop.

Almost in position and with a little muscle and a tug on the rope Jamie was able to set the beam down just where I wanted it.

Next we need to get two supporting poles in place as the span is over 24 ft or 7.3 meters. Once that is done I'll be ready for a new roof. This was a job way beyond the capacity of the two of us but with Jamie's help it became doable.  Mary took the pictures and kept an eye on the other end, making sure we didn't knock anything over. Another successful job. Thanks Jamie.

This morning we are watching these Northern Orioles enjoy our feeders.

Stay safe and well everyone and thanks for stopping by.

MINI-GREENHOUSE

We live in "zone 4' for planting which means our growing season is short, our winters are long and our temperatures are cold. Mary wanted a small greenhouse for her tomato plants; nothing fancy just functional, something that would extend the season. She uses her home grown tomatoes in her soups, salads and stews and her last bag of frozen tomatoes was opened this week.

Since we already had raised garden beds it was a simple job to upgrade the frame and wrap everything in plastic. As each plant was placed in the soil, a string was anchored in the hole to give the vine something to climb.

Rather than watering the whole bed, each hole was filled with water before the plant went it,

Firm the soil with your hands and the job is done.

The greenhouse is just about complete. The two front openings allow easy access to the plants and tomatoes for watering, weeding or harvesting.

If you enlarge this photo you will see straps at the top of the front panel which will keep the panels open when needed.

Now we just need some sunny days and warm temperatures to get everything growing vigorously.

Today we hope to  get the new beam lifted into place for the chicken coop.

We have new visitors at our feeders this morning. (Saturday) A pair of Northern Orioles moved into the area overnight. This is the first time we've spotted them since moving here 10 years ago.

Stay safe and healthy everyone. Thanks for stopping by.