Rise of the Pumpkins

Ok its been a long time since I have written here. The arrival of The Littlest Giant has taken up all of my time. In her honor, I present a picture of the first flowers of the vines grown from the seeds of her namesake:



I promise that she will always have a Pumpkin Patch planted just for her. :)

With all the rain that we had been getting in the last 2 months, the garden has almost been growing like a weed. It seems that in the past 2 weeks there has been an explosion of growth. The ground is no longer barren and waiting.

The Main Bed as it stands now almost 2 months since it was seeded:


The reverse angle:


A lot less plants grew than I had planted. I didn't have time to do a second planting, and the weather was so cool and wet that I think the bed took a long time to heat up. So far, I have put organic compost down twice, once right after planting, and another time when the plants emerged enough that I could tell them apart from the weeds. You will see the dark soil in the close up pictures. Note the sticks that hold up the deer fence. So far, the Bambi Brigade has been thwarted. It was this time last year that the assault began and I lost my entire crop of corn. So far, so good. My biggest fear actually, is when the sunflowers come in, then I have to not only worry about Squirrel Squadron, but "The Wing". Blackbirds regularly patrol Suburbia. The bird feeder that The Wife insists on keeping (I know, the baby will learn so much with it there) will hopefully give them enough to ignore my crop.

The tops of the sunflower plants, roughly 4 feet from the ground:


Just in front of the sunflowers, corn that is also 4 feet tall. I know the expression is "knee high by the 4th of July" but what does it mean if it is chest high by June 22nd?:

I decided to mix the space set aside for the tomatoes and corn. I know that next year I need to rotate the crops so tomato worms don't get a foothold. I think of the garden as one of those puzzles that has a single piece missing. Or maybe I won't till the soil to support that whole eco-system/perma-culture approach. So many decisions. :)

The tomatoes in their own space. No flowers yet. My neighbors already have fruit, but they bought theirs already planted from the Home Despot. I'm sure they aren't organic either:

In this corner, weighing in at maybe a pound, the makers of juice, providers of vitamin A, and favorite food of Bugs Bunny: Carrots!

Lastly in the Main Bed, 2 types of chilies. Regular Bell Peppers, and these chillies that I got from my Giant-in-Law. They are "Chinese" peppers, but I think they are just Jalapenos. Again, my neighbor's have fruit, but they aren't organic either.


Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch breathes Again
I dunno, looking at these photos, I kinda like the fallow state that Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch was in before I planted. Probably because it reminds me of autumn. Anyway, I planted red potatoes that I bought from Whole Foods into the potato baskets I bought from Gardner's Supply Company. The blue ring is part of the cat tower that our fearsome, house Tigers completely ignored. Next to the potatoes are the pumpkins. Since its can't be Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch without pumpkins right?

Closeup of the potato bin's. These so surprised me, they are growing so fast that I could potentially harvest next month.

And of course, last but not least, the pumpkins themselves. They are flowering, but the vines are just making it out of the patch. It will be a while until they are long enough to start setting fruit. I will watch them like a hawk again. I know that the Bambi Brigade and the Squirrel Squadron are just biding their time.




This blog seems to be turning exclusively to gardening, but I assure you it is not the case. :) I have received my LEED AP certification just before the Littlest Giant was born. I haven't been able to make much of it having been on leave and with the economy slowly limping back, but there should be more in the future.

Next up: solar panels to charge the electric mower.

Rain Rain Go away

8 days, eight days of rain! My garden is doing well, but I'm almost worried about the roots of the plants rotting. Everything has spouted. The ground is so muddy that I can't put up the deer fence without worrying about sinking into a quagmire and drowning. I know that the 3rd rain barrel I ordered will come when everything finally stops. *sigh*

I'll take pictures as soon as I it doesn't look like a swamp.

A Garden Reborn

Here it is, the moment you have all been waiting for...well some of you have been waiting for...well, the one I have been anyway. :) The garden in all its glory is being reborn from the ashes of its former self. As stated in my other entries, the garden has been moved from the old spot to a new one on the north side of my house. I have also decided to replant pumpkins in the spot they were last year and plant only with some potatoes. Hopefully this will keep the Bambi Brigade away from that particular patch in the hopes that the pumpkin vine's will remain un-accosted and I can get a good crop to celebrate the arrival of their namesake. I have taken a few pictures to document the progress, I also have documented the rainwater harvest system that I have set up. I have not yet taken pictures of the Front Garden. Maybe I will get to that tomorrow.

These are the rain barrels I promised I would document. No, you don't see the fact that the shutters really need to be painted. The barrels are Greek pepper barrels that I bough from this site. Pretty much the same barrels as seen on TV. The terra-cotta colored barrels hold 50 gallons each (that's 400 pounds of water each, for those of you keeping score.) The hose between the two of them is the overflow that allows one to flow into the other, filling them up in succession. The black hose coming out of the top of the left barrel is the extra overflow that keeps the water from just pooling on the top if it rains too much. The green hose coming from the bottom of the left barrel is the connector to the drip irrigation system that I laid out in the Main Bed. The barrels are directly across a little brick path from the Main Bed.

These barrels fill up fast! They went from completely empty, to overflowing in a day of light to moderate rain, without a very large roof surface area. I might get at least one more, just in case the summer is really hot, which it looks like it might be. Not pictured on the right barrel is another hose that I used to fill the water can with. It was much easier than to unscrew one of the plugs and have the water shoot out all over.

The Main Bed, as it lay bare. Who's that Giant with that rake?

The Main Bed as being prepared by me (photos provided by my lovely assistant, The Wife). The soil is very clay-y? clay-like? clay containing? In the Suburbia area. Soils class is a little vague to me at the moment, but I seem to recall something about the Piedmont being like this. The soil, and the bricks, are leftovers from the construction of my porch, so it probably should not be a surprise that there isn't a heck of a lot of organic matter in it after 50 years of being unproductive.

My drip irrigation laid out, with me getting the sunflower seeds ready to go. We found this in the local Home Despot, its a Vigoro drip irrigation hose. I think they might be discontinuing it because I can't find it online anywhere now, and I bought the whole length for $10. It works well, but since it is drip, it has to run for a few hours to get even 2 gallons of water out. Great to turn on and walk away, easy to forget about.

Irrigation with the approximate location of the plantings.

The list of vegetables panted in the Main Bed (Sounds like Main Belt Asteroid. I know, only I would get/make that joke):
1) Sunflowers: the red, multi-bloom variety
2) Corn, yes corn again, Bambi Brigade be damned
3) Tomatoes, Squirrel Squadron be damned.
4) Carrots
5) Green Bell Peppers
6) Jalapeno Peppers
7) Some Chinese peppers that I don't know the variety of. Yes I know, not local, but the Giant's Mother-in-law is too cute to deny sometimes.

The Main Bed, seeds, irrigation, covered lightly in sand to break up the clay.

It's not evident in this photo, but I have already hit Whole Foods and grabbed some organic compost and spread it over the top. The sand is there to keep the water from just running off the clay. I'm crossing my fingers as to whether this will actually work or not. The soil has so much less organics than that in Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch. Ideally I should have mixed compost in with the sand and clay and tilled everything together. If I get bad results this year, I think that will likely be the culprit. Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch, and the Front Garden have more organics, so it will be interesting to see the results. *puts down pencil and clipboard*

Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch, in its glorious fallow state. The site of the Original Garden (may Gaia protect it.) Ahh, the possibilites!

Ye New Olde Pumpkin Patch. 4 mounds, each seeded with MANY seeds I recovered from our pumpkins that were not carved into Jack-o-lanterns last Samhain. Like the Main Bed, these mounds were covered in sand to aid drainage. The soil is much more organic at this part of the yard (which is within sight of the Main Bed). As of yesterday I have seen 4 sprouts poking thought the sand. This tells me that, so far, Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch is the most productive section of this garden complex. Who knows what the future may hold? The space to the left of the mounds is reserved for potato baskets which are due to arrive any day.

Next up, the Front Garden and potatoes in a bag.

Front lawns and the power of "looking nice"

Ah, spring is here. Its warm and sunny and everything is green and growing fast. Well, somewhere it is, but not in my neighborhood at the moment. Things are still pseudo-dormant and we keep getting frosts that preclude me from planting directly into the ground. Yes, yes, I know, I should have started indoors etc. Bad Giant.

Anyhoo, for YEARS, I have railed against the uselessness of lawns. They consume resources in water, fertilizer, time, gasoline (for those who don't have electric mowers), all that, and all I get in return is grass that I can't utilize unless I had a flock of sheep. (yea, try selling that in Suburbia). I've wanted to plant wildflowers, but that is considered a nuisance since they go too seed in the fall and might impinge on others lawns. Can you see that? "Damn beautiful flowers in my monochrome green wasteland! Lowering the property values, that is!!!!"

So, the last option of course: grow food on the lawn, at least that will be productive use of the space. This is a mantra I repeat almost every time I mow the lawn. Of course the best sun on my entire parcel of land is the front of the house, but of course people consider that 'bad' or 'unsightly' or even 'low-class' to actually grow your own food in your FRONT lawn! "Gasp! what would Bitsy and Theodore say????"

Now being the kind of person I am my answer to those kinds of questions is ALWAYS - "screw 'em." However, massive changes to the abode has veto power by the Giant's Wife. For the longest time she wouldn't let me do it because it would "look bad." I.e. overgrown plots, no structure, Velociraptors waiting to pounce on hapless passers-by. It took weeks just to convince her to put the first garden in the backyard. (see requiem for a garden for details) But then it was easier to convince her to move it to the north side. Easier still was getting the two rain-barrels I have (which I have been remiss in documenting, again Bad Giant), but those went over well because she saw them on Living With Ed. Ah she needs to see it and that it CAN be beautiful! Eureka! So last night we see a news report on ABC about people "eating their lawn" and BAM! she's on board. I can't find the report, but here is something similar. Could not have been better timing really, this week the bed of English Ivy in the front of the house gets ripped out (I know its pretty, but its an invasive species and it breeds mosquitoes. Damn those Tigers!) Originally to be replaced with just a butterfly garden, but now will be host to vegetables as well!

OK lots of plans, I promise I will keep it documented.

Requiem for a Garden

As most have read, The Giant has had a difficult time with the local fauna in his Suburbia backyard. Squirrels have been the major culprit, scampering about with their cute little tails and noses, frolicking, if you will, in the bounty provided by this glorious planet. We all know of their darker side, sinister rats with puffy tails, waiting to prey upon you and your family while you sleep, destroying all that every red-blooded American holds dear. Now they have a new conspirator: Bambi. He and his brethren skulk about in the night, doing unspeakable acts that squirrels can only dream of doing: eating corn stalks to the ground!

OK, this might be a little bit of a digression, and although I have strong, no, giant-sized opinions on game hunting, this blog is not about that. Its about trying to live with nature, no matter how she confounds me.

The garden, eventually ended up being a mere shadow of what I had envisioned. Here is a tally:

Lima Beans: 24 plants plated, number of beans: 0
(plats sprouted, never set fruit)

Corn: 8 stalks planted, number of ears: 0
(stalks mowed to the ground by clandestine deer just as the stalks had at least 2 growing ears each)

Summer squash: 8 vines planted, number of squash: 3
(5 vines crushed as stealthy cloven-hooves dine on corn, 2 vines set fruit yielding 4 six-inch long fruits, 1 disappears, possibly stolen by joint deer/squirrel task force)

Sunflowers: 8 stalks planted, number of flowers: 0
(6 seeds dug out of the ground by squirrels, 2 sprout but then disappear, deer/squirrel brigade suspected)

Tomatoes: numerous plants planted, number of fruits: 0
(4 fruits set, Giant waits with baited breath as they grow almost to picking, tomatoes disappear off vines. Again, deer/squirrels suspected)

Pumpkins: 8 vines planted, number of fruits: 1
(7 crushed during Odocoileus virginianus raid. The 1 remaining vine sets 1 fruit, which the Giant guards with the passion of an expectant father. the fruit is gnawed on shortly after turning orange, the Giant harvests early to save what he could. The sole battle scarred orb sits alongside large commercially grown Jack-o-lanterns during Samhain. Days later develops mold, retired to new garden location to return to Gaia.)

All in all, not a very good crop. Thankfully I don't have to feed my family with it. I'm moving the garden to a new spot on the north side of my house. Ironically, during the summer months it gets the most light when the sun is high in the sky for most of the day. So far, the perimeter is set out in a rectangle with dirt and bricks recovered for the construction of the screened-in porch. I will also be surrounding the perimeter with 5 foot chicken wire fencing to deter Bambi's Brigade (which my wife saw wandering around the hood only last week). And obtaining rain barrels to save water to provide for the garden daily. Next years crop will also have its more tasty members grown in the screened-in porch to start. I am determined to get the sunflowers going.

Crops planned for next year:
Corn: Again, Bambi's Brigade be dammed
Sunflowers: ibid
Tomatoes: in secondary cages to further dissuade Squirrel Squadron
Pumpkins: in the same spot as the old garden. I think they had a shot, just needed at least 25 feet of vine before setting fruit. With no other tasty morsels in the area, the Bambi's Brigade should leave them alone
Potatoes: Hopefully Squirrel Squadron wont find them underground.
Chili Peppers: Capsaicin baby! Squirrels apparently hate it
Cucumbers: Yes a new one, neighbors have great success with theirs, hopefully I can share more wealth.

Battle plans are being draw. Thank you old garden, I mourn your passing and look froward to your rebirth.

"I'll get you, you varmint!" (Updated)

OK, a little clarification on The Giant's stance on organizations like PeTA and Greenpeace. I think that they have great missions, and really heighten peoples conciseness on things like animal rights and environmental issues. To me, they really serve as a firebrand, like you wacky alcoholic uncle who can really wax prosaic on some seriously deep issues, but by the same token is not the person you willfully invite to a party because it will be all about them in the end. Message received, but you actions speak so loud I can't hear anything you are saying. That having been said, The Giant is against all forms of animal cruelty. period.

I have a vegetable garden (that I really should be taking photos of) in my Suburbia backyard. The garden isn't doing so well because I really didn't put in the most sunny spot possible. I was growing corn, sunflowers, lima beans, summer squash, tomatoes, and pumpkins. As of today (august 7th) the corn is only up to my chest, and has one tiny ear on each plant. Although the tomatoes, squash, beans and pumpkins have nice, healthy plants, not one of them has set fruit. None. The sunflowers didn't even come up at all. There is a lot to be said about me planing late (memorial day) or not enough fertilizer (the plot is brand new) or not enough sunlight, but we have gotten a lot of rain.

The Giant was talking to his much smaller neighbors the other day. They mentioned that they were having the worst time with vegetables being stolen from their garden. Theirs is in a good spot, gets plenty of sun, no pests, etc. So their plants actually set fruit. "Bummer" I thought. "They aren't stealing from me. Yet." But wait, they do like sunflower seeds. Hmmm.

Next day, I come home and go to look out at The Giant's brand new screened in porch. What to my wandering eyes should appear: a squirrel runs past the french doors. INSIDE the porch! Thinking one of the workmen must have let it in, I rush to the door to let the poor little guy out. Upon opening the door, I spy another, yes another, squirrel with his head buried in the container of birdseed that I have stored inside the porch. Quickly I spy to the screen and see the 4 inch wide hole that they chewed though the screen to get at the delicious seeds. I flew into a rage, screaming at top of my voice, "Get the (unprintable) out of my (unprintable) porch you (unprintable)(unprintable)(unprintable)(unprintable) varmint (unprintable) it!" What ensued after that was sheer hilarity in which the two thieves scampered around the inside of my porch, like those motorcycles inside steel cages that you often see at county fairs, or certain sections of the Las Vegas strip. Enraged, I pick up an extra piece of siding that the workmen left behind for repairs. Repeatedly I smacked it against the ground and against the walls, like some Neanderthal trying to get a leopard out of his cave before it eats his children. Full of sound and fury, all I succeed in doing was scaring the crap out of the fuzzballs. Stopping to watch one of them panting and scared out of its tiny mind an urge rises within me. "I could kill that (unprintable) right now. He's so scared I can just reach out and snap its neck before he'd get the chance to bite me. It'd be quick and painless, more than he deserves."

Right there. Right there I feel the urge of 100,000 years of evolution. "Kill what threatens you. Kill what steals from you. If it lives your children don't eat. Kill."

"Dude, chill." I say audibly. "It's a (unprintable) squirrel. You are the dumb-ass that left the birdseed out." forgetting that these guys had chewed though the container at a point previous, providing the second one with the access into the container in the first place.

Calmly, I walk back, open both screen doors, (letting those tiger mosquitoes in, the reason for the porch in the first place). I continue to smack the siding on the ground, but less frantically, using my evolved cortex to solve a problem, instead of a finding the quickest way to kill something 200 times smaller than me. One makes it out quickly, then after a minute, the second one (the VERY scared one) makes his way out. I'm left with the task of cleaning the spilled seed up, and patch the whole in the screen with duct tape since the workmen haven't shown me how to replace the screens yet.

So what to do at this point? Obviously the reason why the squirrels are so bad in my 'hood is because we killed all their predators. The wolves, bears, and mountain lions were all removed because of the same instincts that almost made me kill the squirrels. Whether justified or not, they were a bigger threat than just to my garden. Coyotes are making into my section of Suburbia, but I think they won't have much of an impact. Trapping them maybe? Moving them to the park and therefore someone else's problem? Or do I have to assume the role of predator since humanity took the real ones out? Is this out legacy? To be apex predators to something as small as squirrels and chipmunks? Thank God the crows aren't that aggressive, or then I'd be in real trouble.

UPDATE:
Thank you Mango Power Girl for letting me know that even western squirrels are a pain in the behind. I'm not so sure they are looking for moisture, since they also eat all the apples off my tress as well. Sadly, I'd leave water out for them, but then the mosquitoes would be even more intolerable. BTW, not only are the squirrels a problem, deer wandered into my yard and ate all the corn. Not just the ears, but the entire stalk all the way down to the ground. Who said the only wildlife inside the beltway are interns? Next year: cage the whole thing.