Tag: Backyard Garden

July 2023 Wrap-Up

Busy Month

Some months are so full that a daily log could fill the pages of a manuscript and July 2023 was such a month. Thunderstorms, hail and rain have finally given way to the dry heat and southwesterly winds that are more typical of this time of year. Unfortunately, not before compromising some of the grain harvests of the Great Plains.

July 2023 In the Garden

Two inch in diameter hail stones from July 2023 storm The wonky weather has also affected my home garden. One of the two-inch pieces of hail took out an entire potato plant and knocked off some green tomatoes. And many blossoms. The cold rains of the first three weeks of the month gave great moisture to the ground and we are no longer in a drought. However, crops are taking their time ripening.

So far only the patio tomatoes have turned red. A handful of beets and cucumbers have been harvested and just one eggplant has been picked. But plenty of blossoms signal a productive month ahead even if the drip systems need to run.

Furthermore, the herbs are the most prolific I have ever seen. I could participate in a Farmer’s Market if I had a license to sell herbs. The dill has benefited from both robins and humans picking off the caterpillars of the swallowtail butterflies. In turn, chickens enjoyed both the insects and the small pieces of dill mixed in with other grasses as a supplement to their regular diet.

Parsley, sage and horehound are all thriving. And a new book added to the library contains great recipes for these and other herbs in the garden. Look for the Homegrown Herbs book review coming in August.

In the Library

July 2023 was a great month for reading as the heavy rains of the first part of the month and the triple-digit heat of the last few days kept me inside. In addition to five books reviewed on Econogal, three more are already slated for posting. These include books from the Cañon City trip.

I continue to look for new authors or new-to-me writers as I visit the library and make the occasional trip to a bookstore. It is so hard to get a foothold in the industry that I want to review as many new individuals as I can.

Major Events for July 2023

The Fourth of July is a favorite holiday and we travelled to see family. Good food accompanied the pleasant daytime weather. But a major thunderstorm rained out the fireworks. Other trips included visits to Colorado mountain towns of Cañon City and Vail. Both quick overnight stays tied to business. But the mountain scenery fills me with peace.

A weekend trip to celebrate the youngest family member turning one also involved an evening thunderstorm-certainly a recurring theme for July 2023. But the afternoon of the party was sun-filled. Perfect for little ones to play in the water.

Economic Thoughts

Little evidence of a recession still holds true from my observations. Prices are still high so I wasn’t surprised by the additional rate hike from the Federal Reserve. Yet, employment and growth are evident in my little town. New businesses continue to open and/or are under construction. The job opportunities are mostly retail and construction. The hailstorms will ensure work for roofers through the fall.

The housing market remains tight in our part of the world-if the price tag reflects the market. It is hard to tell if a new equilibrium has been established, but sellers no longer have buyers over a barrel. And so far, fire sales and foreclosures are not the norm. A healthy market is welcomed.

July 2023 Wrap-Up- Final Thoughts

The politics of Washington, D.C., Moscow and Beijing seem to be taking a back seat to the weather. Heavy rains, triple-digit temperatures and other climate events are upstaging the pontification and power posturing of some world leaders. The calving of ice at the two poles and the rising ocean temperatures are most concerning. I will continue to read both non-fiction such as The Great Displacement and fiction such as the similarly titled The Displacements to broaden my knowledge. There is much to be learned.

 

March 2022 Wrap-Up

Wow, March 2022  is already gone. This month needs more days in it! I think the shortness of February has something to do with the fact March always seems to disappear. Plus, this time of year has so many demands on me.

March 2022 in the Garden

Spring arrives in March and so does the beginning of the yard work. Since President Biden told us to expect food shortages this year, I decided to expand the garden and plant more. Two new beds were rototilled. Asparagus, which takes multiple years to establish will grow in one. The crowns will also be planted in the next day or so. They will reside between the grapevines planted last year and the fenced garden. Deer tend to turn their nose up at this crop.

A snow fence now encircles the Big Garden as an added deterrent against the wildlife that wander in and out. Next, I will need to build a new gate. Additionally, plans to repair the blown down fence are started. Utility lines are marked. So, the project should be finalized this weekend. Hopefully it will be a few years before hurricane force winds visit us again.

Two hundred forty-four plant seedlings are nestled under the grow lights. Not counting the sixteen peanut plants. Nor the sweet potato slips. Of course quite a few of the starts are herbs and flowers. The latter really draw in the bees; key for pollinating the fruits and vegetables of the garden.

Snow fence built in March 2022
A snow fence adds another barrier against wildlife and wild winds.

Quilts and More Quilts

I am hand quilting a small baby quilt and have another waiting in the wings. A third quilt for a toddler is in the design stages. Fabrics are picked out along with the pattern. A diagram with numbers will keep me straight. Then, there is a key to the diagram which lists each quilt by description. There will be about twenty-five fabrics altogether in this latest design. The name of the pattern is Trip Around the World. One of my favorites. If you keep to the diagram everything comes out great.

March 2022 in the Library

More books were read than reviewed in March 2022. I reread one of my favorite Helen MacInnes books as a way to protest the Invasion of Ukraine. But, I did not include a review. I also read two new board books before giving them to a mom-to-be. They were cute. Maybe I will review a series of board books this summer.

Furthermore, I think you will enjoy the next two reviews. One for each of the upcoming weekends. Both are fiction. So I need to rebalance and find a non-fiction entry that I can finish. I much prefer to lose myself in the world of imagination. Too many dry texts in my past.

Inflation Challenge

The month of April will include an Inflation Check Challenge. It will be interesting to see how prices compare. I know petrol is higher. And housing. I am glad I am not young and just starting out. That would be a real challenge! Maybe things will slow down in April. As interest rates and prices climb, the supply/demand mechanism will come into play.

Jerry Baker’s Fast, Easy Vegetable Garden Book Review

I checked out Jerry Baker’s Fast, Easy Vegetable Garden from the library late last week when we were in between cold fronts. The book was published in 1985 and has nary a photo as you might expect from an older publication. But the illustrations more than make up for a lack of photography.Page with emoji of gardener

For starters, Baker was way ahead of the curve when it came to personalizing the text. Thanks to the photo on the cover page, it was easy to see the resemblance of the gardener illustrated within. Thirty years before emoji’s became popular, Jerry Baker’s Fast Easy Vegetable Garden is strewn with these humorous illustrations. Furthermore, emoji’s for vegetables and garden critters also dot the pages.

Charts and Diagrams

On a more serious note, the gardening manual provides great charts throughout. In addition to the often found last and first freeze charts, Jerry Baker’s Fast Easy Vegetable Garden also has tables breaking down by percentage the amount of primary and secondary elements in the different types of manures, tankages, rock powders and vegetable waste.

Primary elements are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potash- Potassium (K) while the secondary elements are magnesium (MG), manganese (MN), and copper (CU).  There is also a short discussion on minor elements. In addition to the percentages found, Baker includes a discussion on the specific fertilizers.

Other charts differentiate between fast and slow growing plants and types of pests as well as beneficial insects. Baker includes a chart with vitamin content and calories of each type of vegetable. A few simple diagrams explain the importance of spacing and location of the vegetable garden.

Jerry Baker’s Top Tips

I do not consider myself a novice gardener nor a master gardener. Since I am somewhere in the middle there is still plenty to learn. Jerry Baker’s guide may be 35 year’s old, but I found it a valuable resource. In addition to the jargon glossary and the wonderful charts discussed above, the tips for starting seeds are great. Until just recently, I either planted seeds directly into the ground or bought plants.

Last year, I had some success growing from seed a type of tomato that the nurseries were no longer distributing. This year I plan to branch out as discussed in The Peanut Experiment. Jerry Baker’s Fast, Easy Vegetable Garden will be consulted frequently.

The book has a good question and answer section as well as a few recipes. The section on herbs is extensive. Also the one on container planting is quite thorough. This just over two hundred page book is so well written I read it in an afternoon. If your library does not have a copy, do a quick Internet search. There are plenty of used copies available for sale. This book is a winner.

Jerry Baker's Pages illustrating types of garden bugs