winter gardening

Some of the wildflowers need special treatment before they can reproduce.  This is not the desired form of 'special treatment' for people, but some seeds germinate only if they first endure a few months outside in the cold. I sowed several seeds in these small containers, hoping they germinate in early Spring. One benefit is that I know where they are, rather than hiding among the many other wildflower seedlings.  When they sprout I can nurture them until it is time to move them to a permanent spot.

Read more about the process at https://northerngardener.org/winter-sowing-perennials-works/

 

bird feeder garden

The veggie garden has been transitioned to a feeder garden for birds and pollinators.  This year --  among the tomatoes, beans, peas, and squash -- I planted more native flowering plants.  We watched as the nesting birds nearby brought their juveniles to the feeders and taught them how to feed themselves rather than gaping and begging.  Now, with seed feeders and suet cages loaded, we'll start FeederWatch in a few weeks; we'll enjoy watching the birds that gather here and report our counts for ornithology research.

toad

A 3-inch long toad Anaxyrus americanus makes its home in the garden at the edge of the wild wild woods, among the shady spots strewn with vegetable leaf litter.  Her job is bug control in an organic garden, since her diet consists of worms, slugs, grubs, ants, spiders, and other invertebrates.

sage

garden buddies

 

The veggie garden at the edge of the woods has a mesh fence around it.  Although the deer walk over the fence and help themselves to my crops, the rabbits cannot get in.  They amble around the perimeter every morning, nibbling grass while longing for access to the lettuces.   

The chipmunks can go up, down, and around any obstacle except the feeder pole encased in a “slinky”.

sunflower snack bar

 

The sunflowers at the edge of the woods 

invitingly ripen seeds in the sunshine.  

This year, the goldfinches are the 

primary customers at this snack bar.

insect control in the garden

The birds that hang around the wild woods are helpful as they eat insects in the nearby vegetable garden.  More food for the birds, fewer pests on the crops!

Above, a migrating Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Empidonax flaviventris stops for a few bites mid-day.

Right, a female Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis perches on the garden fence to  get a better view of the bug buffet.

I noticed an unfamiliar growth on my rhubarb. Turns out, the rhubarb is BLOOMING. New to me, but evidently common on plants that have been in the ground a while, as mine have. They came from my Dad's back yard, and have been producing delicious stalks for five years. Obviously, something I will use as a subject to create some art.  And the kids devised new ways to use the giant rhubarb leaves.

garden harvest

The kitchen garden at the edge of the wild woods produces a precarious harvest of veggies when the grazing deer stay outside the rabbit fence. On most afternoons there are just enough tomatoes, summer squash, beans, snow peas, or leafy greens ripe for our small suppers.

blooming on the edge

Coreopsis and scabiosa bloom happily together at the edge of the veggie garden.

milkweed - scented delight

Weeding the vegetable garden today was a pleasure -- what a delightful hour. The sky was partly sunny with clouds floating by to cool me when the breeze was not enough. The soil was damp enough from recent rains so the weeds came out easily. And the milkweed that Julie started downhill from the veggie patch is in full scented bloom. The whiff of milkweed blooms on the breeze is, to me, the best -- sweet and spicy with hint of honey. And the blossoms are beautiful! No wonder the butterflies adore this plant. Monarchs, in particular, lay their eggs on the undersides of milkweed leaves and their caterpillars feed on them.

borage - improves tomatoes?

Last year, I learned that borage (Borago officinalis L.) is not only a pretty flowering edible herb, but it also improves the flavor of tomatoes when grown within a few feet of them. I did plant some borage seeds, and they blossomed profusely. I don't know if it helped my tomatoes, since weather and other variables seem to be in control here. And, this year, the volunteer borage is coming up throughout the veggie garden.