Green Tomatoes and Prolific Pickling Cucumbers

The garden has been progressing nicely this month. All of the veggie plants are producing veggies. The strawberry plants have slowed down but they're still producing a few berries here and there. The summer has been fairly mild this year with a few really hot days mixed in which seems to be making all of the plants happy. Now if we could get a few soaking rains the garden would be really happy.

The tomato plants all have green tomatoes on them. We just need a few more really hot days to ripen them up. The cucumbers have been growing like gangbusters. I've already harvested over a dozen pickling cucumbers and about half-dozen burpless cucumbers. There have also been three yellow squash and one zucchini. The green beans keep plugging away even though they look like they might have contracted some disease. I need to spray them with something to see if the leaves will green-up again. Bugs are getting to the tomato and squash leaves also. I hate using chemicals but there are so many good, organic products out there now that I can use. I'll check the reviews and get the one that's best. Almost all of the corn stalks have ears on them. I think I counted about ten ears in total. I've never grown corn before so I'm excited about those.

The herbs are all growing out of control. I've cut back the thyme, rosemary, dill and oregano which has made the plants much happier. I plan to cut back the cat mint and lavender after they flower. I might also harvest more of the oregano since the plant has gotten so big this year.

The violas in the cross on the hill were looking dead so I finally pulled them up and trimmed the grass around the cross. I still need to line or edge the cross so the grass can't crowd back in and take over. I also need to buy some hearty, drought resistant annuals and plant those in the cross to add some color.

The plant 'sale' was a success on Sunday. I harvested some of the volunteer basil, tomato, and crepe myrtle plants that were coming up on their own in the garden and potted them. Then I put them out with the weekly produce for people to take. This time I put a container out for donations and explained to those who were curious that the garden budget had been restricted this year and that donations were welcome to keep the garden going. Everyone was very receptive. The donation box had a little over $20 inside and all of the produce and more than half of the plants were gone. I will put the rest of the plants out every Sunday until they are gone. If they don't get adopted I can put an APB out to other gardeners and see if they want them for a possible donation. I have one friend who puts her extra plants up on craigslist every year and she always has takers. I'll need to check into the fundraising rules to see if I am allowed to ask for money for the plants from non-church members. I know when I was a girl scout leader that we had restrictions about fundraising.

I will post pictures of the overgrown garden and the cross with fresh annuals as soon as I get a breather. It seems like there is always something that needs to get done. But, I'm not complaining. I feel blessed to be able to garden at my church with very few restrictions and plenty of space to work with. I just wish the poison ivy wasn't trying to take over in some places. I guess I better get some spray for that too. *sigh*

Strawberries Changing the World

You might wonder from the title how a tiny strawberry can change the world. Well, let me explain. I've been collecting strawberries from the garden for the past week or two, enough to fill one of those regular sized plastic cartons from the store. I was wondering what to do with them and so I got to thinking.

The garden is paid for through tithes by the parishioners. So technically all of the produce belongs to the congregation. I'm always telling people that they are welcome to pick what they need. However, I'm kind of glad that they let me pick everything and then bring it in every Sunday to share. That way I can pick things when they're ripe and assure that everyone has a fair chance to get what they want/need each week.

So, the only plants that are producing enough fruit to share right now have been the strawberries. Let me stop and explain that I'm no expert on the care of strawberry plants. I didn't realize that slugs and snails love strawberries and will eat little holes in them if you don't protect the plants and put mulch or straw (strawberries, get it) down around them. Most of the strawberries I was picking were either half-ripe or had a small hole or two from the slugs. I didn't throw them away though. I just cut the hole out and the rest of the berry was fine. I even ate a few to make sure they wouldn't make people sick and they were delicious and they didn't make me sick.

Then I started thinking about upcoming church functions where I could serve the strawberries and where they would do the most good. It didn't dawn on me until Amy Lyon asked if I was bringing something for the "Change the World" bake sale that I could make a dessert with the berries. The proceeds from the bake sale would then be used to buy much-needed books for Groveton Elementary School's reading program. So there you have how strawberries can change the world. Who knows what greatness those books will spark in the kids at Groveton.

Thanks again to Tracy for putting the Buy Fresh Buy Local magnet behind the pies. That added a lot to their attraction. Oh, and if you're curious about the recipe I can tell you what ingredients I used but not the proportions.

Mini Strawberry Pies:
- mini graham cracker crusts
- strawberries mixed with agave nectar and cinnamon
- topping of brown sugar, vanilla flavored granola, and butter

Here are more pictures of the Change the World weekend event at MVUMC

It's a Grand Old Flag

Mom and I bought some plants over the weekend for the planter boxes. This is right after I had received an email from a church board member asking me to cool it on the garden spending. He didn't give me a number as a ceiling. He just said to be conservative with my spending. Minus
the flowers for the planters, I have spent under $300 of the church's money for annuals, a few perennials, seeds, starter soil for the seeds, a few veggie and herb plants, and garden soil. I had to replace some of the tools that I had purchased last year with church funds. But, since I broke them, I spent my money to buy new ones. Also, mom spent her own money to buy hanging baskets for the two hooks on the evergreen tree. So, I was a little resentful when I was told to stop spending so much of the church landscaping funds. I understand that having a garden is a frill. But, I also understand that having an inviting church exterior will make visitors and potential new members feel welcome.

Anyway, I immediately started thinking of solutions to this problem. I came up with two ideas that I had cleared by the same board member. First, I can place a jar at the back of the sanctuary and announce during worship services that I'm collecting funds for the garden. Second, I can have a plant sale to sell the excess seedlings I planted and have no room for. I have about 15 sweet basil plants that I could part with. There are also a ton of 'extra' plants that pop up in the garden that I usually just pull and compost. For instance, there are tons of new lariope plants every year. I would gladly part with them for funds to purchase the summer and fall annuals. So I have my marching orders and I have a great desire to keep the garden up to my high standards. Now I just need to find a jar and make an announcement. Oh, and if you were wondering, I'm not charging the church for the plants for the planters. I will count them as a donation to the church which I can claim on my taxes next year.

Back to gardening! I mentioned the plants that I bought for the planters. We got these fern spikes for the back of the boxes, then red geraniums after that, some blue flowers in front of those, and white petunias that will hopefully thrive and spill over the edge. I'm sure you noticed by now that I said red, white, and blue; all patriotic colors. I also figured the red would work since it's a Methodist color (think of the Methodist 'cross on fire'). Plus, they are all hearty plants that will look good all summer. It took me about two hours to get the boxes planted and placed on the balcony. I then had to rig the hose and reel so I could water the planters every other day. The land is sloping underneath the spigot so that took some huffing and puffing. But, I got it all done.


I then went to plant the gorgeous, deep purple clematis mom bought me. At first I couldn't think of a good place to put it. Clematis like to climb but they aren't destructive like ivy. They also like to have lots of sunlight which is at a premium in the garden. So, I had to think outside the box or in this case, outside of the usual flower beds. I finally decided to plant it right outside of the playground and up against the fence so that it can grow and climb the fence each year. I will probably need to clear the land around it and put up some barrier so the lawn guys don't mow it down. Then, I planted the two hydrangeas that were abandoned in the garden after Easter. I figured someone had left them there for me to plant and having no one to ask about them, I just dug two holes a few feet to either side of the clematis and dropped them in. I gave them all plant food and I'll water them well and hope for the best. They were a bit waterlogged when I found them and some of their leaves were falling off from neglect. But, I'm hopeful that they will pull through with some love and care.

Five Hours of Fun

I got a ton of planting done on Good Friday. All of the flowers I bought a few weeks ago are now in the ground. Now I wish I had bought another flat of geraniums. But I doubt they would still have them at Costco if I went back. I'll just have to look at Home Depot or Lowe's or even Walmart.

Then on Saturday I planted the entire vegetable garden. It took me about five hours to do. But, that included shade breaks and a few calls to family and friends about Easter. All of this planting business started weeks ago when I bought the garden soil and tilled it into the existing soil after weeding and getting the leaves out of the beds. Then I had to study up on crop rotation and plot out the garden based on last year and what was planted where. I procrastinated about that for a while until I finally sat down with pen and paper and sketched it all out. So from left to right (if you are facing the playground from the driveway) this is what's planted this year: two types of lavender, oregano, a lavender rhododendron, ever-bearing strawberries, peas, lima beans, green beans, a butterfly bush, thyme, Italian flat leaf parsley, rosemary, lemon balm, four types of tomatoes, cinnamon basil, corn, green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, a very sad looking azalea, and cucumbers. The squash and zucchini are both seeds that I planted directly into the soil.

cucumbers

dill, corn, squash, and beans                   

I've been watering the soil twice a day so I hope the seeds germinate and grow. I usually grow everything indoors first so this is my first time planting something directly in the soil. I am also not sure which plants are lima beans and which ones are climbing green beans. I guess I'll find out when they    start to bear fruit.

tomatoes and basil

lemon balm, rosemary, parsley, and thyme 

bush beans

lima beans

                          peas

strawberries

I still have some seedlings waiting for transplant including mini and regular sunflowers, sweet basil, and chamomile. I think I might plant the mini sunflowers in a pot and put it next to the preschool entrance. There's an extra pot I found the other day. Of course I found it after I was finished planting all of the flowers in pots and in the ground. So I didn't have even one geranium, viola, or petunia to plant in it. I could also plant the chamomile in the pot also. I think it would like the softer potting soil and I would like to be able to move it if I need to.

oregano and two types of lavender

Speaking of pots to fill. I have three window boxes that I bought last week and plan to fill and put on the balcony on the street side of the railing. Next time I get paid I will hit up the plant nursery for some 'thrill, spill, and fill.' I think the hardest part will be to pick the thrill plant/s. I was thinking red geraniums because they're the color of the Methodist Church so to speak.

 Also, geraniums are hearty and can handle the direct sunlight and if I don't get to watering them every day. Then I was think I would fill the pots with maybe a few decorative ferns or small grasses. And the spill can be ivy or vinca. Actually, that also makes me think of impatiens. They would make good thrill and fill and are hearty as well. I guess I'll hold off and see what comes out for sale after all of the violas and pansies are completely gone from the stores. I'll need to grab some marigolds for the summer anyway. So I might as well get everything in one trip if I can swing it.

 So far the garden is in stasis. That means I can focus on other projects around the grounds like pruning the saplings from the crepe myrtles, taming the vines along the driveway (while avoiding the poison ivy I saw there the other day), and getting the rest of the weeds out of the far off garden. There's always something that needs to be done. I'm not complaining though. I think I've finally hit my stride this year and I think the garden really reflects that.

The Old Rugged Cross

So, last Fall I undertook the challenge to create a giant cross on the front lawn that faces Belle View Boulevard. Celeste had approached me about planting some tulip bulbs she had bought into the shape of a cross. I of course said yes. So I got to work with string and popsicle sticks to plot out the size and outline of the cross. Then I got a shovel and dug out the grass and mixed garden soil in with the existing soil. Since it was Fall, I bought some violas  in purple and white to fill in around the bulbs to give color during the winter. Now, as you can see in the picture, the cross has bloomed and it's gorgeous if I do say so myself. There are three kinds of daffodil bulbs planted that bloom in early, mid, and late spring so there will be color for a little longer. I don't think they will last until Easter but you never know.

The tulips that I planted around the wooden cross have started to grow and bloom. I put some purple violas at the base of the cross to add some winter color. They go perfectly with the tulips and they also look gorgeous and welcoming.

I started trimming the liriope and other decorative grasses on Saturday. It's going to take at least one more day to finish with that. I have a ton of weeding to do as well before I can start preparing the children's garden for the veggie plants. I bought a few veggies at the hardware store this past weekend including tomatoes and corn. I also started the seedlings to grow green beans, lima beans, peas, cucumbers, and egg plants. Then I'll find pepper plants at the plant nursery next month. Hopefully it will be a good growing year. If it's as hot as last summer, the tomatoes will do really well. We shall see I guess. For now I need to focus on prepping the gardens and worry about the summer later.

3-8-12 Early Spring - Gearing up for Summer

So, I didn't get as much of a winter break from the garden as in most years. Winter didn't really hit us or at least it didn't hit us hard. We only had a few hard frosts and it didn't really snow. With spring coming sooner this year, I need to hurry to get my seedlings started. I have the starter soil and trays but haven't made the time to get everything started. I also want to buy some bush green bean seeds to plant and possibly some peas. I might have waited too late for the peas though. They probably should have gone in at the end of last month. We shall see.

On my list of things to do in the garden is to get the beds ready for spring and summer planting. I bought some Preen weed preventor to shake into the flower beds. I don't want to be out there pulling weeds when the summer temperatures are near 100 with 100% humidity. On top of that I need to start mixing in garden soil and compost in the veggie garden beds and trim or pull out the old plants. When that's finally finished I can tend to planting new hanging baskets and putting some spring color in with the pansies. I've heard snapdragons will do good in the spring and I know they go through the summer. So I might see if they have those in at the garden center yet. Finally, I need to trim the decorative grasses so they will grow big and bushy again and not look as scraggily for the spring.

My one big improvement this growing season will be to add some planter boxes along the railing on the main entrance porch that faces the street. I want to have all sorts of colors and textures in the boxes so people see them from the street and know that the people of MVUMC care about their church and want to welcome new people in. I also want to plant small shrubs and flowers in the giant pots that used to house the two evergreens that fried a few summers ago. I need to unearth the giant root balls from them first which is why I wimped out and didn't plant anything permanent in there last year. 

As a side project, I had offered to paint the pillars in the fellowship hall this spring. Every time I look at the blue sponge painted pillars I can't help but think of my sister's room back in middle school in the late 80's or early 90's. Needless to say, the fellowship hall looks dated and not as welcoming as it could be. My mom is worried that after I paint the pillars, the rest of the walls and chair railing will look like they need new paint. That's a risk I'm willing to take. I haven't decided on a shade yet but I'm thinking of an off-white with a touch of yellow and brown in it so that it's cheery and warm but not in your face.

7-7-11 Visitors

Above is a picture taken by Sharri R. who is the interim preschool director at the church. I believe this is the doe that I encountered while watering the garden one quiet afternoon. She walked out of the woods near where the pastor parks and continued on into the back part of the garden that's right there. I happened to be standing about 15 feet away watering that same garden. She was wary of me but more interested in eating than running away. At first I was worried she would be after the flowers I had just planted. But, then I noticed that she was only eating the tender green vines that were creeping up the plants. It's a miracle! A deer that only eats the plants you want them to eat. She was eating the weeds I was going to have to labor in the heat and humidity to yank off of the plants anyway. I love this doe! And how could anyone resist those cute little fawns she has in tow? Thanks Sharri for this wonderful picture.

The rest of the garden is going strong. So far I have harvested half a dozen large cucumbers and a bunch of cherry tomatoes and jalapeno peppers. So we will have plenty of bell peppers and an eggplant or two. The sunflowers are in full bloom. Some of the flower heads are almost ready for harvesting and drying to get their seeds. We lost one cucumber plant. I don't know if it caught a disease or what happened. I realized too late that perhaps I should have planted the cucumbers in a different part of the garden than where I planted them last year. I know a little about crop rotation but it slipped my mind on planting day. Also, the snow peas shriveled up for the season and I pulled them up and planted a butterfly bush. I'm hoping that the blooms from the butterfly bush will attract pollinators. If nothing else, it will provide some color.

As for the rest of the garden beds, all is well. Besides a few weeds here and there, the garden has been low maintenance this year. When I started gardening at the church in 2009 I couldn't imagine a time when the gardens would be somewhat stable and mostly maintenance-free. It's a good feeling but one I don't expect will last too long. Soon enough it will be time to pull out the summer plants and put in the mums and winter pansies.

On a side note, I can't stop thinking about planters for the railings on the front entrance of the church. I want to buy them now but I've told myself that I should wait until next growing season. I don't want to introduce too many new elements at once. But the wait is killing me!