Gardening on the Coast

Bugs in the meadow...

2007-06-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

There's a meadow next to our property. I took these photos early this morning when I took the dog for his walk. (Click photos to enlarge).

Metallica bug...

Snug as a bug...

Rock a bye bug...

"Love" bugs...

Dead bug!

Scenes from my garden

2007-06-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some pix from our garden. I use a pinestraw mulch to keep weeds down. What weeds do emerge are easily pulled out. These are squash photos:

Scenes from Urbanna, VA

2007-06-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

We live in a coastal area and today I took these photos in Urbanna, VA, a quaint little port town that dates from the 1600's.

How to apply diatomaceous earth to plants

2007-06-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

I use no pesticides on my veggies (or anywhere in my gardens). From time to time, however, I see some bugs If there are only a few, I use a spray of water, or Safer Soap if there are more. For bugs that are large and the plant is in distress (I'll post photos of the bugs soon), I bring out the diatomaceous earth.

I tried just shaking it on with a spoon or cup, but that was messy and inefficient and wasteful. I was wishing that there was a way to "powder" them like powdering a baby! I then remembered some coffee cans that I had saved before I switched to organic fair trade coffee.

I used a hammer and nail to punch holes in the can, then placed a plastic lid over the holes. I put the diatomaceous earth in the can and then used a lif from another can to keep the diatomaceous earth in the can...a lid on each end until you need to use it.

Here are a couple of pix that may help you to make something like this for your garden needs.

Nope, it isn't snowing on this Beefsteak tomato! I had applied diatomaceous earth the day before.

Even more garden pix...

2007-05-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

More garden pix...

2007-05-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

A BIG fern!

2007-05-26T18:38:00.001-07:00

With fronds like these, who needs anemones?!

This was taken at the Lewis Ginter Botanical gardens in Richmond, VA.

Garden photos

2007-05-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

Still waiting on the veggies...we're picking some peas, and the tomatoes have flowers! In the mean time, here are some random shots from the garden. Coming soon will be pix of my latest landscaping endeavor...putting in lots of oleanders, hibiscus, dipladenias, etc. Thinking tropical in coastal Virginia!

What I'm reading...

2007-05-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

I have a stack of gardening-related books that I am enjoying. I'll post some of my favorites here, as others may enjoy them as well. First is Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I take it with me everywhere to read! It chronicles her and her family's move to the country and their resolve to eat locally-grown fruits,vegies, meats, etc. They grow and raise a lot of their food, as well as buying at farmers markets. She calls eating localy a locavore, which I love! We are in the process of doing this in our family as well...growing what we can,canning what we grow, buying from farmers markets, and eliminating processed foods from our diets. I highly recommend this book.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

"Storm" rose...

2007-05-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

We had some high winds and a stem of roses broke from the mother plant of the Joseph's Coat bush. I don't like to throw anything away, so I salvaged one rose and several buds, and put them in a small vase a bit of artemisia Silver King. I love grey/green/silver foliage with roses!

Climbing Joseph's Coat

2007-05-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

I am always amazed at the way this Climbing Joseph's Coat rose changes! From orange and red buds to peachy/pink with a yellow glow center at mid-maturity to a darker pink mature rose (some roses are orangey, some pink...photo of pink one coming soon), this one is a stunner!

Poison ivy encounter

2007-05-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

While clearing out a little bit, relatively speaking, of growth underneath a group of pine trees where I planted some azaleas, rhododendrons, and bulbs, I noticed something else amongst the usually weeds and vines...poison ivy!

I had been handling it some before I realized what it was. I stopped hat I was doing and went into the kitchen to wash my hands and arms with Octagon soap. I always keep a bar of it handy and it lasts forever. By washing my hands and arms every 15 minutes while working in the yard (you can keep the Octagon soap by your waterhose or outdoor spigot. Don't forget some paper towels to dry off.), I have managed to not break out in a rash. I make it a habit of washing my hands and arms every 15 minutes whether or not I know that I've been around poison ivy.

If Octagon soap is not readily available (I find it in the laundry section of our local grocery store), I've read that dishwashing detergent, especially Dawn, may be helpful in removing the poison ivy oil from your skin.

In researching poison ivy remedies, I've learned that some people use hot water. According to this website, Poison Ivy FAQ, hot water opens the pores and can make it worse. Hot water may temporarily make the itch feel better, but it could make the rash worse.

Court Green Farmers Market

2007-05-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed very much our first visit to our local farmers market this morning. I look forward to visiting every Saturday now, and hope to sell there myself at some point. Everyone was friendly and helpful and we feel like we've made friends already! Farmers markets are wonderful places to go, so please check out one near you soon, you won't regret it! Our farmers market is in Mathews Virginia, a beautiful county not far from the Chesapeake Bay and many rivers...more rivers and creeks than you can shake an anchor at!

Weeds and Company...

2007-05-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

Weeds and Company is the name of this delightful stand, where we purchased 5 butterfly bushes. Not a weed to be seen, but plenty of gorgeous plants that birds and butterflies love! It is amazing to see the care and pride everyone at the market takes in presenting their wares, and how nice the plants/produce are. I'm awed, because I know how much work goes into it!

The "fig man"!

2007-05-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

This is Morgan Wells. I call him the fig man! He was selling fig plants (are they bushes, trees, or what? I have to look that up!) I bought one from him, and plan on getting another one or two later. We could only fit so much in the car today, as the Jeep was in the shop.

The fig man was very interesting to talk to. He also is cutlery consultant so if you have any questions, feel free to chat with him some Saturday at the Court Green Farmers Market!

Farm stand

2007-05-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

One of the farm stands selling tomatoes, cukes, cantaloupes, wreaths, mixed lettuces, herbs, etc. Something for everyone! We bought a bag of mixed lettuces for our dinner, and a lemon balm plant for my herb garden.

Crafters at the market

2007-05-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

You can not only buy plants and produce at farmers markets, but you can usually also find many beautiful crafts as well! There are a lot of talented people out there so be sure to check farmers markets when looking for a unique gift, or something for yourself!

Cornhusk rug

2007-05-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

On our visit to the Courthouse Green Farmers Market this mornning, I met Gloria Diggs. She's making a rug made out of braided cornhusks! I thought that was so cool. She told me that she learned how to make these rugs from her father, and that these rugs were used in plantations. Gloris says that she has a cornhusk rug that was made by her father that is over 70 years old. Some of the most interesting things at farmers markets are the people! I urge everyone who is near a farmers to go and support them, and to meet interesting, friendly folks.

A rose from my garden...

2007-05-04T17:43:00.000-07:00

I love this rose! It changes every time I go out to look at it. It is mostly yellow with red, orange, and sometimes a salmon/pink color. Very lovely! It's a Joseph's Coat climbing rose.

Are dandelions poisonous?

2007-05-04T03:28:00.000-07:00

I've received a couple of emails over the past few days asking me if dandelions are poisonous. I don't think so. Many people like the taste of dandelion greens, and I understand that the greens are high in Vitamins A, C, and iron. See Facts on Edible Greens in Maine for more info.

If the concern is about the dandelion flowers being poisonous, have you ever heard of dandelion wine? It is made out of the petals of dandelions! Click this link for more info on dandelion wine: Dandelion Wine

What about dandelion roots? Some say that the roots of dandelions can be used to detoxify the liver and gallbladder.

And honeybees seem to love dandelions! I was going to dig up the dandelions on our property, but when I saw a couple of honeybees enjoying their mid-morning snack, I left the dandelions alone. Honeybees have been disappearing in alarming numbers and we want to do everything possible to make our property honeybee friendly. We've even named our place Dandelion Farm!

Norfolk Botanical Garden

2007-05-03T12:54:00.000-07:00

One place that my family and I love to go to is the Norfolk Botanical Garden, in Norfolk, VA, also sometimes known as Azalea Gardens. I was born in Norfolk and my mom used to take me there a lot. Here is one photo, and I've put together a slideshow of more pix of the gardens. I urge everyone who is in or traveling to the area to be sure and visit the gardens!

Click here for slideshow: Norfolk Botanical Garden slideshow

My gardening helper...

2007-05-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

We have a wonderful Jack Russell Terrorist/Labrador mix who we rescued when he was 8 weeks old. He's a mama's boy! If I don't give him enough attention, or if he THINKS that he isn't getting enough attention, Toby will go into a routine of tricks to get my attention and get the camera on him. He's such a ham!

New project...

2007-05-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted to the blog in a few days for a couple of reasons. Here are some photos of my latest project. The fence was built using the materials we already had on hand. It'll weather to a grey color over time, and the roses will cover it. I plan on adding bird houses on either post as newel posts.

I planted 3 roses on the fence, I forget the names but will post later in an updated post. The pink/red roses on one side with French lavendar and 2 Silver King artemisias. I wanted Powis Castle, as it is a lovely silver/green and lacy. I love to put it in a vase with roses. But a visit to 3 different nurseries and no Powis Castle to be found. I went to our old house and took some cutting of the Powis Castle artemisia and hope that they root. The Silver King will work for now.

On the other side is the yellow rose, 2 columbines, and a variegated grass. I'll post more pix as the roses grow and the other plants fill out.

Saturday drive...

2007-04-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

Our son was out with friends for the day, so hubby and I took a Saturday drive after an early lunch and browsing in the bookstore. I wish I knew who owned this property...it is very nice looking, and I love the red barn. I'd love to buy it and fix it up. It is in Port Haywood, VA, a short distance from the Chesapeake Bay in Mathews County, VA.

I didn't know that we had a one lane bridge in our county! It is over a marshy area off of the Chesapeake Bay, and it looks rather rickety, but it held up when we drove over it. Looks as if they're repairing and shoring up the bridge. During Nor'easters and hurricanes, the water goes well over the bridge and road, from what a person at the post office (see photo, below) told us. The road leads to a beach.

This is one of the tiniest post offices that I've ever seen! It's in Onemo, VA, on the Chesapeake Bay.

Storm

2007-04-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

I was out running errands today. I waited until the storms were over, or so I thought. While I was in a store, all of a sudden torrential downpours started up and things turned black. Thunder was booming and kids were crying. I heard a sales associate say that there as a tornado warning and to prepare. But no one did anything. There was no way I was going to stay in the massive store and have steel and concrete fall down on me. I decided to take my chances on the open road and drove home. Fortunately the rain slacked up a bit but it looked nasty out. Shortly after I arrived home, a 25 minute trip, the rain started again. Later that afternoon, I learned that a "possible tornado" was in the area where I had been shopping!

The photo in this post was taken this evening around 5:30, which is normally fairly sunny, during a thunderstorm. At times the clouds looked "suspicious." Haven't heard of any touchdowns in this area yet.

Leaf in bud

2007-04-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

I thought this was interesting. So many new things to discover in the spring!

Wattle fence

2007-04-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a closer view of the wattle fence that I built at the head of the garden. It was fun to do, and I plan on making some more.

Here's a web page with more info about wattle fences.

My sun hat

2007-04-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

I've received several emails asking me about the hat in my profile photo. I love it! It is the most comfortable sun hat I've ever worn, and I'm going to buy another one (or two!) soon, because it never fails...I love something and go back to buy another one and they've "new and improved" something that was already perfect!

It's sold by Slogger. Here's a link to the hat I have on amazon.com
Sloggers Women's Braided Wide Hat - Color: Dark Brown

Garden photo #3

2007-04-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of the whole garden. We have 3 acres of property, about 1/2 acre is wooded. The cornfield is 20x20 and can be seen just past the far end of the garden.

Garden photo #2

2007-04-26T18:25:00.000-07:00

Another view of the garden and wattle fence (I'll get a better close up soon). I made the fence out of eleagnus branches. A friend has a way overgrown eleagnus and I offered to cut it back for her in exchange for the cut branches. She thinks she came out ahead on the deal, I think I did!

The twisty-looking thing behind the birdbath is a vine I found in the woods. It looks like a work of art. I'll get a close up pic soon.

The garden is 40 feet long, and each section is about 9 feet wide, with a 2 foot wide path down the middle. On the left hand side I have lima beans and 2 kinds of green beans planted. On the other side is cucumber and more green beans and limas will be planted in a few weeks. I have 6 hills of squash planted and six of zucchini. I have 100 tomato seedlings to transplant soon, and there are 4 Early Girl tomatoes at the far end of the garden.

Garden photo #1

2007-04-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

This is a view of our garden. That's a "wattle" fence at the head of the garden. A neighbor told me "That won't keep animals out!" I didn't build it to keep animals out, it's just for decoration. Chives and 2 kinds of onions and dill are planted in this section. I'll photograph it again where there's more to see.

"I love this tree"

2007-04-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

I photographed this vine as I walked our dog today. The vine seems to be hugging the tree. Hubby plans on clearing out this overgrown section, but that vine stays!

My garden...

2007-04-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

The past two days have been in the mid-80's, today it was 30 degrees cooler! I had fun playing with the garden. This photo is just some tree bark that had fallen off of a log. I had just seen a toad house in a catalog for $20 and made mine for free. I like "found" objects for the garden. This is in the herb garden. My herbs are still babies right now. I hope to photograph a visitor to Toad Hall Inn!

Botanical Gardens...

2007-04-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

I love going to botanical gardens, and we have several within just a few hours of our home. This photo was taken recently at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, VA.

"With fronds like these, who needs anemones"?!

Compost

2007-04-25T03:40:00.000-07:00

When we built our garden this past weekend, I used every bit of compost from our 3 bin system, plus the huge open pile we had next to the bins. I feel so lost without my compost pile, like a family member has gone away! Weird being attached to a compost pile, eh? :) I tended it every day...water, food, air. It was like a pet. In fact, at our former home, I was out tending to the compost one day. A workman at my neighbors house saw me empty a bucket and then use the water hose. He asked "You got a pig over there?" I told him no, it was my compost pile. He didn't know what compost was!

But it gave me an idea...I named my compost pile! I used to help care for the pigs on my grandparents' farm in NC, and the compost "ate" pretty much what a pig ate. So I named my pile The Pig!

Now the pig has been depleted. I have a five gallon bucket of scraps on the back deck, and will start adding grass and leaves and building a new pile today. Compost is so beneficial to plants, esp. in this very sandy soil that we have here in coastal Virginia. The soil seems to gobble organic matter. I didn't see one earthworm here until I added compost, now there's oodles.

The photo above is the bin system that my hubby built for me. Now that we have 3 acres of property, partially wooded, I think I'm going to need a few more of these systems!

I used to be addicted to the Soil, Compost, Mulch forum on GardenWeb, and still visit it regularly. Very helpful folks, and lots to learn!

Pink Daff #2

2007-04-24T05:29:00.000-07:00

This daffodil is really nice "in person." It does look slightly pinker in person than in the photo. Whatever color, it is a beauty and one of the favorites of visitors to our home, Dandelion Farm.

"Pink" Daffodils

2007-04-24T05:22:00.000-07:00

My favorite daffodils will always be the big yellow ones that I picked as a child. Most of my daffs are the "common" yellow ones. They're so cheerful!

But I do plant other colors. One that I think is fairly unique is one that is supposed to be pink. I forget the name of this daff. "In person" it looks a tad pinker than the photo, but I'd probably have to describe it as salmon. When I asked my family and some friends what color this daff was they said "pink." I asked if they would really describe it as pink. After looking closer they agreed that it is more on the orangey side than pink, but pink is what first came to mind. It reminds me of a Tequila Sunrise!

Finally!

2007-04-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

Began planting the garden today. Myself, son, and hubby spent all weekend adding topsoil, compost, peat moss, greensand, and cottonseed meal to the existing soil (on the sandy side). Put up poles for the climbing vegies, made the paths.

Today I planted 4 tomatoes, Early Girl, which I bought from the nursery. I've started heirloom varieties of tomatoes ~ Mortgage Lifter, Jubilee, Brandywine, and a few others I can't recall at the moment. Plus several kinds of cherry tomatoes and Roma tomatoes.

I planted 10 cucumber plants, and peas (some I planted 3 weeks ago), limas, and 2 kinds of green beans. Six hills each of yellow squash and zucchini. For herbs, I planted 3 kinds of thyme, 4 sage plants, 4 dill plants, and a ton of chive seeds.

Also have seedlings of bell peppers, watermelon, cantalopes and various flowers and herbs.

Tomorrow I will plant 4 kinds of corn, including popcorn, and about 30-40 sunflower seedlings that I started inside. It is coming along! Photos soon as there is something to see!

Dandelions and honeybees

2007-04-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

I heard a report that cell phones may be causing a decline in the honeybee population. I've been hearing about this decline for at least a decade, when cell phones were not as ubiquitous as they are today. Maybe there is something to it, maybe it is something else, or a lot of something-elses.

A few weeks ago I started noticing all of the dandelions on our 3 acre property. I do not like using chemicals, so I bought a special gardening tool for removing weeds. So armed, I went out with a bucket and my tool. Approaching the first dandelion, what do I see? A honeybee!

There was no way I was going to kill his source of food. I went online to research and learned that dandelions and honeybees emerge at about the same time. So I thought if dandelions (and buttercups and other weeds) were killed off, especially chemically, what did that leave for the honeybees? If dandelions and honeybees arrive at about the same time, then the buttercups and other weeds with sources of pollen, and if those sources of food are removed, what happens to honeybees? They die off.

I wonder how many people, especially those who want the picture perfect greeen grass lawn, would be willing to let the dandelions grow? We've decided that the dandelions, and buttercups, are staying. Besides, remember picking buttercups and holding them under a friends chin to see if they liked butter or not? Remembering picking a dandelion that had gone to seed and making a wish before blowing it? Let's let our kids have the same kind of memories, and let the honeybees have a source of food.

We are even considering naming our place Dandelion Farm.