Animals

I'm Not Going Anywhere

Every once in a while, an evening comes along

when I say to myself...

"Maybe I should stop writing this blog."

That thought usually enters my mind at the end of a busy day...

when all I want to do is go to sleep...

not fight with Blogger or You-tube or any number of applications that enable me to post.

But then I think to myself...

"But, who will I talk to tomorrow?"

Or, I feel this sense of responsibility because I know you will visit here in the morning,

hoping to find a smile for your day.

And so, I keep writing...and you keep reading...

and for that I am eternally grateful.

We've become friends, you and I, over the years...

friends who may have never met...

but friends, just the same.

And although I may not say this very often...

"You rock!"

Seriously, you are The Best!

Your questions and comments make me smile

and give me subjects to write about.

And, let's face it...living this rural...you are my "conversation" each day...

without you I might be quite lonely.

So... Thanks....really....Thank You.

As you can see...yesterday's big activity was pasture cleaning (and garden watering, and weeding).

Of course, Sammy was there to help.

Of course.

Yesterday's blog generated some questions that I thought I would answer today.

(PS...I love questions....keep em coming!!)

On the subject of squash blossoms:

I have, up to this point...but am highly considering it...not eaten our squash blossoms.

Did you know they are edible?

Yes, they can be sautéed, stuffed, baked, fried, placed in quesadillas, etc.

If you are considering using your squash blossoms...

here are a few tips:

Harvest only male blossoms once the "fruit" have begun to form

on your squash, zucchini, pumpkin, etc. vines.

The female blossoms are where the fruit will form, so these need to be left on the plant.

The female blossoms form near the vine.

The vine will form male blossoms (about 3 times as many as female)

for use in pollination.

These are showier blossoms that form on the end of long stems

and will usually be seen above the vine.

Cut the stem off of the blossom and only use the blossom in your recipe.

On the subject of landscaping fabric:

I am quite happy with landscaping fabric.

Not only does it keep the weeds out of the garden,

(except in the holes you cut in the fabric)

but, it also helps to hold the moisture in the ground.

I use a good quality (thick) fabric (not plastic or vinyl) in 4 foot widths.

It comes by the roll.

I lay the fabric from one end of the garden to the other, overlapping the sides,

and use landscaping staples (6 inches long) to hold the fabric down.

Once the fabric is laid, I cut "X"s in the fabric and plant my seedlings in these holes.

At the end of the season, simply pull the "spent" vegetables out of the holes and you can re-use

the following year.

Because my garden is on the ground, and it is its first year, I will pull up the fabric next spring

and till the soil again.

It usually takes a couple years of tilling to get your soil soft enough.

Also, I will want to amend the soil next spring with fresh compost.

After that I will re-lay the same fabric and use just like I did this year.

I occasionally use this fabric in my garden boxes and it does a great job there as well.

I do not till my garden boxes...they stay quite soft from year to year.

I do, however, rotate the vegetables that grow in each box.

Tip: planting green beans in your garden will actually add nitrogen back into the soil in that area.

On the subject of growing blueberries:

This is what is left of our original blueberry bushes.

They are at probably 20-25 years old.

(planted by previous owner)

These 6 bushes used to supply me with enough blueberries for eating, baking,

and making jam.

Goodbye old bushes....you gave and gave and gave!

A full grown blueberry bush is quite prolific.

These have reached the end of their life...mostly because the forest is beginning to encroach,

and has taken much of their sunlight away.

So you see, eventually we will be opening a "Pick Your Own" blueberry field.

Farm fresh and completely organic!

Blueberries like sunlight, acidic soil, and adequate moisture with good drainage.

Moisture directly affects the size of the fruit.

When we planted our 100 (bare root) blueberry bushes,
we tested the pH of the soil and amended it.
We use organic mulch (compost and tanbark mulch) around the plants,
because this also acidifies the soil.

No shortage of berries!

For the first two years, it is important to remove the fruit buds so that no fruit develops...
unfortunately you will have no harvest for two years...
but, this helps the blueberry to put its energy toward establishing the plant.

There is good information about fertilizing and pruning, etc
HERE

Sorry this post was a little wordy!
Hope this helps!

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