Asides

Bush Green Beans

Green Beans and Sweet Bell Peppers in the New Garden

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We had the delusion that we could get a good size garden planted this year even with the move. We thought the first year we would have a smaller one than the garden we had at the old place, and then by next year we would have double! But with all of the moving, projects at the new house, and keeping the old house up so it can sell…it didn’t seem like any garden was going to happen at all. This was just unacceptable because our stored canned goods are running quite low and we just wanted our garden! So although it was later than planned and thrown together Jon just got out there in the side backyard and just tilled up one row for some green beans and a couple of sweet red bell pepper plants a couple of weeks ago.
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More on Propagating Grapevines

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First let me discuss the fine print.  I have never tried this.  This comes from conversations with one of my relatives and it sounds rather plausible.  So, if anyone has tried this, please let us know.

The basic theory is that you can take a growing grapevine and simply redirect it back into the ground and back up.  You bury the end of the vine four to six inches in the ground.  Bend it into a U shape so the end of the vine protrudes back up out of the ground.  That end then becomes a new grapevine with its own roots.

The basic concept is the same as using cuttings to grow new grapevines, but you do not have to cut them, or wait until next spring to plant them.  You can do this in the middle of the summer, any time you have a cane long enough to reach the spot you want to start a new grapevine.  The draw back to this is you have to start the new grapevine pretty close to the original.  However, if you happen to have an unruly grapevine that you are planning to begin to use, you probably have several very long canes.  You could start several new grapevines and start a mini grape vineyard.

Location, Location, Location

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Location is important not just in business, but also in gardening. Hopefully some of my mistakes will help someone.
It wasn’t until fall, after “the great harvest of 2012” did I test the pH of my soil. As it turns out, at least some of my problems stem from acidic soil, or a very low pH. Yes, if I would have followed the advice I had read I would have known this before I planted, but people only learn from their own mistakes, most of the time.
Pine trees, it seems, drop lots of pine needles. Pine needles are useful as mulch, and in compost, but do tend to be a little on the acidic side. So I guess, it wasn’t the best idea to plant a garden surrounded on two sides by very tall pine trees.
Why did we decide to put the garden there in the first place?
Before I explain that to you, I must go back to last year around Thanksgiving. We were trying to decide where to put the Christmas tree. After exhausting any option that did not require completely rearranging the living room (not even sure there was one) I suggested the front porch. Naturally, she didn’t find this as amusing as I did, but since then it has become an inside joke.
So, back to why we put our garden in a spot half surrounded by pine trees. Well, it was the most remote corner of the backyard, and we wanted to keep as much of our back yard as possible. When I suggested putting in the front yard (I am a bit of a smart-alack) the wife said that was too redneck. I suggested we could put a fridge on the front porch to make it match. “Right next to Christmas tree?” followed by something I will translate into, “We are not putting anything on the front porch but rocking chairs”.
So the garden went in the back yard. Surrounded on two sides by rather tall pine trees that make our soil rather acidic.

How I Got My Garden…Finally

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My wife had for some time, been telling me that I could not have a garden. She would say “not as long as you are working 55 hours a week and taking online classes, cuz I ain’t gonna be the one doing all the work. So, we began discussing growing herbs in pots, or maybe a raised bed. We talked about this for most of the winter.
Then spring came. She decided that having a row of fruit bearing bushes would be nice. We decided to put them along the edge of where the garden would be, when I was allowed to put one in. So, she ordered a couple blueberry bushes and grape vines. We picked up two blackberry bushes at Lowes the day before the other bushes were set to arrive.