My Suburban Homestead

2011-07-04T18:16:00.001-07:00

2011-07-04T16:22:00.001-07:00

My baby Summer

2011-07-04T16:08:00.001-07:00

Baby Summer in the isolette.

Guy playing bowling on Kinect

2011-04-16T08:08:00.001-07:00

Guy as a burrito

2011-04-16T07:51:00.001-07:00

What's under the bucket?

2011-04-16T07:16:00.001-07:00

My son Guy with his funny laugh

2011-04-16T06:50:00.001-07:00

My goats

2010-12-05T12:44:00.001-08:00

This are my three goats. Falcon, the white goat, is my milker. She's a lamancha/alpine mix. Then I have Betsy, a brown Nubian, and Billy Hendrix, a spotted Nubian. Stop by my homesteading website to learn more. www.MySuburbanHomestead.com

Silly goat with a bucket stuck on her head

2010-11-25T23:28:00.001-08:00

One of our silly goats.

www.MySuburbanHomestead.com

I'm moving this blog to www.MySuburbanHomestead.com

2010-10-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Sadly, this will be my last post on blogger. I'm running into errors that cannot be fixed. The content here will eventually be moved.

So, come and check out my new headquarters at: www.MySuburbanHomestead.com

My first post is a picture tutorial on making a simple ketchup.

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test

2010-10-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

This page is just a test. Am trying to see if I can work a bug out of blogger. Sorry.

But hey, look at this beautiful morning glory.

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Mystery peach tree

2010-10-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

Peach tree

No, that isn't the varietal name. It's another tree that I dug up from my old yard and brought with me. I know its a dwarf, self-fertile, and peach leaf curl resistant. I've had a few peaches so far and they are good.

I'm concerned about the way that it is growing though. It is forming a Y shape rather than having a central leader. It's quite top heavy and we needed to add a t-post to hold it up. It almost looks like I could prune off the branch on the right, creating more of a central leader. Or should I just prune a bunch of the branches from both?

See what else is growing in my garden.

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Early Burlat cherry tree

2010-10-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

Early Burlat cherry tree. Planted spring 2010

I picked out this variety as it says it ripens earliest in the season and I wanted to have a companion for my Lapins tree which is self-fertile but noted to perform better with a pollinizer.

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Highbush cranberry

2010-10-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

Highbush cranberry planted spring 2010

I haven't gotten any fruit from this plant yet. I was hoping for my own cranberries for cranberry sauce and dried cranberries. Does anyone know if this differs from the fruit that one would find at the grocery store? If so how?

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Western Hazelnut

2010-10-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

Western Hazelnut bush

This is another one that I dug up and brought with me from the old house. It is two years old and has yet to produce.

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Hanna's choice blueberry bush

2010-10-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hanna's choice blueberry bush

Unfortunately this is the only bush that still has its tag. I have five or six other blueberry bushes, but they aren't labeled so I don't know. So that means I can't analyze which flavors I like or how each variety is performing or when each variety is supposed to mature. I know that I have Brigitta, North Sky, and Sunshine, but don't remember the rest. Many of these are evergreen shrubs that I planted when we lived in the city and I was trying to screen out my neighbors, then moved, dug them up and took them with me.

Anybody have any blueberry variety recommendations? I would really like to make sure I am growing a bush with heavy yields and large, sweet, fresh eating berries.

See what else is growing in my garden

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Antiquity Oaks: Patently insane

2010-10-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

Antiquity Oaks: Patently insane: "If you think it's crazy that corporations can sue you for saving seeds, then sit down, because this one is going to really knock you out. F..."

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Chicken hatching eggs for sale

2010-10-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

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Seascape and Tri-star strawberry plants

2010-10-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

Seascape strawberry

Tri-Star strawberry

Other than the alpine strawberry, these are the two varieties that I have in my garden. They are both everbearing strawberries and have produced in their first year. The tri-star strawberry is located in only 1/2 day of sun and I still got a decent amount of fruit!

Also see: variety recommendations page

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Honeyberry plants

2010-10-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

So I've had these honeyberry plants for a couple of years and they look awful. At first I thought it may be something I'm doing that is causing them to look this way. But, my talented gardener Aunt Grace saw these when she was here and said hers look the same.

I was pretty excited about these because they are said to ripen before strawberries, which pretty much means the first opportunity for fresh fruit. And they're supposed to be blueberry like in flavor.

Anybody out there have experience with this?

Blue sky honeyberry Bush

Honeyberry bush Blue Belle

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Japanese maples

2010-10-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

These were all planted for my husband on Father's day this year. They don't look like much now but it will be very interesting to document how they grow and their color changes through the year.

Japanese Maple Beni Kawa

Japanese maple "crimson queen"

Japanese Maple "Green Mist"

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Video of our first piglet

2010-10-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the video of the new little pig. I guess I wasn't gentle enough when I set the paper plate down for him.... I never knew that pigs jump that high! I hope he stops being afraid of us.

See all of my livestock articles.

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Our first piglet

2010-10-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

This is the first time we've had a pig, so we're pretty excited. Since this is our first time with raising a pig, any advice is certainly appreciated!

Other than the obvious reasons, I am looking forward to the rooting that pigs are notorious for. We've fenced off an area that has horrible overgrown ivy, Himalayan blackberries (ouch)... it's a jungle. But it has the best sunlight on our property I will need more room for the vegetable gardens.

I also hear they like to eat slugs. Hehe. Revenge.

I have no idea what breed it is, but don't really care because we don't intend on breeding him. Considering how much meat we eat around here, well, the supply will probably last us years.

For New Year's, my resolution will be to buy no outside dairy products, including cheese and butter. I plan on replacing much of our butter with olive oil and lard, because it has a lower cholesterol, lower saturated fat, and one of the only foods containing vitamin D. I'm not really sure why lard gets such a bad rap.

Anyway, the guy that we picked him up from said that if we don't plan on having a female around, he won't need to be castrated. I hope that is true. He said the only reason that the pigs are castrated is because when they are around a female they exhibit strong odors that taint the flavor of the meat.

I always knew that pigs squeal, but I never knew how loud it would be. Scared the heck out of Guy and he started crying and wasn't excited about having a piglet anymore.

He's a cute fella, about 30 pounds. Boy is he skittish. Feral--that's what I would call his behavior. Carla Emery's book says that's pretty normal when they are first transferred to their new home. Maybe I will try to get a video of him tomorrow.

Additional livestock articles.

Cabbage root maggots

2010-10-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Mr. H, you were correct, my cauliflower problem is root maggots.

Seemingly recovered cauliflower.

I went out just a little while ago, and saw that the cauliflower appears to be recovering, as the wilting went away. The books I consulted said that the effected plants will generally wilt in the hottest part of the days. Had I not known that the cauliflower's roots were probably infected, I would have ignored the problem.

But, I pulled up the plant and inspected the root. There it was, an ugly maggot.

Root maggot. I broke off the root and let the chickens have a go at it.

I consulted Steve Solomon's Gardening When it Counts Book mentions that root maggots are a huge problem here in Cascadia. He says that we can delay planting in the until late may through July when the flies are least active. I'm assuming that this also means that sowing seeds prior to that time under protection (row covers and tunnel cloches, etc.) will protect the seedlings from flies (but not from maggots already present in the soil.

Some varieties of brassicas are resistant to the root maggot. He did not say which in this book. Perhaps he mentions the varieties in his other book, which I cannot seem to find at the moment.

In addition he mentioned the work of a man named Blair Adams, who found that wood ashes placed around the plants will actually attract maggots to the soil. But, what does work (even better than traditional barrier methods, he says) is a ring of fresh sawdust placed around the plants, and hilling the soil a little around the plants so that the roots are buried a little deeper.

Evidently parasitic nematodes work well, as long as the nematodes are fresh and haven't been sitting around.

Other pest control articles.

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Meyer Lemon

2010-10-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

So this is the 2nd Meyer lemon tree I've purchased. The first one croaked on me pretty quickly. I think this is because I keep reading that they really don't like much water, and so I go a long time before giving it a good drench. Then the leaves start to fall off. Someday I will figure it out. I really want to have my own lemons (and limes).

The smell of the flowering trees is truly lovely.

Oh, and the goats like to eat citrus too. So several of the fruits on this tree were munched off. Looks like I have a whitefly or something too. Darn.

Anybody have any tips or experience out there?

Meyer lemon. Purchased spring 2010.

See what else is growing in my garden.

Sochi Green tea

2010-10-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

Another plant I've totally neglected this year. Poor thing. I have high hopes that if I start to take care of it this year it will produce much better in the next.

Unfortunately the goats seem to like green tea and will pull me toward it and munch off the stems. Goats like tea. Hmm.

Sochi tea. Planted spring 2010.

See what else is growing in my garden.

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What is up with this cauliflower?

2010-10-16T21:50:00.001-07:00

Wilted leaves on my cauliflower

Actually, its not just the cauliflower but many of my brassicas. The cauliflower is just the most extreme example. Here's another, on a small cabbage:

I'm working under the assumption that something is wrong near the roots. The soil is moist but not overly so. I didn't see any bugs in the roots when I harvested the cauliflower today. I think I have some gopher problems, but didn't see any signs near this plant. So what do you think?

Blanching cardoon for harvest

2010-10-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

I've never grown or eaten cardoon before. I noticed the other day that these plants are awfully large, so looked up the harvesting information. I had it in my head that I probably shouldn't harvest them this year... kinda like asparagus or rhubarb. But everything I've read seems to indicate that it is fine to harvest in the first year.

cardoon planted mid-summer

Blanched cardoon. Can't wait to try it in a few weeks!

These two articles are particularly interesting:
http://www.frenchgardening.com/aupotager.html?pid=11916664991580
http://subsistencepatternfoodgarden.blogspot.com/2009/10/forgotten-cardoon.html

Guy found some blackberries today. It makes him very happy.

See what else is growing in my garden.

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Oachita Blackberry

2010-10-16T11:41:00.000-07:00

Oachita blackberry planted spring 2010.

I purchased this variety as it is supposed to ripen very early in the season. Hoping to have fresh blackberries as long as possible. I bought this plant from Raintree, but it appears they aren't selling it anymore. The plant doesn't seem terribly happy, unlike the chester and triple crown blackberries that I planted. I'll update the blog next year to let you know what happens.

See what else is growing in my garden.

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Himrod grapes

2010-10-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

Himrod grapevine. Purchased from Raintree and planted spring 2010.

I purchased this variety because it notes that it is a seedless and early ripening variety. I hope to make lots of raisins and have lots of fresh eating grapes.

See what else is growing in my garden.

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Italian Alpine Strawberries

2010-10-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

Italian Alpine strawberries. Grown from seed purchased from Territorial.

As lovely as these little plants are, the flavor is very bland and they are mealy. I may even rip them out and try another variety. I was hoping for a variety that I could use in many areas that receive half shade.

View all of my recommendations here.

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Pawpaw trees

2010-10-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

These are the pawpaw trees that I planted in the spring. I have totally neglected them but thought that they would have performed better. Now I know from my tour at One Green World that they need a hefty dose of nitrogen.

Mango pawpaw tree

Pennsylvania golden pawpaw tree

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden

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My australorp flock

2010-10-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

9 happy hens with their protective yet docile rooster.

My australorp flock that I purchased back in march is laying fertile eggs and I am ready to start selling them.

The australorp is the australian's version of an orpington. They are black with green, similar to the color of a beetle. Their egg-laying is one of the highest rated (5/week on average) and they are large meaty birds so they are a dual purpose breed.

The australorp is rated as a "recovering" species on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy's list (meaning it was nearly extinct!). http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/poultry/chickens/australorp/index.htm

Here are some more external links:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/breeds/australorp/14027
http://www.mypetchicken.com/chicken-breeds/Australorp-B14.aspx

Hatching eggs for sale

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Anyone know if the redworms that come up to the surface this time of year are the right kind of worms for composting?

2010-10-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that after a heavy rain during the spring or fall that these redworms come up to the surface and that they look like the redworms that I've bought in the past. I've failed a few times with them, and am hoping to not have to buy worms again. Buying worms seems silly to me.

Anyway, I've been collecting these worms for several days while out checking on my slug traps. I'm going to try and use them for composting coffee grounds just outside my kitchen door.

Does anyone know if these are the same species that are being sold?

I've posted this question on several forums and will post any information that I've found in the comments section.

Trapping slugs with boards, tiles, rocks: here's what I've learned

2010-10-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

If you haven't been following this experiment, let me write up a quick summary for you:

Trapping slugs is only minimally effective and is only that effective if you remember to go out every single day and check under every single trap. And you will only gather significant amounts of slugs if you place out very high numbers of traps.

Since slugs like to hide under boards, rocks, leaves, mulches, etc., I decided to try to see how effective it would be to trap them. I gathered every flat board, tile, and rock I could find and placed them under my slug infested bean plants, an area of roughly 50 square feet. I ended up with around 25 traps that covered at least a third of the infected area.

I had high hopes for this experiment. I thought that if I bombarded the area with traps, rather than place them randomly throughout the garden, I would have gained control rather quickly. Unfortunately that wasn't the case.

I kept the traps out for nearly two weeks, and I have collected and destroyed just as many slugs on the last day as I did on the first day. Initially I wanted to figure out just how long it would have taken me to gain control over the slug population in that area of the garden, but I am feeling now that the time I spend on flipping over ever single trap and destroying what is underneath is... well, not exactly a waste of time, as it obviously is mildly effective (IF you remember to go out everyday and destroy them) but I think my time would be better spent on another method of control.

While I was trying to gain control over the area, I was not oblivious to the fact that slugs were proliferating in every other area of my garden. I don't have time to trap every single slug and need to come up with a better approach.

Yesterday I had an aha moment when I was outside weeding. Weeding is one of the most effect methods of reducing slug populations since they won't have many shaded ground covers to hide under. I've got blackberries and all other manners of weeds trying to crowd out all of my vegetables. But I can't get anywhere fast with my little 3-4" hoe. I need a bigger hoe. The little hoe is still very useful for getting inbetween plants, but is going to take too darn long to hoe all my gardens with it. Also I am going to need to increase spacing of the plants, which will allow me to hoe easier.

Clearly I will need to do something about the current slug population. I will be experimenting with baits soon... how to use them most effectively. Stay tuned!

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Bombarding slugs with traps... days 12 & 13

2010-10-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Today I found roughly 15 slugs in all of my traps and yesterday I found 8.

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Lapins Cherry Tree

2010-10-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

Lapins Cherry tree.

Columnar Apple Trees

2010-10-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

I have one of each of these columnar apple trees: Scarlet Sentinel, Golden Sentinel, Northpole.

All of these trees I've owned two years. I dug them up from the property my husband and I sold and brought them with me.

Some of them are starting to lean. I suppose I should put out stakes.

I've tasted fruit from both the scarlet and the golden sentinel, and both are good. They are bred to bear fruit early, so I think I may buy one more of each variety.

Golden Sentinel.

Scarlet Sentinel.

Northpole.

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

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Enterprise Apple Tree

2010-10-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

Enterprise apple tree. Not sure where I purchased it.... I think it's from Raintree.

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

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Bombarding slugs with traps... day 10

2010-10-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

I was bad and didn't check my traps today.

There were nine slugs, even after all the rain we've had.

For more information on this experiment please see: Bombarding slugs with traps... day 1

Tomato terminology

2010-10-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick rundown on tomato lingo:

There's two main types of tomatoes to consider when cooking:
Plum, Sauce and Paste tomatoes refer to tomatoes that have a large amount of meat or flesh on the interior. These tomatoes are best for cooking into sauces as they won't break down into mostly water.
Slicer or beafsteak-type tomatoes refer to tomatoes that are best eaten fresh. When you cook they turn into mostly water rather than a sauce. They are very flavorful.

And there's two main types of tomatoes to consider when growing:
Determinate tomato varieties grow like a little bush. They will set a certain amount of fruit and then quit. People like to grow them because they are usually the first tomatoes of the season and if you need your tomatoes to be a little more confined.
Indeterminate grow on a vine that continues to grow and grow throughout the season. They can get very large and are best staked. Some people let them sprawl all over the ground, but I think its best to stake them in this climate due to the enormous slug population. The flavor of indeterminates tend to be better than indeterminate varieties and the yield can be higher.

Okay, gardeners, anything I missed?

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One Green World nursery tour... part 2

2010-10-09T18:42:00.000-07:00

Also see: One Green World nursery tour... part 1

This apple tree is showing signs of drought due to a gopher eating the roots. She showed us the gopher holes. I asked her how she could tell the difference between gophers and moles. She said that moles have the lines they dig up leading to their mole hills but the gopher lines aren't as evident. A gopher hill looks horseshoe-ish versus a little hill. Gophers will actually eat the root rather but the moles just make ugly lines and hills. She said that they've learned how to gas the gophers with sulpher which you can find out about through extension services.

Apple tree showing drought from gophers eating the roots.

Ushaped gopher mound.

Gopher hole

The pawpaw is another underutilized fruit. It's biggest problem in this climate is slugs (imagine that). They need huge amounts of fertilizer, particularly nitrogen which is best done in the spring. They form a big taproot. They hate weeds... in fact they used some dutch white clover but it was far too agressive and became weedy. The pawpaw fruit will ripen on the counter if you pick it too early. The trees will probably start producing in their 3rd year if the tree was grafted. You can freeze the pulp and make it into a gelato, which I tasted and OMG that was good.

Pawpaw tree... some leaves show slug damage.

More slug damage on a pawpaw leaf.

The aronia berry is not for fresh eating. Trust me, I tried it. Yuck. But the berries are very high in anthocyanins, so it would be good for medicinal qualities. Also a very strong dye. It is a North American native.

Bird nesting is very effective for control of birds.

The Russian Olive grows in Eastern Oregon and is considered invasive.

Jujube

Autumn Olive... I think this is the right photo. At any rate, she said that the tree fixes its own nitrogen, has tasty berries that are high in licopene. Tasted like whisky to me. Must've been fermenting.

Seaberry--I found these to be very sour. There is a German variety which is very acidic and a Russian variety that is a little oily. It makes great juice with sugar. She said that she had juiced some russian berries and left it for awhile and a large amount of cream seperated out. That may be an interesting culinary experiment for someone... seaberry sorbet/ice cream?

I can't seem to find the right photo for the seaberry.

The Medlar is a funny looking fruit. When ripe, you open it up and it is like eating a little cup of applesauce. They ripen like a pear, from the inside out.

The Medlar

Callaway Crabapple Check out this beauty. Well, the photo doesn't do it justice. Anyway, she said it hasn't caught on at all and they will probably phase it out. Too bad cause it really is pretty. The fruit is actually decent eating and the tree was loaded with bright red cherry looking fruit. I want.

Callaway crabapple

So pretty! The fruits were even brighter in person.

Some miscellaneous tasting notes:

The Kew crapapple wasn't terribly interesting. It tasted a bit like a red delicious apple with a bit more flavor.

I don't even know what the azarole is but I wrote "blah" in my notes.

Didn't care for this mountain ash fruit. Maybe heavily sugared it would've been better.

These are the two grape varieties I tasted that I would consider putting in the garden.

The hardy kiwi tasted like a mellower commercial kiwi without the fuzz. Good.

This is what stole the show. The pawpaw gelato was crazy good. I wonder if they added much heavy cream?

Curious to see what I've got growing in my garden?

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One Green World nursery tour... part 1

2010-10-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the most interesting nursery tour. One Green World hosted a nursery tour and tasting of some of its unusual fruits. Here are some photos and lots of notes that I took along the way.

A disclaimer on my tasting notes: many of the items that are being sold as being unusual edibles, many of which are processed into preserves or fruit. For me, I am far more interested in having fresh fruit as many months out of the year as I can. So I have to admit that I ended up turning my nose at quite a few fruits that would taste good sugared and made into preserves or juice, but I feel that I need to steer clear of the sugared products. And I don't want to have to work too much.

If you are short on time, the most interesting of the unusual fruits to me were the pawpaws (which I already have), pineapple guava, astringent type persimmon, and the carraway crabapple.

First on our tour was the fig trees. The lady that was hosting the tour said that figs tend to grow very well in our climate (zone 8) but whether or not they ripen here is another question. She said that you want to make sure that the nursery that sells the tree has actually tasted fruit off the tree to verify that it is a variety that will produce fruit in this area. She said that Desert King is the absolute best variety for our region. Laturella is also a nice variety. Desert King is also frost resistant where most varieties are not.

More notes: She said that figs produce a summer crop and a fall crop. Most figs will produce both crops but you can buy varieties that will do only one or the other. Supermarket varieties suck if they haven't been ripened on the vine. The neck of the fig will droop when it is ripe. Kiwis bear fruit on wood that grew the previous year.

Desert King Fig.... roughly 8 years old.

Laterella (sp?) fig.

Next stop is the hazelnut, which is native to this area. Eastern hazelnut blight is a big problem, and the symptoms are shown in the photograph. There are varieties that are starting to come out that are blight immune. Cut out branches that are infected.

Hazelnut showing signs of hazelnut blight.

Large hazelnut tree.

The next specimen of interest is the Akebia vine. They are semi-evergreen. Not the choicest of edibles but has a very pretty bloom. She said that some are using akebias in place of peppers for stuffed peppers.

Semi-evergreen akebia vines.

Closer pic of the akebia with kiwi growing through the middle.

I definitely agree that akebias aren't the choicest of edibles. They tasted very blah to me and one tasted like mold.

Akebia tastings.

Akebia fruit.

The next photo is of a Bayberry. All I remember her saying was that some use it in pilaf.

Bayberry

The next plant she talked about is a pineapple guava. She raved about this fruit, saying that the fruit is so good that she can't stop eating it. She says the flavor for her rates as high as a blueberry. Evidently there is a variety that is shipped from California to stores, and the Oregon ones taste much better. The pineapple guava ripes about the second week of December, but crops will suffer setbacks if there is a 25 degree or below spell. If that happens you can pick the fruit and it may ripen on the counter. She likes the variety Nikita. From a seedling, the plant will produce fruit in 3-7 years. Pollination can be an issue. Performs best in the sun but they do have plants that receive only half days of sun and they do produce fruit. Evergreen. They are from Southern Brazil. They have tart skin but the skin is edible. She prefers to peel the fruit. I think she sold me on this fruit.

Pineapple guava.

Beautyberry. Not edible but very pretty berries. Purple fruits stay on vine through mid feb. Can use in cut flower arrangements.

Beautyberry

This photo is a pallonia (sp?) tree. Value is mostly in the wood. Very warp resistant.

Next in the orchard are the American Persimmons which are native to the east coast. The american persimmon is an astringent type persimmon, which means they have to be absolutely ripe before eating. Though they are an astringent variety, the astringency makes them more flavorful and sweet. They ripen in late October and won't last long. She says you can pulp and freeze the pulp. There is a book she talked about called "Dimple Green" (I think) that has useful persimmon recipes. You can take an unripe astringent persimmon and put it in a food dehydrator and it will lose its astringency. Leaves are sugar factories for fruit production. Once the leaves fall off, no more sugar will develop.

American persimmon roughly 25 years old.

An unripe American persimmon.

The Asian Persimmon is a non-astringent type. It is deciduous and turns brilliant colors in the fall. The most popular fruit in the world is the persimmon, as there are so many persimmon trees in China. The persimmon is relatively disease resistant in this area unlike its native environment.

Asian persimmon.

Unripe Asian Persimmon fruit

She's excited about this new growth on the persimmon.

The Cornelian Cherry is a fruit you have to eat when completely ripe.

Tastings of the Cornelian Cherry. They are sooo sour. There were a few sauces made with them which weren't bad.

This currant is showing signs of aphid damage, which looks like a fungal problem but isn't. Typically currants will ripen in July.

Currant

The Jujube or Chinese date will turn brown when ripe. The fresh texture is like an apple. Dried, it is truly very much like a date. There are some reported benefits of cholesterol reductions. Ripens mid-october and will keep for 1-2 months.

The Chinese Date or Jujube

The Chinese dogwood was bred for ornamental fruit. Pick when very red. They taste very blah to me. The "Julian" variety was the taste test winner.

Fruiting dogwood.

Click here to see One Green World nursery tour... part 2.

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Shizuka Apple tree

2010-10-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

Shizuka Apple tree

Planted spring 2010

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

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Red Boskoop Apple tree

2010-10-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Planted spring 2010.

Red Boskoop Apple tree.

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

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Honeycrisp Apple tree

2010-10-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

Honeycrisp Apple purchased from Portland Nursery.

Planted fall 2009.

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

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Colony Collapse Disorder--mystery solved!

2010-10-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

Check out the article in New York Times.

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Bombarding slugs with traps day... 8

2010-10-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

7 slugs and a baby snail today.

For more on this experiment see: Bombarding slugs with traps... day 1

Spartan Apple Tree and Fruit tasting

2010-10-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

Fruit from the spartan apple tree. It was good! Juicy, crisp, sweet.

I got one fruit this year from the newly planted spartan apple tree.

Spartan apple tree purchased from Portland Nursery. Planted spring 2010.

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

Is there such a thing as indeterminate and determinate potato varieties?

2010-10-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

As I discussed yesterday in my harvest of potatoes for the year, I noticed some big differences in the way that the potato varieties grew. Some varieties, especially the yukons and the sangres, grew potatoes all up the vine, all the way to the soil line, as you can see in the following photograph. But others grew more laterally... they threw out roots in all directions, mostly toward the very bottom of the vine.

Well, darn, this is actually a terrible photograph. Too late to shoot another, but you can kinda see how this variety grows straight up the vine versus more horizontally.

Another terrible photo. I promise to take better photos next year. You can kind of see how long this vine got. There's probably an additional three feet that did not get covered by soil.

So does anyone out there know? Knowledge as to which varieties are which could be highly useful.

I wanted to poke around last night and find more information, but didn't know how to do so. I guessed and punched in "indeterminate potato" into google. Of course, google told me that I meant "indeterminate tomato." But also came up with a handful of links of discussions on the topic.

For example, there is this link: http://cropwatch.unl.edu/web/potato/desiccation_why_and_when which discusses determinate and indeterminate potato varieties as if it is common knowledge. There is also a thread on the garden web forum casually discussing the topic. Other than that, there seems to be no information.

Anybody out there know? I've posted this question into several gardening forums and any information that I receive will be placed in the comments section. If you want to be notified when I receive additional information leave a comment and make sure to check the box that says to email you additional comments.

This years' potato harvest

2010-10-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

I spent the majority of the day digging potatoes. I counted up the yield so that I know what to plant for next year and so that I can share with you.

The following numbers do not include 1 plant of each variety that I planted during "normal" planting time in spring. I never marked down which variety was which and they were in a different location than the main crop (which was planted mid-may). I will say that my earlier planted potatoes yielded far less. This could have been due to the fact that they were planted in entirely different soil. No way to know for sure. I hope to keep better track next year.

The numbers also do not include two mystery plants that I have not dug up yet.

The following are the varieties that I planted:

Purple Viking: I planted 1 pound and got NOTHING in return. Not even a wimpy plant! The seed must have rotted before it even sprouted. I sincerely doubt I did anything wrong, because they were planted next to the yukons.
Yukon Gold: I planted 1 pound and got in return--27.2#! These were definitely the winner this year. `The vines grew up to my chest.
Sangre: I planted 1 pound and got in return 14#. I tested the flavor just now, and they are very creamy yummy.
Red Norland I planted 1 pound and got in return a measly 4.4#. To be fair, I can hardly tell the difference between the sangre and the red norland, and it is possible that 1 or 2 of the sangres were in fact the red norlands (or vice versa). Either way, the sangre yielded far better.
Bjinte--planted 1 pount and got in return 9.6#. It is possible that a few of the carolas that I counted were in fact bjinte, but I doubt it.
Carola--planted 1#, got 20# in return. My mother enjoys growing these as well. I believe she is located in zone 5.
Purple peruvians--planted TWO pounds and got possibly 4 pounds in return. Not only that, but they suck in texture and flavor.
Rio Grande--Planted 1 pound and got 23.8# in return! This one came in second place this year.

Something I noticed that was particularly interesting this year is the different ways that potatoes seem to grow. The yukons by far were the tallest plants. The vines came all the way up to my chest before they flopped over. I hilled them up at least two feet, before it became ridiculous to try and hill them anymore. The potatoes grew right up next to the vine, all the way up to the soil line. Whereas the rio grande potatoes didn't grow as tall, and they seemed to throw out lateral roots and grow more in a cone shape. I wonder, do different potato varieties grow differently, similar to the way that indeterminate versus determinate tomatoes grow? If I were able to keep hilling and the varieties that grow upward, just how many potatoes would I have gotten from those varieties? Seems like an experiment I could conduct on one of the plants next year.

Speaking of next year, I will definitely be shopping around for prices. Growing potatoes certainly isn't the cheapest vegetable you can grow, and prices vary considerably. For example, Territorial sells several of these varieties for $11.45 per pound, Ronniger's sells the same conventionally grown varieties for $4.00 per pound ($7/organic), and Peaceful Valley sells organic seed potatoes for $4-6/pound. Big differences! Had I purchased the seed potatoes from Peaceful Valley versus Territorial, my yukon golds would have cost .14/pound versus .42/pound.

Hardired Nectarine Tree

2010-10-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of summer I thought this tree didn't make it. Then it started to grow, but as you can see it is growing mostly from new branches just above the crown. I wonder what I should do with it?

Hardired nectarine planted spring 2010

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

Vern's Brown Turkey Fig

2010-10-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

Vern's Brown Turkey Fig Planted late spring 2010.

Strange name, but this plant is looking good so far!

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

Franquette walnut tree

2010-10-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

Franquette walnut tree. Planted spring 2010.

Here we have a very sad looking walnut tree. I have hardly taken care of it and its gotten very little water. My mother warned me early in the season that walnut trees and their leaves are toxic to plants. I dug a little further and found out that it isn't all plants that are susceptible. But, since solanums are on the susceptible list, I dug the tree up and moved it to the farthest corner, and will be conscious of what gets planted near there. That is, if this tree survives!

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

Bombarding slugs with traps... day 7

2010-10-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

I found 8 slugs today.

For more information on this experiment see: Bombarding slugs with with traps... day 1.

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Territorial Seed offering free inoculant with purchase of cover crops

2010-10-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

Just a tip: Territorial seed is offering free inoculant with purchase of cover crops for the next week. http://www.territorialseed.com/email_oct2010-1/?r=JWEOCT1-t

Siberian Pea Shrub

2010-10-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

I bought this little shrub as the website I purchased it through said that the fruits are extremely high in protein and make for valuable chicken and goat feed. This is the first year I've had it, and it is looking very sad. I have yet to give it any water, which is likely the problem! I imagine it will come back much nicer next year, but we will see.

Siberian Pea shrub. Planted spring 2010.

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

Illinois Everbearing Mulberry

2010-10-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

Illinois Everbearing Mulberry. Planted spring 2010.

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

I've never even had mulberries. Anyone know what they are like? There are two berries ripening on the tree.

Almond--All-in-One

2010-10-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

All-in-one Almond Planted Spring 2010.

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

Anyone out in blogworld ever grown this variety?

Hachiya persimmon tree

2010-10-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

Anyone out there in blogland know anything about this variety?

Asian plum combo tree

2010-10-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

4 varieties: Shiro, 3 unknown

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

Asian Pear combo tree

2010-10-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

4 varieties: Shinseiki Yoinashi, Hamese, Mishirasu

Asian Pear Combo Tree

Anyone out there in blogland know anything about these varieties?

See what else is growing in my garden.

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European combo pear tree

2010-10-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

4 varieties: Orcas, Rescue, Harrow Delight, Highland

Europen pear combo tree

This is part of the series: What's growing in my garden.

Anyone out there in blogland know anything about these varieties?

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California Early Garlic

2010-10-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

More garlic planting today. Another inexpensive variety obtained from Peaceful Valley.

I plant my garlic six inches away from each other in all directions, which you can sort of see in this photo. In a perfect world I would allow 18" between rows so that I can easily hoe out weeds, but I don't have enough space for that. This method has worked fine for me for several years.

When I offered the skins of the garlic heads to the goats, they got very excited.

Who knew they liked garlic so much?

Guy, helping me plant garlic

How to cook dried and/or shell beans

2010-10-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

The borlotti beans I blogged about yesterday.

Why am I blogging about such a simple thing as how to cook beans? Well, because it is an easy thing to do and I am concerned about the consumption of canned beans. We are just now finding out that the cans that are used in canning are lined with BPA, which is now coming to light as a serious health threat. Even the so-called natural and organic varieties of canned goods are lined with BPA unless they specifically state on the can that they are not.

Another thing about purchasing canned beans is that they frequently aren't cooked completely. Cooking beans completely is the only way to break down the oligosacharides which are what make beans gassy to some individuals (they do not have that effect on me).

If you are sensitive to beans and find that they make you gassy, you can try a few things to help minimize the discomfort. Some people soak their beans prior to cooking, which makes them slightly more digestible. According to Rick Bayless, Mexican cooks never presoak their beans. The option is up to you.

Also, you can try a product called Beano. Better yet, I understand that Beano is made from epazote, which is an herb commonly used in Mexican cooking. Many times it is added to the bean pot or chopped and used in a similar way as cilantro. Epazote is an annual but commonly reseeds itself.

So, back to cooking beans. Here's how I do it:
-give the beans a once over to look for stones or dirt clods.
-rinse them
-place them in a pot with about 2" to cover
-bring to a boil
-reduce heat to simmer
-make sure to keep an eye on the pot to verify that there is enough cooking liquid
-cook until the beans are completely tender and creamy. there should be no crunch or chalkiness when you taste them
-once the beans are tender, then you can add salt. don't do it before hand, as salt will make the beans tough

Both Ed and I like plain beans. Of course, we enjoy them in dishes or refried, but if time is an issue a bowl of beans is a quick, satisfying meal. I like mine with the broth, like this:

Ed likes his beans without broth. Yesterday he added a slice of cheese, like this:

An alternative to canned beans is to use frozen beans, like I do with my garbanzos for falafel. I freeze mine in freezer safe mason jars and thaw them in the fridge, under hot water, or in the microwave.

Here's What's Growing in My Garden

2010-10-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

Today I ran around and took pictures of all of the fruit trees and misc. perennials in the garden. I figure I better keep track of exactly which varieties I am growing before I lose all the tags. Sadly, I have lost most tags for my blueberries and lost the tag for my peach tree, so I have no idea what variety they are. Soon I will be posting a picture of each variety and its tag.

Fruits
Apple tree--spartan
Apple tree--honeycrisp
Apple tree--red boskoop
Apple tree--shizuka
Apple tree--Enterprise
Apple trees--Columnar
Blackberry--chester
Blackberry--oachita
Blackberry--triple crown
Blueberries
Cherry tree-Lapins
Cherry tree-Early Burlat
Citrus--Bearss Lime
Citrus--Improved meyer lemon
Cranberry: Highbush
Asian pear combo tree
Asian plum combo tree
European pear combo tree
Grape--himrod
Hachiya persimmon tree
Honeyberry bushes
Fig--Vernon's Brown Turkey
Mulberry--Illinois Everybearing
Nectarine--hardired
Peach tree
Pawpaw trees
Strawberry plants--seascape and tri-star

Garlic
California early
California late
Music

Nuts
All-in-one Almond
Franquette Walnut
Hazelnut

Ornamentals, etc.
Japanese maples
Sochi Green tea

Perennial vegetables
cardoon

Siberian Pea Shrub

Shop my Amazon Store

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Bombarding slugs with traps... day 6

2010-10-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

9 slugs under all my traps today.

For more information on this slug trap experiment, see: Bombarding slugs with traps... day 1.

California Late garlic

2010-10-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

I got more garlic in the ground today. I'm feeling boring because this is one of the most common supermarket varieties. But it is very cheap through Peaceful Valley. After the year I had with the awfully puny garlic harvest, I didn't want to spend as much money. But every other year has been a great success, so I'm hoping it is just because of the cold, wet summer.

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Cranberry AKA Borlotti beans

2010-10-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

I live fairly close to Bob's Redmill, so I stopped in the other day to pick up some products I haven't tried. I cooked up these cranberry beans or as they are known in Italy "borlotti" beans.

They had pretty intense flavor, similar to a kidney bean, but they are creamier in texture and thinner skins around the bean. They do leave a little bit of a funny after taste. I can't say that I like or dislike these beans. I would prefer them to kidney beans but I still prefer black beans for flavor.

Bombarding slugs with traps... day 5

2010-10-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

Exactly 10 slugs today.

This is part of an ongoing series of experiments that I am conducting to find out the most effective methods of control. For more info on this experiment see: http://amysoddities.blogspot.com/2010/10/bombarding-slugs-with-traps-day-1.html

Functional Sewing Projects

2010-10-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

These are projects I found that I thought would be particularly helpful to those of us that are hoping to be more self-reliant. The holidays are coming up and it will be cold outside, so these are some of the projects I'm thinking of doing. I'll be adding to the list whenever I come across something that looks interesting. Note that I haven't added many girl clothes. This is because there are so many girl projects around, but clothing for women, men, boys is exceptionally hard to find.

Baby
Baby Shoes--by Great Turtle
Boy's Tie Tshirt--Saltwater Kids
Cloth Diapers--Made by Rae
Another Shoe--by Great Turtle
Tights--by Made by Rae

Boy clothes
BOY tshirts
Eddie Cap--by Mushroom Villagers
knee pad pants
Little boy shirt from Men's shirt--Made by Rae
90 minute shirt--Dana Made it

Home projects
Basket Liners--by Sew for Home
Bed Caddy--by Sew for Home
Collapsible Storage Baskets--by Sew for Home
Dog Collar--by Sew for Home
Drawstring Laundry Bag--by Sew for Home
Duvet cover--by Amy Butler
hanging clothes hamper
Kitchen Plastic Bag Dispenser--by Sew for Home
rag rug
Snack bags--by Angry Chicken
Sofa Caddy--by Sew for Home
Vinyl Organizers--by Inditutes

Men's clothing
men's t shirt

Women's clothing
basic bodice
knit gauchos
Maternity top--Made by Rae
Pajama shorts--Dana made it
Headband--by Heather Bailey
Spring top--by Made by Rae
Summer Skirt--Dana Made it
Sundress--by Heather Ross
Skirt--by Angry Chicken
Swimsuit (vintage)--by Running with Scissors
Tank top--by Belle Epoque
Terry wrap--by Sew for Home

Sewing

2010-10-05T10:41:00.001-07:00

I'm a total newbie when it comes to sewing. But, the time will come soon when it is cold outside and my efforts aren't focused so much on the garden. I will be adding to this list and in the future you can find this page under the 'Everything Else' tab. Here's my roundup:

Sewing links and resources

Sewing tutorials

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Sewing links and resources

2010-10-05T10:37:00.001-07:00

Sewing

Grosgrain

How About Orange

Made by Rae
One Pretty Thing--a huge directory of everything handmade

links and resources

2010-10-05T10:36:00.004-07:00

This page is mostly dedicated to local resources. Please note that if you are looking for resources on chickens, gardening, etc., you will find that information on the pages dedicated to those subjects.

Local resources

Naomi's Organic Farm Supply

Palmares Cycles--my husband's frame building business

Portland Farmers' Markets

Portland Nursery

Tri-County Farms: Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington counties

Union Mills--feed mill in Clackamas County

Portland Backyard Chickens yahoo group

Cooking links and resources

2010-10-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

Cooking

My Amazon store

Caprial and John's Kitchen--two of my favorite chefs

Dairy connection--cheesemaking & yogurt supplies
In My Kitchen Garden--awesome blog

National Center for Home Food Preservation--federally funded up-to-date methods

Pick Your Own--awesome national portal of pick your own farms

Rick Bayless--another of my favorite chefs and how I learned to make awesome salsa

Goat links and resources

2010-10-05T10:32:00.001-07:00

Goats

Caprine Supply Company

Fias Co Farm--online beginner's guide to goats and cheesemaking

Hoegger--goat supplies

Links to chicken information and resources

2010-10-05T10:26:00.001-07:00

Chickens

Backyard Chickens--the most popular forum
The City Chicken
My Pet Chicken--where I've bought my chicks and lots of info
PDXBackyardChix--yahoo group--specific to Portland

Velvet Sparrow's Chicken Information Page

French fries!

2010-10-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

My son had been begging for french fries for hours today. I dug a couple of my yukon golds and fried some up for him. Here's how I do it:

1. heat about a quart or so of your choice of frying oil over medium heat.
2. meanwhile, cut your potatoes. I find this easiest to quarter the potatoes and then cut them into french fry shapes, trying to keep them similar in size.
3. test your oil to see if it is at the right temperature. you can do this by dropping one of the fries in the oil. if it sizzles like you see in the photograph, the oil is hot enough.
4. fry potatoes in small batches until browned (these potatoes are Yukon Golds, a dual purpose potato, so they aren't as brown as a mealy/starchy variety would be).
5. drain them on paper towels.
6. salt them while still hot.
7. eat!

Potato terminology

2010-10-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

It took me a while to figure out the terminology in potato varieties. The considerations are: texture and your length of season.

Texture:

Mealy or starchy varieties have a low moisture high starch content. Think of the fluffy texture of mashed potatoes. These varieties will soak up a lot of moisture or fat, making for good mashed potatoes. The same starch also browns and crisps very well, and so they are used for french fries. However, if you were to try to make a potato salad or another such dish in which you want your potatoes to hold together, they would fall apart on you. In short: use these potatoes when you want a nice browning when you fry them, for baking, for mashed potatoes, but not for holding their shape.

Waxy potatoes have a low amount of starch, high sugar and high protein content. These types hold their shape well and are sweet but would be a terrible choice for frying. If you were to fry or brown these potatoes you would likely end up with burnt potatoes, because there is not enough starch content to brown and the sugars would just end up burning. In short: use waxy varieties when you want them to hold their shape, but not for frying.

Dual purpose varieties fall in-between these two. They are sweet like the waxy potatoes and hold their shape and they will brown a little if you attempt to fry them.

Fingerling potatoes--as far as I can tell the term "fingerling" only refers to an oblong shaped potato. If anyone knows otherwise please let me know.

Length of season: often you will see early, mid, or late season in the catalogs. This refers to how long the potato tuber takes to develop. The later season varieties tend to store longer. The shorter season varieties are nice so you can have an earlier crop available. But some areas of the country don't have a hot enough summer to allow later varieties to develop. If you call a seed supplier, such as Ronniger's, they would be able to help you figure out how long your season is and the best varieties for you.

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Yukon Gold Potatoes

2010-10-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

Yukon Gold Potatoes are one of my favorite varieties to grow. I have not harvested the entire crop yet, but I went out to pick a couple for my son who'd been begging for french fries for the last several hours.

These are a dual purpose potato, so the french fries aren't quite as crispy as they would with a mealy potato. Even though they don't get that crisp when fried, they are very good.

Roasted walnut oil vinaigrette

2010-10-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

I have a hard time finding dressings that I like, but for some reason I find this simple dressing to be so incredibly yummy.

Here's what I do: get a mason jar, pour in some roasted walnut oil, then add balsamic vinegar until it equals about a third of the liquid. Add at least a teaspoon of kosher salt. Shake the heck out of it for a couple of seconds.

I really enjoy this on tomatoes as well as on a salad composed of beets and cherve.

Bombarding slugs with traps... day 4

2010-10-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

For background on this experiment, please see this post.

Today I caught about 10 slugs.

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Seed and garden supply companies

2010-10-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

Baker creek
Fedco seeds
Johnny's Selected Seeds
Nichols Garden Nursery
One Green World
Peaceful Valley--some of the best prices I've seen, especially on equipment
Pinetree Garden Seeds
Raintree Nursery
Sandhill Preservation Center
Seeds of Change
Seed Savers Exchange
Stokes Seeds
Territorial Seed Company

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"music" garlic

2010-10-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

Add caption

Time to get the garlic in the ground. I found music garlic at Peaceful Valley for a very good price, but the prices seem way higher than they were a couple of months ago. Hmm. But it is still half the price of other companies.

big cloves

Typically 4-6 cloves per bulb.

I chose this variety because it is supposed to be one of the longest lasting hardneck garlic varieties and the yield is supposed to be quite high.

this shows the "hard" neck

Estate sale find: antique garden cultivator

2010-10-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

Check out my estate sale find! It's not as powerful and useful for tilling the ground as my little tiller, but for mixing in soil amendments and stuff it's pretty cool.

Plus it will make interesting garden art.

Bombarding slugs with traps... day 3

2010-10-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

This is a series dedicated to finding the most effective ways to minimize slug damage. Read: War on Slugs for the whole story.

Today's slug harvest was similar to yesterday's. 15ish small slugs.

Any guesses as to how long it will take me to reduce the population of the slugs in that area?

Bombarding slugs with traps... day 2

2010-10-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

This is part of my War on Slugs experiments.

See: bombarding slugs with traps day 1 for the story on this experiment.

This is the result of bombarding my slug infested bean garden with as many boards and tiles that I could find. I found upwards of a dozen slugs trapped.

The drawback: this is awfully laborious and my time might be better spent using iron phosphate. But that's another experiment I'll be working on down the road!

For a list of all of my slug control experiments, please see this page.

Slugs and eggshells

2010-10-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

It's hard to see in this photograph, but there are slugs entwined in these lettuce leaves which are placed in the middle of about 12 crushed eggshells. Sorry, this is another method that just doesn't work! Who has that many shells, anyway?

For a list of all of my slug control experiments, please see this page.

Bombarding slugs with traps... day 1

2010-10-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

By now I've certainly figured out that slugs like to hide under boards and rocks during the day. I've been using this to my advantage, by trapping them with boards and tiles and rock strewn throughout the garden. Though this works, I have noticed the following limitations:

1. Since I have placed so many traps randomly throughout the garden, I realize that I am just not able to get to all of them everyday, even though I try. Since I don't, this works to my disadvantage and just gives the slugs a place to call home and deposit their eggs.

2. I've noticed that there are days that I get many slugs under boards in certain areas and that the plants the boards are attempting to protect are still being attacked. Conversely, there are areas that don't seem to have any damage and day after day I lift the boards and don't find slugs. This has also worked to my disadvantage because I get lazy and don't check the boards that I haven't had problems with for several days, only to find that a slug has indeed found itself a home and perhaps laid eggs. A revision in my trapping methods is definitely needed.

So here's my new experiment:

I've gathered every board, tile, flat rock I have and bombarded this slug infested bean area with traps. I've placed tiles and short boards in the thickest of the under-plantings. Each day, I will go out in the morning and destroy all the slugs that are underneath. My theory is that in a few days the slug population will be dramatically reduced if not eliminated, except for the slug eggs that have already been laid. (anyone know how to deal with slug eggs?) Once the slugs are gone, or when it gets cold and I cannot check everyday, I will promptly remove the boards.

Tiles and little boards placed under the thickest areas. +++

This morning, with only 2 or 3 traps, I found five big fat slugs and a baby slug. Now I have upwards of 20. I hope to update the blog each day with my findings.

As a side note: the slugs definitely seem to prefer wet boards and rocks. If you are trying to lure them to your traps, it may be a good idea to thoroughly wet the area. If you are trying to keep the slugs away from the area, the less moisture is better.

Bombarding slugs with traps... day 2

Bombarding slugs with traps... day 3

Bombarding slugs with traps... day 4

Bombarding slugs with traps... day 5

Bombarding slugs with traps... day 6

Bombarding slugs with traps... day 7
Bombarding slugs with traps... day 8
Bombarding slugs with traps... day 9

For a list of all of my slug control experiments, please see this page.

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Are slugs repelled by copper?

2010-09-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a slug, chomping away on lettuce leaves on top of a bed of copper.

As part of my War on Slugs experiments, I took a big chunk of cardboard and plastered it with copper to find out if slugs are truly repelled by copper. It didn't take long for the slugs to start munching away at this lettuce.

For a list of all of my slug control experiments, please see this page.

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Guy playing doctor

2010-09-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

Am I asthmatic?!

2010-09-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

To those of you who know me, the possibility seems pretty wacky. I know it sounds crazy but hear me out.

The other day, I was cleaning the house, attempting to get rid of all the allergens that I have recently found on that I am allergic to when I suddenly started feeling worse. It shouldn't have surprised me, considering that cleaning puts me in more contact with my allergens. But I decided to really pay attention to what was happening in my body.

I felt even more fatigued, headache worsened, dizzy, shaky, which are the symptoms I complain most about. At this point, I usually just try to give up whatever I am doing and lay down. But sometimes I just push through, feeling like shit.

But I decided to keep doing what I was doing paying close attention. I noticed that I was breathing heavy, wheezing--actually. I was shaky, and my heart was racing, which is when it dawned on me that I might actually be having an asthma attack. At first I thought I was crazy.

But I know from my experience with Guy's asthma attacks that allergies and asthma often go hand in hand. I hadn't considered the possibility that I might be asthmatic until now because I don't get those attacks that you see so often in the movies: purple faced people gasping for air.

They say that the telltale symptoms of asthma are wheezing, coughing, and tightness of chest.

For me, my presenting symptoms are slightly different. My main complaint is fatigue (sometimes yawning all day) and I just feel sick. Nauseous. Light headed. Achy. Sickness behavior, essentially. And I've been complaining about these problems for years.

So how could this be related to asthma when the presenting symptoms seem so different? Well, if I really listen to how my body is feeling, I realize that I do feel asthma symptoms, but don't complain about them as much because they aren't as bothersome as the fatigue and sick feeling.

I realize now that I have complained about chest pain in the past, in my very early 20's, when I started seeing the doctor to determine why I was feeling sick and having vertigo attacks. I remember thinking it was odd that when I complained of chest pain, the doctor checked my cholesterol. She told me it must be anxiety or heartburn, and so I haven't thought about it much since then.

So yesterday I called my doctor and asked her to have me screened for asthma, if there is such a thing. She said that there really isn't any tests per se. If I am having symptoms, she decided to give me a rescue inhaler to see if the symptoms improve. If they do, then she recommends a daily preventative medicine.

I tried it. And, crazy enough, it minimized the chest pain and fatigue. Tried it again this morning, same results. My chest pain isn't gone entirely, but I actually do feel better. I called the doc back and told her of the results, and she decided to put me on a daily preventative regimen to see if I start to feel better and use the rescue inhaler prior to any known triggers or if I am feeling badly.

Today, on the way to the pharmacy, I had another fairly bad attack. Prior to today, I just thought I was hyper-aware of how I was feeling when I was in the car. But now I realize that my car, being 30+ years old, must be one giant allergen. Just think of all the dust mites, animal dander, etc., that must be released from the upholstered chair every time I sit down. No wonder I hate being in the car for long.

Anyway, as I was riding to the pharmacy I started noticing that I was breathing heavier and faster. My heart started racing and I was sweating more than normal and I wanted to barf. I was dizzy, shaky and stumbly and irritable and confused. I took the rescue inhaler again, and I felt better. I would say my symptoms reduced by 60% or so.

Now that I think about it, it probably isn't too far fetched to think that the various somatic complaints that I've had throughout my life may be related to a lack of oxygen. Just think of what happens when one suffers from altitude sickness, also caused by lack of oxygen.

So I've been reading about the disease, and am learning quite a bit. For example, many people who are asthmatic are triggered by high humidity. Today, the humidity is uncomfortably high, which might be why my chest feels so uncomfortable and had such a horrible time getting to the pharmacy.

If it turns out that I do have the disease, it would explain why, whenever I am subjected to strong smells I cough and get nauseous. Or like the times I cough my brains out when there is too much smoke in the house from a fire. Or when I have a huge reaction to attempting to smoke marijuana--which I have never been able to do without wanting to barf and coughing up a lung.

I also found out that there is such thing as premenstrual asthma! Maybe, rather than suffering from PMDD, I am experiencing an exacerbation in asthmatic symptoms. This would make total sense to me. For instance, when I used to exercise at the gym, I would keep track of my heartrate in relation to incline on the treadmill. I noticed that I couldn't get anywhere near my regular incline levels. My heartrate would get up to 145 at incline 3, huffing and puffing and struggling to stay that way, whereas my heartrate normally climbed that high around incline 5-6.

I would love to hear from anyone who may be able to shed light on this issue.

Alibi Cucumber

2010-09-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to have a photo of this variety this year, but the slugs ate every plant. This is a "pickling" cucumber. Last year I had two plants and they were not grown in the most optimal sun exposure. But I probably had upwards of 50 quarts of pickles! I bought them from Territorial.

Casper Eggplant

2010-09-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

I grew this variety last year, but neglected to take a photograph. Good flavor, but the thing grew giant thorns like a Himalayan Blackberry. Actually it was more like a dorsal finn. Ouch.

Fall Garden Resolutions

2010-09-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

As the fall season sets in and the production wanes, I wanted to take a couple of moments to share with you the lessons that I have learned this year.

1. I will never, ever, EVER let my tomatoes sprawl all over the ground in my slug infested garden again! Many people recommend just letting them go all over the place, but slugs have gotten to at least half of my ripening tomatoes this year.

2. I will be vigilant in my War on Slugs. Should I need motivation, I can peek at the following photograph.

These are tomatoes that I deemed still edible if you cut out the bad parts. You should see the fruits that didn't make the cut!

3. I will use tunnel cloches on my heat loving plants, especially my peppers, eggplant, edamame. I will remember to vent them on crazy hot days and keep them well watered.

4. I will not harvest four cabbages and cook them all at one time so that I can have leftovers. Cabbages make horrible leftovers.

5. I will keep better track of the plant varieties I grow. The only tomato I was able to positively identify this year was Taxi, because its yellow.

That's all I can think of for now. How about you? What are the lessons you've learned this year?

Scarlet Sentinel Columnar Apple

2010-09-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

This is my second year growing columnar apples. Unfortunately this is the only one that I still have the tag attached to. The flavor is good, is crisp, juicy.

I think I may plant more of these trees in the spring, as they bear fruit early. I have a lot of other apple trees, but this is the first year in the ground.

My boy likes them too.

Success PM summer squash

2010-09-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

Good flavor, but not as scrumptious as the good old Yellow Crookneck.

Taxi tomato

2010-09-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I grew a yellow variety of tomato and could swear it was taxi, but didn't write it down. So I bought a packet of seeds and grew these tomatoes two years in a row. And for two years, these tomatoes have given me awfully bland flavor. Thumbs down.

Boosting your woodstove's draft part B

2010-09-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

Make sure to watch part A. This is an extension of that post. This video shows putting new wood on the fire and how to get it going as fast as you can.

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Boosting your woodstove's draft part A

2010-09-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

It was pretty chilly the other day, so I started a fire. We learned a few things about burning wood and how to get a fire to burn hotter. We're attempting to not turn the heat on at all this year.

If your fire is burning pretty low, it probably needs more oxygen. I learned that if you crack the door just a couple of millimeters the draft will pull oxygen from the room. It's a lot like blowing on the fire. Crack it open and watch the air pull through. Make sure to watch it so that the embers don't pop open the door and make sure to close the door back up!

Also see: part B.

I don't know why, but it works better than just opening the door.