Red Raspberry Patch

At the back southwest corner of our yard, beyond the perennial path, is a patch of raspberries that we've enjoyed for years.  It's an everbearing variety that produces in June and September.  It measures about 10 feet by 14 feet.  We always get a good crop, enough for eating fresh, in pies, freezing and giving away.  Each spring my associate gardener aka hubby trims the bushes and weeds the base of the patch, which he did this year about two weeks ago.

The only problem is that we've always had to fight our way into the center in order to get those berries and came away with lots of scratches from the thorny bushes.

It only took me 40 years to come up with the idea to cut a path through the center, making picking and weeding so much easier! So that's what we did yesterday. Here are the before and after photos.

We placed weed block fabric in the pathway and mulch on top to keep it neat and weed free.

Two blossoming peach trees form a canopy over the raspberry bed. The collars on the trunks of the trees help to deter squirrels and chipmunks.   A patch of blackberries is to the left of the raspberries.  We moved the compost bin to the back of the patch so it isn't so much of an eyesore!

The birdhouse is occupied by a pair of juncos.  A climbing honeysuckle winds around the pole.

Spring in the Perennial Path

It's a beautiful day to be in the garden, full of the colors of Spring.

Clumps of blue forget-me-nots pop up all over the place!

Bleeding Heart

Last fall on Oct. 8th I added a "Tulip Bulb" post when I dug up and replanted my bulbs on both sides of the arbor at the beginning of the path.  Many of the bulbs produced flowers and with the chicken wire on top of the planted area, those pesky squirrels couldn't dig them up!

Asparagus

The aspargus is sending up shoots and we've already harvested about 25 spears. It's one of the first crops to appear in our vegetable garden.  The problem is that it's in a bad location, about in the middle of the garden.  We've had this patch of asparagus for about 30 years, so I've decided to start a new crop in a better location with a newer hybrid variety called Jersey Supreme.  I ordered ten two-year crowns through the mail and they arrived in perfect shape.

First, an 8 inch deep trench was dug about 12 inches wide.  In the trench was added a layer of composted cow manure and mixed in with the garden soil in the bottom of the trench. Then the crowns were placed in the bottom of the trench with 12 inch spacing between each crown.  More composted manure was sprinkled on top of the crowns and then they were covered with the garden soil.  The soil was tamped down and the covered trench was watered.

The spears should begin to push through the soil in the next couple of weeks and we'll be all set for another 30 years. ; )

trench with composted manure mixed with garden soil at bottom

asparagus crowns set in trench

Early Bloomers

hyacinths among the daffodils and budding tulips

The hyacinths are blooming and their fragrance fills the air.  One of the fun things about a perennial garden is anticipating the next flowers to bloom throughout the season.  The pink and red primroses are flowering, too.

primrose

primrose

Golden Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils

William Wordsworth

Glory of the Snow

Another of my first flowers to appear in the spring is Glory of the Snow, also known as Chionodoxa, a small flowering bulb in shades of lilac with white throats.

The photos show them growing among the daffodils, which should be opening in a few days.   

Chionodoxa is a member of the lily family and native to Turkey.  It grows about 6" tall and should be planted in sun to part shade in well-drained soil. The bulbs spread easily.

Rhubarb

Today seemed like a good day to get started in the vegetable garden -- a cool 50 degrees with no wind.  

One of our first crops to emerge in the spring is rhubarb.  I've had the same plant for about 20 years and it produces an abundance of stalks each year. This year, however, I've decided to change things around in the vegetable garden and the rhubard was in a bad location. I dug up the clump and divided it into three parts.

Clump of rhubarb

Rhubarb is a herbaceous perennial that grows from rhizomes.  It has edible stalks, but the leaves are poisonous and contain oxalic acid.

I dug 3 large holes and filled them with compost and topsoil and a handful of slow-release fertilizer.  After mixing the ingredients, I added one clump of rhubarb to each prepared hole.

Hole enriched with compost and fertilizer

Replanted section of rhubarb

Since it's very early in the season, they should take hold quickly and provide a nice crop this year to use for sauce and pies.

Maple syrup update:  Saturday we removed the spiles (taps) from our maple trees. The trees are beginning to bud, so that's a sign that the tapping season has ended.  I boiled the last of the sap and the final tally was 1 gallon plus 3/4 cup of syrup total for the season. 

First Day of Spring

"I love spring anywhere; but if I could choose,  I would always greet it in a garden."  Ruth Stout

The tulip bulbs that I planted in the fall are now sprouting and are about 3 inches tall.  The bulbs were planted on October 8, 2016 (See "Tulip Bulbs" post). They are a bright pink variety growing on both sides of the arbor at the garden entrance.  They've been covered by our recent snowfall which doesn't harm the new growth.

The garlic cloves that were planted last fall have also sprouted.

garlic sprouting

And our maple trees continue to drip sap.  So far we've made 3 quarts of syrup.  Each day I save the sap in gallon milk jugs and store them in the refrigerator.  Right now there are 6 gallons saved, so I'll probably boil them down tomorrow, making about 2-1/2 cups of syrup from the 6 gallons. That'll be 5 to 6 hours of boiling.

Update:  The sap was really flowing from our 6 taps, so I ended up with 10 gallons to boil down.  It took 10 hours and ended up with 3-1/2 cups of syrup!

Happy Spring!

Spring is in the Air !

It's March 4th and even though the temperature is only 19F right now, Spring is definitely in the air!  

Today I visited my favorite garden/feed center to purchase seed starting mixture and peat pots to start some of my plants early under lights at home. 

I chose a soiless mixture consisting of mostly peat moss that is sterile, lightweight and free from seeds.  The containers I chose are pressed peat moss that can be planted in the garden right along with the starter plant. 

A few years ago I purchased a 3-tiered light system that is set up in my basement laundry room, conveniently located near the sink for a water source. Each shelf has a set of lights above it that are on 12 hour timers.

3-tiered shelf system with lighting above each shelf

Pressed peat pots filled with soiless planting mixture

Today, I'm seeding the Asclepias Curassavica (Tropical Milkweed), Ruby Glow Romaine Lettuce, and Early Marvel Brussels Sprouts.  The lettuce and Brussels sprouts plants can be set out in the garden in early Spring, since they like the cool weather.    Our area of New York is considered Zone 5b or 6a and our last frost is around May 31st, so the heat-loving tropical milkweed plants won't be planted outside until after that date.  

I'll press 2 or 3 seeds into each pot.  When they emerge, I'll save the healthiest sprout, leaving just one seedling in each pot.

The Snowdrops are in Bloom!

The temperature was 71 degrees when I took this photo 3 days ago on February 24.  For Western New York, that's unusually warm! I think that temperature broke the record.   

Back to reality today in the 40s.

Snowdrops (Galanthus) are bulbs that multiply from year-to-year and are the first to flower in the late winter, sometimes when there is still snow on the ground.


The sap continues to drip from our four maple tree taps.  So far we've boiled down enough sap to make 2 quarts of syrup.