Return of the Groundhog

   Or at least, it was the return of a groundhog.  I doubt this is the same fellow who showed up on June 10th.  Earlier this week, R.  came out of Canadian Tire and there, crouched under his car in the parking lot, was another one!

   This little guy was under a wood rain barrel stand at the corner of the house yesterday afternoon.  Trying to be inconspicuous, while our cats tried to figure out (from a healthy distance) what he was.  

Enchanting

Fire Up The Grow Light

  
  Good grief.  Every year, there are one or two vegetables that will just not get going.  Last year, it was the snap beans.  This year, it is the squash.

   Lower Salmon River squash (C. maxima) were started indoors in mid-May.  I am so glad I did this, as it is the one variety that is growing well.

   Since May 25th, I have direct-sowed two kinds of green zucchini, Early Prolific (C. pepo), Table King Acorn (C. pepo), and Gold Nugget (C. maxima) twice - three times in the case of the zucchini.   

   As of today, one green zucchini, one Early Prolific, and three Gold Nugget have sprouted.  Most of these don't even have secondary leaves yet.  No sign of the acorn squash.

   On June 16th, I planted seeds (again!) in small containers, planning to transplant them to the garden once they were a reasonable size.  The latest forecast for the next week, however, calls for cool, rainy weather.  Arhg.  We only have 90 growing days we can count on - sometimes, not even that.  Out came the heat mats from storage today and under the grow light the pots of squash seeds went.  It feels ridiculous and frustrating to have to do this in the middle of June!  Fingers crossed that this does the trick. 

   Since late May, a bunch of volunteer squash (or cucumber?) have been coming up, mostly in one of the black containers on the south side of the house.  I must have pulled out 15 or more before curiosity got the better of me and I transplanted two into large pots.  Several more have popped up since then, and I transplanted a third this morning.  Seeing as I am having problems with the squash I've deliberately planted this summer, I figured I might as well “take the hint” and nurture the ones that are coming up on their own, prolifically!   Which variety they are remains to be seen.  Spaghetti squash, Early Prolific, Galeux D’Eysines, and North Georgia Candy Roaster are the most likely possibilities.  

A small volunteer squash, one of many that has popped up this summer!

Curiosity wins out.  Three transplanted volunteer - mystery! - squash.

On a different note, an iris update.  :)  

 

Rounds With Lou

   Loulou was in a cuddly mood and stuck close today while I made my rounds of the garden. 

   The flower beds look sparse this year.  The two large Silver Mounds that we've had for years didn't survive this past winter, and half the Shasta daisy looks like it is going to croak.  I put some small dahlietta seedlings in one of the beds (those have rocks next to them in the picture) as well as a scented purple petunia (which, sadly, I suspect I am allergic to) from the greenhouse. I planted some Teddybear sunflower seeds along the back of one bed and Dwarf Hollyhock seeds along the back of the other, but haven't seen signs of them yet.  The wooly thyme looks pretty good (it's hard to go wrong with wooly thyme!) and right now it is covered with small, pink flowers.

   Most of the beans are coming up well this year, except for the Kenearly Yellow Eye beans.  Most came up, but about half were lacking the cotyledons (seedling leaves).  I pulled those and replanted, but only one of them has come up.

Lou, wanting in on the attention.

Still waiting for zucchini...

The Dolloff beans have come up (dry/pole).

Having a "salad".

Clacking at a bird?

   I can't wait to see what the Dwarf Sensation cosmos (foreground) look like when they are in bloom.  The foliage is wispy and pretty.

   The Garlic Bulbils log is updated.  I'm eager to see how the bulbs turn out at harvest time, especially the Baba Franchuk's, Kiev, and Brown Tempest varieties.

Irises Emerging

"Pest" Control

   After planting seeds (especially beans, cucumbers, and squash), I cover the ground with plastic netting to keep cats - mostly neighbourhood cats - from inadvertently digging them up. 

   Once the seeds have sprouted and are about an inch tall, I remove the netting and place bamboo stakes, kebab skewers, chopsticks, etc. around the plants to keep the cats out.

   As you can see, it is extremely effective.  *sigh/grin*

   Our cats don't dig so much as roll around on, and sleep in, the warm dirt.  They know the little plants get a lot of my attention and that we seem to become very animated when they roll around near these little plants (which makes them roll with even more enthusiasm).  I have learned not to speak or react when they do this!  With Bea, all you have to do is look in her general direction and she will do the adorable-head-tilt-and-body-slam manoeuvre into whatever vegetable happens to be closest to her.  

    When I spotted her in the Tiger Eye beans yesterday, I quietly took pictures and came inside, leaving the front door ajar.  Usually, once we have left the scene, she hops out of the container or leaves the garden and comes inside.  

   Not yesterday.  This is her 20 minutes later:  blissed out, belly in the air, front paws stretched over the side of the container.  (Picture taken through the window.)

    The bean plants that survive this bliss-squish will certainly be hardy!

Alien Pods and Where's The Squash?

   A week of cool, damp, cloudy weather followed the short heat wave we experienced at the end of May.  It was nice to have a break from watering the garden and the brassicas seemed to love the cooler temps.  Most of the beans germinated despite the very cool nights.  The squash, on the other hand, is MIA.  Of the 23-25 seeds I planted, only 2 (Gold Nugget) have germinated!  Summer squash has usually broken through and started growing by now.  Note to self: start squash indoors next Spring.  Yes, even the summer squash.

North garden - dry bush beans (Tene's Beans, Ireland Creek Annie, and Vermont Cranberry) and winter squash (Gold Nugget)

North garden - dry beans, squash mounds, garlic

   North garden - snap beans (Red Swan and Roma) just starting to come up, cabbage, and garlic.

   R. and I spotted some cucamelon transplants at the greenhouse last week.  Neither of us has grown or eaten them before.  This will be an experiment.  I'd seen pictures of cucamelons on the seed sites and always thought they grew on plants with a bush habit.  Nope.  The transplants had very fine vines and tendrils.  When I did an online search for more information about them, I was astonished to read that cucamelon vines can reach 8-10 feet long!  R. found a light trellis and put that behind them, positioned against the fence.  Hopefully, that will do to support the vines.  I have a feeling our neighbour might be able to enjoy some cucamelons on his side later this summer!

   South garden - except for the peas, things seem slow in this patch.  No sign of squash (Early Prolific), few carrots (Red Chantenay), and no sign of snap beans (Calima and Slenderette).  The collards, chard, and kale planted in the shady section seem to be coming along nicely.

Tiger Eye beans - dry bush beans with short runners

R. bought two solar lamposts that have large flower pots at the base. 

This was taken around 10:00pm last night.

We like solar lights.  Can you tell?

   We went to the greenhouse to get some "basket stuffer" transplants.  I got lobelia (mixed colours - blue, white, pink, fuschia), dwarf Baby's Breath, a few kinds of petunias, and dianthus.

   The picture does not do them justice, but I think these are my favourite petunias so far.  ("Johnny Flame")

   These petunias are neat, too (it was the only item R. chose himself!).  I think it's called, "Starry Sky Burgundy".  They are deep burgundy with white speckles.

   Cucumbers are planted in the container with the spiral tellis.  The rest of the containers are different kinds of mint. 

   The planter on the saw horse contains petunias ("Black Cherry") and dianthus.  I'm glad I went with the "Black Cherry" petunias - I almost didn't.  They go very nicely with the dianthus!

   The Bathtub - begonia (from the greenhouse - I treat myself every year to one), yellow pansies, flat-leaf parsley, kale (Dazzling Blue), Swiss Chard (Rainbow and Red), arugula, mint (most from the greenhouse), Pineapple sage (from the greenhouse)

   South side of the house - tomatoes, dry bush beans (Beka Brown), thyme, and rosemary (from the greenhouse this year!).

    South side, continued - tomatoes, a bit of lettuce, dahliettas (still very small).

   Purple Vienna kohlrabi planted on impulse at the back of the house.  So far, so good.

   A good friend gave me some Iris sections from her garden last year.  It is nice to see them coming up so well.  Bittersweet, as she is no longer with us.  Seeing them every day will be a lovely reminder of her generosity and friendship.

    I had never seen Irises grow and kept wondering where the stems were.  So many long, lush leaves but no stems!  I discovered on the morning of June 3rd some alien-looking pods that had broken through some of the leaves from the inside.  So that's how they grow - neat! 

Irises, June 10th

   Onions and cabbage (foreground), potatoes, and winter squash (Lower Salmon River)

   Finally, some carrots are appearing.  Slow germination for carrots this year.

   L-R in the raised beds: Coastal Pride Orange tomatoes, Mitla Black dry beans w/runners, Early Romanesco cauliflower.

   East garden (we tend to call it "The Potato Patch" whether we're growing potatoes there or not). Potatoes (Kennebec), a few zinnias, marigolds, Dwarf cosmos, and Lemon Queen sunflowers, tomatoes (Midnight Sun, Black Prince, and Polish Linguisa), peppers (jalapeno, Tam jalapeno, and Orange Spice jalapeno), "Veronica" Romanesco cauliflower, dry pole beans (Dolloff), zucchini (Black and Fordhook), volunteer potatoes, and a volunteer bean (hopefully, a bush bean!)

   Potato leaves began popping up all through this tomato bed.  R. had put compost from our bins beneath the soil when he turned the beds this year and didn't recall seeing any potatoes.  He finally dug down to investigate and discovered potato peels that were sending up shoots from a good foot below the surface.  The peels were "fresh" from a month or two ago.  We pulled them all out, but I am still finding new ones every day in this bed.

   I had a startling encounter yesterday afternoon with a furry visitor!  I was outside puttering on the south side of the house and wanted to water the dahlias on the front step, so headed in that direction.  I came around the side of the house just in time to see the back end of an animal who was motoring at top speed off the step, belly low to the ground.  I stopped dead in my tracks, eyes like saucers.  What had I just seen?  It wasn't a cat, rabbit, guinea pig, or ferret.  Prairie Dog?  Groundhog?  Marmot?  Do they have those up here?

   About 10 minutes later, while watering near the squash mounds in the north garden, it came back on the step and paused, so I got a good look.  It stayed on the step for a minute, then slowly walked to the water barrels at the south front corner and peered out in my direction.  It retreated between the barrels and then stood up on it's back legs, gently pawing the side of the house (maybe getting it's bearings?  Or seeking a place to hide?).  It disappeared after that and though I went out again with a camera a short time later, he didn't return.

   It wasn't that large and it also had a bushy little brown tail.  Mostly tan with some dark brown flecks through it's fur.  I wonder if it was a youngster.  I poked around online and thought it looked like either a marmot or a young groundhog.  R. thinks it must have been a groundhog, as marmots are more typically found in southern BC.   In any case, he must have been lost, as I have never seen one in our yard or in town  (I have never seen one, period).  Poor little guy.  He sure was cute.  I hope he made it back out of town the way he came in, likely through the ravine near 96 Ave or the railroad tracks. 

Afternoon update  

   Perhaps the squash seeds were abducted by whatever arrived in the alien pods.  

   Frustrated, I went poking through the squash mounds to see what was going on.  Of the 10 zucchini seeds planted, only one was found.  It had germinated but was dead.  Only one of the Early Prolific squash germinated and only two of the Gold Nugget. The majority of the squash seeds I had planted couldn't be found, so I assume they rotted in the ground during the cool, wet weather (it was hot out the week I planted them).   I planted new seed this afternoon to replace everything that hadn't come up.  Two days ago, new Table King Acorn seeds were planted for the same reason.  Arhg.

   Hoping the heat will return and remain so the squash can get going!