Tricks of the Trade!

  So while most folks are just now putting in their garden, Mark and I dug our first potatoes.  The new potatoes were beautiful and mighty tasty.  Seeing the rewards of a little effort made me wish I had filled the garden with rows of potatoes instead of one small patch.  Actually, that was all of the "seed" potatoes that I had handy so the short row had to do.  These were simply potatoes from the grocery store that had gotten shoved in a basket and overlooked until they were slightly shriveled and had inch long sprouts on them.  Six potatoes turned to about three gallons.  When we made the row, I carefully cut those six potatoes in three to four pieces (around those nice sprouts), laid them in the row and hoped for the best.  They did extremely well for being kitchen discards!

  Back on the farm, Pop would start planting in January.   Seeds were sowed in the hotbed and then by mid February, the seedlings were set in the field.  "Plant early.  You may lose some plants to freezes but you never know when the weather may be agreeable and you will have early crops."  We always had new potatoes, yellow squash and green beans by Easter.  Sure, there were times when the weather would turn for the worst and we would lose a lot of plants but the risk was worth taking.  When our little farm could produce fresh vegetables a full month ahead of others, it was worthwhile.

  When digging the potatoes, I told Mark how we (as kids) had to cover hundreds of plants in the field before unexpected freezes.  The kids would put black plastic flower pots over the tomatoes and squash plants, then Pop would use the tractor to plow dirt over top of the pots.  After the threat of a freeze was over, we would head back to the field to dig out the pots.  More oft than not, Pop was right and the plants were fine.  Things like potatoes were simply plowed under.  By the time the potato plant pushed through the six inches of dirt, the threat of bad weather had passed.  These were all tricks of the trade for Pop.  These are all tricks of the trade that he taught to me.  Plant early!  

Tomatoes...Potatoes

  Ok.  So spring is here.  It matters not if the weather agrees...spring is here.  We do not need any more cool nights to befall the Bayou.  There just cannot be!  Why, may you ask?  Well...because of tomatoes.  Yep.  Tomatoes.  I have a strong hankering for fresh tomatoes.  And maybe some new potatoes.  Also, a few green beans would be nice.  The cold weather is not welcome at the moment. 

  This afternoon (after an all-nighter of storms), I ventured out to the vegetable plot to be surprised by tomato blossoms!  It seems that the torrential rains are agreeable with the growth of the plants.  The plants have been in the ground for a couple of weeks and are truly looking sturdy but to find the blooms made my day.  Seeing the tomato blooms and the healthy looking row of potatoes made me think of Pop and his plants and of "grubbling".

  Back on the farm, Pop planted nigh on forty acres with assorted vegetables.  He usually had fresh sweet corn, tomatoes and beans by mid April and I can remember him "grubbling" for the tiny, new potatoes so we could have a special treat to go with the Easter ham!  He had vegetables ready before most other folks were tilling their ground.  Seeds were started in "hotbeds" by the end of January so the plants were ready at the first warm day.  If a late freeze (Mom called those "Easter freezes") hit the area,  the plants were covered with black plastic pots then plowed under with about a six inch deep layer of dirt.  After the threat passed, it was an easy task to find the pot, pull it out from the dirt and leave behind the saved plant. He kept thousands of the pots in an old shed just for this purpose. This method allowed for early vegetables!  

  Now I will get a little off topic (from tomato blossoms)!  Even though the potatoes were not quite ready to be fully dug by Easter, he always managed to grubble enough for a "mess". There is a word that you do not hear often nowadays!  Grubble!  (For the longest time, it never occurred to me that the word meant anything other than digging potatoes!)  Grubble, by the way, means to fumble around in the dark.  He used it to refer to digging with his hands under a large potato plant to find a few hen's egg sized potatoes which is sort of like fumbling around in the dark! Later, the old hand plow (that had, at one time, been pulled by a mule) was hitched to the back of the tractor.  While he drove the tractor, one of the kids held the plow upright with the point just at the right angle to dig deep enough to upend the potato plants.  Then, we all would go through the soft dirt with our hands and toss the potatoes down in the furrow.  Afterward, buckets and bushels were filled to be hauled to the old truck.  This was back when kids actually helped out around the place.  We all had chores to do and were expected to do them without grumbling.  Life was great.  Too bad this does not happen in this day and age.

  Back to the small scale garden that flanks the east side of the house.  Pop probably looks down from Heaven and cringes at my feeble attempts.  My dozens of plants vs his thousands, most likely does not seem worth the effort but it keeps us in fresh veggies and I am able to can (or freeze) enough to last most of the winter.   Looky, Pop!  My tomatoes look great!  And have blooms!  Not quite as early as yours were but still looking promising.  I think I will grubble for some potatoes for Easter dinner!

There's Work To Be Done!

  So I am guessing I had better get myself into a work mode after being a tad lazy for a few weeks.  With the old dog not feeling the best, as of late, I have had to put off any chores that could wait.  I busied myself inside the Little Bayou House but the yard has literally been forgotten.  Today, however, I did get to stroll a bit to the back part of the property.  It was there that I found a few reminders that it is getting onto time to start tending the gardens.  

 Down behind the shed, I found that the dewberry vines are in full bloom. Near the canebrake, the peach trees are covered in blooms.  Next to the back deck, there are buds on the pear trees.  These are all sure signs that warm weather is here and it is time to plant the garden, mow the grass and trim the bushes.  I did manage to get the trailing roses cut back...well, all but two.  I was in full swing with those snips until I noticed that the Cherokee Rose was full of buds.  Nope.  Its not happening.  The rose can just stay rambling until after the blooms wane.  Another fine sign that it is outdoor chore time is that the potatoes are sprouting above ground already.  The garden is bare except for that one row.

 So the afternoon was spent making plans to get it in gear, plant the garden, clean the yard and welcome the warmth that comes with this time of year.  Why!  Hello there, Summer!  I see you peaking around the corner.  Time to shake a leg!  There are chores to be done.

You Just Never Know....

  When gardening, you just never know if a season is going to prove to be productive or if the crops will be a bust.  Weather, pests, and personal mistakes can blow a garden right out the window.  Then, you could have the storybook plot full of gorgeous tomatoes, perfect squash and delicious cucumbers.  You just cannot predict the outcome of something that hinges on so many different things.

  While out cutting grass, I noticed that the compost pile looked awfully green for something that consists a lot of dead plant remnants.  It was time to investigate what was growing so well in that fertile soil. Obviously, the water hyacinths that were pulled and discarded as compost builders were agreeing with something.  To my surprise, several potato plants had sprouted and were growing prolifically.  The plants were covered with the telltale blooms that were signs that all was well with the plants...they were healthy.

  Now comes the problem.  The potato plants sprouted in the same compost pile that is known to also house a yellow jacket's nests. These foul-tempered wasps will attack me as soon as I start shuffling around the compost but I am curious to see if those potatoes are working.  You just never know what might be hiding under that rich compost!  

Sometimes change is good.

   I am not one that likes change when it comes to gardening.  It is my preference to stick to tried and true methods and I have a tendency to pay no heed to suggested improvements.  Still at times, things need to change.  For the past few years, I have fought rodents relentlessly to no avail. My gardens sat in ruins causing me great anguish. I could not compete with the underground tunneling of the masses of voles.  So, I changed methods.  I read all I could find on container gardening and the use of raised beds.  The raised beds interested me most as I do garden a good bit and would need many containers.  My one concern was that most raised beds would not inhibit the tunneling one bit. Most had no bottoms.  I needed beds that were literally "raised" as in raised off the ground.  Mark and I discussed the matter and he came to my rescue by building boxes to my specifications.  I wanted them certain sizes and depths.  These were made using untreated cedar fence boards.
  
  I was a bit dubious about trying the new method but I jumped in headlong and planted everything I could in the boxes.  Beans, potatoes, squash, peppers and radishes all had new homes in the raised garden boxes.  At first, it seemed as if the plants were slow in taking to their new beds.  I was persistent, though, and tended them dutifully.  Soon, things were up and running!  The potatoes especially seem to have decided that this was perfect.  Mark had made the sides eighteen inches high and within just a few weeks, he had to add six more inches.  I have now added enough compost to fill the twenty-four inch deep boxes and the potato plants just keep growing.  Back on the farm, Pop used to "hill" his potato plants quite deeply.  He always said to grow good potatoes, you had to keep piling the dirt around them.  So, I do!  I sure hope this works and those potatoes are doing something beside growing stalks and leaves!

  Having the gardens like this has been a breeze.  So far, weeding has been nil, fertilizing much easier and, best of all, NO VOLE PROBLEM! With the gardens raised a good foot off the ground, the voles have to do a bit of climbing to reach the plants.  Our two cats now have the advantage of a clear view of the rodents as they come out of their subterranean abodes. I am already planning a good many more such gardens to be used for the fall and winter garden.  The boxes are just the right size to cover with some reclaimed windows that I have been saving for years.  This should be just the protection needed for any frosty nights come this next winter!  Oh, I love this type gardening!  Yeah, I admit it...sometimes change is good.