Shakstead

Welcome back to The Shak.


Maybe I should not have let so much time pass since my last blog. I've been busy with the doing which leads to the blogging. It is too hot to work outside or fish this afternoon. So, I'll get started. There is much about which to catch you up.

June 6, 2012

Bed 1: Early Girl Tomato, Eggplant,
 Alaska Pea, Purple Ruffles Basil,
Red Rubin Basil and Marigold

Bed 2: La Roma Tomato,
 Long Island Dill, Florence Fennel, Marigold
and Green,Yellow and Red Bell Peppers

Bed 3: Beefmaster Tomato, Mammoth Dill,
Brussel Sprout, Onion, Cinnamon Basil,
Tricolor Sage and Marigold

Bed 4: La Roma and Sweet 100 Tomato,
Brussel Sprout, Onion,
 Pineapple Sage and Marigold

Bed 5: Red and Green Cabbage,
Kohlrabi, Banana Pepper, Onion,
Pineapple Sage, Coriander,
Cilantro and Marigold

Bed 6: Sweet 100 Tomato, Bibb Lettuce,
 Spinach, Mesclun, Fern Dill and Marigold

East Fence: Great Arrow Pea,
Salad and Pickling cucumbers,
 Red and Green Cabbage, Pineapple Sage,
Greek Oregano and Gazania

South Fence: Beans,
Salad and Pickling Cucumbers,
Greek Oregano and Marigold

 Back on April 15, when last I blogged, I was still working on cleaning and getting the courtyard and raised beds ready for planting. Not only are they ready, planting began May 15th. Most plants/seeds were in that day. After a short wait for herbs, they were in about a week later.


Mom planned the garden plantings and plants. She also did most of the planting in the courtyard. I just take care of it all.

The pumpkins are thriving.
The watermelon and cantaloupe did not.

I also planted five varieties of squash in a patch near the apple trees I pruned in an earlier post. The watermelon and cantaloupe I planted between the front of the house and the road did not do well; however, their pumpkin neighbors are thriving. I subsequently dug three trenches where the cantaloupe had failed and planted potatoes. There are four tires of potatoes near the squash as well.

The squash pit, potato tires and apple trees

The potato tires are 15" rim tires. I laid them on the ground placing five seed potato pieces in each. Then I covered them with old straw I removed from a barn stall (there is a separate blog about why I did that coming in the nextish Shak Rabbits post). With that done, I watered the "piss" out of the straw.

Three rows of potatoes. We'll see if these do better than the cantaloupe they replaced.

The potato rows are made on the same principal. I just dug a trench, laid in the potatoes and covered them to ground level with straw, watering them as indicated above.


Incidentally, dad said that the rumor mongers will be talking after seeing me wandering around the property with a rifle... and two freshly dug graves in the front yard. The rifle is a pellet gun. While I own rabbits, I can't abide wild ones. As for the graves, those are just left over dirt from the potato trenches. No need to involve the CSI team. And there you have my one and only "pop-culture" reference. I've never even seen the show...or any of its supposed variants.


There is also a potted herb garden just outside the door to the house. Here mom planted parsley, lemon, woolly and silver edged tyme, red rubin, purple ruffles and cinnamon basil, garlic chives, oregano, sweet marjorum and nasturtium.

Herbs outside the house door for quick access

Thanks for stopping. Come again soon.