One Way To Plant Gourds

After trying several different plots of gourds over the years, this year I'm returning to the idea that worked best, but using a twist on it in order to accomplish two things at once.

I have an odd corner of the garden that I want to convert into an open, grass-free area (the idea is to build a permanent pergola over it, and have either a brick or pea gravel floor, thereby creating a sort of shady refuge I can rest in while gardening).

I also love growing gourds, and that means they'll do the hard work for me. To do this, I mowed the area till the grass was very short, then laid down a thick layer of newspaper, thouroughly wet it with the hose, then laid these discard plastic bread racks over it (turning them upside down). In previous years I've used wooden pallets and they work just as well, but this year I happen to have bread racks.

I left a 6-8" gap between the racks, filling it with bags of the cheapest top soil you can buy. If you have fill dirt available, it works great. Gourds hate good soil.

After filling the gaps with top soil, sprinkle the gourd seeds in the gaps, and lightly water.

Sprinkle them fairly wide apart (6-8") because in my experience, either none of the seed will come up, or *all* of it will come up. Gourds do not transplant well, and they grow incredibly fast. The upside is that (assuming they come up -one year they didn't) come July, this will be a mound of huge green leaves and vines that will kill all the grass underneath, and give off a wonderful smell similar to making bread.

The gourds will be able to sit on top of the racks, protecting them from dampness and insects, plus harvesting them is much easier.

There are many different kinds of gourds - my favorite is the huge bushel gourds that can grow to the size of coffee tables. We dry them (takes a year), hollow them out, then use a dremel to cut designs in them. After coating with a clear coat of sealer, we have permanent pumpkins to use at Halloween.

This year I've only been able to find birdhouse and dipper seed. Usually I hang the dippers on the fence along the puppy pen. Last summer, the pups grew some beautiful dippers on that fence (the dippers grow inside the fence as well, but the pups don't bother them at all).

Gourds are easy to grow - they love poor soil, and don't need watering (although the more water they get, the thicker their walls will be). And you can do strange things, like putting small fruit inside bottles, and letting the bottle shape the fruit, then break the bottle and let the fruit out.

I'm easily entertained. Give me a square gourd anyday.

Breaking News Update: Shrew Tamed. No Devil.

SHREW UPDATE:

Humans: 1
Shrew: 0

Then we threw trap and shrew into water just to make sure.

Of course, the second trap was knocked around a bit this morning, so there may be a second shrew. Possibly a disgruntled spouse.

No sign of Tasmanian Devil.

Taming of the Shrew. Or Devil. Whatever.

This is a shrew. A North American shrew, one with a terrible appetite (high metabolism), one that eats almost constantly, and can attack animals larger than itself, thanks to a paralyzing venom contained in its bite.

This would be what ran up to my foot this morning when I took a break out in the Swing Garden.

Picture me, drinking my raspberry tea, reading my book, and then, out of the corner of my eye, seeing a black shape run up to my foot, bump into me, and then run back the way it came to hide in the logs and rocks on the edge of the carport.

Picture me, jumping up and yelling "WHAT THE .....!!"

The only response was a couple of rustling leaves.

The five dogs just sat and looked at me, useless creatures that they are.

I retreated to the house and started hunting down the D-Con traps, and these weird mouse traps that are like big clothespins. Set and loaded those suckers in all the strategic places.

Meanwhile DD gets up, listens to my tale of woe, and promptly goes out to sit in the Swing Garden.

Shortly thereafter, DD comes in complaining that the shrew ran up to her foot too. Her theory is that he actually lives in the leaves by the cat food. Since there was no cat food out, he wandered over to the logs looking for food. Then I came out and sat down and cut off his means of escape. He attacked and retreated. By the time he got his courage up, DD had come out and sat down. Foiled again.

My wonderful, charming, talented, beautiful 18 year old DD also elaborated on shrew trivia, just so I would understand how important it is that we get rid of said shrew (like I enjoyed having rodents around running up my legs).

She explains that shrews are one of, if not THE, most aggressive animals out there. That they attack and bite and are vicious. They are born in sets of up to three pupmates, but only one survives, because it eats the other two.

Now I am ready to napalm the shrew nest, nay, the entire carport for good measure.

At this point we go out to run errands, and then on the way home, driving by the horse pasture, my aforementioned wonderful, charming, talented, beautiful 18 year old DD says: "Hmmm. Uh oh. Oh, man. Was I thinking of a shrew.....or....a....Tasmanian Devil?"

"Mom, I can't remember if it's the shrew, or the Tasmanian Devil that's really aggressive and eats its litter mates. Remind me to check that when we get home."

Yep, you do that sweetie.

Either way, we have to get rid of the shrew/Tasmanian Devil. but we may need bigger traps.

A Stupid Thing You Should Not Do

Because I did it for you....

This is your brain.


This is your brain with heat exhaustion.

This is me about 3 hours ago.

Yep, first really hot day, and a long list of stuff to do in the garden.

Up at 7, out in the yard (80 degrees already), first I re-stain the greenhouse (to protect it from further damage from our hot Southern sun -ironic, no?), then mow the lawn, then work with the rain barrels (emptying and shifting one barrel so it drains properly into the overflow barrels), then load and haul the trash, then home and sit in the swing (in the sun, no less), then replace winter door on greenhouse with the screen door, water the broccoli (which, at this point is smarter than I am, since it's in the shade).

At this point, I go and take a shower and think about making dinner. Except, my body has other plans - I start shaking, my vision gets sparkly, I'm dizzy and weak, have a massive headache, break out into cold sweat, and can't catch my breath.

This would be a demonstration of heat exhaustion, the forerunner to heatstroke. Totally brought on by myself and totally preventable. Apparently I need to be reminded of this every couple of years.

After drinking water, and sleeping it off for 3 hours, I'm fine. I'll need to take it easy tomorrow (which shouldn't be a problem, since I insisted on doing everything today).

You should be fine too, since I've now reminded you this can happen and you won't overdo it, will you?

Symptoms of heat exhaustion:

• heavy sweating
• paleness
• muscle cramps
• tiredness
• weakness
• headache
• nausea
• fainting
• dizziness

American Giants and Mammoths Oh My

It's only 1:42 p.m. here in Virginia and already I'm exhausted. We're going from a spring-like 60 degrees today to a couple of upper 80's days, so I thought I'd get a little bit done out there.

That way I can enjoy the heat while we mow (again). It also helps to break the endless list of gardening down into bite-size efforts. Otherwise, I'd be planted out in the garden permanently, composting away.



First job today: uncovering the water system, now that the chance of freezing is past. I have one proper faucet in the back yard, and have added an underground system of PVC pipe down to the gardens and the greenhouse, complete with drainpoint and cutoff valves, and of course hose hook-ups at different points.

During the winter, I cover the main access with some of the scrap carpet I use for garden paths, then cover that with a broke-up bail of straw. No matter how cold it gets the water doesn't freeze, and I can still use it for the greenhouse if necessary. (The layers of carpet hold in the heat from the de-composing straw, and keeps the temp fairly warm. I've even had seeds sprout and take hold under the straw.)

Today was the day to pull the straw and carpet off the hookup. The carpet was put back down in the tomato garden to use as a path during the summer.

The straw is broken up and used to cover the sunflower seeds just planted next to the greenhouse. That same greenhouse that is so perfect and warm all winter will be an inferno in July with temps reaching 120 degrees easily. One option to keep it a little cooler is to buy a shade cloth that fits over the outside. I eventually may have to do this, however, the last couple years I've been planting mammoth sunflowers along each side, and letting them keep the sun out.

The key to this is to pick sunflowers in different sizes, that way the shorter ones support the larger ones, and keep them from falling over. Theoretically anyway.

This year's choices? American Giant (16 ft.), Mammoth (7-12 ft.), and Moonshine (4 ft). This way I can honestly tell people I have Moonshine in my backyard, see my other blog: http://365daysinmoonshinecapitol.blogspot.com/

By June, the greenhouse will look like this:

And in July and August it will look like this:

At the end of the growing season, the sunflower stalks go in the compost bin, and the seed heads go in the dry birdbath, so the birds can snack for most of the winter. Whatever seeds are left get snowed/rained on, and distill into a seed-soup. I use that as fertilizer (think compost tea).

So this morning I planted the sunflowers, broke up the straw, got the water system running full tilt.

Most of these bedding plants can't go outside yet. They'll need just another week or two. for now, the greenhouse vents are open, and they are hardening off, getting use to the wind, and the cool nights, and the hot days. But they're excited about going out with the big boys. I can tell.

After planting two more blueberry bushes, I moved the six new broccoli plants out with their cousins, then added four more bok choy to that bed. We've cleared out the brush pile this year (for the new pond that's going in), so hopefully there won't be as many baby rabbits snacking on the broccoli this year.

Planted a tub of spinach, and eventually will transplant those seedlings outside. Should have bought spinach plants earlier, but it was on the list of stuff to forget.

On tap for this weekend: mowing, putting top soil in the new gourd bed, running new soaker hose, and sitting in the Swing Garden while the pups sleep in the sun. That's the most important job right there.

Green Consumerism on Earth Day

Isn't this the most gorgeous lettuce you've ever seen? I picked it this evening for our dinner salad, then added orange, purple and white cauliflower (we love cauliflower), orange carrots,a fresh crisp cucumber, and a hard-boiled egg.

I love green.

Which reminds me today is Earth Day. I'm older than dirt, so I remember being in middle school (which we called junior high school) on the first Earth Day a bazillion years ago. We spent the afternoon picking up all sorts of trash from the school grounds, and surrounding city blocks and the local paper came and took a picture of all of us with the trash. We felt positively revolutionary.

Today I took DD to my favorite greenhouse, Walters Greenhouse, to pick up plants for the garden. This is our third greenhouse trip in three days - we made the rounds of all the best places. (If you are in the Roanoke Virginia area, here's the link: http://www.waltersgreenhouse.com/ Sorry, they don't do mail order, but they are well worth the drive. (And while you're there, give Max a pat on the head for us, He's a sweetie of a golden retriever.)

Plants we picked up include tomatoes (Roma, Better Boy, Early Girl, Sweet Million, Sweet One Hundred, Carolina Gold, Oxheart, and my absolute idea of a perfect tomato: the amazing Mr. Stripey. I could happily live on Mr. Stripey's for the rest of my life.

I also picked up extra broccoli (we're planning to grow produce for two families this year), cauliflower (see top paragraph, although we only grow white), cayenne, jalopeno,green and red bell peppers and cucumbers. I waited too long to pick up spinach so that will be started from seed (and it better be soon if I want it this summer).

Still my favorite color.

In addition to all those plants, I picked up herbs as well. As I've mentioned before, my favorite herb is basil. I found a new "boxwood" basil plant, plus a seed pack for Siam basil. Of course, I stocked up on the regular basil as well, 6 plants plus a ton of seed (I like to plant basil all over - the fragrance is wonderful.)

I'm hoping to dry my own "Italian Seasoning" mix this year, so we added Greek Oregano, plus added some rosemary, thyme and French Tarragon.

My DD picked out her favorite plant, bloody dock. It's an odd little plant that grows well anywhere from a rock garden, to potted container, to swampy bog conditions. No matter how cold it gets in the greenhouse, it winters over just fine.

I just can't get enough of it: that intense brilliant green. Love it. And it was tasty too.

After picking out plants, I added seed packets -whatever I plan to grow in the winter greenhouse has be purchased now. Then they go in the back of the frig till late fall.

The only item I haven't been able to find locally is any sort of variety of gourd seeds. I prefer the big bushel gourds, but we may be limited to the birdhouse gourds this year.

So this Saturday, think of me - I'll be out planting and digging, starting seed beds, running soaker hose, hauling water.

That reminds me - we got the water barrels hooked up, and about an hour later it rained, and now we have 550 gallons of water waiting to be used. For free.

What more convincing do you need to go hook up your own rainbarrel?

Ask Not Whom The Garden Calls....

How sits the garden today, 4-19-09?

We are having our first "safe" spring rain as I type, meaning one that can fall on the outdoor plants, with no worries that it will freeze overnight and hurt their tender leaves.

Yesterday was spent mowing (after fixing the riding mower and finding out we lost the charger for the push mower), doing a little trimming of branches, and putting slightly taller legs on the water barrel platforms (more on that in another post).

But today it was all-important to set out the broccoli seedlings, covering each one with a milk jug.

YES - a plastic milk jug. Cut the bottom out, take the cap off the top, set it over the plant, making sure you work it into the soil a little to keep it from blowing away. Look down inside and you can see the little broccoli plant.

For those of you who try to go plastic-less, good luck with that - I can't do it. But my rule is to reuse as much as possible. Meaning that we get our milk in plastic jugs, then save them to fill with water and stack in the greenhouse over the winter. They form a wall that collects heat and helps to keep the plants warm over the winter (solar greenhouse - no other source of heat).

As the winter wears on, I use one jug of water at a time for watering, and by the time spring comes along, the jugs are all empty.

At that point -reached this afternoon -I can use as many jugs as I need for protecting set-out seedlings. This is called "hardening" the seedlings - they need the fresh air, but they also need protection from wind while they build up their stem strength. The plastic jug serves as a little hot house until they grow up just a litte.

As plastic goes, milk jugs generally just under one year - meaning one winter in the greenhouse, and one cycle of serving as miniature greenhouses. After that they go brittle and disintegrate.

Cat litter plastic jugs can last several winters in the greenhouse (useless as plant covers), as can the new Lipton Green Tea and Arizona Tea gallon containers.

One winter I used the large Sheetz Slushie glasses (with the domed lids) - they make wonderful individual greenhouses and can hold up at least 2 seasons.

Speaking of using plastic, one day my DH came home with stacks of bread racks that were being thrown away at work. We've used them for various things, including shelving in a root celler my parents built (perfect holding apples and potatos that need circulating air), and today I used them in place of finding free wooden pallets.

This particular project is the gourd bed. First the grass was mowed very short yesterday. Today we added multi-layers of newspaper (2-3 sections deep), wet it thoroughly, then set the bread racks on top, upside down, and with a 6" gap between racks. Around May 1st, I'll fill in the gaps with the least expensive top soil, then plant gourd seeds there.

Gourds love poor soil but need airy spaces to protect the gourds from dampness. In previous years I've just let the vines run willy-nilly, and set scrap boards under each gourd. That works okay, but last year I tried wooden pallets, and that worked much better.

Unfortunately, the pallets were already weathered badly, and this year they just need to be burnt (but it's okay, the ash will go on the garden too). However they can be replaced with the plastic bread racks this year, which are indestructible.

There are several reasons I plant gourds: 1) I have visions of becoming a great creative gourd craftsperson (this will never happen, mostly because I suck at crafts); 2) I LOVE the smell and feel of gourd vines - they are soft and fuzzy, and give off the aroma of baking bread; and 3) growing gourds this way breaks down the soil underneath, and allows me to enlarge the garden the easy way. The earthworms come up under the newspaper, and literally break up the soil for me, then in the fall I add a few layers of mulch, and by next spring, there's a new planting bed ready to go.

Today was also "fence rotation" day - the tomato bed is moving where the old potato bed was (and the potato bed has moved to where the old cucumber bed was). The fences had to be moved as well, so they are ready for tomato planting in a couple weeks.

I've tried every sort of tomato support, including the idea of "no-support", which turned out badly, with poor fruit taste -it was musty and something short of "rotted" tasting. I've used the cone-shaped wire cages, made round wire cages, garden stakes with string lines between them, plain wooden poles, and one year I ever designed a PVC support that could be put together to fit each individual plant. None of them worked as I wanted them to.

One year I was visiting an Amish farm up in the mountains and saw their very simple idea. They used large (6" square) grid fence wire, and just strung it up between garden stakes. The tomatoes are planted on alternating side of the fence. I've been doing that ever since. The large grid means you can reach through and pick tomatoes if necessary.

There were surprises waiting in the greenhouse today too - this approx 5" across cauliflower, and buckets of bright green lettuce.

Some of these beautiful plants were transplanted outside, some into other large buckets, and some came in for dinner - fresh romaine salad with bacon quiche!