Fox Haven Journal

Beau August 12th, 2008

There are few things like coming home.  The familiar, the comfortable, all the sights and sounds and… the work to do!    We’ve been blessed with cool weather this summer, and for being almost mid-August it’s amazing to see the grass and landscape so green.   In years past the grass would be brown and not require cutting by now.   But it’s beautiful in the early morning, especially with the air so cool and refreshing.

I walked down to the pond and enjoyed watching the wisps of fog move gently across the warmer water.   What is it about mornings that I love so much?  The quiet awakening of the day?  The promise of things to come?  I really don’t know, but its always been my favorite time of day.

Our little apple orchard seems to be doing well, meaning that the trees have received enough water and the deer haven’t chewed them to pieces this summer.  That may change quickly in the fall, but for now I’m spraying deer repellant around the leaves and base of the trees to discourage the deer from browsing.  The next plan is to wrap the trunks and install some fencing to protect the little trees.   We even have a few apples developing still, the first for a small apple tree planted two years ago.  I’m not sure who will get to eat this apple first, us or the deer… but it looks pretty good!

For now it’s time to catch up on chores (and writing and reading too).  It was interesting to be without internet access for much of our trip the past two weeks.  Sure I missed the convenience and instant information available, yet it brought back awareness of simpler times and was kind of nice to just “be” if that makes any sense.  More to ponder, but while I do the garden is still producing a bunch of tomatoes and cucumbers, and even a few beans.  It’s about time to put up some pickles again too!

• Landscapes , Gardening
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Beau July 21st, 2008

It seems that if you plant sunflowers, there will be a few volunteers over the years.  This one is growing toward the front of the house, brought there by friendly birds after last year’s plants in the garden. 

It’s kind of neat that one of the ways seeds are propagated in nature is due to birds.  The birds eat the fruit and as the seeds pass through their digestive tract, they are deposited in many different places.  Which is kind of amazing really.   Except for cedar trees.  Eastern Red Cedar that is.  It’s a pretty, evergreen tree that produces very strong (and nice smelling) wood.  But they are ubiquitous!  Too big of a word to simply say we have too many around, and they get their start with the help of birds usually while perched along a fence. 

At least around here that’s why you see so many cedar trees along the fence lines.  Down the road a bit I saw someone who cleared out their fence line of all the brush and barb wire, removing all but some nicely spaced and trimmed cedars.  That looks very nice I will admit.  One day perhaps we’ll do the same.  For now the barb wire, old fence posts and tangly growth is just going to stay for a while.

Speaking of growing things, our tomatoes are finally turning red.  The little cherry tomatoes have been producing for a while, but the larger ones are now ripening.  We planted several different varieties as an informal experiment to see which ones do well here.  With the cooler, wet season early on, it seemed like they were going to stay green, but now they are coming on much better.   

If they produce much more we’re going to make sauce, stewed tomatoes, frozen tomatoes… whatever works. Met someone last week though who is growing 104 tomato plants… in their yard.  They are taking the ripe tomatoes to farmer’s markets in the back of a truck.  That must be a lot of picking!

• Rural Living , Gardening
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Beau July 18th, 2008

This must really be “bug week” because I find myself taking pictures of all sorts of insect critters.  Maybe they’re too easy and I’m not being creative enough. But the Japanese beetles are still filling up plastic bags and we’re trying to keep the pests out of the garden.  And the moles!  I haven’t found a good deterent for them, although the cat sometimes ends up with one.  

I actually watched some lettuce plants wobbling back and forth as a mole tunneled underneath the other day.  They love to eat worms and grubs, but maybe tender roots as well?  All I know is their tunnels leave the roots without soil and water, and the plant will die if you don’t reseat them in the soil.  Some wiser folks have said that castor bean oil is a good deterrent so we may try that.  The metal mole traps are simply too cumbersome and unreliable for me to work very well.

I haven’t seen any Monarch caterpillars on our milkweed plants, but maybe that’s because these Tussock Moth Caterpillars keep devouring the milkweed.  I saw one of the plants chewed to the ground and then found these guys working on the next one.  Looks like a hungry football team lined up at the buffet!

And the little guy below was too cute to pass up.  My unscientific name is “Brown Fuzzy Caterpillar.”  What it really is I have  no idea, but isn’t it funny how the “cute” ones seem acceptable, but the “ugly” ones we get rid of?  I’ve pulled some big green hornworms off the tomato plants and the yellow lab likes to play with them.  I think he actually eats them… uh, yuck?! (there’s a close up of the Tussock Moth Caterpillar from last year at that link too).

But this ”BFC” wasn’t eating leaves or doing anything it seemed.  Maybe he was looking for a place to make a chrysalis?

After today I’ve got to find some new material that doesn’t involve bugs.  Unless they’re really neat looking or something.  Or involve bees.  Or, well… let’s just see what happens. 

• Wildlife, Insects and Pets , Gardening
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Beau July 12th, 2008

Busy doings outside these days, with so much just growing and growing.  We’ve been lucky to have rain almost every week, especially for the garden and the bees.  I’ve heard this is one of the best years many beekeepers can remember in our area and that the “honeyflow” is nice and long from the rain and cooler weather. 
We found a funny “double cucumber” in the garden the other day. Now how do you suppose it grew like this? It’s still in the fridge while I wonder what I can do with it. Maybe I could put it on ebay :)

And the blackberries have really started ripening, so we picked a couple quarts already.  I’m just amazed- we haven’t had any berries the past couple of years, but with the bees this year there’s a bunch of wild berries in places I’d never seen before.  Maybe it’s also the rain this year.  But we need to pick some more soon! And anybody have a good blackberry pie recipe?

The green beans have done so well this year we’ve been putting up a bunch in the freezer. Time to pick more cucumbers now too, and maybe pickles soon? The garden is great but next year it needs to be bigger!  I say that now, and we hardly keep up with it.  I’m always amazed at how much room the plants can use though. 

 We dug up some potatoes for the first time and they were delicious.  Never grew potatoes before, but it was pretty easy, and they didn’t take up too much room.  I was surprised how fast the little guys grew. 

Also had our first ear of home-grown corn yesterday. It wasn’t too big, but some critters had started munching the top so it was time to pick. It sure was tasty though!

Here’s our corn-growing Basset Hound. Oh wait! I’m told this is our CORN DOG! He’s really our garden dog, and likes to follow us around and hang out wherever we are. He’s the good ‘ole man of the place, going on 11 years now.
Of course it’s kind of hard to grow corn on top of the dog. But he likes the attention, especially getting watered on hot days.

We may have to find somewhere else to grow it next year though. There’s just not enough space!

• Wildlife, Insects and Pets , Gardening
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Beau July 1st, 2008

The garden has really come into its own this week.  We finally have a good crop of beans this year, and they’ve grown more than enough to eat each day.  For the last week they’re making almost too much, which means we get to save some for winter.  We’re still learning how to grow an abundant garden, finding out what vegetables we like and understanding how best to manage weeds and pests naturally.

The lettuce has done very well this year, probably because we got an early start.  We planted mixed varieties of leaf and butterhead lettuce and some of them have grown very well.  I’m not partial to softer leaf lettuce, but since it grows so well we may have to get used to it.  And we haven’t tried yet, but I’ve read that the crunchy types of lettuce such as iceberg don’t grow as well in the midwest.  Anybody know?  

Red leaf and butterhead varieties have grown nicely this year, but what is the red speckled type?

I’ve enjoyed making canned pickles and peppers the last couple of years, but we have not used a pressure canner yet for other vegetables.  Maybe we’ll freeze some of them?  For beans we’ve been told that it’s best to blanche them quickly before freezing, to help maintain flavor and freshness.   That will be great to have nearly fresh beans for the colder months, yet I also like the softer canned beans. They just have a flavor and texture that I love.

Beans, sweet peas and snow peas, yum!  Nothing like home grown, but it makes you appreciate just how many peas are in a can at the grocery store.

Of course the internet is a wonderful resource these days, and there’s many sites that offer helpful information.  Here’s a great site at PickYourOwn.org that provides a wealth of how-to guidance on canning and freezing.   Very helpful especially since we’d like to make some jam or jellies from berries, as well as put up a lot of other vegetables.   We’re still learning, and with grocery prices skyrocketing it helps to do more things at home.

Have you ever made anything out of elderberries?  We have a couple plants growing on the property and I hope to pick a bunch of them. These Elderberry flowers will grow into a bunch of blue-black berries, hopefully picked before the birds can get them!

The tomatoes are about to start producing too; lots of small to medium green tomatoes are all over the plants now.  If we can keep the moles from digging them up we may do well this year and even have tomato sauce.  

And have you ever thought about corn pollination?   It’s an amazing process that we really take for granted.  Hopefully we’ll have some corn to feast upon in the months ahead.

The garden can be a lot of work but it’s also a wonderful place to learn about plant growth, especially when it provides so much food!

• Rural Living , Gardening
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Beau June 22nd, 2008

My goodness the weeds and grass can really grow while one is gone, and to see how fast it all grows in the space of a couple weeks is amazing. We’re catching up at home this week after a trip with the family, and have returned to see many parts of the central U.S. inundated with flooding from the Mississippi and other rivers. The rivers are cresting now, and several towns are waiting to see how much more flooding there will be. Many of the levees have failed, but others are still holding with water right to the top. Our hearts just go out to those who will begin working to recover from all the flooding this week. There are also a few thunderstorms about, but strangely in much of our area the topsoil is becoming quite dry.

We are thankful to live a little higher and have started watering the plants around the house and garden now. And it’s time for vegetables as we’re picking the peas, beans and lettuce that is doing so well. I’m surprised the peas and beans have not grown higher up the supports, and I wonder how long they will produce this year. But it has been a cool week in terms of temperature, so that helps keep them flowering and producing.

I think the corn looks great in the garden and I thought of a dumb question today since we have not planted hybrid corn before… How many ears of corn can we get from one stalk with our garden variety hybrid? I’ve seen some of the field corn growing in our area with 2-3 ears per stalk. But a little web research indicates we’ll probably get 1-2 ears from most smaller hybrid plants. We’ll see how it turns out in a month or so as the tassels are just forming at the top of the stalk now. But the tomatoes are also coming along- small and green, and soon we’ll have more than we know what to do with.

An early morning yesterday as we went across the pond dam to check the property. The yellow lab was like a kid in a candy store after coming home from the kennel. He did very well while we were gone, and didn’t miss a beat when returning home. Maybe a little too much energy saved up for romping around the property. Come to think of it I could use a little of that extra energy… the grass on the pond dam needs cut for the year again!

By the way, the bees are doing pretty well so far. I’ve put on a second super (hive body) for both hives and the bees are working like crazy each day. One of the hives appears much stronger in terms of numbers of bees, so it will be interesting to see how they do this year. Today I removed the entrance reducers I had placed last month while the new hives built up their strength in numbers of bees and stores of food. They didn’t fuss too much and (all anthropomorphism aside) actually seemed to enjoy the opening being wider. I probably left the reducers on a little too long while we were away, and today it was like seeing a little traffic jam of bees getting in and out of that smaller 3 inch entrance slot.

So to remove the wooden stick that blocks the entrance, I took my hive tool and pried up the corners and under the reducer to loosen all the joints. Then as I wedged and held up the hive slightly, I slid a stiff hooked wire through the hole and gently pulled out the wooden reducer. The bees didn’t seem to mind a bit. So now both hives have a full entrance on top of the bottom board (actually a screen) to come and go. And it was fun watching the returning bees covered in pollen… a welcome sight. It’s also great to see them covering so many flowers around the property. Keep working little bees!

• Labrador Retriever , Gardening , Beekeeping
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Beau June 3rd, 2008

Everything is growing like crazy now as the spring season transitions to summer.  These are the growing days, although in some parts of the region the farmers are having a difficult time getting corn and other crops in the ground.  It has just been too wet and muddy.  But the rain has really supported an abundance of growth and the flowers are blooming everwhere. 

The bees are very busy coming and going and have a wide choice of flowers from which to obtain nectar and pollen.   It’s been so wet however that some of the garden plants are a bit waterlogged.  We planted a vibrant eggplant start that now looks yellow and soggy, but its still hanging on.  Yet the temperatures are increasing as well as the humidity, and the heat will eventually take over.  It’s so strange that we haven’t even needed to water anything yet this year. 

So the garden is coming along with the beans and peas climbing slowly up their supports.  We put the plants and seeds in the ground a little early this year and it seems to be working out. The corn is coming up nicely and the lettuce is really growing too. But the tomato plants have just been plodding along.  As soon as it gets really warm they will probably leap up!

We’re going to lay out some sprinklers and drip irrigation this week so it’s all ready for summer.  As much as I don’t like soggy ground everywhere, I know we’re going to miss the rainfall every few days. 

In the dry summers I usually drive around with a water barrel to give smaller trees and shrubs enough water to make it through the season.   But the pond is still full and with enough moisture and a little luck, we may even have a few of our own apples.  It’s amazing how fast they grow! 

• Gardening
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Beau May 22nd, 2008

Isn’t it strange how fast everything grows?!  A little rain and warm weather and we find ourselves in a jungle.   Lots of activity these days, especially working hard to get the garden finished up.  This is the first year we’ve had plants in the ground by late April and early May.  The tomatoes were a little nipped by a late frost, but are coming back.  And this year we put up a green fence and posts for peas and beans to climb. Hopefully.  And corn!  I’ve always wanted corn but avoided growing it since it’s so big and kind of messy.  This year with grocery prices we figured what the heck, and planted a bunch all over.  

It doesn’t look like much, but this is about half of the garden.  It’s small as country gardens go, and the rows are only about 20-25 feet long.  But the rows are perpendicular to the sloping hillside that leads to the pond.  This way the water doesn’t race across and wash everything out.  I’ve planted a few surprises around the corners this year, so we’ll see what happens. Now I’m wondering, if we’re trying to keep the bunnies out, why do we have that cute little bunny sign?!

I think the raccoons are going to be regular visitors.  Otherwise let’s see… we’re trying to grow cucumbers, a dozen tomato plants, eggplant, zuchini, watermelon, peppers and beets.  I’ve wanted beets the past two years and they simply would not grow… or the tops were chewed off by something.  They’re supposed to be the easiest things to grow!  Oh, and we even cut a bunch of potatoes in half and stuck ‘em in the ground.  They’re already up and growing like weeds.  Now if we can keep it watered and relatively weed free, and the little bunny critters away, then maybe we’ll have a chance at a veggie harvest!

By the way, ever see one of these critters before in the picture below?  That little hanging down thingy on the cedar tree is a Bagworm moth cocoon.  The female bagworms crawls up a tree, preferably an evergreen of some kind, and picks apart the needles to make a nice little house.  Then they crawl to a nice cozy place to spend the winter and when spring comes they hang out waiting for the male bagworm moth, who actually flys around.  They two of them do their thing together and then all kinds of little bagworms crawl out over the whole dang tree.  Since the needles are green when the little bagworms make their cocoons they are hard to see at first. 

It would be kind of neat except they practically denude the whole thing!  They can really damage and even kill a tree or shrub, so they have to be controlled.  We didn’t pay close enough attention last year and had small spruce trees and juniper bushes that were covered in them.  We literally pulled several hundred bagworms off the plants filling up two milk jugs and then disposed of them. I don’t like spraying chemicals, but I had to treat the pine trees to make sure they survived.

If you notice the worms before they make the little bag cocoons you can just spray them directly.  This year I haven’t seen many yet, but when I do I tug the cocoon off the branch.  Oh, and if you just throw it on the ground, the little worm will poke its head out and crawl back up a tree!  Nature is pretty amazing sometimes, but I’m not very fond of these guys.  Once they’re in that tough little cocoon they’re like indestructable superbugs. 

This morning on the way to the bus the young one said “Daddy look! The clouds look like the ocean!”  That was a pretty good observation.   They looked like storm clouds at sea, ominous and rolling quickly through the sky as a front passes.  It rained briefly this morning, but not as much as you would think from the picture.  That was okay by me. But then it poured and poured. 

• Rural Living , Science , Gardening
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Beau May 20th, 2008

The wind was really blowing the past weekend, and the grassy fields looked like an ocean of waves.  We were up early spreading mulch around trees and shrubs.  I came upon a solitary daisy in the field.  It looks like a common variety of asters, but it makes me wonder how it ended up in the field.  Dandelions are supposed to be very good for the bees, especially in early spring.  But rather than thousands of the yellow little blossoms, I would much prefer some more of these!  But what do I know, apparently the bees don’t take as much pollen or nectar from asters compared to other flowers.

On the subject of the bees, I checked on them this past weekend.  The queens were out and about, and the bees were building new honeycomb for the queen to lay eggs.  So far so good, although until yesterday it was so windy I was concerned about how they were doing.  But nature seems to just do fine, and as the wind calmed and the day warmed up they were coming and going. 

We checked our apple trees and found apples growing!  The bad news is that on one tree all the blossoms dropped off, and on this one only four apples were developing.  I remember when they were in full bloom, I didn’t hardly see a bee or insect on the apple flowers.  It was also very cool and windy during the early spring bloom, so perhaps they were not pollinated successfully.  We also had a light frost that may have caused the drop, but maybe still we’ll have an apple or two by fall.

Lots to catch up with these days, but really are we ever “done” doing anything?  So much of life is just a journey from one project or phase of growth to another.  My nature likes to find completeness with things, often very quickly.  But my nature has little to do with Mother Nature, for which completeness is a varying transition from one state of being to another.  In our rush to and fro I sense the irony of it all in the grass and weeds that grow, and the trees that sway in the wind heavy with leaves that will begin falling before I can finish my little list of projects. 

We orient our lives around the rhythm of the seasons, trying to join a cadence that fits.  Eventually I find myself sighing deeply, throwing up my hands with a knowing smile, and joining the flow to embrace what simply is.  I watch the birds dart around the trees, and the dogs chasing each other.  I marvel at the energy of a boy testing himself and chasing imaginary creatures. I see the bluebirds catching insects and watch a fish rise to the surface of the pond.  I see flowers bloom and fade, sharing a few days or weeks for the year as they slowly grow. 

I look at trees that have fallen over in the wind seemingly too soon, because I was not yet ready for them to leave.  And I think of family and friends that have left in much the same way.  Sometimes acceptance is a difficult thing, but if we don’t embrace what is, then I think we hinder so much in our own lives.  For me life is about growth and managing change.  I’m constantly trying to manage the growth and change that occurs right around me from an external viewpoint.   Of course that’s not really what I mean.  Everything about that external context is part of my journey too, and it’s really about managing the growth and change within.

• Reflections , Gardening
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Beau April 27th, 2008

How have I gone through life without experiencing the beauty and fragrance of apple blossoms? The simple apple that we enjoy so much- it’s so easy to forget how that apple grew. Maybe this is the year we will grow our own?

We planted our first apple trees about two years ago, and they are just covered in white flowers.  Somehow the picture above reminds me of the soft, sweet fragrance of the flowers. 

• Reflections , Gardening
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