May Garden Plans

This is a photo of the garden at 10:30. It doesn't look like much is going on but if you look closely the baby peas are coming up. And the sweet peas around the teepee (I had given up hope they would work out!!). And I am paying attention to how much sun the SW fence gets. That's where the peas are.

Our garden is so new. We take what we can get. So a few of the fruit trees are blossoming. And a few are just tall sticks in the earth. The greens are starting to sprout. A few asparagus are up (we will ignore them for 1-2 years to help them establish themselves). We need to pinch the blueberry flowers to help their roots establish. And we won't espalier the trees just yet (for the same reason). I pulled up a baby radish just out of curiosity. Cute but needs another week or so.

It is a lovely sunny day. And we will finally plan the pole beans (soon), spinach, swiss chard, some more flower seeds, the potatoes, more onions...

I still need to make a mini greenhouse out of a 4x12 foot tomato and basil raised bed. They want to be protected and warm (a consistent warm temperature).

I am also trying to be patient about our weed grass. It is brutal! We are not big fans of grass and all the water it consumes and the nutrients it takes from our beds. But we have spent our budget for the year. Next year there will be lots of pea gravel and we will remove a lot of sod! Most of it?!?

I am researching the use of tree service wood chips. These are a combination of green and brown chips (leaves, branches, everything!). Apparently you should lay them on top only and thinly so they act as a mulch and don't over heat. There is talk of whether you need to add nitrogen and whether hardwood is bad. But if you don't mix it into the soil most trees are fine (except walnut),

I am chatting with a few friends, planning Summer visits that will coincide with canning, harvesting, and making freezer jam. Strawberries should be ready in June for making into jam. After that comes raspberries. One friend will bring fruit such as peaches and apricots from the Okanagan in late July/ early August. Then we will visit another friend in early September for pears and apples. Gotta ask her about the figs! When we get opportunities we will freeze tons of blueberries for our winter breakfasts. And masses of blackberries that of course grow wild around here.

The raw milk has been a big hit in our home. We now consume 3-5 litres a week, 1 litre of buttermilk, and 500 ml of raw yoghurt. I soak oats in the milk overnight to make oatmeal pancakes. And we use the buttermilk to make spelt pancakes. Kevin isn't too impressed with all the pancakes but it is easy for baby Noah to eat as finger food.