We rearranged the front kitchen and installed a “cat hammock” in the window.
It seems to be working just fine.
It seems to be working just fine.
Potatoes
Have I mentioned the potato bin?
In theory, you plant the potatoes in the bottom of the bin, fill it with straw and compost and leaves and stuff as the potatoes grow, and you end up with a bin full of potatoes when all is done.
The product literature described the delight of “opening the bin and watching all the potatoes tumble out.”
Last year, I used the potato bin. Some of the plants died, but some survived. When I opened the bin, nothing tumbled out. It was a giant solid heavy block. I had to pick it apart to see what was inside. It made great compost. It made great earthworms. It did not make potatoes.
When I called the manufacturer of the potato bin for advice, they asked me what I did and what I got. After I told them, they said, “That’s a lot better than we did in our test garden. We don’t sell this as a potato bin anymore. Now we sell it as a strawberry garden.”
Well, they may concede defeat easily, but I think I can do better. This year I planted a row of potatoes. One end of the row is enclosed in the potato bin, the remainder is out in the open. The potatoes are doing great. Much more growth than last year.
In the attached picture, you can’t really see the potato bin. That’s zucchini (and a dog) in the foreground (and yellow sunflowers in the middle). I’m standing directly behind the potato bin. I’ve never had armpit-high potato plants before. You can’t even see the rest of the row of potatoes outside the bin. They’re hidden behind the zucchini between the bin and the corn.
So there you have it. The best potato plants ever. And a bin full of potatoes to boot, just waiting for me to open the bin and delight as the potatoes fall out at my feet.
Just wait till the quitters at the potato bin factory hear about this.
S
In theory, you plant the potatoes in the bottom of the bin, fill it with straw and compost and leaves and stuff as the potatoes grow, and you end up with a bin full of potatoes when all is done.
The product literature described the delight of “opening the bin and watching all the potatoes tumble out.”
Last year, I used the potato bin. Some of the plants died, but some survived. When I opened the bin, nothing tumbled out. It was a giant solid heavy block. I had to pick it apart to see what was inside. It made great compost. It made great earthworms. It did not make potatoes.
When I called the manufacturer of the potato bin for advice, they asked me what I did and what I got. After I told them, they said, “That’s a lot better than we did in our test garden. We don’t sell this as a potato bin anymore. Now we sell it as a strawberry garden.”
Well, they may concede defeat easily, but I think I can do better. This year I planted a row of potatoes. One end of the row is enclosed in the potato bin, the remainder is out in the open. The potatoes are doing great. Much more growth than last year.
In the attached picture, you can’t really see the potato bin. That’s zucchini (and a dog) in the foreground (and yellow sunflowers in the middle). I’m standing directly behind the potato bin. I’ve never had armpit-high potato plants before. You can’t even see the rest of the row of potatoes outside the bin. They’re hidden behind the zucchini between the bin and the corn.
So there you have it. The best potato plants ever. And a bin full of potatoes to boot, just waiting for me to open the bin and delight as the potatoes fall out at my feet.
Just wait till the quitters at the potato bin factory hear about this.
S
Corn
Here,
Let me try to attach the corn pictures again.
Let me try to attach the corn pictures again.
Vegetable gardens
The corn is growing well. The first block planted is now a lot taller than I am. It is a lot taller than I can reach. We are not growing it for ourselves, however. We are having a banner raccoon year, and they are having a record best time in the corn. There aren’t even ears of corn yet, and they come marauding every night and tear down stalks and rip it up.
There doesn’t seem to be any legal way to protect the corn from the raccoons without trapping and relocating them. That is an expensive and temporary solution.
The good news is that they don’t seem to fancy any of the other vegetables growing. They get the corn, we get everything else.
S
There doesn’t seem to be any legal way to protect the corn from the raccoons without trapping and relocating them. That is an expensive and temporary solution.
The good news is that they don’t seem to fancy any of the other vegetables growing. They get the corn, we get everything else.
S
Hooky
We had a fine hooky day on Wednesday. We’re having our great ninety-degree, blue sky summer weather. Took the day off, loaded the van, and drove to Lake Union, outside of Longmont. We spent the morning paddling the circumference of the lake. Away from the swim beach, we got to glide along the bushes and reeds and listen to the birds. Even got to listen to the fish. They splash when they jump, of course. But the carp also swirl and gulp back in the reeds, while the coots cluck and groan and complain. When it started getting pretty sweaty, we returned to the shore and had a picnic lunch in the shade.
We drove home, swapped our stuff from the van to the motorhome, and drove up into the high country. At Lilly Lake, just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park, we rigged up for flyfishing, launched the float tubes, and were in the water by 4:30 and fished until dark. It rained on us a little, and was about fifty degrees by the time we came in, so it was pretty nice to have a warm house and hot soup waiting for us. Caught lots of little trout, and one big one each.
We were a little late getting home to bed, but it was a great surprise day off.
S
We drove home, swapped our stuff from the van to the motorhome, and drove up into the high country. At Lilly Lake, just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park, we rigged up for flyfishing, launched the float tubes, and were in the water by 4:30 and fished until dark. It rained on us a little, and was about fifty degrees by the time we came in, so it was pretty nice to have a warm house and hot soup waiting for us. Caught lots of little trout, and one big one each.
We were a little late getting home to bed, but it was a great surprise day off.
S