My tools of gardening.

No matter how many gardeners I run across in my travels, they always seem to have a few tools that I have not seen before.  Whether that would be a generational hand me down like an antique weathered trowel one of their parents used or a random item they picked up at a yard sale, they always have seemed to peak my interest.  If pursued, most of the gardeners can relate a story or memory that made the tools more than just that - a tool.  No, these have a connection that goes far beyond the utilitarian purpose the item serves.
So, that got me to thinking about some of the tools that I have accumulated throughout my years of gardening. I don't have any that I would say are generational hand me downs from my side of the family as my parents were not enthusiasts of gardening.  But, I do have some beyond the ordinary tools that I have acquired or bought.
For instance, I have a hoe that was given to me by my father in law that his dad used many years ago.

 As you can see, it isn't something you are going to find in any store, flea market or yard sale.  It is kind of rough looking but has a very menacing look to it.  I cant remember ever seeing tines that big and thick on a hoe.  I have used this untold times in my garden and I can tell you, it is very effective at loosening the soil and removing deep rooted weeds with little effort.  But beyond that, I have memories of my wife's grandfather and I can envision him taking this hoe and swinging it with authority.  I am sure this piece is the result of him taking the head piece and fastening a new handle to it.  He was just that kind of man.  And therein lies the connection.




Another piece I have is what I call a root killer.

 Much like the hoe, it also came from my wife's grandfather.  It doesn't look like it, but it too is a heavy piece.  Seems that he had several pieces that were of this ilk.  I know this is because these were probably made during the 40's or 50's when almost everything made, was made to last.  And, attesting to this fact is that they are still around and I have continued to use them.  I did in fact use this to remove a stump last year.  Sure, there probably was an easier way but I do get a kick using these.  I can attest to this pieces' heft and it's strength.  It is a fitting testimony to both that generations grit and the pride they put into their work.  



And yet another piece from Grandpa's collection - I didn't realize I had so many until I started this blog entry - is an old wooden handled potato fork.  At least I think that's what is called.

I haven't grown potatoes but maybe this will give me the motivation to do that.  

Next, is a pitch fork that probably is for bailing hay.  I can attest to it's ability to reach way down into my garden soil in the spring.  I don't have any hay so I had to re-purpose it.  

Next is a sifter that I use on my compost.  And, yes, I pulled this out of grandpa's garage.

You can see the aging and I was told that he built it himself.
The next piece may bring back good or bad memories of when you were young, depending on your age naturally.  I actually do remember using one of these and I have used it here in my yards.  See, before there was the invention of the weed whackers, we had to use this.                                            

Oh man, I spent countless hours in my parents front yard pushing and pulling one of these contraptions.  It did the job alright but it was and still is kind of a back breaker.  I bought this at an antique store in Annville Pa. called The First Floor Attic.  I have used it since then but generally only in the Spring to cut a definitive edge.  Then I use my weed whacker to maintain the edge.
And finally, I bought this piece at the same store.

I wasn't sure what it was actually but I later found out from my wife that it was a chicken feed spreader.  Who knew there was such a thing?  Well, besides my wife that is.  I saw it and figured it would be a good compost spreader.  I actually use it to spread almost any soil amendment I use such as vermiculite, sand or peat moss.  It works really well and doesn't overload me.

So there you have it.  My collection of old tools still in use in my gardening endeavors shared for the whole world to see what my family and friends have known for many years.  That I am a bit fanatical about my gardening and the tools I use.  Hopefully, this has been a bit of a walk back into your past or an enlightenment of what people used over the years.  I get a sense of when I am using these, that I am reconnecting to the past in some way myself.  I hope you have enjoyed it!  Until next time, Happy Gardening!         

  

Garden growth

So far, I am pretty pleased the state of my gardens' progress.  The tomatoes are coming along fine even though they were delayed in being transplanted due to our wet Spring weather.  Here is a picture of them at this time.                                                                                                                        

   

               
They are full of little tomatoes so at this time, I have to be sure to continue to supply them with periodic nutrients and water.  I plan on giving the garden a dose of compost tea this weekend to start them on their way to maturity.
Here is my first watermelon of the year on the left and a volunteer tomato that decided behind my garage was a great place to reside on the right.  I just put a pole by it to see what I am getting.  I love surprises!

And finally, my cascading crop of cucumbers after a month.  They have taken over the trellis!

 

                                                                 

Like I said, all in all, not bad progress for this time of the year.  Well, I hope everyone is having a great year so far too!  Remember to be vigilant as there are a lot of distractions this time of the year.  Until next time, Happy gardening everyone. 

Awwww..... Man!

Well, I have spoken of the various challenges facing gardeners. And, I experienced one of the most exacerbating one's yesterday.  My cucumbers have been growing quite well this year.  As these are probably my wife's favorite veggie that I grow, I decided it was time to pick one that I had my eyes on for a day or two.  I was letting it mature to the right size and all seemed well.  That is, until this happened.

Yup!  What a disappointment that was.  And, this is all because of a squirrel.   I've seen them in my garden and their damage is undeniable. Squirrels present an ever present threat to your gardens.  There really isn't a vegetable they don't like.  I'm sure they look down from the power lines or the trees and simply cannot resist the storehouse of edibles that lay beneath them.
There really isn't much you can do about it.  I've tried many types of deterrents with minimal results.  I've just found it easier just to grow a few extra of whatever vegetable that I want.  I was told once by another gardener to grow three of every vegetable - 2 for you and one for the varmints.  These can run the gamut of squirrels, rabbits, moles, feral cats, mice and even a groundhog.  None of which, I make any attempt to welcome into my "back 40".
My worst experience was with a groundhog.  They can get rather large and can do pretty extensive damage to your garden and worse - to your yard and even house.  And, trying to catch one is difficult.  In our region, if you do catch one, you have to then release it back to nature.  I had the recurring scenario (nightmare really) of catching it and then having to drive far away and then managing to release it without incident.  Not sure that would have ended well.  I was always concerned that the little dog we had at the time would end up injured or worse.  I did take measures to make it's life a little more uncomfortable every opportunity I had.  So, I waited it out and after a couple of summers, it seemed to have just gone on its own way.
So I guess I view "squirrel loss" as not so catastrophic in comparison.  And hey, squirrels need to eat too!  Right?  As long as old Mr. Squirrel leaves me some for my efforts, I think we can just coexist with each other.
So there you have it.  Just another experience in the world of gardening.  Until next time, Happy gardening everyone!  

Pondering "organic" gardening.

Yes, even gardeners ponder at times.  There is this whole argument going on in the farming communities all the way down to the backyard gardeners such as myself.  It's about whether or not going "organic" is really as important as it has been made out to be.  Much like the climate change dialogue, there are varying opinions among even the supposed experts on this subject.  So who are we to believe?
One group who I have been following for quite some time is the Rodale Institute (rodaleinstitute.org) in Kutztown Pa.  They have a sprawling property of over 333 acres (yes, 333!) of fields on which they conduct a massive list of research into the organic method which was pioneered by their founder J I Rodale.  I have been reading about their results for several years and I have to admit, they make a quite impressive argument in favor of organics.  I would love to see their results up close but being very busy myself, I haven't found the opportunity.
Now mind you, the Organic Trade Association has estimated that we spent in 2014 an estimated $30 billion dollars in sales of organic products.  Is this for a good cause?  Are organically grown foods better and less dangerous than traditionally raised foods?  One would think so but there is an argument to say - not so fast.
See, numerous studies have been conducted and the results do not bear out what proponents of the organic method are claiming.  That is a surprise for me to say the least.  There is one set of studies that are often championed for support of the traditional approach.  Stanford University had a long term study that encompassed a broad set of studies from many other colleges that came to the conclusions that organic foods are not safer or more nutritious than the traditionally grown foods.  I have to also point out that I am not at ease with using the organic pesticides that I have seen being sold.  We don't have a long history here so I have to wonder (ponder) at times as to whether products that say they are natural are also safe.  And have we tested them as much as we tested the traditional products?  Nope!  I know - DDT!  Right?  Yes, that was scary and I grew up eating food that was sprayed with that. Not cool.  I will point out one fact that I bring up to my wife.  She loves Chipotle.  And they are the cool organic company that fell victim to E- Coli.
So, each side has their arguments to support themselves.  I am kind of on the fence here.  My own experiences tell me that you have to find a common ground with regards to the food you are growing in your backyard.  Will I let an bug infestation destroy my crops - no.  I have tried BT based powders and they don't seem to work as effectively as other pesticides.  Do I use these all summer long? No, only when needed and in small courses.  As I have heard routinely, all things in moderation.
I have, as much as possible, strived to be as pesticide free as possible.  I have advised other gardeners on what I call a natural approach.  That's my approach for me and anyone I advise.

And then summer hits with a bang!

Well, between the evening of July 4th and the morning of July 5th, we received over 1.5" of rain.  It was one of those nice soaking even rains that are just so good for the plants.  Plus. it filled my rain barrels with over 125 gallons of free, clean water.  But now, that has been followed up with probably the hottest weather we have seen in quite some time.  This presents a very difficult challenge for your garden.  Today's high was in the 90's with what I would characterize as high humidity.  You just feel it as soon as you go outside.  It's not oppressive but just give it time and it will be.
The challenge is to make sure your soil isn't drying out even though just about a day ago, you just saw some really significant rains.  Heat of this magnitude can sap the moisture right out of the soil just as easily it put the rains down a day ago.  Easy come, easy go anyone?  And your plants will not generally show the effects of this whipsaw until they have transpired the saved moisture in their leaves.  You can go to work and come home and it's like night and day.
To guard against this, you need to give the plants - as illogical as it sounds - a good watering to ward off the weeping plant syndrome.  That's where I will be this evening.  I will use my sprinkler as I do not want to overexert myself in the heat.  I will use the rain water in the mornings when the sun is not so powerful.
On a side note about watering.  There is new proof that watering your garden in the noon hours (12-2PM) is very beneficial to vegetables.  They actually produce better and more veggies.  So, if you can do that without putting yourself at risk, the rewards are reportedly worth the extra efforts from what I have read.
So there you have it.  The never ending challenges facing a backyard gardener.  Go out and give it a try folks.  Gardening is both a reward and a challenge.  Until next time, happy gardening.

Rain!

We've had a dry spell of late.  So much so that my rain barrels were becoming perilously close to being effectively empty.  But this afternoon, it has decided to rain and has been for the last 4 hours.  And, it has been a soaking rain.  I actually went out and checked my barrels and one is now full. Meaning, it has delivered 50 gallons in those 4 hours.  The forecast is for this to continue on and off until tomorrow mid day. Although it has ruined some 4th of July festivities, I still welcome it.
My garden needed this rain and I was at the point of turning on the sprinklers.  With this, I won't have to water until Wednesday or Thursday at the earliest. And when I do, I can use the rainwater and not municipal water.  Always a good thing.   Rainbarrels are such an important part of my gardening routine that I wouldn't know how to act using a sprinkler.  There are just so many advantages to using rainwater. So, I am hoping for more rain to replenish my barrels.  And as usual, mother nature is a much better waterer than I am.  Happy Gardening everyone!