Gardening at Briarwood

Now that most of the garden staples are planted for the year, there is time for a little bit of experimentation.  I've planted about 65 feet of straw bale crops this year, mostly tomatoes and peppers of various sorts, with a few peas, some cucumbers, and a bit of spinach.  I believe the key to success in this plot is water- huge ammounts of water applied every day.  (Fortunately, we live on the Amanda Aquifer, and water is not a problem.)  Time will tell if I am right.  To get the bales ready for planting, I layed them on their sides (binder up) and end to end, gave them a healthy dose of urea (34% nitrogen), and kept them wet for a couple of weeks.  Everything seems to be growing well, and nothing has burnt up yet.   For some years now, I've worked unsuccessfully to extend the spinach and lettuce seasons into the hot months of summer.  I've tried shade cloth and more water, but the crops still bolt with the onset of July's heat.  This year, I'm trying again with a small hydrophonics system which receives morning sun only and is set to bathe the roots in organically fertilized and oxygenated water every hour, with two extended periods of watering each day.  It may be as unsuccessful as prior attempts, but I always learn something about how things grow, and I do enjoy it.  If it doesn't work, the chickens are always glad to eat a few extra heads of overgrown greens.

The Peonies (pronounced Pineys in this part of the world) are beginning to bloom ever so gloriously, and the Siberian Iris have joined their German and Dutch cousins in a magnificent display.  While they have not yet bloomed, the Marigolds and Nastursums are in place to accompany the Pansys as row markers throughout the garden.  The hummingbird feeders have a steady clientele and I am going through about a quart of birdseed a day, along with one suet block.  The birds have found us this year.  With this in mind, I've started a flat of Sunflower plants which should sprout on Monday or Tuesday.  The climbing Roses are blooming nicely, and I expect the tea Roses to start in the next week or so.  The bush Roses will not be far behind.  Fortunately, Princess and Squirt, the Equines, not only mow the pasture, but also provide us with small mountains of high quality fertilizer.

I cannot but praise the God who has surrounded me with such beauty.  Through the blessings of location and lots of hard work, Rebecca and I have been favoured to open a window on Heaven- to build Jerusalem in this green and pleasant land.  I hope and pray that all who read these words might find a way to share the beauty of God in your own way and in your own situation.  So Mote It Be!