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Category Archives: garden
A Big Bunch of Figs
Generated with AI ∙ October 8, 2023 at 5:45 PM
I worked like mad doing garden related activities most of the weekend but it feels like I didn’t get far. I love being outside and like yard work but it’s always hard and takes forever to make progress.
I chopped up some of the tomato plants after picking everything green that looked like it had a chance. I left a couple of plants out there but it looks like we’re getting heavy rain for the rest of the week so I should have just taken them all out.
I went through all the green ones we already brought in and tossed the ones that were bad and rotated the red ones to where we would see them.
I found enough to roast and we had some delicious sauce last night with some pasta.
I also roasted a tray of red kuri squash because the deer had a sample bite of every single one and I didn’t think they would keep very long.
Other yard things: dug up some ivy and berry vines. Cleaned up a corner of the yard that was compost in ancient times but ended up being a place to toss deer turds and ash from the BBQ and big chunky sticks. Yanked weeds and pulled up icky grass. Moved rocks to the front gravel spot. It was all really hard work but I can’t point to anything and enjoy how nice it looks now.
Things are going to be pretty busy for the next several weeks. Might be a time before I get back to this.
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Squash News
This is a scheduled post. I am out of town this weekend.
I know I didn’t finish the Tacoma trip. Still hoping to get to that.
This part of the squash harvest. I still have several growing out front. The backyard squash took a big hit when the deer were hanging out.
I have thrown seeds out front but haven’t had success in years. I think this year I watered better because I have new plants out there.
I’m not sure if this was deer or what but I got up one morning and found what was left of this one. The red kuri are delicious! I already cooked a couple. I’m snacking on the leftovers as I write this.
I often take a photo of something I cooked and then look at my terrible oven and decide not to post. I deep clean it periodically but it’s been awhile.
These loaves are so pretty and amazing and this is the only photo I got. Whole wheat sandwich bread. Pretty easy but need to plan ahead. Recipe here.
Not For You
It was really hot and dry so I scrubbed the bucket and put fresh water in and put it back in its place.
I also put out a little dish for animals that can’t reach the bucket.
But also: the camera has been mostly blank, night after night.
Then this guy showed up. With friends? Not clear from the clip but there were 2 turds. How can deer turd that much? Or do they hold it all in until they get to my yard? They damaged the apple and pear tree.
I was slacking on setting up the motion sprinkler. Sad to admit but one reason is that it’s dark when I leave for work and I don’t like stumbling around the backyard trying to turn it off.
Also, this cutie coming through, seasoning the water with his dirty feet.
Fresh Tomato Sandwich
These are a couple of the giant tomatoes I was talking about before. There are more out there.
Bob was gone for a couple of days and for lunch and dinner for 2 days I turned one of those tomatoes into sandwiches. They were so good.
I also made a peach berry pie last weekend.
Something about foods you can only eat at a certain time of year make them extra delicious.
Here’s a little raccoon print.
The trail cam has been quiet lately. It went so long without a photo I thought it was broken.
But I got clip of a cat running through the other night so it works.
Backyard Update
Sharp eyes will count all five of the raccoon family traipsing through the yard the other night. In the foreground you can see the motion activated sprinkler not doing anything. I think it’s because the sprinkler is pointed up a little bit to catch the deer.
This morning we went out for an early walk since it’s supposed to get hot this afternoon.
As we were coming home I spotted one big raccoon and three little ones dashing across the street. The mama waited on the curb and gave us the stink eye.
Pretty soon one more little one scampered across the street. Mama gave us a few more seconds and then went after the kits.
This was the house 2 down from ours. We started walking again and watched one of them climb a tree while the rest ran through a gap in the fence. Then the last one climbed to the ground and went through the gap.
Has to be the same family.
I do this every single time I change the batteries in the trail cam. I set the clock wrong. I ran the camera all day instead of night.
We have some very active blue jays. Not just around our yard but you can hear them screeching around the whole neighborhood. There are at least 5 around our yard, swooping back and forth from the front to the back and next door to our house. I watched one land next to 6 doves eating seeds under the bird feeders and stomp its feet once or twice and the doves flew away.
I love all the birds.
Harvest Update
Percy the fig tree is producing! This is from one day. We’ve been getting about this many each day all week.
Here are some historic pictures of Percy for your memory.
On the side is a yellow tomato and a tiny cherry tomato. I have some still-ripening tomatoes out there that are gigantic. I can’t wait to harvest. I can’t remember the last time I had tomatoes that big.
This is just a tiny fraction of the potato crop. This batch weighed in at about 5.5 pounds. The little dish at the side is for the tiny potatoes that I will bury in the fall and next year we will have too many potatoes, again.
I am hit or miss with my potato recipes. It seems like they never cook enough. I roasted some last night and kept them in there 3x as long as the recipe said. I finally dumped them into a Pyrex and nuked them and then put them back in the oven for a final roast. Last week I made a quiche and cooked the potatoes as instructed but they had a good bite to them.
We will be having potato salads and whatever else we come up with.
Not pictured: Peas and green beans. We had some delicious fresh peas earlier and we are still eating green beans but not as good as the first crop. The blueberries aren’t too impressive. I need to fertilize for next year and I need to research bird discouraging tactics.
Majestic and Fuzzy
I had noticed that part of the garden where I’d just tossed some seeds looked stirred up. And there was one tomato plant that looked like the top was snipped off.
But I didn’t think much of it until I saw these clips.
I went back out there and looked more closely.
Those deer have been enjoying quite the buffet, snacking on many of my garden offerings.
They’re so pretty, though.
The camera is set low to the ground so they look gigantic.
I have the camera strapped to a 5 gallon plastic bucket that is easy to move around. I did not expect deer when I put it in this location. I thought I’d get a better view of the raccoons or opossums.
I am still amazed by how much is going on out there in my not at all rural location.
Do Not Freeze Whole Pumpkin
I left the pumpkins on the deck until I had a chance to deal with them only November was chaotic and all the weekends filled up and then we had the Dad-tastrophe right after Thanksgiving and I forgot about them.
Then it froze.
They did not like that.
When I had a chance I chopped them up and threw them in the garden so the critters could have a snack.
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Return of the Tulip Bandit
Here are the tulips right next to the front curb.
Back in the days when I was buying bag after bag of bulbs, I had to get creative finding places to put them.
Now look at this. It looks like someone came by and cut off the flowers.
It doesn’t make sense. If you’re going to steal a flower, wouldn’t you cut it at the stem?
But also who would come into someone’s yard and steal tulips in the days when everyone has a doorbell camera?
I though maybe an animal came by and ate them but wouldn’t that make a bigger mess? Another mystery.
Pretty tulips by the front door.
Anybody remember a long time ago when the tulip bandit clipped some of my good tulips? You have to scroll down to April 18 — I can’t bear to go through the gymnastics to figure out how to link to that post by itself.
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New Critter Alert
One morning I ran into the kitchen to do a step on my bread and I saw 2 deer in my backyard.
!!!
I froze and then moved as smoothly as possible, tiptoeing to grab my phone from my desk. I was afraid motion from the house might scare them off. Sometimes the birds fly away if we’re moving around in the kitchen.
They noodled around out there for almost a half hour — nibbling apple peelings from where I “composted” them in the middle of the garden. They sniffed around the bird feeders.
Then they started chewing on the apple tree.
I don’t care how cute you are or how beautiful your brown eyes are: don’t chew on my apple tree.
I ran out in the yard.
And they stood there and stared at me. They did not flee the yard.
They did stop eating the apple tree.
They finally jumped in the yard next door to nuzzle the fig tree before eventually moving on.
My yard is magical.
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