I Believe There is Light in the Tunnel

5-23-21  Digging out the garden

Here's where we are now:

We were able to get a mower in there, but those weeds fought us the whole way.  We gathered numerous wheelbarrows of cuttings that we gave to the cows.  They were so happy.  :)  We could have also added it to a compost bin, but it looks like the pallet bin down here in the garden is pretty much falling apart.  Just one more thing to add to the growing list.

This step was really necessary just to see what we are going to have to deal with.  Gotta find it before you can work it.  When the weeds grow up on the outside of the wooden beds, it allows moisture to stay on the boards and they will rot exponentially faster that way.  Moisture allows the wood to stay soft, and soft wood calls the termites and ants that live inside.  The residue the bugs leave behind becomes food for funguses that will further degrade the boards.  Bugs, fungus, mushrooms, and active bacteria are Mother Natures way of changing wood back to the soil so it can start that cycle of life again.  We may try to carve out little pieces of this wonderful planet for ourselves, but in the end, Gaia is much better at removing traces of our existence then we are at making things that stand the test of time.

I took a hedge trimmer to the trellises for the grapes, and that was a real time saver.  It's usually best to trim the grape vines after the sap has receded into the roots for the winter, but sometimes you have to work from where you're at, instead of where you wish you were.

I still need to weed the grape beds so I can give them a topper of compost, but the first step was to find out where they were.  I see you Golden Muscadines (Scuppernongs).  Looks like there is an old hummingbird feeder hanging in there too.  There probably aren't any hummingbirds around now after starving them for this long, but I bet we can call them back again.  Little bit of water, sugar, and food coloring goes a long way.  It's like waving a flag at the search party helicopter ... Over here! ... Over here!

I did have to trim off quite a few flower clusters on the long new growth, but if we're lucky, we'll still get a showing this season.  If not, it's just part of the process.  Take care of plants the way you're supposed to,, and you'll get the best result.  Anything else can still yield you something, but it's never what it could have been.  I was able to give the same treatment to the Concord Grapes too.  Right now is the height of flowering for the grapes.  The smell of flowering grapes is like somebody sprayed everything with some kind of bug killer.  It's a very sickly sweet smell that adds another flavor to the air here.  The Privet and Wild Roses are blooming right now too, so the air is thick with pollen and fragrances.

Nice and healthy looking stems and leaves on the Concord Grapes.  Large clusters of flowers too.

I found the Elephant Garlic and the Scallions.  They are both still thriving in their beds.  I'll need to dig them both out and replant toward the end of July so they can both get a jump on next winter.  Here's the Elephant Garlic.  This particular type of garlic grows to about3' high for the leaves, but the flowers become 5" purplish balls at about 4-5' high.  They really draw in the bees and wasps necessary to transfer the pollen from flower to flower.  The wasps that come in are also needed to remove a lot of the other bugs that eat your plants.  So I guess you can say that we're growing bugs too.  Since most of the bugs in a garden are actually good for the garden, we never use any kind of poisons that might run them off.

Looks like the Scallions (Winter Onions) are already producing the little pearls that are so sweet and tasty.  Both the Elephant Garlic and the Scallions are varieties of onions that are really loaded with oil,  The essential oil from the onion plant is the thing that makes the onion so beneficial to your health.  The vitamins are packed in every bulb.  Antioxidants, sulfur compounds, essential oils ... these wonderful plants are anti-aging, anti-cancer, and work to feed the good bacterial in your gut.  Some people might experience some stomach distress from eating onions and garlic, but around here, we don't have any problem.  I also found out that if I eat more garlic, it keeps people out of my private space.  Nothing like keeping your private space tidy  :).

Here's a look at some of those baby Scallions on the tops of the plants.  :

These plants are both hardy, and grow all winter, and give a good yield in even extreme conditions.

Next, we'll be digging out some of the beds and putting in the summer garden stuff.  We might be a little late on most of it, but in the end, it won't even matter.  Here's a good example of that.  This is the Garlic Chives after just a couple weeks from the hair-cut.  I don't think we'll be running short, from now on.

Join me next time ... love to have you come in for a visit.

Duane