Nature and Gardening

So far I've planted fruit-bearing trees and other perennials over the past 12 years living in rural Maine. I have zero experience with annual vegetable gardening. My, initial, plan is to start with one vegetable next spring/summer. I've chosen cucumbers since it is the most popular amongst my immediate family members (wife and two boys).

The motivation behind this is NOT for sustenance. It is to add an enjoyable hobby for my self. In the off chance that it is NOT enjoyable, then I haven't invested too much time, effort and money. If I end up enjoying it (which I believe I will), then starting small would be less overwhelming and conducive to a gradual learning experience. Henceforth, since this is not for personal sustenance, we have a local food bank that I could contribute to.

My initial idea is to start growing the cucumbers in a large plastic pot located in my back yard.

And that is how far I've gotten in the planning process.

Any and all advice is very welcome.

Hey all, hope your July has started off well! I've been watching rain systems come our way before splitting apart just west of us only to reform just east of us, but our plants are doing okay so far. On Friday my wife and I are having lunch with a friend who insists I take some plants home, and who am I to say no?

I got to hear happy hummingbird chirps at the bee balm today, which is always nice. And our valerian is flowering - I didn't realize how much I would love its flowers...

So, the bag is labeled as "peperone" and they are growing well, but when do I water them, I've been doing daily. Also, how do I get rid of flies, baby flies are hatching in my pot and I want them gone, I need an organic and affordable solution for that too.

[Image description: the tubular red flowers of Monarda didyma begin to emerge from the flower head]

Let me tell you all how much I love this plant -

The red variety, Monarda didyma, attracts absolute droves of hummingbirds to our gardens, but the native purple flowered variety M. fistulosa does a fair amount of feeding their population as well. We also get scads of hummingbird sphinx moths, which are absolutely powerhouse pollinators.

We harvest leaves for drying and using as a native replacement for oregano flavor in recipes, but they also make a lovely tea. I like to blend them with lemon balm, apple leaves, or raspberry leaves in teas. Additionally, a blend of bergamot and New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus) make a tea that's incredibly similar to an earl gray blend.

We also harvest flowers specifically for teas, as a number of First Nations peoples in our region would use the flowers to make tea for "dispirited hearts". We don't generally begin harvesting flowers until the first set has passed (for the pollinators), but anyone else growing this plant can encourage additional flowering by cutting the stem just above any node where two sets of leaves emerge on either side.

A nice little surprise :)

Our peas and beans are really starting to stretch and climb after some recent rains and warm days, which is always very exciting. However, our purple flowering raspberries have started showing off and they took my breath away.

What's growing on with you all?

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/710904650365796010

Hey, little buddy!

I heard this little guy chirping in a bush while I was cleaning up some dog poop. He didn't flinch when I reached in with my camera to get this shot, so I reached in again and petted him gently with my finger. Hopefully, mom or dad will come back with some food soon.

#sparrow #fledgling #bird #birb

@crosspost@lemmy.crimedad.work

Hey !greenspace -

Tomorrow (Monday) evening I'll be giving a talk at my local library about biochar; last month I gave one about composting. I record these and post them on my yt channel, in part so the library's website can link to the science talks they've hosted. Are events like these something the community would be interested in?

Please let me know how you all feel about this - I know I sometimes post about aspects of my nursery business but do my best to not self-promote in this space.

More broadly, what are folks' expectations for those posting videos of their gardens or other original works? Are there some guidelines we can agree on as a community so folks feel more encouraged and confident in posting about what's growing on with them outside of the weekly post? Personally, I love watching garden tours of other people's spaces during my lunch breaks and would love to feel that connection with those of you who would like to share in that way.

Thank you for your feedback, whatever it may be, and for letting me post pictures of my plants for you all.

[Image description: a hand drawn flower with text that reads "Me meeting someone new. Them: I hear you're into native plants. Me: I don't think you're fully prepared for this conversation"]

[Image description: several delicate pink flowers announce that the rest of this common milkweed will bloom soon]

[Image description: water droplets of varying sizes rest on the waxy leaves of a Sedum]

To be specific, it was reclassified to Hylotelephium telephium after genetic sequencing.

We're under a severe heat advisory this week and it's a delicate balance keeping our plants and myself from wilting, but some of our Musk Mallow (Malva alcea unless I'm mistaken) is blooming and they're lovely

What's growing on with you all?

I've really been enjoying our haskaps (Lonicera caerulea) this week while waiting for the strawberries to ripen. The blackberries and raspberries have just been pollinated so there's still some time before those come into season, and the recent warm-but-not-too-warm weather has kicked our beans and tomatoes into gear.

Also, peonies!

What's growing on with you all?

Blackberries cleared, teepee trellis is up, and beans are in. I dug up as many blackberry roots as I could find before putting down several layers of cardboard and then the sand. I assume I’ll be spending the rest of the growing season playing whack-a-mole with the blackberries.

Edit: formatting image link

They found a plant thought to be extinct in the area. The article and people involved are extremely excited about their work. Well worth the read!

[Image description: a sphinx moth rests on the underside of a comfrey leaf]

I think they're a Small-eyed Sphinx, Paonias myops, but am open to being corrected.

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/705606624585230357

Wild strawberries?

Spotted them while mowing my lawn this afternoon.

#macro #strawberry

@crosspost@lemmy.crimedad.work

[Image description: the bed of my pickup truck is loaded with a bunch of plants]

We're bringing:

• Common Ninebark
• Black Chokeberry
• Lemon Balm
• Hoary Mountain Mint
• Dappled Willow
• Carolina Allspice
• Variegated grasses
• Spearmint
• Goji Berry

To a market we haven't been to as vendors before. A friend who is a baker recommended that we attend since it gets more foot traffic than the other markets she and I had been in last year. Wish me luck!

ordered some tablets to make a few of these after i saw the concept recommended on a local forum. can't wait to murder millions of (mosquito) children. 🦟

It's June and we have some fruits developing on our haskaps and strawberries; I think something has gotten to our serviceberries and plums though (curculio maybe). And so many more flowers!

Geraniums, Spurge, Lily of the Valley, and tricolor Willow:

Blackberries and Irises:

Rhododendron with a solitary bee:

Some of the weeds have been going haam too; I think I removed about 2 miles of Asiatic Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) yesterday just from one garden area.

What's growing on with you all?

cross-posted from: https://pixelfed.crimedad.work/p/crimedad/702253073847662361

I think this was the little reprobate that woke me up at 1am screaming for its mama.

#deer #fawn #nature #lawn #green #wildlife

@crosspost@lemmy.crimedad.work

Here are some guidelines and techniques for training and pruning trees from Oregon State University's extension office.

How do you all manage your trees? Do you follow one of the methods listed here, or do you have another technique you'd like to share so others can try it out?

I was under some physical restrictions and bed rest orders last week, so this week has been a flurry of planting and weeding to get some more summer veg gardens up and running.

Our squashes and pumpkins are pretty much ready to be planted

And my front gardens are absolutely popping off now

What's growing on with you all?