Garden update

When I planted, I wasn't sure how everything would do, it's been 30+ years since I've planted anything remotely resembling a vegetable garden; not so for my parents', but for me doing it of my own free will, we're talking back before we moved from Salem, pre-1976, a number of years before then actually.

I'd say we're looking at a high germination rate for the peas, sprouting up all along the two rows I planted, way too close together. The beans, on the other hand, so far... I count three. Yes, three; big bean crop in our future. And to date one Butternut Squash and one zucchini, which is something like a 1 in 20 germination rate for that lot.

Both the peas and beans are pole varieties, at the moment what I'm using for that purpose are those tomato support thingies, the ones with three graduated rings and three stakes to support them. They'll do for a bit, but down the line I'll probably need to add longer stakes, presuming the legumes want to climb higher. But the tomato supports were kicking around in the way, so they were handy to the task.

And wandering around the yard, checking things out, I found, you guessed it, more Clematis striving to creep all over. A couple or three mini-infestations, now history.

I've determined how to quickly differentiate the sprawl-all-over-invasive blackberries from the we-actually-planted-them blackberries [aside from sprawl vs non-sprawl]; the invasive ones have noticeably darker leaves. This will help when I resume working on blackberry control, although part of me wants to see if I can keep them semi-controlled, 'cause they taste soo good, even though there is no such thing as a controled Himalayan Blackberry, they live to bramble, dreaming of the day they will cover the Earth in a layer ten feet deep.

I've discovered something interesting. If you stick a somewhat freshly cut Walnut branch into the ground in the late Fall to mark a possible Clematis infestation, it will take root and put forth much new growth in the Spring. I need to decide if I want a Walnut growing at that location, it's kinda close to the fence.

Also, squirrels will plant acorns a good block+ from the nearest Oak; we've got little Oak trees sprouting up all over the yard, pulling them out is getting to be a nuisance. And I've no idea whatsoever about where the squirrels have been finding the Filberts; those I try to leave alone, just to see if they'll make it. And then there's the Holly growing under the porch, nasty prickly thing, keep prunning it down when it grows through the slats. It's right next to a fern, also a volunteer under the porch, the fern is at least 20 years old now, like the one in the yard just past the rhubarb.

Guess this'll do for now.