Month: November 2019

Sukie’s Elbow

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…the 1853 Ordnance Survey map of the islands, carried out by British surveyors who had anglicized the Gaelic place names and diminished the density of toponyms on the landscape.

Robert Macfarlane, The Old Ways, page 151

Reading this reminded me that I want to document that we live at “Sukie’s Elbow.”

This toponym is not written down anywhere that I’ve seen, not on a sign, not in the postal records, not even searchable on Google as of a minute ago. I heard the name from two different locals who popped up with it as I was laboriously explaining where we lived.

“Our driveway heads off to the left where Cross Road bends sharply…”

“oh, Sukie’s Elbow”

Neither time did I have the presence of mind to ask where that name came from, but next time it happens I will.

Sukie’s Elbow on Hancock Point, marked with an x

Winter greens

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The temperatures have dipped into the teens for several nights recently but the greens in the hoophouse remain healthy and lush. I opened the row covers this afternoon in the sun to give them some extra light and air. While picking some greens, I found a soft green caterpillar munching away and a few grasshoppers, live and well.

Putting the garden to bed

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Monday in the garden, putting it to bed. The job is not completely done, but good enough for the coming bad weather.

Back row, extra wide, with hay mulch and path with coarse sawdust
View of mulched rows from back corner
Pulled out pea plants – didn’t get to mulching this row
Markers indicating parsnip and carrot patches
Rye grass and some Turkish rocket.
This was soybeans and potatoes, now ryegrass and mulch. Can see mulched asparagus beds in background.
There is baby spinach under here, waiting for spring.
Wild native seed nursery.

Iced grapes

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I tackled a nasty chore today and was rewarded with a bowl of super sweet cold Concord grapes — frozen and thawed at least once, maybe more.

I had to remove and rewind the netting fence that we put up in the spring as a temporary chicken run. Bad idea in retrospect. The grape vines grew through the netting at the top and the weeds infiltrated it at the bottom. The whole mess had to be cut through and pulled out. The netting is lying in the yard now, waiting for me to get the energy to rewind it on the tall cardboard tube.

For now, can’t stop eating these tasty grapes.

Wildflower planting

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I potted up six pots of native wildflower seeds and one pot of red shiso this morning in warm sunshine. The wildflower seeds are from the Wild Seed Project, purchased at the Common Ground Fair. The red shiso failed to grow successfully for me despite two tries following the directions to freeze and thaw successively. So I’m trying a natural approach by leaving it out for the winter.

Planting the wildflower seeds was fun. First of all I didn’t have to rummage around in the shed for pots and dirt. Exactly the right number of pots were available right out front after I eliminated an excess of frozen angel wing begonias that I’d started last year. Secondly, some of those seed packets held a very fine flattened lacey fluff, just as you’d expect from wild flowers. I carefully removed the fluff and spread it out over the dirt. Other seeds were extremely tiny. The instructions say no need to try to space them at this point — really, seeds distributed naturally are thickly spaced! It felt really nice to be trying to follow natural processes. Now these pots go in a somewhat protected area to overwinter. While I dream of flowering meadows of native plants…

Native seeds planted:

  • Coastal joe pye weed
  • Blue vervain
  • New England aster
  • Boneset
  • Cardinal flower
  • Blue lobelia

Instructions and photos: https://wildseedproject.net/how-to-grow-natives-from-seed/

Garlic planted

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Three beds of garlic laid out for planting
Last bed, garlic from kitchen (unidentified)

I finished planting my garlic today. Always a milestone, and so hopeful. Garlic has been so reliable for me. I really feel like I know what I’m doing!

Varieties:

  • Di Voghiera (DOP), a bulb Sam brought back from Italy
  • Music – huge cloves
  • Inchelium Red
  • Spanish Roja
  • German Red
  • Russian Red
  • Unidentified cloves from the kitchen to fill out the last bed