Normally this time of year I would be putting strawberries in the freezer and making strawberry jam, but last fall we noticed that our strawberry plants had lost their vigor. We would need to start a new bed this spring. It was still winter when we placed our order for 75 strawberry crowns that would be delivered in late May. The plants arrived as scheduled and were planted in some of our raised beds. They are doing well but starting over means we will not have strawberries for our favorite jam this year.
After seeing how productive our cherry tree was this year (I had more than enough for a couple of pies) I decided it was time to try something new – cherry jam. While I was at it, I thought I would use up some of the blueberries I still had in the freezer from last year to make a batch of blueberry jam.
On Tuesday I made 3 pints of cherry jam and 3 pints of blueberry jam.
As we sampled them with breakfast this morning, I couldn’t help but wonder if strawberry is still out favorite jam.
These photos were taken about two weeks ago. I’m just now getting a chance to post them. The gardens have continued to flourish since. I hope you enjoy this garden tour.I will post another in July.
Potted Flowers
I’ll start out with a couple of flowers in pots that we started from seed.
Nasturtiums have begun to blossom. We have three window type boxes of these to adorn our deck.
Johnny Jump-ups (also known– as wild pansy) we have several pots of these in the garden beside our deck and alongside the front of our house.
Prayer Garden
Then we’ll move to the prayer garden where I spent a lot of time weeding in June.
The salvia blossoms are fading but it is not time to cut the spikes yet – the bees are still foraging these flowers.
Dianthus made a grand showing, but the blooms were mostly spent when I had my camera out. It’s time to get the clippers out and remove the dead blossoms.
I was late with getting picture of the chives as well. They too made a grand showing but were quickly going to seed. As I finished my weeding, I got out the clippers and cut the chives down before they could drop their seeds.
Chives are very prolific. It is my personal opinion that left to their own devises, chives could take over the world. I have learned that it is best to cut the flowers once the bees are finished foraging them but before they start dropping seeds. This way I keep them under control.
The creeping thyme is flowering, and the bees are enjoying it.
We have roses,
roses,
and more roses.
We also have primroses.
And these evening primrose that normally get eaten by deer (or perhaps rabbits) is flowering this year.
Shh! Don’t tell the critters. Maybe we’ll get to enjoy the flowers for a while.
Vegetable Gardens
Our vegetable gardens are doing really well thanks to my husband who has spent many hours planting, watering, weeding and mulching.
The raised beds gave us the ability to get some plants started early. Now that we have entered a dry spell they require a lot of watering.
We have small tomatoes on some of the plants.
and peppers and green beans are blossoming. It won’t be long now. 🙂
Our field crops are also doing well, except for the ones that the deer have eaten.
The straw mulch will help keep the weeds down and help the ground retain moisture,
We have very little rain in the forecast for the next week, so that mulch just may be a lifesaver.
Bonus Picture
You just never know what might pop up in the garden.
Last winter my husband bought this fake owl in hopes that it would deter starlings from seeking shelter in our chicken coop. It did not work. The starlings were persistent, and he thought the owl was a waste of money.
Two days ago, when I mentioned that the robins were stealing our cherries, he brought the owl home and staged it near the cherry tree. I’m happy to report the owl is now paying off.
Our one cherry tree is not at the farm but grows right next to our deck at the house. It is loaded with ripening cherries.
It’s been a couple of years since we have had a good cherry crop. Last year the blossoming tree faced several nights of freezing temperatures, then it fell prey to the gypsy moth caterpillars. Our crop was nil.
Our late warm up this year seems to be beneficial for this crop.
I suspect I will be making cherry pie next week. 🙂
I want to take a minute to introduce you to our newest family member. Ruby is a lab/shepherd mix, about a year old.
We had been thinking and talking about getting another dog for quite a while, but a couple of things had to happen before we did. First, we decided we would wait until after my vacation to visit my sister. It would not have been fair to my husband or the dog to get a new dog and then have me leave for a few days. Second, on June 2 we were scheduled to have new windows installed in our home. This required a lot of preparation on our part, taking down shutters, moving furniture, curtains, blinds, etc… There just wasn’t a lot of time to spend with a new dog.
Even though we continue to be busy with the farm and spring cleaning at the house, this week seemed to be the right time to find Ranger a new friend. I had been watching the website of our local animal shelter for a while and knew they had a lot of animals in need of loving homes. As we backed out of the driveway to head for the shelter on Tuesday afternoon my husband asked, “are we doing the right thing?”
“Let’s pray about it” I replied, and we did. “Lord please help us find the perfect (for us) dog.”
Ruby was one of three dogs we met when we visited the shelter on Tuesday afternoon.
God answered our prayer.
When we brought her home, she immediately began responding to her new name (at the shelter they were calling her Chipotle). Our first order of business was giving her a shower and as I did she stood very nicely while I washed her and then she gave me kisses. She has been well behaved both in the house and at the farm.
She is trying very hard to get Ranger to love her. At this point he is tolerant and slowly warming up to her but there is a bit of jealousy on both sides as they are both vying for my, or my husbands, attention.
It is apparent that in her past life someone spent a good deal of time training her as she has only had one accident in the house at night. She knows and responds to many basic commands among them are “come, sit, stay, leave it, this way and release.” She loves to play ball and tug-of-war. She loves to cuddle and will climb on my lap when I sit in my recliner. She loves to go for rides. She loves to go for walks and spend time at farm.
She still has a few things to learn, like not to chase chickens; not to greet people by putting her front paws on their chest; and although she knows she doesn’t get to sleep in bed with us she still needs to be reminded.
Overall, I’d say Ruby is a real gem. 🙂
Addendum: I’ve been writing this post little by little each day this week and each day it seems there is more to love. Yesterday, Saturday, Ranger and Ruby had their first real play session. They ran around and chased each other and barked at each other and tails were wagging the whole time. It was great to see the kids dogs getting along so well.
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