Spring has sprung, the grass has risen, and the daisies are all in bloom – which leaves me in what my mother used to refer to as befuddled. I just can’t believe it is mid June already. Although I have been what one may call a little busy lately it has been a fun time for me. A couple of weeks ago I was up at my son’s family farm and that is where I planted this year’s garden.
Due to my over exuberance, which flows freely at garden planting time, we decided to expand the garden area to triple its existing size. This included breaking up new sod on what could be explained as relatively virgin soil. The fun of learning the quirks and moods of a brand new rototiller on overly rocky soil was a challenge that made me wonder if I should give up gardening altogether.
Nevertheless the new area has blended in well with the old, and was completely planted before I returned back to Fergus.
This past week, after several rainy days, I was back up there to have a look at what we had accomplished. Not bad. Not bad. The weather was hot and sunny and sitting in the shade of the one remaining tornado tolerant pine, chatting with a couple of neighbours, things looked really good. It was fun to see just how many of the different seedling poked their heads up between the setting of the sun and the coming of dawn.
The first, of course, were the onion sets, red, white and Spanish. This was followed by the peaches and cream corn, and close on its tail was the popcorn, cucumbers, zucchini and squash. The beets soon followed, and if you looked real close you could see the first tiny leaves of both the carrots, and dill. The beans, too, have shown their double leafed heads. I always grow the pole beans, green, yellow, and scarlet runner; I’m too darn lazy to bend over while picking them. Those I grow on a series of tomato gages alternately inverted and clipped together. Those are supported by fence stakes pounded into the ground.
The tomato and peppers, started early indoors, are transplanted after all danger of frost.
The week previous to my once again visit I spent in my carport cutting out, sanding, drilling, and packaging about three hundred, give or take a dozen or so, more bluebird, tree swallow, and bathhouse kits. This is a fun thing for me as it is basically outside work, where the refreshing aroma of cedar permeates the air as the sawing and sanding takes place. That, coupled with the many comments and visits of passing neighbours, makes for a very pleasant and short-lived day.
By the way folks, this once again brings me full circle. Let me remind you that this is the weekend that Father’s Day is coming up, and we are once again holding our yearly bird and bat house workshop, on Saturday, 10am to 4am, at Little Tree Horticulture Garden Centre, on the west side of Highway 6, just north of Fergus.
Give dad and granddad an unusual gift. It would be my pleasure to see each and every one of you there.
Take care, `cause we care.
barrie@barriehopkins.ca
519-843-4544