The New Tree-Part Two

Remember the grafting of the wild pear tree here at Salsipuedes? Well, two out of three grafts were successful (so far).

Success!!

See the tiny leaves emerging from the new grafts? How exciting--now we wait--my tree expert (the special man in my life) tells me we leave it alone until fall.  Then I assume we will unwrap it and see the final results.

Stay tuned!!

A New Tree at Salsipuedes

I am excited--soon I will have a new tree here. That "special man" discovered wild pear trees growing near my pond and offered to graft cultivated pears to them. Last summer we picked pears from a grafted tree at his house--delicious--so of course I jumped at the chance to have producing pear trees here. The process is absolutely fascinating to me!!

Step One - Choose a tree. I might add that it certainly helps to have someone who can identify a wild pear. :)

He brought cuttings  from "good trees".

New "new" tree

He made his cut on the original tree..

Then carefully sharpened the donor twig.

He split the bark on the original tree, peeled it back,  and inserted the twig.

He then wrapped it with tape to hold it in place.

Next, he wrapped it with plastic and then foil.

Now we wait! I can't wait to see the new trees growing,  He grafted several, so it will be interesting to see how they develop. I'm still having difficulty understanding how this works. Luckily, I get to see it in progress. 

Stay tuned--let's discover together!!

Perseverance Pays Off

Remember my post about the unidentified tree I saw at Los Dominicos market in Santiago? I've been searching the web periodically in hopes of finding it. Perseverance  does pay off--success at last!. 

Blooms of a Jacaranda Tree

I read that this tree is native to South America, but can grow here in the U.S. in warm climates. It would be very difficult to grow at Salsipuedes because of our cold winters. So I guess I'll just have to remember its beauty!! Wish I had taken more photos, but I can always go to the "web" for many great images!!

Blackberries---A Gift From Nature

How lucky I am to be living in the country--every day is a new adventure!

Blackberry Vines

While I was out walking Rufus yesterday, I came upon a cluster of blackberry vines. The birds had eaten most of them, but I found enough for a couple of handfuls. Delicious! They are so much sweeter than any I have bought at the grocery store. What a treat!! And I didn't have to plant, water, etc.

Just a Taste!

As I have always been warned to watch out for snakes near blackberry vines, I was on full alert! But I wonder why snakes are there--do they eat blackberries, or are they lying in wait for the birds that do eat them? Does anyone know??? The next time I check the vines, I will definitely wear my boots and take my long walking stick!!

Stay tuned--I also have dewberry vines -- so far the birds are getting to them before I can, but maybe I'll get lucky.

Bucket List Item--Vegetables From My Garden

One more item checked off--I have eaten vegetables grown in my garden here at Salsipuedes. I had earlier harvested lettuce and had nice salads. Now I have begun to pick sugar snap peas, tomatoes and squash. When my first baby squash had blossom end rot, I was a little discouraged, but this next group looks fine. I picked the first one early, though, so I would be sure it would be edible. Small, but delicious. My peas are making a bumper crop. The tomatoes are slowly coming on. My appreciation for real farmers has definitely increased!

Delicious!

Soon my peppers will be ready also. The bush beans are just now growing. A zucchini  is almost large enough to pick. This is such fun!! My little children's garden at the library is doing even better. Check it out.

Stay tuned!

Salsipuedes Garden-Squash blooms

The rain we've been having has helped my squash. All four plants have blooms.

Zuchhini squash bloom

My yellow squash have blooms also. The sugar snap peas are just beginning to bloom.

Soon to be sugar snap peas!

My carrots, however, have not fared as well. I used straight top soil in their pot, and it doesn't drain quickly enough. Hope they aren't rotting!

Help! We're under water!!

It is exciting to think that soon I will have fresh vegetables just for the picking! I like this gardening, but am very happy it is not my sole support. :)

Stay tuned!

Salsipuedes Garden-My First Harvest

Exciting day! Even though my lettuce was rather small, I decided to pick enough for a salad.

Black seeded and buttercrunch lettuce

And am I glad I did!  I added a few bites of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and feta cheese, then drizzled it with just a tiny amount of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Mmmm-I had forgotten how good fresh home grown lettuce was! Definitely worth the effort.

My first salad from my lettuce!

 The two varities I grew this year were black seeded and buttercrunch. Both had a mild flavor. Next year I shall plant more and place them in a shadier spot to help them last longer in the heat. It would be nice if they would hold out until my tomatoes were ready, but I don't know if that is possible in this Texas heat in the summer. Salad will definitely be on my menu every day as long as the lettuce lasts!

As you may have guessed, I tend to go overboard with my hobbies/interests. Now I'm into gardening and already planning a larger one for next year.

On another note, the garden project that I'm leading at the library with the children as my Master Naturalist project is doing even better than mine in some areas. The tomatoes there are about 5 times as large--maybe containers aren't the way to go.

Hurry up garden--grow! I'm ready for more vegetables!!
Stay tuned.

Salsipuedes Garden-Progress Report

I have high hopes for my garden. All my seeds except bush beans and carrots have sprouted. The only plant that doesn't look well is the little tomato in the Topsy Turvy planter. I may have to replant that. But otherwise, my crop looks good so far!

Lettuce and Peas

Cucumbers at the end of the planter

Squash

Zucchini I started from seed and transplanted

Bell Peppers

No carrots yet!

I may need to re-plant this!

A couple of cool nights are forecast--hope my little vegetables do okay! I can already taste them, Yum! I'm working on ideas for a trellis for the cucumbers and maybe squash using old wire tomato cages. Anyone know how tall I should make them?
Stay tuned!

Salsipuedes Garden-Bucket List Item

One more item crossed off my bucket list! At least I hope so.

For years I have thought of trying to grow my own vegetables, but only planted tomatoes which didn't do well. But last year my tomatoes finally produced as I expected and I also grew a few bell peppers. This year, as you know, I am leading a children's  garden group. That inspired me to finally plant a garden here at Salsipuedes. I purchased food safe barrels at the local feed store. A kind man  sawed them in half for me. I filled the barrels 3/4  full with topsoil and added composted manure and humus. Now I was ready to plant, but had to wait for warmer weather. Yesterday was such a beautiful day, and after checking the weather for the next week, I decided to go ahead and begin my planting. We will see if I'm too early. I'm sure this will be a huge learning experience! Any comments or suggestions will be appreciated!

Three barrels planted--one to go

Today I planted carrots, lettuce (I may be too late on that), yellow squash, cucumbers (I may be too early), sugar snap peas, bell peppers,  and one tomato plant. I will purchase more tomato plants today and also bush beans. I covered the barrels with screening to temporarily keep my barn cats out.

Strawberries and tomato

I can already envision my bounty! :) Wish me luck!!