Borage

Found this growing in several of the paths in the Produce Garden:

After asking around, we've discovered (thanks Kelly!) it's borage which I know is a beneficial plant and assists in the overall health of a garden. See http://permaculturenews.org/2011/01/21/all-about-borage/ for further information.

Shelob's Lair

You can see the aforementioned Shelob at the centre of the photograph. Taken in the Parking Lot Garden after last night's rain. There were many other examples this morning, but this one best shows the spider owner of her nest.

Bear!

Well, actually, a wooly bear - I think. Does anyone know exactly what this is?

Caragana? .. . Not any more.

There are many areas of Riel House with old unmaintained caragana. Caragana (actually the Siberian pea shrub) was introduced in the late 1880's by the federal government to be a shelter belt plant. It is likely that the Riel family added it to the property between 1900 and 1920, probably as a decorative hedge. Consequently, caragana is "not quite" appropriate to Riel House of 1886.

Before

This overgrown caragana is at the entrance to the Produce Garden. Most of the trunks that you see are quite old and only have leaves at the very end of each stem. If you look closely on the bottom right, you can see some virginia creeper trying to get to the fence. We decided it was time to put this clump out of its misery.

Dragonflies, Hawks, Rabbits

We're starting to see more wildlife around the Produce Garden; several dragonflies including this one right next to the compost bin.

There was a hawk/kestrel chasing birds on Monday. Now if only he would also chase the rabbits. Our fox has not returned. We set a live trap Tuesday evening, but no rabbits by Wednesday morning even though the carrot that was just inside the trap had been carefully removed. The plan is to set the trap on the evening just before we volunteer the next morning. 

The rabbits definitely know how to jump an 18-inch wire fence to get into and out of the garden. Cabbage, cauliflowers and sunflowers have definitely been sampled. Also beans in the Kitchen Garden. If we set the trap in the gardens, then we only trap the smart ones - am I just being naive?

Three Sisters in the Produce Garden

At last, the squash and beans are starting to grow among the Bloody Butcher Corn in Produce Garden Bed 1. These are the Three Sisters of native Americans - both North and South America:

Plant the corn first. When the corn is six inches high, plant the beans and squash.The beans climb up the corn in order to get to the sun. Also, the beans fix nitrogen in the soil for the benefit of both corn and squash. The squash covers the ground keeping the roots of the corn and beans cool and moist. What an amazing team.

FYI below are the roots of the Bloody Butcher Corn in the same bed:

Summertime - and the gardening is easy

Day Lilies in Entrance Beds - 6 July 2015

Today was mulch and weed. Mulch the Parking Lot Garden.Weed the Kitchen Garden.   

There is a contest to see whether the mulch will lodge itself together with the native plants in the Parking Lot Garden or during the next rainstorm will it all wash towards the drains. Very little. if any, has been dislodged following last Saturday's and Sunday's rain. So far, so good.