Tag: Mary Competti

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Garden Weeds

Posted on by Econogal

Attacking the Weeds

Pulling garden weeds is a priority this week. Recent rains have loosened the soil. So, it is easier to pull. I dislike using chemicals, thus the manual attack on Virginia creeper, bindweed and volunteer trees after each good rain. Plus, many other weeds. Too many to name.

Bindweed

Bindweed overtaking garden bed of chrysanthemums.The creeper and bindweed get top billing and first attack due to their invasiveness. The bindweed is in a few spots in the lot. Unfortunately, it is close to overtaking one of the front beds. My attempts to eradicate it are foiled by the persistence of the weed. Additionally, the bed is difficult to weed because ants have made the area into a home.

I have field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) in my yard. Some years I think I am getting ahead of it. But not this year. My absence from the garden last fall is taking a toll. With the exception of a few vines on the lot, the bindweed has not begun flowering. I hope to wrestle control before the white flowers appear.

Virginia Creeper

Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is favored by some as a plant. But I place it into the garden weeds category. I wear long sleeves, long pants and gloves when I battle this five-leaved vine. Since I am sensitive to the oils in the plant, the covering keeps me from receiving a skin rash. This is one of those garden weeds that can cause allergic reactions and sickness if the berries are eaten. So, even though they provide beautiful color in the fall with the leaves turning orange and crimson, I dislike this particular vine.

Virginia Creeper climbing up an evergreen tree.

Volunteer Trees as Garden Weeds

A side effect of planting many trees years ago is that the trees are now mature enough to produce seeds and thus seedlings. Last year the Chinese elm was the greatest nuisance. This year both red bud and oak trees are popping up everywhere.

Occasionally, a seedling escapes my notice for a year or two. When that occurs, I try to find a new home for the tree. I particularly have luck transplanting the cedars and junipers. If the volunteer is in a good place for a tree, it is protected so growth can naturally occur.

Therefore, a beautiful Shademaster honeylocust is part of the northern boundary of my property. The nursery claimed these trees were seedless. But my trees all produce large brown seed pods. And one new tree about ten foot tall.

My Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) continues to thrive and is determined to drop seedlings when the squirrels miss an acorn or two. Unlike the Gambel Oak (Quercus Gambelii) which are known as scrub oak, the Bur Oak stands as a single specimen. Planted almost thirty years ago, my Bur Oak is taller than my house. I don’t really have a spot for a second one.

Few Garden Weeds in Big Garden

The Raised Row Technique of gardening continues to tamp down on weeds. I highly recommend owning the book by the Competti’s. For the review click here. The mulch also keeps the soil from drying out and makes the weeds easy to pull even without a rain.

Raised Row Vegetable Garden

Springtime in the Garden: A 2021 Update

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The Big Garden

A Raised Row Garden
The rows run North to South

Spring 2021

Springtime in the garden varies from year to year. Some springs are over in the blink of an eye. Freezing temperatures give way to triple digits in a fortnight. But Spring 2021 is more like a story tale. Cool evenings are followed by warm afternoons. Rains have been gentle and frequent. This is a delightful change.

Early Harvests

Green onions and lettuces lead the harvest production. But the asparagus crop is not far behind. I plant onion bulbs early and often. Two to three green onions are consumed per day in our household. To be honest, leaving enough in the ground to develop into winter storage bulbs is a challenge.

Early herbs include Italian Parsley, chives and oregano. The first pesto of the season is made from a combination of these three. In addition to adding these herbs to our evening dishes, they add color to the spring garden.

Early blooming herbs include chives, horehound and sage. Of these three, the sage is the showiest. The sage buds are full and I expect them to be in full bloom by Memorial Day. In contrast, the horehound has small white flowers that are easy to overlook. I include all in small flower arrangements.

Successes This Springtime in the Garden

For the first time, I have successfully transplanted strawberries. Instead of small pots, I bought some bare roots from a local greenhouse. They have rooted in well-perhaps because of the good moisture.

Other garden additions include a beautiful Pink Lady apple, a plum and an apricot. The apricot arrived just two week ago and has not leafed out yet. One of the new blueberry bushes is also thriving. Unfortunately, the other was mowed down. Accidents happen in the garden.

My seed starts from this winter are just recently transplanted. Most look good. The tomatoes have doubled in size and the peppers and eggplant have added new leaves. The peanuts are holding their own and probably will not take off until temperatures turn hot.

Plants from direct seeding include beets, cucumbers, beans and carrots. All but the latter have poked their heads out of the soil. The raised beds have kept the growing area from being mired in mud. I truly believe in the raised row concept posited by Jim and Mary Competti. Read a review of there book by clicking here or visit there website here.

A Failure or Two…at Least

Winter kill was expected after the negative 28 F temperature recorded during the Arctic Freeze this past winter. This extraordinary cold took a toll on my figs and my almond. Neither has leafed out. Another mixed result came from relocating a small cherry tree. Only half the tree flowered.

I also failed in my attempt to grow sweet potato starts. Early leaves and roots failed to thrive. So, I will research more and try again next winter.

Springtime in the Garden: Wonderful Rains

The High Plains of America can be dry and windy. Much of the area was part of the Dust Bowl of the thirties and indeed, the past decade has had at least three years with less than ten inches of moisture for the entire year. But so far 2021 is different.

A minimum of three inches of snow fell in both January and February. Then the moisture really kicked up in March. Mid-month a three day rain event dropped 2.65 inches from the sky. Just over a week later, five to six inches of heavy wet snow fell.

April brought wind and a few small showers. I was worried that the faucet in the sky might shut off. The night temperatures stayed above the freezing mark from mid-month. This is very unusual.

Fortunately, the rains picked up again in May. Less than three weeks in and 3.3 inches of rain have fallen. The end result of all this moisture is a good base for the 2021 Springtime in the Garden.

October 2018 Wrap-Up

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October 2018


Some months fly by. October 2018 traveled at supersonic speed. This month of seasonal change is one of my favorites. Leaf color, crisp mornings followed by warm afternoons and bountiful harvest highlight the month each year.

The first freeze of the year arrived mid-month. I missed it here on the High Plains. But Mother Nature gave me a taste of it the very same day in Quebec.

Trip to Quebec

My trip to this Canadian Province has been highlighted in three posts thus far with another scheduled next week. Please take time to read about the travels in Fall Travel, Saguenay Fjord, and Quebec Province. The slide shows share some of the picturesque scenery. I believe the Province of Quebec rivals New England for Fall Color.

Most of my travel revolves around work or family. The trip to Quebec was pure vacation for us. Perhaps this is why it has made such an impact. I currently have a Louise Penny book checked out from the library. She is a Canadian writer with a mystery series centered on this region. Stay tuned for a review.

Harvest

This year I tried sweet potatoes in the garden. Most of the slips were planted in raised boxes with one slip going into the Lasagna Bed created in the fall of 2017. The yield was good for this part of the country. But the big success of the year was the raised row garden.

Early last spring I reviewed Jim and Mary Competti’s book Raised Row Gardening. Then I followed the directions to a tee. My fellow homeowner was skeptical. But the bountiful harvest has convinced him. I tried to keep track of the harvest amounts, but the totals became too great.

By Early October the Roma tomatoes were yielding over 5 pounds each day. The carrots large and sweet. Unfortunately the freeze zapped the cantaloupe with over a dozen on the two vines. Beans, peppers, eggplants, tomatillo and squash were prolific. Much time was spent canning in the kitchen.

After the freeze I planted garlic. The Indian summer has the flat green leaves popping out of the ground. In preparation for winter, the beds have been mulched. But green onions, Swiss chard and Kale are all still thriving.

Reading Discovery

I continue to read both printed and online material. One of my finds this month is a blog by Tim Harford. Naturally this writer for the Financial Times has much to say about economics. Among the non-fiction work I read this month was The Virtue of Prosperity. You can read the review by clicking here.

Among fiction reviews, I routinely read The Critiquing Chemist. She often reviews audio books. Commuters may want to visit her site. I am amazed at how many works of fiction are read each month by some of these reviewers. Often I struggle to find time to read and then review one a week.

Challenge

Many of you took on the challenge I issued after writing Linking Liver Disease to Socioeconomic Events. The three months are over. I hope you all have benefited. Physical health has direct links to Brain Health which of course is very important to me.

At this point in time I am still meeting my New Year’s Resolutions. This has been quite challenging for me. I find the social aspect the hardest. But I am getting better. As an introvert, small talk is not one of my strengths. But there is always room and for now, time for improvement.

Happy Halloween everyone.

September 2018 Wrap-Up

Posted on by Econogal

September 2018 focus was on harvesting from the garden and personal growth. To be honest, I lost track of how much I put up canning-wise. But my garden was the most successful ever thanks to following the advice learned from Raised Row Gardening. Jim and Mary Competti also offer great advice on their Old World Garden Farms website. Their book will surely make the top five under the non-fiction category for 2018.

September

My favorite part of September is the cooling down, at least at night. As usual, my part of the country did flirt with triple digit temperatures mid-month. But the evenings have brought some much-needed relief. Even though we have yet to see some color change in my small town, I did enjoy the turning aspens on my Xtreme Hike.

The twenty plus mile hike allowed for personal reflection as well as satisfaction. Achieving ones goals is always uplifting. The social interaction also kept part of my New Year’s Resolutions going strong. The physical aspect is also key. Brain Health goes hand in hand with physical well-being.

Challenges

Those readers taking the no-alcohol challenge are two-thirds through. I am receiving positive feedback from several individuals. Keep up the good work.

Personal challenges for me are also on track. Part of this year’s goals involved learning new skills. This past week I successfully learned how to convert a Microsoft Office power point to Google Slides. This was necessary to upload some You Tube videos for a presentation. I am still amazed at just how proprietary the competitors are. It is an understandable part of capitalism. But does create added work for non-profits and others developing presentations.

Final Quarter of 2018

The last three months are upon us. My cucumbers have already quit producing. We usually have a freeze in October. Sometimes just as the Trick-or-TreaLooking upon a mountainter’s are making their rounds. Thus the garden will soon be put away. Then it will be time to focus on quilting again.

Congratulations again to those meeting their own personal challenges. Growth is measured in many ways. Those of us getting on in years need to keep reaching for the stars as much as we are able. Personal growth may mean spiritual growth, improvement in mind and body, or just the ability to relax and be happy with our journey through life.

Raised Row Gardening Book Review

Posted on by Econogal
Book cover of Raised Row Gardening
Book cover of Raised Row Gardening by Jim and Mary Competti

In the blog post January 2018 Wrap Up I recommended the website Old World Garden Farms. This is one of my favorite garden know how web sites. I am pleased to now share with you a review of their first book, Raised Row Gardening. I plan to implement such a garden this year.

Jim and Mary Competti are the authors of the book and the founders of Old World Garden Farms. They started using the raised row method as a way to fit gardening into their busy life. Both have full-time jobs and they are parents to four children.

Book Contents

Raised Row Gardening is separated into ten chapters. The first gives an overall background of gardening and the different techniques. Chapter Two starts in on the how-to of creating a raised row garden. The authors use both photos and illustrations in the instructions. Chapters Three through Six discuss the planning and planting of the raised row garden. Again, there are visual aids galore. Chapter Seven gives wonderful insight into composting. I have composted for years but I still learned from the information. The final three chapters discuss the raised row concepts in the fall, winter and years two and beyond.

Key Concepts

There are a few key concepts in the book. First, rototilling is not necessary except in very few cases. This saves on a lot of labor and time. Furthermore as the authors explain, rototilling can be harmful. Second, use of a heavy mulch is imperative in order for this concept to work. The authors give the needed information on what materials are appropriate for using as a mulch. Finally, Chapter four contains a planting guide for the raised row. The tips are great. They include concepts such as companion planting. Also, the guide pages discuss plants grown from seed versus transplants.

I highly recommend this book. If you are not an experienced gardener, this book will give you the confidence to start. If you have many years of experience, the ideas in Raised Row Gardening will make your life easier. Gardening is fun. The Competti’s present a method to make gardening less work with an increased production. I plan to implement the raised row method in the area shown. The white tubing and scraps indicate the edges of the area. I will post again as I create my own Raised Row Garden.

Empty lot
Plot for future raised bed garden
Empty lot
Second View of proposed garden area.