The 2012 Gourd Collection!

3 of our 4 big snake gourds.. two were
trellised and one was allowed to grow
on the ground, hence the 'snake shape'.

It's no secret that I LOVE my gourds.. in fact, I think I'm becoming rather obsessed and have already begun to source seed for next year.



I was very impressed with our snake gourds this year - until I read the results of the Annapolis Valley Giant Vegetable Growers. At first glance, it said 'Longest Gourd - 67 inches'.. My first thought was "I bet I can top that!!".. but then I noticed that was the children's division.. oops! I definitely don't qualify for that! So, scrolling down on the page, I see that in the adult division, the winner of the longest gourd grew a 106.25 inch specimen!!!!!! Wow, how do I get some seed from that sucker?



Yesterday, we popped into The Dill Farm in Windsor and we were able to actually see that huge snake gourd. Because it was trellised, it grew straight and long and to keep it from breaking, they have it supported against a long board. Let me tell you - from recent experience - these gourds can snap easily! Especially when they are so long. Like these competitive growers, I also grow our snake gourds on trellises, but I don't think that my trellis would be nearly tall enough.. maybe if I grew the plants up our roof..?? Something to think about this winter.   :)



Except for pumpkins and our spinning top gourds, all the gourds we grow are called hardshell gourds, a type which can be dried and preserved. They can take months to dry, but once they are ready, they can be kept for many many years. Over history, these types of gourds have been used as musical instruments, spoons, serving utensils, baskets, bushels, birdhouses, canteen's and so on. We love growing them because it's just so fun!



Anyhoo, there were lot's of other crazy gourds we grew this year - and saw even more yesterday at The Dill Farm.. Here is an overview:

Here is Fred Ansems massive snake gourd on
display at The Dill Farm (A must-visit
place!)

This fun squash/pumpkin turtle greeted us
as we entered The Dill Farm.

Another look - If you added a spiral to his 'shell', it would
make an excellent snail too!

Two of the giants of 2012, the left grown by Gerard Ansems 

at 1727 LBS - the BIGGEST pumpkin ever grown

in the Maritimes!

Gerard Ansem's other pumpkin - 1616 LBS

Some of our gourds - 2012! Long Dipper, Cannonball, Snake,
Spinning Top

Two just-picked long dipper gourds

Our collection of long dipper gourds - really want to dry
these for GIANT spoon/dippers!

Another angle of the long dipper gourds

Hello, who are you? Maybe a mutant long
dipper gourd? A pear gourd mixed in
accidently??

A sense of scale with a long dipper gourd.

Spinning top gourds - so fun!!

Our cannon ball gourd - I think?? why isn't it
round - the pressure from the trellis?

The Dill's Farm also had some giant watermelons!
I think the biggest was 140 LBS, grown in NS.
It's that big sucker in the middle.

They let us buy their smallest giant watermelon!
It was 59 LBS.. notice I said 'was'.. all I can
say is that it was sweet and delicious!

Check out that bright reddish-pink flesh!

Pretty big eh? That isn't a small spoon.. I have saved some
seed for next year.. 

First Frost

Oh Canada! Frosted grass and a red maple leaf.

The first fall frost almost seems like a rite of passage for the garden. What is hardy enough to survive and what has succumbed? Last night the temperature was predicted to plunge to freezing for the first time and a frost was likely. That mean picking the last of the basil - all 40 mature plants, plucking leaves for hours and whirling them with a drizzle of olive oil in the food processor. Now, a dozen large basil 'pancakes' are in the freezer where we can taste homegrown basil in our pastas all winter long.



The sun streaming through our windows just woke me up and so, naturally, my first thought was 'did we have a frost?'.. I got up and looked out the window and could see the frosted kale from the kitchen window and so before the sun rose over the house and onto the garden (any minute!) I ran up with my camera to capture the first frost.



Happy Fall Frost!

Dinosaur kale - now sweetened up with the frost!

Half of the nasturtiums leaves are frosted,
half are not.. It was a low lying frost obviously.

A bed of densely planted Asian greens.. 

This zinnia was protected by the kales.

Red Russian Take 1!

Red Russian Take 2!

Smile pretty for your photo op! Red Russian Take 3!

Last one - Red Russian Take 4!

Frozen nasturtiums.. 

Love the frozen flowers and the spiderweb
frost pattern on the leaves.

Opps, I lied! Red Russian Take 5!

Baby Asian greens - check out the frilly red
mustard by my hand - 

More Dinosaur kale from a 2 year old plant. It just
keeps growing. And growing. And...

A 2012 Harvest Overview

The summer squash collection

It's a chilly morning - but the bright sun is lighting up the trees around our garden. I love fall! But, this (as of yet - frost-free) weather has got me thinking about the spring/summer and what we enjoyed this year.. We're still harvesting plenty from the garden - 2 lovely zucchini yesterday, bowls of greens, Japanese turnips, beets, carrots, kale, cucumbers and much more, but I thought I'd share some of my favourite pic's from the past few months:

A quick trip to the garden = a bowl full of food!

Drunken Woman lettuce. Enough said.

Garlic love

Mexico Midget, Sungold, Japanese Mandarin

Sungold versus a monster Persimmon

Persimmon bigger than my hand!

Odd little 'Pink Fir Apple' potato. 

The Travelling Tomato - crazy!!

Japanese Mandarin tomato with Purple Podded Pole beans

Baby eggplants and tomatoes

Sweet!

The peanuts! SOOOOOOOO good! And super easy to grow.

Japanese Turnips, another favourite

My barrel-shaped red heirloom onions. 

A Rainbow!

Today's early autumn morning with a bit of drizzle (trust me, it was the
tail end of the storm), clearing skies and a double rainbow
above the vegetable garden.. Heavenly! 

Blush noisette

This is one of the energizer bunnies of the rose world. It dates from 1817 and was bred in France, though I had also read that it was bred here, in the south. Probably it's simply used a lot in the south. Mine is kept in a pot and brought into the root cellar in the winter; it's hardy only to 6 and not usually grown in cold climates. (Who knows if that's still a factor.)

BN is in bloom from late May through frost. There are tons of buds on each spray always--almost too many. It's a fabulous rose. It's also one of the first roses I planted here.

Dirt makes you happy—and keeps you young

Here’s the proof—lovely Sally Cunningham on the arm of daughter Alice as she approaches the outdoor “altar” for her recent wedding to boyfriend Jack. At 60+, Sally is one of the busiest and happiest people I know, in spite of the many frustrations of pulling together a career out of several occupations—gardening expert for Lockwoods Greenhouses, writer and speaker on plants and organic gardening, columnist for Buffalo Spree and the Buffalo News, and consultant for the National Garden Festival.

The wedding was the first opportunity I have had to see Sally’s garden, although I knew, with all her consulting and traveling, that her personal garden was all too often a case of the shoemaker’s children. However, the garden had clearly received some extra attention for this special occasion. It has a lot of cottage garden elements, and fits Sally’s country landscape very well.

Rustic touches include a swing, small treehouse, and a wooden ladder used to hold pots and other garden elements. The plants are our old favorites—rudbeckia, ferns, hellebores, many shrubs, and lots of pots thrown in for late season color. Sadly, Sally can’t have hydrangeas, as these would be eaten by deer, so she included them just for the day, sunken in the ground in pots. Check out what she says about the preparations here.

Wishing every happiness to Sally and Jack!