Grow An Extra Row

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

58 degrees here on the hill and water continues to drip from everything after last night's rain. I came home from the nursery about 7:30 and barely made it to the house before the thunder boomers began. It was a noisy affair with lots of lightning flashes but all the hits were 5 to 7 miles away. The rain fell hard and long and will be apparent later as I make my way down the mountain and off to work.

Gail and Michelle worked at the nursery all day trying to fill in the intended daylily display garden with more and more daylilies. We are trying to incorporate examples of every daylily we have in our collection and want to have large plants which will carry their example for a maximum amount of time. I have been digging extra holes in my spare time and Austin has too so it makes the planting a bit easier. The hard part is getting them out of the various planting areas here on Peacham Pond Road and then up into the truck. It's looking better every day and from Route 2, the color is beginning to become apparent.

Gail has been selling cut peonies and sales have been exceptional with everything selling each day. I am amazed at the reaction from some folks when they see we are selling half a dozen fresh stems for $9.50. Yesterday a customer doubted the accuracy of my price calculation but when I got to the root of the problem, I found she was used to paying $7 a stem in Boston. She favors peonies and had quite a smile when she left. Last week we received a call from Florida and a florist wanted a "ton" of peonies for a special wedding. We turned down the request as we are just too busy right now to spend the extra time. It is apparent that those that love peonies will spend a bundle to advance their enjoyment.

Emma dropped by about 6 en route to some local kayacking. She works with the Lake Champlain Basin Project and we worked together last summer on a water flow monitoring project on the Winooski River here in Marshfield, Plainfield and Cabot. Emma conducts a rain garden project and has planted a number of gardens around central and northwest Vermont. This is a subject in itself but the foundation of water gardens is something you might consider exploring as they have great merit and help the environment a lot. As we stood by the miniature hostas and talked, a Coopers hawk came bursting out of the sky and grabbed a songbird, dragging it to earth and heading into an adjacent tree for dinner feasting. This all took seconds and was a National Geographic quality shot I can only relive in my memory. The speed of that accipiter is amazing.

I am including a poster that Anson Tebbetts sent us. He is the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture here in Vermont and he has lots of marketing experience from previous work with Channel 3 television in Burlington. He's a great person and he and his family have been Vermont Flower Farm customers for some time. Vermont's Grow An Xtra Row campaign is similar to the Garden Writer Association's Plant a Row For The Hungry campaign. Both convey the message that extra fruits and vegetables have a great need and benefit the hungry when donated to your local food shelf or community kitchen. The need has never been greater and a couple extra seeds means some extra food of excellent nutritional value to those in need. In the winter time I sometimes help unload the food truck at the Marshfield food shelf and you only have to do this once to see the line of those in need and the message comes home. I always think of children first and remember the hard times when I was a kid. This year will be especially difficult with the price of heating fuels so help others by growing a little extra and donating. Don't put it off, just do it!

Guess I better get going here. I have a few things to load up and drop off at the nursery for Gail. My work day includes Berlin, Waterbury and Morrisville so once I head out the door I won't be back until after 6. Hope your day goes well too!

Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where the peonies are in tremendous bloom and the astilbes are beginning their summer display. If you don't have astilbes yet, stop by Route 2 and take a look at 70 varieties. The almost constant rains have made them grow better than ever.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm Our website where we sell nice flowers and offer fine visual enjoyment. Take a look!

Sign of Progress

Friday, June 20, 2008

60 degrees outside and just after 7 PM. There is a constant dribble of rain from the great gray clouds and limited hope that tomorrow will be fair. Even the soil around here is green with constant, heavy rains leaching much nutrient from the land. Garden soil in Vermont is in a constant state of rebuild this year but unlike the mid west, most of the soil is staying where it should.

We've been home from the nursery for less than an hour and Gail has already visited her mother, checked the care givers for tonight and come home to rustle up omelets for supper. Karl, the wonder dog, has had a ride out back, a nice walk down the road and now he is running around here with one of his toys trying to find someone to play with. It won't be me for a while.

Last night Kim and Lenny showed up to get the new sign on the roof. There was a threat of rain but Kim knew this was important to me and he wanted to follow through on a promise. The sign had been here for a week and I wanted to see it in place on top of the building to see what influence it had on the customer base. (The sign, by the way, was prepared by Joe and Tina at
Sign Depot in Lyndonville. 802-626-0990 signdepot@charternet.com This is a great family of some of the nicest folks you'll ever meet.)

I had forgotten that Kim was supposed to be at school for the 8th grade graduation at 7 but once he started the sign, it was clear he'd leave when it was finished. Even when his wife and kids stopped by with a vocal coaxing, he said he wasn't finished and they left in a fury.

If it clears tomorrow long enough for the sign to dry on top, I'll climb up there and silicon on the protective border. The sign is 2 feet high and 16 feet long to comply with local zoning. It was prepared on two pieced of metal board with vinyl lettering. The signs are screwed to pressure treated 5/4 decking and the whole affair is screwed into the frames. If that sign leaves the building, Dorothy and Toto will have returned from Oz as it's all lagged into the rafters. It looks sharp and does the advertising trick we wanted. If you have a business or are contemplating one, think about road signage and visibility. Lots of issues there--enough for a winter's discussion when topics are more sparse and time is more free.

From the mountain above Peacham Pond where dinner is ready.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

Lookin' Under Leaves

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Almost 7 AM and 58 degrees outside. Still raining ever so lightly after an entire night of heavy rain. All the five gallon buckets around the potting stand are overflowing so I have no idea how much rain we received. I'm leaving shortly to open the nursery for the day and the little brook at the intersection of Routes 2 and 232 will be a good indicator of what happened.

I took Karl the wonder dog for a brief walk this morning. He should be kind on Father's Day but his sniffer was in overdrive as hungry wildlife had a late start to last night's dinner or this morning's breakfast. We really needed some rain and the sounds while walking suggest it was much more than an inch.

This is a good time to look around your hostas and see what previous year's seed production may have provided for you. At the entrance to the lower hosta garden here at the house, I planted a sieboldiana 'Elegans' next to a couple Abiqua Moonbeams, an Albopicta and an On Stage. Just above it are an August Moon and a Sunpower. They are all mature plants and five or more years old.

I suggest a little exploring this time of year because you will always find some of previous year's progeny but you may never know what the genetic mix is due to insect hybridization. The hosta to the left of the yellow On Stage pictured above is the result of some kind of mix. The thing about this hosta is that it's going to be a giant in time. Last year was it's second year and it really grew. It looks as if it will be the size or bigger than the On Stage this year but in a couple days I'll have a better idea because the heavy rain will bring everything along quickly. Many very popular hostas were "found" so look under the leaves of your favorites and you might be surprised!

The peonies look great this year. As if having an ability to read the calendar, the peony named 'Dad' is in blossom as of yesterday. Nearby is 'Paul Fay' and also 'Sea Shell'. The rain probably cancelled out the eight blossoms left on the fern leafed 'smouthii' which was special this year. If you get a chance, add this to your collection as it is the earliest here and very nice.

Better get going. It's Father's Day so good gardening wishes to all fathers in every garden anywhere.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm Our outdated but very useful, still operational, home built commercial site which needs some sales ......but just the same has some neat pictures and good comments. Take a look! We're still biased.

Bad Weather

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Just about 7 PM here and at 80 degrees, it's the coolest part of the day. Today's high temps around Vermont ranged from 93 in this area to 97 in Burlington. Considerable destruction occurred in Franklin County on the northwest corner and power outages here and there. We got by with a couple flickers here at the house but didn't do as well at the nursery.

Buying used "anything" can be a good deal or a future headache. I should have learned my lesson by now but I haven't. With three feet of snow on the ground this spring, I purchased a used shade house from a place going out of business. I had seen it before but never really inspected it and when it was delivered for free I quickly noticed that many of the poles had been split open by winter's ice. Some poles also looked bent as if the thing had fallen over once but since there was a back up supply and one brand new piece of 20 X 80 shade cloth plus other odds and ends, the price seemed right. Look at the picture up top and scan to the back middle and you'll see the frame.

We had lined the whole frame with astilbes and other shade plants and were waiting for them to get set before putting on the shade cloth. That's what we did today. Austin helped before he left and I spent a while securing the cloth. As the storm approached, my worries grew and when the winds really kicked up the house headed east into a pile of bent debris. I cut the ties on the fabric and headed to the safety of home for the storm to pass.

Two hours later I returned for an assessment. Not much saving there but there's a chance that I can use the pipe cutter and get back to a 30 foot house without having to buy any more pieces. I'm not all that pleased but that's kind of what being a farmer or a small business person is all about. You have to make decisions and sometimes they aren't the smartest ones. Tomorrow Gail will rearrange the pots, fill a few that need more soil mix and then get as much as possible into the shade house by the miniature and small hostas. It won't all fit but she'll figure out something.
As for right now, I have to go out and unload the pieces from the truck and get it ready for Gail.


From the mountain above Peacham Pond where Karl the wonder dog is barking at one of the neighbor's kids getting their mail. It's real obvious when he is feeling well because he barks with great enthusiasm while his tail about wags itself off the dog.

Good gardening wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm

New Nursery, New Hosta Garden

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June 9, 2008

After almost seven years of building a shade garden at our Peacham Pond Road location, it was time to move the nursery and leave all that work behind. It will be impossible to forget that garden and even if we wanted to, customers wouldn't allow it. Gail and I have already been reminded of that about every day, so Sunday I got serious and began to build the new hosta extravaganza. Only time will tell how successful I am.

For a couple days, Austin, a UVM summer helper, toiled away at digging holes for me. He commented that it wasn't a great job but the day went by quickly. It wouldn't have for me but his preparatory work was much appreciated. When the holes were ready, we began digging hostas from more mature gardens and then loaded up the tools and amendments we'd need. I was hoping for a little help but he had a house to paint and Gail had other chores so I was on my own.

When hostas are 5 or 6 years old, any listed as large or extra large are heavy. There's no other way to get them out but to dig all around the plant as deep as you can go and then begin to slid the shovel under the root ball. I use a 6 foot pry bar and with a little luck and someone tugging on a corner we can usually free up the monsters. It has been raining hard here for many days so the ground was loose and the task was less than it would normally be.

You have to understand that the height of this new land is solid clay, the kind potters dream of. It is so heavy that when you finally get a hole dug and fill it with water, it forms a frog pond that takes forever to drain. That's where calcium sulphate comes in. At $6.79 a 40 pound bag from Wal Mart or a buck and a half more wholesale from farm supply outlets, it's become gold to me for what it does to clay soils. As soon as Austin dug the holes I had him dose them liberally, bottom and sides, with this miracle composition. From there I mix bagged manure, 4 year old rotted tree chips, handfuls of lime, one handful per hole of 10-10-10, about 5 pounds of peat moss and a bucket of rotted maple leaves. I fill the hole with water and turn and turn until it is well mixed. Then the hosta goes in and the sides get firmed and then covered with more wood chips.


Everyone has their method and their secret mixes. Mine aren't a secret although I have to say I'll never use Agway's products again as this manure of theirs was as much clay as Austin dug out of the hole in the first place. Vermont Compost from Montpelier, Intervale Compost if you can get it, or good old farm manure are the way to go. I used the last of the big pile a couple weeks back and elected not to bring in a truckload of fine smelling green manure while I was trying to lure customers to a new location.

This planting took a couple days and contains June, Parhelion, Aristocrat, Wolverine, Abiqua Moonbeam, Bressingham Beauty, Frances Williams, Shade Fanfare and a few others. Before I am done, there will be a trail leading down the hill parallel to the Winooski River and then on into the grove of box elders. The 450 hostas we have will in some part make the move and with luck some of the sad comments will dissipate. In time we'll have that answer. In the interim it's me and Austin and the shovel and the truck. If you stop by to visit us on Route 2, walk on down through the astilbe shade house to the river bank. You'll see what we have done.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where it's 74 degrees out. A lone mosquito is attempting to peck at my shoulder and he's going to get a good one if he'll hold still. Not as big a project as at 3 this morning when a June bug practiced maneuvers in the bedroom until banging into a wall and falling victim to the phone book.

Good gardening wishes,

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener Another good blog
Vermont Flower Farm A place to buy great flowers online

Playing Garden Catch Up

Saturday, June 7, 2008

56 degrees here on the hill this morning. 100% humidity after two days of drenching rains. This morning's foggy haze and quietness are harbingers to the 85-90 degrees and stifling air that is en route by later today. Just the same, this is Vermont and we long for summer, the short season, when gardens grow and gardeners find a peace that is not easy to describe.

I have not written in a couple weeks. It's not because there weren't things to say and invitations to be made to our new location on Route 2, Marshfield. Time is short and most people would say we are crazy to try to do what we do in a day. There's a full time job for me, Alex and his interesting autism challenges for Gail and me, Gail's 91 year old blind mother and her accompanying entourage of care givers to coordinate. Karl, the wonder dog, with his as yet undiagnosed stomach problems........the list goes on. We keep the car full of gas and pads of paper scattered about to make sure that when thoughts come to mind, they are written down so they cannot escape. If we have not answered your email yet, do not fear. We are playing catch-up and we are making progress!Today from 10-2 I will be working on a new hosta garden. I had Gail change the sign by the road to let folks know they can stop by and watch the process if they want. You are invited too. I work and talk at the same time but show the steps from digging into potter-quality clay, scattering the holes with calcium sulphate, working in a variety of amendments, planting and mulching. For me it's a dirty, slippery, tiring process but the reward at the end is what I enjoy and that's what I want people to see. Stop if you get a chance. I'll probably be working tomorrow too, same hours. I stop projects like this at about 2 because that's when customers begin to stack up and I like a clean hand and a dry shirt when I make greetings. Come visit us at our new location on Route 2 just one half mile before Marshfield Village coming from Montpelier, E. Montpelier, Plainfield.



Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where I have to fire up the tractor, load the trailer with compost and stack on another dozen hostas for planting. If you are coming this way, throw the canoe or kayak on the car as the day will be perfect for all sorts of events.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm Our commercial website, a bit behind, but still a great place to order some hardy perennials. Call or write if you have questions.