June is for Gardening...

The days are flying by and I'm feeling behind! I have been spending lots of time outdoors trying to get everything planted and perennial beds tended. I still have top-dressing with compost to do but at least have most annuals and a few new perennials  in the ground. My pots and planters are all done and I have a lot of seeds planted as well (sweet peas, morning glory, nasturtiums, etc.). With all the rain and cool weather we have had in the last month, I'm late getting the seeds planted - guess I should have started them in the house. Oh well...
My vegetable garden is all planted too and the lettuce, spinach, and beets are up, and tonight I saw the first peas poking through. I put the transplants (tomatoes and cucumbers) in on Friday. On Saturday night there was a severe weather warning out- a bad storm coming our way with threat of bad hail so I rushed over to the garden and quickly "unplanted " the cukes and tomatoes. Of course that meant the storm veered east and missed us, so I replanted them a few hours later.
Now I am fighting with the raccoons! I decided to try a tip I saw a while back, for easy and more efficient watering of tomato plants. Cut the bottom off a 2 L. pop bottle and shove it, spout down, in the hole alongside the tomato plant. Then when you water, just fill the bottle and the water will go right down to the roots, rather than watering the surface of the ground around the plant. Sounded like a good plan to me, so I rounded up bottles and "planted" one beside each tomato plant. Well it seems the local raccoons don't approve and they pull them out each night. I'm getting a little tired of the game so I may give up. Tonight when I once again "replanted " the bottles I generously shook some cayenne pepper around. Perhaps they'll lick that off
their little paws and burn their little tongues and decide to go bother someone else's garden!! We'll see how/if it works...  EDIT:  As of more than a week later, the bottles remain untouched! I think the cayenne pepper worked!!

 All this gardening activity means I have made several visits to my favourite nursery for plants.
Grey's Greenhouse in Scotch Settlement (northwest of Fredericton, just above Mactaquac) is a family owned nursery, operated by Brian and Bonnie Grey. I have been dealing with them for a number of years now, and have never been disappointed. Their stock is always very healthy and their plants seem to grow better than those purchased anywhere else. (I just don't buy anywhere else anymore...and No, the Grey's are not paying me to say this...) Both Brian and Bonnie are always happy to answer any questions and give advice, sharing their extensive knowledge. Brian mixes his own soil and I think he must have a secret ingredient. All photos on this post were taken at Grey's several weeks ago. When I was there today (again!) there was a hummingbird zooming around the main greenhouse. I thought how happy he must

be - no doubt he thinks he's in heaven. What a wonderful place to spend your summer!
It's late and time for me to hit the sack - after all I'll likely have some "bottle re-planting" to attend to tomorrow morning... So I'm going to call it quits for tonight. Not to worry- there'll be many more "gardening posts" in the days to come...


Peace,
Linda

"Gardens are not made by singing "Oh how beautiful", and sitting in the shade." ~ Rudyard Kipling