If you don't ask...

My latest acquisition is this fantastic compost bin, the "Earth Machine," which was lying in pieces in a neighbors' yard, overgrown with weeds. I had my eye on it for months, then finally offered to buy it, and was delighted to have it gifted to me instead. Repayment will come in jars of elderberry jelly, ripe tomatoes and basil, which I have in abundance!

The other three compost bins are full to brimming. And while I've had this bin for only ten days, it's now half full too. Kitchen waste and trimmed yard clippings are next year's garden vitamins. 

Compost is teaming with nutrients. Every bed I enriched with compost this year did amazing. I love it when waste goes into production instead of into a landfill. Check out this YouTube video on how to feed your compost bin.

These old fence boards (below) are going to use as well. After reading another "urban farmer's" blog I learned that people were repurposing old fence rails to build raised beds. 

The boards already have a new home. And the new owner is even picking them up! I save money on gas, dump fees and my trash is someone else's recycled treasure.

On the harvest front: Tying the tomatillo bush up on a trellis did the trick. In only 12 days, yellow flowers have turned into beautiful papery green cocoons. Inside, the tomatillos are growing.

Patience, patience... I must resist harvesting them until they at least quadruple in size from this. I absolutely adore tomatillos.

Unfortunately, I didn't exercise any patience with the carrots. 

Sometimes the temptation is just too great. But thankfully I held my enthusiasm down to only five.

Garden Update

First carrot o' the season. It may be thin, but it makes up for it in length.

Raspberries still thriving.

Sweet potato, planted only a week ago!

Container lettuce. Ready to eat.

Grapes. Fire up the juicer.

Tomatoes. Gazpacho time.

Elderberries. The saga continues.

The field supervisor. Asleep on the job.

Elderberry ripening

The drupes on the elderberry bush are starting to redden. The reddish purple color extends right up the stems. A marvel to behold. It'll be a few more weeks for that harvest. I plan on making fruit jelly mostly. Maybe some elderberry wine, but I admit, I'm a little nervous about eating any jam with crushed seeds. I had a couple of spoonfuls of jam (filled with mashed seeds) at a Mennonite farmer's market two months ago and experienced a week from hell afterwards. Either the jam wasn't processed correctly, or I'm just super sensitive to the gritty seeds that were in it.

Research on the web revealed dozens of stories of people getting sick on elderberry. There were equal amounts of people with no reactions at all. The seeds are poisonous if not processed correctly and contain a "cyanide-producing glycoside." So I'll be straining all of that out! The flavor, however, was unrivaled by anything I've tasted before, save for loganberry jam. Elderberry has so many medicinal properties, the least of which is a cold remedy, that I can't forsake the harvest. Making jelly is a tremendous amount of work. The straining! Ugh. But I'm looking forward to it. A good book on tape playing in the background makes the task easier. 

I'm also happy to report that my container carrots are finally showing promise. 

The ones I planted in the beds weren't happy at all, so I sowed new seeds in the containers. I have three containers full. I'm going to plant more.

The work on the pond installation is also progressing, but it's put on hold for today. 

I'm off to help my sister-in-law install "the sanctuary" as she's referring to it. She has a small patio space that is rife with possibilities. Can't wait!