photo:  compliments of Wikipedia 

 

 

Remember all those trees that fell down last week from hurricane Zeta?  Well, some of them on Beaconhill were White oaks:  the most desirable logs for growing shiitake mushrooms.  

 

Since August, I've been looking for white oaks to cut down, in order to plant my mushroom spawn plugs.  So now we don't have to cut down anything.  They fell over in all the wind.  And FREE for us to harvest.  Jon got out his chain saw, and cut several 3 foot logs.  Now all we have to do is plug them.  

 

The process seems simple enough;  and in a year or so we'll have mushrooms, growing in our own backyard.  I'll let you know when they're ready to harvest.  I have an idea that, just like the garden, it all happens at the same time, giving us more than we can possibly use.  

 

We're planting shiitake, red reishi, and chicken of the woods.  I'm SO excited to try something new.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

What are you going to do with those pumpkins now?  If they are still intact, you can cut them up and eat them.  

 

Here are some ideas for uses for these fabulous winter squashes.  

 

Click here:  Before you toss your Halloween pumpkins

 

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!

 

It's called Burning Bush, and Dwarf Winged Euonymus, but the botanical name is Euonymus alatus compactus.  This huge one is in the parking lot at The Home Depot in Blairsville.  It's about 10 feet tall, and as wide.  (Hardly compact.)  I've seen them planted in the medians in lots of cities.  There are several planted in our neighborhood too, and when they do this, you can't miss them.

 

The shrubs generally grow to 3 or 4 feet, and the branches have corky, winglike projections.  In the fall, the leaves turn this spectacular color, and the fruits are a lot like the bittersweet:  scarlet berries popping out of capsulelike fruit.  Gorgeous!!!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I can't remember ever seeing Hydrangeas blooming in November.  But, I've never grown my own, so maybe I'm not really qualified to say.  

 

I do love seeing these when we walk by Nancy's.  They are so cheerful.  Do you know about color changes in the blooms of some Hydrangeas?

 

If the soil is acid:  the blooms will be blue.  If the soil is alkaline:  the blooms will be pink.  And if the soil is neutral:  the blooms will be white.  Sometimes, when the soil is in transition from alkaline to acid, the blooms will be both blue and pink, looking sorta purple.  

 

See that pinkish blossom in the picture?  It isn't pink because of the soil, it is in the process of fading.  It started out blue, like the others.  Hydrangeas make really good dried flowers, cut at this stage of fading.  

 

Remember the Hydrangeas in Nanny's back yard?  And the story that Granddaddy pounded rusty nails into the ground to make them turn blue!!!  I love it!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

We saw this Tomato Hornworm this week on Dan's pepper plant.  Look just below the big pepper, and you can see the worm.  You can even see the horn.  

 

You can also see that he has eaten all the leaves, and some of the peppers.  That's how I knew to search for it, seeing all the chewage.

 

This worm is about the size of my index finger!!!  And when I see them in my garden, I pick them off and squish them.  BUT.....we plant Borage near the tomatoes and peppers, because it deters the hornworms.  We haven't had any this year!!!  

 

I guess they're happy eating Dan's peppers.  YAAAAK!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This vine is growing in lots of places in the community.  It is Bittersweet, Celastrus scandens.  

 

Bittersweet is an aggressive climbing vine, sometimes reaching 50 feet.  It is very noticeable right now, because the yellow fruit is opening showing the red berries.  This one is just beginning to open, so I'll be watching it over the next couple weeks.  

 

I hope you see some Bittersweet in your travels.  It is so pretty.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This is the trailhead at Meeks Park.  Isn't this Hickory beautiful!!!!  

 

The park is absolutely full of Hickories, Oaks, Maples, and other deciduous trees, all showing Fall color right now. 

 

What a great way to start a walk.

 

HAPPY HIKING!!!

 

Saw these mushrooms the other day on Stonebriar Drive.  They are so striking, I had to stop and get their picture.  While I was at it I put the Seek app on them, just to verify my suspicion that they are Jack O'Lanterns.  Yep, Seek called them Eastern American Jack O'Lantern, Omphalotus illudens.  

 

I love this app, it tells me that:  Jack O'Lantern mushrooms are large orange mushrooms, often found in clumps on decaying stumps, buried roots, or at the base of hardwood trees in eastern North America.

 

My National Audubon Society field guide tells me that:  IT IS POISONOUS, typically causing gastric upset for a few hours to 2 days.  And this:  When this species is gathered fresh and taken into a dark room, the gills give off an eerie green glow.   OOOH.   I'll just take their word on that; I'm leaving them alone.

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

 

 

 

On a recent walk, I saw this great mushroom colony.  I had my Seek app at hand, and found out it is False Turkey-tail.

 

I looked it up in my field guide, and learned that its botanical name is Stereum ostrea, and its common name is False turkey-tail.  It is a fungus that decays bark and wood.  It is found throughout North America, is in season from June-January, and is found on logs and stumps of deciduous wood, especially oak.  

 

What I was really looking for is this:  it is tough and INEDIBLE.  So just look, and don't touch.  But definitely, DO look.  Very pretty and interesting.

 

HAPPY FALL!!!

 

This may not look like much to you, but it makes me happy.  Last week I planted garlic and potatoes for next year's harvest. 

 

Garlic is in the same family as onions, lilies, daffodils, etc.  So we plant it in the fall, just like spring flowering bulbs.  

 

Garlic is so easy to plant.  Just fluff up the soil to about 4 inches depth, and place the cloves pointy end up, about 2 inches apart.  Cover with a few inches of mulch to protect them against the winter cold, and next June-July you'll have garlic bulbs!!!  You can even plant them in your flower beds, they are that pretty.  

 

I read this year about planting potatoes in the fall too.  I planted whole potatoes using the same method as the garlic, and we'll see what happens.  I have $2.99 invested, for the potential of two full rows of potatoes.  I'll let you know how it works out.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!