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mint

How I Spent My Birthday

May 30, 2011


(the most important day of the year.)

We, in Minnesota, are in the midst of about the worst Spring ever. Rain, snow, frost, wind and more rain. It hasn’t been the best environment to garden in.

It. Has. Been. Dismal.

But on the most important day of the year, the sun shone. All day.

And I planted almost the whole garden. On May 25th, all I had in the garden was rhubarb (perennial), asparagus (perennial), garlic and shallots (planted last year), and onions (planted in early April).

And by the end of the day on May 26th, I had added tomatoes, perppers, beans, peas, edamame, cucumbers, corn, zucchini, all my potted herbs, zinnias.

I was tired, sunburned and princess for a day.

I love my birthday!

First I planted my herbs that wintered in the barn all winter.

The sage is so pretty!

The rosemary is a little worse for the wear, but will rebound fine, I’m sure.

Next, I went after that damn, damn “non-invasive” ginger mint.

You might remember that from last year and the year before, when I attempted to dig it out. Over and over. This year, I started with Round-Up. And after two applications, it’s still doing just fine. So I took out the big guns: Round-Up Poison Ivy and Tough Brush Killer. Somehow, I’m not optimistic. But stay tuned for an update in a few weeks.

And speaking of invasive, though on a much cuter level, we visit the ever-burgeoning Johnny Jump-Up population. Which, as predicted last April, has exponentially increased in number. But I didn’t Round-Up them. I probably should have. But I didn’t.

Instead, I dug them all out and placed them inside my round trellis. (All except one, that is.) Something tells me I’ll rue this day.

Needing refreshment, I decided to run up to the house for a drink and came upon Lola, with the door wide open. She apparently wanted a fresh drink too, and let herself in. Then decided to bask in the sun a bit.

Well, hello Lola. You bad dog!

And who is this, lurking among the garlic?

Why, it’s my psychotic rooster, Senor. He has finally figured out he is free.

And our lives may never be the same again. He is scary as Hell. And while he never attacked me all day, he did attack Dave when he got home with a delicious picnic lunch for my birthday! I have a video of it happening. It’s hilarious.

It was a great day. I was so grateful to be able to work outside. Then I had to pack it up and head off to a soccer game. Which isn’t how I’d voluntarily spend my birthday, given the choice. But that’s just the way it is sometimes, kids. And when that happens, I have to act like like a grown-up and not complain. (too much.)

We went out for a late bite at a Mexican spot the next town over. And had Boston cream pie for dessert at home! Like I said, it was a great day.

I should note that the temperature dropped steadily all night and was 34 degrees when I woke up. Looking out the window, I saw what looked an awful lot like frost on the roof of the barn.

Huh. Imagine that.

Filed Under: Garden Tagged With: Sage, Rosemary, johnny jump up, Lola, mint, Birthday, rooster, round up, garden, tomatoes

The Horseradish Plant

October 5, 2010

Seriously. Think twice about this one before planting.

I think it might have been just last year that I actually said something along the lines of, “I don’t know why I keep reading that horseradish is so invasive. I don’t seem to have a problem with it…”

Ha.

Ha.

HA!

(to quote myself from last year’s post)

I get it now.

And I am freaking out.

Apparently each piece of broken off horseradish root will grow a plant. I’ve got it growing in the compost piles, in the weed pile, and who knows where else. Not to mention that it is completely out of control here.

I understand mint. At least I think I do. The problem I seem to have with mint isn’t its invasiveness, but the fact that I always plant it in an area where nothing could possibly grow. I figure that way, it won’t be able to get a foothold.

And it doesn’t. It just dies off (since I’ve planted it under the eaves in the rocks amongst the moss on the north side under a log).

Well, that’s if you aren’t counting the silly “non-invasive” mint I’ve been fighting in my raised beds for a few years now. I’ll admit it, this one’s got me. I’ve painstakingly dug it out twice this year so far and yet, here it is thriving again…

…which gives  me a whole new appreciation for the invasiveness of mint if planted in prime real estate.

Anyway, I planted the horseradish in what I considered a fairly challenged spot but not as challenged as my normal spots reserved for mint. It took a few years, but it finally got big and robust. I harvested pieces of the root for eating last year, assuming I was also paring down the plant in the process.

Not.

It was completely out of control this year. Bigger by almost twice the size of last year. And I vowed to dig it completely out before it took over my peonies and knocked the barn over.

…When the hole got deeper than than I could reach with my arm and there were still 3″ diameter roots growing straight down into the earth, I was ready to give up.

But I kept finding lateral roots and digging them out as much as I could. One of the larger roots sprawled out toward the retaining blocks. And the next thing I knew, I was involved in another rather overwhelming project. (I want you to know I am in bed typing this and a boxelder bug just crawled across Dave’s pillow. Luckily, he is not here to enjoy it.)

Those mothers are heavy!

I suppose I figured if I couldn’t dig the stupid horseradish roots out properly, I could at least fix the damn retaining wall that was about to tip over and prevented me from walking on.

As for the horseradish, I really did give up. I sprayed Stump Killer on the unreachable, undiggable roots and covered them back up with dirt. I am 100% sure they will sprout, unfazed by my attempt at removal.

I’m also 100% sure that the retaining wall will resume it’s tilt by spring of next year.

But at least I was able to finish listening to my ridiculously good audio book. Don’t tell anyone, but that was the real goal all along.

Filed Under: Garden Tagged With: horseradish, audio books, invasive plants, mint, retaining wall, audible.com

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About Me

Jen menke

I’m a mostly-retired, pretend graphics and web developer (but don’t judge my skillz by THIS site!). We sold our dream home in Watertown, MN and downsized to a “Villa” in Excelsior, MN and built a home in our dream location of Eagle, CO and now split our time between the two states. It is truly a dichotomous life of absentee gardening and getting together with friends & family while in MN and playing hard and hermitting while in CO. I’ve let the blog go but a trip to Alaska has me resurrecting the Road Warriors series. My beloved brother is my biggest fan and I am doing this just for him.

Latest Reads:

Jennie's bookshelf: read

Trail of Broken Wings
2 of 5 stars
Trail of Broken Wings
by Sejal Badani
Started out strong and dwindled off for me. I wasn't enamored of the writing and -- maybe it's just me -- but the secrets!? I understand that you have to be willing to swallow a fair amount of incredulity when enjoying a lot of fiction, ...
The Girl on the Train
3 of 5 stars
The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins
Audible book. Good, mindless listen. Pretty good action and twists. Not as good as all the hype, in my opinion, but I did enjoy. --Not enough to choose for my bookclub though: it would have been carved up by those English-teaching wolves...
I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America after Twenty Years Away
4 of 5 stars
I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America after Twenty Years Away
by Bill Bryson
Not my favorite Bryson book. However, it's been several years since I last read one and I was -- once again -- astounded by his writing style and voice. I just love him. I think this book is mostly compiled from columns he wrote over a c...

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