All posts by Tom Roberts

It’s been a busy week, with the garden and other work around the house and yard.
We have picked lots of cukes for pickles. We grow eureka for bread and butter pickles and regal for the dills. They get washed and stored in the frig until we have enough to run a batch.
Finding the dill was a bit of a challenge.

Trying to call the grocery stores is an exercise in futility. After numerous hang ups, and goof ups, no we are not looking for dill pickles, we abandoned that approach.
We should have grown it but for some reason it was overlooked. It was a hectic spring with numerous emergencies and life happens but we will not forget next year!

We finally found some dill on Wesley Island at Cross Island Farms.
Dani, one of the owners, gave us a tour of the farm and a great deal on the dill. They sell organic vegetables, eggs, and more.

It looks like we will have enough for this batch but we will have to find some more.

The tomatoes were reaching a point where they needed some support. Many of our tomatoes like the super sweet 100s are indeterminate and tend to grow very tall. As a matter of fact a neighbor had one that was around 7 feet tall. These plants yield a lot of cherry tomatoes and especially if they are kept off the ground. In our case, where we plant 3 foot rows separated by a 3 foot grass access row, it is important to keep the plants where they are suppose to be so that we can mow between the rows. This way we can easily pick from both sides.

This means staking them with bamboo, a job I never looked forward to because the bamboo is about 1/2 inches wide and the hammer head is around an inch. Striking a solid blow every time is very difficult and the hammer head often glances off making it slow work at best and ending up with bruised hands at the worst. I thought there must be a better way.

While looking through a garden catalog I saw a post driver that is made from a length of steel pipe with one end sealed and handles on the sides. The idea is to slide the driver over the post and use the weight to drive the post. If driving a bamboo stake seems dangerous think about swinging a sledge hammer trying to hit a post. I have done it and it is not as easy as it looks.

Why not make a smaller version or the post driver for garden stakes? No reason why not so that’s what I did.

A one and a half inch piece of pipe would be wide enough so I checked with the metal supply and they had a piece that was about 2 feed long. The weight was good, not too heavy to use but enough oomph to drive the stakes. The metal supply company spun some threads on one end and I think they charged me something like $12.00 for the whole thing.

I bought a one and a half inch pipe cap for around 2 dollars from the plumbing section of a hardware store.

The cap gets threaded on the pipe. Hand tight is good enough.

The pipe is slid over the end of the stake. It’s nice to have someone handing the stakes because this method works fast.
Having a helper means there is no bending or stooping to pick up supplies.

Slide the pipe up and down to drive the stake, using the weight of the pipe to do the work.
If a stake should split the splinters are held safely inside the pipe.

The job went quick and easy compared to driving with a hammer. Now all the tomatoes are tied up with pieces of old t-shirts, just tight enough to hold them up and out of the way of the lawnmower.

Other than that we have just been busy trying to get things in order to move the “storage” greenhouse to the back of the property. That meant moving one of the boats up and putting it undercover for restoration. As a matter of fact we started a blog to document the progress. It is Collecting Fire Wood.
When fiberglass boats became popular the dealers would burn the wooden boats taken in trade thinking there was no value in these old relics.

They would strip the hardware and power then burn them in a pile.
The weather had turned more seasonal with 70’s and low 80’s and that makes working outside easier, and more fun.

The cherry tomatoes are coming in good and their first for us but they all are late compared to other gardeners. We started late this year but we are only a bit behind at this point. Growing so many cherry tomatoes was an experiment that is going well.

The main problem is how to get rid of them. Giving them to friends and family works fine but we had high hopes of selling them at farmers markets.

Farmers markets are fine to visit but for us the time spent is not productive. Our present arrangement does not allow use enough space out front for a proper vegetable stand.

So we will continue to experiment in the hopes that we can find a better spot in the future.

This year we are forced to buy basil starts to get a jump start on the season.



We have been very busy and have not been able to find the time to get anything started.
Since fresh basil is one of our favorite cooking herbs we settled on buying a 6 pack of starts to get the ball rolling.

In the past we would have had numerous flats of genovese, opal, Thai and lemon basil already to the size of first harvest but with everything going on and with no practical greenhouse there is nothing started at all.

So a week ago we found ourselves at the regional market, Syracuse NY. Unfortunately the power went out the night before so with no alarm we slept in and we were late, and the market shuts down between 2 and 3 so we were luck to find anything at all.

And if that was not enough we were in a rush and did not stop by the ATM. We had about a dollar and a half in change. But the young lady behind the table was satisfied with that and we were happy to find at least something.

When we do buy plants we look for fresh vigorous starts, with nice clean stems. We always look under the leaves for aphids and other unwanted hitch hikers. The soil should be moist and free from any hint of mold.

It’s a good idea to keep the plants in isolation for a few days after bringing them home just to be sure they are indeed healthy. Some pests can take a few day to show up. We don’t want to jeopardize the health of our other plants.

These basil plants were nice and green with big leaves and strong stems, not leggy at all. Someone had been taking care of them.

Now with our wet and miserable weather we still do not have the plants potted up but they seem happy on the window sill. We picked up a few bails of pro mix so when the dust settles from opening the store this coming weekend we will be ready to get at it, hammer and tong.

The Sounds of Love
The soft sigh of wonder
The gasp of complete surprise
The sounds of your breathing at night, as you look into my eyes…
The tinkling laughter in the morning
The soft cry in the night
The beatings of your heart, as you realize that this feels just right…

The sounds of love are all around us; whether it’s the sigh of your significant other, or the sounds of your children playing. It’s the everyday sounds you hear, and the sounds that you yourself make. But there is one sound of love that will always stay with you. It’s the question on every couples mind. “What should our song be?”

Well that is a very good question. I’ve personally helped with a few weddings, and this is one
of the biggies that the brides I’ve worked with stress over. And you know what? It’s completely understandable. Have you ever searched for a love song online? You get well over 2 million choices!

So which one is right for us? Well it really depends. What are you going to use the song for? If you’re going to use if for your first dance (for those traditional brides), then I suggest something that has a good steady rhythm that’s easy to follow, and a romantic message to show how special that moment is for you two . A few good suggestions for this would be: I Swear by John Michael Montgomery, From This Moment On by Shania Twain and Brian White, I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden, The Rose by Betty Midler, and I Only Have Eyes for You by The Flamingos.

If you were going to use it as an entrance song or something of that nature, then I would suggest a song that describes your relationship. Is your relationship silly and goofy? Or is it deep and romantic? Are you old fashioned and timeless? Or are you spontaneous and passionate? Choose a song that really describes you as a couple; if it’s a destination wedding, choose a song that relates to that. It’s a fun way to start the party. Personally I’ve heard everything from The Thong Song, to You Are My Sunshine. It really is up to you.

No matter what song you pick to be the one you and your significant other share for many years to come, the enchanting ambient sounds from wind chimes can always sprinkle an extra layer of magic on your day. Hand-crafted and fully customizable chimes to fit your day and song are a popular item available here at the Wedding Department no matter what type of theme. Let us help you share your special day with all your guests by allowing them to take a memory home with them. Remember, the sounds of chimes can be considered magical, so every time the chimes are caressed by the wind, and the sounds of twinkling is heard, the magic that shrouded your special day will be invoked again.

by Diana Mojica Valadez.

In recent years a number of politicians, celebrities, and other public figures, have embarked on numerous campaigns that have helped raise awareness about the environment. As a result, more and more people, including engaged couples, have sought out ways to incorporate eco-friendly techniques that calls for a healthier living that is beneficial to their wedding budget and the environment. From local organic catering to recycled or electronic invitations, now more than ever, the environmental movement has changed the way couples are thinking about weddings.

1. Stay Home
Although a destination wedding located in an exotic island in the depths of the warm South Pacific sounds intimate and endlessly romantic, planning a destination wedding can easily become complicated due to high gas prices that inevitably cause airline ticket prices to sky-rocket. Furthermore, international marital laws leave a lot of room for planning errors. Therefore, rather than traveling thousands of miles overseas many couples have decided that it’s far more convenient and cost-effective to get married in their hometowns.

A local wedding is beneficial for a number of reasons, primarily due to familiarity with the area that allows couples to save money on gas. Familiarity simplifies and saves couples time–precious time that is essential to wedding planning. A local wedding saves couples from driving long distances for food caterers and florists while enabling them to explore small businesses.

2. E-vite
With the Information Age in full swing, invites and RSVP’s are now a click away.
The Internet has completely and forever revolutionized the way people communicate and in an effort to save paper and money, according to a number of wedding magazines, websites and surveys, many couples are skipping out on mailing physical wedding invitations for electronic invitations that can be massed emailed to all their guests. Opting for electronic invitations, is not only beneficial to the environment because it saves ecological resources, but it saves couples hundreds of dollars- money that can easily can be used to pay off the ceremony and reception venue.

3. Set the Mood Green
Regardless of the location and theme of a wedding, lighting is an essential component to any wedding, especially for a couple that seeks to add an element of romanticism. Using soy candles allows couples to cut back on some electricity while using a clean product that burns longer than regular candles. Soy candles are found in nearly every size and scent that can easily accommodate any theme.

An environmentally contentious wedding doesn’t mean hosting a wedding in the deep redwoods of Northern California and having alfalfa sprouts as the main course–it’s all about reducing, reusing and recycling a stylish wedding that is in accordance with the style of the bride and groom.

This is in response to a post I saw the other day on a social media site showing a pile of bacon and one small leaf of baby lettuce. I am not sure what the meaning of the post is but after we saw it we wanted salad. Cobb Salad we call it and we use everything in the kitchen along the way of fresh vegetables and some savory items in including some kind of animal protein and often more than one. Served along some chips of toasted pita bread this is a full delicious meal that is easy as making bacon.
I filed this under cooking but there was little cooking involved. OK I boiled a few eggs and a hand full of shrimp, and then there was the bacon, but the eggs and shrimp were boiled and the bacon was done in the oven so by my reckoning it could hardly count as cooking. Thick slab bacon cooks @ 425 for around 10 minutes or a little more depending on the desired crispness.



The part of this salad we really like are the cool weather baby greens but any age is good. When we are coming out of a long protracted winter nothing is as nice as seeing new crops springing out of the soil. These include arugula, leaf lettuce, spinach, beet greens and more.
Buy them separately to tailor the mix to your liking or buy one of the premixed packs of seeds available from catalogs or farm supply stores. These tasty little shoots can be easily grown under lights or even a sunny window. Any size container will do and we like the 12 by 18 inch black plastic nursery flats. The flats are only a few inches deep but it’s OK since we are only interested in the baby greens and a plant a few inches tall does not have a huge root system.
A Word Of Caution* Unless you like fiery greens be careful of mixes that include mustard varieties. A few years ago we were cultivating green in the green house, ( redundant? ) and we each sampled some fresh mustard and we both agreed later we were fairly sure we were burning up from the inside out. But if you like this kind of burn go for it.
Another nice spicy addition would be radish sprouts. Crunchy and spicy.
If you do not grow them yourself then scout the farmers markets and find who has the varieties you are looking for. Some growers are happy to put in a stock of what you want if you come back week after week. Good for you and good for them.
If buying from the grocery store the same shopping around rule applies. Many smaller “whole food” store will have fresh greens. That said the specialty stores are liable to have high prices for quality greens out of season.
The nice thing about salad is its not an invention and its not a recipe. It’s what ever you want in a bowl with a fork.

I remember back a few years ago we had snow on Mothers Day. This is not such a rare occasion in this part of the country where the plant by date is Memorial Day.
My Mom has a Cup and Saucer Magnolia and while we see more and more in our Zone 4 the chance that frost will kill the blooms any given year is high.

Most of what I have been able to glean from tree sites say this one is zone 5 to 8. That said this would not be the first plant to make this Cup and Saucer Magnolia out of Zone.

As it is, at the time of this post, the temperature is in the mid 30’s and with luck it will stay above freezing tonight. The temps for the next week or so are suppose to be moderating so the chances are the tree will bloom.



The fact that this flower bud is nice and green with a hint of the red showing means this will blossom. Had this bud been frozen the color would be black and the buds would simply fall to the ground.

So while the tree will grow in a zone 4, it will not always bloom. This year, as we ease into spring looks like a good year for an out of zone cup and saucer magnolia.

About 2 weeks ago we were awaken by squawking and scratching outside our bedroom window. By the sounds of squeaks and whistles we knew the culprits were Starlings.

It seemed they had found a small opening in the siding and were fixing to take up housekeeping in the wall of our house. We bought this old house a few years ago and have not been able to finish repairs to the siding. If there is a small opening the Starlings will find it and fill it with sticks, grass, string and baby Starlings.

The only way to deter them is to block off the opening. A simple piece of board and some galvanized nails fixed the problem. Of course we made sure there were no starlings in the wall before we blocked off the entrance.

Early the next morning the birds returned to continue the project only to find the door had been nailed shut. They hung around for a few minutes and then left. They have not returned.

Today as we were driving we noticed a large owl perched on the top of an old abandoned school house. This was one of those one room survivors that someone has maintained and it sits in an area with no trees or brush, just vacant field.

At first it looked as if it might have been one of those “fake owls” used to keep other birds away. We turned around and went back to see that it was a very large dirty white/grey with a very round head. She did not pay strict attention to us but she kept an eye on us.

Unfortunately we did not have one frame left in the camera so we were not able to get a photo. Finally she flew away and the wing spread must have been almost 4 feet. She glided to the top of a telephone pole, probably waiting to find dinner.

We will go back in a day or some with the camera and try to get a photo.

A sure sign of spring is the return of the robins. We began to notice them about a week ago and now they seem to be everywhere.

They spend winters in roots from just below Canada south to Florida. This disappearing act has given rise to the idea that they fly south for the winter.

We don’t see them at the feeders but that does not mean they don’t stop by.

It seems like the pickens are slim for robins but it is not as bad as for some other species that eat only bugs. Robins can eat fruit to tide them over in the winter when it would be a real trick to coax an earthworm from the ground.