by Leslie Cox; Sunday, June 22, 2014

This time of year, it is hard to spend time indoors on the computer writing for my Blog. Too darn nice outside, especially this spring. So I must admit I have just been doing enough writing to keep my editor happy and keeping up with the emails into the Inbox.

Here at Growing Concern Cottage Garden, the average temperatures for May were just a hair below our June weather in 2013. One reason why we put our tomato seedlings in the greenhouse a full 29 days earlier this year than last.

Lack of rainfall has been a concern this year, though. Up until two days ago, we had only had 5 mm (0.2 in) of rain since May 27th.

Back to catching up…my other excuse for the lack of blog entries is spending time with my students in their school gardens. We have been busy sowing bean, corn, zucchini, winter squash and pumpkin seeds…to name a few. We also sowed some more rows of lettuce and radishes, plus filled in the blanks in the pea rows. Something has been definitely helping themselves to our newly emerging pea seedlings. I suspect some little sparrows but there are a few bunnies in the neighbourhood of most of the gardens and not all of the gardens are rabbit-proof.

Some of the classes had also started seedlings indoors back in April/early May…cucumbers, tomatoes, squashes, scarlet runner beans, dill, pumpkins, sunflowers. Had to get those plants transplanted into the gardens too.

June is always a crazy month at school, trying to coordinate garden sessions in between all else that is going on this time of year. Add in the current job action being carried on by BC teachers and scheduling was even a tad more challenging. But we managed! The gardens are all seeded and planted. Whew!

Once the school gardens, all six of them, were set up for the summer, I had to get back into my garden. Hugely neglected…not to mention I had most of the spoils from this year’s nursery jaunts waiting to be tucked into my landscape design.

Why is it the faster I go, the behinder I get?

Okay…last and final excuse for my lack of blogging…I bought a new camera…a Canon Powershot SX50 HS. My Powershot SX5 finally gave up the ghost two weeks ago. All shots were coming out pure white with just the bare outline of forms within the frame. Not good.

My fault. Just over a year ago, I banged my old camera on a rock. Tried to keep it safe by taking most of the fall off of a wet log on my hip, arm and shoulder but couldn’t completely save the camera from harm. Luckily, it kept working despite its rap on the rock…until now.

But as a writer, nursery owner, webmaster and educational presenter I really, really, REALLY, need my camera. Especially at this time of year. So now I am heavily immersed in the latest learning curve…trying to master all the new gizmos on this updated version of my older camera model.

I am not the best photographer, although John says my images were improving. With my old camera. Now I am almost back to Square One again with the new one. But I am practising. Kudos for the digital age where you can just delete the horrible photos instead of wasting money on getting them developed.

Nice thing about this new Canon Powershot SX50 camera…it has macro, same as my old camera. And it also has HD, HDMI and Wi-Fi.

It also has different software than my old camera. Did I mention learning curve? Sheesh!

You are going to have to wait for a photo taken with my new camera. Spent enough time on this computer for one morning! Time to get out into the garden and start dead-heading my Rosa rugosa hedge. Been meaning to get to that chore all week….