Corn in Pots

Here's what I heard about growing corn in pots.

I am not sure of the pot size, but I assume it should be fairly large to hold sufficient soil and water for the corn. I have some old tree pots (16" dia.) I'll be using for the first summer, if it works then I'll invest in prettier pots... eventually.

Corn likes well drained soil and full sun and shelter from wind. I'm planting the corn off to the west side of my yard where I don't currently have anything planted because it floods every spring. I figure I'll start the seeds inside so they have a head start and then transplant them out in late May after the last frost. Hopefully by then the water will also have drained out of my yard.. I think it drains by mid April. The corn will add a decorative touch to my yard by covering the fence and looking pretty, but I'm expecting it will taste delicious too.

When planting them, it is important to have the corn growing in a clump, or a block if you like an organized garden. Read the seed package for the appropriate spacing, but I think it would be good to plant in a block of 4x4 to 6x6. I think not less than 4x4 because I seem to recall my friend Joanne mentioning that one needs to plant at least 4 rows of corn for successful polination. She had really nice corn plants when I last saw them.

I understand corn is wind pollinated, not insect pollinated. By planting the seeds in close proximity the corn will touch each other as they mature thereby facilitating fertilization by neighbouring plants when the pollen falls down. I am going to try this next summer!! =)


Also, I was informed Borche is spelled Borscht. I knew I should have used the spell checker. =)

Also, I did not get any tickets on Saturday morning. The officer and I had a discussion about where I lived, that I just finished playing hockey and needed to go home to bed, and that I should roll down my windows and drive home safely. Yes, I am a mix of humbled, embarassed, and thankful.

Garden Harvest

I hear that September is the time to pull the garden... now when in September is the tricky part... before the frost. Why don't I read the farmer's almanac!!!???

Well, thankfully the weekend I chose to pull the garden was the right choice. Last weekend I pulled my garden in, Tuesday it froze.

I dug the potatoes, pulled onions, ate the last strawberries, picked tomatoes, picked the immature zucchini and carrots... next year I may plant my garden a little earlier =) So what can I do with a zillion pinky sized carrots? Wash them, shred them and make carrot/apple/chocolate chip/flaxseed muffins of course. YUM!! But then I ended up with twice as much carrot as I need, and still had to deal with the 4 inch long zucchinis... heck I can make zucchini/ carrot/pecan/milk chocolate nugget/chocolate muffins. =) Okay, I admit I did miss supper, I ate two muffins at 10pm instead. They were really good!!! YUM!!! Yeah, baking is best started early in the evening or on the weekend to prevent missing my bedtime.

And if you are wondering about the tomatoes... no I still don't like fresh tomatoes, I thought they might be good for salsa or pasta sauce.

I still have lots of carrots, so today, if it works out I am going to make soup... but I have four soups to make. Borche, butternut squash, carrot and stew... well stew may not be a soup. I made borche for the first time about a week ago and wow! I make good borche. I only made a small batch in case it didn't turn out, but now that I know it will turn out, I'm going to make some and freeze it for lunches. I love warm soup lunches. But borche everyday would be tiresome, and thus the need to make a variety.

Next year I want to plant corn in pots, heard about it at Hole's. That would be so beautiful! I have the spot selected, I just need to modify it a bit next year... remove some grass. At the rate I'm going I may not have much grass in five years. Why did I buy a lawn mower?

Well, since I played hockey last night I'd best go lay down for a nap so I have energy to make soup later today. =)

Acupuncture and Late Night Hockey

Let's start with some handy advice. If you play hockey late at night and then go out for food when you know you are really tired and should go home, but succumb to peer pressure because you don't go out that often... it is likely that when you start to drive home and doze off at a set of lights next to a police cruiser, that the police cruiser will pull you over and ask what's happening. Today if AMA is open I am registering my car and updating my driver's licence address. Not to worry, I did make it home okay.

But on to acupuncture. A few years ago I had heard that acupuncture could be good for my allergies!! WHAT!!!??? WOW!!! So I found an allergy specialist and made an appointment. He refused to treat me if I didn't stop drinking milk and eating dairy products. Needless to say, I still drink milk and eat cheese and yogurt frequently.

I was at a party a few weeks back playing guitar hero... when I was persuaded to try acupunture again. I was recommended to a lady here in Edmonton and I made sure she was okay with me drinking milk. HURRAY!!! She said my diet seems fairly decent, but to avoid raw vegetables and salads. You can stop your laughing. I only eat popcorn for supper occasionally, it's just you remember when I say I ate popcorn and not when I ate that marvelous butternut squash soup with ravioli.

So I am super excited to be trying acupuncture to desensitize me to my allergies. If it all works out I may be visiting you indoor pet lovers for longer than 5 minutes!! =) So far I've noticed my lungs were more open, my nose was stuffy and I sleep really deep.