Gardening and Turning the Big 3-0
June has been a busy month here at the McCuiston House. Sudden rain storms during my time at home to work on projects have really put a damper on getting the fencing complete. All those storms, however, have been great for my garden.
The great-granddaughter of John McCuiston told me she seemed to remember the kitchen garden being located in the area that the pool is now located. With that being so, that’s one thing I can’t accurately reconstruct. I decided to place my little garden plot just a few yards down from the pool fence, near the heirloom apple trees that my Great-Uncle Johnny helped my dad and me to plant earlier this year. I got the idea of dividing the garden up into these quadrants from some historic kitchen gardens I have seen through the years in my travels. I may change the layout next year, but for now I am liking this particular setup.
I determined that I would only plant seeds that were heirloom and also those that would have been available during the time the farmhouse was built. Most people might not mind, but I wanted to have something a little unusual. I wanted to build support frames from limbs and twigs for the pole beans, but I saw these at Lowes and figured I better just go ahead and buy these wood ones as my window for planting from seed was shrinking due to a busy schedule.
I ordered all of my vegetable seeds from Heirloom Seeds. This family-run seed house is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and has been in operation since 1988. All of their seeds are non-GMO and non-hybrid. They include background information as to the origin of most of their seeds, and also have helpful plant guides available. They also have flower seeds and herbs.
|
|
 A young Connecticut Field Pumpkin, which dates to the early 1800s. These can grow up to 25 lbs. and are considered to be excellent pie pumpkins. My family has always used a light-colored pumpkin which resembles the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin for pies, so this is branching out for me. I don’t know exactly what the pumpkin variety is that my family has always grown because we have always used the seeds saved from harvested pumpkins each year.
|
Now I just have to wait for the Stowell’s Evergreen Corn (1848), Indian Corn, Olde Homestead Pole Beans (1864), Dixie Lee Crowder Peas, Red Brandywine Tomatoes (1885–Heirloom Seeds is the ONLY seed company who has seeds from the original strain!), Jack Be Little Pumpkins, and ornamental small mix gourds to come in.
Sadly, there will be no pears off the 100+-year-old Kieffer Pear tree this year. We had an abnormally-warm winter which caused a very early blooming season. The old tree’s blooms got bitten by the last big freeze of the winter. 🙁
The heirloom Winesap, Black Lumbertwig, and Royal Lumbertwig apple trees are growing beautifully and will yield apples in a few more years. I look forward to adding a small grapevine to the collection next.
Hopefully soon the original canning shelves in the cellar will once again be full! (If I can only bring myself to go down in the old dirt cellar…… It’s definitely not my favorite place in the old farmhouse.)
|
Oh–I also managed to turn 30 this month. My sweet friends put together a surprise 30th birthday party with my church family the first weekend in June. I know it was a lot of work for all who were involved, and it meant so much! Blue gingham and sunflowers, complete with old canning jars, a Ball jar cake, countless cupcakes and hot dogs, watermelon, loads of Lowes gift cards, vintage and antique whatnots, and even an antique dresser! What can I say? My friends and family know me pretty well!
|
