August 2008 - Page 3 of 3 - Bumblebee Blog

Bzzzz August 5th, 2008

I knew someone–besides me–was eating my tomatoes. I blamed it on woodchucks, squirrels, even skunks. But now I know the truth, because I caught him red-handed.

A short while ago I was sitting on the garden bench and saw one of the tomato plants swaying to and fro. At the bottom, I could see movement of some beastie attacking the low-handing fruit. On close inspection, I saw this Eastern Box Turtle standing on his two hind legs munching away. Oh, he looks timid now. But he is a tomato eating beast!

To be fair, I have encountered him in the garden before–under flowers and leaves. But I had never put two and two together. You can bet he has a big move coming to a new home far, far up the driveway. I don’t take kindly to tomato thieves.

He should pass that along to his friends before I get back out there.

Now, if he were eating my squash…

Posted In: Nature and Wildlife

Tags: beasts, Eastern box turtle, Flowers, garden, tomatoes, Wildlife

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Bzzzz August 4th, 2008

It has been a veritable social whirlwind around Bumblebee Garden.

On Tuesday of last week Susan, from Garden Rant and Sustainable Gardening, made the trek from further north out here to the country for a little Bumblebee Garden tour and dinner with my fellows. Susan and I met up at the Spring Fling in Austin this past April. Of course, I was delighted to find another Maryland gardener.

Garden Rant’s Susan Harris lounges at the Bumblebee Garden gate

I don’t know many avid gardeners here in Calvert County, so it was great fun to yak and yak and yak some more while strolling the garden and making dinner. (Dinner, by the way, was a tomato tart with guyere cheese, spinach cucumber salad with fresh basil, sautéed squash and fresh peaches with whipped cream. Recipes might follow someday.)

Susan offered some great ideas and pointed out, in her kind and gentle way, some issues that I haven’t dealt with. If you ever need a garden coach, call Susan. She won’t laugh at you if she didn’t laugh at me. Susan tells me that she’s posting her own version of events sometime tomorrow on the Rant and SG.

Then on Saturday evening, Harry and I hosted a party for the volunteers in our local groups, including my Calvert Eats Local group and his Calvert County Heritage Committee and the Old Wallville School committee. What a fine and entertaining group of people. Imagine that two complete strangers attending the event found that they are both Viking reenactment buffs. Well, well.

Our menu was:

Crab cakes and dill horseradish sauce (What’s a party in Maryland without crabcakes, right?) Curried peanut chicken Homemade neufchatel cheese with garden grown herbs and homemade French bread (yep, I made both) Homegrown tomatillo salsa and chips Cucumber watermellon salsa and chips (recipe forthcoming) Blueberry lemon cream bars (recipe forthcoming) Carmel brownies Cranberry vodka punch, wine, beer and such

And guess what we offered to guests as they left? Yes! “Free Squash to a Good Home!”