Canning Jam
Cover Crop- Rye Grass and Alsike
I feel like a squirrel this month. On Saturday I canned six jars of plum jam with plums from my neighbors yard. I set them on the shelf next to the elderberry, blueberry, rhubarb, strawberry and raspberry. On the shelf beneath there is an assortment of pickled things- cucumbers, beans, peppers, cauliflower, and carrots. My freezer holds packages of roasted eggplant and peppers, tomato sauce, pestos, freezer jams. Every package is different. I feel like I have been putting food up at random. I tuck a little summer savor in that corner and a little in this.
The garden is giving us plenty of food, but we have not had an overabundance of anything like we have had in years past. We have not had to say “No more green beans!” With our few precious tomatoes, I have stashed away a small batch of salsa, but my husband and I have had no late night canning sessions, where we are up to our elbows in tomato sauce. Part of the reason behind the small yields is how I planned the garden and partly because of too much rain and too cool temperatures. We had to wait far too long for our first red pepper and ripe tomato, but the ripeness did come and there is such a variety of food right now that I am often stalled when trying to plan meals for fear of wasting any of this beauty.
My greatest satisfaction, though, with my garden this year is actually what is under foot. Originally between our raised beds there was black landscape cloth laid to deter weeds. After a few years of heavy traffic, weeds were able to push through small tears. It was almost impossible to weed and looked horrendous. This summer we ripped out all of the landscape cloth and planted the rows with a cover crop of rye grass and alsike clover. I could not be more pleased with the results. When I have a minute I clip it with my handy long handled clippers one or two rows at a time. It is soft under foot, looks pleasant and yes, there are weeds in there, but I barely notice them and they are in the minority. Some of the clippings I let lie. Last week I gathered and added them to my tumbler. I would like to get one last batch of compost this season. Our nighttime temperatures are in the 30s and 40s so it is slow going, but I am routing for it. It will be interesting to see what the cover crop does next year, but my head is not there yet. I am savoring these waning garden days.
I love to make preserves — there’s something so “comforting” about it, to me. I hope to make some pickles and chutneys for gifts. Your ground cover really looks nice!
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I’ve tried all kinds of groundcover – pachysandra/sedge; lamium, ajudga’ creeping phlox; etc. as I’ve also been planting shrubs and trees to landscape the fairly new lot my house is on. (I’m in my 2nd year now.) None of the groundcovers seem to really “take” and stay, or they don’t merge together like they’re supposed to if you plant them 12″ apart instead of 18″ apart. At this point, even thought I didn’t want to have grass come in that I’d have to mow, sowing rye grass and clover if it looks like it does in your photo might be what I’m looking for. I’m in Zone 7 in NC, what kind of difference will that make in when I sow, how fast it germinates, how long it lasts, etc.?
Hi- I really like to read your articles about gardening. I have to start nearly everthing in the greenhouse because we have such a short season here in this part of Montana. I brought 6 tomato plants back from Texas this spring and started some more so we really had lots of tomatos this year. Plus corn, sqaush, and zucchini. The cucumbers didn’t amount to much this year. The root crops and peas did good but the beans didn’t do much. So much for gardening in southwestern Montana. It will be a lot better next year, we hope.
Rye grass germinates in a couple of days. Alsike takes a little longer. Both must be trimmed or mowed regularly or they will go to seed and populate themselves where you don’t want them. I am new to this, but I think they will live 2-3 years before needing to be reseeded. I feel they do best in pathways as opposed to in perennial beds. I understand about having trouble with ground covers. I have had the best luck with creeping phlox. I have also found that it does take a few years to get perennial beds to fill in enough to keep out weeds and even then grass seems to find its way. The other solution might be mulch. Good luck.