Island Life…

Greetings from the island everyone.  Hope all of you are doing well and enjoying some of these nice days we’ve been having.  As is normal for March, I’m sure we will have a few more northers blow through, but for the most part the feeling of Spring sure seems to be in the air.
These next few months are always my favorite time of the year on the island.  I’m just now beginning to see a few wild pea bushes stand out with their vibrant green foliage, against the still winter brown salt grasses of the island.  Within the next few weeks the pea bushes will dot the flat terrain and provide an excellent source of organic nitrogen fertilizer for the composter and later the garden soil.  I always cut the wild pea bushes above the soil line instead of uprooting them so that they will continue to provide year after year.
I’ve also started seeing a few barn swallows that begin arriving on the island in Spring and stay throughout the summer.  I expect them to return to the same mud built nest under the deck for the fifth consecutive year now, and hatch out two batches of baby birds.  With the exception of the small mound of poop directly below the nest, I always enjoy listening to and having them around until Fall.  But then again that poop is another source of organic fertilizer.
The migrating birds from other parts of the country also use the island as a brief stop-over in early Spring.  Beautiful colored birds like the Baltimore Oriole, Yellow-headed Blackbird and rainbow colored Painted Bunting have all made layovers here before continuing south.  I’m just glad that they travel through before the garden tomatoes have ripened.
The sea grass also begins washing ashore on the beach during the Spring months.  Even though it is unsightly and has a less than pleasant odor, the thick layers eventually settle into the beach sand and dunes and is nature’s way of providing an erosion barrier.  And yet again, the seaweed (kelp) is an excellent source of organic fertilizer for the garden, and is my primary soil additive out here.

If there is a negative aspect to Spring on the island, and I can think of only one, it would be the re-emergence of the big island rattlesnakes from their winter hibernation.  March-June is the “pay very close attention to where you walk” advice that I give visitors out here.  These months in particular are simply the prime times that rattlesnakes are on the move and mating.  I know of at least two small dogs that have died from bites by these snakes, and unfortunately it’s only a matter of time before a person is bitten.  You just simply have to be very careful and always scan with your eyes ahead of you where you are walking.  Some have said that the rattlesnakes should be left alone to multiply in order to keep the rat population down.  Well I’ll tell you what friend, I’ll gladly put up with a few rats that I can easily trap and keep away from the house, before I’ll allow a deadly rattlesnake anywhere near me or my dog.  Those types of people don’t have a clue.

My tomato plants, all of which I start from seed, are about three inches tall now and I look forward to putting them in the ground the first week of April.  I’ll designate about 12 plants that have the genetic capability to grow a huge tomato in my attempt to grow a 3 pounder this Spring, and then another dozen or so plants for my eating and giving away tomatoes.  I’ve been asked about my favorite variety of tomato seed that has the proven genetics to grow big, and for those interested I would highly recommend the Big Zac Hybrid tomato.  These seeds can only be purchased through Totally Tomatoes seed catalog, 800-345-5977, along with many other varieties.  Growing tomatoes from seed is not difficult, only a little more involved, but it is such a sense of satisfaction to be able to enjoy a delicious homegrown tomato that you started from a tiny seed.
I had two unusual finds on the beach this past month.  One was a true four-legged starfish, the first one I have even seen, and also a 5 1/2 foot Moray eel that was about four inches in diameter washed ashore.
Well that’s it from the island for now.  Everyone take care and enjoy the coming beautiful Spring days that we will be having.