A garden wilderness

So it has been a long time between garden days around here. Heat, humidity,a sore knee....and a busy schedule are all reasons- not excuses, because I don't need them. The garden keeps on growing without me. The weeds do too, but are quickly disposed of , leaving happy tomatoes, onions,garlic,carrots, and baby bulbs of  fennel. I did not get to plant late summer crops of melons, but hope to do a good fall garden in a bit.  In the mean time, my poor disposition has been weeded out too, leaving contented energy  behind. Gardening: the cure for what ails you!

Big box shopping for the garden,part two of three

So, if you have read my last post, and want to know how to shop for plants at a big box store, here is part two ( a few days late). We have had fall-ish weather all week here, but the forecast for the next few days is back to summer weather with a bang. So if you get to the store to buy some plants before you head to the beach, plan ahead ! I am going to suggest a veggie planter.
First, figure out where you might want your planter to go. Make sure you have easy access to water, because no matter what you do next, plants in containers need to be watered more than plants in the ground. Try for a spot that gets mostly sun, but some afternoon shade . In high summer, plants can  scorch to death without some relief from the sun. If you can't get some shady time, there are ways to design that into your container. 
Next, pick your container. If you are a good thrift store shopper or thrash picker, you can get containers for almost nothing. Try for something different, like an old kids wagon, or the lid from an old grill, or a couple of cinder blocks. Drill holes for drainage.
Next , get your soil. If you must buy soil, get a block of 100% peat (usually near the back, not with the "miracle" products), and a couple of bags of organic soil or cured manure ( yes, you have to read the ingredients on these bags. There should be nothing but peat, and nothing but soil or manure in what you buy).
Next, your plants. We are in early summer here, so only buy hot weather loving plants. If you are looking for color, try getting two or three hot pepper plants. They are so pretty when the peppers ripen! Get just one tomato plant, unless your "pot" is huge.Get one marigold plant.
Lastly, your plant will need support as they grow. This could be an old broom handle painted green, some cut bamboo bummed from a neighbor, or a two by six bought from the scrap the big box store sells at a discount.
Tomorrow : what to do when you get it all home!

Big box garden shopping advise ,green thumbs,and Memorial Day

Since the weather here has taken a turn toward the cold and rainy, I thought it might be a good time to dispense some unsolicited shopping advice.  During a three day weekend in the usually warmer season , the big box garden centers are filled with people buying blooming flowers in big planters,hanging pots, or other portable containers to plop somewhere in their abodes' outdoors. I'm not criticizing, you understand (much), just pointing out some flaws in this system. Think of these purchases as something else  of comparable cost- an electric can opener say-and you can quickly see that you are not getting your money's worth.
These plants have been "forced," that is, they have been made to bloom before they naturally would. They are in planted in light weight, low nutrient potting soil, in plastic. They are crowded in to appear full. None of these conditions help the plants stay looking good. That is why you wind up replacing your hanging pots or ready made window box plants several weeks later. It's NOT that you don't have a green thumb. It's because the plants have several strikes against their continued health before you even get them home. Then you get them home, bake them in the sun, forget to water them, and before you know it, all you have left is a brown mess in ugly plastic.
So before you head out to dress up the old homestead for the coming barbecue, tune in here tomorrow for what to do instead.

Manicures,being a girl, and grand parenthood

So it has finally occurred to me that my recent urges of self improvement  and general girly-ishness (new make up, wanting a new hairstyle and renewed efforts to shrink the belly) just might have something to do with the arrival of our third grand child.....it takes me a while, but I get there!

 So I'm staying up late to get the time to do a self mani pedi, and this of course gets me thinking about the garden....( almost anything can get me thinking about the garden!)  I am hoping to get some real time out there tomorrow. And I will have to wear some kind of garden glove if I want to keep the mani effects. And that also means no bare feet in the warm soil.  Can't I just get a t shirt ( is there a fashion forward t shirt?) that says " my hair is blowing about, my nails are short and my feet are rough because I can't resist feeling the soil in my garden?"  That's a rather long saying for a shirt.

Happy Mother's Day!

Our youngest girl and hubbie had a new arrival just two days ago, and mom mom and bop are as happy as can be! I fixed breakfast this morning as a brib to get my very busy family over.....and ,of course, I made them work it off in the garden. My younger son,as always,was a great help. The others   Gave some help in the form of watching and a bit of fetching. I am still planting tomatoes and peppers, a slow process since I am clearing row by row. One more row to go!

We have to start eating the lettuse and some of the radish thinnings tomorrow....here is a picture of  the lettuse and greens section of the garden as by way of bragging. Happy Mothers Day!

Newspaper in the garden

So this week was particularly busy around here...nothing specific , just a bunch of small tasks that pilled up into a mountain of catch up work. So I did little in the garden except clear a bit of the future tomato row, and water on a couple of mornings. I just walked out to the garden today in the evening, to discover almost all my seeds sprouted and a happy healthy garden. My system of newspaper weed preventer is working very well ( directions below)!  And tomorrow,I turn my attention to our front yard flower beds, which my new neighbor across the street gently hinted need attention.  She is fully justified,I'm afraid. This year I am planning on planting some veggies out there, especially hot peppers,since they are sun lovers, pretty when they fruit, and low on care if I get bush varieties. Plus I think I'll pay more attention to the front if I have the possibility of eating for my efforts! 

So if you want to read on,here is what I did with the newspapers. I saved up quite a pile, and wet them pretty well. I figured out that if I folded the newspaper (keeping it closed) in thirds, I would have a good way of spacing out my seed rows,and a way to keep the weeds down. I used a whole section of paper, at least 5 pages thick.
I also planted some baby lettuces, and spaced these rows by folding the paper in half. Then, I also used additional paper folded in thirds to place under and in between each plant. I also think my row covers help to keep the newspaper in place, but I watch it to see if I need to weight it down a bit with some soil or give the garden a watering.
 For the bigger crops to come, I will use a full unopened paper. Enjoy the garden this week!

Doggy disaster

Today I put in some lettuce ,cabbage,spinach, and Brussels sprouts. I was going to grow my own by seed as I have done in past years, but time got away from me. At least I bought locally grown plants, so I am still gmo free.

The planting went fine, but my little herb garden near the kitchen door had a sudden death . My huge rosemary plant bit the dust, done in by our dog, who persisted in peeing on it. I did not fence off the herbs, because they are near our back porch, which said doggie uses as a refuge from the sun. He is only forgiven because he is a good hunter of rabbits, voles, and guards the garden vigorously. ( don't worry, he is mostly preventative).  Why he doesn't kill off the jungle of weeds along our fence is a mystery.

So I am on the lookout for a large container to heave onto the porch for a new rosemary bush, and some other herbs. An old wheelbarrow is the prime candidate, if I can figure out drainage. Gardening, at least the way I do it, is much like improvisation. Luckily, there are many much wiser people than I who provide knowledge from their years of experience and prevent most disasters. The dog is not their fault.

Is Moses around?

The TV has actually mentioned an upcoming garden disaster-in-the-making. Apparently,we are due for a 17 year cycle of  locusts (somebody call Moses) in the northeast. ....I don't know what chemical gardeners are doing, but I am getting prepared the natural way.

I am making some more of my own row covers. Get some half inch PVC pipe, and saw it into 3 sections (or whatever length will get you even pieces with no waste). Then, get some 3/4 inch PVC
these are pretty cheap already cut into two inch long pieces). Then placing the end of a thiner long piece inside the bigger short one, drill a hole through both big enough for any size bolt you have around. Repeat for the other side.

Pound the short pieces across from each other along your beds or rows, and insert one end of a long piece, fasten it in. Wth the bolt. Gently bend the pipe  to form a semi circle and bold down the other end.

I use sheer fabric curtains I get from goodwill to form the covers,using the arches as support. I hold them in place with some simple clips. You can uses clear plastic over the arches to warm up the soil in early spring,too.

 Give it a try.

Morning light

Today is a "day off," which means like most people I will be running around like the proverbial headless chicken. I did take a few minutes this morning to revel in the cooler air (we have had a weird warm streak of 80 degree days), and walk in the wet grass in my bare feet. If I can figure out how to do it on this pad thing, I will send you a photo of my garden its present state of chaos. I don't know if this is encouraging or not, since as you will hopefully see, there is an enormous amount of work to do. But this weekend's weather is predicted to cooperate, so I look forward to two blissful days scratching in the mud.
I am not an A type of person, so it might be easier for me than for some to let go of the pressure of expectations, and be content with whatever gardening efforts I manage to eek out of my limited schedule. Not to mention I need to do something about the growing dust balls under my bed. Ooo. There goes that pressure again. It's a good thing I spotted that daffodil this morning...

Garden philosophizing

Today I received some asparagus tubers from my daughter's next door neighbor. A busy doctor, he still has time for square foot gardening  (look it up ). He kindly sends over some asparagus tubers,knowing I have a garden. Not for nothin' , but I believe gardening increases the sprit of generosity within us. As we garden, we discover our own helplessness in the face of nature, our ability to cooperate with it as we can (organic,organic,organic), and, if we persist, an eventual harvest,both in food and in spirit.

Onions and other miracles

Today I have been in the garden,clearing and de-weeding. The onions I planted last year never onion-ed, but they survived the winter somehow, and look like the little onion sets that the garden centers are selling right about now. So I am digging them up, separating them gently, and re-planting them in between some sugar snap pea seeds. I have no idea if this will work. I guess I will research the idea soon, to see if I did something close to correct. The few hours I had this morning are not wasted in any case, since the sun is shining,birds are singing, and the miracle that is spring doesn't care one wit if I goofed or not.

Rain and other Easter meditations

Traveling to family today for an Easter brunch left me only a couple of hours in the garden...so I cleared some winter detritus, and finished the re-configuration of my now slightly shrunken garden. On our way, it began to rain-a miserable,cold, gloomy rain typical of our early spring days. I am glad for the rain,though, because I finally managed to get some corn gluten for the front yard (via a recommendation from that yogi of all things organically grown, Mike McGrath), and the stuff needed to get watered in. So I was supposed to water the stuff in, but looking out a couple of days ago I had an idea that it might rain soon, so I didn't bother.

All this is by way of saying I am counting my blessings during this Holy season,  not the least of which is the ability to go outside,into my own front or back yard, and dig in my own dirt while listening to birds and looking at the sky. A list of very rare privileges compared to many fellow humans both near and far.

Gardening Fashion

One of the many advantages of having a garden is it gives me an excuse to put on my ancient-est pair of jeans, my long softest t-shirt, and generally dress in a manner that would appall the fashionistas. Not that I am ever a prime example of the Vogue lady,you understand.
Today I am working on a slight reduction of my garden, anticipating a rather full schedule in the late summer. Moving some fence,installing some new picket( thanks to a generous birthday present) , and      some yard cleanup.the result: dirt under my fingernails, sweat under my arms, and a pitiful need for a nap. Who said gardening was fun? I did.

It's Spring 2013!

Well, it's spring time again. Time to dig in the mud,clear out the weeds and clear out the head,too.  It is still fairly cool here in southern jersey, but I still work up an honest -to-goodness sweat clearing out the garden and getting ready to plant. I am still growing organically, and especially this year want to prevent weeds so I can be sure to have time for the beach!

Advise about how to garden is legion and overwhelming. But as I have written in past blogs, the plants keep on growing whether you know a lot or a little. Find a sunny spot that doesn't puddle in the rain, plant a couple of heirloom seeds and reward yourself with a libation or some good chocolate!

 A packet of seeds costs about a dollar or two, so for a couple of bucks you get exercise,sunshine,fresh air and possible tomatoes to boot!Get out there.