Daily List - 3-2-2011

Official first day back in the garden this year!
Raked beds.
Added green sand and manure to I.
Added blessed soil to I-IV.
Made three new grids.
Set up one trellis.
Planted: peas, mesclun
T-P: romaine, chard, onion sets, brocolli, strawberries.
Watered

Lo-tech Watering Can

As a way to save water dollars, we've begun to collect the cold water that would otherwise run down the drain when we shower or bathe, into a pail, which I use for watering the garden by hand.
I made a free watering can from a half-gallon milk carton. I used one from Promised Land dairies, because we had some and they have the nice molded hand-holds on the back of the carton. I nail-punched a circle of holes, with a center one, as well, in the screw-on cap and cut a small slit at the top of the back for air exchange.
It works quite well, for what it is.
To improve, I would use a smaller nail and more holes in the cap and make the air exchange slit much smaller, as well.
When we use up the current milk carton, I'll try that out. I need several, as all the kids will want one.

Work Days- March 31

Every day has seen a little work: crops planted, paths mulched, construction done.
Mentally slapping my hand whenever I consider putting my hot crops into the ground before Easter Monday. The wait is my response to climate change.
So:
Construction:
All trellises are up.
Back fence corner is weeded and had its landscape timber moved in.
V. braced the stairstep planter and we cleared out beneath it, laid down weedblock and mulch.
He put up my wrought-iron hanger by the shrine, and another smaller one on the long post of the stair-step.
Added more items to the passive heap and more leaves to the leafmold holder.
We tied back the althea with nylon rope to make space. If they break, look out!
Filled the kid's sand box. Great success with Bubs- he played in it alone for over tweny minutes.
More path areas mulched. Using grass, rather than leaves. It is so windy here that leaves move around too much, blowing into the beds on top of sprouting seeds,onto the porch and so on.

Crops:
Planted nasturtiums, finally. May have planted other vines too early, may replant.
Annuals are up in S-S planter.
All crops are sprouting in kids' gardens. Will plant hot crops for them with mine.
Fed all T/Ps with fish tea. We will see.
Tomatoes: Container T tooking very poor. Bed T not much better. T-bag T looks GREAT! So far, at least. Will continue to observe.

To Do:
Plant hot crops
Finalize charts of plantings.
Re-plant MGs?
Make up watering schedule and print out.
Turn compost heap, and set up schedule for that.
Start lettuce t/p's

Harvested: romaine, lettuce.

March 22, Monday

Got a little side-tracked over the weekend by the SNOW! 1 1/2" Saturday evening. It had melted by Sunday afternoon and I had managed to cover most of the crops with drop-cloths or leaves or flowerpots, so it was a minor blip. Even the uncovered peas look fine.
BUT- considering that last year's spring was almost as cool and wet, it might be a good idea to push back all warm/hot weather crop planting dates by a week or two.
Finished weeding the paths.
Weeded under the bench and put down fresh weed-block.
Weeded all back beds.
T/P bell pepper (green), eggplant and basil
Finished trellisses for driveway fence.
Painted iron pyramid and plant hanger, black.
Constructed and planted potato tower (with help from O). See separate post.

To-do:
Finish raking side beds.
Add 2 bags leaves to leaf corral
Attach trellises
Fill containers with dirt for potato tower build-up
Plant: cucumber, corn, radishes, sunflowers, zinnias, nasturtiums
T/P: cilantro
Plant blessed wheat in all bed corners

Cannot express what a welcome diversion working in the garden was today, after the politcal horrors of yesterday. The meditation of weeding, planting, and puttering is so calming and satisfying- such a positive action in the face of so much discouragement and negativity.

Garden Kids

Decided this year to give 4 ft. plots in one of the beds to O and Bubs. I used that cheap wire bed edging to fence them off.
O and I sat down with the seed packets and once she understood that she could only pick FOUR, she thought it out carefully and chose sunflowers, cucumbers, mini-zinnias and cosmos. Her one request was for "pink, orange, red and yellow flowers". Liliput zinnias- the perfect solution. I gave her the tiny redwood trellis for her cukes and we had the lesson about waiting to plant things at the right time.
We selected corn, pole beans, marigolds and radishes for Bubs. He won't actually eat a radish, but they grow so fast and are fun to pick. Speedy results matter, when you're not quite four. I think he will get a kick out of the bean teepee, as well. He's happy, as long as he can dig in the dirt.
He helped me plant everything but the beans today.
I'd like to get Sissy to help me make little signs for their plots that we can put on stakes.
I'll have to keep an eagle eye on these, though I intend to let them do as much work as is practical.
And of course, they'll be helping me in the rest of the garden, as well.

March 16, 2010

Week in review:
Made beds for side yard and filled with purchased topsoil and humus.
T/P strawberry plants
Collected 10 bags of leaves and 3 bags of grass this morning and used some of them and the old side yard open-ended bed to frame and fill a new passive compost heap.
Taped up the top of the green bin and will use it for kitchen scrap compost.
Turned active pile today.
Filled planters for the stair step: purple zinnias, big marigolds and Liliput zinnias. Fourth planter is chives, a golden thyme and a herb to be chosen.
Constructed and planted a Tomato Bag with a Sweet 100.
Weeded paths, put down newspaper, garden bags and the last of the weed block in bare areas and covered with new leaves. What I found when weeding is that the leaves/grass on the paths get trodden into great leaf mold. The new plan: rake cover off paths twice a year and sift for leaf mold. NB: BUILD OR BUY SIFTER.
Lost the weeder somewhere in the new leaf cover, but it will turn up.
Put in nails for twine trellises. Cut boards for green mesh trellises for driveway fence.
De-cluttered porch, swept and sprayed.
NB: DO NOT START T/P's IN POTTING SOIL WITH FOOD. The seedlings are VERY spindly.
Use Jiffy, not Miracle Grow. It was like feeding steroids to Morgan Jane.
Bought a load of dirt at Strong's and will use it to fill in yard and top off beds.

Hot weather vegs are supposed to go in on the 23 rd, but may wait a week. It is still quite cool and damp. Global warming, my foot. It was like this last year, too.
Peas are up.

To-Do:
Plant corn, radishes, lettuce, mesclun, morning glory, moonflower, sweet peas, nasturtiums and other annual flowers.
Finish and hang mesh trellises.
String twine trellises.
Have Ves figure out a yields chart on MSWorks.

Monday, March 8

Saturday was spent bagging up trimmings and pulling weeds in the side yard beds, which will be called 5 and 6.
Sunday was a rainy day, all day.
Today, I bought the lumber and hardware for the new beds. Since they will be against the house wall, they will need step-stones in the middles. I'm debating what to plant there b/c they are only accessible from three sides.
Garden plans are next on the agenda, while it's too wet to work.
Seedlings are popping up like crazy in the mini-g-h, at least from this year's seeds. Lesson learned: throw the old ones out. But we'll give them a while longer yet.

The Urban Farm

magazine which I picked up at the Lowe's is quite good. It includes the most basic of gardening primers: last issue featured John Jeavons, this issue has Mel Bartholomew, as well as articles on livestock and energy and water conservation.
The letters were very interesting: one reader was incensed that not enough attention was being paid to global warming (0bviously this issue went to press before Climategate). Another was a very well-reasoned plea for more realistic articles on urban livestock from an experienced farmer, who fears that this will be a fad and result in lots of abandoned, or worse, chickens and mini-goats.
I was very impressed with the overall tone, which I thought was quite balanced. I intend to buy the first issue as a download, and continue to pick it up as new issues are published. It is not yet available for subscription.

Friday, March 5

Took Morgan Jane to Lowe's to pick up more trellis supports: she was not impressed with sitting in the cart while I looked for 1/2" elbow connectors. Found a new publication there: The Urban Farmer and bought a copy to try out, as well as radish seeds and a Patio tomato.
Sis's neighbor had grass in wonderful thick black plastic bags, but I was only able to pick up one.
Also went to Big Lots to price soil and bought a hose that's supposed to spring back into its space-saving shape, but doesn't, really. Hey, it was Big Lots. But they also had the Tomato Bag, which I would like to try. I might be able to construct one- they look very simple. The question would be where to hang it.

Today:
Constructed and set up new trellis. Had to use green plastic mesh as the nylon mesh has disappeared. I'm pretty sure I still had some but can't find it. I did discover that I have three balls of binder twine- it's like tomato paste.
Moved the buddleia planter to the end of Bed 4.
Moved the stair-steps to end of Bed 2, but will move them back if V. objects.
Planted the Patio tomato in the new green plastic tub and put it next to the buddleia.
Layered and watered the compost heap

To Do:
Finish modifications on plastic planters
Buy peat moss, compost, perlite
Construct grids
Work out plan for side yard
String twine trellises for morning glories, moonflowers, nasturtiums
Finish plans for Beds
Put a brace on the stair-steps and paint
Research Tomato Bag

Seeds have sprouted in mini g-h, that's fast!

Tuesday, March 3

And we're back.
Planted so far in Bed 1: lettuce, beets, romaine seedlings, onions and brocolli transplants.
Actually, planted most of that five weeks ago at the end of January and covered the 4x4 section with a plastic drop cloth over bent 1/2" PVC, per Mel's SFG plan. This worked very well, even in out unseasonable snow.

Compost heaps are building. One is the working heap, one is the kitchen waste heap. Took out the bin composter: didn't work well enough for the space it took up. Will probably store bags of soil, peat, etc. in it in the garage. Leaf mold container is up and being filled.

NO hanging plants this year. They are too labor/water intensive for Texas.
Will try containers again on the step-holder. This year will provide better drainage.
Inspected the Garden Box planter at Calloway's but at $70.00 per box, that is too pricey.
As an experiment, I'm drilling some extra-large holes for run-off in the bottom of one of my long plastic planters. Then, I'm drilling holes in some plastic take-out containers, cutting down the sides and placing them upside down in the bottom of the planter, to provide some air space for the roots. This seems to be a key element of the Garden Box. I will see how it works in a mini-me version.

Also experimenting with take-out containers as tiny greenhouses for seedlings, as well as a commercial one from Lowe's. Planted: lettuce, leaf lettuce, squash, cosmos and zinnias.

One goal is to plant pollinator attractors on all three sides of the vegetable beds in the two fence beds and the stair steps.

To do: make new grids.
Make new pipe trellis.

Transplanted: Oregano, rosemary, dill, lemon thyme, German thyme along back fence.
Planted: peas (3), strawberries (2)

August 3, 2009

Still working on getting the garden in shape for fall. Dug up two paths and laid down cardboard under the weedblock and mulch.
T/P: rosemary in Bed A, as a pollinator attractor.
Tomato, in Bed B
P: zinnia, sunflower and cosmos in back fence bed. Sunflowers in side fence bed. Bush beans and cowpeas in Bed A. Waiting on my Burpee's seed order for some plants. I have never tried growing annuals in the fall, and look forward to the results.

Turned compost heap, which is still heating up wonderfully. Every two-three days seems to work better than daily. I will 'un-sew' the leaf heap by the front gate from its wild morning glory vines and use them to replenish the paths and mulch. Any leaf mold will go onto the beds and the leftovers will go into the new heap.

Finished laying out the soaker hose system. Now to figure out a watering schedule for the beds in the evenings. Going in and out several times under the geckos lurking over the back door is not a pleasant vision. Maybe I can get it all done before it gets really dark and they come out.

I scavenged some nice rocks from a parkway and am looking for a place to sink my little plastic pond, so I can use them around the edges. It won't be a proper pond with water circulation, etc., but just a watering hole for, hopefully, frogs and toads.
Unless Evil White Cat gets them.

And we're back...

Some things learned in the last two or so months:

• Gardens are alive. You just can't leave them to themselves.
• Grass mulch eventually dries out and must be replenished periodically
• Eternal vigilance is the only weapon against the squash moth
• All the culinary herbs I really need to grow can go into two strawberry pots.
• If you follow the directions for building a proper compost heap, its interior will indeed get hot as billy blue blazes with beneficial microbes eating everything up
• Pollinator- attracting plants are crucial. Try to find native ones.
• Some weed block doesn't, very much

I didn't exactly ignore the garden through June and July, but it didn't get the nuturing it really needed, because I was doing the summer musical. I won't attempt both next year.

This last week has been a matter of pulling up old plants, amending the soil, working on the paths, setting up a better watering system with soaker hoses, re-constructing the compost heap and other chores to get ready for the next growing season.

Re-working the bed grids, trying to work out the plantings for Fall. I bought the new Square Foot Gardening and he says not to worry too much about rotation, but I planted squashes, all of which eventually succumbed to heat/pests, in random spots and don't want any cucurbits in those areas. I constructed a trellis of electrical conduit, rebar and netting according to the SFG plans and am anxious to see how they work. The wooden/plastic net trellises from spring are going on the back fence for perrenial vines.

Happy surprise- nasturtiums. The seeds were in a four pack that I bought for the moonflower and morning glories, so I planted them on a whim. They were delightful, with their clear green round leaves and their hot, bright blooms. They did get a little out of hand- they are vines, after all, but I did love them and will grow them again next year. The best thing about them was their scent. It is very much like a moonflower's - light and clean. But, unlike a moonflower, you can cut them and keep them in the house.

T/P: cantaloupe

Man's Greatest Temptation and Gardening

via The Cukierski Family Apostolate, an article from the Christian Homesteading Movement.
Bob at OC mentioned something similar yesterday, about the passion of politics. Sync...

I'm currently reading works from the Catholic Land Movement, which was active in England between WWI and WWII. Similar to the Agrarian Movement in the American South, it urged the return of unemployed industrial laborers to the land, where they could be self-supporting small land-holders or craftsmen, under the economic system of Distributism. As one thing leads to another, I need to start reading about that, as well...

One thing gardening teaches you- you are not in charge.

Journal May 18

Still WWW- though some things are beginning to produce. Beans, squash and nasturtiums, for example.
Took down the teepees- on second reading, I see that I planted all bush beans.

V. helped me move and turn the compost heap. We had to wait for a wind-less day. There's not much noticeable progress going on- too much brown, not enough green. I can remedy that with the addition of all the neighborhood's grass clippings. I'll probably set up another bin, halve the leaf/dried grass contents and mix well with fresh grass bags.

One problem is that I can't claim to be organic, since I don't know what people are putting on the lawns whose clippings I collect for mulch and compost. And I can't see myself knocking on doors at six in the morning: "Excuse me, but could you provide me with a list of the chemicals you or your yard guys use on your lawn? Oh, and if you could put the clippings in something other than those clear plastic bags, that would be swell. Thanks!"
But I'm not selling anything, so I guess it really doesn't matter.
I've mulched the paths to the point that it's like walking on sponge. But I plan to incorporate all the trodden on material in the beds later.

We've discovered where the bunnies are coming from. Not from down at the corner, where a family lives under the storage shed by the driveway, but from next door, where a family lives under the storage shed in the back yard.

I put up a toad house made of an old cachepot and a discarded pasta bowl, but no sign of an occupant yet. Both V. and Ro have seen one on the porch, so we'll keep waiting.

Everytime I look over my little homestead, it is a spirit-lifter.

Pretty Much Unbearable Cuteness, Garden-style

Mother's Day afternoon, Ro went out on a mysterious errand. When she came home, she rummaged around in the crafts cabinet and the sewing room, then locked herself in the garage, declaring it Off-Limits to Mom.
There was sawing and hammering and a little cursing. Finally, she called me out to the garden to see my present:
Isn't this wonderful?

I have the cleverest children. It's made of Goodwill cast-offs and scrap lumber with raffia hair, button eyes and a drawer-pull nose and is mounted on an old iron fence post. It got its baptism by rain yesterday and is still standing, because my theater tech daughter is an excellent carpenter.
And the birds are, indeed, staying out of the beds.
Thanks, sweetheart!

Progress So Far...

Baby vegetables-

I haz dem.

Various garden views

The Garden Shrine
yes, that's a recycled squirrel feeder.

Inspired by the urban gardeners in the last post, I decided to make an experimental container garden area, using deck stair stringers from the Bob Store (Lowe's) and left-over and/or scavenged lumber. The shortest shelf is 24", the longer ones are 30". They're cut to fit the length of the planters, also recycled/scavenged.

The stringers with 2x2" braces in placed. I did not want to attach this to the fence, so we added some 2x4" uprights. A better view of the shelves in place. The three narrow shelves are placed in the middle of the steps to give the planters more room on the back. The shelves were attached with a single screw on each side. I'd like to put in a plug for the ratchet screwdriver, my new best friend. The kids got to help put the screws in. We drilled the holes before they arrived, b/c while I do allow them to mess around in Sedona Sunset deck stain, I do not allow them to actually use power tools.One of the purposes of this project is to play around with different types of DIY underground watering systems. I have ollas in one of the garden beds and am trying to find a less expensive substitute. This is an unglazed terra-cotta rose pot. Notice that it has no drainage hole in the base. I'm using one of these in both the pumpkin tub and the tomato container, sinking them so that their tops are a little above the soil level. They'll be covered with a terra-cotta saucer of the proper size.

Other candidates are plastic water bottles and large plastic drink cups from the BBQ.

The shelf unit in place:

And with some planters:

I'm wondering if the space underneath could be used for a small-scale composting bin, if you added ran some boards along the sides of the stringers. I think that with a wood frame and some plastic sheeting, this could also make a little greenhouse for seed starting.

The top shelf is herbs. The middle two will be salad greens, radishes, possibly carrots. The bottom shelf will have a tomato, a pepper and an eggplant in single containers.

You go, urban growers!

Wonderful photo links via Rowdy Kittens, via Tiny Houses.

I am in awe of creative, resourceful people. My personal favorite is Yozza's three-story patio bed. Made of oak, no less.

And next to these intrepid folks, my backyard looks like forty acres and a mule.

Journal May 4

Ow, Ow, Ow. Stepped in a mess of fire ants today. Time to buy bait.
Picked up four bags of clippings on a swing through the neighborhood. It was slim pickins' as the weather pre-empted a lot of mowing, so if it clears up this week, next Monday should be great.
I love my rain gauge- according to it, we've had 5 1/2" inches since last Thursday.
Today- mulched with the grass, weeded. Finished de-sodding the new bed area in the NP,
added grass. Intend to add compost and dirt, once the dirt dries out.
Bagged up the weeds.
Fed the birds. V. pointed out a dead one under the feeder, so I buried it under the Althea bush.
Picked peas.
To do: finish bed in NP. Mulch flower beds. Repair statue niche. Hand new bird bath from NP fence.
Squash is up, and there are blossoms on the TP's.
Trying to come up with a format for these posts, so they're not a hodge-podge.

Reading "Flee to the Fields", papers from the Catholic Land Movement, which was active in England between the late '20's and the beginning of WWII. Interesting.

Small World

A cheerful post from PTF, with a delightful video.
I want to see more of the West family.

Journal May 2

In the time of the 3 W's- Weeding, Watering and Waiting.
Put the new bed in the NP, added the dirt and TP tomatoes, pepper and basil.
Moved the bench to the back corner of the yard and have begun to dig up the space where it used to be, for another bed. Probably for shade vegetables, if the birds will let them be. Or root crops. We'll see.
Put in some new sages and guaras, re-set stepping stones and ran strings for the clematis. The morning glory and moonflowers are beginning to twine. Need to run strings for the moonflowers.
All flower seedlings are doing well. Thinned them out, a job I hate. I want everything to have a chance to grow. I throw them into the compost heap- the circle of life.
O and I need to make me a scarecrow, a job she would love.
TP daisy and marigolds in the tiny patch near the fence, after adding compost and new soil.
Put the rest of the marigolds in the mixed bed.