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.

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.

Journal April 23

Another beautiful day. Made a trip to Lowe's for new hooks, bird food, some marigolds for a bare spot, a couple of natives, mulch and potting soil.
Put together the new bed frame for the NP and moved the bench out. It needs tightening up, so will stay on the porch until then.
Ro came out and got interested in finally uprooting the old enormous rosemary, or what was left of it. She also helped me move the new bed into place.
Watered, tidied up weedings, weeded in NP.

Journal April 4

Put together Bed 6. Shaved sides off the dug bed until the frame was close enough to plumb for government work. Raked the soil smooth, laid down the newspapers and filled the bed.
When the bed was finished, I rolled out the weed-block on the rest of the paths and mulched.
The grass/leaf bags were from different houses, so the contents were varied- it makes a nice, patchwork effect.
Also mulched the Butterfly Barrow.
Decided to devote Bed 6 to okra and more cowpeas, and to plant only corn in Bed 3. Seeded all of those. Moved the pumpkin planter to the end of 6, added more soil and re-planted it. It wasn't getting enough sun against the fence, next to the compost heap.
Watered all areas.
And that's enough for one day...

Journal April 2

Note to self: enter something daily, please. Or you forget.
Noticed a few other things cold-killed: squash and bean seedlings. Need to re-plant.
Built another trellis.
Staked out and began to dig out Bed VI. And I'm dropping the Roman numerals.
Laid down some weed blocker and covered the path between 1 and 2 and 4 and 5 with some grass bags. I will try proper mulch in other places to see which works better.
Once I get Bed 6 in place, I can cover all paths.
It has actually been too windy to work today- gusts of up to 45 mph.
Morning glories and Liliput zinnias are up.
Bought some more weed-block, some replacement tomatoes and a RAIN GAUGE at H-D.

Journal March 9

Overcast, windy. Hi: mid-'70's
Went out scavenging this morning and picked up some discarded plastic edging, bags of grass and a large plastic tub with rope handles. I'm thinking of using that as a planter for a pumpkin.
Moved Bed III into place and rather than digging it completely out, forked up the sod a bit and covered it with 3 copies of the Sunday Dallas Morning News. Then filled the bed with dirt and leveled it. It's been blessed and planted with 4 squares of corn. Okra takes up the rest of the bed. I can dig it up properly in the fall.
Also planted: nasturtiums (they came in a group pack with the morning glory and moonflowers), green beans and zucchini.
V. put a hook and eye on the gate, so we can lock it open.
New wheelbarrow is taking some getting used to- the load has to be balanced differently than in the old one.
First load of dirt is almost gone- must order more.
Found a volunteer vine growing behind the bird bath- I think it's a clematis. It will be fun to see what it turns out to be.
Absolutely MUST get a rain gauge, for watering. Also a pack of early corn seed, a pack of pickling cucumber, and a summer squash plant.
How can it be 6: oo in the evening? Darn that DST.

Journal March 8

Sunny, partly cloudy. Hi- low '80's. Begin Daylight Savings Time. Grrrr.
We put the newest bed together this morning. Lesson learned: don't be a Stingy Man. Get the wider lumber- it will pay off in time and frustration saved. But it will be adequate. I was going to put it in the Bird Area, but V. wanted to move the old landscape timbers away from the fence.
So, they will form the bed in BA, and I'll put the new one (Bed III) in the back yard.
Encroachment proceeds. I had to offer to mow the backyard, though.
Bagged up the rosemary branches for trash pick-up.
Scouted the neighborhood after Mass for bags of leaves, for a pre-dawn raid.
Carrots are up.
Watered TP tomatoes, marigolds and Barrow.
Have taken down the squirrel feeder. They eschew if for the easy pickin's of the bird feeders. But I am going to convert it into a statue holder- think Austrian roadside shrine- and put it back up on the fence. Or mount it on a pole. We'll see.

Journal March 6

Sunny, windy, hi: 70's

First time in a week I've had time/felt like working in the yard, other than feeding birds and watering.

Picked up mobile butterfly garden plants, one more herb and two tomato plants at Lowe's.

Time to start P/TP the hot weather vegs.

Blessed Bed II and TP two tomatoes: Better Bush and a cherry type.

There are now two peas up in the herb bed.

Moved some pavers in the Bird Area (it needs a better name) to make room for the new bed, and cut down the rosemary, prior to digging it up. It's about 10 years old and we let it grow out of curiosity to see how large it might get. But it's now in the way of a bed and nobody needs that much rosemary. So, good-bye and thanks.

Washed the feeder, watered. First daffodil up in the BA.

Ves mowed and trimmed for the first time this spring.

If Sissy brings the kids by tomorrow, we will plant the butterfly garden.

Progress So Far...

The back yard

What got dug up

Mimi and helpers

Ready to plant.

Starting to plant.

Scoring

Snagged 13 bags of leaf/grass clippings yesterday in pre-dawn trips around the neighborhood. Why does that still feel vaguely illegal, even though it's all set out to be hauled away by the city?
A lot will be used for composting and some will be used for mulch.
I've decided two 4x4 beds at the end of the 4x8 rows (one of which is still in my imagination) are all that will fit before the ground slopes down.
There was a Carolina Chickadee at the feeder. It has gone bird-crazy around here.

Bed III? or Stomach Big, Eyes Bigger

Marge wants to try making pickles, so I am now committed to cukes. These can grow on the fence on trellises.
But- I forgot okra. Well, I didn't forget it; I just left it out b/c I wanted to keep things small and I'm the only one who really likes it. Unless you fry it, which destroys all its nutritional value.
But I really, really like it. So there may have to be another bed for that, half of which could be bee-friendly flowers for pollination. Or, there could be bush cukes. We'll see.

Journal Feb 14

Cool, partly cloudy. HI: mid-50's
Sis came over with the children and O and Bubs helped me set the bed in place.
We had a little lesson on using a level. It's not perfectly straight, but it's better than the first one.
We carted several loads of dirt to fill in the trenches and the bed.
O helped me rake it smooth. I need to get them a small shovel and hoe or rake.
Made one grid for the new bed. Only need one, as half the bed will be devoted to corn and cowpeas.
Mesclun is just barely up.
Next projects: resetting the pavers in the Bird Garden (its new name), using some of the dirt and moving the bird bath out from under the feeder.

Journal Feb 13

Windy, cool. High mid-60's
V and I put together Bed II and I finished digging it out.
Once it was in place, it needed some additional trench digging on the sides.
Pruned the rose bush and the jasmine and cut back the fennel.
When I picked one of the leather gloves to prune the roses, a copper-colored skink
fell out and scuttled away.

Journal Feb 10

Partly sunny, rain. Hi: 60's
Dug some more of Bed #2. Need to use the level to set this one straight.