Happy May 2010! Time for a garden update, let's do it in pictures.

AFRICAN DAISIES IN A POT (nooo, really?)

The new gate, now my greens garden can be cat free!

But not toad free...this guy was cooling himself among the spinach!

Greens for smoothies!

Have you ever bitten your nails over garden decisions? In addition to the renovation of the vegetable garden I have been working hard in the front yard. I’ve had wildflowers on the brain for a month or two. Last Monday I flame weeded the large bare spots in the front yard, limed them, dug 2 large beds, fertilized the path areas that would be grass, spread a paltry layer of bagged topsoil, spread grass seed, spread a light hay mulch then spread wildflower seed in the 2 large beds. I’m not sure that my attempt to plant what could amount to meadow flowers in the 2 beds will be a successful design. I keep reminding myself that it can all be undone. The seed mix is the "cool tones mix" from Vermont Wildflower Farm and it contains both annuals and perennials. What I’m realizing is that I am trying to cram too many designs into my small front yard. Sigh. Too bad I couldn’t expand my land holdings in a puff of smoke, place the neighbors closer to the horizon.

OK - so I also ordered seed from American Meadows. Some has already been planted in the back garden (wher the neighbors will get the best view. I have their short mix and a BIG bag of all annuals. Tell me how the heck I'll fit all of that in! I could go guerilla and plant it stealthily somehwere else but I think not. Update to come. I do like their customer photos, particularly this one

As for the vegetable garden, I’m getting there. Planted mustard greens, sweet corn, carrots, zucchini and winter squash. The potatoes in the back garden seem to be doing well. The peppers are holding on. We are eating the lettuce from the greenhouse and I have started 2 grow bags with cantaloupe seedlings. That should prove an interesting experiment!

Picture of the "Cool Tones" wildflower seed I ordered.

building progress

I am farther along than these pictures show but here they are! The garden is 13 feet wide and 25 feet long. Not nearly big enough for real veggie growing (potatoes, winter squash, a walk in hoop greenhouse)....it will do for now until I win the lottery and can buy my land by the sea and build my large walled garden.


Much left to do. Need to build gate #2, finish installing the last 2 rails and staple the green plastic fence to the inside. I wonder if that will be a mistake. Wrestling with wire does'nt sound like fun. The green plastic fencing can be trimmed with scissors and, well it's green. But it will probably look like heck after a year or two. It must do for now.


There is also a plan for a lavender garden in front. I'll be seeding annual wildflowers too. Already put a New England annual/perennial mix in a small patch in the back garden. I'll be breaking out the flame weeder (maybe tonight) to torch the crab grass in that bare spot in the front yard. It needs liming methinks, big strange pines grew there. I really want to partake of the bounty of summer. With this dreary economy I know we can all use bounty. Wildflowers can help!


In looking after my karma I gave away 8 big tomato starts (extra). Found out a neighbor down the road had a baby so planning on bringing down a (used but LOVELY) baby sweater. I don't want to have a soul the size of a nut (Anyone read The Education of Little Tree?). Blessings to all!

It's not Monticello but...

Garden has been positioned, beds built with straw, manure, seaweed and composted maple leaves. Wet down then covered with tarp or plastic. I laid the builders paper down first for most of it. I have ordered some rolled split bamboo fencing, 39 inches high. It will provide the visual barrier I need to keep it "looking protestant." I am planning on two gates. Built a z frame red cedar gate yesterday. Spent some time today researching speakeasy grilles, I think one would be fun at the kids level. They are expensive though so I am thinking of substitute grille such as decorative floor vents. I'll be finishing the gates in a tung oil/turpentine finish. Gate pictures coming soon but it's night and pouring rain at the moment.



New emerald green arborvitaes planted where the future small sun patio will be. Ornamental grasses will join the fun.


















Can you see the turkey in this picture? We saw him walking through the neighbor's yard. Close on his heels was little Saki, a hilarious scene if ever there was one. The kids and I all saw it laughed for a good long while. Saki is 1/5th the size of this bird.

Spring is a frantic time!

For the Gardener that is. I never have trouble sleeping, except on occasion. Now is one of those times where my mind is racing with possibilities. A new garden to build! DH will just faint when it comes together. He has no idea. But if the White House can break ground for a kitchen garden then surely I can expand my humble plot! I CAN'T WAIT to be off on vacation next week. Granted, the kids will be off and I will want to spend time with them but fortunately they enjoy my jaunts to the beach, the woods, stables. Lots of free stuff to be had. I should get a drip irrigation set up. Will have to check the home centers. Looked last weekend and there was Nada. Probably because we are not a drought ridden area? Who knows. Growing in the greenhouse just now are the lettuce transplants I picked up this past Sunday.

The other side holds the rosemary (I have forgotten the variety), potatoes in grow bags and the fig. It was planted in the ground over the Winter, probably is dead but the greenhouse will let me know that. I planted some spindly lettuce and kale starts I had but the rain today and chill weather tonight don't bode well for them. It will be time to direct seed (if it isn't already).























Meanwhile their brethren lay in wait in the basement:

First, a tribute to my good lifetime friend Willie, aka Willicent P. McPhee who passed into kitty heaven on 13-MAR-09. We won't forget you lad! Willie ran into our life around 14 years ago. A thoughtless neighbor had allowed their female cat to have a litter (in their garage). Willie was one of those kittens who, one afternoon, flew across the street and straight through our open door. There he stayed. He purred on my stomach when I was pregnant with my son and became his wonderful friend as he grew. He was always gentle, always affectionate. Last year he made his first and last trip to the family house on Martha's Vineyard. Would that I had known he was ill. He should have gotten tons more hugs that last year. Hug those you love folks, furry or not. As I held him in my arms at the vets I told him to save me a seat on the other side.

Of late my thoughts have turned to gardening, another love of mine. Specifically vegetable gardening because it goes along with eating. There is nothing like the convenience of dashing out the door to gather yummy veggies for meals. I won't say that it's a cost savings for us. It might be but I generally end up spending a bit on the garden. For instance here is a poly greenhouse (it was on sale). It has a 3 year warranty and I certainly hope I get more time out of it. Right now it only houses a rosemary that I overwintered in the house. It's doing an admirable job of it!

The trash bags in front of it are filled with seaweed which I collected yesterday. I have been nervously plotting (no pun intended, OK, pun intended as it's April fools), to expand the veggie garden. The man of the house objects to a yard appearance that isn't neat. He feels I won't be able to keep up with it all. That may be true but there are techniques to help one succeed in this respect. Heavy organic mulches. Impermeable strips to keep down weeds under the fence. Yes, I even plan to erect a "temporary" fence around my new plot. I am using my classic approach of amassing the materials needed then erecting the new entity in a day or 2 to avoid sour expressions aimed in my direction. Here is a view of the proposed location:
I will have to dig up the sage and lavender (assuming it made it through the winter). Better to pot those for now. You may be able to see the beach stones I have started to amass. They will be good for a rough patio area at one end of the garden. I have a Hardy Chicago fig tree on order thanks to feeling jolly last Sat night after 2 glasses of a nice Cabernet. Actually, most of this is all Eliot Coleman's fault or rather the fault of Four Season Harvest which he wrote. He keeps a fig or 2 in amongst his patio stones under his poly greenhouse. An admirable book, I encourage all who are interested in gardening to read it. We are on the same parallel as Northern Italy, Southern France. Any veggies they can overwinter there we can here IF we modify our climate. We have the same amount of Winter sun.

The little white flags are the outline for the dog's electric fence perimeter. I have yet to train him in it. He has a pretty good sense of boundry, not surprising since he is a sheltie.

As for the seaweed, I read somewhere that mixing blood meal and humus with it will result in a finished compost in 2 weeks. Trouble is, no ratios were given. My daughter takes horse riding lessons at a small farm up the road. I plan on hauling some manure home soon. Seaweed, manure, blood meal and leaves mixed with compost from last fall...that should make a nice base for the new garden.

So I spent some money on the poly greenhouse. In many other ways I am saving. I have become alert to scrounge opportunities. I recently sifted through a pile if discarded lumber only to find some ipe (it might even be teak) offcuts and some nice solid hardwood flooring offcuts. GREAT for garden projects such as beds or greenhouse shelving. I honestly tried to disassemble pallet wood but it was quite a lot of work and my time is at a premium. I may go back to it if I get a better saw. I have found some very nice pallet projects on the web. This is a beaut Shed from recycled pallets
It even has a chimney. And this chicken coop if built in my yard would be turned into a guest house! I am all for greener living. Wish me luck in my pursuit.

Beginning of reflections

I’ve decided that I need to use this blog for simply writing about life in general instead of keeping it knitting specific. Life is crazy and writing is something I like to do.

These are, in essence, scary times. Most of us probably feel we are on the edge financially (I know I do). There is tremendous pressure at work to perform above and beyond. We are being asked to raise the bar, step it up, work to new, demanding standards. We are doing much more to just keep our job and I know for me my job could be cut any time.

There is pressure at home to find new ways to save money by eliminating old habits. No more dinners out. We make homemade pizza. We have cut items from grocery shopping that used to be considered essentials. We economize on car trips by grouping errands together. Gone are kids activities that we used to be happy to pay for. Swimming lessons, acting/voice. We have kept my daughter’s riding lessons as she gets so much pleasure from them, but they will be cancelled as needed. We have considered cutting our phone land line. We use the cheapest pay-as-you-go cell phones we can find and use them only when essential. I rarely, RARELY go clothes shopping any more. One of my favorite sweaters was purchased at a Goodwill store.

We compost, plant a small veggie garden with plants grown at home from seeds. Activities with the kids are generally free: parks, bike riding, walks, hikes, reading. We utilize our public libraries nearly every week. I am so very thankful that we have them! They enrich our lives. Vacations are taken at home or we have stayed for free at a relative’s vacation home (lucky us). The list could go on.

All of this bears a striking resemblance to times I experienced growing up in the 1970’s. Minus the work part of course. I’m no economist, I’m a scientist. It seems to me that economic hard times are cyclical. While I can’t wait until I start hearing good economic news on NPR stations during my daily commute (assuming I still have one), I also try to stop and praise the here and now. My family is numbered among the fortunate, we are still squeaking by financially. Both my husband and I still have our jobs. We have our health, such a critical component of happiness. Our kids are bright and energetic. They, like me growing up, don’t feel a sense of deprivation. Life is rich enough when you dwell on the simple treasures. They are there for free.