Okay, gardening is not an overnight accomplishment. This is something that is going to cultivate more than vegetables for me. I am having to learn something that does not come easily.....patience!
Seedlings take quite a while to grow, like weeks. You can accelerate this process by buying a grow light, but it still doesn't happen overnight. No matter how many times you go back to check on them and spray them with water, they still have not magically sprouted. Once you do have little green sprouts, it takes a long time for them to develop into the plants that you see at the garden centers.
Plus, there is this little thing called weather that you have to deal with. Even though there are some very hardy, cool weather vegetables that can be planted early, you really have to wait until there is no more threat of frost. Hmmmm......around here that means about April 1st!
Now, all good gardeners know that you must also take into consideration moon cycles. As I checked my Farmers Almanac online, it suggests certain times during the moon phase that you do not plant. It is a full moon right now and it says NOT to plant anything during March 26-31. I guess I will listen to what this very wise reference says so I will have a very successful garden.
We got all the necessary ingredients for a good garden soil; topsoil, peat moss, manure, mushroom compost, and cotton compost and stirred them up good. Now, they just sit there waiting until Thursday for anything to be planted. I am not good at waiting. I am just itching to get out there and get my plants in the ground. There is one little problem......
Even when I get to plant them, there is still more waiting to be done before harvest!!! I will have plenty of yellow peppers, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, strawberries, onions, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower to share.....in a couple months! Guess I will be healthy in many ways after this gardening adventure, adding a good measure of patience to the harvest!
Monday, March 29, 2010
NO FREE MULCH!
You have heard the saying, "no free lunch", I am sure. Well, I chuckled about this all weekend. For a couple of months, I have noticed that there was this giant pile of mulch down the street from my house. A builder had apparently ordered too much for the little flowerbed he put in at a new house, so when they were done, they just dumped it in the ditch. I have been eyeballing this pile every time I take the dog for a walk in that direction.
Friday it was a very nice afternoon. I finished cleaning out and cutting back all the dead stuff in my front flower bed. So, I was finally ready to go collect my free mulch. I get the wheelbarrow out and wheel my way down there. I had taken the shovel and filled that thing to the top. I was feeling pretty proud of my accomplishment, for a couple seconds, until I tried wheeling back to the house. Flat tire!!!! Yes, my wheelbarrow had a flat!
I tried everything I could to maneuver that thing out of the ditch. It would not budge. In the process, I must have looked hilarious. I was slipping and sliding in the muddy ditch, trying to bring home my find. At one point, I even fell on my butt right in the mud!
I wanted to tell Jim this story at the end as a successful, "SUPER-SHERA" story. But, to no avail. I eventually had to tell him how I failed and ask for help. He fixed the flat on Sat. a.m. and I proudly wheeled back my mulch to the flowerbed. All said and done, it was about $10 worth of mulch that cost a lot of hard work and humiliation. Needless to say, there is NO FREE MULCH!
Friday it was a very nice afternoon. I finished cleaning out and cutting back all the dead stuff in my front flower bed. So, I was finally ready to go collect my free mulch. I get the wheelbarrow out and wheel my way down there. I had taken the shovel and filled that thing to the top. I was feeling pretty proud of my accomplishment, for a couple seconds, until I tried wheeling back to the house. Flat tire!!!! Yes, my wheelbarrow had a flat!
I tried everything I could to maneuver that thing out of the ditch. It would not budge. In the process, I must have looked hilarious. I was slipping and sliding in the muddy ditch, trying to bring home my find. At one point, I even fell on my butt right in the mud!
I wanted to tell Jim this story at the end as a successful, "SUPER-SHERA" story. But, to no avail. I eventually had to tell him how I failed and ask for help. He fixed the flat on Sat. a.m. and I proudly wheeled back my mulch to the flowerbed. All said and done, it was about $10 worth of mulch that cost a lot of hard work and humiliation. Needless to say, there is NO FREE MULCH!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
something to sing about.....
Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday dear meeee, Happy Birthday to me!
So, I'm sure you guessed that today is my birthday. But, that is not the only thing that has me singing......
I HAVE MANY, MANY SEEDLINGS!!!
It is so exciting to see new life sprout out of your own hard work. I think I take care of my seedlings better than I do my own kids. Jim says he wishes I would pay as much attention to him as I do them......poor baby!
So, we now have a good crop of broccoli, lettuce, yellow peppers, red grape tomatoes, and strawberries. I just planted more yesterday too; green peppers and jalapeno peppers, cilantro, and another variety of tomatoes.
Jim is really getting into the composting thing with me. He said for my birthday he is going to build me an official composting box. (Dan, it's the one on page 59 of Urban Farm!) We are going to be rocking and rolling with compost. We might even invest in the fancy worms to help the process. Going to make a bigger flower bed on the east side of my house and plant some raspberry and blueberry bushes. Eventually, I'd like to get a couple peach and apple trees. And, I will probably start growing asparagus next year! So much dirt and things to plant, so little time.
The warmer temps, the sunshine, new life, making your own dirt, and other exciting projects to dream about......certainly gives a girl something to sing about!
So, I'm sure you guessed that today is my birthday. But, that is not the only thing that has me singing......
I HAVE MANY, MANY SEEDLINGS!!!
It is so exciting to see new life sprout out of your own hard work. I think I take care of my seedlings better than I do my own kids. Jim says he wishes I would pay as much attention to him as I do them......poor baby!
So, we now have a good crop of broccoli, lettuce, yellow peppers, red grape tomatoes, and strawberries. I just planted more yesterday too; green peppers and jalapeno peppers, cilantro, and another variety of tomatoes.
Jim is really getting into the composting thing with me. He said for my birthday he is going to build me an official composting box. (Dan, it's the one on page 59 of Urban Farm!) We are going to be rocking and rolling with compost. We might even invest in the fancy worms to help the process. Going to make a bigger flower bed on the east side of my house and plant some raspberry and blueberry bushes. Eventually, I'd like to get a couple peach and apple trees. And, I will probably start growing asparagus next year! So much dirt and things to plant, so little time.
The warmer temps, the sunshine, new life, making your own dirt, and other exciting projects to dream about......certainly gives a girl something to sing about!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again......
Hello all my followers, all 2 of you. Ha! The month of February was pretty gray and depressing for me. It was cold and snowy most of the month. But, I did start my seeds inside on schedule, Feb. 15th. I have planted many things; broccoli, tomatoes(3 different types), 2 types of lettuce, jalapeno peppers, yellow peppers, green peppers, strawberries, and marigolds.
The yellow peppers seem to be the most healthy seedlings. I will have plenty of peppers for all to share. The strawberry plants are very, very tiny. I have 2 grape tomato seedlings. I did have 2 broccoli plants starting, but my cat took care of those. It had been 15 days and many things had not sprouted at all.
So, I didn't get discouraged.....instead, I just re-planted the ones that hadn't come up yet. I also relocated my plants. I had them in the kitchen on the bar, which has windows near it. The sun they were getting was coming in from the East. Now, they are in my bedroom sitting next to a South facing window. I also have a lamp that shines on them now.
I have my fingers crossed that this new approach will be more successful. If so, I may be really adventurous and try to figure out how to upload pics of my little plant babies!!!
Also, Jim has made my square foot garden frames. They are sitting outside just waiting for dirt and plants to be added. The compost pile awaits more trash to be added and its owner to turn it over. But, for now, my gardening adventure stays inside where its nice and warm. A few more weeks and my square foot gardens will be in business. Until then, just remember, gardening is a learning experience filled with lots of trial and error. So, do not give up, just keep on trying!!!
The yellow peppers seem to be the most healthy seedlings. I will have plenty of peppers for all to share. The strawberry plants are very, very tiny. I have 2 grape tomato seedlings. I did have 2 broccoli plants starting, but my cat took care of those. It had been 15 days and many things had not sprouted at all.
So, I didn't get discouraged.....instead, I just re-planted the ones that hadn't come up yet. I also relocated my plants. I had them in the kitchen on the bar, which has windows near it. The sun they were getting was coming in from the East. Now, they are in my bedroom sitting next to a South facing window. I also have a lamp that shines on them now.
I have my fingers crossed that this new approach will be more successful. If so, I may be really adventurous and try to figure out how to upload pics of my little plant babies!!!
Also, Jim has made my square foot garden frames. They are sitting outside just waiting for dirt and plants to be added. The compost pile awaits more trash to be added and its owner to turn it over. But, for now, my gardening adventure stays inside where its nice and warm. A few more weeks and my square foot gardens will be in business. Until then, just remember, gardening is a learning experience filled with lots of trial and error. So, do not give up, just keep on trying!!!
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