Sometimes Words Fail Me...Well Not This Time

This is absolutely ridiculous.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2012640/Woman-faces-jail-growing-vegetables-yard.html

I have been an urban planner (AICP, the whole nine yards). I am a gardener. I am appalled by the Oak Park position. I am even more appalled to see a member of what is supposed to be a forward looking ("planning", duh) profession act in this fashion. I understand that he could be under duress, but if not, he needs to have his credentials renewed.

Looking Good In Mid June

The garden is looking good.

How Its Going So Far in 2011

The garden is looking pretty well. I was able to get some more cages so I actually have 54 inch cages for all sixteen tomatoes, and the continuing attempt to go vertical will include some added trellises

The garden has had a few rough days on the last few with some strong storms coming through but we managed to avoid the hail.

I will add more picture of the other beds and hopefully the trellises tomorrow night.

Wow...Where Did A Month Go?

Sorry for the lack of posts. With Spring upon us yard/garden work ruled the time I had available. That combined with a passing the family really absorbed every shred of time I had. More posts soon.

Taking A Break On A Busy Day

Having a busy day. My wife is away caring for her ailing mother (any prayers or positive vibes appreciated) and we dearly miss her, but she is where she needs to be.

In her absence and considering the weather (which is verging on perfect) I am doing all the yard prep I can.

Finished my compost area:



I have been weeding around the edges, getting ready to put some mulch down, got the front yard aerated and power raked, fertilized the flower beds, trimmed blackberries, etc, etc, etc, and its not even 1 pm.

More to go. Plus, I have a great helper:

Unhappy With My Mycorrhiza

So I am going through one of my favorite nurseries and I spot something I have wanted to try for a couple of years at a price that, while not comfortable, is in my range, so I purchase it.

I have wanted to try Mycorrhiza for quit some time. Its a fungus that occurs in undisturbed soils that has a synergistic relationship with plants. I have seen it used on some garden shows to revive difficult or over worked soil. Another property it is supposed to add to the soil is greater moisture capture.

So, there it is on the shelf. I look it over for a second and it also has some material to support the fungus, it has some 3-3-3 fertilizer combined in and touts its moisture retention ability. The fertilizer is not organic, which I would normally avoid, but my excitement at having the mycorrhiza overwhelms me and I decide to go for it. I look on top and it has an expiration date, which encourages me that there is in fact, something living inside. I read almost every detail on the container. But I missed one key sentence in the fine print.

I get home and sprinkle some on my main beds. I mix it in. I am excited to think about this fungus starting to grow in my beds. Then I don't go out for a few days because of rain.

Then one of my daughters asked why one of my beds looked white. This is what I find:



That one portion of sentence I somehow missed?...", and water-storing polymer crystals that help reduce plant waterings."

I was, and am, so mad about this I cannot even accurately express this. Of course, really, I am mad at myself for missing that one little piece of information in a bit of fine print.

Organizing The Seeds

This winter I made some seed orders. As soon as I got done ordering seeds a gracious family member and a friend dropped off a bunch of seeds. Seriously, I could plant half of Iowa. What was interesting were the variety of seeds and the variety of providers. Seeds Savers, Ferry Morse, Burpee, Park, Henry Fields, Pinetree Garden, Select, Freedom, Lake Valley, Totally Tomatoes, Thompson Morgan, etc, etc, etc. And of course, saved seed of my own, and some from friends digital and other wise. Had to set down and organize them in some fashion. I had a better system, but the big influx of seed sent me back to square one. So I broke them down into the following categories:

1) Empty Packs - Packs that I kept that are empty but had useful information.

2) Started - Seeds that I have done all the starts for this year.

3) Not Planting - Packs of items I don't have room for in the garden, I don't want to plant this year, or otherwise are not using now.

4) Ready for direct sow - Put all the seeds I will direct sow in one bunch ready to go outside.

I need to return to a more complete system though.