If you know the (excellent) film "Jean de Florette," you're going to think this is funny, but anyway, here goes: last night Julie and I watched the movie (for the first time in years), and decided at the end of it to plant a little kitchen garden in our backyard. Now, Julie loves gardening, but hasn't had time to do much of it in recent years because of birthing chirren and suchlike. But one of you commenters brought up the book "Square Foot Gardening" which we have but haven't read in a while, and which your comment made me pull off the shelf. And, Lord have mercy, but I love tomatoes and cucumbers, and spend lots of money at the Dallas Farmers Market on them during the season, and ... well, we decided to make a little patch in the backyard today in which to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and herbs.
For the past two or three years, Julie has been piling up hay and stuff in a blocked-off portion of our backyard, trying to make soil good enough to grow stuff in. Having made years of deposits, today we made a big withdrawal. The soil she's nurtured is fantastically rich, and crawling with earthworms. I dug up about a third of it, and wheelbarrowed it across the backyard to the little 2x10 bed we made, enclosed by concrete blocks we had lying around (we'll grow the herbs out of the holes in the blocks). We jammed it up next to the backyard fence, where it'll get lots of sun. Julie put eyelet screws into the fence; we'll string garden twine from the screws to the blocks below, and train the cukes, the tomatoes and the beans to crawl up the twine.
I'm the cook, not the gardener, but I have to say I'm excited about having my own tomatoes and cucumbers right in the backyard, to say nothing of beans and herbs.
And get this: frequent blog commentator Max Schadenfreude was driving through town today, and came by for a visit. Did you know he drives a Ducati , truly one of the most beautiful machines on the planeet? We sat in the backyard drinking all sweaty and dusty, drinking sauvignon blanc and talking politics while the kids played and the boys beat the crap out of each other. All in all, a happily crunchy afternoon. Now, on to dinner, and the sequel, "Manon of the Spring."
I'd like to start semi-regular posts on this blog about gardening. Any gardeners among the readership? Please let us all know what you're planting, and how it's going.
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We made our first garden last year, just 8'x8' using the cul-de-sac shape from Gaia's Gardens. This year though we're using more of the Square Foot Gardening method and doubling our space. The biggest chore is removing the old grass. Last year we planted just corn, strawberries, carrots, beans & squash (oh and watermelon, but it didn't grow--not hot enough here). This year I'm skipping the squash and adding in onions and potatoes and a few herbs. I'm hesitant to try tomatoes again--I bought a few starters in mid-summer but they just died no matter what I did. Happy gardening! Look forward to more posts.
To those of you about to garden, we salute you!
Rod, I too am interested in how your concrete-lined garden works out. I believe fresh concrete leaches out free lime, and high amounts of lime is harmful to plants, but if the blocks are old, the lime may be already washed out. Just keep an eye that, is what I'm saying. Also, be careful about pressure-treated lumber around the garden: nasty stuff in that. You don't what to eat it.
I double what was said above about marigolds. Great deterrent for all kinds of pests (be sure to use an aromatic variety); also, they're attractors of beneficial insects. Besides, they're real cheerful. And while we're on the subject of companion plants, try basil next to the tomatoes. They grow well together ... and taste great together! Plant a lot of it: you do know how to freeze homemade pesto, don't you?
And as for pests, I sprinkle cayenne pepper on the soil to repel squirrels, and that seems to work. If you run into trouble with cats, I've read coffee grounds will turn them away. Keeping small children out is another matter entirely.
Finally, I have to share my favorite place for seeds: www.seedsavers.org, a great source of all manner of heirloom varieties. Even if you start with nursery plants, their catalogue makes for good browsing.
Good growing, y'all!
Lisa -
"Ah, one benefit of urban gardening. No deer.
Don't know how you all are fixed for groundhogs, possums and raccoons, but may you harvest more than the critters do."
Easier said than done - my neigbor's AC unit is surrounded by bushes where the rabbits have a colony. I tracked them all winter, and I expect them this spring. fortunately, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Planting onions/garlic around the outside helps, and putting wide boards (1 x 8" boards) beneath the garden fence has worked okay so far.
We're fortunate enough to have a disused city fire lane (it was used back when the house was built, I think) between us and the neighbors. We already have an agreement with the neighbors to make a sort of community garden when it gets warm enough to do so. Teach their little ones the benefits of gardening, and work in general (their two are maybe 3 and 5 years old, respectively). About 8' x 20' is usable, and I'm sure will be loaded with watermelons, peas, and tomatoes.
Thanks, gjoe, I might check that out, only right now my hands are so filthy that I should stop typing and go wash up...oh wait, got to stop to stir the asparagus around in the frying pan, little dirt never hurt it...
We had the usual break from the rain that we get in NW Oregon around early March, so I was able to get out and get the tilling done. Spring greens are in, along with peas, both shell and snap. Onion seeds are quietly germinating in the garage, shortly to be joined by tomato and pepper...if the long-awaited seed order ever gets delivered. This year the front yard gets tilled and put into production, too. The maritime NW has a mild enough climate to make fresh salads possible even in the dead of winter, as long as one has a cold frame, and I'm digging pits for cold storage barrels of root veggies and onions and celery and...well, I do tend to go on about my garden. Good luck to all this year!
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