An Old Friend

2010-03-16T21:10:58-04:00

I spent much of the day in the basement, cleaning up after five days of rain. The house is on a hill, so the basement gets wet, but doesn't really flood. I also started to set up a table with a grow light to start flower and vegetable seeds. The table had been a storage area for my canning supplies. The area was dirty, old potting soil and supplies from many past attempts to grow things. Just as I was finishing up I noticed a book wedged in a corner of a cabinet. It was the original Crockett's Victory Garden.

James "Jim" Underwood Crockett (October 9, 1915 - July 11, 1979) was the original host of PBS's (Public Broadcasting Service's) The Victory Garden, then called Crockett's Victory Garden. He had been chosen by producer Russell Morash because he had previously written several gardening books. The show debuted on April 16, 1975, and was focused on gardening at home. The garden was located outside WGBH's studios in Allston, Massachusetts. Crockett died soon after the show became successful.

His friendly, down-to-earth, you-can-do-it style quickly made the show one of the most popular programs on public television, and made Jim Crockett an icon of American gardening. His first book for the show was a general–purpose guide to gardening, treating vegetables, and caring for outside flowers and houseplants. Its approach was unique among garden books. It was organized, not by the plants in the garden, but by the calendar. It lists all the jobs required of you by your garden for each month of the year. The book mirrors how I think of a garden and how I organize my efforts. Finding my, or my brother's, old copy of the Victory Garden was a good omen. I immediately started organizing my seeds and checked my start dates against The Victory Garden Planner. Here's what I did today, and what I want to do over the next few days. I need to buy some potting soil tomorrow.

Date Plant/seeds
16-Mar Broccoli Flash
16-Mar Broccoli Early Dividends
16-Mar Lettuce-Bibb
16-Mar Lettuce-Black Seeded Simpson
16-Mar Basil
16-Mar Peppers, Hot Lemon
16-Mar Peppers, Jackpot
16-Mar Peppers, Green Flash
16-Mar Peppers, Ancho
16-Mar Asters Fireworks
16-Mar Gerbera California
16-Mar Snapdragon Rocket
16-Mar Impatiens Summer Romance
17-Mar Onions-scallions Red baron
20-Mar Peas-Snow Peas
2-Apr Spinach
2-Apr Mesclun
2-Apr Peas-Snow Peas
15-Apr Swiss Chard

I'll be doing a lot of my growing in containers and planters, so I need to relearn my old skills. Plant nutrition will be critical. Now, if I can only find my old Rodale's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, I'll feel pretty good. After I post this entry I am going to make some tea, gently clean off the Victory Garden book, and spend a pleasant evening with an old friend. I imagine by now Jim Underwood Crockett has all the souls in heaven composting like crazy! That reminds me, I need to buy some bone meal.

May I recommend for your enjoyment: With his third hand he gave me the finger

See links for all the Genesis posts to date: Genesis Through My Eyes

Also, you may enjoy reading: I went in with the intention of being a jerk

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An Old Friend