The Funny Farmer

Creative Trellising for Veggie Gardening

2010-06-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

Our of respect for climbing specimen, consideration of space limitations, and the joy of experimentation, I have taken to trellising this year more than any other.

My father's cucumbers sprawled in his large vegetable garden and I was not even aware until recently that they have a climbing habit! I have two cucumber varieties this year. One is a Striped Armenian and I fashioned a climbing structure in a raised bed out of leftover decking lattice (well, perhaps "fashion" is not the best word...). My second variety is pickling cucumbers because I adore the mustard pickles I grew up with. Sooo tart and yummy, I WILL have pickles this fall! I rummaged around my "potting shed" and garage and emerged with an old wooden ladder that should have been thrown out years ago. I read that I should loosely tie the vines with fabric to the support, so that's what I'll try unless anyone else has a good suggestion. My reading on trellising cukes has been very interesting! Many claim that their trellised cucumber plants are less succeptible to disease, become more prolific, and create better shaped cukes that do not have white/yellow markings from laying on the ground. My thinking is that they might be easier to find as well!

My next climber (no, not Matilda) is green beans. More creative in my seed purchasing this year as well, I bought the Fortex Green Beans which claim to be long, slender, and stringless. I can't wait to see/eat them! Ghttp://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6614-fortex.aspx Make no mistake that although I like creative shapes and colors, my veggies are ALL chosen for taste as well! Like my dad, I used to plant my green beans in either side of a low row wire trellis. This was sufficient, but I'm curious about the teepee method for space considerations. I built a teepee out of three bamboo poles and planted 8-10 seeds around each pole. I placed the poles in two different beds so the climbing will use the least amount of space as possible. If all goes well, Matilda will LOVE the resulting tunnel even more than she likes it now!

For my first planting of snap peas this season I used my old method which is a foldable wire fence. Functional, not ugly, but not very interesting to look at either. I have attached a pic from my second planting of snap peas with an aesthetically improved "trellis". After wandering the aisles of Lowe's for trellises (there are many options and most are quite pricey) I came home with an insta-fence. It has panels that lock together and come apart so it's versatile from seasonn to season. I'm a wee bit concerned about it toppling from weight with the anchors it came with. If that becomes a problem, I'll have to stake it into the ground more firmly next time with another method.

These fencing pieces I purchased with the visions of containment, not climbing. My raspberry bushes had become quite aggressive so I pulled up many of them and created a "row" with a fence piece on each end, one in the middle, and string attached to the sides to keep the branches from drooping into the lawn. I am quite sure that the "posts" it came with will not be sufficient, so my "things to do" list includes anchoring them more firmly.

Does anyone out there have any creative trellising ideas/suggestions/pics?

PlantARow Washout

2010-06-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

There is this really cool project called Plant-A-Row For The Hungry http://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/programs/plant-a-row/ that urges home and commercial gardeners to plant a separate row of veggies to be donated to your local foodbank. I really like this concept because my past food drive donations tend to include things like canned soup and macaroni and cheese, things that are non-perishable and unfortunately not terribly healthy.

My Community Garden has two plots designated for the PAR program, and last year was the trial run. There are two Community Gardeners who head-up the PAR plots by coordinating the designing, planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, and delivering. With the first-year glitches, early blight, and some garden flooding, the harvest was not as bountiful as hoped for.last year. Many are committed to making this year be more plentiful.

My contributions so far have been a week of watering & weeding and the donation of several of my seedlings including tomatoes, cucumbers, husk cherry, patty pan squash, basil, brussels sprouts, and broccoli. I'm pretty excited to watch the harvest grow and be delivered to our local pantry. Though our community has a well-earned reputation of being pretty wealthy, there are segments that are definitely in need. I personally am of the sound belief that it is shameful that ANYONE is hungry is the United States of America. Absolutely shameful.

Having worked in social services for many years, I have witnessed far too much poverty, poor health, and hunger up close and personal. In fact, my parents and grandparents experienced poverty and relied upon the good will of others on occasion. My son's world is far from that reality and I have struggled with how to introduce him to poverty without completely overwhelming and shocking him. I have concluded that the Plant A Row program is the way to do it. One of my many hopes for him is that he becomes a charitable and compassionate member of society.

So this afternoon I dragged Oscar along to the PAR planting day. On the car ride I reminded him of our conversations about how some people have don't have enough food to eat. The first time I told his the laughed at me, thinking I was putting him on. We talked about how healthy foods are typically more expensive than unhealthy foods. And we talked about the importance of doing what we can to enable as many people as possible have healthy and sufficient food. It is a lot to process for a child who is fortunate enough to have enerything he needs, but he was very thoughtful and considerate with his observations and questions. Yay! That's my boy!

Arriving at the Gardens, the organizers were busy building a teepee for pole beans. Oscar and I carried our gift of seedlings and we looked over the sketch to deterine the location or babies would call home. Not long into our planting adventure, the skies opened up and drizzle turned pretty quickly into rain. Hearty and optimistic at first, we soon succumbed to the drenching rain and post-poned the planting.

After everyone packed up and left, Oscar and I stayed behind just a little bit longer to splash about and to explore the talent, creativity and beauty within our Community Garden. Some of my favorites today are the robot scarecrow, ski-pole poles, and the bedspring trellis. Perhaps today wasn't such a washout after all!

Flower Seedlings Inventory 2010

2010-06-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

While I was largely successful with my vegetable seedlings, my flowers seedlings did not thrive quite so well. I wish I had take pics today for proof.... nuts. Admittedly, I did give my vegetable seeds more attention since their success will cut my grocery bill. So the flowers were not necessarily planted on their recommended dates and planted in cell packs rather than soil blocks.

The zinnias are a few inches tall, but most are only a couple inches tall. I'm a little concerned that they won't survive/thrive the planting. They have been outdoors in pots for a few weeks now, so I guess this is as good a time as any.

I hope to plant them this weekend, and am trying to figure out what goes where according to height, spacing, and light requirements. I'm also documenting what has survived for future reference. Perhaps I'll just do veggies by seed next winter/spring... We'll see....

So this planting planning summary is not terribly interesting reading.. my apologies :D Perhaps this cutie-pie ocean pics will help....

Some flower seedlings that actually survived:

Marigold - Durango Outback Mix
8-12" height
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7047-durango-outback-mix.aspx

Angel's Trumpet Datura - double yellow
16-20" height, spacing 2-3'
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7035-double-yellow.aspx

Ornamental Kale
24" height, full sun, 4" apart, horizontal support
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5672-sunset.aspx

Amaranth: Strawberry Fields
24" height, 6-8" spacing, full sun
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8015-strawberry-fields.aspx

Serenade Mix - China Aster
25-34" height, 6-12" spacing, full sun, support
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7991-serenade-mix.aspx

Cramers' burgundy Celosia
30-36" height, 6-12" spacing, full sun, horizontal netting advised, no fertilizer
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6280-cramers-burgundy.aspx

Pampas Plume Celosia
33-48" height, 6-12" spacing, netting, no fertilizer
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5640-pampas-plume.aspx

Giant Dahlias: 40-50", 9-12" apart, full sun, no support, do not disturb roots
Creamy Yellow
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7815-giant-dahlia-flowered-creamy-yellow.aspx
Scarlet
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7810-giant-dahlia-flowered-scarlet.aspx
Coral
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7806-giant-dahlia-flowered-coral.aspx
Lime
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7797-benarys-giant-lime.aspx

Ornamental Grass: Love Grass
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5556-colored-uprights.aspx ?

Morning Glory
Cardinal Climber - 72-120"
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8120-cardinal-climber.aspx
President Tyler - 72-96"
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5702-president-tyler.aspx

Hyacinth Bean - Ruby Moon
10-20', full sun, 12" spacing, trellis/support
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8118-ruby-moon.aspx

DIRECT SEEDING
Sunflower Collection:
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5544-johnnys-sunflower-collection.aspx

Cosmos: Sea Shells
40-48" height, 9-12" spacing,
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8009-sea-shells.aspx

Hopefully I'll have plenty of flower pics over the next few weeks!!! If I don't spend too much time at the ocean, that is....

Neglect

2010-06-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

This post topic relates to previous posts about manageability and moderation. I tend to have "manageability issues" that allow some areas of my life to flourish while others are largely neglected. My seedlings project was successful overall, however there are a few areas of my life that are in need of a little attention (ummm... like clothing my children, perhaps?).

Take for example my home. It has not been dusted, vacuumed, cleaned in... well... I'm too embarrassed to try and figure out how long. A new friend is coming to visit next week and I HAVE to get this place into ship-shape before then. There is germination soil on the windowsill, dustbunnies procreating in every corner, and mysterious odors coming from the refrigerator. I did clean the toilets yesterday, but that just scratches the surface. A WHOLE lot more work needs to be done.

Then there is my health. Staying up so many late nights with my seedlings interfered with time that I should have been sleeping. For me, not getting enough sleep sets off a whole domino effect of other problems like not exercising. I also haven't been meal planning well, which for me is a "recipe" for potato chips and pasta. Not so good at all. So before today's trip to the grocery store, I am actually MENU PLANNING so that I purchase foods that are healthy, incorporate food preparation into my schedule, don't purchase more food than is necessary, and actually eat well. Still recovering from surgery, I can't do much more than walking for exercise. That's needs to go into my health schedule as well.

Being an extravert, I have accumulated some very lovely friends over the years. However I owe so many phone calls and emails it's kind of bumming me out. I have been assured by wiser mothers than myself that your social life does come back as your children get older. But they tend to follow that comment with, "But don't wish it away!" Okay, okay. I don't want them to grow so fast, but I WOULD like to stay in contact with people who are important to me. I did catch up with a few last weekend while also engaging in some family fun. Read on.

Family Fun time had been neglected for far too long, and that was addressed over Memorial Weekend. The four of us went camping with a group of friends for three nights in Acadia, one the most beautiful places in the world (not that I've seen THAT many places, I"m just saying). If there is such a thing as a spritual vortex, Acadia is one of them. We cooked on Coleman Stoves, had group feasts, slept in tents, made s'mores, hiked around, explored, and had a whole lot of fun.

Yes, you read correctly. We went camping over MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND - a sacred time for gardeners! Ideally this would have been a major planting weekend, but the camping trip won out. Fortunately the good weather this spring had allowed me to plant many things early, so most of that work has already been done. And a lovely neighbor was kind enough to water my garden while I was gone (because of course it only rained in Acadia, not Southern Maine).

Upon return, there was definitely some evidence of neglect. Some of my salad greens are overgrown and need to be pulled out. Mystery weeds are battling for dominance. However my seedlings are looking pretty darned good! Some of my radishes are ready, my second wave of salad greens has grown significantly, my snap peas shot up, and my sunflower seeds have popped up out of the ground. My "unplanted" seedlings have been relocated from my deck (yes, I have my front window AND my deck back) to a concrete walkway and ready to be planted in my garden, the Plant-A-Row Garden, and the rest given away.

So here an effort, yet again, to get into balance. My shopping list is ready, the rain has taken care of my garden's need for water, and I'm off to run errands. Fortunately people, plants, and things are mostly resilient to periodic stints of moderate neglect.

2010 Vegetable Garden Inventory

2010-05-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

Community Garden Planting Day with Matilda

2010-05-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

Recession Garden Garden Plan

2010-05-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

An article thieved from The Gardener's Rake...
(The pic, however, is my own :D)

http://thegardenersrake.com/recession-garden-garden-plan

xo

Manageability

2010-05-21T07:23:00.000-07:00

Definition of the word MANAGE

transitive verb
1 : to handle or direct with a degree of skill: as a : to make and keep compliant b : to treat with care : husband c : to exercise executive, administrative, and supervisory direction of
2 : to work upon or try to alter for a purpose
3 : to succeed in accomplishing : contrive
4 : to direct the professional career of

Soooooo I think that my first error occurred many weeks ago on the Johnny's Selected Seeds website http://www.johnnyseeds.com/. Influenced by red wine, weeks of cold weather, and very short days, I was dreaming of lush green gardens, bountiful vegetables, and filling my flower vase daily with freshly picked flowers. I vowed to start my flowers and vegetables from seed for the first time (I also vowed to run the Mother's Day 5K, but that's a different story). I finally made decisions on a heating mat, a soil block maker, cell flats and biodegradble pots. I clicked "add to cart" more times than I can count. I justified my purchases with receipts from the grocery store, the benefits of organically grown produce, teaching the kids about gardening, and the satisfaction that comes from putting my hands in the soil.

At this point the word MANAGE may be part of my vocabulary, but not my life. I have spent many a late night germinating and potting up. Every morning I carry 23 trays of seedlings to the deck, then back inside at night. Of course a day surgery that I had last week did not help. This all on top of a 2 year old, a 6 year old, 2 cats, a hubby... you know the drill.

I had some FB correspondence with some friends yesterday about the weather forecast, the date of the next full moon, the actual temperature of a "frost", and ultimately when to actually plant our seedlings. There were opinions ranging from daring to cautious, but one friend summed up my situation quite succinctly. She wrote that she planted most of her seedlings already and that "Some of my seedlings did die when we got that cold snap, but they would have died in the house too because I couldn't stand them anymore and would have refused to care for them!"

Very well said! One of my four followers (yes, I'm up to four! Wohoo!) commented on my last post that my pic of out of control seedlings looked like her house. So I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one out there.

So here is my plan for MANAGEABILITY NOW:

1) Get as many seedlings into the ground as possible so I'm not schlepping them back and forth. I HAVE DECIDED TO PLANT THIS WEEKEND!!! WOHOOOO!!!
2) Extra plants go to friends, family, and donated to the Plant-A-Row program and my town's Garden Club Plant Sale on Memorial Day Weekend.

And here is my plan for FUTURE MANAGEABILITY:
1) Re-read this post in January of 2011, BEFORE purchasing seeds
2) Do some cost comparisons between growing from seed versus purchasing seedlings (Yes, I will post my thorough analysis)
3) Evaluate my success rate between which seeds I purchased and which were succuessful
4) Purchase all of my needs ahead of time so that I am not constantly running to the garden shop for more soil, bio-degradable pots, etc.

Wish me luck!!!!

Discouraged

2010-05-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

I have no patience for narrtive right now, so I'll just lay it all out:

GARDENING

* Overwhelmed by seedlings overtaking my home

* Exhausted by the seemingly constant need for potting-up, hardening-off-schlepping, and watering

* Got some sort of white patches on many of my tomato plant leaves. I assume I was not gradual enough in my introduction to the outdoor elements?

* I keep dropping cash on additional pots, trays, and soil, thus reducing my "cost effectiveness" theory about growing seeedlings

* Many of my seedlings are not particularly thriving

LIFE:

* I'm just not into being a responsible wife and mother this week

* My post-surgery healing is slow

* I am absolutely exhausted

* Laundry

* Phone calls to make

* Bills to pay

* I am not eating healthfully

* My surgery recovery is slowing my already-weak exercise routine

ON THE UP SIDE:

* I spent many hours potting up my seedlings last night and they are looking a lot perkier today

* It's almost time for the seedlings to MOVE OUT! so I can re-claim my office (I'm blogging from my sofa right now)

* The sun is out

* My husband is going to attend marriage counseling soon, he just doesn't know it yet

* I don't pee everytime I sneeze or cough anymore

* I have spent a lot of time with my girlfriends the past couple days and that makes me very, very happy

* My two-legged seedlings. Ahhhh yes, my children.

First Harvest

2010-05-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

Now seriously, can you think of a more facile, more space efficient planting than salad greens? I know there will be more competition in the coming months, but I am so pleased with my first harvest for so many reasons!

The first advantage is how easy it is to grow greens, lettuce,spinach, swiss chard, and so on. You can use them if you want to, but threre is no real need for cell packs, heating pads, or grow lights. Just toss those seeds right into the ground, water, and wait. Now how easy is that? Seriously?

The planting requirements of salad greens, greens, and lettuce are relatively simple. They are shade tolerant, so there are many places in my small yard/garden where they will thrive. They are compact, so the yield per square footage is quite high. You can plant them in containers on your deck. I have even planted some in a flower box on my deck so I can just step outside for a few clippings when needed. Though growing lettuce is very easy, Edward C. Smith in the Vegetable Gardener's Bible states that rapid growth is the tip to tastier lettuce. This can be accomplished by adding compost to the bed a week before planting the seeds and again to the surrounding soil about a week after germination. Simple enough.

Another factor that pleases me about lettuce and greens is the cost benefit. When you purchase these from the grocery store, you are not only paying for the commodity, but the picking, packaging, storing, and transporting as well. However if I continue sow every couple of weeks (aka succession planting), I will not purchase any greens at the grocery store until October. At roughly $8 per pound for organic lettuce, spinach, and greens, it's truly a no brainer. At about $4 a packet, my growing plans this year include: two types of lettuce mixes for salads, swiss chard, baby spinach, and a mix than can be used for both salads and braising. That's a total of $20 in seeds for a variety of greens that will feed our family, gift to friends, and appear at pot-lucks for six months. The other 26 weeks I typically purchase lettuce or greens every week, so during those months I will probably spend at least a couple hundred dollars. One day I will build a cold-frame which will extend my season even more.

The environmental impact of purchasing your lettuce and greens from the grocery store also bears mention. Although the plastic boxes used for purchased lettuce makes the produce last longer, plastic is still plastic. and whatever I can do to minimize its use makes me very happy. I have saved a few of these boxes to store my own greens as well as to fill and give away when I have too much. There is also adverse environmntal impact through things like transportation, the manufuacturing of trucks, the building and maintenance of warehouses and grocery stores, and the use of fossil fuels. Growing your own lettuce alone will not put an end to these problems, but the more one can do to lessen your environmental footprint, the better. From a broader socio-political perspective, one might also consider the use of immigrant workers as well as US dependence of foreign oil.

Health considerations are very noteworthy. Aside from the beneficial nutrients found in lettuce and greens, they are very easy to grow orgranically so you are can be sure that you are not consuming pesticides. Because there is less time from garden to table, fewer nutrients are lost durng storage and transportation. And once again, there has been another E-Coli outbreak reported in four states: Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Tennessee. As of a couple of days ago, there were 23 confirmed illnesses, 12 hospitalizations, and 3 instancs of kidney failure.

On a more pleasant note, people are unnecessarily impressed when you host a meal and serve a salad made from your own greens. Or you show up to a pot-luck with a salad and casually mention that you just picked it from your garden. There is definitely a feel-good component to growing your own and feeding your friends and family. If plant in succession, you never have to run to the store at the last minute for some salad greens. You will always have a supply on hand to snip from.

Here are my first snippings of the season!

Planting Ponderings

2010-05-15T06:47:00.000-07:00

I'm still post-op-sitting and haven't required the heavy-hitting-street-value-medications since last night. The hubby and the kids are off to a TBall game, and I am wondering how I can schlep my seedlings from their current inside location to the deck for the day. I pulled a laundry hamper across two rooms this morning, so I guess where there is a will....

Weather.com's 10 day forecast, which I visit frequently as of late, predicts the following night time lows for my location: Sat 46, Sun 45, Mon 49, Tues 51, Wed 49, Thurs 57, Fri 53, Sat 53, Sun 52, and Mon 54. I think I recall reading that I don't want night time temps lower than 45 degrees before planting my babies outside. With this forecast, I'm inclined to plant by on Tuesday if I am feeling well enough. Of course, next full moon is not until a week fter that, the 27th, which could bring some colder temps. Curve ball.

So I'll keep schlepping (pushing, pulling, dragging) my babies to the deck for marching practice in anticipation of graduation ceremonies, the date which still is yet to be determined. While I am sitting, sitting, sitting... I will consult my gardening books (housewife porn, as my hubby calls it) for more clues about the big day. And when that day comes, my brand new $5 clearance gardening boots will be ready, too :D

Sitting.

2010-05-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

This morning I had minor surgery and am not supposed to lift anything over 30 lbs for six weeks. Right now I am feeling very sore, having a difficult time walking, and taking percoset for the pain. I anticipate that this will last for a few days. So on this brilliantly beautiful day I am sitting. Yup. Sitting. Butt to sofa. Necessities within reach. Feeling a little woozy. Sitting.

Anticipating my imminent immobility, I spent the entire day gardening yesterday. I pulled out my "potting station" (see pic to immediate left for chuckles), pots, soil block maker, trays, trowel, shovel, and a giant bag of soil. I set up shop on the deck and began the projects that are more demanding physically.

One goal was to graduate some seeedlings into larger containers so they don't become root bound or tip over. I suspect that this will be the last "potting up" before planting out - Yippee!

Another goal was to germinate the last of my seeds (all flowers) and that was mostly successful. One glitch is that many of my remaining seed packets suggest germinating 4-6 weeks before last frost and that time frame has long since passed. I suppose I'll just keep the seedlings inside until they look strong enough to harden off and plant outside. I do still have some seed packets remaining however, because the next glitch is that I ran out of soil before I ran out seeds. Truth be told, I needed a stopping point so it was probably a blessing in disguise. I guess I will just save them for next year and see if they will still come up.

A neighbor stopped by as I was puttering about and we were equally pleased for me to unload some seedlings on her. Among other babies, she bravely accepted some of "Matilda's Mystery Tomatoes". This variety got their name when my helpful 2yo switched around some labels early in the germination process. Also taking advantage of the beautiful day, my neighbor's project du jour was dividing perennials. And I am now the proud owner of some Stella Dora Lilies and Daisies!!! If you've been reading my posts, you know how much I LOOOVE to have plants with stories other than "I bought this at...:" While still able to dig, I grabbed my shovel and introduced these babies to their new home.

All day and evening I ran around doing this and that: Direct seeding some flowers, moving around some planters, digging, weeding, and watering. When my assistant was not helping me, I was also busy chasing her from potential chaos. Not only was my day quite productive, it also took my mind off from the anasthesia that was about to render me unconscious and the scalpal that was about the enter my flesh. Once again, my garden helped to ease my anxieties.

Today I am grateful for the miracles of modern science, my garden, for the lasagne my neighbor/friend Larina made for our family.

Oh yes, and for sitting.

My, But They Grow Up So Fast!

2010-05-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

It has been time for my babies to visit the great outdoors and to see what else life has to offer them beyond these four walls. They really seem to be happy with their visits. For almost a week now, my 2yo and I have brought these darlings outside to get used to the elements before they are ready to go out on their own. I guess they are adolescents now, preparing for adulthood in their own soil apartments. Ready to really grow without my parental eyes.

Now my mothering skills will be put to the test. Did I germinate the seeds long enough before planting? Did I give them enough time on the heating mat? Did I let them become root-bound? Have they had enough water? Did I adequately expand their freedoms with gradually increasing pot sizes so that they didn't get top-heavy and topple? If you look closely at the picture, you can see that the answer to the last question is "No, no always." I have some re-potting to do tongiht.

With record breaking warm days this spring, all green thumbs are itching to kick their babies out of the nest. I have been addicted to weather.com's 10 day forecast. hoping for a pattern of nites that don't drop below 45 degrees. Right now all lights a green. The night of the full moon is Day 10 and the forecast at this point is for 53 degrees that night. Perhaps this weekend I will put them in? I don't want to jump the gun, but I'm also getting pretty excited!

So with dramatic grunting sounds, Miss M carries her end of the trays and we do the schlep - in and out - every day. Tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, broccoli, husk cherries, cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini, patty pan squash, broccoli raab, brussels sprouts, and various flowers.

Are you as excited as me to let our seedlings fly?

A Mother's Garden

2010-05-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

As Mother's Day has been approaching, I have been doing my gardening with motherhood on my mind. I have been thinking about the cultivators, the nurturers, the harvestors, the gatherers, the chefs, and the makers of beauty. I think about roots, seeds, blossoming, providing, and nourishing . We have so much in common, gardens and mothers. And for me, the garden is where I go to rejeuvenate myself. Not in a lawn chair, but wandering and working, pulling weeds and observing changes.

One of the early projects in my garden came with budget considerations and serendipity. I asked my mother and my mother-in-law for some babies from their gardens, and both of them gifted me with Periwinkle. The periwinkle from my mother's garden was actually planted by her mother, my maternal grandmother, because that's where my parents now live. For best effect, I combined the Periwinkles from two different locations and planted them in a ring around a large oak tree in our back yard.

It wasn't until after they were planted that I became sentimental. This flower bed is a combined legacy of both my and my husband's mothers, and from both of my children's grandmothers. I simply LOVE this bed!

Another contribution from my maternal grandmother is jonquils, which are also in bloom right now. After she passed, the cottage she lived in by the ocean was in such bad shape that my parents had it taken down, put up a new house on the same foundation, and moved in. The "taking down" process was going to ruin Grammie's flower beds, so I took some bulbs from her garden, a bed that I often weeded as a Mother's Day gift to her, and planted them in the garden of a wonderful old apartment building I lived in for five years. When we made the move to a house, there was no question that the jonquils would join us. Aren't they sweet? Miss you, Gram!

Now my Paternal Grandmother lived in the same home for at least fifty years, and the flower that most reminds me of her is the lilac. My mother had white lilacs, but I was always soooo admired Grammie's dark purple ones. They were in an intensely sunny spot behind her house where I often played with my cousins. I vividly recall the luxurious scent of those gorgeous blooms! With every inhalation of lilacs, I think of my grandmother and her house. When we bought our house, it came with MANY lilac bushes, but none of them were getting nearly enough sun. I recall one of my first serious gardening efforts being the relocation of multiple lilac bushes. There are so many that I divided them and have given many away. Mine are light purple (see pic), but part of my garden visions include a dark purple lilac just like my grandmother's. Hmmmm...... I wonder who lives in that house now... And if it would be weird if.......

Anyway... I have to say that my biggest "gardening for beauty" inspiration has been my mother-in-law. In fact, I think that she is a descendent of.... is it Linneus? A Swede who documented and classified hundreds of species of plants and flowers? I'll double check on that. My MIL's garden is gorgeous and fills her with a lot of satisfaction and pride. She will not travel or plan any medical procedures in the sprintime because it would interfere with her gardening. Some of the things she has taught me is the "one person's weed..." lesson (see photo below of a wild strawberry), and that tree stumps make wonderful plant holders. She believes in natural beauty that is cared for. Here are some pics from my garden, all inspirations or donations from my wonderful MIL.

GREEN THUMB BLESSINGS

TO YOU ON MOTHER'S DAY!!!

Green Gifting

2010-05-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

This is the first year that I have grown seedlings indoors and am loving the whole "gift" thing! Here you can see my "greenhouse" (aka living room/toy room/office) that is starting to look like a jungle. I barricaded the seedlings with toys so that little fingers would be less likely to explore. I learned this early after little Miss M moved around some of my markers early in the season. Because of this, many of my plantings are now called "Matilda's Mystery Tomato" because it could be any one of the 5 different tomato varieties I planted.

As you can see, my desk has officially succumbed to these babies and I am now blogging and working from the kitchen (that's Basil in the background. Not the plant, the cat). My husband doesn't get this but I planted extra seeds in case some didn't come up, saved some seeds to give away to other green-thumbers, and I still have a plethora of babies! Tomatoes, red peppers, husk cherries, broccoli, pumkins, cucumbers.... It's a little out of control to be perfectly honest. The time came to start "gifing" out of both love and necessity.

Some occasions have come up in the last couple of weeks where this abundance has come in handy. We visited a friend at her parent's house while she was in town and I thought that it would be nice to buy some flowers for the host and hostess. Being short on both time and cash, I went to my stash and assembled a lovely seedling basket of two types of tomatoes, pepper, and broccoli. On a note card I wrote the names of the plants, the dates the seeds were planted, and the website of the seed company so the recipients can look up any other information about the seeds/plants. They loved it!

Last weekend I did a similar thing... I found a basket in the basement, and terra cotta pot in the shed, put together a gift of seedlings. This time I had my son draw a picture on some card stock and I wrote the seedling information on the inside. See attached pic. Again, the recipients were quite pleased as they are planning their first garden this summer.

Another green gift opportunity came this week when a neighbor/friend had a birthday. She had been talking about wanting to have more plants and flowers in front of her house, but did not know where to start. So I attacked my perennials with a trowel, dug up different types of hostas, some periwinkle, and sedum. While she was at work, I did some stealth planting and left a birthday card at her door. She called me later that night and said that she was so surprised and touched that it made her cry!

Today's gift was to my son's after-Kindergarten program and my daughter's daycare. The After-Kindergarten program is located in a former Farm Store on property that has long been farmland. Last year the farm generously allocated a portion of their property for Community Gardens, where my son's program keeps a 15'x15' plot. They need seedlings for their new garden, so it was a very welcome contribution. They will bring the seedlings outdoors with them during recess for "hardening off", to acclimate them to the elements before planting them in their plot. It feels really good to donate to such a wonderful learning opportunity for these little ones!

My daughter's daycare just happens to be located in an old Farmhouse. They keep chickens, have wonderful outdoor plants and flowrs, lovely trails in the woods, and an all-around wonderful earthy feel. I surprised them with some seedlings this morning for the owners and the teachers and they were all very touched and pleased. One teacher is thrilled because she is having financial difficulties and this will provide food for her family. The owner is planning on growing some of the plants beside the playground for the children to watch, nurture, harvest, and for snack time.

My next donation will be to the Community Garden's Plant A Row (PAR) program. We are collectively tending two 15'x15' plots which will soon be ready for seedlings. We will share the donations, the weeding, the watering, the harvesting, and the delivering of the produce to a town/church food bank that has identified 26 local families in need.

I tell you, I think my heart is going to explode! I am honored to spread my love through gardening and also love that my children are observing and participating in this process. The many late hours of planting, watering, nurturing, and re-potting are paying off and these little gifts are treasures will nourish my family, my friends, and my community. Now I look forward to the hardening off, planting, coddling, and harvesting. Oh yeah, and to getting my office back :D

Putting Out

2010-04-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

Decisions regarding when and where to Put Out your seedlings do not have to be confusing or complicated.  A well educated gardener can make informed decisions regarding when to Put Out by taking into consideration just a few, simple factors.   There are many great gardeners who have come before you and you can learn from their successes and their mistakes.

IS MY GARDEN READY?
You may be tempted to place a precious seedling into your soil on a particularly sunny day when you are in the mood for a little gardening But it is important to use not just your heart, but also your head. And getting to know your garden is extremely important before deciding to put out.

First you need to know your Zone, and this information can be easily found online.  Your particular zone will have, from year to year, its own unique "Put Out" date, when it is believed that there is no longer a chance of a frost. Take this "put out" date as a general recommendation. Gardening should not be mechanical and you may have some other personal factors to work around.   For example, it may be difficult to put out when you are working, while your kids are having a play date, or when your in-laws are in town. Simply delaying your put out by a couple of days will not cause harm to your specimen or to your garden.

Back to the web, I must caution you that there is a lot of misinformation out there. Sadly there are websites that are just trying to make money from objectifying your beautiful garden. They do not truly care about the best interest of your soil or your blossoms, so be sure you are dealing with a reputable source in order to avoid frustration and embarrassment.

Beware also of Zone Envy. Though I often wish that I was a zone 4 person, I happen to live in Zone 5a. There are many Zone 4 specimen that I adore but after many unsuccessful plantings, I have finally come to terms with my zone and stopped trying to make it something it is not. I have wasted a lot of time and money by planting specimens that simply have no business being in my zone. Sure they may look pretty, seem exotic, smell nice or taste good, but these experiments ultimately fail. This can lead to discouragement, remorse, and sometimes even shame. It's best to respect your zone, appreciate these specimen from a distance, leave them at the nursery, and just walk away.

The next step is to really understand your soil. In this article from Fine Gardening http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/hows-your-soil-texture.aspx, the author explains in great detail how to perform tests in the privacy of your own home. Obtaining informative and useful results involves understanding the importance of the depth in your sampling, the nuances of texture, your soil's ability to hold moisture and nutrients, and of course, fertility considerations.

IS THIS SEEDLING READY?
Also noted in this article is, "There is is no hard and fast rule to how tall a plant should be before you put it out in the garden due to the fact that different plants grow to different sizes." Simply put, do not judge your seedling by its size as it has nothing to do with how well it will perform. Just ensure that your specimen has an appropriate level of maturity by making sure that it has at least 3-4 "true leaves". Otherwise you risk causing permanent damage to this young specimen. There really should be a law against it, in my opinion.

Once you have decided that your soil, zone, and seedling conditions are ideal for putting out, you still shouldn't rush the process. It is important to respect your seedling's transition through a process called "Hardening off." In an article titled How To Harden Off Your Seedlings, http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/problems/how-to-harden-off-your-seedlings.htm, the author explains how the 'Hardening' process will make your plants grow stronger and perform better when you finally place them in your garden.   Here is a pic of some of my babes getting used to the elements before taking the final plunge into the dirt.

While putting out too early can be detrimental to your garden, so too can be putting out too late, as noted in an article by Gardeningknowhow.com http://paulstamatiou.com/how-to-quickie-embedded-flickr-slideshows/. "If you put [your seedlings] out before they are ready, they may have a hard time surviving the elements. If you wait too long, your seedling may become pot bound in its original container." If you have never seen a root bound seedling, it's not a pretty sight. It can be really difficult for this root system to create a successful planting,this is always a bit of a disappointment.

Please see my post on companion plantings while deciding which plant should go where in your garden. It's like eHarmony for plants!

It is usually at this point that I take a post about gardening and toss in some analogies to psychology and life. However "putting out" is such a sacred topic that one risks trivializing its importance by making trite comparisons, so I will save any analytical ponderings for another day. As Freud said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

Funny Pharma - Antidepressants and Miracle Gro

2010-04-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

I just read a GREAT article by Katrina Alcorn in the Huffington Post titled Peaceful Revolution: If You Give a Mouse A Prozac http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katrina-alcorn/ipeaceful-revolutioni-if_b_531042.html. She began experiencing crippling symptoms of depression, exhaustion, panic attacks, and sleep disturbances while attempting to "balance" a demanding commute and job with young children.

Her quote/recap in red summarizes her story. My comments are in black.

1. Trying to work full time and raise young kids put my body under unendurable strain (Been there, done that)

2. My body broke down. (Symptoms of depression including sleep disturbance and anxiety)

3. The doctors decided that something was wrong with me, so they prescribed pills (antidepressant)

4. Those pills made it impossible to sleep, so they prescribed more pills. (sleeping pills)

5. The second pills depressed my breathing and made it look like I had sleep apnea. (extensive sleep study)

6. The doctors gave me a machine to treat the sleep apnea (expensive and not covered by health insurance), which dried out my (medium-to-large) nose and made me sick (with a cold).

Mamma Alcorn took the diagnosis off from herself and gave it back to its orignal owner: It is crazy to put working parents in impossible situations where they are bound to go crazy, and then act like there's something wrong with them for going crazy.  This is a classic case of treating the symptoms and not the problem.

This article REALLY spoke to me. When I became a mother, I was self-employed with a thriving psychotherapy practice and loved my work.  I was fortunate in that I stopped working at week 36, was not limited to 12 weeks of maternity leave, could come back to work part-time, and could schedule my own hours. I pumped and napped in my office in between clients. Ideal, no?

Actually, no. With the sleep deprivation and multiple life-stressors, my own symptoms of childhood trauma began to surface. Despite being a trained therapist, I was also ignoring my own symptoms of Post Partum Depression and Anxiety. At the time I was too 'in the thick of it' to see the forest through the trees. We just had a newborn (who did not sleep well for the first couple of years), bought our first house, moved, my father began having health problems, and I had two miscarriages. I was simply in survival mode and functioning on adrenaline and cortisol.

As I became more and more specialized in trauma treatment, my workload of clients became more skewed in the direction. I began having nightmares of not only my own trauma, but those of my clients as well. I had intrusive thoughts about my patients, panic attacks, sobbing spells, was not thinking clearly, and very irritable. I was waking in the middle of the night and unable to get back to sleep, blah blah blah blah blah.

Finally I made the extremely difficult and painful decision to close my practice, something I had worked so hard for and had so much pride in. I was given a prescription for an antidepressant which I did not fill. I tried two jobs as an employee thinking that a different line of work would solve my problems, not medication. But I just couldn't maintian the pace. Those memories of racing out of the office to pick up my kid from childcare and coming home to a dark and empty house are forever burned in my memory. My husband typically didn't get home until 630pm from his job, leaving me to care for a tired child and attempt to make a healthy-ish meal.   You know the drill, right?

After being essentially fired from my last job, I finally filled the prescription, got back into therapy, took some tai chi and yoga, starting getting acupuncture, and was able to sustain my next pregnancy.

So let us draw some parallels to gardening, shall we? 'Cause you know that's what I do!

Placing an overtaxing burden on any organism is going to make them unealthy at best and unsustainable at worst. People and plants need the proper nutrients and environment in order to thrive. People should ideally have adequate housing, healthy and plentiful food, a supportive environment, rest, relaxation and some sun. Similarly, plants thrive with the correct balance of nutrients in their soil, adequate water, the proper amount of sun for their species.

Now what about synthetic assistance? There is a lot of research out there, as well as my own anectodal experience, which suggests that anti-depressants improve your mental and physical health. Similarly, Miracle Gro can cause your plants to shoot up quickly and prolifically. You don't have to google past the first page to find some very strong opinions on either side of each debate. A lot of the arguments for both anti-depressants and Miracle Gro involve:

          Research & professional recommendations
          Ease of use
          Financial implications
          It's not hurting anyone
          t's my decision and my body/plant/soil

The arguements against both synthetics include
         Treating the symptoms, not the problem
         Side effects on body/plant/soil
         Environmental (negative impact on soil, water)
         Political (research studies skewed, big industry, fossil fuels)

Personally I shy away from synthetics when I can, but when I was down and out and could not see my way to a solution, I caved. And guess what, it helped enormously. If I were a farmer and my tribe was depending upon me to feed them or they would stave, perhaps I would break down and head to the local hardware store for some of that Grower of Miracles.

A few months ago I went to dinner with 3 other moms. We enjoyed pleasant conversation about our children, work, holidays, and books. But by the time the bill came, the conversation had taken a severe turn. Suddenly we were all sharing about our anxieties, our overwhelm, our failing health, and ordering another bottle of wine. Three of us "confessed" that we are taking antidepressents and the fourth, the only one with tears streaming down her face, was not (but she is now!).

Everyone's circumstances are different, and judging individual decisions for their particular set of circumstances was trained out of me in college and grad school. However I do think it important to really examine the big picture. What is the common denominator that now four out of four women (granted, a rather homogenous sampling) are taking antidepressants for virtually the same complaints? And what can we do to TRULY replenish our soils? What will give us REALLY deep roots so we can grow really tall, strong, and colorful?

Seed Organization

2010-04-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

I have always had a tough time keeping track of my seeds. In the springtime, packets are often lying here and there, leaving me scratching my head and feeling very confused and disorganized. ls this packet from this year or last? I thought I bought cuke seeds, where the heck are they? Oh crap! I found the cuke seeds but now it's September! See the problem, here?

At its extreme, clutter can be diagnosable for its compulsive, addictive and life-interfering consequences. I'm sure you've seen the Dateline specials. On an everyday basis, clutter is a serious challenge for even the average person. I've become a lot better at it out of necessity. With my new system of seed organization, I anticipate that both my garden and my mind will be much more pleasant and productive places to hang out.

Though I'm not tidy person by nature, I really dislike disorganization. When I take the time to organize (or better yet, someone does it for me), I can think more clearly, I lose fewer things, and I don't end up wasting money from lost items. Having purchased a ridiculous amount of seeds this year, I was a little overwhelmed by what needed to be planted when, indoors or outdoors, how long before last frost, days until germination, and so forth. Determined to not waste these precious little embyonic propagaters, I really needed to come up with a system for packet control.

First I found a carboard box that would fit a couple rows of packets. Next I made some "index cards" and created categories including: Veggies, Seed Indoors; Veggies, Direct Seed; Flowers, Seed Indooors; Flowers, Direct Seed; Herbs, Seed Indoors; Herbs, Direct Seed; and Greens.

I divided the packets into the appropriate categories and then divided them further with rubber bands by the number of weeks recommended to plant before the last frost. I wrote those categories on the index cards with the seeds types below. For example, with the 'Flowers, Seed Indoors' index card, I grouped together the flowers that require 10+ weeks before last frost, 8-10 weeks, 6-8 weeks, 4-6 weeks, and 3-4 weeks. See the picture if I'm not expaining myself well.

This next idea I stole from Lina at http://aptgarden.blogspot.com/. As I plant the seeds, I have been placing the packet, empty or with seeds remaining, into a photo album with pockets for 4x6 pictures. I made sure to choose an album that has space beside the packets to write information about when I planted the seeds, how I planted them, when and where I put them outdoors, and any notes on the resulting plants or vegetables.

Do you have any ideas or methods for seed organization that you wouldn't mind revealing to me and the gardening blogosphere? Do share!!!

Companion Planting

2010-04-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

The Vegetable Gardner's Bible by Edward C. Smith talks about garden planning as being time well spent and I couldn't agree more. For me, garden planning is one of the few highlights of winter in Maine! My visioning often coincides with some big football event. The Superbowl perhaps? I don't know for sure. I'm too busy with my nose in gardening books, catalogs, and magazines. I grab a pile of my favorites, kiss my husband goodnight, and head for the bedroom. He calls it my "housewife porn," but I'm pretty sure don't have a problem. It's not hurting anyone, right?

So back to garden planning... part of the planning that Smith's 'Bible' discusses is the "buddy system" for plants. "Some plants have a synergistic relationship with certain other plants. One or both of them grow better, yield more, and sometimes even taste better when they grow near one another. These are often called 'companion plants'."

Now isn't that just the coolest thing? Beets simply thrive in the presence of bush beans, cabbage, corn, leek, lettuce, lima beans, onion, and radish.  Eggplant may be finicky wallfowers, but they do enjoy spending time with bush bean, peas, pepper,and potato.  And the uber-extraverted tomatoes are psyched to hang out with asparagus, basil, bee balm, bush bean, cabbage, carrot, celery, chive, cucumber, garlic, head lettuce, marigold, mint, nasturtium, onion, parsley, pepper, and pot marigold.

So I assume you know where I'm going to go with this one. People too can have synergistic relationships in various arenas: romantically, artistically, professinally, and so on. But just like plants, the presence of certain others may be merely neutral, while some are downright aversive. I know that there are some folks with whom I thrive and blossom, whereas with others I feel like withering. You know what I'm talking about here, right?

Synergistic relationships can lead to prolific growth and blossoming. I recently heard an interview with the creators of South Park and they are a great example of long-term, mutually thriving relationship with great productivity. How about The Beatles? Abigail and John Adams? I remember the very moment I first locked eyes with the man who is now my husband. There was just something familiar in his smile, soothing in his voice, and comforting in his presence. After nine years, I would say that our companionship has been pretty bountiful. We certainly have healthy, colorful, and vibrant offshoots!

In On Narcissism Freud's "On Narcissism: An Introduction" (Contemporary Freud Series), Freud theorizes that the idealization of love objects often has to do with the deficits in our ego. In some cases, a "Cure By Love" is successful and other times it can lead to an excessive dependence on the partner. Making sure you are the healthiest specimen you can be precipitates finding a healthy companion and bountiful harvest. What are the deficits in your ego? What can you do to become healthier? Psychotherapy can be very helpful (see how to find the right therapist link below). Examine your deficits, where they originated, and what you can do to heal them to be a Super Seeding, cape and all.

Back to the Garden Bible, Smith's first step in planning is to "eliminate antagonistic relationships" or the "inhibitors":  His terms, not mine! Once again gardening, interpersonal relationships, and mental health are marvelously analagous! There are some amazon links I attached below to books that have great insights and tips in identifying and weeding out the inhibitors in your life. Again, psychotherapy be very helplful with this. You get to talk about your unhealthy relationships for an entire hour, hear yourself as you define these problems, acknowledge your participation with a supportive person, and get some unbiased feeback from a trained professional.  Al Anon groups are also a great option. They are free, confidential, you don't have to talk if you don't want to, listen to and learn from other people's experiences, and the meetings addess codependence and establishing boundaries in toxic relationships.

So a carrot walks into my therapy office...... (no, not the setup for a joke). Presumably said carrot's primary complaint is resulting in a failure to thrive in some way. A la Freud, we might explore things like the carrot's early germination, growing environment, soil and weather conditions. We would discuss how that has shaped her thoughts, beliefs, self-concept, behaviors, and of course her relaionships. During this process we would look at what things are within this carrot's control. Might she re-evaluate some of her thoughts and behaviors that are not serving her well? In examining relationships, we would likely discover that celery, dill, and parsnip are stunting her growth.  So can she limit her exposure them somehow?  Will she choose to move to a different garden? Are there other ways to increase her nutrients, rain, and sun?

Way back in my hipster Boston days I went to a party thrown by a cool, artsy couple who were, by the way, synergistic blossomers. At the door entrance there was a table for what looked like name tags. But tnstead of "hello my name is" stickies, they were typed quotes for you to choose from and wear. I chose a quote that said, "Surround yourself with people who respect and treat you well."  That piece of paper has been long since misplaced and I can't seem to find the author, but I loved that quote! It has come to mind many times in my contemplations about friendships, relationships, and family.

Now 41, much less hip but a whole lot wiser (subjective opinion), I look back with a little embarassment and humility at my poor companion choices and wasted time, even with marvelous quote in hand. I suppose with gardening, there is a rigorous process performed by the brightest of horticulturalists and master gardeners to discover which plants work best with which. So I'll chalk up some of my past to... well.... research I guess.

Regardless of your past and present, it is always important to plan for your future garden. Remember that you deserve to thive and blossom - true that! Take good care and choose your companions well!

Seedling Central

2010-04-09T18:23:00.000-07:00

So this is the year that I have taken on the endeavor of growing seeds inside. Many an hour have been spent pouring through books, magazines, and the good ol' 'internets' researching methods and materials. To be honest, I had been toying with the idea for a few years now, but was confused by the different products available and leery of the investment requirements. But this winter I studied extra hard, made some executive decions, held on tight to my wallet, and took the plunge.

Because they are local, have many organic options, and are all-around-uber-cool, I chose Johnny's Selcected Seeds to purchase my products http://www.johnnyseeds.com/. However I will also attach Amazon links to the same or similar products so that you can see the information and images of the things I have used or am considering.

One of the coolest investments I made this spring is a seedling heating mat. They come in various sizes and I chose 20"x20" so two trays will fit perfectly. You keep the pad under the trays, and it elevates the temperature of the soil by roughly 10 degrees - ideal germination conditions for most seeds.  Cover the tray to seal in moisture and heat until the seedlings are an inch or two high. Then it's time for the seedling rotation! I take the cover off, take the sprouted trays off the mat, keep them close to the window for light, and proceed to plant more, more, more!!!

And now a shout out to the maintenance of domestic tranquility...  my husband was not impressed with the moisture leakage from the covered seedling trays, the watering overflows, and the spillage of soil. He tends to be more particular about these things than his hands-in-the-dirt wife. I think I may have improved the situation by laying an old towel on the window sill, then a layer of plywood, then the heating pad, then the seedling trays. Problem (hopefully) solved.

So another cool investment I made and played with is the Soil Block Maker. It comes in three different sizes, and I chose the medium. No pic on amazon and I'm too lazy right now to go take a picture of mine. Maybe later. The Johnny's Link is http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-455-soil-block-makers.aspx. There is a cool block-maker-demonstration video at Johnny's website that really helped me to understand it better. Check it out: at http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-video_soilblocking.aspx?source=Videos.  Overall I have found the soil block maker to be a pretty cool investment. It's a little more labor intensive initially than simply dumping germination soil into plastic cell flats or biodegradable pots before adding your seeds.  One advantage over plastic cell flats is obviously in the amount of non-recylable waste and purchasing new ones every couple of years. The biodegradale pots are cool and quick for filling with your soil, but are one-use products. The blocker is a higher initial investment, but there is no waste, no further investment, and the seedlings don't become root-bound like they can in containers.

For comparison purposes, I have also used some plastic cell flats (promising to be very gentle and to wash them thoroughly with a little bleach before re-using) www.johnnyseeds.com/c-451-cell-flats.aspx and I have transplanted some blocked seedlings into some organic, biodegradable pots www.johnnyseeds.com/c-594-biodegradable-pots.aspx. Some of my seedlings from the "blocks" got a little "leggy" when I left them covered for too long, so I put them into the pots and added more germination mix to give them additional support.

An extremely important item in the seedling production rock-pile is the germination mix. Now don't be going out to your front yard and digging up some dirt, okay? I said... Okay!!?? The best route is an organic germination mix that includes sphagnum (brown) and sedge (black) peat mosses, compost, and perlite. Your seedlings will thank you for it, and if planting veggies you body will thank you for it as well. I'm no horticulturalist, but "organic" materials by Miracle Gro or Scott's kinda give me the creeps.

So besides the seeds (a topic for another day), that covers some of the basics. On my radar for future investmests are the following:

1) A thermostat for my seedling heating pad that will help to regulate the germination temperatures with more finesse.

2) A grow light system. I have a reasonably sized, southish-facing bay window so I am using this alone during my first year of seedling experimentation.

3) Another cool product on the market is a piece of crap. Seriously! Check out these Cow Pots!
They are made of cow manure, can be inserted directly into the ground, organic, biodegradable, and add nutrients to your soil and plants. How cool is that in an icky-weird-why-didn't-I-think-of-that sort of way? What a GREAT gift!

4)  My very own greenhouse. I know, I know... I'm shooting for the stars... But check this baby out! Adorable, no?

Soooo.... I shall cover "seed selection" at another time. I have probably bored you to absolute tears and will give you a chance to recover whilst I go clean up my leaky cell flats.

Happy Germinating!!!

Weeding Plants and People

2010-04-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

I hated weeding as a child. It was a chore that required completion in order to not only receive my weekly allowance, but to also avoid punishment from my erratic father (the latter of which was ALWAYS a priority in our house). I recall many a summer day weeding in the garden when all I really wanted to be doing is riding my bike, building a treehouse, or playing kickball. Weeding was tedious and boring and interfered with fun with my neighborhood friends.

At times weeding was even difficult, especially in the rows of early corn. It was hard to differentiate between the weeds and the seedlings. One time my father was weeding a few yards behind me and pulled out all of the weeds I had not pulled, at risk of them being corn seedlings. Very sternly my father commanded my attention, pointed out the lookalike weeds on the ground, and claimed that they were corn. My heart sunk, believing that I had pulled out these precious seedlings. Then my heart began to race, fearing the ensuing punishment from this erratic grown-up. But instead he began to laugh and fessed up. My heart still lodged fimly in my throat, I attempted to laugh as well. This was his idea of a joke. It's my idea of anxiety.

Perhaps this is why I like to weed when I am anxious and/or angry. Instead of saying the wrong thing to the wrong person, I scold the weeds with severe displeasure at their very existence. I reprimand them for daring take up precious nutrients and space in my garden. And finally I pull them, trying to pull up as much of their subterranean evidence as possible, leaving their roots to dry in the sun before moving their withered carcasses to an undiclosed location.

In addition to becoming sociopathic while weeding, I also become philosophic. I can't help but ponder things liked, "What is a weed, anyway?" Seriously! Think about it! I loved dandelions as a child and was utterly baffled by my father's insistance that they were evil. Now I understand why. And how about invasives like evening primrose or wild morning glory? They are beautiful yes, but they will crowd out your other precious babies. I took some evening primrose from my MIL's "wild area" and put some in my tiny 0.21 acre lot. Big mistake. They are lovely to begin with, then they began crowding out my lillies, my sage, and overtaking my lawn. Like a total chucklehead I even shared some with my neighbors (sorry guys...).

So what is a weed, anyway? The omniscient Wiki says:

A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-made settings such as gardens, lawns or agricultural areas, but also in parks, woods and other natural areas. More specifically, the term is often used to describe native or nonnative plants that grow and reproduce aggressively.[1] Generally, a weed is a plant in an undesired place.

Hmmm... which gets me all philosophical again. I start thinking about some of the people in my life as weeds that need uprooting or that I have uprooted, somtimes angrily, sometimes by accident, and sometimes without even realizing it. Do you have any of these people-weeds in your life? Pretty perhaps, but invasive? Aggressive? Sun stealing? Nutient robbing? A general nuisance?

Yes, uprooting undesirable plants was definitely a boring chore as a child and a teenager. Weeding out peers sometimes came naturally, but I often did it with too much venom, much like my family. Cut off your nose to spite your face sort of stuff. Weeding out grown-ups was a whole different story. It was not possible. They were always there to contend with. I lived on their turf. I attended their schools. I was born into their world. Many of them I liked, but some of the ones closest to me were pretty toxic. You know, like the seed packets that warn you not to use around children. Some parents should come with such labels.

As an adult, weeding out people still comes with a lot of confusion and frustration. "But he's pretty." "But she smells good." "But dammit she's strangling me and sucking the nurtients from my soil!" And when is enough enough? I guess that it varies from person to person, plot to plot, season to season. It can depend on how much nutrients you have available to share. It can depend upon your definition of a weed. After all, one person's weed is another person's rose. So do you put up with the invasive despite your mounting frustration? When and how do make the decision that they have to go? And what method do you choose? Do you attack violently with a hoe? Cathartic perhaps, but you may not get all of the roots. Do you go all Round-Up on them and risk the organic nature what you have been cultivating?

I am trying ever so hard to be thoughtful about the weeds I pull and how I pull them. If I do it correctly, I can do it with compassion and effectiveness. Difficult, no? As a child, I could not weed out my family. They met many of the criteria of weeds, but I was not a full-fledged-farmer yet. All my siblings and I had learned about weeding people involved bulk quantities of Rouind-Up. For example, out of four siblings, I don't think that any of us are on good terms with another at present. It's all hoes, pitchforks, arsenic, and lighter fluid. Not much thoughtful or empathic about it. At this point I have a respectful relationship with my father and mother, but I certainly do not expect it to bloom into a gorgeous bouquet. I have not weeded them out thoroughly like my sibs have at various points in their lives. But I visit them sparingly. This limits the amount of "aggressiveness" I am exposed to, the amount of nutrients they can take, and the amount of sun they may block.

Although I was not handed tools to weed thoughtfully and effectively, I am trying. Honest, I am. Deep down inside, I still just want to build a clubhouse with my good friends. A good resource that I have used for weeding people and drawing/maintaining boundaries is a book called "Emotional Blackmail" by Susan Forward and Donna Frazier. It is especially relevent when dealing with weeds of an especially toxic, substance abusing, invasive, personality disordered, nutrient sucking nature. And of course a classic is definitely "The Dance of Anger" by Harriet Lerner. She eloquently guides women through "weeding" in an effective yet environmentally friendly, non Round-Up manner. And of course there's always therapy. It's so helpful to lay it all down and look critically at the relationships in your life.

These are the contents of my brain while weeding my gardens.

May your gardens be free of weeds and may your methods of extraction be effective and compassionate.

Commitment

2010-04-07T18:15:00.000-07:00

I have just spent an INORDINATE amount of time trying to set up my blog, figuring out if I'm selling my soul by monetizing my account, wondering about all of those "I agree to" boxes I check-marked, and fretting over pics, fonts, and edits galore. I started writing about my pansies, then had to "draft" that post because what is truly on my mind is... well... what exactly am I committing to here? Is blogging a good way to spend my time? I like the idea of the whole blogging gig because I like to share, I like to write, I like to read (in spurts) and I like my self-selected topics, and I like the social aspect (presuming, of course, somebody reads this someday!) But at the same time my seedlings need some attention and the towels have been sitting in the dryer for 3 days now. Can I add on one more project? Can I sustain a blog? If I actually get followers, will I disappoint them if/when I do not write? Is it a project that I will naturally be drawn to or will it become a chore? Can I truly commit?

Gardening was a chore when I was a child, but now I am naturally drawn to and committed to it. I never feel like I have spent an inordinate amount of time on ANYTHING when it comes to gardening, I just wish that I had more of it (time, that is). But blogging and gardening do have a couple of things in common. The first commonality that comes to mind is that there are tangible results. When one writes or gardens, you can step back, take a deep breath, look at your work, and feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. This is something that I rarely felt as a psychotherapist. The changes the clients made were not nearly as tangible. I certainly celebrated the successes of my former clients, but they were not a daily occurence.

One problem that I encountered as a psychotherapist was my inate extroversion. I found the profession to be quite isolating actually, especially in private practice. Despite "talking" all day, it was one-sided sharing and I couldn't exactly talk to my family and friends about "work." See what I mean, here? Mothering has been rather isolating as well. I used to be quite social but now I do not have the time nor the budgetary availability to socialize the way I used to. I believe that this will change as the children get older. For now, I meet a lot of my socializing needs through Facebook. My gardening helps to cure the "I can't hear myself think" (NOW I know what all those moms meant by that phrase), but not the social isolation. So I am hoping that blogging will help fill that void that my inner extravert is screaming for.

Something that I may find pleasurable in blogging about gardening is that I can post pics of my garden. I finally bought a grown-up camera (still in need of a grown-up lens) and I look forward to displaying my botanical creations to those who share an appreciation. Now I just have to figure out how to get my pics from my computer to the slideshow without bypassing other websites. Arggghhh!!!

Well, there you have it... My half-hearted commitment to this blog. As an extravert, I welcome your input.

Planting Seeds for Sanity

2010-04-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

Well HELLLOOOOOO Blogosphere! My name is Cherie and I am a 41 year old mom of two, a wife, a former psychotherapist, and a home gardener: thus my blog name. The Funny Farm is a not-so-politically correct reference to a psychiatric hospital. Catch the humor? Anywho... This morning I was researching some gardening information and found some wonderful blogs out there - Kudos! It's really cool to see people willing to share their ideas, pics, thoughts, and struggles - both personally and botanically. Then I thought - Hey! I want to do that too!

Growing up in Maine, I had a lot of gardening responsibilities. My Dad (you'll hear more Funny Farmish references in the future when it comes to my family of origin!) worked full time at various jobs and kept two large vegetable gardens at home. Back then gardening was a chore that interrupted my play time. In my 20's I did a LOT of playing, studied Psychology, was an occasional client, and did virtually no gardening. While apartment dwelling in my 30's, I worked at a Community Mental Health agency for 6 years, had a private practice for 6 years (I know, I know, my math isn't exactly accurate), was one again a client, and did some co-op gardening with my fellow apartment mates. I started to find that gardening and fun need not be mutually exclusive.

Now in my early 40's and finally a homeowner just 6 years ago (I'm starting to see a theme here...), I now have my own little piece of earth for perennials and more serious veggie gardening. I left the mental health field as a practitioner (still a client), and now find that gardening is a huge part of keeping my own sanity. My baby boy just turned six, my baby girl turns 2 this weekend, and now I am thinking that my dad probably would have been even crazier had he not worked his land.

Spring time is perfect for planting seeds - both literally and figuratively. Perhaps it's the six year thing? I am virtually unemployed as is my husband, in weekly therapy, and my kids and seedlings are thriving. I have put compost into my four 4x8 raised beds and just "rented" a 25x25 co op space. I have tiny tomatoes, peppers, husk cherries, broccoli, and various flowers in my windowsill. There are MANY more seeds packets awaiting germination. And for today's latest venture.... I am now a blogger. Here's to springtime and new beginnings! Welcome to my blog, my garden, my family, and the bats in my belfry.!