Spring is Coming!
Yesterday I got home from work with about 30 minutes to spare before it got dark. Boy can you get a lot done in 30 minutes.
I promptly got our the shovel and attempted to turn the compost, hoping that the sun had warmed it enough. No such luck; the core is still frozen solid. I managed to work the top, and added in some leftover leaves from the yard waste pickup bin.
Then I picked up sticks and inspected the the beds. Things are pretty soggy, and even downright smelly. But it felt so good to be doing stuff outside.
On Sunday I started fresca strawberries and green/purple globe artichokes. I’ve never grown either of these, and I suspect both are a little challenging, especially with the artichokes. In this climate, I have to trick them into thinking they are two-year-old plants.
Food for Thought
I haven’t done much reading this winter, but I recently cracked the cover of The United States of Arugula. It’s only been on my shelf for 18 months.
My generation barely remembers a time when exhaustive food labels weren’t commonplace. We grew up finding colorful produce in the supermarket in the winter. And as I set up my own household after the Food Network had launched a new mainstream food culture into our homes, “artisan” ingredients have become as everyday as a banana—which by the way, I would still qualify as an exotic fruit.
I think this is going to be a great read, right up there with Omnivore’s Dilemma and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Or maybe even Fast Food Nation?
If you’ve read the book, let’s talk after I get through reading it. And if you’ve got some other reading suggestions, I’d love to hear them.
Snow Can’t Keep Us Down
It’s really gross outside. This morning we awoke to several inches of slush.
But all the slush in the world can’t dampen my excitement for the coming of spring. In fact, I’m a little worried it will get here too fast; there’s so much to do. I’m waiting for my seed order to arrive, I’ve got to set up my growing lights, finish my planting calendar, buy a rototiller…
So keep it coming, Mother Nature. I could use a little extra time.
Compost Goodies
Lately I’ve been researching whether shredded office paper is appropriate for the compost pile.
The results seem to be inconclusive, though leaning heavily toward it being OK.
I’ve added my old shredded phone bills and medical statements to the compost before (watch the wind whip shreds of your life across the backyard!), but I’m questioning whether I want to make it a regular practice.
Some people think it’s OK if you’ve got a shortage of brown matter. Others say that the waxes and metals in the inks make it a bad idea.
My thinking is that it’s biodegradable, it’s uncoated, and one less thing that has to be collected by our recycling service. Plus, I’ve always heard that newspaper makes a great soil amendment.
Here’s an interesting list of household items that are OK to be composted. I never considered adding hair, but I’ve always tossed in tea bags and coffee grounds with filters.
What do you think? Do you have any creative additions to your compost?
Unofficial Seed List
I’ve spent many evening poring over the Kitchen Garden Seeds catalog (keepin’ it local!), and I’ve finally got a list that’s looking alright.
POLE BEANS
Purple Podded
Blue Lake
CARROTS
Royal Chanteray
Purple Dragon
SALAD GREENS
Merlot Batavian
Red Salad Bowl
Jericho Romaine
Arugula
SWISS CHARD
Bright Lights
PEAS
Snowflake
Petit Pois Precoville
TOMATOES
Heirloom mixture: Banana Legs, Big Rainbow Striped, Black Russian, Brandywine, Costoluto Genovese, Green Zebra, Persimmon
STRAWBERRIES
Fresca
PEPPERS
Red Beauty
Jalepeno
WINTER SQUASH
Pasta Spaghetti
Spooktacular Pie
Howden’s Field
BASIL
Sweet Broadleaf
BROCCOLI
Waltham 29
Then there’s some nasturniums, ornamental kale, and morning glories. PLUS, the possibility of a cool added surprise, if I can make it happen. I don’t want to jinx it the way I did the wheat.
If I had to cut anything from the list, I’ll probably reduce the tomatoes, but then I’d add some onions and garlic.
The list seems basic, but the reality is that this is what will get eaten in our house.
Anyone have anything exciting on the list this year?
That’s a Lotta Seeds
I was astonished to find my wish list of seeds came to nearly $100. One hundred dollars for seeds?
Am I crazy, or on-par?
Finally, sauce!
It’s taken me since September, but I finally made sauce from my frozen tomatoes.
I don’t know what took me so long. What was I waiting for, a nor’easter? Luckily, there’s a blizzard blowing now.
Basil, thyme, onions, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and…THAT’S IT. Perfect. Yum.
Planning for Spring
One of my goals for the coming season is to be a better planner.
This is a little difficult for me, because I struggle with reconciling my dreams for the gardens with the realities of life.
For example, I would love to turn the front lawn into an artful landscape, rather than have a bunch of boring grass. But one day we hope to sell our house and upgrade to dreamier diggs. We live in a typical suburban neighborhood where Scotts lawns are abundant. Removing the lawn could do serious damage to our home’s value.
If I could sum up how I wish things were, I fall somewhere between wanting the whole property to be an English cottage garden, and wanting productive spaces for food crops.
Since there is still a month or two before things begin to warm, I thought I would sit down and take a hard look at what I’ve got.
I created a basic layout of the property. And actually, I’m surprised at how much space is dedicated to gardens and living things. It’s a simple exercise, but it’s really forcing me to see the space for what it truly is.
My next step is to consider what I want to grow, what I want to accomplish, and then figure out how those goals fit into the picture.
For starters, I’m going to find ways to incorporate more food crops into ornamental gardens.
Then I’m going to see what kinds of things should be moved or eliminated, like the roses. I struggle with them, but I really don’t have a good home for any of them, except the bush rose on the northwest corner of the house.
Hopefully I’m on my way to better planning and less frustration!
Veggie Bowls
Oh, how I love these little bowls!
Margaret Dorfman's "Veggie Bowls"
Find them here.
Margaret also makes beautiful bracelets, which I’ve had my eye on for some time.
I’m constantly fascinated by using pieces of nature in art, and this is right up my alley.
Keeping Warm With Seed Catalogs
Happy New Year!
It’s been weeks since my last post, and admittedly it’s because the garden is buried in snow.
But here’s to new beginnings, and I’m ready to get back into the game. Even though I’ve been driven indoors, there’s lots to do. In fact, I’m already salivating over the seed catalogs that are beginning to trickle in the door.
The Suburban Farm 