Sunday, April 10, 2011

Crap.  Lots of stuff has happened; or, not so much has happened, depending on your perspective.


The slugs were winning.  Then I went to Dusty's and had a deep moment in which I realized that I have been acting like dealing with the slugs is a burden, not part of gardening, and I shouldn't have to do it; then subsequently realized that dealing with the slugs is part of gardening, a part of the day-to-day maintenance that is such good medicine, and teaches us that our lives are made of the things we do regularly, and not the big occasional gestures.  And then I began to win.
Zelda and I planted peas all along the whole third bed and contrary to all my best hopes and resolutions, I did not note which kind went where, and I did not note one what day they planted.  Maybe one day I will have a deep moment about keeping garden records, and then this blog will stop being such a drag to write, and start really helping me.  I do keep taking pictures, though.

Along with the peas in #3 we put negretta favas and some radishes.

In the middle row under cover we planted wild arugula (which I bought even though I still have a ton of the other arugula seeds which I don't like as much and must find another use for), mustardy things, radishes, lettuce mix, and I don't know what else.
We have been harvesting kale like mad but now it is bolted and about over.

This winter is dragging all over this spring.  Please spring, come.
The ants are already on the cherry and I am on them with my tanglefoot.  But not so on them that I strangle the trees.  Ooops.
The favas in the North beds look great.  I am curious to see what they will make.

I keep buying random plants at the farmer's market for my fantasy permaculture perimeter.  I need to get a plan and a budget, fast.
I have some big questions about mulch.  Both artichokes look to be toast.  The asparagus was coming up white in all its nasty, mushy mulch. Delicacy, I know, but with rotty tips?  Jeff emptied the worm bin back when we had to decommission it, and put all the good stuff all around the fruit trees and then mulched them.  It was the middle of winter.  My feeling is that that was a heavy thing to do when things are breaking down so slowly, but what do I know?  maybe the artichokes were never going to come back...  If anyone read this blog, I would say: what's up with mulching?

Anyway, sign-off and publish, before another month goes by.

spring slug report 2010

Last Tuesday, March 8th, I put a few things into the ground.
It was an exciting time when I saw these starts at the Hillsdale farmers' market.  I was like some people are about dogs, or human babies.  More excited than is maybe appropriate.
I gently yanked them apart as I was instructed (even though I have never done such a thing before) and they looked nice.  Purple peacock (kale+sprouting broccoli), mixed lettuces, beets in the middle bed with the cover over; peas in #1, fennel around the trees in the back, for beneficial bugs.  All of them were sturdy little guys, not root-bound but well developed
Meanwhile, Gay Riley did her thing taming our white-trash tendencies in the driveway. 
 Suffice to say, it is not necessary for me to photograph the bare dirt where these lovely little plants once were.