Mostly about gardening
This morning Wes ran his first 5k race, and did it in 22 minutes and 12 seconds. He did pretty well and didn't seem extraordinarily tired or out of breath. It was fun to watch him come in and finish the race...but I forgot to bring the camera. This is Wes later today, when he was posting about it on facebook.
A gardener seems to be driven to post about their garden. Year after year spring comes, seeds get planted, weeds get pulled (or not), vegetables ripen, yet each year it seems miraculous and gardeners post about it. I'm no exception.
My week last week began with the last day of wheat harvest. My garden has a large area that was unplanted and the weeds had taken over. The whole patch was filled with weeds that were at least knee high. It took me all of my available time one morning and an hour the next to finish the job. While I worked I was bitten by countless mosquitoes, but I didn't notice it. I was wearing long sleeves and long pants, and was focused on the task, so in the afternoon when I observed the masses of red itchy spots on my shoulders and arms I was surprised.
When I was pulling the weeds Chuck offered to till the space for me. I gladly took him up on the offer, but it seems that all of the rototillers we usually borrow were currently out of working order. I called Dad and Mom, knowing that their garden tractor was also not working. I'd forgotten that they had an old garden tractor. They brought it over and Dad tilled it for me. The dirt was wonderful and mellow.
This year and last year I had late gardens. My spot just doesn't get enough sun and wind to dry out in the spring and I couldn't get stuff in early enough. I've been reading gardening books and discovered that raised beds dry out more quickly in the spring. I decided to take advantage of all that mellow soil and built up four raised beds. I planted green beans in one of them and winter squash in another. The other two are still unplanted, but will probably have some kind of legume to build up the nitrogen for next year. I plan to build two more beds as soon as the west side dries out a bit from my soaking the corn this week. I have a few potatoes to plant, and there will be some fall spinach to put in later.
The next two pics are of the new raised beds, now that the weeds are pulled and the aisles are mulched. This is looking from the northeast corner of the garden.
Near the house I have flower beds with some herbs in planters. This is some summer savory, which is wonderful with green beans.
Next is basil and cilantro, and in the rectangular containers on the sidewalk are some Thai basil seedlings that I want to put out around my tomatoes to keep bugs away.
Behind the basil and cilantro is this huge sunflower. It grew on its own. I didn't plant it, but I have a soft spot for sunflowers, so it towers over my flower bed.
Today we ate the first ripe tomatoes from the garden.
This week as I worked out there in the sun, sweating, with no breeze because of the trees on the south side of the garden, I thought about why I love doing this so much. I realized that if anyone was telling me to do the pulling weeds and moving dirt and carrying straw for mulch, I'd resent it. It wouldn't bring me nearly the joy that I get from working this patch myself.
Admittedly, it isn't all joyful. It is great to plan, research, and try new varieties and methods. It's so much fun to watch the seed sprout and grow, and the crops develop. But sometimes plants seem stunted for no explainable reason, or bugs take over a crop, or just when the squash is lush and green and threatening to take over the whole garden the plants overnight just seem to shrivel up and die. Those times aren't so great.
But still, there is something motivational about working my garden to grow my food. Once I get out to the garden I see more and more things I'd like to do before I go in, and before I know it the time I've set aside for it is gone. It would be different working in someone else's garden.
I think that is one of the pieces it is important to understand in looking at farming and the future. When you are working your own ground, planning for it, trying new things, making improvements, etc., you have such a strong personal investment in it. There is plenty of work that would be only drudgery if it wasn't part of the bigger picture of what your dreams are for that farm. The challenge is how to include more people in that dreaming, experimenting, investing themselves and finding it exhilarating. Is there a way to offer that to more people?
A gardener seems to be driven to post about their garden. Year after year spring comes, seeds get planted, weeds get pulled (or not), vegetables ripen, yet each year it seems miraculous and gardeners post about it. I'm no exception.My week last week began with the last day of wheat harvest. My garden has a large area that was unplanted and the weeds had taken over. The whole patch was filled with weeds that were at least knee high. It took me all of my available time one morning and an hour the next to finish the job. While I worked I was bitten by countless mosquitoes, but I didn't notice it. I was wearing long sleeves and long pants, and was focused on the task, so in the afternoon when I observed the masses of red itchy spots on my shoulders and arms I was surprised.
When I was pulling the weeds Chuck offered to till the space for me. I gladly took him up on the offer, but it seems that all of the rototillers we usually borrow were currently out of working order. I called Dad and Mom, knowing that their garden tractor was also not working. I'd forgotten that they had an old garden tractor. They brought it over and Dad tilled it for me. The dirt was wonderful and mellow.
This year and last year I had late gardens. My spot just doesn't get enough sun and wind to dry out in the spring and I couldn't get stuff in early enough. I've been reading gardening books and discovered that raised beds dry out more quickly in the spring. I decided to take advantage of all that mellow soil and built up four raised beds. I planted green beans in one of them and winter squash in another. The other two are still unplanted, but will probably have some kind of legume to build up the nitrogen for next year. I plan to build two more beds as soon as the west side dries out a bit from my soaking the corn this week. I have a few potatoes to plant, and there will be some fall spinach to put in later.
The next two pics are of the new raised beds, now that the weeds are pulled and the aisles are mulched. This is looking from the northeast corner of the garden.
and this is from the southeast corner of the garden.
While I'm showing the garden I might as well show the rest of it now, before the weeds spring up again. These are the oriental long beans east of the sweet corn.
The tomatoes are north of the corn, and the peppers are next to the tomatoes. There are a few newly planted sweet potatoes between the tomatoes and the corn in a tiny raised bed that is a little bit hard to see in this picture.
Near the house I have flower beds with some herbs in planters. This is some summer savory, which is wonderful with green beans.
Next is basil and cilantro, and in the rectangular containers on the sidewalk are some Thai basil seedlings that I want to put out around my tomatoes to keep bugs away.
Behind the basil and cilantro is this huge sunflower. It grew on its own. I didn't plant it, but I have a soft spot for sunflowers, so it towers over my flower bed.
Today we ate the first ripe tomatoes from the garden.
This week as I worked out there in the sun, sweating, with no breeze because of the trees on the south side of the garden, I thought about why I love doing this so much. I realized that if anyone was telling me to do the pulling weeds and moving dirt and carrying straw for mulch, I'd resent it. It wouldn't bring me nearly the joy that I get from working this patch myself.
Admittedly, it isn't all joyful. It is great to plan, research, and try new varieties and methods. It's so much fun to watch the seed sprout and grow, and the crops develop. But sometimes plants seem stunted for no explainable reason, or bugs take over a crop, or just when the squash is lush and green and threatening to take over the whole garden the plants overnight just seem to shrivel up and die. Those times aren't so great.
But still, there is something motivational about working my garden to grow my food. Once I get out to the garden I see more and more things I'd like to do before I go in, and before I know it the time I've set aside for it is gone. It would be different working in someone else's garden.
I think that is one of the pieces it is important to understand in looking at farming and the future. When you are working your own ground, planning for it, trying new things, making improvements, etc., you have such a strong personal investment in it. There is plenty of work that would be only drudgery if it wasn't part of the bigger picture of what your dreams are for that farm. The challenge is how to include more people in that dreaming, experimenting, investing themselves and finding it exhilarating. Is there a way to offer that to more people?
Comments
We are trying to figure out how to garden cooperatively when everyone has such different ideas about how things should be done or how the space should be used.
a note about the last post as well-
I always have regretted not pushing to get baptized at east lake- i think mine was the last class to do the traditional sprinkling on the stage- it never occurred to me to ask for anything else.
-leah