Revitalizing the north side

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Today was a heavy-lifting day. We spent a good three hours trying to overhaul the north side of our plot -- the area we've been referring to as the ghetto. That's where we've been storing miscellaneous supplies such as extra boards, stakes, a roll of fence, a bag of mulch, and a half-empty bag of sand. It's like the "garage" area of the plot. The north side is also where I plant many of my summer flowers and, up until now, I've pretty much neglected that area since I've been focused on the spring plants.

Michael, with pickaxe in hand, took out the garage and extended the tomato bed to reach the back fence. Meanwhile, I was expressing a few choice words as I tried to hack through the wire grass that was encroaching from the plot north of us. (Yes, the wire grass is coming at us from all angles, except from Brad's plot on the west, because he overhauled his soil completely last year.) I dug out all the grass I could, then filled in the path along the fence with newspaper and two loads of wood chips.

Michael also took out the walkway we had and used the stones to build a little patio. It looked like he was doing some serious calculating there for a while to get all the rectangular stones to fit into a square pattern. (Better him than me.) It's barely big enough for the two of us to sit on, but it's really nice. He even finished it off by filling in the spaces with sand. Now we're calling this our back porch.

With these renovations, we now have a lot more space for the tomatoes and for more flowers. We sifted about two wheelbarrows full of soil and placed it on the flower bed and around some of the vegetables. All in all, it was a lot of work, but it feels great to have that part of the plot in better shape.

We Want Out!

Saturday, April 29, 2006

"We want out!", chanted the tomatoes from their cramped quarters underneath the grow lights. The general rule of thumb around here is: Don't put your tomatoes out until Mother's Day. But these guys are ready now. Michael transplanted two of them to the garden today. The rest will follow soon. It's been a bit on the chilly side lately -- in the mid 40's at night -- but they should be all right. I hope.

Wisteria gives me a buzz

Friday, April 28, 2006

You know you're obsessed with your new camera equipment when [fill in the blank].

My answer: When you're willing to snuggle up to a swarm of bees because you want that perfect tight shot of a single one.

It took two parts tenacity, one part bravery, and perhaps a dash of insanity to get this shot. I was out to take photos of the wisteria flowers by the edge of the community garden. As I got closer, I heard the buzz -- a loud buzz. Then I saw the swarm. There were no less than 30 large bees buzzing around that bush -- maybe more if you count the ones that were burrowed inside the fence post. They looked to me like bumble bees, so I didn't think they had stingers. Still, it was a bit unnerving.

I hung out with those bees for about an hour, hoping not to cause too much of an interruption in their frantic pattern of nectar gathering and mating. At one point, I thought the bees might signal to each other, "Hey, that lady's been hanging out here too long, let's all swarm her!"

Fortunately, I came away unscathed. And a few of the bees had paused long enough for me to get some great shots.

What is it?

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Can you guess?

Plot Tour

Let me take you on a tour of the plot. This is how it looked on Sunday, April 23. (Click on the image for a close-up.)

In the foreground of the photo are the strawberry plants, followed by spinach, scallions, Swiss chard, radishes and lettuce. To the right is red cabbage in front of parsley. (Also in that section -- but not visible in the photo -- we have bok choy, broccoli, lettuce, carrots, chives and beets.)

On the left, we're trying to build a section that's all herbs. I'm watering our lavender plants, which we transplanted from another area of the garden. I grew those last year from seed. They're the variety called Lady Lavender, which is one kind -- perhaps the only kind -- that blooms the first year from seed. I hope they will grow big this year and fill out that corner space.

Behind the lavender is tarragon, thyme, rosemary and oregano. To the left are a few basil transplants that Brad gave us. Further to the left (not visible in the photo), we planted dill, chervil, savory, and chamomile.

In the background, behind the veggie and herb beds... it's all flowers.

For the artistic, bookish gardener

Monday, April 24, 2006

(Photo: Adriane Herman/Maine College of Art)

Isn't this neat? The Portland Public Library in Maine asked artists to make something out of several old and underutilized books. This was Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass," recycled into "Field of Greens," by artist Susan Winn. Read about it in The New York Times.

Even more fun: Many of these works of art can be borrowed from the library. I think fellow garden blogger, Bookish Gardener, should have this one!

First dinner in the spring garden

We were out puttering in the garden yesterday afternoon and, when we got hungry, Michael offered to go back to the apartment and make a salad from whatever we could harvest. We picked one radish, a few leaves of spinach and Swish chard, and a bunch of our romaine lettuces -- Cimmaron and Little Gem. We cut fresh chives, parsley, and oregano. He whipped together a homemade vinaigrette.

Back at the garden, we enjoyed a wonderful salad for two -- our first meal from this spring's edibles, eaten alfresco and to the tune of the mockingbirds. It doesn't get any fresher than that!

Strawberry Update

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Our strawberries are coming along nicely. The rain we had yesterday and today will be great for them.

On Thursday, I saw one of my gardening neighbors, Brad, who has the plot to the west of ours. He's growing sorrel, garlic, and blueberries. He said his wife really likes sorrel and, since it cooks down quite a bit, he planted lots of it.

In his plot, he has a big bale of straw that he's been using for mulch. He offered me some, since he probably won't use the whole bale. I graciously accepted and put some around our strawberry plants, to keep the berries up and out of the mud. Here's a photo of how it looks. Those are our spinach plants in the foreground.

Pink on concrete

Saturday, April 22, 2006

It's been raining all day today. I took this photo on Thursday, when it was dry. These are cherry blossom petals along the sidewalk by our apartment. (See? I knew concrete would turn up on this blog eventually.)

Who let the dogs out?

Our community garden association had its annual spring meeting today. We discussed issues about fencing, approved a proposal to lock the tool shed at night, and reviewed the rules about what can and can't go onto the compost pile. We talked about seeing if Starbucks -- located two blocks from the garden -- would be willing to donate its coffee grounds for compost. We collectively thanked Bob, the garden services guy, for single-handedly doing the plumbing repairs. We elected Lew to be our new president. And we wished a happy birthday to Carl, one of our oldest members, who's in his eighties. For the most part, it was a straightforward meeting, except for the discussion about the dog park.

Our community garden is located in a D.C. park that also includes tennis courts and a children's playground. There is a group of local residents that is trying to get a dog park added in. It would be a fenced-in enclosure where pet owners could let their dogs run freely, off the leash.

Over the past two years, there has been much debate -- quite heated at times -- about the public health and environmental consequences of locating a dog park so close to an organic garden. Nobody wants dogs peeing on their daisies, much less their tomatoes.

The dog park proposal has yet to be approved by city officials. But in the meantime, we'll all have our opinions about it.

For my part, I am not opposed to dog parks, but I wonder why it's not possible to select a site that's away from the garden. I am in favor of creating a place for city dogs to exercise, but I wonder how much more dog traffic -- and along with it, their waste -- this will bring to our garden, as dog walkers pass through on their way to the designated, fenced-in area.

The way I see it, the big challenge is that we are dealing with human nature. Even with the signs that read, "No dogs allowed in the garden," there will always be people who ignore signs. Even with D.C. law requiring dogs to be walked on a leash, there will always be people who insist on letting their dogs run freely. And you know what? I actually don't mind if people come by the garden with their dogs. (I like dogs!) But it's when people let their dogs pee and poop on someone's garden -- that's what bugs me. And then you'll have people who dutifully abide by the Scoop-Your-Pet's-Poop Law, but there will always be those who leave it to fester by the rose bushes.

OK, if I've thoroughly grossed you out with all this dog-poop-in-the-garden stuff, I should finish by saying that our plot is completely fenced in and we are not planting lettuce near the fence anytime soon! All our vegetables and herbs are planted in the middle of the plot. And that's how we are going to keep it, dog park or not.

Lilac in Bloom

Friday, April 21, 2006

Lawn Alternatives?

In response to one of my previous posts, Jim asked about alternatives to growing lawn. He said:

"My entire back yard needs a redo - home improvements, two dogs and lots of shade - not to mention all that grass cutting made me remember an article I saw in the Green Scene a few years ago - on growing moss as an alternative. Does anyone have a good spot to point me to? Need to gain info, where to buy, what to buy, etc."

Jim, I did find a few resources that might be helpful. Check out Eartheasy's Lawn Alternatives. They suggest various types of ground covers, shrubs, and ornamental grasses.

LessLawn.com has a number of articles on ways to 'shrink your lawn' and how to create a lawnless landscape.

Colorado State University has a list of ground cover plants that do well in shade.

There is also Plant Native, which will help you find native plants for your particular area.

Finally, you may want to look at Annie Berthold-Bond's "Beautiful Alternatives to Lawns." She suggests several articles and books, including one called The Wild Lawn Handbook: Alternatives to the Traditional Front Lawn.

Can anyone suggest other resources?

A Perfect Moment in Spring

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Washington, D.C. is perfectly beautiful right now. The famous cherry trees get all the attention in late March and early April, but this period right now -- after the cherry blossoms have faded -- is actually my favorite moment of a D.C. spring.

Within the past two weeks or so, the leaves on the trees have "popped" and everything is cast in a vibrant shade of new baby green. The dogwoods -- pink and white -- are in full bloom, along with the azaleas ranging in color from pale pink to deep red to brilliant fuschia. It looks as if people's yards are dressed with sugar-coated trees, puffs of cotton candy, and gumdrop tulips -- like gingerbread houses remodeled for a new season. Mix this with an occasional waft of lilac in the air. It is just simply beautiful.

Pink Dogwood Reflection

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

We (Heart) Our Garden Plot

Monday, April 17, 2006

Out at the garden yesterday, Michael and I were happy to see so many things growing already. The shallots and scallions are up. The carrots, beets, and Swiss chard have sprouted. Our strawberry plants are full of blossoms. The spinach, bok choy, and garlic look great. And next weekend, we'll probably be able to start harvesting some lettuce.

This is the best -- and earliest -- start we have had on our plot. In Year One at this stage, we were still pulling out plants from the previous owner of the plot and trying to build up two vegetable beds. Our first "beds" were just mounds of dirt we piled up, which didn't work too well once we got heavy rain. They crumbled and washed away at the edges (picture beet seedlings falling over the sides) until Michael fixed them up with boards.

In Year Two (last year), we got a second plot adjacent to the first one. We doubled our space, but the second plot needed a major overhaul. We spent most of last spring constructing new beds, sifting soil, adding compost, and yanking out more wire grass than I'd ever seen in my life. It took us awhile to get the ground ready, so we got off to a late start with our planting. And then there was the whole fiasco with the mulch. (We put mulch on top of the new beds and everything we planted in them turned sick, didn't grow, or just died. When a fellow gardener told us the mulch was probably messing up the soil's pH, we spent an afternoon frantically un-mulching everything.)

So here we are in Year Three and we are so happy with our (combined) plot. The beds are built, the soil is in good shape, and we were able to get an early start because the ground was dry.

Those are our garlic plants in the photo. The pot of tarragon in the foreground has been transplanted to its spot by the other herbs.

Happy Easter!

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Mom and Dad brought us this beautiful bouquet of daffodils for Easter. They were all picked fresh from my childhood home in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.

Michael and I did get out to the garden this afternoon, but I feel too tired to write much about it right now. I'm not sure if the tiredness comes from the gardening or from eating too many Easter dinner leftovers. Ham sandwiches... scalloped potatoes... cheesecake... chocolate. And more chocolate.

With all the gardening work to do though, I'm sure I can work it off. So just one more peanut butter egg, eh? Can't hurt!

Grape Hyacinth

Saturday, April 15, 2006

First-graders in their new garden plot

Thursday, April 13, 2006

In The Washington Post today, Melissa Robinson has a great story about a teacher who is starting a vegetable garden with his first-grade class at the Kemp Mill Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland. Last year, teacher John Mahler had his students growing peppers and tomatoes in old peanut butter jars by the window. This year, he got help from volunteers to build a set of raised garden beds on the school grounds. His first-graders are just getting started on planting their new vegetable plot. It's a wonderful way to introduce kids to gardening and eating fresh, healthy foods. Kudos to Mr. Mahler, for starting this great project!

Read the article: "Planting Seeds of Knowledge and Health."

Strawberries in the Making

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

We've got blossoms on our strawberry plants! Look in close. There's a berry in the making.

Since this is our first year with the strawberry plants, I did a bit of reading about the kind of care they need. BackyardGardener says that when new strawberry plants get their first flowers, "you have to make a major policy decision." (Oh no. Policy decisions.)

"First-year flowers on maiden plants will give the earliest crop and the largest individual berries, but if you remove this first year's blossoms and wait until the second crop, the yield will probably be greater than the total of two years' crops on plants fruiting in their first season."

What?! Good grief. You mean to tell me that, after months of doting on my new strawberry plants -- hoping and waiting to see if they'll produce something -- now I have to pluck off their first blossoms? No way! I can't bring myself to do it. Not a chance.

I'm opting for the earliest possible crop. Whipped cream and sugar are at the ready.

Dogwood Open

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Dogwood Emerging

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Men In, Lawns Out

Friday, April 07, 2006

Today, The Washington Post has an article on What's In and What's Out for the 2006 gardening season. Among the items on the list, I am happy to see lawns -- OUT! I am not a fan of labor-intensive, water-wasting, chemical-laden expanses of grass. Lawn mowers pollute more than cars. Ouch! And, though they didn't mention them in the article, don't even get me started on leaf blowers. I hate, hate, hate leaf blowers -- especially when they are used to blow a miniscule amount of dirt off a city sidewalk, with their nerve-grating buzz ricocheting off the buildings. I sometimes wish people would revisit the power of a broom. Or a rake.

Also on this year's ins and outs list: Large shade trees. It really saddens me to see them called "out". I see too many suburban neighborhoods with dull stretches of grass and a squarely-groomed bush or two. I wish builders would learn how to build without chopping everything down. With shade trees, there's less of a need for wasteful watering. And here's a thought: Kids might even enjoy having a tree or two to play in.

Lastly: Men in the garden. They are in! My husband loves the garden. It helps him unwind from work. He loves being outside and building something. He loves growing things to cook with.
Men in the garden...definitely in!

Read the article: "The Ins and Outs of Gardening."

Tulips in Twelve Frames: Part Two

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Click on any image for a close-up. Enjoy!

Tulips in Twelve Frames: Part One

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

A Good Soak

Monday, April 03, 2006

This morning, I woke up to a rhythmic swish-swishing sound emanating from beyond our bedroom window. It was the unmistakable sound of cars passing over wet pavement. It had rained!

I rolled over and listened, while my thoughts drifted to the garden. Our newly planted seeds, all tucked in their beds, had a refreshing wake-up call: Time to start stirring and setting down roots.

Michael and I spent a few good hours in the garden on Sunday afternoon. I planted seeds of carrots, beets, Swiss chard and scallions. He planted chamomile, dill, savory, shallots and potatoes. I lined the stone path with our "stepable" stonecrop, while he transplanted the chervil. We filled the herbs bed with fresh compost and put the finishing touches on our Wire Grass Barrier, a board-lined trench full of wood chips that we hope will stave off the wire grass that is persistently creeping in from the neighboring, weed-infested plot.

Tonight, we're having more rain. A really good, soaking rain. With thunder and lightning even! My mind is at ease, knowing that the garden is getting a good drink.