Garden Report v2.6 - Spring!

Forsythia

The forsythia is blooming!  Which, as near as I can tell according to the folklore, means either that spring is here, or we have three more snows yet.  In western New York, that's probably the same thing.  From what I understand, the essence of those beliefs comes from the fact that the forsythia start blooming due to a general increase in the overall soil temperature.  That's a good sign for me, since the seeds I planted a couple weeks ago don't seem to be doing much.  Only the mesclun mix has really come up.  Hopefully the increase in soil temperature will allow the other seeds to get going.  Read across the fold for the garden update, inside and out, and more pictures.

Garden Report v2.5 - Fall Wrap Up

So, the fall snows have started, and things in the garden are just about...

What?  Follow over the jump to see what I'm talking about.

Garden Report v2.4 - Getting Muddy

So, it only took me 4 weeks to break my promise of a post a week.  In my defense, last weekend I didn't do anything with the gardening.  To make up for it, I'll have two posts this week.  This first one is all of the outside things I finally got to do this week with the nice weather.  Tomorrow or the next day I'll post a short (I think...) update on what's going on with the inside gardening and seed-starting.

Follow past the jump for pictures and the outside update.

Garden Report v2.3 - Peeking Out

[Originally posted 2 April 2011 on a different platform.  Now I'm caught up.]


Not to much to report visually this week, so no photos. Mostly just planted some more seeds. Each type of seed, understandably, has different instructions to follow if you hope for good results. For example, some like to be planted directly outside after the last frost or if the soil temp is high enough, some can be started inside. For the inside varieties, you can't just plant everything at once, and let it all grow together. Since they all grow at different rates, the seeds have to be staggered so that they are of just the right size when the danger of frost has past, and they can be transplanted outdoors. Too small and they won't have enough time in the season to produce; too big and the transplant shock might prevent a decent harvest anyway. And it's likely they don't have enough room in the little pots you started them in.

The way I deal with it, and probably many other people do as well, is to write in my probable last frost date on a calendar. Then I count back and label each week with the number of how many weeks it is to last frost date. Seed packets, and garden books and guides usually tell you how many weeks before frost specific seeds should be started. Mid-winter I establish what I want to plant for the year, and then map out on graph paper where everything will go, paying attention to how much space I need between plants. Once I have a list of plants, it's pretty easy to fill in on the calendar what needs to happen each week. So, each week, I look at the calendar and plant what it tells me to plant.
More detail, and a bonus pic after the jump.

Garden Report v2.2 - Transplanting before I can transplant...

[Originally posted 25 March, 2011 on a different platform, prior to starting up the blogspot.]


So, I swear, this won't be as long as my first one for the year. I didn't have anything to start this weekend, but I did have to take some of the lettuce seedlings and transplant them to larger pots. I didn't do this step last year, and things mostly worked out okay. My lettuce last year did grow a little weird, but I got some great heads out of it. This year, I decided I would follow the directions on the package and switch half of the lettuce to larger pots. 
Read past the jump for pics and more detail.

Garden Report v2.1 - Brand NEW for 2011!

[Originally posted on a different platform 24 March, 2011.  This was my original first post of the year, before deciding to use blogspot.]


So, my attempt at garden blogging kind of died out last year. I'm not sure why, I ended up with what I consider pretty good results for a first outing. Bunches of carrots, tomatillos, tomatoes, a few potatoes, more beans and cucumbers than I could eat and a lovely bunch of garlic. Among much and many other things.

However, I'm telling myself this year will be different. I'm going to make an effort to post every week, hopefully by Saturday, since that's my gardening day here during school and at the outset. Some weeks there may not be much to report, other weeks it might be a giant post, but that's how gardening goes. I'll try to include weekly pics of my progress, though this first week I've got nothing.


Follow over the jump for more detail on the plans for this year.

Garden Report v2.0 - Transmogrified Earth

As I head into my second full year of gardening, I thought I would put together an all new blog for the occasion.  As many readers will already be aware, my interest in gardening is primarily food related.  I want to grow things to eat.  I like having things which look nice, and flowers are great, but I'm in this for the food.  After moving into the house a couple years ago (has it been that long already?) I was finally able to start putting my money where my mouth is, and growing my own food.  I'm of the opinion that the best food is fresh and local, and even better when you've grown it yourself.  This opinion is a result of too many environmental ethics classes, and too much Michael Pollan.  Find some great reading here, here, and here.


The title of this blog refers to the hope that local practices such as this can truly transform how we live, and the world we live in.  Gardening is not, as I see it, very difficult, and it doesn't have to be time- or resource-intensive either.  It can be done in tiny planters on a balcony or back step, as well as in huge beds.  It is a rewarding past-time, and can be adjusted to whatever difficulty or scale is desired.  I see planted, cared for beds all over my neighborhood.  Places where gardeners enjoy taking the time to care for plants.  If those gardeners would just replace a single flower with a tomato plant, hundreds of pounds of local tomatoes would be grown every year, in just a few block radius.  How did victory gardens go out of style anyway?  Imagine the impact on our food chain if this simple act of gardening were undertaken in a widespread fashion.  It would profoundly transform our planet.

It also refers to the truly astounding process by which the mud of my backyard is transformed into delicious, nourishing food for my family table.  Every day, month, year, constantly, we gobble down food, and scarcely notice the true wonder that is a carrot.  No less a miracle of creation than human life, and indeed, a process fundamentally intertwined with our own existence.  We are not just going to return to the dust, not just going to go back to ashes; no, we are always dust, always ashes.  That we are anything else, anything divine or exceptional, is just a temporary delusion of humankind.  I eat the mud out of my backyard, and it is delicious for body and mind.

So here's the pledge.  This year, at least a post a week.  My progress, my success, my setbacks.  Maybe friends and family will read it and know something of my efforts.  Maybe I'll inspire someone to start their own garden.  Maybe it will just be a record for me of my own journey.  In any case, I'm sure it will be fun.