Gardening can be hard work

 This year, I offered up a prayer of apology to the ghods and ghosts of gardens past for whatever I had done to offend them, then set to work.  The first step was clearing out the old tomato box.  I have no idea what may have been living under or nearby, so that meant a good and thorough look.  Fortunately, there were no tell-tale signs of burrows or holes underneath as I moved the soil from the tomato box to the box on the right, that would hold my squash this year. 

Since I was emptying the box, it was time to make some real Mel's Mix rather than some raised bed soil from the big box store.  Mel's Mix is 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 compost (mixed up with a variety of composts), and 1/3 peat moss.  The peat and vermiculite do a nice job in keeping the soil light and airy while retaining moisture while the compost feeds everything.  It's a bit of an outlay; however, it lasts for years, is fully amended soil and I don't need to worry about weeds, wood chips, and such in it.  My only worry is peat isn't necessarily a renewable resource these days, but my mind was put at ease after meeting "Farmer Dave" up in Dracut, MA.  You see, he's doing his best to run a sustainable farm and is part of a movement to move Massachusetts to self-sufficient agriculture.  When I asked him about peat vs coco coir, the alternative to peat, he pointed out a large number of things to consider - including shipping.  He recommended Canadian peat, which is sustainable.  So I bought a big-ass bag from the local Agway store along with agricultural vermiculite and mixed up my composts.  I use lobster/crab compost from Maine, mushroom compost, hummus, cow compost, and what's in my own composter.  Under my box... because of freakin' ghosts of gardeners past... is a layer of cardboard covered with a couple of layers of industrial strength landscape cloth, 1/4" mesh (to keep the burrowing guys out), and a few layers of thick greenhouse plastic.  I built my frame on top and filled it with Mel's Mix.  It was hard work, but well worth it.

Next came the corn and pepper boxes. I wanted to fill the corn box with Mel's this year after last year's weed explosion while I was down with my ankle surgery.  My onion box was lost in the weeds... literally and the squash box still needed to be leveled up.  Again, transfer soil up to the squash box with plans of converting it to Mel's next year.  The corn and squash I start from seed in the ground.  I'm a couple of weeks later than I normally like, but it's in.  When the corn comes up I will add a couple of squash and bean seed to make it a three sister garden for fall harvest.  The peppers and eggplant are doing well, it's just going to be a lot of weed maintenance this year.

It took a couple of more hours to free the onion box and start on the top third where the bean teepee will go and I still haven't ruled out a potato mound yet.  I lay down a salt marsh hay mulch between boxes to keep the weeds down and keep moving forward on the Square Foot Gardener course to get my instructor certification.  This summer is a learning summer and, if I can keep myself focused, I should be able to learn quite a bit.  I did decide that every Sunday I should post a blog and I'll be starting a YouTube channel at some point when I figure out the best way to edit and post things.  I really want to share things I'm observing - like how I observed the Mel's Mix retained moisture better than the commercial raised bed mix.  The little things that make a difference.

All I know is looking at where I was and looking at where I am is pretty amazing.  

 

2022 or Begin Again Finnegan

 OK, I'm not a Finnegan.  I'm a Muloghney (I think that's how it's spelled as it went through several changes after we were chased out of Ireland by William of Orange - the bahstahd - and into Canada before coming down the coast to Boston 9 generations ago).  

But after a year of being laid up after my ankle surgery and missing my garden, not starting plants early, battling Flu-A over April school vacation week, and all that happy sunshiny lot of reasons/excuses, I finally made it down to the garden today.

Wow, do I have my work cut out for me!  A year of running amok may have done wonders for the bunnies, groundhogs, pollinators, and such; however, it means I feel like I'm back at square one.

First I needed to start clearing things out.  One of the problems is the little red wagon that lived outside the fence for years is now gone.  So carrying the detritus off to the big pile where the landscaper dump everything for compost and mulching went far more slowly.  I still have a 5-gallon bucket that I could load up and carry off stuff for dumping, but it took far longer.  I have a note to myself to find an old wagon or something online to bring down.

I also think I may ask management for a small communal shed where there can be tools.  I know the woman who runs the garden isn't hot on the idea as people have "borrowed" her tools, often without asking, and replaced them in varying conditions of disrepair.  I still think it's a community garden and let's start acting like a community.

Today's focus was the 4x4 tomato box.  Last year Rascal Rabbit and his family moved in there after eating all my tomato seedlings and I wasn't there to chase him off.   First I had to clean around the outside of the box - where a year of mint began to creep in.  Seriously, don't EVER plant mint in the ground unless you want ground cover and enjoy the smell when you mow.  It's a container thing people - especially in a community garden.

Outside of the box is a sage bush.

This started as a little sage plant that was kind of on its last legs at the supermarket ... or maybe it was a big box store ... six years ago.  

I planted it to see if it would do anything and was delighted when it came back to life the next year and the next.  Well, this year it had thick stems and had really spread around the outside of the box, so I trimmed it back.  It is now contained again and showing some healthy growth all around.  That gave me a lot to be happy about and I now have a bunch of sage hanging in the kitchen drying and waiting to be ground down for use.

After the outside was cleaned up, it was time to focus on the tomato box itself.  Rascal is no longer there, but I cleaned the soil out to be sure.  I then laid down an 8 mil layer of plastic under the box and made a new round of Mel's mix (1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 compost).  I only made about 45 dry gallons before I was too worn out.  Coming back from the flu still really is tough. 

Mel's mix is a great way to start soil in a container or raised bed garden.  The vermiculite and the peat moss create a light, airy soil that drains well and retains moisture around the roots while the compost really brings nutrients to the party.  I use a mix of compost: organic mushroom, lobster and crab compost from Maine, cow compost, and what I get from my composter as well.  It's no more pricey than buying a pre-made container/raised bed mix and it's really not that much work.  When I remove something from the mix to add in something new - say after some spinach or lettuce plays out, I just mix a scoop of compost in and it's good to go.  It will last a good long time and I don't need to worry about weeding really.  I love Square Foot Gardening because I don't have long rows of things to weed, hoe, rake, or maintain - I have a small box.  I lay down a layer of cardboard and some salt marsh hay between the beds to help with weed suppression (and it makes my garden look all pretty).

Some year I may figure out what the hell I'm doing.  We'll see, but I've started again.  

Progress continues...

 Yesterday the boys who did a lot of the work a month ago came over to start working on my 10x10 box - the one the bunnies recently vacated.  First I had to move the chives and walking onions to my onion box where they will now reside.  

The boys came and first, they cleared all the mugwort and mint from around the edges of the garden!  They spent a good 45 minutes pulling and hauling weeds before they set to work starting to clear the box.  This boxy is so dodgy and needed to be dealt with.  years of back and forth and such lead to weird mounding and depths throughout the whole area.  With the boards and bricks removed, the uneven depth of the box is a lot more clear.  

I wanted to focus on one side of the box, if I could get the tomatoes in this weekend, then I knew I'd be good.  So they dug down to the bottom of the existing lumber and ripped up old weed barriers and other things - like long lengths of roots.  They then lined the bottom with cardboard, hardware wire, and weed barrier before adding soil.

The results are beautiful!!!

I will be able to add a simple frame down the middle and string some twine for the plants and add my indeterminate (vining) tomatoes.  I have my "galaxy" tomatoes (Super Nova, Moonbeam, Midnight Pear) and my Atomic Grapes.  I can also transplant my determinate (bushing) tomatoes to their box - the San Marzanos and Romas for sauces.

I tell my students that indeterminate tomatoes are, "Oh, you would like a tomato, here have a tomato," all day all summer while determinates grow and flower and then suddenly yell, "TOMATOES, WE'VE GOT TOMATOES," and are done shortly after that.  You get a LOT of tomatoes at once from those plants and each one is important.  The indeterminate tomatoes are great if you want something on a salad or to pop in your mouth.  I wouldn't make a sauce from cherry tomatoes, even if I might cut some in half to throw into something I'm making.  On the other hand, I wouldn't put a Roma on a salad.  Each tomato, like each person, has their own way of being and enriching our lives somehow.

I planted a couple of dozen corn seeds over a couple of feet in one box (or was it three dozen over four feet... I have to go and look today), transplanted a bunch of pepper plants, and the peas are almost tall enough to start latching onto their poles.

I left some room for eggplants and this week I'll have my son come over and finish the other end of the 10 x 10 box so I can get some squash in.  I love that the boys are now taking ownership of my plot.  Before leaving, one of them was, "We'll get the old PVC and lumber cleaned up next to put in the bean teepee.  I would say they have more than earned their CSA share from what comes out of here. ;) 

Let the Weeding Commence

Every gardener will tell you the one thing that truly sucks is weeding.  For me, it's not the boxes so much (although there's some of that from the breakthrough, persistent ghosts) it is the spots between the beds.  This year, as an attempt to cut down on that, I am slowly but surely getting kids to help by laying down cardboard and then spreading an alternative to saltwater marsh hay.  between my beds is looking sharp and it really is cutting down on a lot of the weeds.  

Yesterday, my youngest took a turn and spent a couple of hours going after some particularly nasty mint and mugwort and got the areas that border the plots next to mine under control.  Funny thing, this morning a Facebook memory popped up of him going after the weeks along the retaining wall at our old house from 11 years when he was a freshman in high school.  

He did a good job, not the job I'd do, but he did a good job and I'm glad I don't have to worry about it as much now.  This weekend, I'll get one of my helpers to go after the ones along the fence, get the cardboard down, and some more mulch.  I'll get my tomatoes in now that my box is refilled and refreshed.  The next big job is the 10x10 box in the middle of the upper part of the plot.  Now that Rascal and company have moved on, it's time to get that area prepped and ready so I can start my squash and get my indeterminates into the ground.

My peppers are ready to go in the ground soon along with my eggplant.  Then it's time to get some tomatoes off to a few other folks out there and it's all good.  My lilacs are thriving and put out some little purple flowers to make me smile.  The deck is starting to look good with the lettuce all popping up and the herb garden starting to delight in being outside.  For now, it's all good.

 

Bunnies, squirrels, and tomatoes

A couple of weeks ago, we found a nest of newborn bunnies nestled between my Egyptian walking onions and chives.  When I was down last week checking on things, there was one little rascal who was bold enough to explore while I was there.  I did name the bunny Rascal and, when we checked the nest, there were 4 or 5 babies in there.  I know babies only stay in the nest a few weeks before moving on when they're big enough.  Sure enough, yesterday Rascal and siblings were gone.  The nest was still warm, but I knew they were gone without me being able to say goodbye.  Checking today, the nest was empty and cold.  

So now it means I can bring the boys back to clean and level my 10 x 10 box and I can think about how to configure it for my indeterminate tomatoes and squash.  Right now I'm thinking a 10' high trellis centered in the box with strings for the tomatoes to climb.  I have a bit to think about it.

When I got home from the garden, I wanted to get my lettuce started on my deck, but we have squirrels.  I love Phat Phred and his antics on the deck.  He uses the umbrella over the table as a playground merry-go-round, running along and spinning it until he goes flying.  I swear he's screaming "Whee" as he goes flying across the quad.  He and his buddies also use the sunshade on my porch swing as a see-saw.  But they also dig up all my plants.  Last year I tried using hot pepper flakes, stones... you name it.  This year I figured I'd make a cage for the top of the box made out of hardware cloth and was pretty pleased with myself.  I can get it off pretty easily and it keeps the squirrels away... right?

Phred made it clear what he thought of my protective cage pretty quickly.  sigh  If only he weren't so damn cute.  So far, he only uses it as a seat while eating and hasn't tried more, but give it time I suppose.  

I also planted my herbs in the planter.  I have a platform inside that leaves a couple of inches for rainwater under the plants.  I filled the rest with soil, put in the herb seedlings - rosemary, sage, oregano, and thyme.  I then laid pieces of hardware cloth on the surface around the plants, added a little more soil, and then a layer of decorative river stones from the dollar store.  They're last year's stones, I gave them a good rinsing first and let them dry in the sunlight.  Again, so far so good.

Phred and friends have pretty much left it alone.  I know he did walk over it once and then sat on the lettuce cage to let me know he didn't like the feel on his paws.  Again, I don't understand how sitting on that stuff is any more comfortable on his fuzzy little butt; however, it doesn't seem to bother him too much.

Of course, yesterday, he sat on my table out on the deck and ate there all while watching me in the kitchen.  When he was done, he stretched out in the sun on top of my covered grill to catch some z's.  I'm OK with him hanging on the deck, really I am.  So long as he doesn't mess with my plants.  I am going to plant some carrots in a bucket and hardware cloth on the top as well to make sure he doesn't mistake it as a place to hide his nut stash.  Just like last year, I will leave an open bucket of dirt for him to use as a stash so he can play gardener too.  

Then there are my tomatoes... oh dear, so many tomatoes!  While my broccoli didn't really make it in my downtown garden, the peas and onions seem to be doing just fine.  My tomato seedlings all germinated.  You would think I would know how this works by now... but no.  I figured most of my seeds were either old or from a company I wasn't sure about.  Since my atomic grapes were a major bust last year, I ended up planting the seeds I had left after my students raided the pack.  (I told them not to... but kids are kids and there isn't much you can do about that.  Turns out it was a good thing as ALL 3 DOZEN SEEDS GERMINATED!!!

I hadn't expected to end up with 30 Atomic Grape plants, but there it is.  I'll pass them onto other people and keep some for me, but I have lots of indeterminates this year.  I have a dozen Midnight Pears with a ton more that need to be separated and repotted.  I have a half dozen Supernova Grapes and four Berries and Cream cherry tomatoes.  I haven't even started on the San Marzano and Romas!  I'm thinking this year the 4 x 4 tomato box will just be the determinates.

Then, of course, are the peppers and eggplant that all came up.  Lots and lots of peppers, hot and sweet, are all showing signs of true leaves and need to be transferred to their own pots.  I started them all at the same time as the tomatoes and they all lived on the heat mat until they popped, but the tomatoes seem to have really enjoyed the conditions.  To be honest, I feel like I started them all a couple of weeks late, and yet they all feel on track at the same time.

Next week I've got to have the boys come back to do some weeding.  I have figured out that if I cover the ground with cardboard and then place the hay on top, there aren't nearly as many weeds as the parts of the garden covered with the hay mulch.  Even then, those areas are a lot less weedy than the areas with no mulch, so I think this science experiment is yielding some early results.  I'll keep an eye on that as the season progresses.

IT IS ALIVE

I am facing surgery for my ankle and at least 4 weeks in a non-weight bearing cast, so getting things on track is essential for me right now.  This week I learned do NOT to underestimate the ability of a pair of 13-year-old boys armed with a shovel and a rake (and snacks) to whip things into shape in a couple of hours.  A former student and his best friend came to rake, weed, level, and build a couple of beds for me.  Then they spread some Semican Mulch - an alternative to saltwater marsh hay - between beds for weed suppressant.  What they did was amazing, but the top was a complete disaster.

This is what things looked like at the start of Saturday morning.  I wasn't sure how long it would take to finish things up and trying not to despair when a current student and his brother showed up to work.  Again, within two hours, the results were amazing!  

The two went right to it weeding and digging and leveling.  Before I knew it, the compost bin had been moved, beds were filled and charged up with some compost, ready for planting, mulch was spread and the garden is now organized and ready to go.  I am totally gobsmacked - but mostly I am grateful.  I have a garden and I am ready to begin thinking this is a reality for my summer and season.  

Now that all the PVC, hardware cloth, spare lumber, etc are together, I can start building my trellises and cages.  The tomato box will still need to be cleaned, composted, and topped off, but it's OK.  The big 10x10 box is currently a bit amok but that was because we found a baby bunny nest among the Egyptian walking onions and didn't want to disturb it.  We covered baby bunny back up, apologized to Mama (she was probably nearby) and the boys wanted to leave her something to eat for her and the babies, but I convinced them it was best to just leave the nest be.  They understood, but it was a bit exciting.  The garlic-onions (I don't know their real name) that I pulled before we found the bunny nest got planted in the new 4x4 box.

 I did get the onion and broccoli sprouts I started last month into the new beds.  I also got some sugar snap peas planted in the ground.  I know those will be replaced with some corn later when they've played out.  

The other amazing thing for me this week was discovering the difference a heat mat can make for my seeds.  I planted a bunch of different tomato seeds this week.  I was mad at myself because I really should have done this a couple of weeks ago and bit the bullet to order a heating mat for the seeds.  OMG!  Every tomato seed sprouted within 48 hours!!!  I'm right on schedule for them as they should be getting their true leaves and ready for their spots in the garden just on time.  I absolutely love that thing and we'll see how the peppers do now the tomatoes are off and about to move up close and personal to the grow lights so they don't end up all leggy.

Amazing what happens when you reach out for a little help and the universe responds.  I know I'm blessed and grateful.  If you're a gardener, please don't be afraid to offer help.  If you need help, don't be afraid to ask.  I have gone from, "Can we put this off until after gardening season instead of doing it ASAP?" to "I got this."  In the end, it's a garden and it's alive.

 

Another year, another attempt at this gardening thing.

 

As the old saying goes: people make plans, and the Divine laughs.  Well, this time around it came in the form of a tree root half a mile into a hiking trail.  Two ripped tendons and a torn ligament later, I was booted and wondering how to get things up and running for the coming year.  My garden was a disaster after having to spend all of August designing and building partitions for the school as we returned to in-person learning with COVID and such.  Then the school year hit full force and I was back in the classroom full time with no time to get things undercover for the winter.  Twice the work and bum ankle.  What's a girl to do?

She calls her adult son and asks his assistance is what she does.  Pi came out and started cleaning the lower garden to move a bed for me, set up the fence, and otherwise get a jump on things for me.  Unfortunately, like most of those in collegiate circumstances, he's busy packing to move so his time is limited.  Fortunately, I have other resources that will be out here to give me a hand over the coming weeks as I get the garden plan set up.

In the meantime, I've got my seeds in their mini-greenhouses under the grow light.  Broccoli (blue peacock and classic) are ready to go in once the next round of beds are ready as are my red and white onions.  I'll also direct sow some peas and set up a cold frame since it will still be a bit chilly at night around here for a few more weeks.  I have all sorts of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and strawberries trying their best to germinate (I may pull out the heating pad to see if that helps) so they'll be ready for later in May.  I've been playing with an online garden planner to help me figure what's going where before I have to go in for surgery to fix my ankle in June.  The hope is that, once things are in and starting to grow, I'll just need a hand with some maintenance until I'm ambulatory again.  

But kudos to my Pi guy, he worked his butt off and did a good job.  Now that I have a plan in place, it won't be long before things start looking more like a garden and less like a disaster.