in a few days it will be january, and yet i'm still picking swiss chard, cilantro, and even have broccoli coming up in my yard. i am LOVING this mild winter so far.
to keep me occupied while my yard is quiet, i've been researching and reading, and have decided to incorporate my findings into my future blogs. hopefully over the next year or two, there will be a shift from gardening in a downtown backyard in louisville, kentucky, to gardening on a spanish-speaking organic host farm in argentina, to gardening in my very own (questionable quality) dirt outside my very own (round and adorable) yurt in some location yet to be chosen.
a great book i just finished is "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle", by Barbara Kingsolver. for anyone who is wondering why they should pursue a local, self-sufficient lifestyle and cuisine, this will convince you. for anyone who already understands the reasons why, this book will only back up your resolve. this book comes HIGHLY recommended by me.
that's all for now. i'm checking out root cellaring and cheap rural land on www.billyland.com.
sometimes it's nice to just hunker down in the wintertime and dream of summers elsewhere...
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
november and still going...
well, as i am writing this, it is november 8, it's 74 degrees outside, breezy, and sunny. i picked 7 or 8 more Green Zebra heirloom tomatoes yesterday from my yard. the jalapeno peppers are ripening like crazy.
is this louisville or orlando?!
but i love it, because the gardening season this year has been extended by almost a month past our expected frost date. (generally, we get a frost here the first or second week in october.) and, even though my mom and dad out in shelby county have had several frosts, i haven't had really even one down here in germantown. my summer flowers actually are reblooming and looking better than they did in july, thanks to the cool night temperatures and warm sunny days we are having lately! nonetheless, you know that one morning we will all wake up to frozen puddles of water, white frost on our cars, and mushy black dead plants all over the yard. so, be prepared. here is my general, brief list of what needs to be happening in the yard in the next week or so, so that when the unseasonally warm weather leaves us behind, you won't have a lot of chores to do outside in the freezing cold damp november weather.
all the terra cotta, ceramic, or stone pots outside need to be emptied of dirt and turned upside down. this is to prevent any moisture from getting into microscopic cracks in the pots, then freezing and thawing. the expansion then contraction will cause your pots to break into pieces all of a sudden. this happens to me every single winter...it seems there's always one small pot tucked away into a corner that i forget about until it cracks into a million pieces. same goes for your birdbaths, fountains, whatever-- anything that holds water.
if you have something you want to keep planted up all winter (like the fir trees i keep on my front porch, for example) you can either a) use a pot made out of wood, metal, or plastic. b) put the plant in a plastic pot sitting inside the pot you want to use. this way, the dirt that holds freezing and thawing water is not directly against the porous walls of the ceramic or clay pot. also, do not let it sit directly on the dirt on the ground. use it on a patio or porch, or sit it on pot risers or a concrete block.
another thing i do now is cut back all the spent summer foliage. anything that will not live through the winter or is looking crappy, dropping leaves, etc (this does not include trees or perennial bushes. don't chop those off!) i go ahead and cut back or pull up. this makes my yard look neater and eliminates a lot of the slimy black leaves that will be all over your plants after the first hard frost. you can leave big grasses and bushes the way they are to add some winter interest to your yard. dig up any cannas, banana plants, elephant ears...any tropical bulbs will need to be stored somewhere cool and dry for their winter dormancy until you plant them back outside in may.
anything in pots that you are not bringing inside (like some of my herbs, giant hanging ferns, baskets of petunias and other annuals) all get dumped out and the pots need to be stored. i dump the dirt, plant, and all, right over my raised bed to insulate the soil until spring. (don't do this if the plant in the pot had any kind of fungus or disease.) stack the empty pots neatly outside, or hose them down and bring them inside if you have the closet space or a garage to keep them in.
be really vigilant right now about harvesting every veggie you can. a hard frost can hit at any time right now, and you want to save as many tomatoes, peppers, eggplants etc, as you can. chard, spinach, lettuce can actually survive a light frost for a few weeks, so you don't have to worry as much about getting all of that kind of produce inside and on your plate as soon as possible. you can pick unripe tomatoes and let them ripen on a windowsill or make fried green tomatoes with them :) i watch the weather forecast and temperatures VERY closely this time of year.
also, if you have cute candleholders, votives, lanterns, etc-anything with glass- outside, don't forget to bring those inside as well. they will fill up with rainwater and when it freezes, it will break the glass just like your pots and birdbaths. i bring in all my hanging glass candleholders, run them through the dishwasher, and hang them over my bathtub for winter candlelit baths. it's better than trying to find a spot to store them in my tiny house!
good luck closing down the season. it's sad to see summertime leaving, but its also important to have downtime to let your soil rest and get some good gardening magazines to do some planning for next spring! it's a hard lesson for me to learn, but my garden needs rest and so do i. another blog coming soon! enjoy the pretty weather today :)
my sunflower mural i painted for myself, it will keep me cheery this winter :)
i wasn't kidding when i said i was still getting a lot of tomatoes and peppers out of my garden...
this is a pineapple sage plant, i planted it in May, it was in a 2" plastic nursery pot. now it is huge with these beautiful red flowers all over it, and the bees LOVE it. i'd highly recommend getting one of these every summer! it cost $1.89 for one 2" black plastic square pot. it is an herb.
some swiss chard, looking delicious and ready to be sauteed with some garlic and eaten. yummm.
is this louisville or orlando?!
but i love it, because the gardening season this year has been extended by almost a month past our expected frost date. (generally, we get a frost here the first or second week in october.) and, even though my mom and dad out in shelby county have had several frosts, i haven't had really even one down here in germantown. my summer flowers actually are reblooming and looking better than they did in july, thanks to the cool night temperatures and warm sunny days we are having lately! nonetheless, you know that one morning we will all wake up to frozen puddles of water, white frost on our cars, and mushy black dead plants all over the yard. so, be prepared. here is my general, brief list of what needs to be happening in the yard in the next week or so, so that when the unseasonally warm weather leaves us behind, you won't have a lot of chores to do outside in the freezing cold damp november weather.
all the terra cotta, ceramic, or stone pots outside need to be emptied of dirt and turned upside down. this is to prevent any moisture from getting into microscopic cracks in the pots, then freezing and thawing. the expansion then contraction will cause your pots to break into pieces all of a sudden. this happens to me every single winter...it seems there's always one small pot tucked away into a corner that i forget about until it cracks into a million pieces. same goes for your birdbaths, fountains, whatever-- anything that holds water.
if you have something you want to keep planted up all winter (like the fir trees i keep on my front porch, for example) you can either a) use a pot made out of wood, metal, or plastic. b) put the plant in a plastic pot sitting inside the pot you want to use. this way, the dirt that holds freezing and thawing water is not directly against the porous walls of the ceramic or clay pot. also, do not let it sit directly on the dirt on the ground. use it on a patio or porch, or sit it on pot risers or a concrete block.
another thing i do now is cut back all the spent summer foliage. anything that will not live through the winter or is looking crappy, dropping leaves, etc (this does not include trees or perennial bushes. don't chop those off!) i go ahead and cut back or pull up. this makes my yard look neater and eliminates a lot of the slimy black leaves that will be all over your plants after the first hard frost. you can leave big grasses and bushes the way they are to add some winter interest to your yard. dig up any cannas, banana plants, elephant ears...any tropical bulbs will need to be stored somewhere cool and dry for their winter dormancy until you plant them back outside in may.
anything in pots that you are not bringing inside (like some of my herbs, giant hanging ferns, baskets of petunias and other annuals) all get dumped out and the pots need to be stored. i dump the dirt, plant, and all, right over my raised bed to insulate the soil until spring. (don't do this if the plant in the pot had any kind of fungus or disease.) stack the empty pots neatly outside, or hose them down and bring them inside if you have the closet space or a garage to keep them in.
be really vigilant right now about harvesting every veggie you can. a hard frost can hit at any time right now, and you want to save as many tomatoes, peppers, eggplants etc, as you can. chard, spinach, lettuce can actually survive a light frost for a few weeks, so you don't have to worry as much about getting all of that kind of produce inside and on your plate as soon as possible. you can pick unripe tomatoes and let them ripen on a windowsill or make fried green tomatoes with them :) i watch the weather forecast and temperatures VERY closely this time of year.
also, if you have cute candleholders, votives, lanterns, etc-anything with glass- outside, don't forget to bring those inside as well. they will fill up with rainwater and when it freezes, it will break the glass just like your pots and birdbaths. i bring in all my hanging glass candleholders, run them through the dishwasher, and hang them over my bathtub for winter candlelit baths. it's better than trying to find a spot to store them in my tiny house!
good luck closing down the season. it's sad to see summertime leaving, but its also important to have downtime to let your soil rest and get some good gardening magazines to do some planning for next spring! it's a hard lesson for me to learn, but my garden needs rest and so do i. another blog coming soon! enjoy the pretty weather today :)
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
pretty end-of-summer gardens: mission impossible?
i can't believe it has been a month since my last blog! i feel like such a slacker :( but that's really just a testament to how the hot, dry weather in august forces us all to kind of suspend gardening season and hold our breaths until the heat breaks and we (and our plants) get some relief with cool nights and breezy daytimes.
you'll notice that some things that you had ambitious high hopes for at the beginning of the season didn't quite...well....survive. this leaves awkward bare spots in your garden, and if you're anything like i am, "bare" is NOT word in your gardening vocabulary. this is where potted plants come in handy. all my containers (herbs, annuals, even houseplants) have been happy outside all summer long with their regular watering and fertilizing. (plants in the actual flower beds aren't so lucky.) when, at this time of year, dead or bare spots show up, i just pop a pot of plants in the open space and my flower bed looks filled out and lush again. this is one reason why i love containers so much-- they are portable and can go wherever you need to camouflage, fill out, redirect, add color, etc....
examples, you ask?!
the orange leafy plant, above, is a houseplant that comes outside in the summer. i sat his pot right here to cover up a weird spot where a flower i attempted to grow here died last week. notice how much color you can get without using any flowers....hello, low maintenance gardening.
the purple plant in the green pot is Baxter, another one of my houseplants. (so what, he has a name. don't ask.) he normally spends his summer on the front steps but i moved him down here to cover up a blank spot where i pulled out a dead mum. see how pretty the purple is with the orange lantana next to it :)
i had a pot of lantana next to my back door that has been doing great. i moved it to sit next to my walkway and keep people from stepping all over the creeping jenny growing on the ground. it also shows off the blooms better. (lantana is one of about three plants that actually thrive this time of year. next year, im buying three million of those plants.)
here is a hanging pot of petunias that looked so terrible in the middle of july that i took it down and hung it in the shade for some rehab. now that it looks better, i put it back up next to my back door. (another great thing about containers...when they look bad, all you have to do is move them out of eyesight and presto! beautiful garden again. sneaky, i know.)
another thing to start thinking about this time of year is getting any fall/winter plantings established before the weather turns cold and nasty. i ripped out my geraniums on my front porch and put in two little evergreen cypresses. they can have a chance to get strong and put on some growth now before snow and ice show up in a few months.
is this not the cutest little tree? they are 2/$16 right now at Lowe's.
that's all for right now. tomorrow, more on end-of-summer maintenance. :)
you'll notice that some things that you had ambitious high hopes for at the beginning of the season didn't quite...well....survive. this leaves awkward bare spots in your garden, and if you're anything like i am, "bare" is NOT word in your gardening vocabulary. this is where potted plants come in handy. all my containers (herbs, annuals, even houseplants) have been happy outside all summer long with their regular watering and fertilizing. (plants in the actual flower beds aren't so lucky.) when, at this time of year, dead or bare spots show up, i just pop a pot of plants in the open space and my flower bed looks filled out and lush again. this is one reason why i love containers so much-- they are portable and can go wherever you need to camouflage, fill out, redirect, add color, etc....
examples, you ask?!
another thing to start thinking about this time of year is getting any fall/winter plantings established before the weather turns cold and nasty. i ripped out my geraniums on my front porch and put in two little evergreen cypresses. they can have a chance to get strong and put on some growth now before snow and ice show up in a few months.
is this not the cutest little tree? they are 2/$16 right now at Lowe's.
that's all for right now. tomorrow, more on end-of-summer maintenance. :)
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Basil Fest-o
basil, basil, basil. it's right on up there with suntans, lakes, and lightning bugs about what i looove about summertime. first, the basil gospel:
1) trim often
2) fertilize sparingly
3) water lushly
4) full sun makes a happy basil
i have crammed in basil all over my yard (including this weird sunny spot behind my tomatoes, against the fence) but i keep a pot of purple basil and a pot of regular (Genovese) basil right outside my backdoor. a pair of scissors usually is lurking close by. if you have the herbs you use the most close by your kitchen, you're much more likely to use them, and often. this makes for happy cooks, happy dinner guests, and happy herbs. (the more you snip herbs, the fuller and bushier they become.)
one of the things i struggled with most when i was transitioning from mainly flower gardening to more edible gardening was ways to use my produce. and by ways to use it, i mean normal easy ways to make simple fast dishes that don't require weird ingredients and a hundred gourmet kitchen implements. (there's no way i could ever see myself stuffing a chicken with tarragon, nor do i own a garlic press and olive pitter.) so, on that note, two things i did with my basil today:
Basil "Pounded" Pesto (pesto literally translates as 'pounded'....i took this to an extreme level by testing this recipe with my mortar and pestle rather than food processor. you could do either, but there is a weirdly satisfying feeling to using a mortar and pestle for anything in the kitchen- speaking of weird kitchen implements....bahaha.)
for every large handful of washed, dried, and torn basil leaves: approximately 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1-2 tsp parmesan cheese, drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil to desired consistency, pinch sea salt and cracked ground black pepper. some folks add pine nuts also. puree (or pound) to your personal preference of consistency. serve drizzled over penne pasta with more EVOO and feta cheese.
(above): all the raw ingredients, ready to get pounded!
(above): adding the parmesan cheese and mushing it up some more. took about two minutes to this point.
the finished product, ready to get turned into my lunch! basil folklore: it is believed to be incredibly good for your digestive system, and the chlorophyll in all those green leaves makes your cells very happy!
another easy basil meal:
Basil Grilled Cheese:
evoo on two slices whole grain bread, 6-7 washed and dried basil leaves, a couple slices colby jack cheese. grill on both sides over medium heat in a skillet until melted and brown; serve immediately.
if you have too much basil, start harvesting now and pureeing it in a food processor with olive oil and freeze in ice cube trays. store frozen cubes in freezer ziplocs to use in the winter to make fresh pesto. yumm!
on a completely unrelated yet very important side note: my dog is extremely cute.
and that's all for now. next blog: lemongrass, how to grow it, how to use it.
1) trim often
2) fertilize sparingly
3) water lushly
4) full sun makes a happy basil
i have crammed in basil all over my yard (including this weird sunny spot behind my tomatoes, against the fence) but i keep a pot of purple basil and a pot of regular (Genovese) basil right outside my backdoor. a pair of scissors usually is lurking close by. if you have the herbs you use the most close by your kitchen, you're much more likely to use them, and often. this makes for happy cooks, happy dinner guests, and happy herbs. (the more you snip herbs, the fuller and bushier they become.)
one of the things i struggled with most when i was transitioning from mainly flower gardening to more edible gardening was ways to use my produce. and by ways to use it, i mean normal easy ways to make simple fast dishes that don't require weird ingredients and a hundred gourmet kitchen implements. (there's no way i could ever see myself stuffing a chicken with tarragon, nor do i own a garlic press and olive pitter.) so, on that note, two things i did with my basil today:
Basil "Pounded" Pesto (pesto literally translates as 'pounded'....i took this to an extreme level by testing this recipe with my mortar and pestle rather than food processor. you could do either, but there is a weirdly satisfying feeling to using a mortar and pestle for anything in the kitchen- speaking of weird kitchen implements....bahaha.)
for every large handful of washed, dried, and torn basil leaves: approximately 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1-2 tsp parmesan cheese, drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil to desired consistency, pinch sea salt and cracked ground black pepper. some folks add pine nuts also. puree (or pound) to your personal preference of consistency. serve drizzled over penne pasta with more EVOO and feta cheese.
(above): all the raw ingredients, ready to get pounded!
(above): adding the parmesan cheese and mushing it up some more. took about two minutes to this point.
another easy basil meal:
Basil Grilled Cheese:
evoo on two slices whole grain bread, 6-7 washed and dried basil leaves, a couple slices colby jack cheese. grill on both sides over medium heat in a skillet until melted and brown; serve immediately.
if you have too much basil, start harvesting now and pureeing it in a food processor with olive oil and freeze in ice cube trays. store frozen cubes in freezer ziplocs to use in the winter to make fresh pesto. yumm!
on a completely unrelated yet very important side note: my dog is extremely cute.
and that's all for now. next blog: lemongrass, how to grow it, how to use it.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
wilty squash and tiny carrots
happy end of july! the summer growing season is half over and everything is probably either out of control humongous (photos of my tomato "tree" to come soon) or dried up and brown. i am checking all my veggies every day to pick anything that is ripe or close to ripe. with weather this hot and sunny, a cucumber could be two inches one day and two feet the next.....very jack-in-the-beanstalk like. start thinking about cool weather crops soon....in the next few blogs over a week or so, i'm going to cover a few specific growing needs and tips for some delicious, easy to grow cool weather veggies. just as your cukes and tomatoes will be winding down, you'll have tender baby spinach, arugula, and radishes popping up again.
my squash in a burlap bag.....my best creative planting idea, my delicious zephyr squashies, my free plant i was so proud to acquire.....succumbed to wilt while i was vacationing. my mom watched my plants so i know it was in good hands, but still....im very sad! what exactly is wilt? well, what it sounds like. the plants wilts up and dies, from too much heat and humidity. squash and the like are especially sensitive to it. i think the humidity especially had a lot to do with it.
pulled up some of my adorable Tonda Di Parigi carrots. They are a heirloom seed from 19th century France, and the MOST PRECIOUS carrots you will ever see. if you have kids and they don't eat veggies....well i bet they'd eat these. check out the photo:
i love them! they are also delicious (bonus!), sweet, crunchy, perfect carrot heaven! will write more tomorrow. :)
my squash in a burlap bag.....my best creative planting idea, my delicious zephyr squashies, my free plant i was so proud to acquire.....succumbed to wilt while i was vacationing. my mom watched my plants so i know it was in good hands, but still....im very sad! what exactly is wilt? well, what it sounds like. the plants wilts up and dies, from too much heat and humidity. squash and the like are especially sensitive to it. i think the humidity especially had a lot to do with it.
pulled up some of my adorable Tonda Di Parigi carrots. They are a heirloom seed from 19th century France, and the MOST PRECIOUS carrots you will ever see. if you have kids and they don't eat veggies....well i bet they'd eat these. check out the photo:
i love them! they are also delicious (bonus!), sweet, crunchy, perfect carrot heaven! will write more tomorrow. :)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
HOT...
hot enough to drive even me indoors. not a whole lot to update right now; it's really too hot to be planting anything else in the ground. keep your containers watered every day (i forgot a basket of petunias once and they are still not recovered a week later...); alternatively, i've moved some containers into shadier parts of the yard. even sun-lovers need a little break every once in a while.
pick produce as soon as it's ready to keep it coming. cucumbers, peas, squash, beans, all need to be regularly harvested to keep producing new veggies. keep your tomatoes consistently watered to keep from splitting their skins. a weekly fertilizing isn't a bad idea, especially for anything in containers, as things are growing fast this time of year and may have exhausted all the nutrients in their potting mix. use organic--i get a dilutable fish-based organic fertilizer at lowe's. cut herbs frequently to keep them bushy and full, instead of letting them grow leggy and not as leafy.
this is the time of year to sit back and start enjoying all your hard work! keep things trimmed and watered and everything else will pretty much take care of itself.
another note: vacation. there is no need to let all your plants you've been taking care of for months dry out and die now! i worry more about leaving my plants than i do my pets. (kidding. sort of.) everything that can be moved (pots, windowboxes, wall planters, hanging baskets, everything!) i cram as tightly as possible under a shade tree. give a THOROUGH watering and mulch the tops if you have the time. set up an automatic sprinkler so water the section of plants every day. start this a few days before you leave to make sure it is working and no plant is getting left out. all the things in the ground should be okay if mulched heavily and well-established (i.e. not newly planted). cross your fingers, water before you leave, and pray for rain.
houseplants that will need water before you get back can be stood in saucers of water to draw it up as they need it, use watering balls (really nifty glass globes with a stem on the end that you fill with water, poke into your soil, and let the water slowly leak out as the dirt dries up), or coerce a housesitter to water them for you. (not the best option in my opinion, as i have come home to dead plants every time i have someone "plantsit" for me). i find that my house is cool enough, and the air moist enough, that most of my houseplants are okay for a week while i'm gone if watered thoroughly before i go.
on that note, go get some lemonade and enjoy your plants outside in the sun...oh, wait, it's a hundred degrees in louisville, kentucky, in july...maybe just sit in the air-conditioning and look at them through the window. :)
pick produce as soon as it's ready to keep it coming. cucumbers, peas, squash, beans, all need to be regularly harvested to keep producing new veggies. keep your tomatoes consistently watered to keep from splitting their skins. a weekly fertilizing isn't a bad idea, especially for anything in containers, as things are growing fast this time of year and may have exhausted all the nutrients in their potting mix. use organic--i get a dilutable fish-based organic fertilizer at lowe's. cut herbs frequently to keep them bushy and full, instead of letting them grow leggy and not as leafy.
this is the time of year to sit back and start enjoying all your hard work! keep things trimmed and watered and everything else will pretty much take care of itself.
another note: vacation. there is no need to let all your plants you've been taking care of for months dry out and die now! i worry more about leaving my plants than i do my pets. (kidding. sort of.) everything that can be moved (pots, windowboxes, wall planters, hanging baskets, everything!) i cram as tightly as possible under a shade tree. give a THOROUGH watering and mulch the tops if you have the time. set up an automatic sprinkler so water the section of plants every day. start this a few days before you leave to make sure it is working and no plant is getting left out. all the things in the ground should be okay if mulched heavily and well-established (i.e. not newly planted). cross your fingers, water before you leave, and pray for rain.
houseplants that will need water before you get back can be stood in saucers of water to draw it up as they need it, use watering balls (really nifty glass globes with a stem on the end that you fill with water, poke into your soil, and let the water slowly leak out as the dirt dries up), or coerce a housesitter to water them for you. (not the best option in my opinion, as i have come home to dead plants every time i have someone "plantsit" for me). i find that my house is cool enough, and the air moist enough, that most of my houseplants are okay for a week while i'm gone if watered thoroughly before i go.
on that note, go get some lemonade and enjoy your plants outside in the sun...oh, wait, it's a hundred degrees in louisville, kentucky, in july...maybe just sit in the air-conditioning and look at them through the window. :)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
patchouli, repotting projects, and front porch beers...
 | ||||||||||||||
| my mom got me a patchouli plant...i am super excited. it smells exactly like...well...patchouli. popped it in a pot near front porch chairs and everyone can enjoy the smell while they hang out and watch all the crazy germantown evening going-ons from my porch. |
 |
| potting project: 1) choose pot. it needs to be slightly larger than the current pot the plant is in. see how root-bound the plant (above) is? it is way overdue for a bigger home. (it was my mom's...don't blame me.) |
 | |
| 2) fluff out the roots before you repot it. this prevents it from just growing in the same shape as what the original pot has "trained" the roots to grow in. |
window boxes, peely paint, and front porches = stephanie heaven. tried these new water-retaining gel granules that you add to containers of plants (or whatever it is you want to water less) and they WORK. i put them in my window boxes and they are getting huge and are require hardly any time for watering. ($7 at Secret Garden).
i put a tiny bistro set on my front porch with candles and a few Blue Moons, and i was surprised at how heavenly and still such a small space can be. add plenty of potted plants, some tall and some short, and surround yourself with herbs and flowers that smell good...
Friday, June 17, 2011
a man is only as good as his...tools?
laid up in bed yet again for another glorious day that i wish i was outside planting, weeding, picking, snipping, mulching....okay, okay.
i am trying to get several blogs packed in now, in time for secret garden's website/facebook launch next month, in which there will be a link to my blog. my mom has asked me to kind of try to cover several broad subjects/categories, one of them being tools, especially tools for beginner gardeners or people who want to start gardening but aren't sure where to begin.
so. tools!
1) you need a good pair of gloves, something that won't make your hands soggy if the dirt is slightly damp, something that will deter at least some stickers and sharp things, and something that will keep irritants off your skin (can you say hello, poison ivy?). don't skimp on your gloves because they are the one thing you will (hopefully) use every time you are gardening. i like bionic gloves (about $32). they are designed by hand surgeons to support all the critical pressure points in your hands, made of soft and pliable lambskin, are semi waterproof, tough, and machine washable. they velcro tightly around your wrist so nothing can fall down in your glove while you are working. mine follow me all over my yard.
2) something to dig with, and something to weed with. ideally, you can combine this into one tool. get a tiger trowel (about $27). it has an orange handle so you'll never lose it among your weeds, ergonomic design so it is super simple to use, serrated blades to dig through clay or cut through taproots of weeds, and a sharp end to dig, scoop, plant, weed, etc.
3) sharp scissors (cutting, pruning, etc). i like joyce chen scissors, which are around $30 i think. also toss in twine, paper and pen (for making notes).
4) felco pruners. these are the sharpest, most amazing pruners ever. you can skip these if you dont have any shrubs or trees to prune back. however, if you have anything that you cannot cut with scissors these are the way to go. my pair was around $70 but they have a lifetime guarantee and all the parts are individually replaceable and sharpenable.
5) sunscreen, bug spray, and a big hat. if you are anything like me, you like wearing a huge hat simply because it is fun. mosquitoes and sunburn are not. don't use anything with DEET in it; i prefer natural bugspray made with lemongrass and eucalyptus ($8). my hat is made by Tula hats and i think it was $33.
(everything i mentioned here is, of course, available at Secret Garden. 426-2216)
i am trying to get several blogs packed in now, in time for secret garden's website/facebook launch next month, in which there will be a link to my blog. my mom has asked me to kind of try to cover several broad subjects/categories, one of them being tools, especially tools for beginner gardeners or people who want to start gardening but aren't sure where to begin.
so. tools!
1) you need a good pair of gloves, something that won't make your hands soggy if the dirt is slightly damp, something that will deter at least some stickers and sharp things, and something that will keep irritants off your skin (can you say hello, poison ivy?). don't skimp on your gloves because they are the one thing you will (hopefully) use every time you are gardening. i like bionic gloves (about $32). they are designed by hand surgeons to support all the critical pressure points in your hands, made of soft and pliable lambskin, are semi waterproof, tough, and machine washable. they velcro tightly around your wrist so nothing can fall down in your glove while you are working. mine follow me all over my yard.
2) something to dig with, and something to weed with. ideally, you can combine this into one tool. get a tiger trowel (about $27). it has an orange handle so you'll never lose it among your weeds, ergonomic design so it is super simple to use, serrated blades to dig through clay or cut through taproots of weeds, and a sharp end to dig, scoop, plant, weed, etc.
3) sharp scissors (cutting, pruning, etc). i like joyce chen scissors, which are around $30 i think. also toss in twine, paper and pen (for making notes).
4) felco pruners. these are the sharpest, most amazing pruners ever. you can skip these if you dont have any shrubs or trees to prune back. however, if you have anything that you cannot cut with scissors these are the way to go. my pair was around $70 but they have a lifetime guarantee and all the parts are individually replaceable and sharpenable.
5) sunscreen, bug spray, and a big hat. if you are anything like me, you like wearing a huge hat simply because it is fun. mosquitoes and sunburn are not. don't use anything with DEET in it; i prefer natural bugspray made with lemongrass and eucalyptus ($8). my hat is made by Tula hats and i think it was $33.
(everything i mentioned here is, of course, available at Secret Garden. 426-2216)
my Tula hat. (my excuse is that i dont want sun on my face. i really wear it because i feel like Beatrix Potter when i wear it in the yard.)
Thursday, June 16, 2011
june photos
making container gardens for Secret Garden...we made almost 50!
eucalyptus and parsley in burlap-lined baskets
radishes! too bad i don't eat radishes...
beautiful pink peonies in my vintage jar...heavenly smell.
tiny 'zephyr' summer squash
fig tree...next year hopefully i will have actual figgies
pinching out tomato suckers...if it grows at a 45 degree angle to the main stalk, it's got to go!
first baby squashes...that i ate tonight!
swiss chard 'rainbow lights'
brightly colored cucumber supports
first strawberries of the year
arugula and mesclun lettuce mix in vintage whiskey barrel
and finally, the delicious fruits of my labor: sauteed chard with goat cheese and garlic, penne, and spanish olive oil! yummmm.
how is it already june?
dear JUNE,
it has been a long time since i've written anything. partially due to being busy outside, consumed by a jungle of plants; partially due to a broken foot and being laid up in bed pouting. what's new with things...?
1) SQUASH: i planted "zephyr" summer squash. GET SOME. delicious cooked with olive oil and a bit of garlic for a few minutes. i planted mine in a giant burlap bag filled with compost and it is already huge.
2) SUGAR SNAP PEAS: "cascadia". i'm getting enough peas every day for a bowl-full, cooked with butter and flaked sea salt on top. you can eat the pod and all. cut them every day for prolonged harvest!
3) SWISS CHARD: i've been eating it steamed, or sauteed in garlic and olive oil on top of penne pasta with goat cheese. try "neon lights" variety- super easy to grow straight from seeds. i tossed the seeds straight into big pots and have tons of beautiful rainbow chard now.
4) my black eyed susans and other PERENNIALS are humongous. this is the first year i've really started to appreciate plants that come back bigger and more beautiful every year with hardly any work from me. anywhere that i know i'll be for several years, i'd definitely plant a bunch of bright, blooming perennials. (try echinacea/coneflower, black-eyed susans, shasta daisies, lilies, hydrangeas, and for heaven's sake, even my pansies look awesome this year.)
eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers (first banana pepper tonight in my stir fry!) will be coming along soon.
i've been fertilizing everything-- flowers, veggies, houseplants-- with an organic fish-based concentrated fertilizer. it was about $7 at lowe's. don't fertilize herbs; it compromises their intense, concentrated flavor in a trade-off for more leafy growth.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
april edibles and how to smell like dirt...
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." ~Margaret Atwood
spring suddenly happened and i have found myself outside every second i can be. the raised beds are in and filled with radishes, cabbages, dill, mint, beets, arugula, and spinach, until the second shift of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are ready. however, pictures tell way more than text at this point in the season, so here is my sprouting yard!
my strawberry plant will have tons of strawberries on it very soon. next up, a good recipe for strawberry shortcake. all the little white flowers = soon to be berries.
i've potted up some herbs for a head start, before i get the real herb bed going. rosemary + bath salts + hot water in tub = heaven after all day working on raised bed construction.
here is some of the swiss chard i've potted up, it was originally on my front porch but i thought it would be happier in the back yard. it's a variety called 'rainbow lights' where all the stems grow in these crazy, different neon colors. chard is delicious steamed or cooked like other greens, with bacon or vinegar! (i know, i know, im so southern. i love greens.)
empty pots make me very happy because it means i need to FILL THEM. trip to the greenhouse next week and i already have a four-page long list on a legal pad of what i need (yes, need) to get.
on a side note of outdoor edibles, it's MOREL week. jimmy got tons of beautiful gorgeous morels. perfect for spinach mushroom lasagna tomorrow night! (or trading for delicious beer and dinner out.)
my lunch today: mesclun lettuces, baby spinach leaves, arugula. i drizzled it with a bit of red pepper vinaigrette and asiago shavings. YUM. good spring energy and vibes :)
on a more silly note, this is one of my favorite corners of my yard when the creeping jenny really gets going later in the season. i had this beautiful hand-glazed blue pot from vietnam that a cat broke in my yard two years ago. i edged a bed with it that i filled with creeping jenny, which spreads quickly. i think the cobalt glaze with the lime green creeping jenny leaves are absolutely stunning. my two favorite colors combined! after another month or so, you won't be able to see any dirt. just citrus green and bright blue!
potting project: handmade wooden box filled with succulents. planning on making it a centerpiece for my table outside all summer then bringing it in for the winter in my sunny upstairs art room. i absolutely love succulents.
and finally, my gardening helpers. (i use that term loosely). what would i do without them stomping through my flower beds, peeing on my herbs, and chasing all the robins away while i plant.
:) waffles and harvey! :)
more photos and progress notes posted soon, i am about to harvest my radishes in a few days. will definitely post recipe ideas. also pictures from my huge greenhouse shopping trip... I CANNOT WAIT. two weekends until tomatoes and peppers go out! don't cheat and put them out early, or they WILL get frosty and die. it's just a kentucky gardener rule of thumb...derby weekend is the magic date. one more thing: my FIG TREE finally sprouted three tiny leaves! thank you, mr. mula, for the (what felt like) six hundred cuttings you generously gave me. i'm glad i finally got one to grow :)
Friday, March 25, 2011
progress report and lasagna gardening
by now, all the seeds are in their pots on my front porch and several are up and sprouted. cold weather crops like radishes (the fastest germinating veggie, mine were up in two days), beets, carrots, kale, arugula, lettuces, cabbages, and spinach need the cool, damp days and chilly nights we are having right now to germinate and be tasty. these crops will be pretty much done by the time june or july rolls around, so enjoy them at their peak in a few weeks! if you haven't planted them, it isn't too late. buy a bag of good potting mix (get metro mix, secret garden, (502) 426-2216), a couple of fun pots (plastic is lightweight and cheap), and a few packets of seeds. follow the directions on the packet, keep them very well-watered, and in a few weeks you'll be eating baby carrots in salads and yummy beets and spinach too. i never liked these veggies until i tasted them fresh out of the dirt...i have all my pots on my tiny front porch, so you really don't need much room at all.
sow seeds in the compost and mulch with straw. between your crops, add more compost and straw to your "lasagna" garden. keep the pile moist, especially while seeds are sprouting and small. this "recipe" makes one 4-by-8 ' raised bed.
second topic: lasagna gardening. i like lasagna. i like gardening. i had to check it out. so, what is it?
think a layer-cake, except instead of cream cheese frosting and strawberries, you have compost, hay, and straw. layering your organic materials in piles on top of the ground are great for gardeners with bad dirt (the concept originated in australia and is popular out west in desert climates), gardeners with a small space who want a large yield of plants, or gardeners who are renting or might not be in a permanent location. i took these instructions from an excerpt in Organic Gardening, Dec/Jan 2010/2011 from an article titled "A Layered Approach" by Debra Prinzing:
How to Grow Without Digging:
add these ingredients in a raised bed (chicken wire, untreated wood, concrete blocks, etc)...
2 to 3 lbs bloodmeal and bonemeal
newspaper
1 bale herbicide-free alfalfa hay
1 bale herbicide-free bedding straw
10 cubic feet of compost
1. moisten your ground level soil and dust with the bloodmeal and bonemeal. you will repeat this step of watering and dusting after each layer of anything is added to your pile
2. cover with 1/2 " newspaper
3. add 4" alfalfa
4. add 8" straw
5. add 4" compost
remember the bloodmeal, bonemeal, and water between each layer.
enjoy huge, healthy veggies in a tiny amount of space!
next blog: garden design and layout
heirloom veggies
houseplant springtime tips
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
dirty rotten...
...compost!
how's, why's, when's, and where's:
Why compost? compost helps retain moisture, attracts worms and bugs into your soil (that's a good thing), provides gentle and easy-to-absorb nutrients for the plants, hosts beneficial bacteria and microorganisms, acts as a mulch by stabilizing soil temperature and suppressing weeds, AND is a great way to recycle your kitchen and yard waste and some paper products. organic gardeners (the only way to be, in my opinion) live by the mantra, "grow the soil, not the plants". this means that by putting most of your time and energy into creating healthy soil, you have naturally strong and disease-resistant plants as a by-product (without nasty pesticides, chemicals, and synthetic fertilizers).
Where to compost? pretty much anywhere you don't mind a little bit of a mess (certainly not next to your patio where you entertain, for example). many gardeners use the three-bin system, which entails using a set of three bins or even just piles of compost, in succession of least-finished to mostly finished compost. as you add waste to the first pile and turn it to let it break down and decompose, the second bin you add the partially degraded compost to the second bin, and then in turn the third bin receives the mostly finished or completely ready compost. by using this method, you always have a fresh pile to receive your yard waste and kitchen scraps, and a finished pile ready to be used in your garden and pots. i add a continual supply of kitchen scraps to a covered plastic tumbler, similar to a trashcan, which will result in one big "crop" of compost at the end of the season, rather than a steady supply of compost like the three-bin system. you can have a heap enclosed by fencing, chicken wire, old recycled wooden pallets, whatever. just make sure it is able to be covered (compost needs heat and only a minimal amount of rainwater) and that occasionally you can access it to turn it (with a pitchfork, shovel, whatever.) compost can be fast, made in a few weeks under a high-heat aerobic pile, or very slow--basically a slowly rotting pile of leaves-- that takes several seasons to finish.
How to compost? bear with me as i get (slightly, slightly, SLIGHTLY) chemistry-ical on you. compost needs both a carbon source and a nitrogen source, as well as air and water. air prevents anaerobic (i.e. stinky) conditions from forming and water nourishes the bacteria and keeps them moist (aka alive). your carbons, or "browns", are things like sticks, twigs, old mulch, bark chips, newspapers, paper bags, etc...anything dead-ish or dry. your nitrogen source-- the "greens"-- are the fruit peels, old rotting veggies, grass clippings, rabbit poop (...thanks, Mopsie)...basically anything alive or mushy, wet, etc. what else can you compost? any paper that isn't glossy (picky composters check on the ink...soy-based is best), eggshells, guinea pig or hamster bedding, expired plants from your garden, leaves in the fall, your christmas tree once chopped up, etc etc etc... what can you NEVER EVER EVER compost? human waste, cat or dog or pig feces, meat products, dairy, mayonnaise, magazine papers, plants treated with pesticides, plants with diseases like mold, fungus, powdery mildew, invasive plants or weeds with seed heads (unless your pile is running at a super-high temperature)...you get the point. aim for a 60:40 ratio of nitrogens to carbons. keep the pile moist, sprinkling with a hose if you need to, and keep it covered (black plastic works great) to accelerate the heat and keep rain from slushing it all away into a moldy mildewy mess. turn it occasionally (about six times a season). compost, if maintained properly with the balanced ratios, should not stink or attract any pests. it actually smells quite sweet and earthy when finished correctly.
and, finally....what for?
i use my compost to top off houseplant soil, to mulch beds in need of a boost, to mix into new containers' dirt, to rake into new beds i'm digging, to brew compost "tea" and spray on plants' foliage, and to cover beds in the fall to help them winter over. use it in place of any mulch or fertilizer that you would normally use.
that's all there is to it! add worms to your beds along with your compost and you get bonus points.
how's, why's, when's, and where's:
Why compost? compost helps retain moisture, attracts worms and bugs into your soil (that's a good thing), provides gentle and easy-to-absorb nutrients for the plants, hosts beneficial bacteria and microorganisms, acts as a mulch by stabilizing soil temperature and suppressing weeds, AND is a great way to recycle your kitchen and yard waste and some paper products. organic gardeners (the only way to be, in my opinion) live by the mantra, "grow the soil, not the plants". this means that by putting most of your time and energy into creating healthy soil, you have naturally strong and disease-resistant plants as a by-product (without nasty pesticides, chemicals, and synthetic fertilizers).
Where to compost? pretty much anywhere you don't mind a little bit of a mess (certainly not next to your patio where you entertain, for example). many gardeners use the three-bin system, which entails using a set of three bins or even just piles of compost, in succession of least-finished to mostly finished compost. as you add waste to the first pile and turn it to let it break down and decompose, the second bin you add the partially degraded compost to the second bin, and then in turn the third bin receives the mostly finished or completely ready compost. by using this method, you always have a fresh pile to receive your yard waste and kitchen scraps, and a finished pile ready to be used in your garden and pots. i add a continual supply of kitchen scraps to a covered plastic tumbler, similar to a trashcan, which will result in one big "crop" of compost at the end of the season, rather than a steady supply of compost like the three-bin system. you can have a heap enclosed by fencing, chicken wire, old recycled wooden pallets, whatever. just make sure it is able to be covered (compost needs heat and only a minimal amount of rainwater) and that occasionally you can access it to turn it (with a pitchfork, shovel, whatever.) compost can be fast, made in a few weeks under a high-heat aerobic pile, or very slow--basically a slowly rotting pile of leaves-- that takes several seasons to finish.
How to compost? bear with me as i get (slightly, slightly, SLIGHTLY) chemistry-ical on you. compost needs both a carbon source and a nitrogen source, as well as air and water. air prevents anaerobic (i.e. stinky) conditions from forming and water nourishes the bacteria and keeps them moist (aka alive). your carbons, or "browns", are things like sticks, twigs, old mulch, bark chips, newspapers, paper bags, etc...anything dead-ish or dry. your nitrogen source-- the "greens"-- are the fruit peels, old rotting veggies, grass clippings, rabbit poop (...thanks, Mopsie)...basically anything alive or mushy, wet, etc. what else can you compost? any paper that isn't glossy (picky composters check on the ink...soy-based is best), eggshells, guinea pig or hamster bedding, expired plants from your garden, leaves in the fall, your christmas tree once chopped up, etc etc etc... what can you NEVER EVER EVER compost? human waste, cat or dog or pig feces, meat products, dairy, mayonnaise, magazine papers, plants treated with pesticides, plants with diseases like mold, fungus, powdery mildew, invasive plants or weeds with seed heads (unless your pile is running at a super-high temperature)...you get the point. aim for a 60:40 ratio of nitrogens to carbons. keep the pile moist, sprinkling with a hose if you need to, and keep it covered (black plastic works great) to accelerate the heat and keep rain from slushing it all away into a moldy mildewy mess. turn it occasionally (about six times a season). compost, if maintained properly with the balanced ratios, should not stink or attract any pests. it actually smells quite sweet and earthy when finished correctly.
and, finally....what for?
i use my compost to top off houseplant soil, to mulch beds in need of a boost, to mix into new containers' dirt, to rake into new beds i'm digging, to brew compost "tea" and spray on plants' foliage, and to cover beds in the fall to help them winter over. use it in place of any mulch or fertilizer that you would normally use.
that's all there is to it! add worms to your beds along with your compost and you get bonus points.
Monday, March 7, 2011
...if you are an orchid fan...
forewarning: no warm fuzzy feelings and no sprouts in this post.
so, i was skimming the garden supply catalogs my mom gets at work when i ran across an extremely weird thing. it kind of disturbs me.
remember in elementary school when you would put a nasty white carnation in blue food-coloring and water and the next morning, your white flower had turned blue? so, they are now doing that to orchids. except it is apparently a "patented" top-secret process.
there is a new phalaenopsis orchid out (those are the common kind you see all over Lowe's and supermarkets) called 'Blue Mystique' that is the most horrifying unsettling shade of electric, Crayola-blue you will ever see on a flower. (hopefully. it can't get much worse than this, i'm assuming.) according to the nursery that "invented" this flower, the white orchids are "infused" with "naturally derived" blue "medium" in a "patented" process that takes 48-90 hours.
...what?
i researched this process and essentially they are injecting the roots of white orchids with blue dye, so that the flower blooms blue. once. if you ever get your orchid to rebloom, it will rebloom pale blue or probably white.
the grossest thing about the whole elementary-school-experiment-gone-awry? my kroger in germantown is selling them.
what is the world coming to?
yuck.
so, i was skimming the garden supply catalogs my mom gets at work when i ran across an extremely weird thing. it kind of disturbs me.
remember in elementary school when you would put a nasty white carnation in blue food-coloring and water and the next morning, your white flower had turned blue? so, they are now doing that to orchids. except it is apparently a "patented" top-secret process.
there is a new phalaenopsis orchid out (those are the common kind you see all over Lowe's and supermarkets) called 'Blue Mystique' that is the most horrifying unsettling shade of electric, Crayola-blue you will ever see on a flower. (hopefully. it can't get much worse than this, i'm assuming.) according to the nursery that "invented" this flower, the white orchids are "infused" with "naturally derived" blue "medium" in a "patented" process that takes 48-90 hours.
...what?
i researched this process and essentially they are injecting the roots of white orchids with blue dye, so that the flower blooms blue. once. if you ever get your orchid to rebloom, it will rebloom pale blue or probably white.
the grossest thing about the whole elementary-school-experiment-gone-awry? my kroger in germantown is selling them.
what is the world coming to?
Thursday, March 3, 2011
reading material:
it's getting warmer but still not quite time to be actually planting, which means reading up as much as i can with some delicious jasmine green tea. (teavana = delicious, by the way.)
i like these books, and you should, too, if you have any interest in growing your own, yummy, organic veggies to eat all summer long:
organic crops in pots, by deborah schneebeli-morrell. this one has great really easy plants to grow in containers if you don't have much space. peppers, tomatoes, herbs, even potatoes on a patio?? who knew!
creating your backyard farm, by nicki trench. if you like to pretend you actually have the space to do this. (i am in firm denial that my yard isn't actually five acres of farmland waiting for me to fill it full of chickens and bunnys and watermelon vines. in actuality, i'm pretty sure my walk-in closet is larger than my backyard. oh, well. my delusions continue.)
the dirt cheap green thumb, by rhonda massingham hart. really good tips for starting up your garden without sinking a ton of cash into it, recycling materials and containers, choosing the best plants for what you are able to spend on them, dividing and propagating plants, etc. a very small cute book...my bathtub book currently.
and, finally, gardening for small spaces, by john cushnie, has really good basic designs and the framework for you to fill in with whatever plants you want. things like figuring out if your site is north-facing, south-facing, what plants are best for small spaces, lists of dwarf varieties. this is a good reference book for small yards, in general, and you can apply a lot of his tips for flower beds to veggie gardening.
i am getting my seeds started, have the grow light on them. heirloom tomatoes, cilantro, and beans are already sprouted and stretching towards the light. very exciting. also got tons of packets of zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers...all to sow directly into the yard in about a month.
look: coconut ice sunflower. this is a new hybrid. i am obsessed. the only thing i have never cared for about sunflowers is the yellow. burpee fixed a new sunflower for me! :)
on that note, happy almost-spring! (so happy the daffodils are coming up, i saw some this morning.)
i like these books, and you should, too, if you have any interest in growing your own, yummy, organic veggies to eat all summer long:
organic crops in pots, by deborah schneebeli-morrell. this one has great really easy plants to grow in containers if you don't have much space. peppers, tomatoes, herbs, even potatoes on a patio?? who knew!
creating your backyard farm, by nicki trench. if you like to pretend you actually have the space to do this. (i am in firm denial that my yard isn't actually five acres of farmland waiting for me to fill it full of chickens and bunnys and watermelon vines. in actuality, i'm pretty sure my walk-in closet is larger than my backyard. oh, well. my delusions continue.)
the dirt cheap green thumb, by rhonda massingham hart. really good tips for starting up your garden without sinking a ton of cash into it, recycling materials and containers, choosing the best plants for what you are able to spend on them, dividing and propagating plants, etc. a very small cute book...my bathtub book currently.
and, finally, gardening for small spaces, by john cushnie, has really good basic designs and the framework for you to fill in with whatever plants you want. things like figuring out if your site is north-facing, south-facing, what plants are best for small spaces, lists of dwarf varieties. this is a good reference book for small yards, in general, and you can apply a lot of his tips for flower beds to veggie gardening.
i am getting my seeds started, have the grow light on them. heirloom tomatoes, cilantro, and beans are already sprouted and stretching towards the light. very exciting. also got tons of packets of zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers...all to sow directly into the yard in about a month.
look: coconut ice sunflower. this is a new hybrid. i am obsessed. the only thing i have never cared for about sunflowers is the yellow. burpee fixed a new sunflower for me! :)
on that note, happy almost-spring! (so happy the daffodils are coming up, i saw some this morning.)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
only one month...
...left until spring officially arrives. seeds came into the shop yesterday (i missed unpacking those!) and i cannot wait to get them started. all my windowsills will be crammed full of every available container sprouting tiny seeds. what am i planning on this spring? sweet peppers, hot peppers, eggplants, heirloom tomatoes (for jimmy), grape and cherry tomatoes, salsa tomatoes, onions, garlic, lettuces, arugula, rainbow chard, carrots...i'd like to try potatoes in a burlap bag (how cute)...all sorts of herbs, lemon verbena for my tea, chamomile, mint (mojitos!!)...french lavender to replace jimmy's that i murdered this winter. (accident. oops)
we are expanding my veggie garden to the side of the house next to the alley. how happy would i be to come out to water one morning and see a neighbor helping themselves to a tomato or pepper from my yard. yay :)
on another note, i was walking waffles yesterday and noticed a few green sprouts in peoples' yards that definitely were not there last week. thank you, mid-60's temperatures for that. i am bursting out of my skin to get out in the yard and digging in the dirt.
it's going to be a good season. :)
we are expanding my veggie garden to the side of the house next to the alley. how happy would i be to come out to water one morning and see a neighbor helping themselves to a tomato or pepper from my yard. yay :)
on another note, i was walking waffles yesterday and noticed a few green sprouts in peoples' yards that definitely were not there last week. thank you, mid-60's temperatures for that. i am bursting out of my skin to get out in the yard and digging in the dirt.
it's going to be a good season. :)
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