Oh, Snow!

March in Atlanta is unpredictable. There may be summer temps today and snow tomorrow. I recall snow as late as April one year and seeing all the spring flowers pressed down under the weight. I have a few pictures somewhere of tulips in the snow that spring of 1983.

For the past week or so I have been busy with interior home projects such as hanging crown molding, painting and other tasks requiring a hammer and saw.

I am letting Mama Nature do what she will outdoors. It is supposed to be 75 degrees on Saturday and I think I will be tilling compost into the new garden. By the way, I bought a reconditioned cultivator from CPO Ryobi for 80.00 less than The Home Depot and Lowes! Free shipping and it was here in two days!! I will have pics and updates soon.

I will not plant Marigold seeds in February

This time of year is the time my patience is tried.

Every year I tell myself to slow down and enjoy the process.

Right.

As a matter of fact, one of my blog entries was about some of the early arrivals to the garden, I was trying to be patient with the process, but I want spring!

waaaah

I feel better now.

A little.

Down here in good ol' Dixie, this time of year can play with a gardener's mind. It can be 75 degrees one week and the next the high is 44. On those warm days I am out there in the garden...raking back the leaves...pruning out the dead wood...basking in the sounds, the sights, the smells...ahhhh...spring, I tell myself...has sprung. Fast forward a few days and the wool coat is on my back, gloves and I am looking out the window at the garden like a kid waiting for a summer shower to pass so I can get back to play.

There are daffies (daffodils) in bloom and the neighbor's old quince is a nice reddish pink, a few forsythia bushes are pressing their luck, and crocus dot the lawn...so it is rather nice. So I am going to go out there, with my coat on, and take a look around. I promise not to wish for more...I will not plant marigold seeds in February...I will not dig down in the soil to see the little green tops of the tuplips...I will not dig around the daylillies....

Breakin' It Down

It seems there are many, many different approaches and/or methods to composting kitchen waste and with this in mind I present MY method to recycling the organic matter that usually goes into the sink disposal or the landfill. In the photo above I have collected a couple of days worth of our kitchen waste. I love this photo because I see every item here for its latent potenial to break down and provide nutrients to my vegetables! Now I know there are those that say citrus should not be included, but I do. You can see here there are apples, banana peels, orange peels, egg shells, and the morning's coffee grounds. Yummy for the compost heap. We collect it in plastic bowls and one of us takes it outside to the mound in the backyard.

For the sake of showing how I do it "from the ground up" I chose to start a new heap. This is STEP 1. I clear the ground to expose the soil and break it up with a shovel. I may even turn the soil a bit, just so it is loose.

Step 2 is the addition of the kitchen scraps. All I did here was pour them on top of the broken soil.

In STEP 3 I take the shovel and chop up the material. I like it to be smaller and the cuts allow for more water and bacteria to get into the act and speed up decomposition. This is kind of fun to do...chopping it into the soil.

This is STEP 4, the final step in the addition process. I simply take a couple of scoops of loose soil and place over the top of the scraps so they are completely covered. What is not shown here, and the way I typically do it, is a bag of inexpensive GARDEN SOIL that can purchased at any garden center such as Lowe's or The Home Depot. I keep a couple of bags nearby and just pour enough on top to cover the scraps. It's a lot like building a lasagne and just as fun!! Once the heap is about 18" high I will start another. I let the completed heap sit for a few weeks then turn it. If all the scraps are rotted, I add to the garden and till into the soil.

Easy stuff!

The Little Ghost

This poem, written by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950) so reminds me of my mother who passed away in 2001. I had found this poem not long after buying a home with an old garden which I lovingly restored. My mother continues to be a part of my life through gardening.


I knew her for a little ghost
That in my garden walked;
The wall is high—higher than most—
And the green gate was locked.

And yet I did not think of that
Till after she was gone—

I knew her by the broad white hat,
All ruffled, she had on.

By the dear ruffles round her feet,
By her small hands that hung
In their lace mitts, austere and sweet,
Her gown’s white folds among.

I watched to see if she would stay,
What she would do—and oh!

She looked as if she liked the way
I let my garden grow!

She bent above my favourite mint
With conscious garden grace,

She smiled and smiled—there was no hint
Of sadness in her face.

She held her gown on either side
To let her slippers show,

And up the walk she went with pride,
The way great ladies go.

And where the wall is built in new
And is of ivy bare
She paused—then opened and passed through
A gate that once was there.

From a Tiny Seed

I took a trip to The Home Depot over the weekend to shop for the seeds I'll be using for this summer's garden. It was nice to see so many people around the display, pondering the selection. I wonder if these folks have always purchased seed or if it's a result of the current economic and environmental "situation" we are in.... Such was my pondering in addition to pondering the seed selection.

I want to keep this garden as simple as possible, showing that just about anyone can achieve results with a little planning and work. My selection includes a few easy flowers and basic, easy to grow vegetables. Summer squash, green beans and cucumbers. I will be planting tomatoes, but I buy plants instead of seeds...just a bit easier and I get a jump on the growing season without having to set up my own seedling bed indoors.

The green beans are a bush type which will save on space. Others are vines and would take up entirely too much space in the small plot that I have prepared. The cucumbers are vines, and will need a vertical space on which to grow, for they will spread across the ground and end up covering walkways, driveways and lawn. This is could pose a challenge for many reasons, but weeding (the most important) would be hampered and later in the year you'll be glad the vines are up and not out!

Also, when you are shopping for your seeds, pay close attention to the growth habits of the plants, days to maturity and lighting requirements. For those veggies that have a short period to maturity, you may be able to plant a second crop later in the season and get twice the yield! Other varieties may take most of the growing season to mature, while others MUST be started indoors before the season. You may opt to purchase these in plant form for your garden....bell peppers (one of my faves) comes to mind.

Also, other plants require cool weather in order to thrive: lettuce, carrots, beets, broccoli, etc. In my USDA zone, these can be planted in late winter to be harvested in early spring. Your zone may be snow covered...again, check the seed packet for details about your zone and when to plant.

It still have not made up my mind about the cultivator. I think I want an electric model because it is cleaner and quieter. Once I have the cultivator and dry soil, I will be back outside breaking up and amending the soil with compost. More to come!