You're a Good Gardener!

I recently read a Facebook post, clearly a quote that I have not been able to track down, that attempts to reassure women that in spite different techniques and approaches to different issues, they are good moms.  Somehow, this hit home with me, joining up with the comment by another of my Facebook friends that I'm a good "plant mama."  The result is below, an homage to the original that I hope inspires you to get your hands dirty this spring, however you choose to do it.

You're a Good Gardener!

To the gardener who saves seeds and starts them in the dead of winter:  Isn't it amazing the way we can take a little piece of summer and save it for the time of year we need it the most, nurturing it til planting time again?  You're a good gardener!

To the gardener who picks up multi-packs of plants at the hardware or grocery store:  Good for you!  It's pretty cool that you can pick up something growing right where you shop and enjoy it for an entire season.  You're a good gardener!


To the gardener who composts all year round:  Something valuable from something wasteful.  You are ensuring that your garden is fertilized by something you've created yourself, over which you have complete control.  You're reducing waste and turning it into something beautiful.  You're a good gardener!

To the gardener who buys bags of manure at the store:  Who knew you could buy poop?  You've taken the time to go out and get a natural fertilizer for your garden, and you are willing to invest in your plants.  You're a good gardener!


To the gardener who grows only vegetables:  You're taking your time and your hard work and using it to directly nourish yourself and your family.  Better nutrition while saving on the grocery bill.  You're a good gardener!

To the gardener who grows only flowers:  The prettiest things in God's creation!  Isn't it wonderful that you care enough about beauty to nurture it and share it with others?  You're a good gardener!


To the gardener who uses a broadfork or spade and tills the ground by hand:  How mighty!  You are getting some serious exercise while cutting back on pollution and fossil fuel use.  You're a good gardener!

To the gardener who fires up the rototiller:  Way to get the job done!  You can deal with a larger area more quickly, and you are more likely to keep up your gardening hobby with a few power tools to help you along. You're a good gardener!


To the front yard rebel, who displays edibles for all to see:  Make a stand!  Let your neighbors see how beautiful and functional a front yard can be, and maybe they'll join you.  Imagine what a neighborhood full of front yard veggie gardens could grow!  You're a good gardener!

To the gardener who obeys all the HOA rules in a "gardening mullet:" business in the front and party in the back:  You keep going!  No reason to start a fight in the neighborhood or incur an unnecessary fine.  There's plenty of room for flowers in the front yard and veggies in the back, and you can have the best of both.  You're a good gardener!


Finally....
To the gardener whose garden is measured in acres
To the gardener whose garden is measured in square feet
To the gardener whose garden is in raised beds
To the gardener whose garden is in containers
To the gardener whose garden is on the windowsill

You are all contributing to growing something for your health, your pleasure, your taste buds, your eyes, or your sanity.  You have connected yourself to something bigger than you, all through nurturing a plant.  You're a good gardener!

Companion Planting: Carrots Love Radishes

Companion planting is more of an art than a science.  Take my garden, for instance.  Contrary to what a very popular book would tell us, my carrots don't love tomatoes.  (Presumably, other people's carrots do -- that's why the book is popular.)  My carrots, on the other hand, love radishes.

Carrots can be a pain to grow, especially in the clay-y soil that we have in Ohio.  They take so long to sprout, and if that ground gets rained on and solidifies, it is hard for the fragile little carrot seedlings to break through.  Plus, carrot seedlings look like grass, and they take a long time to get those characteristic frond-like tops, so it is very hard to weed the carrot bed until it is almost too late.

Enter the radish.  Everything carrots lack in speed, the radish has.  They sprout quickly and finish quickly, often up and out within a month.  Along the way, they provide some shelter to the fragile carrot seeds and loosen the soil while displacing weeds.  Plus, you will yank and eat the radishes just when the carrots are needing the room to form their roots.  Finally, planting carrots with your radishes lets you start two crops simultaneously in the same space, so less use of your precious garden space and less effort spading or tilling or broadforking up the land.

What companion planting works in your garden?

I Think We Have Apples

As part of the micro-orchard, we have two dwarf apple trees.  I selected these trees because they were recommended as able to pollinate each other, and they are in their second or third year in our care.

Last year, they blossomed at wildly different times, which we attributed to the fact that they wintered in different parts of the sunroom.  This year, we were careful to keep them close together, and we trotted them outside to enjoy the attentions of the bees as soon as it was warm enough, bringing them back inside to avoid any frost.

And lo and behold:  I think we have baby apples.  Certainly, I don't see anything else that could account for these cute little swellings that formed at the base of the blossoms.  Some never got much bigger and eventually fell off, but some have continued to grow to grape size.  Fingers crossed that they hold on, continue to grow, and ultimately give us some apples.

But what do I know?  I'm nervous because last year was a bad fruit tree year in our area, with several tree and orchard owners reporting that their trees never set fruit or never finished gestating a crop.  I'm as anxious for these little darlings as I am for every fruit and vegetable from my garden, and I hope everything works out.

Is it wrong that I pray for my garden right alongside my prayers for friends, family, and country?

Broadforking Update

Three years ago, we bought a broadfork with the intention of discontinuing the annual rental of a rototiller -- we hoped we could leave the soil structure a little more intact while avoiding any petroleum residue in the garden and foregoing the cost of the rental.  Three years later, I'm happy to say that it is a real success.

The first couple of years we broadforked instead of tilling, it was not hard, but it was some work to get the soil into a nice consistency.  As you can see at right, this year the soil really forked up nicely.  I did a significant patch of the garden last night, broadforking in two directions (at right angles), then working the soil over with a warren hoe.  The soil looks and feels like we tilled it, but we just used the power of muscle and fuel of body fat instead of relying on a machine.

The Analysis
Fast:  Broadforking is not faster than tilling, but as Mr. FC&G always says, it is slower, quieter, more pleasant work.

Cheap:  No investment in a tiller either through purchase or rental.  At the end of three years, I'd say the broadfork has nearly paid for itself in foregone rental fees.

Good:  A little (well, a lot, really) of exercise means the garden is already paying off in better health this year.  And I have the peace of mind of knowing I'm not dripping petroleum on my soil.

How Much Does a Garden Grow: April 2013

Oh my gosh, y'all, I am so excited!  The garden is making money!

With $200.44 in initial seed and plant expenses, we probably have a bit more to come in the negative column.  I need to get basil plants, a rosemary plant to replace the one I accidentally killed this winter, and no doubt a few other things that I just have to try.  But I think the expenditure part of the year is nearly over.

In the positive column, you can see that in April we brought in 2 oz. of potatoes, 3 oz. of leeks, and 5.5 oz. of greens, for a total of 10.5 ounces and a store value of $4.05.  Wheee!!!  Now we're starting to make some money.

The reality is, I do consider this my summer job.  Even though we are currently sitting $196.39 in the hole, I am looking forward to a day very soon that we are in the positive column.  I believe that took until mid-Summer last year, but I have my fingers crossed it will be much sooner this year.  Early positive indications include a fairly wet spring, so there is a lot of moisture in the ground, and a wonderful compost year, so I am able to put fresh finished humus on all of my garden beds.

What are you harvesting right now?

Top Ten Things I Love About Line Drying

I have finally gotten to dry a load of laundry outside for the first time this year; this has been a strange year in that regard.  We've had a pretty cold spring, and even when it was warm enough to line dry, I wasn't in a position to do laundry.  So I'm getting my first load out there about a month late this year.  If past experience is any guide, I should have a good five months of line drying yet ahead of me, and I will love every minute of it.

Why do I love line drying?  My top ten reasons:

10.  The bamboo sheets have a wonderful texture after line drying.
9.  I finally get to whiten my whites with sun bleaching after a long winter.
8.  I get a chance to walk outside and clear my head during the work day.
7.  I don't pump any drier heat into my house to make it harder to sleep at night.
6.  I don't use any additional electricity beyond that I used with the washer.
5.  I get a smidgen of exercise and burn a few extra calories.
4.  Hanging laundry is a good chance to stretch!
3.  I can get a fair amount of sun in a couple of 20-minute bursts, so I work on my tan while I get some extra vitamin D.
2.  Sunshine wards off depression.
1.  Hanging laundry on the line means summer is here!

What are your favorite things about line drying?

The Sock Loom Revisited

One of the things that is fun about blogging is that you have access to so many analytics.  It is really cool to spend some time getting to know which posts are the most popular, where your readers come from, and even what kind of browser they use.  (In case you are wondering, my readers come, predictably, largely from English-speaking countries, and they typically use Internet Explorer.  You can see the most popular posts in the sidebar to the right.)

Somehow, over time, a post has gained unexpected popularity:  my post on my  hatred of the sock loom.  I'm a little surprised, but I'm also pleased that so many readers have written in to suggest ways that I can knit our socks without jamming this hard, rectangular piece of wood framing into my stomach while I sit watching TV.  (Apologies to those of you who love it -- if it works for you, you should absolutely ignore me and keep rocking that sock loom!)

As for me, I am still not using my sock loom (anyone want to buy a gently-used sock loom?).  Instead, I have tabled the project because most of my free time for needle arts is now spent crocheting yoga socks for my Etsy store, Carrot Creations.  However, I'm thinking it would be easier for me to crochet socks since I'm more comfortable with one needle than with two.  I plan to give it a try pretty soon.

So let's hear from you again -- are you knitting your own socks?  Crocheting?  Using a loom?