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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Seeds!

I've placed a couple seed orders lately, and my first one arrived yesterday from Seed Savers Exchange.

I got carrots,


kale,

beans,

and more beans.


Ever since I saw these in Denmark last summer, I've been planning to grow my own orange-flowered beans.


SSE even threw in one extra packet as a gift.


If only I had the room.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Garden plan

I subscribe to one of those online garden planning websites. I think it's fun, and I need as much help as I can get when it comes to planning. I'm not a good planner. I've been working on the 2014 garden plan lately and thought I'd share it. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to make it a picture that I can just paste here, so if you want to see it, you'll need to follow this link.

This year's garden is going to be pretty different in terms of arrangement than last year's. Last year, the onions, carrots, beans, marigolds and zinnias were all in single long rows.



This year, there will be shorter rows and the zinnias are going to be in the center of the garden. I love them, but I need to contain them a little so they don't overtake other things. I'm also going to plant cabbage and broccoli in the spring, and I'm going to try some kale. I've never tasted it, but it intrigues me.

After a very windy week, today is sunny and warm.

The garden January 19th

Sunday, January 12, 2014

What do we have here?

It was such a nice day yesterday that I spent some time outside with the dogs. When I got close to the compost pile, I noticed something.


That's the Long Island Cheese pumpkin I had on my porch this fall. After it froze, I tossed it in the composter, and now apparently someone has been chewing on it.


That's not what caught my eye, however. What made me stop and look was the amount of feathers and bird poop around it.


My first thought was that maybe the birds were the ones eating the pumpkin. Then I thought maybe the birds had tried to eat the pumpkin, and Mr. Squirrel put an end to that. I don't underestimate the evil of squirrels anymore, and this guy thinks he owns the composter.


I'm afraid, however, that the real answer is not nearly as interesting. Big, fat, invasive collared doves roost in my cedar trees, dropping poop and feathers all night. It looks like they've begun roosting right above the composter. I'm hoping that composted dove poop is good for the garden.

On an unrelated note, I was rewarded for getting up early this morning.





Sunday, January 5, 2014

Veterans Farm

I saw a story on Yahoo this morning about Veterans Farm. The farm was started by a veteran with the goal of helping other returning veterans reintegrate into society. He calls it "horticulture therapy". What an insightful man and an amazing organization. Not only is he helping the veterans who participate in the program, but also he is training new farmers, and that's something that will benefit all of us.

To see the story, click here. I don't know how long that link will work, so here's a link to the Veterans Farm website.






Wednesday, January 1, 2014

New year, new garden

The garden - January 1st
It's cold and snowy today. In other words, it's a perfect day for staying indoors and planning for spring. I've got a stack of seed catalogs to read, and I've begun planning the layout for The Garden - 2014.

I'm not much for resolutions, but I do like the feeling of a new beginning that comes with the new year, and with it the motivation to identify goals for oneself and new things to learn and do. In the spirit of the new year, then, here are my garden goals for this year:

1. Grow more beans. I want enough beans to can. I want to try runner beans. I want to harvest some dry beans.

2. Establish some fruit. I started this in August with a rhubarb plant, but I'm also thinking about strawberries and raspberries. I planted some peach pits this fall, but I know the chances of them growing are slim.

3. Start seeds indoors. This is one of those things that seems very difficult to me, largely because it takes equipment and space. This year I'm going to start small.

4. Chickens. I probably won't actually get chickens this year, but if I'm ever going to have them, I need to start planning. I also need to make sure I leave enough space in the backyard for them.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by K's Garden in 2013, and I wish all of you a healthy and productive 2014 filled with good things from the garden.