We've been talking about starting a blog as a garden journal and reference tool, but life intrudes. I also worry about style and doing a good job writing the blog, but that's just silly procrastination. I'm just going to plow ahead (ha!).First, to recap the recent events that led to our having a garden at Lincoln Street:
We bought a house last summer. (We also got married last summer.) We tore out our old garden at Corbin Street a couple months ago. We still haven't buried a can (as we'd planned) in the spot where we got engaged, and our compost tumbler is still over at the old place.
The house at Lincoln Street is a dream, and neither of us have any buyers' remorse. I worry a tiny bit that the backyard doesn't get enough sun, but what can we do now?
We planted 80 or so daffodils and hyacinths and tulip bulbs in the side yard, which will surprise us no doubt next spring. I think it's too late to plant the rest, but maybe I can force blooms this winter.
We planted garlic (45 cloves) sometime late October, using our wonderful and surprisingly powerful rototiller that Adriana and her family bought us. We called it the bucking bronco
because it had quite a bit of bounce when encountering rocks! I was surprised it didn't break, and only jammed once. This New England soil is difficult -- poor Puritans, is all I can think when I consider that they didn't have a gas-powered wonder to service them. I would no doubt be hanged as a witch if I traveled in time and showed them what the rototiller can do. (I would probably BE a witch if I could travel in time. So there.)I seem to remember that the garlic grew some last year once we'd planted it, but that might be because we planted it earlier (?) or maybe we mulched it. We need to mulch it still. There is straw in the garage for that.
I ordered a ton of seeds -- vegetables, flowers, herbs. There's something thrilling and hopeful about poring through the catalog and imagining the wonders the seeds will bring.
David and I are planning on turning the whole front porch into a seed nursery, because we don't have a second bedroom to use anymore, and the walk-in closet is too small (and probably dangerous). The seed growing closet in the basement is too inconvenient to use until we bang out a staircase (someday).
Well, that's about it for now.
--Camille
3 comments:
Can you stay on the bronco for 8 seconds? That is a tough job and glad to see you can do it any time you want with that tiller. Tools make the man.
I gots to figure out about our little garden. Something the kids will see in action.
When do you plant starter plants? How can I get flower seeds to grow? Most of my flowers last year didn't grow. Do I really need to till a flower bed or can I just place the seeds in the ground? Sunflower seeds, mainly.
Hey, I have about 100 lbs of corn cob blast media (corn cobs shredded down to sand size pellets. To make some sunflowers can I dig small holes, fill them with a dirt / corn cob mix and stick the seeds in there? I want to plant them fast because I want to do another army of them. I think the corn cob would hold moisture great.
John,
We plant starter seeds in February (late), which might be a tad bit early for some (like squash). We do them with grow lights, which makes the season longer.
I don't think planting directly in the ground is the best way, as the birds chomp the little plants before they ever get a chance.
The girls might love the seed growing process -- do it in the basement or the garage.
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