gardening & g.w. - and i don't mean george w.

So, apparently this global warming this is happening. As a short intro to possible further posts on this topic, it appears that even those who tinker with gardening are going to have to make small to significant changes in how they do things. I'm still waiting for a good shady day to let my slightly hardened seedlings sit outside before transferring them into the ground. I'm scared that the sun is going to fry them before they have a chance... but Pancho and I may try to build a tent-like covering to protect the small plants from the direct sunlight when planted. If any of you have any other ideas or advice, I would love to hear!

The link is the National Wildlife Federation's Gardener's Guide to Global Warming.

http://www.nwf.org/gardenersguide/Gardeners_Guide.pdf

Garden box – easy to build, even for a girl

Last Saturday I went to my local hardware store, Doody, intentionally avoiding HomeDepot because of the crowds and the usual desire to patronize a smaller establishment, to by a few boards to assemble this lovely garden box that you can see in the picture. I’m going to chart the 1-10 level of “what do you want that for” looks I get from male clerks when buying various things at hardware stores. This shopping trip I got about a 6.5 of doubt and 2.5 of shock after carrying a 10’ x 1’ x ½” board over to the tall aproned Russian boy in the far end of the wood department so he could make a few cuts for me. “You know you have to buy the whole thing” “Yeah – I need three cuts, one four ft piece and three two’s, OK?” “Alright… (he cuts the wood) But let me bring it over to the register for you.” “Thanks.”

Pancho and I worked together the following day to saw the appx. 45 degree angle with a handsaw and then hold the pieces together for each other while drilling and screwing… teamwork is cool. Then I used some sheet gardening techniques: several sheets of very wet newspaper laid right on top of the grass, covering the entire ground inside the box, a layer of sticks and twigs from around the yard, then a mixture of garden soil, organic top soil and compost from the give back on top. I transplanted my tomato and small basil plants (grown from seed – planted first in March) and covered the rest of the soil with the leaves to protect the bed from weeds and to keep moisture in. So the plants have been in for almost a week now and seem to be doing well.

waste in our literature

And to complement my most recent entry - an opinion piece in the Guardian calling for a bard of waste... lets see who steps up...

the three r's

This year the big apple launched a fabulous program titled NYC Waste Less, where NYC residents were able to shovel and keep as much free compost as they could haul at several compost “give backs.” The golden soil came from the millions of Christmas trees and bags of leaves and other assorted yard waste New Yorkers produce each season. For me, the most exciting part of the give back this year—and what could possibly be more exciting then free recycled waste, you may ask—was the opportunity to buy my own composting bin, at a hugely discounted price! See photo.

I think I may be one of the rare and few people who actually feel guilty tossing an apple core into the garbage bag. It could be my early childhood conditioning watching my grandmother store all her kitchen scraps in a huge brown margarine container on the counter, then give to my grandfather so he could add it to the compost pile, out behind the sprawling garden. So, now I have installed a functional remedy for my guilt. Composting is an easy process with great benefits. Although the next door neighbor was quick to watch us assemble the plastic box and make sure that the “lid fit on really tight because squirrels are a big problem around here.” It does. Here are a couple composting links.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting
http://www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tipstechniques/planning/compost.asp

fun with plants

Welcome to my shiny new blog! I intend to use this platform as a space for recording and reflecting on my adventures in horticulture; lessons, tips, anecdotes and troubles. And yes, humble reader, I do hope to make it as entertaining as possible. So, enjoy yourself, check back often and feel free to comment.