I have had out of town guests for the last 2 weeks, and have barely managed to get out to weed the garden. Of course I am so damn grateful for an excuse not to weed. I have learned that I absolutely, positively, do not want to weed. I take every opportunity and excuse that comes along to get out of weeding. It is particularly wicked in my garden because it had not been planted for several years before I moved in with my partner, and the garden plot, although still visible around the perimeter, was overgrown with wild grasses. I don't know how many of you have any experience with wild grass, but it takes hold and is almost impossible to get rid of. The roots are miles long, and the grass grows fast and tall. So, when I go out to weed, I am not merely picking little weeds around the peas and beans, I am taking a hoe, and digging 2 ft deep trenches, chasing the grass roots around the garden. I disagree that cockroaches will be the only thing to survive an apocalypse. The planet will be covered in wild grasses, second only to the cockroaches.
My partner tilled the garden twice before we planted. Evidently all that did was chop the grass off at ground level. There is a veritable highway of tangled roots beneath the surface. When I am out there sweating and hoeing and trying to pull up the blasted grass, he lovingly assures me that next year will be better. He says he will till it several more times. My guess is that it will take a hundred years or so to get rid of the grass. So I have fabricated a new plan in my mind. I am going to do 15 minutes of grass hunting each day. Before I die, the garden should be in good shape for the next generation.
My peas are thriving. We will have some food in about 2 weeks I think. I have noticed the local farmer's markets have peas already. I got started late, but I am going to get peas. The beans got attacked by slugs, so they were not doing well. I put down some slug pellets around the rows of beans, and I fertilized everything, so now the beans are also doing well. Here's a shocker...the popcorn is coming up and growing quite quickly. I am a popcorn addict, so I cannot wait to see if it actually pops.
The biggest surprise for me is the chili peppers. They are all healthy and big, and staked up and growing like crazy. There are even a couple of peppers on some of the plants. For the life of me, I never knew it was warm enough here to grow chili peppers. I have this image in my mind of the red and green chili peppers grown in the southwest. I am excited and very surprised that we can grow them. I am excited because they look so pretty in the garden. I do not eat peppers of any kind. I don't like the taste of bell peppers, and I definitely don't like spicy heat. My partner is growing them and he loves them. I am happy to have the color in the garden.
The potatoes are also doing great. I have no idea when to cover them and let them continue growing below the ground. I look at the pictures, and read all the stuff but I cannot tell if it is time to cover them up. I have about 5 inches of dirt around them. I am thinking that today is the day to cover them up. We'll see. I will have a better idea next year. I am going to use the straw to cover them and let them grow. Some of the books say I can cover them with a tarp. I think that the straw will provide insulation and some aeration. I don't know if that is necessary, but it sounds good to me. Plus, it is prettier than blue plastic covering my food.
I have noticed something pretty amazing when I am out there hovered over the plants, pulling the weeds. Each type of food has it's very own look-alike weed. It is incredible...down the row of peas are some weeds that grow and appear very similar to the peas. Same thing with the beans...and the onions and corn. It is truly inspiring to see. But alas...the poor weeds have no hope of survival because of my discerning eye. I am quite proud of myself that I am able to tell the difference between a weed and food. 6 months ago that would not have been the case. This reassures me that I am learning and am not totally garden-impaired. I may get the hang of this in a couple of years.
I am still waiting for the feeling of "one with the earth". I am not there yet. I am still struggling to understand it all. I don't like bugs. I am terrified of snakes, and worms still make my stomach queasy. There are these black small jumping spiders all over the garden that I have to fight not to squish. I don't know if I can ever get to the point that I will revere all the creatures, but I am definitely grateful for the food I am growing, and I appreciate the value of composting and recycling. That may be as good as it gets, so to all of you naturalists...I apologize for my irreverence. It's a curse. I am working on it though.
Until next time...
Karen
My partner tilled the garden twice before we planted. Evidently all that did was chop the grass off at ground level. There is a veritable highway of tangled roots beneath the surface. When I am out there sweating and hoeing and trying to pull up the blasted grass, he lovingly assures me that next year will be better. He says he will till it several more times. My guess is that it will take a hundred years or so to get rid of the grass. So I have fabricated a new plan in my mind. I am going to do 15 minutes of grass hunting each day. Before I die, the garden should be in good shape for the next generation.
My peas are thriving. We will have some food in about 2 weeks I think. I have noticed the local farmer's markets have peas already. I got started late, but I am going to get peas. The beans got attacked by slugs, so they were not doing well. I put down some slug pellets around the rows of beans, and I fertilized everything, so now the beans are also doing well. Here's a shocker...the popcorn is coming up and growing quite quickly. I am a popcorn addict, so I cannot wait to see if it actually pops.
The biggest surprise for me is the chili peppers. They are all healthy and big, and staked up and growing like crazy. There are even a couple of peppers on some of the plants. For the life of me, I never knew it was warm enough here to grow chili peppers. I have this image in my mind of the red and green chili peppers grown in the southwest. I am excited and very surprised that we can grow them. I am excited because they look so pretty in the garden. I do not eat peppers of any kind. I don't like the taste of bell peppers, and I definitely don't like spicy heat. My partner is growing them and he loves them. I am happy to have the color in the garden.
The potatoes are also doing great. I have no idea when to cover them and let them continue growing below the ground. I look at the pictures, and read all the stuff but I cannot tell if it is time to cover them up. I have about 5 inches of dirt around them. I am thinking that today is the day to cover them up. We'll see. I will have a better idea next year. I am going to use the straw to cover them and let them grow. Some of the books say I can cover them with a tarp. I think that the straw will provide insulation and some aeration. I don't know if that is necessary, but it sounds good to me. Plus, it is prettier than blue plastic covering my food.
I have noticed something pretty amazing when I am out there hovered over the plants, pulling the weeds. Each type of food has it's very own look-alike weed. It is incredible...down the row of peas are some weeds that grow and appear very similar to the peas. Same thing with the beans...and the onions and corn. It is truly inspiring to see. But alas...the poor weeds have no hope of survival because of my discerning eye. I am quite proud of myself that I am able to tell the difference between a weed and food. 6 months ago that would not have been the case. This reassures me that I am learning and am not totally garden-impaired. I may get the hang of this in a couple of years.
I am still waiting for the feeling of "one with the earth". I am not there yet. I am still struggling to understand it all. I don't like bugs. I am terrified of snakes, and worms still make my stomach queasy. There are these black small jumping spiders all over the garden that I have to fight not to squish. I don't know if I can ever get to the point that I will revere all the creatures, but I am definitely grateful for the food I am growing, and I appreciate the value of composting and recycling. That may be as good as it gets, so to all of you naturalists...I apologize for my irreverence. It's a curse. I am working on it though.
Until next time...
Karen
Cultivating one's yard grows on a person over time. The older I get, the more I'd rather spend time in my garden than time at the Mall or in front of the tube. By the time I'm 90, I'll be sleeping next to my flower beds at night wrapped in a crocheted afghan!
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