The Cardboard Story

Posted on May 30, 2012 by

Or; How to Build a Garden on a Rock Pile Without Digging All The Rocks Up

Use cardboard. I think this might be a bastardization of the Lasagne Method of gardening.

Several weeks before you want to plant, pick a grassy spot for a bed and cover it with large sheets of cardboard. Large boxes from furniture and appliance stores work best but anything will do. Cover the cardboard with straw or something to hold it in place. A few large rocks or some pallets will also do. Water the cardboard if the weather is dry. The water helps the cardboard start to break down. With just a tad of luck, the grass will die about the time the cardboard starts to loose some of its integrity.

You can then cover with enough potting soil or dirt or mulch to grow shallow root crops or you can cut holes in the cardboard for each plant. Mulch well, fertilize and water.

In my garden I used this method in a few places where I wanted to plant but mostly I used it in the walkways and up the sides of the raised beds. This sure does cut down on weeding.

This cardboard is starting to break down. Make sure you remove every bit of tape from the cardboard as it will outlast many of us if left in the soil.

This walkway was originally full of grass. This fall or early next spring the matrial will get raked up and added to the mulch and new cardboard will be added to the walkways. I’m not sure if cardboard is considered “organic” but this is a good way to recycle it.

Use it up, make it do or do without!

-m

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Todays Pickins’, ok maybe yesterdays pickins’!

Posted on May 28, 2012 by

About a pounds of collard. Sarah usually cooks these with a little crisp bacon pieces and sauteed onion. Add chicken broth to keep moist and simmer until tender. A splash of sesame oil is good too.

The last head of broccoli. I believe there will be cream of broccoli soup soon.

A big fist full of lettuce and some herbs made todays lunch.

Cilantro and green onions, the perfect companion to pintos and other beans.

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High Class Meals

Posted on May 27, 2012 by

High class meals come in many forms. Around here they come from the garden.

Three days ago I dug these “new” potatoes and Sarah picked a few Provider beans. The Providers were planted in March during that warm spell and it paid off.

New potatoes and, green beans cooked up with bacon and onions.

All the salad ingredients were grown in my garden.

Here’s the whole meal ready to eat. Salad, beet greens and the potatoes with green beans. Everything picked just before it was prepared. This was Wednesdays lunch.

Thursday there was fresh broccoli with shredded pepper cheese, shared with Tedi May. Sad to say there are only a few more heads of this in the garden.

This evening another mess of green beans and potatoes to be shared with Pat and Lois.

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The Sunny Side

Posted on May 24, 2012 by

OH, BUT THERE is a sunny side, not that we couldn’t use a little rain. But just as the sun was setting, I went out for a last stroll through the garden and found, to my great delight, a tiny bean in the midst of some lovely lavender bean blossoms. The variety is Provider, a bush bean known for being early, productive and tasty. It’s planted in a 12-foot double row and is bringing the first green beans of the season. Beside it, another double row, is coming along about a month behind. You know what that means if you live in the country. It’s almost green-bean-and-new-potato time. Yes, there are also potatoes, just now coming into bloom. They’re a little behind the beans, but I made a pact with Pat that when my first beans come in, I’ll shuttle them over to her house where she’ll be digging her first new potatoes. And we’ll eat like kings. See that’s what all this gardening stuff is about. Sure, it gets you out into the beautiful outdoors. It gives you exercise, and a tan. But it’s really a foodie thing. And a foodie I am. You’re going to hear more about this. You probably knew that already.

Provider beans, 3 to 4 inches long today. We’ll be eating these babies in a couple days.

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Notice a Theme? Testiness Maybe?

Posted on May 23, 2012 by

OH GREAT. NOW, while troubleshooting, I discovered that earlier in the spring, when a storm blew the rain barrel off its perch, something punched a hole up about the 45-gallon mark, so any water that goes in above that level, which would be about 10 gallons, leaks right back out – and not onto the plants. Don’t come over just now, ok, because I can’t get this mean, glowering look off my face. Reminds me of that carnival barker jingle, spoken fast, like you’re selling a used car –”It’s JoJo, the dog-faced boy. He walks, he talks, he crawls on his belly like a reptile. Stand back, sonny. He might bite-cha.”  It’s not pretty. Jus’ sayin’

The dysfunctional hose and barrel.

-m

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In a Nutshell

Posted on May 22, 2012 by

HERE’S THE DILEMMA. Because the growing medium in the bales and pots (tubs, not herbs) is smaller and isolated, and has exceptionally good drainage, it must be watered daily. The rest of the garden holds pretty well with a two-days of watering per week schedule. Being chained to the garden by a daily watering schedule is the equivalent of having a milk cow, without the milk. What happens when I’m scheduled to perform on a two-or-three-day schedule? The tomatoes gork. I’m not having that. So I’ll be back in a minute, or not. I have to go troubleshoot.

Jimmy Nardelos, one of Sarah’s favorite peppers. The plants are about a foot tall and have peppers a good 6 inches long already!

The Cushaw are up! For about a week now.

About 8 pm yesterday, an overview of the garden.

photos by Sarah

-m

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Expletive, dear expletive!

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

WELL, EXPLETIVE! I spent a good bit of yesterday and today taking apart, refitting and reassembling the expletive! drip irrigation system for my hay bale and large pot (tub, not herb) part of the garden, and the expletive! expletive! thing didn’t work. Again. For no expletive! good reason. That probably sounds whiney, because I got the soaker hose system up and working in the rest of the garden without any major problems. Some aggravations, but no real problems.

Tomato blossoms. Right now, today!

These plants are about 2 feet tall and covered with blossoms. A perfect bed – tomatoes, basil, onions, and French Marigolds.

A row of lettuce and onions.

Green beans, 3 to 4 inches long today. We’ll be eating these babies in a couple days.

Thanks again to Sarah for the photos!

-m

 

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