The Lawrence Pothead

Summer changes

2010-07-17T00:12:00.007-05:00

Everything must change

Nothing stays the same

Everyone will change

No one stays the same...

~Quincy Jones

I got over resisting change quite a long time ago. In fact, I seek it out now, and get frustrated when things stay too much the same for too long. When Life On The Balcony called for a blog carnival about what changes summer has brought to my garden, I thought, "This is my kind of post." Boy, does my garden have a lot of change that has happened-- and will be happening soon! (Note: The camera is in one of these boxes around here somewhere... Sorry I don't have photos, sigh.)

Here's an overview of garden CHANGES:

The past

So, all the nice plans I made for this year's garden were pretty much thrown out the window.

I planted three pots of shallots, and all but one of the seedlings croaked. Have I mentioned we've had a very rainy year so far? Only about 30 times... Yeah, the shallot seedlings damped-off.
And the strawberries were backordered for about a month, so they were planted too late. So I got strawberry leaves but no fruit. Hmm.
And the Purple Kale grew about 4 inches tall and stopped. It's still alive, oh yes, but it's not big enough to eat yet, and doesn't show any signs of wanting to get bigger.
And the Arugula-- I expected it to give me seeds BEFORE summer hit, so I could plant peppers in its place. But it just started giving me seeds a couple weeks ago, and the flowers still haven't all gone to seed.
Only two dill plants came up, from the rows of seeds I planted (but those two plants did fabulously!)
How about those cool-weather-loving baby cabbage? Didn't make any heads. I got no cabbage, just a bunch of gorgeous deep-green leaves. And a colony of slugs and beetles.
I had three mystery volunteer plants pop up. They look like pumpkin or squash.
Finally, due to being so unsure about our job situation and moving plans, I decided NOT to plant my summer crops.

So much for making plans!!

The Present

I am downsizing my garden, sadly. We shall need to fit things on the moving truck, and that means packing as compactly as possible.

I dug up the Baby Cabbage plants! Last week I asked someone at the Farmer's Market if cabbage leaves were edible, and she said yes, but they are best cooked, since they have a strong raw taste and prickles. So I have a lot of cabbage leaves soaking in a pot of water right now (to kill off any bugs or slugs). I'll be washing each leaf by hand and drying them, then using them in some kind of stew or something soon.
The mystery plant has conceived two babies! I'm thinking it might be pumpkin! Right now the fruits are just round and green, but hopefully I'll see soon enough.
The desk drawer is scheduled for removal. It contained dill and the mystery plant. I chopped down the dill, and one project for tonight will be to dry and store it. I transplanted the mystery plant into the plastic bin where the cabbage was, since that will be easier to get on the truck than a partially-decomposed plywood desk drawer! The plant has a good case of transplant shock, but I pulled it into the shade, and have been giving it plenty of water. I'm also talking to it: "I'm pregnant too, and I have to go through a stressful move. If I can handle it, you can handle it! Hang in there!"
The radish flowers look like they'll be making seeds any day. As soon as I harvest the seeds, they'll get chopped down, and the broken rolling file cart they were planted in goes to the dumpster. Hurry, radishes, we're running out of time!
Arugula gets to be chopped down pretty soon. Since the Swiss Chard is doing pretty well, but it's just too crowded, I'll put some of the Swiss Chard in that pot.
The one summer crop I did guiltily plant, since it grows fast, was Basil. I just love Basil so much. I now have several Basil plants popping up with two true leaves on each plant!
The Angel's Trumpet plants have buds! I can't wait to see their flowers!! The one on the right has hardly any leaves. I'm tempted to snip off its flower bud to try to force it to grow some more leaves, but I'm not sure how it would react.

The Future

One of my husband's friends has offered us the use of his lake house until my husband finds a job! So at the end of our apartment lease, we are going to move out there until further notice. It's a beautiful property with lots of space and a gorgeous forest around a man-made pond. I'll be able to bring what's left of my plants out there to continue cultivating them. There's also an in-ground vegetable garden there that has been somewhat neglected, and I'll be able to work in that. So perhaps I'll be able to have a summer crop after all. I'll keep you posted.

...The young become the old

Mysteries do unfold

But that's the way of time

No one, nothing goes unchanged...

Triscuit and herbs

2010-07-08T14:05:00.003-05:00

I was impressed to read that Triscuit is supporting the home-farm movement, and I was even more impressed to see their website they've put together to support newbies like myself. It makes Kraft seem a bit less evil, though Triscuits have always been my favorite crackers anyway. Now that they are giving herb seeds away in their boxes, well, all they have left to do is remove GMO ingredients, and I'll be on Cloud Nine!

A challenge from Life on the Balcony to create a recipe for Triscuits and garden produce got my creative juices flowing. Here is my effort to win! (Because of the fast time deadline, I didn't have the chance to buy the products necessary to make this recipe and take pictures, but I'll add photos soon.)

I find that most people don't know what herbs REALLY taste like, since they are accustomed to the dry, bland, coloring particles sold at the grocery store. At least that was the case for me, before growing my own herbs last year. So if you want to impress your friends with something they are likely not to have tried before, and give them a bite of some of the best Mother Nature has to offer, do I have an idea for you! At your next party make an appetizer tray of Triscuits topped with fresh tomato slices, plain hummus, and fresh herbs. The Triscuits give crunch, the hummus warmth, and the tomato moisture and bite; with this flavorful and textural background, the taste of your proudly-grown herbs will really stand out! Not to mention, your koolness factor will increase exponentially! You'll probably find your friends asking you in an awed tone of voice, "How hard was it to grow your own herbs, anyway?" At that point, you are free to evangelize about how everyone should have a garden, or simply bask in the glory.

Triscuits with tomatoes, hummus, and fresh herbs

24 Triscuits
3/4 cup hummus (I swore I wouldn't give away the secret recipe from the mediterranean market in town, but the recipe on this site is close enough) For this situation, a plain hummus would be best. Olives or peppers mixed in could distract from the taste of your herbs.
1 or 2 fresh tomatoes (Garden-grown, if yours are ripe yet!)
24 sprigs of fresh herbs from your garden. I suggest mint, basil, and dill, because they are easy to grow and easy (but impressive) on the palette. Herbs like rosemary or lavender would probably be too strong, but use your best judgement. You can also use this opportunity to show off your more exotic flavors, like lemon mint or cinnamon basil for example.

The morning of (or at least 2 hours before) your shin-dig, whip up a batch of hummus. It only takes 10 minutes, and that includes cleaning the food processor and licking the spoon! (If you MUST buy the hummus from the grocery store, try not to get the kind that has vinegar in it. It doesn't taste as good, and it's not authentic, at least according to my mid-eastern friends. A good hummus should be smooth and earthy and not have too much nip to it.) Let the hummus refrigerate for at least two hours.

Slice your tomatoes as thinly as possible.

Right before the party starts, arrange your Triscuits on a trendy platter. Or you may want to have one platter for each herb you are featuring. Place a tomato slice on each cracker, and spread a bit of hummus on top. Then garnish with a fresh herb sprig.

Enjoy!

Arugula seeds

2010-07-07T23:34:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure why I thought that all the Arugula seed pods would ripen at once. Pretty thoughtless of me to assume that. Actually, each stalk is ripening slowly from the bottom to the top, and each stalk is ripening at a different time.

I've harvested several seed pods so far and put them in this nice homemade envelope to wait for next season's joyful garden, wherever that ends up being.

The only other news is that it has been raining since the 4th of July, and it's all my fault! I was just saying last week that it should rain again, since I had used up all the water from my rain catchers. As if on cue, it started raining the next day! Sorry everyone! I only meant A LITTLE bit of rain, not a whole week of it!

The dampness has allowed mushrooms to pop up everywhere. I'm not completely sure, but I think that's a bad thing for my plants' health. If so, I need to do something, but I'd like to avoid harsh chemicals.

Fabulous Dill

2010-07-04T12:03:00.003-05:00

The dill is amazing. I have been enjoying it aesthetically and in cooking. Its flowers have burst forth like chartreuse fireworks. (Appropriate for the holiday!) Don't they look striking against the mahogany-colored leaves of the tree behind my fence?

I'm wondering, though, if I should cut off the flowers. Will that ensure that the plant grows more leaves, or is it simply too late? According to this website, when the plant flowers it stops producing leaves. (Here's where a good book on herb and vegetable gardening would come in handy I guess. $omeday I'll have more resources like that!)

Not much progress, ho hum

2010-07-02T00:50:00.004-05:00

My Swiss Chard and Purple Kale have stayed the same size for months.

My strawberry plants have put out some leaves, but haven't made much progress otherwise since I planted them. I'm serious, there is a problem somewhere. Why do my plants not grow?

One exciting thing is the Angel's Trumpet plant, which seems to be doing quite well, despite the fact that it's growing in a bicycle basket lined with a grocery sack and rattan!

The one on the left germinated a couple weeks before the one on the right, so it's bigger and leafier. I "tipped" both of them last week to make them bushy. (To "tip" a plant is to snip off the top part of its growth. This forces the plant to put more energy into making leaves at lower levels, instead of just growing upward. This gives you a nicer looking and healthier plant. One thing I remember from my high-school job at the greenhouse!)

I'm waiting for them to get big enough to cover the ugly plastic from the grocery sack, as well as cover that Perrier bottle better. The inverted bottle helps me water the plants efficiently, to their roots, but you have to admit, it does look a bit tacky.

And I can't wait to see and smell their fabulous flowers!

Disastrous cabbage

2010-06-30T10:50:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned in my post about the mystery plant, I had a period of neglecting the garden a bit. (Fortunately we got rain every other day during that infernal season, otherwise my plants would not have gotten enough water!)

Another result of this neglect has been the carnage in this charming tub of "Baby Chinese Wa Wa Tsai" cabbage:

As you see, this has become the Bug & Slug Motel of my garden. Disgusting. I should have done something, sprayed garlic mist on the leaves or something. But not only was I super busy and distracted while this was happening under my nose, I'm not sure any spray would have been very effective, since it just kept raining and raining. I'm not crying over, uh, ruined cabbage, but I'd like to take a lesson away from this. Live and learn, right? What SHOULD I have done? What should I do next time?

I'm also curious why the cabbage didn't develop into heads. The leaves stayed loose, as you see. Isn't there supposed to be a nice compact ball forming in each plant? That's what the pictures show. Oh, and I planted seeds for these in March. They were supposed to be mature in 2 months, but in May they were only still half the size they are now. Geez.

There are days I really feel like a crappy gardener.

Arugula and Mint

2010-06-29T10:13:00.003-05:00

That wispy thing, behind the big happy mystery-plant's leaves, is what's left of the bolted Arugula. I'm letting it go to seed. The seeds are in long thin pods; I imagine that when they are ripe the pods will burst open. Hopefully I'll be lucky enough to be in the garden on the day the seeds are ripe, but before they fall into the soil to be lost forever. I'd like to try Arugula again someday.

Here's my thriving Mint plant:
I made Mint Tea with local honey last night for dessert. It was tasty! And apparently if you suffer from acid reflux, mint tea is better than Zantac.

Happy to Have Volunteers

2010-06-27T11:02:00.004-05:00

Volunteers are always nice, whether you need help moving, or making progress in your non-profit, or trying to grow a happy garden. I have some nice volunteers this year (in my garden AND with moving! ...I don't have a non-profit though...), some predictable and some quite surprising.

The months of April and May were whirlwinds for me, so I did not keep in very good touch with my garden. And in June I learned that there was very very little chance of us staying in the area, so I only tended the garden half-heartedly. Then suddenly I looked outside and I saw some good-sized volunteers! Of course, I got some marigolds from last year. That's to be expected. And the moss roses (portulaca) were also no surprise. What did surprise me was this:

That big-leafed thing in front of my dill is some kind of squash or melon! I don't know what kind, but it must have sprung from my compost! I know that in the compost pile last year there were pumpkin, acorn squash, butternut squash, cucumber, and cantaloupe. Those are the only possibilities I can think of, unless a benevolent neighbor planted something different for me. So we'll see what it ends up being! Meanwhile, I wonder if there's anything I should be doing to take care of it. I'm so clueless, aren't I? :)

In this picture you see one of the yellow flowers of my mystery plant, and then down below are some portulaca, which haven't flowered yet.

Useful ways to use cilantro

2010-06-22T00:01:00.004-05:00

I meant to post this awhile ago. This picture was taken on May 30th, and features my husband's favorite soup, Carrot Cashew Ginger (from Pacific Natural Foods), sprinkled with cilantro from our garden. The cilantro got about 6 inches tall before starting to bolt from the heat. I realized it was about to bolt, so I used as much of it as possible within a couple weeks, cutting it down to stubs. I mainly sprinkled it on soups and salads. If you cook cilantro, you lose most of the flavor. It's great in salsa.

I noticed that my cilantro from the garden had a much stronger flavor than the stuff from the grocery store. However, they must be different varieties. The leaves from the grocery store variety are penny-sized, kind of fan-shaped, and lobed; while the leaves of my cilantro were very fine and needle-like.

It was good while it lasted, and we received it with thanksgiving!

An early end to the season

2010-06-11T18:35:00.002-05:00

I guess I knew it was coming, but I didn't want to admit it. I need to close down the garden. Hubby is getting his PhD and job searching. Our lease ends July 20th. Well, I wasn't completely sure it was coming. We had planned to stay in town (but a different apartment) for a few more months while job searching, but the search has been drastically hastened, since he lost his other job. (Thank you, economy...) We have no choice but to find a job that starts this August, and it is 99% certain that the new one won't be in Kansas.

So, though we don't know where we're going yet, we have to plan for an out-of-state move in only one month and ten days. That means getting rid of all my plants. It's for that reason that I haven't planted the warm-weather plants. I'm letting the current set of plants do what they want, using what I can, and making reluctant plans to get rid of everything somehow.

I'll post a few more entries on this blog, and then put it on hold until I start my next garden, wherever and whenever that works out to be.

Two meals from my garden

2010-05-16T09:13:00.004-05:00

Yesterday morning when I woke up, I looked out the window, and --well, well, well-- it was raining. Again. What a surprise.

When will the madness end??

Actually I was just grumbly because I had planned to harvest TWO things from the garden for meals, and instead of happy harvesting, I had to get dripped on. Oh well, nonetheless, my recipes turned out beautifully, and it was still very satisfying to eat the, errr, vegetables of my labor.

For lunch we had an omelette with chives (including the three chive flowers I had on my plant). I didn't take a picture. It looked like an omelette... with chives.

The chive taste wasn't very strong, even though I put A LOT of them in the egg mixture. Maybe the rain is making them weak flavored?

For dinner I made a recipe I found on bonappetit.com: "Baby Bok Choy with Braised Shiitake Sauce." I have "Pak Choy: Toy Choy" in my garden from parkseed.com. (I'm assuming that "pak choy" and "bok choy" are the same thing? They look and taste the same.) It has grown beautifully with no fuss for me this season. What a delightful plant:

It was easy to harvest (clip at the base of the plant), easy to wash, easy to cook, easy to eat. Plus the leaves are dark green, so I'm sure there are lots of great vitamins in there.

It was the first time I tried this recipe, but I could tell before starting that it wouldn't be very filling, so I made basmati rice and steamed carrots on the side. Even so, it wasn't very filling. I had wanted it to last for two meals, but my husband and I ate the entire dish in one meal.

Isn't it beautiful?

It was delicious!

Tweaks I made to the recipe:

I had to add more starch than called for, since the sauce didn't thicken.
I put the ginger in with the garlic to let it cook with the sauce, instead of sprinkling it raw over the dish, as the recipe says. Raw ginger is too potent for my taste.

The only other tweak I'd make to the recipe next time (and I WILL make it again) is to cut the bok choy and add it to the sauce 1 minute before it's done, instead of boiling the whole bok choy separately. The bok choy seems easier to cut when it's raw; it got slippery after being boiled, so it was a bit awkward to cut on the plate. And maybe add some meat next time to make it more filling?

Anyway, it was a wonderful meal, and I'm glad I did it, even if I did have to get dripped on!

Am I just impatient, or are my plants stunted?

2010-05-14T05:22:00.000-05:00

Maybe I have a problem with patience. Sometimes I do, but I haven't ever noticed it as one of the worst of my major character flaws. It's just that my plants seem to be growing so slowly!

The most noticeable slow-grower is the Brussels Sprouts, which have grown about 1 inch since I put them outside almost two months ago. Indeed, all my plants have seemed to sprout up nicely, hit about 2-5 inches tall, and then stop growing. It's almost the end of the cool-weather season, almost time for the warm-weather plants to take the stage, and if my plants don't hurry up, I won't get much of a harvest.

Reasons?

Like I said, it might just be my perception. I may be expecting too much. Maybe I'll get a harvest in due time.
Perhaps, despite what plant websites advertise, vegetables just don't like being in pots.
Perhaps again, this might all come down to the fact that I don't fertilize. Harumph. I've written about that frustrating problem in a previous post.

Rain, it raineth every day...

2010-05-13T09:45:00.002-05:00

The title of this post comes from a fabulous a capella choir piece by Bob Chilcott, a British composer. (Being British, he is, of course, quite entitled to write a piece about rain!) The entire first part goes like this: "Rain, it raineth every day, upon the just and unjust fella / Mostly on the just, because the unjust hath the just's umbrella." He, of course, borrowed a bit from Jesus, but I find that line, and the whole song actually, marvelously witty and well-composed. If you ever get the chance to hear it, don't pass it up.

OK, back to blogging about my garden.

I'm thinking of that song because yesterday we got a grand thunderstorm. I had thought the "April Showers" season was over, as we've gone almost a whole week without rain. Then --more rain, oh great! I was wincing from inside my warm apartment, as I listened to the rain pouring down in sheets outside. It was the kind of rain that would soak you in literally one second if you stepped out into it. I was afraid my plants would be pummeled to death.

This morning, the storm over, I ventured out into the dripping patio to survey any damage. Most of them actually seemed to be OK. There are a few leaves that had been pounded into the soil, and some that had broken off. The majority of the damage, though, is that many of the leaves have dirt all over them from the splashing rain drops, and several pots are also crusted with dirt. I'm not too happy about losing soil, but I'm glad the plants are still alive. I probably ought to take the time to wipe that dirt off all the leaves-- but what a long tedious job that would be, even in my tiny garden!

I was not happy to find FOUR flower buds in my arugula pot! It's bolting! No wonder it was turning colors on me. I don't want it to bolt yet! I've only eaten it twice! I picked off the flowers, hoping to encourage more leaf growth, but it may be a lost cause... Cross your fingers.

Strange, because we've had an unusually cool spring. I know in a previous post I mentioned a few days of warm weather, but overall (probably due to all the rain) it's been quite cool. Normally by this time in Kansas we've got regular high-70s or low-80s temps every day, but in general lately it's been quite cool. So no bolting allowed!!

Chard and Arugula seem to be failing

2010-05-07T18:29:00.004-05:00

It may be coincidence, but it seems to me that shortly after I picked some leaves from my Arugula and Swiss Chard, they both reacted by getting rust-colored spots on their leaves and looking kind of sick. I have lots of orange leaves in my Arugula, and many of their leaves are getting orange-yellow on the edges, as well as some spots on them. The Chard has the same problem. Are they pouting because they've figured out that their sole purpose in life is for me to eat them?

ha ha, probably not.

It's probably one of the following reasons:

1) they don't like how warm the weather has been the past few days (they are supposed to be cool-weather crops).

2) they are missing some vital nutrient that I, the dutiful gardener, am supposed to be providing them.

3) they are too crowded in their pots and need some more root room.

4) they've contracted some kind of virus or fungus.

I can't think of any other possibility, but that doesn't mean that there aren't others.

What's your vote?

steamed Swiss Chard

2010-05-06T19:27:00.003-05:00

A few nights ago I decided that my Swiss Chard looked a little crowded in its pot, and that I was hungry for some fresh home-grown produce. So next to our tilapia and potatoes we had steamed baby Swiss Chard "Bright Lights. It was so pretty with its bright-colored stems-- fuschia, red, yellow, ivory, lime-- setting off the deep green leaves. How fun.

The picture above is the baby chard, freshly-picked and ready to be washed. Below is the steamed chard on my plate. It was tender and tasty--much like spinach. I enjoyed it very much.

April Showers and fertilizing

2010-05-03T10:25:00.002-05:00

One of my goals for this year's garden was to fertilize more than I did last year. Of course, I'm too poor to afford buying fertilizer, so I came up with a cheaper plan. When I pull weeds, I put them in my watering bucket to make a tea. Surely there are some nutrients in these unwanted greens that would be useful for my plants, right? I actually have two watering buckets; I keep them under the overhang to gather rainwater. With the weeds that I've put into them, and a few weeks of steeping, the water is now a lovely shade of murky brown-beige. Beautiful.

Only one problem: I can't use it!

It has been raining about every other day here for a month (hence the term "April showers," I guess.) The plants barely get a chance to dry out a bit, when it rains again. I haven't even needed to water them. I suppose I should be grateful for the break, since I have been extremely busy this month, but I'm also a bit miffed at Mother Nature for spoiling my well-made plans.

I have several plants with yellowish leaves, which I'm thinking means they are hungry and want some nice, brown, home-made fertilizer. But I don't want to over-water, since we've had so much rain.

I'd Rather Be Gardening

2010-04-22T17:03:00.003-05:00

I'm not much of a T-Shirt wearer, but if I were, I would want one that said "I'd Rather Be Gardening."

I've been swamped. Even now, I am guiltily sneaking away for a few minutes to write this post. Students in my music classes have a concert in less than a week, for which I need to do some last-minute prep stuff. I need to enter some grades. My husband needs to graduate from his PhD program, and I've been helping him proof-read the last draft of his dissertation--a long tedious task. My two-year old needs regular attention, including a new, somewhat rigorous, medical treatment (ever try to get a toddler to take medicine? how about four times a day? yeah...) Then there's always the cooking, cleaning, and bill-paying. On top of that, I have just finished the first trimester of a new pregnancy, so I'm stinkin' tired all the time!

I just want to get out to my homely little garden and dig in the dirt. Being in a garden is so calming, even when you're actually working hard in it. It's almost like the plants can communicate, if you open your heart to listen. Bloom where you're planted. ~ Don't worry, we'll grow through this. ~ Nice weather will always return. ~ Live in your own rhythm. ~ Slow down and just be... Connecting with the cycles of the earth is a refreshing break from the breakneck pace of modern life. It's a way to commune with our creator, who surely did not intend for us to live so self-destructively.

So after a fit of vomiting kept me from going back to sleep early this morning when everyone else was asleep, I grabbed a cup of green tea, sat out on my patio, and watched the plants grow. The baby liked it. I did too. It was what we needed. I think it's what we all need.

The heavy rain that started later this morning has been a good excuse for me to stay inside and do what I need to do to keep my job and family together. But tomorrow, should the rain stop, the call of the wild may be more temptation than I'll be able to resist.

I can almost taste the salad now

2010-04-16T14:30:00.011-05:00

Baby Cabbage

Shallots

Purple Kale

Swiss Chard "Bright Lights"

Arugula (I put some of the leaves on a pizza a few days ago!!)

Cilantro

French Breakfast Radishes

My plants are doing great! I'm looking forward to some nice, fresh, organic salads very very soon! Eating a salad that is the fruit of one's own labor is infinitely more rewarding than buying it at the store.

I've also been trying to figure out what has stunted the growth of my Brussels Sprouts. I am not sure... but I have discovered that Sprouts really need to be fertilized, especially preferring nitrogen, and that they need to have alkaline soil. I'm not going to buy a soil tester (though someday when I have a little more expendable income that will be a priority for my garden), but it couldn't hurt to try to alkalize the soil in that pot just a bit. And it couldn't hurt to give it some nitrogen-rich fertilizer.

I'm not going to buy anything, so I need to figure out what food scraps, etc., I can mix into this soil to achieve the desired effects. Or perhaps make some kind of tea to spray on the leaves. I've been reading this page and pondering what of this information is practical for my situation.

Humpty Dumpty's great fall

2010-04-10T01:06:00.005-05:00

One of the seedlings started coming up in my tray!!

I put the seedling tray on the table outside to get better light and warmth this morning. I came home from a few errands to see this:

Argg! I don't know if it was a strong gust of wind, a squirrel, or what, but the entire thing was inverted in the fall. Bye-bye good intentions to jump-start some seedlings. :( I guess I'll just plant them directly outside when it's warm, since we're so close to the last frost date.

FLOWERS

2010-04-04T16:47:00.004-05:00

During my week of sickness and un-productivity, I actually did get something done: I planted some Angel's Trumpet seeds. Now, I have adamantly resisted starting any seeds indoors so far for several reasons. The main reason is that we have such little space in our tiny apartment, there's really no way to make room for seedling trays and lights. Mostly, though, I just don't want to mess with it. I've tried indoor seeds in the past, and it was a big hassle with very disappointing results. So for this garden, with all I have going on in my life, I've decided that if I can't pop it directly in the ground, water, and wait, it's not worth my money.

However, I DID decide to make an exception for the Angel's Trumpet. (I am really so excited for this flower; it'd BETTER grow for me!!) The package said that the earlier you plant it the earlier it will flower, and they suggested starting it indoors before the last frost date. So I took an empty egg carton, filled six compartments with soil, and planted one seed directly in the middle of each compartment. I only need one or two healthy plants, since I have only one pot for this flower, so I figure at least one out of six should grow, right? I made a space for it on top of the fridge, since it's supposedly warmer up there than the rest of the house. Now I'm crossing my fingers. It's been six days, and no sproutlings have showed themselves yet...

~~~~

I also planted the morning glory seeds. But first I made a dental-floss trellis for them to climb on. It was kind of a fun project, actually...

I have fond memories of Morning Glory. My mom always had some in the backyard garden when I was a child, and I remember being enchanted by the fact that they would curl up shyly and hide their faces every day around noon. When I was in high school, I rigged up a string trellis under and over my bedroom window and planted Morning Glory to grow up the strings. I woke up each morning with lovely pink, white, and purple flowers smiling in at me. What a great way to get started before a long day at school! (...I was such a nerd... I didn't meet anyone else my age who liked to garden...)

I remember M.G. being super easy to grow. I just dropped the seeds into the ground, watered occasionally, and left them alone, pretty much. I hope this variety, 'Star of Yelta' is just as easy. I'm a bit worried because the ground around the fence is mossy. I hope the moss doesn't choke the seedlings when they emerge.

Seeds planted---Check

2010-04-03T19:47:00.004-05:00

Before I forget, I meant to add a note about taxes. I finished my taxes over Spring Break, and all my friends know that I never pass up an opportunity to plug the Fair Tax. Check it out at fairtax.org, and pass the word! This isn't a political commentary blog, but this is one issue I think that most citizens, liberal or conservative, can unite on. If you aren't convinced, check out the FAQs; most of your doubts should be resolved about the benefits and drawbacks of the FairTax vs. the host of taxes we currently endure. OK, end of tax spiel!

Well, the rest of my "cold-weather loving" seeds have now been planted. Since I have only about 3 more weeks until the last frost, I should have planted them a couple weeks ago, as soon as they arrived. But I procrastinated, as the previous post explains! Today I got out there and planted them, and I hope to see some little pokes of green in all my pots soon!

I planted:

Pok Choy "Toy Choy"
Dill
Shallots
French Breakfast Radishes
Baby Cabbage

The plants that I planted several weeks ago have started coming up:

You can't see much of this Purple Kale in this picture, because the leaves kind of camouflage with the soil. There are only about 7-8 little seedlings. I didn't have very many seeds left over in my packet.

Swiss Chard "Bright Lights" are off to a great start! I'm a crappy photographer; I don't capture things very well... You can't see it in this picture, but the stems of these seedlings are already showing various colors! I also have an imposter in this pot. I'm going to wait a few weeks to see if it shows any resemblance to Arugula. If not, it's getting plucked!

Arugula.

Cilantro.

If you'll allow me to indulge in some cynicism, I really have my doubts about getting a harvest from these cold-weather plants. Kansas cool weather seldom lasts very long. The heat tends to set in early and stay; I'm afraid I'm just gardening to be gardening right now. We'll see though, and I'll keep you posted.

I ran out of the handsome copper plant tags I splurged on last season, so I got creative:

That's a straw and packing tape, folks!

What about the plants I over-wintered? Unfortunately they don't seem to be doing so well. I'm not sure what they need at this point.

The mint is scraggly and is slow to put out new growth.

Brussels Sprouts are staying alive, but they haven't grown in height or added new leaves in over a month. Poor ragamuffins. I wish I knew what they wanted.

The real cause of my procrastination

2010-04-02T15:58:00.002-05:00

Being sick and tired has definitely been one reason why I've neglected the garden lately, despite such awesome weather. But that's not the only reason, and here you'll get the true confessions.

I don't like being faced with difficult decisions, so I tend to procrastinate making decisions as long as I can. It's a fatal weakness of mine.

I'd been dreading getting back to the garden, because I had a soil shortage. All of my pots had a soil level several inches below the edge, and I didn't like that. I also had several pots that were completely empty, even though I have plans to put something in them. I looked at my compost bin, and it didn't look like it would be giving me any nice, pretty, organic soil any time in 2010! And buying soil isn't exactly "dirt cheap," ironically enough! So the decision of what to do about my soil has been keeping me out of the garden. --insert frowny face here!--

Well, yesterday I remembered a post made by Erin at the 6x8 garden. She said that her compost hadn't completely broken down either, but she just buried it in her pots, letting it finish decomposing there. I thought that was a genius idea!

I had a small burst of energy and ambition, and decided to go for it. I put on the yukkiest clothes I could find, and some thick latex gloves, and went out to brave the compost project. Like any normal person, slimy stinky things don't really make me happy. I was going to take a picture of the goop, but I decided I didn't want to be responsible for making any of my readers vomit on their computers! It was not a pleasant task, digging holes in my pots, transferring compost into the holes, covering it back up. But wow, now all my pots, save one, are completely full and ready to have seeds planted in them!

One more victory over my procrastinating "dark side."

The only bad thing was that 6 hours after cleaning myself up, my hands still smelled like latex gloves. :(

sick and tired

2010-03-29T15:25:00.003-05:00

I've been sick this week, and hence very lethargic. I've managed, somehow, to accomplish the basic tasks of keeping the family fed. Mostly, though, I've been lounging on the couch watching enviously as my active 2-year-old runs around the apartment, playing, singing, jumping, climbing, and laughing. It's too bad, because i've missed a lot of wonderful gardening days, and i have a lot to catch up on. I should be feeling better soon, and I'll get my butt back outside where it belongs.

Sudden snow storm

2010-03-20T09:36:00.005-05:00

Look at that!
I would call it a "freak storm," but here in Kansas this kind of thing around this time of year is pretty normal. Yesterday (Friday) around noon, the temperature was around 60ºF (16ºC). As the afternoon progressed, temperatures dropped rapidly, and by 8:00 p.m. it was raining. A couple hours later, the rain had turned to snow! It's been snowing all night, and now, Saturday morning, it's still snowing!

I pulled the pots, in which I had planted the seedlings, indoors on a plastic trash bag to protect the carpet. (Side note: I have ONE arugula seed that has already germinated, after 3 days! It's too tiny to capture on camera, but take my word for it!)

At first, I left the pot that has the chives in it outside: next to the apartment door, and covered with a couple towels.

But when I looked outside before bedtime and saw a blanket of snow over the towels on the chives, I felt a surge of guilt. I put down another trash bag and brought the chives in.

Today's a good day to stay inside and finish taxes.

Here are the plans

2010-03-17T12:23:00.004-05:00

OK, today I've determined that I won't start the joyful process of filing taxes until I've planted my seeds. Work before play, you know. (ha) But I have to wait until toddler goes to nap.

I just wish it would stop raining. It's spring break, and the weather isn't cooperating to allow all the teachers to enjoy their time off! Ah well, I'm grateful for the rain, overall.

Here are the plans I've come up with, as far as where I'm going to put each plant. I may tweak things a bit as I go along, we'll see. Most pots have two plant names in them. The first one is a cold-weather plant, and the second is a warm-weather plant. As I mentioned a few days ago, my cold-weather seeds will go in the ground ASAP, and the warm-weather ones will wait until after April 19th.

The areas in this picture that are brown fading to green are the areas where I'll actually be planting something in the ground proper, as opposed to using a pot. (That's the nice thing about being on a ground floor apartment.)

Today's planting will include:

Red Kale (which is actually purple)

Arugula

Swiss Chard "Bright Lights"

Coriander "Confetti"

The rest are in the mail...

Planting Day!?

2010-03-16T15:42:00.003-05:00

Plans have been made. And I just placed an order with Park Seed Co. And a generous fellow blogger, the indoor garden(-er), offered to send me some seeds he has lying around in exchange for a few of my seeds. I'm ready to go!

I had to modify, slightly, my one pot/one plant idea. I have decided that most pots will have one kind of plant growing actively at a time. Meaning, I have several plants that are "cold weather" plants, like arugula, cabbage, things like that, and the rest of them are heat lovers. So I'll be planting the cold-loving ones within the next few days, and after the last frost date I'll plant the heat-loving ones. If all goes well with Mother Nature, I should have some kind of crop in late April, then various crops throughout the summer.

Here are the plants that are on their way from Park Seed:

Carrot Tendersnax Hybrid
Eggplant Twinkle
Baby Chinese Cabbage Wa Wa Tsai Hybrid
Baby Cucumber Cucino
Pak Choi Toy Choi
Pole Bean Trionfo Violetto
Tomato --Park's Razzleberry Hybrid
Shallot Ambition
Angel's Trumpet Ballerina Purple (Plus, for spending over $25, they are sending me 14 free Strawberry plants!! If you want free Strawberries too, act quickly, the sale ends tomorrow! Just type BERRIES into the promo box at the end of your order!)

All of these plants were in the "easy-care" section of the catalog, so I'm hoping they will be just that. I don't have the equipment (nor, to be honest, the patience) to deal with fussy plants.

In addition, the indoor garden(-er) is sending:

broadleaf sage

(possibly) French breakfast radish

Ground Cherry

Dill

Greasy Bean

Strawberry Spinach

Star of Yelta Morning Glory.

You probably noticed that I did indulge in some flowers. The Angels Trumpet Ballerina flower looked SO amazing, I couldn't pass it up. And it's supposed to be fragrant. I plan on planting it in the bicycle basket, which is hanging right next to the breakfast table. How delightful would it be to get up in the morning, grab a bowl of oatmeal, and go sit outside in the crisp-warm morning air under the scent of these gorgeous blooms?

Most of the "cold weather" plants' seed packets say that if I direct sow them outdoors it should be 2-3 weeks before the last frost date. (April 19th here) But I'm going to plant them tomorrow, a few weeks early. (I'd do it today, but already ran out of time.) I know how Kansas is. We don't usually have an extended spring weather season. Once we turn the corner from winter to spring, we usually have just a few weeks of pleasant in-the-60s weather, then the heat blasts up to the 80s and stays there until fall. So I might not actually get a cool weather crop after all. But I figure I have a better chance of having enough cool weather, if I plant them a bit earlier than I'm supposed to. Any frosts we get from here out should be light ones, and I can cover the seedlings with towels on nights when it's supposed to frost.

So cross your fingers, I hope my plan works!

Beauty from refuse: gardening from the dump

2010-03-14T19:25:00.007-05:00

This post is about all the strange containers I am using in my balcony garden. It's a participation in the March carnival hosted by Life on the Balcony. I am a gal on a budget (shall we put it lightly?), yet I have the primal urge to grow something. Not enough money for beautiful glazed pots, expensive fertilizers, pre-grown plants...

But I figure, where there's a will, there's a way. So last year, when I first started my garden, I went foraging for things I could use to grow plants in without handing over any money. Fortunately I did find a few traditional pots here and there that had been thrown away, or that people offered to give me. But I also found some things that are not quite as traditional for growing plants in:

An old kitty litter container. Yes, I washed it well before planting anything in it! (I grew mini carrots in this last year, and they were yummy!)

Obviously, I'm not going to put this monstrosity front-and-center in my garden. I have covered it with two plastic traditional-looking pots I found at the curb one day.

A desk drawer. Yes, it's made of fiber board. Yes, it's rotting before my very eyes. But I'm going to use it as long as it lasts. (This held tomatoes last year.)

A rolling file cart. It's a bit rusty, and one of the wheels is missing; no wonder it was in the dumpster. But I prop up the bad leg with a rock. I also painted it black with gold dots in an ambitious moment. (It worked nicely for growing basil in last year.)

A bedroom trash can from the 70s. This was at the side of someone's yard in a pile of trash. Why anyone would want to throw away a lovely retro item like this is beyond me, but I was happy to recycle it!

A bicycle basket. This is a new idea for this year. I found this bicycle basket in the storage unit, and since I'm not doing much biking these days, I figured this basket will make a lovely flower box hanging on the fence next to the patio table. I plan on finding some coconut matting or something to line it with, then filling it up with beauty!

A rubbermaid storage box. Well, I DID pay for this one... It was on sale for a great price.

I apologize that I don't have pictures of nice green plants inside these containers. That's because here in Kansas, the winter has just passed, and I haven't planted anything yet for this year.

Organized and making big plans!

2010-03-14T18:23:00.011-05:00

The patio has been somewhat organized now, despite the constant rain this past week. Today the rain stopped enough for me to get out for awhile.

My patio is very long and somewhat narrow, so it's hard to get the entire scope of it in one photo. I had to go inside the apartment to get the "big picture". Sorry about the dirty windows. I'll clean them sometime before summer!

Things are more nicely arranged now than before. I arranged the pots by height. By wonderful luck, my ugliest pots (like the one that used to be a kitty litter container) are the tallest, and will be covered by aesthetically better, shorter, ones. God is watching out for me!

To cover the ugly fence, I think planting vines is a good idea. I have lots of unwaxed dental floss that I accidentally bought once. (I only used waxed floss-- I shudder to think of flossing without wax-- that horrible squeaking sound of string against the teeth!!!!) I'm sure I can rig up some kind of floss-based lattice on which to train the vines. The vines will have to be annuals, of course, since we're moving out of this apartment at the end of July.

The question is, what kind of vine? My first thought was "Morning Glory," a beautiful flower that is incredibly easy to grow in this area, fast growing, wonderful in every way. BUT I am trying to do edibles, right? Oh yes. So maybe green bean. I found a nice purple bean at Parkseed.com. They look decorative, and supposedly taste yummy and are also easy to grow.

Maybe I can put morning glories in this corner which I can't access easily due to the tables being in the way:

Wouldn't this be lovely? Ha ha ha ha

Here are all the pots I have to work with so far, in their current arrangement:

As you see, I already have some plants growing. The chives came back from last year! How kind of them! As I mentioned earlier, the mint and B. Sprouts I over-wintered. All the other pots are empty and needing new tenants.

Oh, and I also have three hanging pots that will go up eventually.

Here's an overview of the whole patio:

Wow, blogger doesn't allow the pictures to be bigger than that? Hmm, well you can probably still get a decent idea of how things are laid out.

Confounded compost

2010-03-13T10:44:00.004-06:00

Well, at the end of last fall I decided to try composting. All winter I have faithfully placed my banana peels, egg shells, and coffee grounds (etc.) into the plastic bin, and layered the leaves on top. I wasn't very faithful to stir it-- mainly because it was stinking cold outside, and I'm a wimp when it comes to cold. But I also was lazy about stirring because I don't have a very good tool for it. I just have a 1-inch wooden dowel I used last year to try to train the cucumber vines on. It's kind of wimpy for stirring a bunch of heavy garbage, but it kind of did the trick--(ahem, ahem, only twice through the winter!)

Anyway, my compost bin is full to the top with peels, etc., but it doesn't have a lot of soil in it. The soil that's there is all the way at the bottom. The rest is still un-broken-down. Well, I didn't have high expectations of much bacterial action happening in the below-freezing temperatures. Now that it's warm, I'm hoping for faster progress.

My main question, though, is how to get the usable soil out, when it's on the BOTTOM, under a bunch of yet-unusable stinky leftovers? It seems to me that I'll have to have two compost bins. One that is decomposing, and one that I'm actively throwing things into. Meanwhile, I've stopped throwing things into my bin. Gasp! Yes, my biodegradable trash is going into the trash can, not the compost bin! Well, I don't know what else to do, if I want to get some soil to use in my garden this spring.

What a cliché--spring cleaning

2010-03-07T16:40:00.005-06:00

Yes, it's very predictable. Warm weather comes, and I want to clean the patio. I don't know how it got so messy... I don't remember leaving it in shambles last autumn.

Pictures don't do it justice. One of my Chinese ceramic mugs that I use for watering and decoration had cracked... (probably shouldn't have left it out to freeze!) There were pieces of plastic, beer cans (THOSE were from the upstairs neighbors! ugh), broken plant tags, small plastic pots, and other miscellaneous pieces of trash strewn all over. I guess the wind probably had a hand in all this too.

This table is getting pretty yukky looking. That's the chance you take, leaving it out in the weather. It's OK, this table is still pretty sturdy, and that's all that matters right now. I'm actually thinking about getting rid of the other one. It's sagging pretty sadly. The only reason I got tables in the first place was to keep the pots out of my son's reach. Anyway, my son is 2 now, and old enough not to play with the dirt and plants if I tell him not to, so I think I can put more pots on the ground this year. I will keep one table, though, because elevating the plants will help them avoid the shadow of the fence for a longer time each day. So my sun-loving plants will probably go on the table.

Everything is sad, brown, tangled.

The only edibles I managed to over-winter were the Brussels Sprouts and the mint. Both are in pretty bad condition. Three out of seven of the Brussels Sprouts plants died in the past few weeks. None of them grew very tall. One of them has bug holes all over it. I hope being outside will help the survivors get big and give me some yummy Brussels Sprouts in a few months!

I'll post "After" pictures in the next post.

Fresh start!

2010-03-05T15:47:00.003-06:00

Over the winter I've had time to think, rethink, and make new plans for my garden and for this blog. Here is a list of new directions I'm going to take:

No more French. The reason I didn't blog more last year was because I dreaded taking all that time to translate everything into French. I'm still not fluent, and I had to use the dictionary and my husband's valuable time --a lot-- to translate each post. It was a good learning experience, but it tired me out. I don't think my French in-laws were reading the blog anyway! (They're not too technology-minded...)
More plants, i.e., more pots! I want to grow more plants so I can have a bigger harvest! This means I'll need to find more pots to grow said plants. The cost of big plastic tubs has gone down quite a bit the past few months; I can get them for only $5. Still, free is better... so maybe I'll have to do some creative scrambling for interesting containers. Hmmm.
Stronger, healthier, more productive plants. OK, so last year was my first year growing vegetables, and I'm proud of what I accomplished. But I was a little disappointed that my harvest was rather small, and the plants weren't more robust. So now I need to figure out all the factors that go into getting better plants. I'll dig deeper into that topic in future blog posts, but for now I'll just summarize: A) I need to find plants better adapted to my area and plants that are easy-care. B) I need to fertilize. (Of course I've always known that! But I didn't fertilize much last year, due to financial restrictions.) After reading a post on Fennel & Fern's blog about comfrey being the ideal fertilizer, I'm going to see if I can find some comfrey plants and use them to fertilize all my other plants. Then I won't have to buy expensive bottles of chemicals. C) I need to place plants more strategically. For example, my tomato plants didn't get much pruning last year because they were hard to reach. I'm going to change that.
A more beautiful patio. This is a true challenge, because I can't afford nice glazed ceramic pots or attractive tables. I'm stuck with the equipment I can find. In addition, the fence surrounding my patio is rotting and painted an ugly gray color. But I like a good challenge! Again, I'll go more in-depth on this topic in another post, but for now, know that I'm working on making my patio more pleasing to the eye!
One kind of plant per pot. This is a small detail, but I've decided to put only one kind of plant, or at the most two, per pot. Last year I put several plants together in each pot. I ended up getting confused about where I had put which plant. Even though I had written things down, I wasn't always as thorough as I should have been. So when I had a blank spot, I didn't know what plant was supposed to be there, and it was kind of a mess. I have some nice copper plant tags. This year I'll put one or two tags per pot, and everything will be more organized.

Any thoughts, world out there? :)

Snow! / La neige !

2009-12-29T18:26:00.001-06:00

In October I planted some "cold weather hardy" plants, thinking I might get a small harvest to munch on through the winter. I worked hard on my plants, hoping they would survive the cold if I:

kept them close to the apartment window and under the balcony
covered them with towels each night
watered them with tepid-warm water every day to keep the roots warm.

I actually had several seedlings that were beginning to thrive, even through several frosts.

En Octobre j'ai planté quelques plantes "résistantes au froid," en espérant de developper une petit récolte pour croquer dans l'hiver. J'ai travaillé dur avec mes plantes, pour qu'elles survivent au froid à condition:

qu'elles soient près de la fenêtre de l'appartement au-dessus du balcon
que je les couvre avec des serviettes chaque nuit
que je les arrose avec de l'eau tiède/chaude chaque jour pour garder des racines chaudes

Il y avait plusieurs poussés qui sont apparues, et qui ont même traversé plusieurs gelées.

But alas, Mother Nature's cruelty won in the end. We had a blizzard that completely covered the entire landscape with at least a foot of snow. Somehow the snow even fell under the balcony and covered our entire patio--including my plants-- with a thick white blanket. I don't see how even "cold hardy" plants could withstand being buried in sub-zero precipitation for several days. I guess my outdoor garden will have to begin again in the Spring. Well, less work for me the rest of winter!

Mais hélas, la cruauté de La Nature a fini par triompher. On a eu une tempête de neige qui a couvert tout le paysage avec au moins 30 cm de neige. Je ne sais comment, mais la neige est tombée et a même traversé le balcon pour couvrir tout le patio -- y compris mes plantes-- avec une couverture blanche et épaisse. Je ne pense pas qu'une plante, même une "résistante au froid", puisse tolérer des précipitations à températures inferieures à zéro pendant plusieurs jours. Alors, je crois que mon jardin extérieur doit commencer encore au printemps. D'accord, ce sera moins de travail pour moi le reste de l'hiver !

I'm trying composting / J'essaye composter

2009-12-03T19:59:00.007-06:00

After a lot of researching online I learned that I can compost without spending $300 on a special container, and it doesn't have to be complicated. --In theory, at least!-- We'll see if it works!

Après avoir fait beaucoup des recherches "on-line" sur composter, j'ai trouvé que je peux composter sans dépenser $300 en un conteneur extraordinaire, et il faut pas être compliqué. --en théorie, au moins !-- On va voir si ça marche.

Here's my system:

2 large plastic containers ($5 each at Walmart!!) One is for food scraps, the other is for dead leaves. I was supposed to drill holes in them for airflow, but I don't have a drill, and hammer and nails weren't working at all. So I just leave the lids off for airflow.
Throw food scraps into one container. (Anything biodegradable except meat and dairy products)
Put one layer of dead leaves on top of each layer of food scraps.
Wait.
Stir every few weeks

In springtime, *hopefully* I'll have a nice pile of rich homemade compost soil! Yay!

I'm not using worms, because I'm afraid they'll freeze being exposed to the Kansas winter weather.

Voici mon système:

Prendre 2 grands bacs en plastique ($5 par article chez Walmart!!) Un est pour les restes de nourriture, et l'autre est pour des feuilles sèches. Il faut percer un trou dans le bac pour écoulement d'air, mais je n'ai pas de perceuse, et le marteau et les clous n'ont pas marché du tout. Donc je ne met pas les couvercles pour écoulement d'air.
Jeter les restes de nourriture dans un bac. (quelque chose biodégradable, sauf la viande ou les produits laitiers.)
Mettre une couche des feuilles sèches sur chaque couche des restes de nourriture.
Attendre
Le mélanger environ chaque trois semaines.

Au printemps, j'espère avoir un bon tas de la terre riche, faite-à-la-maison, compostée !

Je n'utilise pas de vers, parce que j'ai peur qu'ils meurent de froid dans l'hiver de Kansas.

So far so good; it has been two weeks. There is no bad smell and no bugs. (But the bugs are probably all dead by now anyway, since we've had several frosts.)

Fingers crossed! It's my first attempt at this!

Pour l'instant tout va bien; J'ai commencé il y a deux semaines. Il n'y a ni mauvaise odeur, et ni insectes. (Mais, les insectes doivent être morts maintenant, parce que on a déja eu plusieurs gels.)

Croisez les doigts ! C'est ma première tentative de compostage !

Salsa!

2009-11-28T00:54:00.000-06:00

I made a salsa with ingredients all from my garden (with the exception of one teaspoon of industrial garlic)! I put in lots of tomatoes, one pepper, and the last stragglers of the carrot crop (including tops). What an awesome feeling!

J'ai préparé une salsa avec les ingrédients exclusivement de mon jardin, (sauf une cuillière de thé d'ail indutriel.) J'ai mis beaucoup des tomates, une poivre, et les dernières traînarde de carrottes (inclusive les fanes). Quel emotion incroyable !

État du jardin #? / State of the Garden, #?

2009-11-15T07:55:00.002-06:00

I don't remember what number I'm on, so this is "the next" State of the Garden Address.

Je n'm'rappele pas quelle numero, alors, c'est "la dernière" Addresse d'État du Jardin.

All the Thai Basil has been harvested from this tub. Now waiting for all the peppers to finish ripening, then I can cut them down and make way for the Swiss Chard. (The yellow flowers are Safari Marigolds. They are so pretty, I'm letting them live as long as possible.)

Tout du basilique thaï eut récolté de ce bac. Maintenant j'attends les poivres finir murîr, et puis je peux les couper pour faire place aux poirées. (Les fleurs jaunes sont les soucis "Safari." Elles sont si jolies, je les laisse vivre aussi longue que possible.)

This is the desk drawer plot -- after I mowed down all the tomatoes. Now there is room for the arugula seedlings to get bigger!

Voici, le carré tiroir-bureau -- après j'ai fauché toutes des tomates. Maintenant il y a place pour les plants de roquettes develloper !

Brussels Spouts seedlings!

Plants de choux de bruxelles!

After cutting down the tomato plants, I hung them upside down from the notches in the fence surrounding the patio. Supposedly the tomatoes will still finish ripening this way. I like the look of the vines on the fence. I have always thought this fence was ugly, but it's much nicer with vines on it.

Après avoir coupé les vignes de tomates, je les ai suspendu des échancrures de la clôture. Supposément les tomates vont finir mûrir comme ça. J'aime bien l'image des vignes sur la clôture. J'ai toujours trouvé cette clôture très moche, mais c'est bien beaucoup plus jolie avec les vignes.

Carottes / Carrots

2009-11-13T19:57:00.000-06:00

There's a reason they are called "Baby Finger" carrots. Most of them were just 3 or 4 inches long. Perfect for a pot on the patio! They were simply delicious with my roast beef last week. I used the greens in a salad, and in a quiche.

Il y a un raison qu'ils s'appellent "Doigt de Bébé" carottes. Les plusparts étaient 8-10 cm. C'est parfait pour un pot sur la terrace ! Elles étaient simplement délicieuse avec un rôti de boeuf dernière semaine. J'ai utilisé les fanes dans une salade, et dans une quiche.

Pepper puzzler / Perplexité de poivres

2009-11-07T17:44:00.002-06:00

My peppers are just now ripening. They were supposed to be ready for harvest in August. Yes, August. I have no idea why they took 3 extra months to get ripe, but I'm happy to see them nonetheless.

Mes poivres sont justement mûrs. Ils étaient censé être mûr en août. Oui, août. Je n'ai aucune idée pourquoi ils ont pris 3 mois de plus, mais je suis contente de les voire néanmoins.

New seeds / Les nouvelles graines

2009-10-01T15:17:00.004-05:00

Near the beginning of September I ordered some seeds from Park Seed Company. They weren't shipped until almost 2 weeks afterward. Nonetheless, I'm excited about these seeds, and hoping to get a miniature harvest this autumn and winter.

Au début du septembre j'ai commandé quelques graines de "Park Seed Company." Ils n'ont pas posté les graines depuis presques deux semaines après. Néanmois, je suis enthousiaste par mes nouvelles graines, et j'espère d'avoir une récolte miniature ce automne et hiver.

I chose plants that are supposed to be cold-hardy, as well as some that are also interesting to look at:

Purple Kale
Arugula
Swiss Chard "Bright Lights"
Brussels Sprouts "diabolo hybrid"

I also planted some cilantro seed leftover from the spring. Since it did not do well in the heat of spring and summer, I'm going to see if I can get it to grow in the cool autumn weather.

I'm EXCITED!

J'ai choisi des plantes qui ont supposées préférence pour le froid, et aussi quelque plantes qui sont interessant de voire:

Le chou pourpre
La roquette
La blette à cardes bariolé
Le chou de Bruxelles, "hybride diabolo"

J'ai planté aussi les graines de coriandre, surplus de printemps. Il n'a pas bien fait dans la chaleur du printemps et été, alors j'essaye le develloper en temps frais d'automne.

Je suis EXALTEE!

Other than deciding where to plant which seeds, my main autumn tasks have been harvesting the cherry-sized tomatoes, and pruning back the unruly tomato plants.

Autrement que décider où je veux planter quelles graines, mes tâches principales d'automne eurent été récolter les tomates petites, et tailler les plantes indisciplinée de tomates.

My tomato jungle / Ma jungle de tomates

Swiss Chard "Bright Lights" seedlings / Les pousses de blettes à cardes bariolé

Miserable weather / Les temps miserables

2009-09-05T12:36:00.001-05:00

We have had terrible weather the past three weeks. For the end of August, it's been uncharacteristically cool, and it has rained almost every night. Yuk! My tomatoes are sulking from less sun than they like, especially the ones in this pot, which doesn't have very good drainage. Poor things, I think they're a lost cause. The only thing left to do is harvest the tomatoes, and chop down the basil. Drying basil in the oven then storing it, is going to be my project for the day.

August / Août

2009-09-03T17:32:00.006-05:00

Sorry it has been so long since I posted on my blog. I got a new job as a music teacher, and I have been absorbed in training, preparing lessons, and so on.

Désolée, c'est longtemp depuis j'ai mis un nouveau sujet sur le blog. J'ai un nouveau job comme institutrice de musique, et je m'était ocupée avec l'orientation, préparé les leçons, etc.

Here's what has happened in the past month:

Remember the mystery plant? It turned out to be Thai Basil, and I made a delicious Thai Beef Stir fry out of it. Here are the pics:

Voici, les activités d'août:

Vous vous rappelez la plante mystèrieuse ? Elle s'est avérée être le basilique thaïlandais, et j'ai préparé un sauté boeuf thaïlandais avec lui. Voici les photos:

The basket of Thai Basil / Le panier du basilique thaïlandais

The chunks of locally-grown, grass-fed beef. / Morçeaux de boeuf cultivé-localement, nourri au fourrage.

The finished product, served over rice noodles. / Voici, le produit complet, garni sur les nouilles de riz.

I have also had a lot of tomatoes come ripe this August! They are all pretty small. The biggest ones are only a few inches across. That must mean that I did not do enough pruning.

I also pulled up a few carrots too early. But that's OK. I made a great salad from carrot greens!

J'avais plein de tomates être mur en août ! Ils sont tout plutôt petits. Les plus gros sont juste quelque centimetres en diamètres. Ca doit vouloir dire que je n'ai pas assez taillé les vignes.

J'ai extirpé quelque carrottes trop tôt. Mais ça va. J'ai préparé une salade magnifique avec les fanes de carrottes !

Tomatoes! / Les tomates !

2009-08-04T22:45:00.002-05:00

I'm getting tomatoes!

I've harvested 3 cherry-sized tomatoes so far... woo hoo!

Les tomates arrivent !

J'ai récolté 3 tomates de la taille d'une cerise jusqu'à maintenant... youppi !

Strange plant / un plant inconnue

2009-07-29T12:42:00.002-05:00

I let this plant grow in my green tub, thinking it was a pepper. But now that it has flowered, I am thinking this is actually just a weed. Does anyone know what this plant is? Should I uproot it to give the real peppers more space?

J'ai laissé ce plant develloper dans mon bac vert, parce que j'ai pensé qu'il est un poivron. Mais maintenant, il a fleuri, et je commence à penser qu'il est en fait juste une herbe mauvaise. Est-ce qu'il y a quelque'un qui sais, quelle herbe est là ? Doit-je le désherber pour laisser les vraix poivrons avoir plus de place ?

Moss Roses and Cucumbers / Les Roses Mousses et les concombres

2009-07-28T00:50:00.002-05:00

I had planted Moss Roses in small pots, but they did not seem to be happy. I transplanted all five of the small pots of Moss Rose into one large pot (which I found in a pile of trash at the side of the road). They seem happier now.

J'ai planté les roses mousses dans quelques pots exigus, mais elles n'étais pas contentes. Donc j'ai transplanté les cinq pots dans un grand pot unique, (qui j'ai trouvé à coté de la rue dans la poubelle.) Elles semble plus contente maintenant.

Look, I'm getting a cucumber!!

Regardez ! Un concombre devellope !!

Where's Waldo the Caterpillar? / Un jouet de cache-cache avec les chenilles

2009-07-25T13:12:00.008-05:00

Well, the Kale is finished! Totally devoured in less than a week! I have to say, I was surprised, since most of the other plants are doing pretty well. I stepped outside to look at the garden and did a double-take when I saw this:

Alors, la blette est terminé ! Completement dévorée en moins d'une semaine ! Je suis un peu surprise, parce que les reste d'autres plantes vont assez bien. J'ai marché dehors pour observer le jardin, et j'ai dû y regarder à deux fois:

At first I didn't see what had done it. I thought maybe it was a hit-and-run! But after I looked closer awhile, I saw the perfectly camouflaged culprit: these green caterpillars. Here's a nice game for you kids out there: How many caterpillars can you find in this picture:

Au prémier coup d'oeil, je n'ai pas vu la coupable. J'ai pensé, peut-être c'était un délit de fuite ! Mais après avoir observé plus prêt, j'ai vu la coupable bien camouflée: cettes chenilles vertes. Tien, un jouet amusant pour les enfants: Combien de chenilles est-ce-qu'il y a dans cette photo:

Some critter must have laid eggs in my kale soil; I wonder what it was, some kind of butterfly? I'm sad I didn't catch it sooner, since kale is fun to use in place of spinach. But honestly, I don't know what I would have done if I had caught it sooner... How do you get rid of caterpillars? I wouldn't have wanted to spray pesticide, since I'm not sure the pesticide washes easily off the leaves when it comes time for ME to eat them. Hmmm.

Une espèce de bestiole a pondu ses oeufs dans la terre de blette. Je me demande, c'est quelle bestiole, peut-être un papillon ? Je suis triste, de ne pas l'avoir remarqué plus tôt, parce que la blette et bon en place d'épinards. Mais en fait, je ne sais pas comment déboulonner les chenilles. Je veux pas utiliser le pesticide, parce que je ne suis pas sûre qu'il emporte facilement, quand c'est l'heure pour MOI manger les feuilles ! Hmmm.

State of the garden #2 / État du jardin #2

2009-07-18T20:00:00.001-05:00

A view of the garden from the outside. Notice how bare and boring the neighbor's deck is compared to my verdant jungle, which you will see soon!

Le jardin vu de la rue. Regardez plutôt, comme la terrasse en bois du voisin est vide et ennuyeuse, comparée à ma jungle verdoyante, que vous allez bientôt découvrir !

_______________

(All descriptions will be left to right):

(Toutes les descriptions sont de gauche à droite):

The Airplane plant loves being outside.

The gnat problem in my kale seems to be solved, thanks to my friend's advice (Kenneth Moore at http://indoorgarden-er.blogspot.com/) to let the soil dry out completely. I filled in the gaps with some chives.

In back: The mint is leggy with woody stems. I wonder what's wrong.

In back: A pot of coriander. I think this batch of coriander is doomed to an early death, as a few of the plants have bolted (sent up flowers) already. I'll plant them again in the fall.

Le Chlorophytum, la 'plante d'avion,' adore être dehors.

Le problème des moucherons semble être résolu, merci à un ami, qui m'a dit de laisser complètement sécher la terre. J'ai ajouté quelques plants de ciboullettes à la blette.

Derrière: Le menthe est tout en jambes, et les tiges sont dures. Je me demande pourquoi.

Derrière: Un pot de coriandre. Je pense que ces coriandres sont voués à une mort précoce, parce qu'ils ont déjà monté en graine (fait poussé des fleurs). Je vais les replanter en automne.

Baby Carrots are coming along in their lovely kitty-litter box.

Les carrottes miniatures vont bien, dans leur magnifique boîte de litière pour chats.

The big ugly green tub has a little of everything in it, but mostly peppers. So far everything seems to be doing fairly well. Actually, some hungry bug devoured all of the bean plants. But I wasn't excited about the beans anyway, since they turned out to be brown beans, while I was hoping for green beans.

Le gros bac laid contient un petit peu de tout, mais surtout des poivrons. Pour l'instant tout va bien. En fait, une bestiole affamée a mangé tous les plants de haricots. Mais de toute façon, je n'aimais pas ces haricots, que je croyais être verts, mais qui finalement étaient d'un ton marron foncé.

The tomatoes have rocketed this past month, and I already have a few tiny green babies developing! The onion flowers have passed their peak, but I'm going to let the bulb die back naturally.

Les tomates ont monté en flèche ce dernier mois, et j'ai déjà des tomates vertes miniatures qui se développent ! Les fleurs d'oignons ont péri, mais je vais laisser le reste des bulbes s'éteindre naturellement.

Then there's my patch of annuals in pots, just for beauty and color.

Notice how well my rice-bag "pot" has filled out!

Et puis, il y a mes pots de plantes annuelles, dont l'intérêt est dans les couleurs et la beauté.

Regardez bien comme mon pot "sac de riz" s'est épaissi !

On the ground: This is a Gerbera Daisy I've had for several years now. It has not flowered in the past two years, but the leaves are simply beautiful!

In the retro aluminum trash can: some Cinnamon Basil is peeking up, and the tarragon is sure taking its time. It has remained at its height of 3 inches for the entire past month. Eventually it is supposed to reach 3' tall!

In the black filing cart: The cucumber is trying to climb the support I made for it. But there's too much cucumber and not enough support, so some of the vines are trailing down the side.

All the plants in this pot are a bit yellow. I wonder what they need to make them happy.

Par terre: Vous trouvez la marguerite "Gerbera" que j'ai depuis des lustres. Voilà plusieurs années qu'elle n'a pas donné de fleurs, mais les feuilles sont simplement merveilleuses!

Dans la poubelle "rétro": il y pousse un espèce de basilique qui sent la cannelle. Le tarragon se développe lentement. Pour l'instant, il ne mesure que 7 cm, mais il dois atteindre 1m !

Dans le meuble de rangement: le concombre essaye de s'agripper au tuteur qui est trop court pour la taille du comcombre. Par conséquent, quelques tiges pendent de côté.

Toutes les plantes de ce pot sont un peu jaunes. Je me demande ce dont elles ont besoin pour être heureuses.

Hanging in the cheerful blue pot (which I painted!) is rosemary, which seems to be quite happy, and thyme, which is taking its "thyme" to get going. It is still small, and doesn't seem to be leafing out and spreading like it should. I've decided to be patient and give it as much "thyme" as it needs. (OK, OK, I'll stop.)

Dans la suspension bleue pleine de gaîté (que j'ai peinte !), il y a le romarin. Il semble s'y plaire. Quant au thym, il prend le temps de se developper. Il est encore petit et n' a pas beaucoup de feuilles. Même si j'ai l'impression qu'il ne se déploie pas comme il le devrait, j'ai décidé d'être patiente et de le laisser pousser à son rythme.

This is our breakfast table, featuring a pot of portulaca (moss roses) and a pot of airplane grass.

C'est notre table du petit-déjeuner, avec un pot de portulaca (rose mousseuse), et un pot qui contient un "plant d'avion".

HELP! / AU SECOURS !

2009-06-12T23:05:00.002-05:00

Gnats are killing my Kale. I don't know if it's too late to revive the plants, but they are turning yellow, and I see gnats all over the soil. Is there a natural (preferably cheap too) way to get rid of these guys? I don't want to buy a $30 bottle of chemicals. Help!!

Les moucherons tuent ma blette. Je ne sais pas, que c'est trop tard de sauver les plantes, mais elles deviennent jaunes, et je voir les moucherons envahir le terreau. Est-ce qu'il y a une méthode naturelle et bon-marchée pour tuer ces bestioles ? Je ne veux pas acheter une bouteille chimiques qui coute chère. Au secours !!

Heavenly Basil / Le basilique merveilleux

2009-06-09T12:21:00.006-05:00

I need to make a confession. Of all the plants in my garden that I'm excited about, I'm probably the most excited about the Basil. I know, I know, I shouldn't have favorites, but... I simply adore Basil!

Je dois vous faire un aveu. De toutes les plantes de mon jardin, celle qui m'exalte le plus est sans doute le basilique. Je sais, je sais, je ne devrais pas avoir de favori, mais ... j'adore le basilique !

My Basil plants are only about 2 to 3 inches tall, but they are quite leafy, and a flawless shade of glossy vibrant green. I harvested some leaves last week to put in a recipe, and today I made myself a scrumptious snack: Toast with Basil Butter. It's very easy. Start by making some toast, then tear up 3-4 basil leaves. Mix the leaves with 1-2 tablespoons of butter and spread on the warm toast. It's so simple, but it's really a snack from heaven!
As much as I love basil, I doubt that my plants will EVER get much taller than 3 inches!

Mon basilique mesure seulement 6-7 cm, mais chaque plant a beaucoup de feuilles, et quelques nuances de vert éclatant ! J'ai cueilli quelques feuilles la dernière semaine pour mettre dans un plat, et aujourd'hui j'ai préparé un casse-croûte succulent: Toast au beurre de basilique. C'est très simple. Mettez un morçeau de pain dans le grille-pain. Emincez 3-4 feuilles de basilique, et mélangez-les avec 1-2 cuillères à soupe de beurre. Étalez le beurre sur le toast. C'est facile, mais c'est un casse-croûte merveilleux !
Malgré mon goût immodéré pour le basilique, je doute que mes plants ne dépassent JAMAIS 7 cm !

The magnificent... onion? / C'est magnifique ... un oignon ?

2009-06-08T16:53:00.008-05:00

I didn't know that onions made flowers, but here they are! They are so royal, so exciting, I forgive them for being a little bit stinky. This is the same onion I rescued back in April. It got so tall, I have to use a tomato cage to keep it standing.

Je ne savais pas que les oignons pouvaient faire des fleurs, mais, regardez plutôt ! Elles sont si royales, si sensationnelles, je leur pardone d'avoir une odeur pourrie. C'est l'oignon que j'ai sauvé des ordures en avril. Il est devenu si grand, que je doit utiliser un tuteur à tomate pour qu'il se tienne droit.

haricots verts / Green beans

2009-06-04T09:39:00.002-05:00

My beans are blooming!

Mes haricots sont fleuris !

Our first garden meal!! / Notre prémière répa de jardin !

2009-05-29T16:51:00.005-05:00

My kale is not fully-grown yet, but it's big enough to use in a soup! I made an Italian soup, using fresh kale from the garden! This is fun!!

Mes choux frisés ne sont pas tout grand encoure, mais ce sont assez grand pour mettre dans une soupe ! J'ai préparé une soupe itallienne avec choux frisé fraîche du jardin ! C'est amusant !!

a unique pot / un pot unique

2009-05-29T14:29:00.005-05:00

We buy rice in bulk from a local Mediterranean Market, because it tastes so amazing! I wanted to keep the bag, because it has a handsome and interesting design on it. I decided to create a "pot" out of it and hang it in the garden! I had to use a metal frame to keep the bag open when it hangs. Fortunately I had a handle from a bicycle basket available that was the exactly perfect size to use as a frame. God is watching out for me!! :)

Since the design on the bag is mostly red and purple, I found red and purple Salvia to plant inside, and used some Zebrina, (one of my all-time favorite plants!) to hang down. Once the plants start bushing out, this will be really cool, I think!

Nous achetons du riz d'une marché méditerranéenne, parce que le goût est très bon ! J'ai voulu de garder le sac, parce-qu'il y a un motif impressionant et interessant. J'ai décidé de créer un "pot" avec lui, et l'accrocher dans le jardin ! J'ai dû utiliser une ossature pour rester le sac ouvert, quand il s'accroche. Heureusement, j'avais une anse d'une sacoche, qui ç'était le taille exactement parfait pour utiliser comme une ossature. Dieu me regarde ! :)

Parce-que le motif sur le sac est violet et rouge, j'ai trouvé les Salvias violet et rouge, pour planter dans le sac, et j'ai planter aussi un Zebrina pour tomber. (Zebrina est une de mes plantes préférées !) Quand les plantes grandissent un petit peu, ça va être très agréable, je pense !

I have organized! / J'ai organisé !

2009-05-01T22:35:00.008-05:00

I spent one afternoon when the rain was falling only lightly to rearrange the patio, transplant some seedlings, and clean up a bit. It looks much better now-- but I still have a lot left to do! Here's the to-do list:

Find a hanging pot (hopefully free!). Plant the decorative vines and the daisy in the hanging pot and hang it on the hook above the patio.
Paint all ugly pots so they are not so ugly! (I have some leftover black paint from a project last autumn.)
Paint the ugly tables and the rolling cart so they are not so ugly!
Plant more seeds. (The ones I ordered online just arrived in the mail today)

That's enough to keep me busy for a few weeks!

J'ai passé un après-midi, quand la pluie était seulement légère, pour organiser la cour, replanter quelques pousses, et pour nettoyer un petit peu. C'est beaucoup mieux maintenant-- mais j'ai toujours beaucoup de choses à faire !
Voici mon pense-bête:

Trouver une suspension (gratuite si possible!). Mettre en pot la plante grimpante et la marguerite et les suspendre par un crochet au-dessus de la cour.
Peindre tous les vilains pots afin de les rendre moins vilains (j'ai encore de la peinture noire datant du mois d'octobre).
Peindre les vilaines tables et le chariot afin qu'ils aient l'air plus présentable.
Planter d'autres graines (celles que j'ai commandées par internet viennent d'arriver par la poste).

C'est assez pour m'occuper pendant plusieurs semaines !

The chives are not doing well. I do not know why!!
La ciboullette se porte mal. Je ne sais pas pourquoi !!

State of the garden #1 / État du jardin #1

2009-04-27T02:06:00.010-05:00

It is an ugly mess right now... but I am working on plans to make it beautiful and productive!

C'est un affreux désordre en ce moment... mais je suis en train de faire les plans pour transformer la cour en un jardin beau et productif !

It has been raining for days! I put a large bucket outside to catch the water, and after just two days, the bucket was full! My son loves playing in water, so this weather is really fun for him!

Il a plu pendant plusieurs jours d'affilée ! J'ai mis un grand seau dehors pour récolter l'eau. Après seulement deux jours, il est plein ! Mon fils adore l'eau, donc ce climat est vraiment rigolo pour lui !

I pulled the cart close to the apartment to get it out of the rain, since there are no drainage holes in it.

J'ai tiré le chariot vers l'appartement pour protéger les plantes de la pluie, puisqu'il n'y aucun système d'écoulement d'eau.

I found another table! yay!
J'ai trouvé une autre table ! Youpie !

I inherited a leftover packet of beans among the large pile of gardening supplies I got for $20. I had absolutely no faith in these beans to grow, since they had been sitting in a packet for over a year, and they were cheap WalMart beans to start out with. I just threw them in a pot to use as a mulch. But, my heavens, some of them sprouted!!

J'ai hérité d'un sachet de gaines de haricots parmi le matériel de jardinage à $20. Je n'avais pas le moindre espoir de voir ces haricots pousser puisqu'ils devaient être dans ce sachet depuis plus d'un an. En plus de cela ces graines venaient d'un supermarché minable. J'ai eu l'idée de les utiliser pour prévenir la poussée de mauvaises herbes. Et comme par extraordinaire, quelques uns ont germé.

Kale-- another one I had no faith in, and now look at it! I have never eaten Kale before, but it is supposed to be very nutritious, so I am eager to try.

Chou frisé -- d' autres en lesquelles je n'avais aucun espoir, et maintenant, regardez plutôt! Je n'ai jamais mangé de chou frisé, mais il parait que c'est nutritif, alors j'ai hâte d'essayer.

Pepper
Du poivre

Cucumber-- another surprise germination.
Le concombre-- une autre poussée inattendue.

The Basil is coming!
Le basilique arrive !

There is a third table on this patio-- a small one we will eventually use as a breakfast table. This table will only have flower pots on it, no vegetables. Here is a pot of newly-germinated Portulaca! (The picture did not capture the seedlings very well.)

Il y a une troisième table dans la cour -- une toute petite table que nous utiliserons pour le petit déjeuner avec l'arrivée des beaux jours. Cette table est prévue pour les fleurs, pas pour les légumes. Voici un pot des roses mousseuses qui viennent à peine de germer! (Hélas, l'image ne montre pas très bien les nouvelles pousses).

A financial overview / Aperçu des dépenses

2009-04-27T01:04:00.005-05:00

I found a table!! Yay! / J'ai trouvé une table!! Youpee!

2009-04-08T18:22:00.007-05:00

I found a nice sturdy table in the garbage of the university! Now I can garden above the height where my son can make trouble! (I told you I was desperate for a free table!)

J'ai trouvé une table bien solide dans la poubelle de l'université! Maintenant je peux faire jardin au-dessus la tête de mon fils, et il peux pas faire les bêtises avec mes pots! (Je vous ai dit, j'avais désespérément besoin d'une table gratuite!)

I need to give the table some TLC. As you see, a very mature student put his lovely message on the side of the table.

Je doix donner la table quelques soins affectueux. Comme vous voyez, un étudiant très adulte a écrit un bon mot au bord de la table. ("Poop" veut dire "Caca".)

I also found two things which I can transform into pots! A desk drawer and a rolling filing cart. (The rolling cart is missing a wheel, though, so the rock holds it up.) A little paint, and they will be quite lovely, I'm sure.
...I'm nothing if not resourceful!

J'ai trouvé aussi deux choses, qui je peux transformer en pots ! C'est un tiroir de bureau, et un classeur qui roule. (Le classeur a perdu une roulette, donc j'utilise une roche pour le soutenir.) Ils ont besoin de quelque peinture, et ils vont être bien beau, je suis certaine.
...Mon seul motif de fierté : mon ingéniosité !

One last note: I had many small terracotta pots that were just too small for anything useful. So I crushed them with a hammer and used them for drainage at the bottom of the bigger "pots." My son loved watching me smash them!

Un dernier mot: J'avais beaucoup les pots terracottas qui étais trop petits pour rien utile. Alors je les ai écrasé avec un marteau, et les ai utilisé pour le drainage au fond des autre "pots" plus grand. Mon fils a adoré me regarder les briser!

onion / oignon

2009-04-07T10:29:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago I found an onion that had been forgotten in the cupboard . It had patiently grown long white stems from the bulb, all by itself. I didn't want just to throw it away; why not give it a chance to live a full happy life? I planted it in a pot, just to see what would happen. Lo and behold, it turned green and grew! So big, in fact, that it is now apparently too big for the pot, as you see in the picture. I shall need to replant it into a bigger pot soon.

Il y a quelque semaines j'ai trouvé un oignon, qui j'ai oublié dans le placard. Il a poussé patiemment les tige longues et blanche du bulbe. Je n'en avais pas l'envie de le jeter-- pourquoi pas laisser-le d'avoir la chance pour une vie pleine et contente? Je l'ai planté dans un pot, juste pour avoir ce que va passer. Voila! L'Oignon a reverdi et dévellopé! Il et si grand maintenant, c'est evidement trop grand pour ce pot, comme vous voyez dans la photo. Je doix le replanter bientôt.

waiting / J'attends

2009-04-06T10:56:00.006-05:00

We got another cold wintry week, even though it's April. :( So I had to bring the few plants that I have so far into the apartment. I put them above the cupboards to wait for the warm sun to return.

On a une autre semaine froide et hivernal, quoique c'est avril. :( Donc j'ai dû mettre les plantes, que j'ai en ce moment, dedans. Je les'ai mises au-dessus des placards, pour attendre le soleil chaud revenir.

I am in desperate need of some tables to put the plants on. My 1-year-old son knocks pots over and digs in the dirt when he goes outside to play. I can't keep him inside ALL the time, so I need a way to get the pots out of his reach. I am obsessively scouring Craigslist and local forums for someone who might be giving away an old table, desk, or shelf, since I cannot afford to buy anything. So far no luck. I'm waiting for the right opportunity. sigh

J'ai désespérément besoin de quelque tables pour mettre les plantes. Quand mon fils d'un an joue dehors, il jette les pots partout et jou dans la terre. Je ne peux pas l'enfermer dedans TOUT le temp, alors j'ai besoin de quelquechose pour garder les pots hors de portée. Je cherche comme une maniaque sur l'internet pour quelqu'un qui veut écouler une vielle table, bureau, ou étagère, parce que je n'ai pas les moyens d'acheter quelquechose. En ce moment, pas de chance. J'attends une occasion en or. (soupir)

I have scrounged up a few dollars to buy seeds. I am getting the good expensive kind, not the cheap Walmart kind, since I want to make sure the plants will be healthy. But I cannot plant them until after the last frost. (April 15th) Waiting...

J'ai rassemblé de l'argent pour acheter quelques graines. Je vais acheter les bonnes graines chères, pas les bon-marchés au supermarché, parce-que je veux faire en sorte que les plantes vont être santées. Mais je ne peux pas les planter avant la saison sans gel. (15. avril) J'attends...

chives / les ciboulettes

2009-03-27T20:42:00.005-05:00

Three of my charming students gave me a wonderful gift yesterday! Apparently there are chives growing wild along the edge of the school property. They dug some up for me and put them in three little cups to transfer to my garden! There was also a kind note. They had heard of my garden, and wanted to bless me. I was blessed, indeed!
Trois de mes étudiantes charmantes m'ont donné un cadeaux génial hier! Il y a apparement les ciboulettes sauvages qui poussent au bord de la terre d'école. Elles les ont récolté et les ont mis dans trois petits verres pour transférer au mon jardin! Il y était aussi un petit mot aimable. Elles ont appris de mon jardin, et elles ont voulu de me bénir. Ça m'a bien béni!

I have been using this encyclopedia (from the public library) to figure out what each plant I'm using needs, regarding planting and care.

J'utilise cette encyclopédie (de bibliotèque municipal) pour commprendre ce que chaque plante veut que j'ai , concernant l'attention.

Some thoughts / Quelques pensées

2009-03-20T21:00:00.006-05:00

I discovered that the last frost date anticipated for my area is April 15th. So that means that I have only 4 weeks before the de facto first day of spring. If I am going to start planting certain things, I should start ASAP.

J'ai découvert que la saison sans gel commence le 15 Avril dans ma région. Alors, j'ai seulement 4 semaines avant que la prémière journée de facto de printemps. Si je vais commencer de planter certaines choses, je doix commencer dès que possible.

A problem is whether to plant seeds or to get seedlings. Seeds are cheaper. I have already mentioned that I cannot bring anything indoors, so if I plant seeds, they must be very hardy to survive outdoors. But pre-grown plants are easier! Hard decision.

Un problème est que planter les graines ou les pousses. Les graines sont plus bon marché. J'ai déjà dit que je ne peux pas avoir des choses pour le jardin dedans, alors si je plante des graines, ils doivent être très forts de survivre dehors. Mais les plantes déjà plantées sont plus simples! Dure décision.

I found an amazing deal on a local online bulletin board. Someone was selling 30 pots, 12 coconut-weave seed-starter pots, 4 trays, 150 pounds of soil, a tomato cage, a bag of seeds, and half a bottle of insecticide/ fungicide --all for $20. What a steal! All the pots are rather small, and I don't think the seeds are in good condition (they were bought from WalMart last year!) But the soil alone was worth the price. It is wonderful rich fluffy soil with compost. You'll see pictures of my prize purchase at the right. (The spilled soil came from my one-year-old, who was "helping" me garden.)

J'ai trouvé une super affaire sur un website local. Quelqu'un a vendu 30 pots, 12 petits pots pour commencer les graines, 68 kg de terreau, une cage de tomate, un sac des graines, et une bouteille de fongicide/ insecticide --tout pour 20 dollar! Quelle bonne affaire! Touts les pots sont petits, et je ne croix pas que les graines sont en bon état. Mais seul le terreau c'est un bon prix. C'est un terreaux merveilleux et duveteux avec le compost. Vous voyez les photos à droite. (Le terre partout c'est de mon enfant d'un an. Il aime "m'aider" faire le jardin!)

I found a friend who has a mint patch in her yard. I asked her for some cuttings, and she was more than happy. I hope they survive!

J'ai une copine qui a un carré de menthe dans son jardin. Je l'ai demandé de bouturer la menthe, et elles était contente. J'espère qu'ils survivent!

Here's a flower plant that barely survived the winter inside. I'm hoping some of the nice warm spring sun will revive it.

Voici, une fleur qui a survécu tout juste à l'hiver dedans. J'espère que le soleil bien chaud de printemps va la raviver.

Starting to plan / Commencer de prévoir

2009-03-16T19:15:00.004-05:00

I found a wonderful book at the public library: "The 20-Minute Vegetable Gardener" by Tom Christopher & Marty Asher. It has given me so many ideas so far, even though it is not specifically geared towards container gardening. I have learned about certain plants that are easy to grow, and others that are more fussy. Now I am starting to know what to avoid, and what to start looking for.

J'ai trouvé au bibliotèque municipale un livre merveilleux : "Le 20-Minute Potager" de Tom Christopher & Marty Asher. Il m'a donné beaucoup des idées, même s'il n'est pas explicitement pour des jardins de balcon. J'apprends que certaines plantes qui sont facile à developper, et autres qui sont plus exigeantes. Maintenant je commence à savoir ce que je veux éviter, et ce que je veux chercher.

Here are the plants that appeal to me so far, based on what I've read:

Alpine Strawberries. (However, I need to look into this plant more deeply. I'm not sure they would enjoy the long intense heat that Kansas summers provide.)
Cucuzzi gourds-- night bloomers. I'm concerned that this might be too big a plant for my space though.
Radishes-- supposedly Asian radishes are delicious. I don't think I've ever tried them, but I'd like to.
Cherry tomatoes. Supposedly this, along with zucchini are no-brainers. I'm not so sure. We'll see.
Lettuce. --Arugula is supposed to be easy.
Yellow and green beans. Again, not too sure of the size, but I'm sure a small bush variety exists somewhere.
Zucchini. Not only can you eat the fruit, but you can eat the flowers too. That sounds fun.
Spinach.
I also want to grow herbs. I love the idea of growing my own herbs, as I have only recently discovered how to cook with them. Basil, thyme, and rosemary are at the top of the list. I'd also like to investigate tarragon, bay leaves, cumin, caraway, and mint.

I won't have room for all of these; I shall need to decide on only a few. I need to figure out which ones do well in pots, and go from there.

Voici quelque plantes qui m'attire jusqu'ici, fondé sur ma recherche limitée:

Les Fraises Alpins. (Mais peut-être l'été chaud, longue, et intense de Kansas va être trop pour cette plante. ?)
La Calebasse Cucuzzi-- elles sont fleurie dans la nuit! Mais j'ai l'inquiétude que cette plante va être trop grande pour cette place.
Radis--supposément le radis asiatique est délicieux, mais je ne l'ai jamais essayé. Je veux l'essayer. Pourquoi pas?
Les tomates cerises-- Supposément cette plante est très facile à develloper. On va voir...
La laitue
Les haricot verts et jaunes--Encore, je ne suis pas sûre du taille, mais il y a peut-être une varieté petite et pas grimpante.
La courgette--on peut manger les fruits, et aussi les fleurs. Ça semble génial!
Les épinards
Les plantes aromatique-- J'adore l'idée de pousser mes épices pour la cuisine! Le basilique, le rosmarin, le thym, et la menthe sont mes préférences.

Je vais pas avoir assez de la place pour toutes cettes plantes. Je doix choisir seulement quelques. Je doix réchercher pour savoir quelles plantes vont bien dans les godets.

Goals and objectives / Les buts et les objectifs

2009-03-16T16:34:00.002-05:00

(English is blue Français est vert)

A crazy idea came to me this winter. Why not grow a vegetable garden? Oh yeah, there's only one problem. I live in an apartment, and I have no land. Well, would it work to put everything in pots? I'm itching to find out. I've never had a vegetable garden before, so I'm really nervous if it will work or not. To help me not be nervous I'm trying to be organized, and I'm trying to reach out to other gardeners in my community for support and advice. So if you have any encouragement, tips, or even (gentle) criticism, I welcome your comments on this blog. Thanks!

Une idée folle m'est arrivée cet hiver. Je veux avoir un potager! Ah oui, mais il y a un problème. J'habite dans un appartement, et je n'ai aucun terrain. Est-ce que ça va marcher de mettre tout dans des godets? Je suis impatiente de découvrir. Je n'ai jamais eu un potager, et je suis angoissée, s'il va marcher ou non. Pour m'aider pas être angoissée j'essaye d'être organisée, et j'essaye de faire connaissance avec des autres jardiniers de ma communauté pour l'aide et les conseils. Alors, sil vous avez l'encouragement, les trucs, ou même les critiques (gentils svp), je vous invite les commentaires sûr ce blog. Merci!

So here are my objectives for this garden:

Cheap. I don't have much money, and I want to get out of the garden more than I put in.
Easy. This is my first vegetable garden, and having a garden in pots is already challenging enough. Plus I have two jobs and a family. I don't have time for fancy tricks and techniques.
Productive. Of course, I'd like to have a harvest this year! I need to find plants that thrive in this area and use them to their fullest potential.
Completely out of doors. The apartment is so small, and there are already three people living inside. I can't take up any space inside, except possibly storing a few tools.

Voici mes objectifs pour ce jardin:

Bon marché. Je n'ai pas beaucoup d'argent, et je veux recevoir de ce jardin plus que je le donne.
Facile. C'est mon premiér potager, et d'avoir les plantes dans les pots est déjà assez difficile. En plus j'ai deux jobs et une famille. Je n'ai aucun de temps pour les techniques sophistiqués.
Productif. Bien sûr, je veux une récolte cette année! Je doix choisir les plantes qui fleurissent dans cette région, et les utilise au maximum.
Complètement dehors. L'appartement et si petit, et il y a déjà trois personnes dedans. Je peux pas utilise la place dedans, sauf peut-être garder quelques outils.

Here's the patio.

Voici, le balcon.