Wrong Foot Already

I started some seeds on Sunday, but I still haven't finished preparing them for indoors. I still need to water a few of the plants and cover them with plastic baggies. I may have killed them already...

It is because I've been distracted. The weather was perfect this past weekend, then it got down-right aweful these past few days. It has been raining, but that leftover winter rain that is cold and gloomy. I hate it.

And I have been plagued by these hideous black and red bugs all through the house. I was told by a neighbor that they were here because of the maple tree, but I see more of them near my windows than I do on the tree out front. I got so sick of them that I sprayed them one day a few weeks ago. Didn't kill nearly enough of them.

I don't want to commit genocide, but these things are pests. They fly all over the house, and get into everything. While they seem harmless, I have no idea if they truly are. My schleflerras were being attacked by these bugs daily, and they got so sticky and disgusting that I thought I might have to throw them out. After I treated them and moved them to the basement, no problems at all.

Well, I don't have that long to write, and since I have been neglectful this week, I will need to make up for that neglect by covering those plants before I leave town tomorrow. When I come back, I should have a few sprouts on those plants which I did cover. So far, I took care of about 5 pots, so I still need to cover the last sugar peas, the sunflowers, the cilantro and the peppers.

Ciao!

Spring is Here!

Hallelujah! Not that that weather will always be warm and sunny, and that I won't suffer through my share of allergies, but YAY!!! My winter blahs are officially over.

And that means that it is time to put my hands into some dirt. I want to get some annuals started early so that I can enjoy them mid-summer. I also need to take care of my houseplants. I have been neglecting them, and so it's time to fertilize, prune and repot.

I bought a peace lily two or three weeks ago, and I may buy a few more newer plants to replace some of the older ones that no longer look healthy. I've had certain houseplants for years, so I think it is time to diversify. A few will be humanely discarded, and others will be moved to less prominent locations. The point is, I need a change and I think they need change as well.

We had a mild winter, so most of the plants survived the cold sun room without too many problems. The one problem I noticed were bugs. These black and red flying bugs were all over one window, and at one point there were so many of them that I got out the bug spray and went to town. I felt horrible, but it was ridiculous. They were not only in the sunroom, but they were invading other parts of the house, and I was tired of seeing them. There were also a lot of ladybugs, but I didn't harm them. However, there are tons of dead bugs by the window, so one of my tasks today will be to sweep everything away.

I did have some problems with stickiness on the leaves of my two scheflerra plants. Both have been suffering for a while, so if I can't get them clean with the insecticidal soap, then they will be candidates for the back yard pile. From now on, that back yard will be where I dump everything, and thanks to the advice from the Home Depot saleswoman, I'll recycle everything by adding lime.

Oh, I had no idea about the use of lime in the garden. I have so many problem areas, and I've tried the chemical solutions, but now, if I can get rid of everything with a few bags of lime, and then if the "killings" are harmless to the yard (and the organic matter will be beneficial to the soil anyway), then bring it on! I know that seems callous, but it is necessary for me to figure out a plan for disposing of plants without throwing them away.

The day lilies are growing in spite of my attempts to kill them with old potting soil. To them, that might have been food. Well, it doesn't matter because once I put down the lime, they will be out of here and I will not have to go through another season of those hideous plants. The flowers are pretty, but the stuff that gets left behind is horrible and makes my yard look like the Everglades. I have a lot of work to do back there, but luckily I'm not in a rush to see anything spectacular, so I have time.

I pruned a few branches from my peach tree, and my hub spread the organic fertilizer on the lawn. We are on schedule, I think. The only problem spot is the tree space in front of the house. When I did my raking this fall, I noticed that there was no grass in the plot, so I bought some grass seed and put down some mulch a few weeks ago. But, there has been no growth, so I believe the missing ingredient has been water...we haven't watered it since that first day. We have tried to avoid the area by walking in the street, but I think the lack of water is the real holdup. Also, the weather has been iffy (I think we had snow one day).

Other than that, I am reading up on the vegetables that I want to grow this year. I have more containers than I probably need, so a few may become flower pots for the sunflowers in the front yard. I have seeds for those mammoth sunflowers that grow to 8 feet, so I may set those out in the front yard (and I can't wait to see how my neighbors respond to that). Of course, that may mean that I will be chasing crows and other pesky birds away, so I am considering a bird feeder in the back yard to throw them off while the flowers are in bloom.

I've also got to figure out how to keep the squirrels from my peaches and tomatoes this year. I actually watched the squirrels climb the peach tree and each peaches every day while they were ripe last year. It was funny, but also crazy because then they got bold and decided to attack my tomatoes later on during the summer. I had to chase these jokers away. Who knew that squirrels ate fruits and vegetables?

Spring Cleaning Begins

Today I cleaned out my pots for the garden this year. I am also preparing the back of my yard for eventual use. In a few days, I'll begin some seeds indoors for Spring flowers and early summer vegetable harvest. I have a lot to look forward to this year, and I am hopeful for an abundant harvest.

The first thing I had to do was to assess my needs for the upcoming growing season. I am new to outdoor gardening, and so far, I am only comfortable with containers. This is mainly because our yard is a disaster and it is hard to know where to plant given its current state. So, it may be a few years before I go into the earth, so for now, containers will do.

One problem I've had in the past is the leftover potting soil from potted annuals that have long since died. I've had success in getting these plants to grow and bloom (sunflowers, vegetables, and decorative plants I've bought), but once their season has past, I end up with old dried out stalks and mounds of dirt. I know it seems like a silly problem, but I never felt right about throwing out dirt, especially if I paid for it. It just seemed wasteful.

What to do? Keep it, which is what I have done for two years. I had read somewhere that this dirt is not particularly useful, since all of its minerals have been expended. I am not yet ready for a compost heap because we have lots of urban wildlife, and I don't want any surprises one day. So my solution as of today is to reuse it as top soil in the far backyard. I dumped several large containers of old soil on top of the emrging day lily plants. Since I plan to kill everything in that part of the yard this year anyway, this dirt will be reintegrated into my already existing soil.

My entire yard is a work in progress. We inherited a mess of problems from the previous owners, and unfortunately, neither of us has any experience or knowledge about lawns, trees, or weeds. We do our best to maintain a neat look, but eventually everything will have to be cleared away so that we can start all over again. We began that process last fall when we cut down three trees in the back yard and cleared away some of the shrubbery on the side of the house. There is more to tackle in the next few months, such as the hideous bushes in the front of the house, but I will be patient. My goal is to redo everything so that I can have my own yard with trees, flowers and a garden reflecting my taste.

So now I have several containers and I think this will mean a very productive vegetable and flower garden. Last Spring/Summer was my first foray into vegetable gardening, and it was a good first attempt. I planted three varieties of tomatoes, miniature bell peppers, and red potatoes. I also grew basil and mint (other herbs did not grow as planned). I have planted sunflowers in the past, so I definitely want to have some of those again this year. I want to grow geraniums from seed, and I have a few other flowers that I may try to grow for my front door. I spent a lot of money last year on established plants, and while easy to maintain, I want to see if it is worth the effort to grow annuals from seed.

This year will mark my initial efforts to garden 'green' with mostly organic products. I think synthetic chemicals are fine, but they are a choice. I want to eat what I grow, and I think it is more responsible for a small time gardener like me to avoid chemicals. The cumulative effect of all of that cannot be good for us.

Tomorrow, I'll detail my garden plans. I plan to start digging in on Palm Sunday with the flowers and maybe the first round of tomatoes and peppers. I also have a sprouted onion in the sunroom, so I'll see if I can get some onions this year. I have some sprouted white potatoes as well, so I'll see what happens.

A New Year Begins

I just started a blog last month, and here I am expanding the franchise. Not usually a smart move in the world of business, but here in cyberspace, it makes perfect sense because this blog will be all about my upcoming year in the urban garden that is my back yard.

I have already started the process of getting psyched for gardening; it began last Sunday at the Home Depot. I'm sure that most real gardeners would rather die than go into a Home Depot, Lowes or any other chain store for gardening items. But, I am a newbie at this, so this is where I started, and eventually I will branch out to garden stores or nurseries.

Right now, places like Home Depot allow me the chance to learn at my own pace. I got very intimidated last year when I went into the nursery near my house. I went there with questions about growing potatoes, and while the staff was very helpful, I got the feeling that most of their customers already knew what they were doing. I also noticed that there was not much selection and that the prices were higher, so my pocketbook will dictate how often I plan to return.

It may be in my DNA, but my fascination with things that grow goes back to my childhood. My father had a vegetable garden at our home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I have distinct memories of "helping" him. My grandmother was a flower person, and I remember seeing her in the front yard of her home pruning azaleas (I don't remember being allowed to "help" her, though).

When I got my first apartment in New Orleans, I wanted plants around so that I could decorate my apartment cheaply. I got hardy vines that could survive my inexperience and periodic neglect. They actually survived an entire summer without being watered. And because they grew all the time, I eventually had vines in every room of the apartment. It was the saddest day when I had to leave those plants behind to return to DC.

But, the good thing about plants is that you can get more and start all over again. I started my new collection from a spider plant that my mother kept in the kitchen by the sliding glass door. One day, I snipped off a baby shoot and put it in a glass of water. Eventually, it grew roots and I later planted it in a little green and blue pot. I took it to work with me and put it in the window sill of my office. That was the beginning of my life as an urban gardener

I can go on and on about my indoor plants and how I eventually moved on to outdoor plants, but I will stop here. There is so much to say, but so little time...I am facing a deadline on some other work. In the meantime, I just want to say how excited I am about Spring and Summer this year and I can't wait to start planting.