I once have the vegetable garden bug. I had a little veggie garden I think two years ago, but got maybe 6 cherry tomatoes and a single miniature, deformed bell pepper out of the experiment. Colorado dirt just doesn't have anything on rich Midwestern soil for growing things. Perhaps why people ranch instead of farm out here. Hmm.
Anyway, I knew I'd have to do things differently this year. For starters, water the darn thing. In my defense, I got pregnant mid-summer two years ago and was reeeeeally tired/sick feeling for the last part of July, all of August, and most of September. Like I would get home from work at 5:45, take a nap til 6:30 or 7, eat a little something that didn't contain meat, then back to bed at 9:30. This year, I don't anticipate that being a problem.
Back to my point, though, I knew I'd need to revamp my gardening plan this time around, actually work the soil with some nutrient rich stuff, etc. And pick a spot that gets good sunlight, which my initial area didn't. Looking around my yard, the spot that was standing out was our side yard ... 300 square feet of river rock, weeds that get waist high in the summer, and 40 year old weed barrier below a few inches of rock and dirt. Super. That side yard has irked us since we moved in, but we always had more pressing issues to deal with. Now that we have a walker, though, who passionately loves rocks (to eat) and was fascinated by the thorny thistles, we decided to go ahead and have it cleared - and that it would give me a garden spot was just icing on the cake!
I got that done for a fair price via Craigslist (and so glad I didn't try it on my own - it took two big guys two full days to get it cleared!), and then realized that the dirt under all of that was still pretty rocky. Some Googling, some plotting and planning ... and I discovered Square Foot Gardening. Basically, the premise is that you build a raised bed - no more than 4' wide, so that you can reach the inside of the bed for harvesting while standing outside (you don't want to step on the soil to compact it), fill it with a super rich mixture of compost, vermiculite, and peat moss, and create a grid on top so that you have a defined zone for each vegetable. You can allegedly grow a lot more plants closer quarters that they would be able to in the ground. As in, what was going to take probably 75 square feet on the ground because of rows and all that will be contained in 16 square feet. Not entirely sure why - maybe it's the rich soil? Creative pruning? But it seems to work, according to the book and a lot of blogs and forums.
So, I borrowed Scott's truck for a few days to get fill dirt (for the low spots), weed barrier, and mulch, put all of that in myself (so glad we bought a wheelbarrow last year!). Looked up a lot of plans and pictures of raised beds, went to Home Depot and bought some wood, and broke out the saw and drill and got it built! Installation was a little less than fun since I had to dig 6" holes to plant my bed supports into, but it went a lot more smoothly once I remembered that water + dirt = mud = easy digging. Thanks, Kindergarten!
This last weekend I got my compost mixture in place, and yesterday I created my square foot grid with nails and string. Today, Mats and I will hit up a garden center for some tomato and pepper plants (since I waited too long to get those started inside), and start planting! I'm so looking forward to a summer of garden fresh vegetables.
One down side: a 12" raised box is pretty much perfect height for my baby, who loves dirt. So far, he loves running his fingers through the soil (and trying to dump it outside the box, of course), and twice tried to climb into the box. Somehow, I think Mats is going to be my biggest garden pest this year.
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Compostable Future
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labels:
food waste friday,
gardening
Clearly I haven't been as diligent about tracking food waste (or blogging in general) as I had hoped. However, I have an excuse in the form of a 30-inch tall man who really likes attention! And lots of it. Also, smacking mommy's keyboard while she's typing, leading to interesting results. (The craziest was when we apparently hit ctrl+alt+up all at the same time, turning my display upside down. That took a bit of neck craning and Googling to figure out.)
It's now spring, though. Oh, spring, how I delight in you! Open windows, fresh air, and making all things fresh and new. After getting a bit stinky (the fridge, not us), we purged the fridge last week (it was due in part to baby not yet being a fan of whole milk and me not being on top of it enough to do something with the milk before chunks - yes, chunks - formed). No pictures, but a fresh start at least.
And even though we did toss a fair bit of food, I do have a few victories to report: chocolate pudding made with precisely two cups of souring skim milk, potatoes au gratin made with four cups of skim milk before the souring began (note to self, don't forget to buy Lactaid!) ... and a compost heap!
I discovered a 3'x3' chicken wired area behind our shed when we first moved in, half-filled in with dead grass and with weeds growing out of it. Clearly a compost heap, but I had a) no idea what to do with it, b) no idea what to do with compost, and c) way too many other projects to care. But, I really like the idea of things not going to landfill, and the compost heap has been niggling at the back of my brain for the almost four years we've lived here now. This spring, as I was putting together my very first legit, planned-out garden (another post for another day), I decided to go for the gold and start using my compost heap.
First step: obtaining a pitchfork (listed as a "garden fork") via Craigslist for $10 - way better than the $35 the big box stores wanted. Second step: strapping on my garden gloves, pulling the weeds out of the heap, and poking the fork in while being ready to run if anything skittered out. No critters, surpringly enough/thank goodness. Whew! I initially thought I might have to clear all of the old stuff out to make way for a fresh heap ... but then I figured, isn't the point of a compost heap to biodegrade old waste? So I just mixed it up and started putting in my food scraps.
Composting lessons learned via Google thus far: no cooked foods or dairy or meat or fats, toss the heap weekly, cover fresh food scraps with grass/leaves to keep smell down, keep the mix balanced between food and (mostly) yard waste. I thought briefly about buying a special little compost bucket to keep in my kitchen to throw scraps into, but why? $20+ for something that's really just supposed to be airtight, small, and provide a receptacle between counter and heap? I grabbed a yogurt container from the recycle bin, and so far so good.
Anyway, all that to say - I think it's awesome that I no longer have to throw away/garbage disposal things like kiwi skins or the blocky base of a head of lettuce. I think it'll be at least marginally helpful with food waste. And we're getting a fresh start here, people! That, and it'll be really nice if I can save money on compost for my veggie garden next year. My compost heap cost thus far has been $10, which is maybe 2.5 bags of compost. Come on heap, get to work!
It's now spring, though. Oh, spring, how I delight in you! Open windows, fresh air, and making all things fresh and new. After getting a bit stinky (the fridge, not us), we purged the fridge last week (it was due in part to baby not yet being a fan of whole milk and me not being on top of it enough to do something with the milk before chunks - yes, chunks - formed). No pictures, but a fresh start at least.
And even though we did toss a fair bit of food, I do have a few victories to report: chocolate pudding made with precisely two cups of souring skim milk, potatoes au gratin made with four cups of skim milk before the souring began (note to self, don't forget to buy Lactaid!) ... and a compost heap!
I discovered a 3'x3' chicken wired area behind our shed when we first moved in, half-filled in with dead grass and with weeds growing out of it. Clearly a compost heap, but I had a) no idea what to do with it, b) no idea what to do with compost, and c) way too many other projects to care. But, I really like the idea of things not going to landfill, and the compost heap has been niggling at the back of my brain for the almost four years we've lived here now. This spring, as I was putting together my very first legit, planned-out garden (another post for another day), I decided to go for the gold and start using my compost heap.
First step: obtaining a pitchfork (listed as a "garden fork") via Craigslist for $10 - way better than the $35 the big box stores wanted. Second step: strapping on my garden gloves, pulling the weeds out of the heap, and poking the fork in while being ready to run if anything skittered out. No critters, surpringly enough/thank goodness. Whew! I initially thought I might have to clear all of the old stuff out to make way for a fresh heap ... but then I figured, isn't the point of a compost heap to biodegrade old waste? So I just mixed it up and started putting in my food scraps.
Composting lessons learned via Google thus far: no cooked foods or dairy or meat or fats, toss the heap weekly, cover fresh food scraps with grass/leaves to keep smell down, keep the mix balanced between food and (mostly) yard waste. I thought briefly about buying a special little compost bucket to keep in my kitchen to throw scraps into, but why? $20+ for something that's really just supposed to be airtight, small, and provide a receptacle between counter and heap? I grabbed a yogurt container from the recycle bin, and so far so good.
Anyway, all that to say - I think it's awesome that I no longer have to throw away/garbage disposal things like kiwi skins or the blocky base of a head of lettuce. I think it'll be at least marginally helpful with food waste. And we're getting a fresh start here, people! That, and it'll be really nice if I can save money on compost for my veggie garden next year. My compost heap cost thus far has been $10, which is maybe 2.5 bags of compost. Come on heap, get to work!
cooking kick
i think i'm on another cooking kick. i can tell when one is coming on because i find myself spending inordinate amounts of time thinking about food ... and i know it's here when i actually cook a real dinner at home several nights in a row. the products of this cooking spree have been particularly tasty, though. meals we've enjoyed in the last week and a half:
the homemade hamburger buns were super easy to make - it was my first expedition with the stand mixer my parents got me/us as an early anniversary gift a few weeks ago, and i love it already! the buns were so fresh and tasty, although i will say that without the preservatives stores add, they start to dry out by the next day. the recipe made 16 buns (next time i'll likely do a half recipe, unless we have a giant bbq at our house), so i sent a handful off with our friends andrew and anne, who were in town for the 4th before they set off on a grand three week camping expedition through the national parks of colorado, utah, and arizona.
the rosemary, basil, and chives were all from my little herb planter and so tasty! in addition to those three, i planted cilantro and sage. the cilantro has really struggled - a few of the stalks have died off, and the one remaining has really skinny, lacey leaves (rather than the broad cilantro leaves you think of) and has started to flower and seed, even though i tried to stay on top of chopping off flowers when they popped up. according to wiki, the seeds are coriander - who knew! oh, although this page suggests that's normal, and that cilantro just has a quick life cycle - also, who knew! the sage is going strong, but i have yet to actually use any of it. i need to figure out what sage goes in ... suggestions?
- country ribs on the grill with corn on the cob and french bread
- fried rice made with leftover ribs and corn on the cob
- chicken fajitas made with leftover spicy honey chicken thighs
- homemade margherita pizza with garden fresh basil
- whole wheat pasta with broccoli and broiled chicken breast
- burgers on the grill with homemade hamburger buns and homemade salsa and guac for the 4th of july
- grilled rosemary lamb chops with basil, chive, and sundried tomato couscous
the homemade hamburger buns were super easy to make - it was my first expedition with the stand mixer my parents got me/us as an early anniversary gift a few weeks ago, and i love it already! the buns were so fresh and tasty, although i will say that without the preservatives stores add, they start to dry out by the next day. the recipe made 16 buns (next time i'll likely do a half recipe, unless we have a giant bbq at our house), so i sent a handful off with our friends andrew and anne, who were in town for the 4th before they set off on a grand three week camping expedition through the national parks of colorado, utah, and arizona.
the rosemary, basil, and chives were all from my little herb planter and so tasty! in addition to those three, i planted cilantro and sage. the cilantro has really struggled - a few of the stalks have died off, and the one remaining has really skinny, lacey leaves (rather than the broad cilantro leaves you think of) and has started to flower and seed, even though i tried to stay on top of chopping off flowers when they popped up. according to wiki, the seeds are coriander - who knew! oh, although this page suggests that's normal, and that cilantro just has a quick life cycle - also, who knew! the sage is going strong, but i have yet to actually use any of it. i need to figure out what sage goes in ... suggestions?
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