A follow up on the ickies..

In the days that have followed this application, I have come to notice something else that Steve recommends in the book, though I had not fully dared to acknowledge until now... as it becomes very clear, evident, and obvious.  One of the best growth-enhancing "products" for your garden's health is, in fact, pee.  Yep.. every day, run-of-the-mill urine.  Yick.  As if the blood, bone, and poo wasn't bad enough?

Collard Greens

My study was very simply conducted in a small, discrete area, over the course of several weeks this spring.  Pepper, my small but mighty male chihuahua, boastfully marks the same spots on our daily walking route to ward off other dogs, cats, possoms, and men (he has a thing for ladies-only, go figure) from entering or approaching our front and side yard.  Over the course of the last few weeks, I have noticed a couple of patches of thick, beautiful, abnormally healthy patches of grass which just happen to be located in the pee spots.  Now, this could just be coincidence, a chicken and egg sort of thing, but my guess is that, in fact, our dear pal Steve might actually be onto something.  So maybe, on a particularly bold day, I'll test out this theory and purely for scientific progress, of course, report back.  And only then will we truly know the sick, yet intriguing, pleasures of plants...

Pepper on watch duty

Adding blood, poo, and other ickies to the garden...

It's funny that, after thousands of years of human cultivation, development, and improved seed varieties how simple, and yet icky, the best sources of nutrients are for promoting productive plant development in one's garden.  Over the course of the last several weeks, I took the opportunity to reflect on our lessons from last year (and maybe if I get motivated, I'll actually share that).  And, after vetting several sources, searching through online journals, websites, and blogs, and purchasing the pretty magazines at the end of the isle at Wholefoods, it's come down to this.. one person's waste is anothers treasure.  There is no cuter or more pleasant way to put that.

A Tulip pronouncing spring.. bring on the rain!

The sources that I have come to trust the most, and maybe this is more personal preference than fact (I guess we'll see how things turn out!), are the old guys who knock "new" technologies like artificial fertilizers (introduced in the 1950s.. but still not proven to actually work long term), monocropping, intensive planting schemes, and other new-fangled concepts that sound really good (like Topsy Turvy) until you realize that in the battle of man versus nature, nature always wins.  In other words, according to the conservation of mass, you cannot create new energy, you just borrow, beg, and steal it from other places.  And using chemical fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides, (in addition to a whole host of other bad things) strip the soil of its nutrients kind of like Bernie Madoff did with a bunch of old people's money.. in other words, 'don't worry soil, it sounds like a good idea because it is!  I'll hit 'ya back next time, I swear'.. meanwhile the soil shakes its head in objection, knowing full well that the "borrowing" is chronic and, in the end, everyone loses. (see Organic vs. Chemical Fertilizers article)

The "icky" additions to this year's garden bed

Long winded sidetrack later, my garden adviser for this early season has been Steve Soloman's Gardening When it Counts.  And, thanks to his advice, I bought some icky things for the garden.  And by icky, I mean:  bone meal, garden gypsum, dried blood, chicken poo, and garden lime.  In a highly scientific process, I dumped them all into a bucket, mixed with a garden hoe, and lightly spread the mixture over the beds which are weeks away from our first planting.

Another Year Another Garden!

As fellow Bostonians are well aware, this spring has been unpleasantly chilly.. a neverending winter filled with constant snow and record-making curb piles, ice outs, and lots of days "working from home" with shovel in hand and hot cocoa on the stove.  So now that we have finally reached that time of year that we like to call "spring," the constant cold rainy days have left our garden a little...well.. uninspired.  After all, how can we, as responsible urban gardeners, bring little seedlings into a cold, rainy, horrible spring?  It would be irresponsible.. reckless.. miserable... ok fine, it would be a little less fun than last year.

The Ring!!

But, alas, food must still be grown and farmers always work outside of accuweather forecasts... so it's time that we get to it, suck it up, and start some seeds!  And not even a short engagement and upcoming summer wedding are enough of an excuse to push this off any longer (it is April, after all!).

So we set aside the invites, put a pause on the music selection, ignored the seating charts, neglected the dress shopping, drafted the favor making.. oh my! And planted a few little seedies for our summer of love.

The seedies are started!

Of course we had all of the usual suspects: heirloom tomatoes of several varieties, pickling cucumbers, hot jalapeno peppers, green culinary peppers, italian basil, and standard garden variety spinach. We also cut some corners and purchased round yellow tomato seedlings, front-yard broccoli, a second variety of thyme, and italian flat parsley. And, in honor of our big day, I scattered, sifted, and started seven varieties of flowers in our front bed, several seed pockets, and the front yard window box. 

 
Hopefully with a little luck, moisture, and some S-U-N the little seed-ies will have time to catch up to the more punctual garden counterparts!