How It's Lookin 4 Floors Up

The quality of my movie isn't the greatest, but the better versions were too big to upload, so until the technology catches up, this will have to do. Enjoy!

Changin mi tune...

Our first 'strictly from yard' salad, that's right, it's mid-April and all these greens came from the garden so far. Lettuces, spinach, and a few tender radish leaves, ummmm, nuttin better. I'm picking these every day now, sweet!


This is what I'm changin my tune about....I've always been lovin the challenge of making marginal land productive again, and sometimes that's a lot of hard work. But often it's the difference between having a garden and not. Usually you can get permission to work a wasteland, right? Wasteland to showcase---do something beautiful.


Now here's the latest approach that I'm singing about. I finally realize what a bargain bagged planting mixes are! Don't have any good land to work? Invest $10 in soil and some food for it and you've got land! I used to resent buying dirt, no more! I just dug out the weeds, mixed up a nice batch of dirt, chicken manure, lime and veg food in the wheelbarrow and laid it down---it's another row to plant now. And if you've got a fence like we do here, all the better. Put the peas in close to the fence, and make it wide enough for a couple other things. Here are potatoes, shallots, garlic and broccoli.


I worked this section for the first time last summer and put beans in, now it's full of lettuces, garlic, and I hope peas soon (I think the slugs might be eating the seedlings). It's truly amazing how quickly land can come alive again with organic methods. I'm talkin bout the life beneath the surface especially, you bring a little life energy, air, water and humus into the area and word spreads fast.

Porch Views

And here's a look at the porch as it is today, snow peas emerging on lower left, baby tomato plants getting some outside air, and greens poppin.

Now here's some catnip juicy enough to tempt any kitty into adjusting her attitude.

My prize habanero! From the plant I brought inside for the winter; now the plant has aphids and mi reddi fi tun it out to di yard! Dis one cyan fix di rice n peas nice.

A big pot of Pac Choi---I'll thin and eat as they grow.

Nice pot of radish. Had to get tough on the cute little birdies who come visit. They ate all the first leaves, they're so smart, they know what's good. Lucky for us both, the best part is underground.

Progress on the Porch

I'm starting to eat these beautiful lettuces, some scallions, and spinach here on the porch. I have thyme, catnip and oregano to use too. It's just starting to warm up and things are beginning to grow. My clematis is budding and hyacinth in bloom, roses leafing out.

The Earth Box spinach is pulling ahead in the growth and sweetness category. I love it.

The spinach in the control pot is a few leaves behind, and not as vigorous.

This is an example of 'natural agriculture' or this lazy likkle miss' method of propogating. I like to let some favorite plants go to seed especially at the end of the season. In this case it was parsley in a pot last year. When the seed was developed, I just bent the head down and laid it on the soil. It sat like that all winter and now I have a bunch of baby parsley plants to move around and share. Parsley is a great one for reseeding.

I'm starting to eat this Arctic lettuce, it's so buttery yummy, and it has all that energy from being out in nature all winter long, vitamins from earth and sky and spirit. In this pot, I also seeded a variety called Tom Thumb, mini bibb lettuces that are ready in only one month. I'll spread these out as they grow.

Between these lettuces and the ones over at the community garden, I might not have to buy any more lettuce for a few months. That's my goal, replace store trips with garden walks.

Micro Greens Part 3: 2 X Nice

Here's one for all you fervent recyclers, an I know you're out there. Did you know you can always regrow your organic beet tops for a new crop of microgreens? Just cut the top so there's still some a base of beet on it, put in a dish and add some water. Just enough to cover the bottom. At first, it'll be pink, but that clears quickly. Add water as needed, and you'll have some delicate greens within a couple days.

You can also do this with carrots, but the tops are pretty strong. However, your pet bunny would love for you to grow these just for him.

Game is On

Finally, I'm back online...no web access all week, and it was too wet and cold to do much in the garden outside. Now the tide has turned, it's warm and beautiful and there's so much to do. We're potting up our baby tomato plants, planting onions, leeks and scallions into the garden. You can put in potatoes now, any of the hardy greens, peas, strawberries, herbs, flowers, lots of things. To find out what can go in right now in your area, visit a nursery and see what they have for sale.

Or, watch your local gardener, you know the one you pass by on your way to home or work that has the Midas touch. See what a gwan inna di yard... and express y'self!

It's a beautiful time out there, breathe it in we've earned it, and much respect to the power of spring. I was walking over to the community garden after work and a local designer had her garden open for a tour, what a nice surprise.

I meandered through and took some shots.

The mossy staircase added a nice touch to a tranquil detour. Thanks, Kathryn Leech of River City Gardens, for the spiritual feast.

Micro Greens: Sunnies, Part Two

Meanwhile in my kitchen, I'm enjoying my sunflower greens all week long. Once they germinated and began to grow, I removed the coverings, watered them and put them in a bright spot indoors initially.

Once they're growing, it's ok to put them outside during the day if it's still cold.

They grow pretty fast and will pop off their seed shells as they grow.

Start enjoying them as soon as the first two leaves open and they're a couple inches high. They're delicious and buttery and pack a nutritional punch of being both green and living. I add them to salads, stuff em inna pita with hummus, or just graze on them for a snack. Harvest all of them before the second set of leaves develops. You can store them in the fridge in a zip lock for a few days. Try these for something different.