My opportunities to work in the garden have been intermittent due to work and weather. 'Kinda funny considering that I work with weather forecasters. Earthworms have been surfacing everywhere because of all the rain we get. We seem to get long rainy periods of 3-4 days to as much as a week. Depressing but it's good for the soil.
During last Tuesday and Saturday's garden outings, I weeded and shoveled. Plenty of earthworms show up in my soil, and they do a great job, so I'm trying to make their work a little easier by adding sand. Gardening is a much more enjoyable context to see earthworms than watching another kid dare to swallow one (which even as a kid I thought it was childish and cruel), or destroying one in biology class disections. What was I supposed to see? Why does it have to be alive when we pin it down?
It seems like the soil has a lot of clay. It clumps more now than it did earlier (see March 2 entry). It came up as large wedges that require me to break them up with the shovel or garden fork. So, that's one more reason for adding sand. And maybe some kind of loamy "stuff" to lighten it.
A dandelion clump I dug to take home for my guinea pigs held a lot of dirt. An earthworm fell to the ground as I was shaking off the dirt -- again -- at my car. I picked up the earthworm and walked back to my plot where I set it on loosened soil and covered it with a thin layer.
I found the earthworm remarkably cold. Maybe that's the temp of the soil right now. It chilled me. So glad am I to not be an earthworm. So glad am I that they like my dirt.
4/27/2007
4/02/2007
Digging
Saturday, March 31, 2007, was warm (high 50s) and sunny. I dug, weeded, turned soil and raked about 1/3 of my garden plot. Then I planted seeds for spinach, mustard (India), gourmet lettuce, red leaf and one or two other kinds of lettuce. Nearly every shovel of soil contained three or four visible earthworms. I suspect they weren't thrilled at being disturbed, after all they worked hard to get the soil in good shape and they deserve any rest they can get.
The soil was in great condition, that is, loose and still moist, but not so moist that it would stick to the shovel or clump. It was friable.
I want to start potatoes, too, but hadn't ordered any seed potatoes. On the way home from my garden, I stopped at a local co-op market, which was hosting an Oriental dance show, to see what tickets would cost. I mentioned my morning gardening. The clerk offered me certified organic (red) seed potatoes for nothing. So, thank you to her (and thanks to God).
So often when I'm out in the garden, I "feel" like it's where I'm supposed to be. I don't have any detailed explanation for this. I just enjoy it. Even my allergies aren't keeping me away.
3/27/2007
Pennsylvania Garden Expo
Some friends and I went to the Pennsylvania Garden Expo on March 10. Our original plan to go to the Philadelphia Flower Show fell through. Still, we had fun at much less expense and half the distance of travel.
Some photos from the Garden Expo:
A winning lad in a kilt directed the St. Patrick's Day parade participants. We watched this Saturday afternoon after going to the garden expo.
The weather was wonderful! Quite a contrast to the conditions a month earlier after the "Valentine's Day" storm. This is what I deal with on my back stairs after a storm:
Some photos from the Garden Expo:
A winning lad in a kilt directed the St. Patrick's Day parade participants. We watched this Saturday afternoon after going to the garden expo.
The weather was wonderful! Quite a contrast to the conditions a month earlier after the "Valentine's Day" storm. This is what I deal with on my back stairs after a storm:
3/21/2007
"A Little Bird Told Me"
Birds play a role in the garden. I probably don't have to tell that to anyone reading this post. Still, maybe I don't pay enough attention to birds, outside of the ubiquitous ducks in Bellefonte, especially in and around Talleyrand Park. (Watch where you step.) I say this because I'm always thrilled to hear birds in late winter and early spring. That's when I realize how much I miss them.
I usually notice migrating geese because of the squawk-like honks. In summer, a quack draws my attention to a duck, who seems happy to discover a newly formed swimming spot. After heavy rain, small temporary ponds appear, several of them outside the building where I work. Some form so regularly that water plants grow. I'm often amazed at how quickly the "aquatic quackers" get there. I'm disappointed if there are none.
It's always a pleasure to me to see urban wildlife. I've seen plenty of squirrels, some very aggressive, but they still fascinate me with their rapid movements and bouncing.
With the benefits birds are to a garden, it's nice to know I can do a little more for them. A couple of wrens seem to be enjoying the wooden ledge above the door to my back porch, indicated by the frantic flapping of wings when I open the door and by the tiny droppings I sweep away almost daily. When I got home yesterday, I found one of the dried sunflower seed heads from my garden displaced, seeds that I honestly didn't think were in it, and shells scattered on the porch. Good for them! They can have all they want. I'll have to make sure the other dried flower heads are accessible.
(Note to self: I must prepare those dried gourds to provide a house for these little birds.)
I usually notice migrating geese because of the squawk-like honks. In summer, a quack draws my attention to a duck, who seems happy to discover a newly formed swimming spot. After heavy rain, small temporary ponds appear, several of them outside the building where I work. Some form so regularly that water plants grow. I'm often amazed at how quickly the "aquatic quackers" get there. I'm disappointed if there are none.
It's always a pleasure to me to see urban wildlife. I've seen plenty of squirrels, some very aggressive, but they still fascinate me with their rapid movements and bouncing.
With the benefits birds are to a garden, it's nice to know I can do a little more for them. A couple of wrens seem to be enjoying the wooden ledge above the door to my back porch, indicated by the frantic flapping of wings when I open the door and by the tiny droppings I sweep away almost daily. When I got home yesterday, I found one of the dried sunflower seed heads from my garden displaced, seeds that I honestly didn't think were in it, and shells scattered on the porch. Good for them! They can have all they want. I'll have to make sure the other dried flower heads are accessible.
(Note to self: I must prepare those dried gourds to provide a house for these little birds.)
3/18/2007
Reality Check
Animals are as much a part of creation as plants and humans. This isn't my usual topic for this blog, but it's important for this information to be out.
This video is just one example of how cruel the fur industry is. This fur is put on coats and sold in the U.S. as fake fur.
Here's the graphic video:
Racoon Dog Skinned -- Alive
Informative Video: Humane Society Link
What to do? Link
This video is just one example of how cruel the fur industry is. This fur is put on coats and sold in the U.S. as fake fur.
Here's the graphic video:
Racoon Dog Skinned -- Alive
Informative Video: Humane Society Link
What to do? Link
3/05/2007
Eager to Start
Spring's promise approaches, energy slowly uncurls in the shoots from a seed, tender embyonic tendrils pushing up toward the dangers of wind and cold to be fed by the sun. The season yields to fluctuations that drive its identity, then surrenders to the warmth that brings summer.
I'll be starting my brocolli and some other cold weather veggies from seed this week.
Winter was like a see-saw this year in Pennsylvania. December was cold, January was unusually warm and enjoyable, then February turned frigid with a lot of snow. Although the duration of extreme winter weather was short for us, the promise looks good when warmer days strip away laced-up boots, gloves, hat, heavy coat and penguin-like plodding on slippery surfaces. Again.
Reminds me of a symbol of promise. The rainbow. We had a lot of them late last year. One Sunday afternoon, I saw a double one, and photographed it in State College. I could not fit it all in frame, so here it is in halves:
They can also be found on my flickr page.
I'll be starting my brocolli and some other cold weather veggies from seed this week.
Winter was like a see-saw this year in Pennsylvania. December was cold, January was unusually warm and enjoyable, then February turned frigid with a lot of snow. Although the duration of extreme winter weather was short for us, the promise looks good when warmer days strip away laced-up boots, gloves, hat, heavy coat and penguin-like plodding on slippery surfaces. Again.
Reminds me of a symbol of promise. The rainbow. We had a lot of them late last year. One Sunday afternoon, I saw a double one, and photographed it in State College. I could not fit it all in frame, so here it is in halves:
They can also be found on my flickr page.
2/27/2007
Will The World End?
Many people believe that the world will end someday, but our human tendency is to prevent it. To have control. My garden would be really incredible if I could take control of the weather. What would that do to my neighbors though? Would there be an inevitable butterfly effect and would it be bad or good? How could I possibly know? Would my manipulation eventually create a backlash that would hurt my garden?
I work with meteorogists, climatologists and earth scientists at a privately owned forecasting company. (My preferred science is biology, but sometimes you take what you get.) When I discuss my job with people locally, sometimes I'm asked if I can write a beautiful forecast since I'm an editor; if I could do that, I'd write myself onto a tropical island that never gets hurricanes. If I had that much power, like the character John Murdoch develops in Dark City, I don't know how I would chose what to do. If I could re-create a garden paradise, and keep literal and metaphorical hurricanes from destroying it, does that mean I should? (Note: These are rhetorical questions.) Comic book superheroes experience this conflict, don't they, ie, how to use their special powers?
Anyway, back to the end of the world.
Robert Frost wrote:
Fire and Ice
Some say the world will end in fire.
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire,
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate to
say that for destruction ice
is also great
and would suffice.
--Robert Frost
Opinions about global warming vary among the people who work here. I share the view of at least one forecaster, stepping away from all the politicizing that some on both sides carry out: whether it's natural, human-induced or human accelerated, I will try to do what I can. And other things I do that help the environment in general I will do. Beyond that (Kyoto Accord, etc.,) it becomes difficult to ascertain. Hmm. At my age, I'm getting use to not having all the answers. Hmm.
Carbon footprint? check out:
Mr. Smith Says happy New Year
What else can you do?
I work with meteorogists, climatologists and earth scientists at a privately owned forecasting company. (My preferred science is biology, but sometimes you take what you get.) When I discuss my job with people locally, sometimes I'm asked if I can write a beautiful forecast since I'm an editor; if I could do that, I'd write myself onto a tropical island that never gets hurricanes. If I had that much power, like the character John Murdoch develops in Dark City, I don't know how I would chose what to do. If I could re-create a garden paradise, and keep literal and metaphorical hurricanes from destroying it, does that mean I should? (Note: These are rhetorical questions.) Comic book superheroes experience this conflict, don't they, ie, how to use their special powers?
Anyway, back to the end of the world.
Robert Frost wrote:
Fire and Ice
Some say the world will end in fire.
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire,
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate to
say that for destruction ice
is also great
and would suffice.
--Robert Frost
Opinions about global warming vary among the people who work here. I share the view of at least one forecaster, stepping away from all the politicizing that some on both sides carry out: whether it's natural, human-induced or human accelerated, I will try to do what I can. And other things I do that help the environment in general I will do. Beyond that (Kyoto Accord, etc.,) it becomes difficult to ascertain. Hmm. At my age, I'm getting use to not having all the answers. Hmm.
Carbon footprint? check out:
Mr. Smith Says happy New Year
What else can you do?
2/23/2007
An Early St. Patrick's Day
Philadelphia Flower Show 2007
On March 10, my friend Heather and I hope to get to the Philadelphia Flower Show. This year, the theme is Legends of Ireland, so it really appeals to me. Besides the beautiful floral displays, I anticipate some energetic and colorful dance, music and shopping. I went to an Irish fest years ago in Wilkes-Barre, and it was very enjoyable.
I will pray that there are no snow storms!
On March 10, my friend Heather and I hope to get to the Philadelphia Flower Show. This year, the theme is Legends of Ireland, so it really appeals to me. Besides the beautiful floral displays, I anticipate some energetic and colorful dance, music and shopping. I went to an Irish fest years ago in Wilkes-Barre, and it was very enjoyable.
I will pray that there are no snow storms!
2/15/2007
A Book
I am reading It Started in Eden by Bertha S. Dodge. I borrowed it from the library and its publication date is 1979. A little old, but kind of interesting. The author writes about how important plants (ex, food crops) have been to human history. It has a lot of history of the competition for control of various valuable plant products. She goes into great detail about the "wars" between the Spanish, English, and others over various trade routes. These trade routes transported chocolate, tea, coffee and spices from the East.
As a tea drinker, I found it interesting that many attempts to grow the plant in the U.S. failed. The plant, Camellia sinensis, is grown commercially in Charleston, South Carolina. It also grows in Hawaii and on the East Coast of the U.S.
An interesting fact: spices that make so much food tasty were originally used to cover the taste of bad food. This potentially explains why so many "hot" areas of the world have some of the spiciest foods.
As a tea drinker, I found it interesting that many attempts to grow the plant in the U.S. failed. The plant, Camellia sinensis, is grown commercially in Charleston, South Carolina. It also grows in Hawaii and on the East Coast of the U.S.
An interesting fact: spices that make so much food tasty were originally used to cover the taste of bad food. This potentially explains why so many "hot" areas of the world have some of the spiciest foods.
1/03/2007
Garden Fantasy
The catalogues I requested have arrived. I only requested two: Burpee and Jung. I'm not sure where I learned of Jung, but it's in Wisconsin and I try to stick with companies located in areas with similar growing conditions to mine.
My other garden shopping is done locally. Many local stores carry seed packets. I also go to Patchwork Farm in Aaronsburg, PA. From April until June I buy most of my seedlings at their temporary stand by the Nittany Mall. They're very helpful, they sell a variety of plants, and the plants are reasonably priced and healthy. Last summer when I was taking the scenic route home from visiting family, I spied a sign for Patchwork Farms and went there (their home location). So many plants. So little time.
Burpee is in southeastern Pennsylvania. I've never visited it, although I've been in nearby areas. For example, Longwood Gardens, not a vendor but a display garden, is beautiful.
I'm hoping to go to the Philadelphia Flower Show, and visit a college friend in Lincoln University, Pa., while there. I've never been to that show, but have wanted to go since I started gardening and since P Allen Smith has been giving presentations. I'm hoping that P Allen Smith will appear there again.
According to the flower show website, Legends of Ireland is the theme, which really appeals to me, not to mention how timely it is with St. Patrick's Day following it. This page of the website gives more details. I've been to Irish festivals before, but this one will probably outdo them all.
There's a phrase the luck of the Irish, which I gather to be bad, knowing their history, and their sometimes sardonic and/or dark humor.
Most people have heard the legend that (St.) Patrick used the three lobes of the shamrock to explain the trinity. An equally interesting legend is that of (St.) Brigid. She is said to have woven a cross from straw she picked up off the floor.
So much is ancient history with Ireland that it can be difficult to distinguish myth from truth. Plus, it's a large geographical area so legends may be subject to regional variations. It's still interesting to learn. Some of this, such as the "Black Irish", I heard of growing up. From my own reading, I know that the ideal Irish person was a poet and a warrior, something that many other cultures view as a dichotomy.
Some links to help infuse Irish lore into one's mind if one desires:
Iris Legends
Brigid's Cross
Map of Irish Immigration in US
Claddagh (pronounced clah-dah + soft "g")
And a book I own, which is slightly laborious in writing style but I find it covers many areas of Irish life and history is The Story of the Irish Race by Seamus Macmanus. There is plenty about pre-Christian and contemporary Ireland's spirituality, government, and the place of women in Ireland. It has helped me understand more about the British government's treatment -- genocide -- of the native Irish that resulted in oppression, extreme poverty and religious division, and that resulted in terrorism; some of these problems are shared by Native Americans in the U.S. and Canada due to government's treatment of them.
My other garden shopping is done locally. Many local stores carry seed packets. I also go to Patchwork Farm in Aaronsburg, PA. From April until June I buy most of my seedlings at their temporary stand by the Nittany Mall. They're very helpful, they sell a variety of plants, and the plants are reasonably priced and healthy. Last summer when I was taking the scenic route home from visiting family, I spied a sign for Patchwork Farms and went there (their home location). So many plants. So little time.
Burpee is in southeastern Pennsylvania. I've never visited it, although I've been in nearby areas. For example, Longwood Gardens, not a vendor but a display garden, is beautiful.
I'm hoping to go to the Philadelphia Flower Show, and visit a college friend in Lincoln University, Pa., while there. I've never been to that show, but have wanted to go since I started gardening and since P Allen Smith has been giving presentations. I'm hoping that P Allen Smith will appear there again.
According to the flower show website, Legends of Ireland is the theme, which really appeals to me, not to mention how timely it is with St. Patrick's Day following it. This page of the website gives more details. I've been to Irish festivals before, but this one will probably outdo them all.
There's a phrase the luck of the Irish, which I gather to be bad, knowing their history, and their sometimes sardonic and/or dark humor.
Most people have heard the legend that (St.) Patrick used the three lobes of the shamrock to explain the trinity. An equally interesting legend is that of (St.) Brigid. She is said to have woven a cross from straw she picked up off the floor.
So much is ancient history with Ireland that it can be difficult to distinguish myth from truth. Plus, it's a large geographical area so legends may be subject to regional variations. It's still interesting to learn. Some of this, such as the "Black Irish", I heard of growing up. From my own reading, I know that the ideal Irish person was a poet and a warrior, something that many other cultures view as a dichotomy.
Some links to help infuse Irish lore into one's mind if one desires:
Iris Legends
Brigid's Cross
Map of Irish Immigration in US
Claddagh (pronounced clah-dah + soft "g")
And a book I own, which is slightly laborious in writing style but I find it covers many areas of Irish life and history is The Story of the Irish Race by Seamus Macmanus. There is plenty about pre-Christian and contemporary Ireland's spirituality, government, and the place of women in Ireland. It has helped me understand more about the British government's treatment -- genocide -- of the native Irish that resulted in oppression, extreme poverty and religious division, and that resulted in terrorism; some of these problems are shared by Native Americans in the U.S. and Canada due to government's treatment of them.
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