Local Delicious

In the ongoing adventures of the Bumbling Gardener, I’ve been planting a bit here and there each week. First it was the early nursery transplants — so far only one loss, a golden bell pepper plant. The other one is absolutely thriving.

Then it was seeding into the ground with a couple of different kinds of radishes, some beets, spinach, two types of lettuce, a couple of carrots, parsnips, herbs, etc. Oh, and some yellow and green onions.

Then came the ill-fated squash episode. (A moment of silence please.)

When I didn’t have much success with seeding the inoculated beans and peas (they rotted in their peat pucks), I tried seeding some non-inoculated ones. The beans weren’t so keen to play, but the peas were pretty happy to sprout for me. Some of those worked, fewer yet survived my care and a couple are now transplanted into the garden. I’m hoping it’s warm enough that there won’t be a repeat of the last seedling transplant debacle.

I did see a squash sprouting in the garden all on it’s own, the other day. I guess there were two seeds in one of the peat pucks. The first one died of frostbite and the second one is now checking things out. Maybe it’s an acclimatization thing. I’m sending it many happy, growing thoughts.

After many weeks of putting things in the ground, we now have a variety of green bits poking out of the ground. It’s very exciting! Thank heavens for the name sticks and my hand drawn map of the garden, or I’d have no clue what I was seeing.

When The Scientist and I went down to pick up the compost bin and rain barrel from the city depot a couple of months ago, we got the rain barrel but they were out of compost bins. I had my name added to the wait list, but in the meantime the next door neighbour Rob offered us his old one.

The Scientist wasn’t too keen at first, because the holes aren’t big enough (he did his research). That and it was a little beat up. But, it has a Ministry of Environment stamp on it and it was re-used and free — which meets my criteria — so I am pretty certain it couldn’t be all bad. Besides, a little duct tape and a 6″ layer of cow poo and we’re in business!

I suspect there will be a new, shiny one set up next to it by my next visit, though.

I was taking a close look at the garden soil last weekend, and noted it’s pretty heavy on the clay and not so heavy on proper dirt, which seems like it may not bode well for our tender shoots. Hmmm, maybe I could/should add some organic matter to the mix and lighten things up a little.

The retired neighbour next door offered his compost and bin (thank you Rob!), no longer used, so I checked it out. It was totally dry and not much use as compost, but it IS organic matter so I blended some into the garden in areas that haven’t been seeded yet.

While I was at it, I took out quite a few rocks, which is only going to bode well for our little green bits. It was on-your-knees labour, so I hope it’s going to make a difference.

My plan is to plant more of some of the things I’ve already planted so I can compare how they grow, particularly the carrots, which — the books say — need less compacted soil to grow long and straight.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…playing in the dirt was fun!

We have radishes! They are little, they are peaking out of the soil, and the stick says Radishes. So that’s what they are.

I’ll toast to that!

So, the thing of it is, I’m not really a nurturer by nature. Let me just start there.

It started out so well. I watered, I babied, I fussed, I coddled. I tried sprouting leeks, but the tips all dried out and they toppled over. I tried cauliflower and lettuce, same thing. I tried a variety of beans, but most of the seeds rotted right in the peat pucks.

(On the beans front, I think that may be because I inoculated them. Maybe beans are supposed to go straight into the ground when you inoculate. Inoculant is a powder you toss on moistened bean seeds and is meant to help them draw nitrogen from the ground and grow better. We’ll never know if that works.)

In my defense I don’t have a greenhouse for these needy little sprouts, I just have a seed starter tray and a reasonably warm apartment where I regulate the heat by opening/closing the windows. It wasn’t enough.

Some of those little seedlings I sprouted actually made it from my care into the ground, I’m proud to say. I had lots of squash: zucchini, acorn and spaghetti. And there were a couple of each all long and green and happy when I planted them.

But sadly, it was too early to transplant. We had a few cold days. They died.

Lesson: Direct seed into the ground and the seeds will come up when they are darn good and ready. Works for me!

It’s true, The Scientist and I are pretty keen. Every little task takes on the spirit of a grand adventure.

And so it was with our first trip to the nurseries, a day trip into the bowels of Surrey and Ladner in early April. Now that the garden was ready, it must just be begging for some little green plants to welcome into its arms. Right?

I lot of people told me I was seeding awfully late and maybe even too late, so I thought it was important to get thee (me) to a nursery, post haste.

I should have known from the empty lot and not having to fight for a parking space, that we might be there a bit early in the season. But, anticipation can create a fever that overrides one’s good sense. Well, that and I’m a newbie at this urban gardening thing so I don’t have a lot of good sense yet.

I’ll say one thing for a nursery, it’s a heady, intoxicating experience. It’s hard to remain reasonable in the face of such a dizzying array of options.

First there were the garden annuals that I didn’t think I’d have time or patience to seed: broccoli, yellow peppers, red peppers, 4 kinds of tomatoes, and cauliflower.

Toss in a few fruits: 4 different kinds of raspberries and 2 kinds of strawberries.

That lot and a lemon thyme (perennial), some marigolds to keep pests away, and some nasturtium (because they are pretty and taste good in salads) and we were in business.

Okay, it turns out we were a bit early, but I hope I can be forgiven for a bit of rash enthusiasm.