Gardening

I can't believe how long it has been since I last updated the girl. I've been trying to figure out exactly where I want to go with this since it seems that everything I write about has been done better somewhere else. Oh well, I'll keep writing until you guys tell me to stop.

Who is she kidding? She'll still blather on until you guys hold her down and gag her with a dirty gym sock.

First and foremost, the experiment from the last post with the spray mixture to keep the critters from eating our plants was a failure. Something in it burned the leaves of our plants and most did not survive the combination of the spray and weeks of no sun. Oh well, this is all a learning experience and can only make us better gardeners in the future. I never realized what an amazing skill agriculture is and how difficult it is to master. That being said, I still believe that it's something everyone who has the ability should try.

As for good news, the stick fence seems to be keeping the cats from using my freshly turned beds as a bathroom so I'll mark that down as a success. I've also started lining all of my beds with 4-7" spikes made of broken sticks which has also kept the cats out of my beds that couldn't easily be fenced. Eventually I hope the kitties will realize that my garden is not their bathroom and will try out their owners' beds for size.

I've had a request for pictures so I went out today and took some, enjoy!



This is my herb garden which is located right outside of my front door. Not many of my herb seeds took off so it's still a little small, but I'm learning what can be grown up here. You can also see the sticks I use to keep the cats from pooping in my beds.



Here is my zucchini/spinach/fennel garden with my improvised stick fence. Okay, if you're wondering about my obsession with sticks it's because my landlord went a little overboard with pruning our trees and shrubs but just left the branches laying around. I'm glad I didn't put them in the yard waste bin because they have been sooo useful.



These are 5 of my 7 tomato plants. Yes, I'm a little nuts over tomatoes. I'm sad that it didn't show up in the picture but one of these guys was a volunteer that I guess came up from a seed in our compost. How fun! Also, more sticks combined with hemp twine to make home made cages.



These are bush beans and further back are three pepper plants. I have a few more pepper starts that should be ready for transplanting soon.... as soon as I find more space. Also, more cat deterrent sticks. Did I mention that the cats used ALL of my beds as bathrooms? Grrrrr.



To the left are my squash plants and to the right are salad greens and overwintered onions. You can also see to the far left my wonderful lavender plant. I'm so happy with how well lavender grows up here. The space behind the squash are reserved for my runner beans since I can use the fence to help with my trellising.



Finally, we have started turning the patch of grass that was at the bottom of our yard. Currently we have hop rhizomes for John's brewing and will also be putting in some more salad greens. Eventually I want to cultivate this entire area but it's a lot of hard work and I don't have tons of time. Also in the background you can see our sunken trashcan compost bin which has been so nice for making the garden grow.

Weekend Update, cleaning supplies and gardening

Well this past weekend involved some experimentation for John and I so it's now time for me to pass our findings on to you dear readers.

A number of our friends have been proclaiming the amazing cleaning powers of white vinegar. We hadn't started using it yet because we still had all of our old cleaning products which are taking up space under our sinks. However, since switching to doing all of our cleaning with rags "mopping" with harsh chemicals is less appealing since our faces are about a foot above the ground.

I made one bowl of 1:3 vinegar water mixture and it cleaned the bathroom mirror and sink, toilet, bathroom floor and kitchen floor all of which were pretty nasty. All I can say is that I'm converted. Not only did it not make my head hurt from the chemical smells, it cleaned really well. I was especially impressed that it got up the sticky gunk left behind from the slip prevention stuff on the bottom of our bathroom rug. It also cleaned the mirror well without leaving streaks behind.

I can't say how it would have worked on the kitchen counters and stove since John usually cleans that with dish water. I'll ask him to give it a try next time and will report our findings. Now I'm just stuck with what to do with all of my unused cleaning supplies. Ugh, I wish I could make my pre-change junk disappear.

On the gardening front we have been battling various pests including bugs, raccoons and the neighbor's cats. To keep the critters from biting off our tasty babies at the roots we made a mixture of vinegar, chili powder and biodegradable dish soap which was sprayed on the plants. To keep the cats from pooping in my freshly dug bed I made a 2-3 foot fence of branches (pictures available soon) that had been trimmed from various trees and bushes in our yard and then ran a length of twine at cat face height to discourage just pushing through.

Since most of the grazing and pooping goes on during the day while we are at work I will provide updates as to whether these measures work or not.

Improving the Girl

So I've been working on the Green Girl for a little over a month now and would like some feedback from my loyal readers (all of whom happen to be my good friends, I love you guys!).

What can I do to take this blog to the next level? I actually have a goal of having a readership outside of my circle of friends and even dream of having some recognition.

So this is where you come in. I want your constructive criticism.
What would make MGG more interesting to you? Are there other things I should talk about that are of interest to people? Anything I should leave out? What do the "good" blogs have that you find missing in mine?

Breaking news, organic gardening will not turn you into a damn dirty hippie

Well the garden is coming along nicely with tomatoes, beans, peppers, squash, herbs and salad greens. I'm hoping for a bountiful tomato harvest so I can work on canning my own salsa and pasta sauce to last me through the winter. We're also going to try our hand at freezing produce so we can have a greater variety of food during the long winter months. (Not that I mind potatoes, but really, they get OLD).

I'm really surprised that more people don't try gardening. It is rewarding to grow your own food and despite what many people say it's NOT that expensive. Okay, it can cost a lot if you don't plan ahead, but with a little advance work you can save a lot of money.

For example, if your soil isn't stellar start a compost pile/bin a year or so in advance using food and yard waste. There ya go, free soil conditioner plus it keeps all of that stuff out of the trash. What is that? "But Mean Green Girl, buying a compost bin is SO expensive." BAH, here's what you do. Get an inexpensive outdoor trash can with a lid (used if you can). I think the one we got was metal and 32 gallons or so. Take something hard and pointy and punch a series of holes in the bottom 1/3 of the can and on the base. Do not poke holes in the lid as this lets in too much water when it rains. Bury the can with 1/2 below the ground. Viola, an inexpensive DIY compost bin. Toss in a mixture of green (food waste) and brown (fibrous waste), stir occasionally, red worms are optional and you are good to go.

Instead of buying $6 a pop tomato cages get four thick sticks/stakes and some string. Notch the sticks to hold the string in place, stick them in the ground around the plant and wind the string in a square and across to form a support structure for your plants. Similar things can be made for pole beans, beans, etc.

Need a cold box (or any other home improvements for that matter)? Head to your local restore and grab an old window, some wood planks, hinges and a handle. Make a base with the wood big enough to grow your plants and make a lid out of the window. These look cool, reuse products and save money.

Also, always take the long view on the money you spend setting up your garden. Many things are a one time cost and will last for years (i.e. tools and boarders) and therefore will average out over time.