Sustainability
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It was finally a day to spend outside in the yard and garden. I planted Kentucky Wonder Bush beans (Seed Savers Exchange, 65 days) and transferred beets, arugula, lettuce and parsley into a single row next to the summer squash planted the previous day. The garden plots have not dried out as well as I’d… Read more
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The morning was brilliant. Not only the sun, but life all around us as I worked in the garden on what has become a rare sunny morning this season. The sky is now clouding up with scattered thunderstorms forecast this afternoon. We are in between storms. I direct-planted Early Scarlet Globe Radishes from Ferry-Morse, 25… Read more
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A thunderstorm with potential to create a tornado arrived about 8:45 p.m. last night. As the front of the cell moved over our house, we went to the lower level and waited in a safe corner, staying tuned to reports from news outlets. The National Weather Service precisely described our location in one of its… Read more
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On Feb. 19 I submitted a vacation request for today and tomorrow at the home, farm and auto supply store so I could finish planting the garden if I hadn’t already. Paid vacation is one of several perquisites of working for a mid-sized retail company. Such perks are a reason I linger there, even though… Read more
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Whether or not we get a garden in this year the stakes are not high. Much as I enjoy produce resulting from my labor, I could get along without it a for a year, or two, if I had to. We are part of a strong food ecology and unlikely to go hungry or want… Read more
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On a glorious spring Monday I began spading the next garden plot. The soil was too wet to work so I stopped after four feet. Excessive spring rain not only affects gardeners, farmers are feeling it too. Vegetable growers were either “mud-planting” or not planting at all. Less than half the anticipated corn crop was… Read more
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Gardening is one of the most popular activities on the planet. Whether one lives in an apartment, in a single-family home, or on a farm, local food and flower production can be satisfying on multiple levels. A garden can be a source of nourishment, beauty, exercise, learning, and personal satisfaction. Gardening helps us to be… Read more
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My memory of South Georgia is specific. I don’t know if it’s real. As a child, our family drove from Iowa to visit Tallahassee, Florida, the place Father lived after re-uniting with his father after Grandfather’s release from prison. For the record, Grandfather’s conviction for draft evasion was a misunderstanding. He hadn’t meant to be… Read more
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On a sunny Friday among peak apple blossoms I cleared the fourth plot for a multi-crop gardening area. The first three plots have early vegetables and are not completely planted. With eight trays of seedlings ready, and more in the greenhouse, it’s time to get them, along with seeds I’ve been holding, in the ground.… Read more
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