Garden Season!

Unfortunately, I think I'll have to cut back on my blog writing to about once per week because of the garden season starting. I am, as always, way under prepared this year. Every year around this time I start to panic because not everything is just so. This year I have a lot more in place than last year as far as the bones of the garden, but I also have bigger plans. I was able last fall to dig some beds that were not previously there, so at least I've got that going for me.

When we first moved in, the yard was a few hostas and a bunch of 4-foot tall weeds. I kick myself all the time that I didn't take pictures right away. Instead I just dug right in! Considering all the weeds, all we started with were some overgrown grape vines, some straggly raspberry canes, and a chestnut tree. Oh, and a climbing rose bush, too. That's about it.

Right now the yard is about 35% usable garden space. By the end of the growing season, I plan to have dug about 50% or so, and by the time I'm done altogether, I'm planning on having about 70% of the yard to be usable growing space. Oh, and I should probably mention that last year we went from 15% usable space, covered in weeds, to the 35% we have now. I'll continue to keep you all posted throughout the season. For now, time to plant more seeds!

Master Gardener!

Agh! My county just started a master gardener program! I swear, we were probably the only county in the country that didn't have a branch of master gardeners! I am totally there! The info meeting is Thursday. I already know I'll be the youngest person there, but I don't care. I've been wanting to become certified for 3 years now, and now that it's finally going to be taking place, a few blocks from my own yard, this is an opportunity I cannot turn down.

I also am going to assume I'll most likely be the only "urban farmer" there. I don't really like the term "urban farmer". I liked it at first, but it seems to have evolved into an oximoron. The term conjures up images of some displaced farmer attempting to grow a field of soybeans in his front yard. I don't attempt to grow fields of anything. My front yard is a series of raised beds. I have plans to eventually have no grass at all in my front yard. My goal for this is the summer after next. I plan on having a large garden bed, a series of raised beds, and pea gravel in between. While I'll be growing vegitables in boxes, I am striving to make it the least utilitarian as possible.

I also don't think a nuclear holocaust is on the horizon or anything like that. I do think people, especially Americans, have become too dependant on oil. I don't think oil is the devil, but I do know it's a non-renewable resource that eventually will dry up. I also think there's something with buying apples imported from Peru or some other place thousands of miles away when we are more than capable of growing apples in our own backyards. I'm not a kook- I just like to grow stuff!