how i spent my summer- and other such tales

i decided to get into gardening as a way to lose weight initially. i thought being outside and tending my harvest with the digging and tilling and pulling weeds was good exercise. problem was- i didn’t really have a yard. what to do? i did what i always do- i started googling like mad! and i actually came up with a few really good ideas. who knew you could have a compost bin in the city? not only did i make a rubber maid bin full of lovely compost from shredded junk mail, toilet paper rolls and veggie peelings- but i had a porch garden that actually produced veggies. i was very proud. it was my grand experiment. i have to say, living on the second floor was tough when i had to haul bags of dirt in order to plant- but i felt like mr. green jeans- that’s for sure.

this year, i am going to till up a part of my mother’s backyard- and i already have a bigger, better compost bin ready to go. i have been looking into heirloom seeds in order to save them year to year- i would rather not have any of monsanto’s genetically modifieds thank you very much. i have also looked at catching water in a rain barrel- and may add that in when i actually get something planted. what i thought was a good idea- especially for folks who don’t have much room- square foot gardening. my gardening cohort, jim, tells me not to make raised beds from pressure treated wood- as the chemicals can leach into the ground. i did not know that- so thank you jim jim also pointed me in the direction of weaseldog- who is making a go of permaculture. take a peek at his videos- it’s kind of cool.