[Community_garden] Back to gardening

[Pauline Tessier]

Don,

I always enjoy your material, especially the bit here (in red) about  
avoiding a 3-4 ft by 6 ft plot.

Pauline Eugenia Tessier
PS Permies, this is Don Boekelheide of North Carolina.


On Jan 17, 2007, at 4:00 PM, Don Boekelheide wrote:

> Hi, all,
>
> Just back from Philly,  ft plotwhere Sally McCabe gave me a
> tour of some lovely gardens and astounding murals -
> wow! Mike, you live in a great garden city.
>
> Also, picking up on what Adam said, the weather this
> winter is really warm. I saw a forsythia blooming in
> Philly! All kinds of magnolias and fruit trees
> starting to pop along the interstates. Wild. Might get
> some cold weather tonight, here - we'll see. Strange -
> here in Charlotte, my daphnes have popped 3 weeks
> early, but they don't have much fragrance. Hmmm...
>
> I'm mostly taking it easy, though - For whatever
> reason, it seems as though the climate is changing and
> getting warmer, but the change will be very
> unpredictable. It is an el niño year, so that will
> affect things... I'm sticking to my 'regular' calendar
> - no unprotected tomatoes before April 15, meaning I
> won't be starting them inside for a few weeks yet. I
> might start some lettuces in a week or two, don't
> know. We grow sugar snap peas here in the early
> spring, so they will go in mid-Feb, maybe some spuds
> and onions, maybe try some favas.
>
> Our soil is a bit too wet to work with machinery, but
> I'm spreading compost and turning it in with a shovel.
> Little by little. Aim to have everything ready in
> plenty of time.
>
> I saw some nicely framed beds in Philly (2x12s), but I
> still don't think that framing beds or plots is always
> the best option. There are pros and cons.
>
> I think the best width for a bed is completely
> personal - reach to the middle. Can you reach the
> middle comfortably? OK, that's the best size for you.
> For me, like for Mike, it is about 1.2m (that's 4 ft
> in PHAM-primitive habitual American measurements).
> Beds are great for most veggies, but you know hills
> and blocks are better for some things (sprawling
> melons and squash vines, a stand of sweet corn, sweet
> potatoes, doing 3 sisters (maize, beans, squash),
> taters.
> Also, on 3-4 ft wide beds, you've got to be careful
> not to make them 6 ft long. Looks too much like 'here
> lies Grandma'. At the Center, a couple of Latino guys
> even put crosses up at the end of a couple beds one
> year. Who says homelessness destroys your sense of
> humor?
> On my task list now is getting woodies in while they
> are dormant (and moving them around), looking at the
> 'bones' of my gardens and doing some landscape
> planning and diggin, and turning the compost and
> making some more. Doing initial soil prep. Pruning
> chores. For organic fruit trees, getting on the
> dormant oil and other sprays. And doing a fair amount
> of meeting, organizing, lesson planning and writing,
> so I don't have to do that when it is nicer outside.
> Adam is right - heed Honigman's Law - "community
> gardening is 50% gardening and 100% grassroots
> political action" or something like that.
>
> Also, just got my Johnny's catalog today - my
> favorite. I have a nice pile of catalogs now, so I sit
> around in front of the fire, half watching the kids
> and my wife watch American Idol, while I read about
> all those cool things I'm going to grow this coming
> year. Winged beans. Salsify. A new bee balm (never met
> a Monarda I didn't like...)
>
> Oh, and fixing fences, remulching paths, and pulling
> out chickweed around the precocious bulbs.
>
> Good gardening - Harold, you are in the arid side of
> Zone 7 or what?
>
> Don Boekelheide
> Charlotte, NC
>
>> From: "Harold Haas" <haastyle at cox.net>
>> To: <community_garden at list.communitygarden.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 1:49 PM
>> Subject: [Community_garden] Back to gardening
>
>>> Could we discuss some gardening issues.  What are
>> you doing now to get
>>> ready
>>> for Spring plantings?  Composting and other soil
>> amendments etc.  Let's
>>> get
>>> back to gardening.  Row placement east/West or
>> North/South.  Raised beds.
>>> Till or no till.  How do I get started letting
>> other people use some of my
>>> land for their garden?
>>> Thanks
>>> Harold in Oklahoma City
>
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