Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Kale and Other Semi-Living Things

Every year at this time, I get the wild idea that I want to change my name to Trellis and grow all my own food.

Not an easy task as our backyard is a quarter acre of shade.

And I really like beef.

can you spot the Kale?
Last year Rob gave in to my request and built a raised garden bed – 4x8. I promptly over planted it according to the diagrams from every document I could find on-line having to do with square foot gardening.

Even though the garden looked like a small tribe of very small monkeys was living in it, we did manage several harvests of leaf lettuce, kale and spinach. We had about 2 dozen radishes, 20 of the tiniest carrots you have ever seen and enough jalapeƱo peppers to burn my eyes for a week to ten days. There were also some reluctant grape tomatoes, one tiny eggplant and about one thousand zucchini.

From left to right, front to back: Kale, Spinach, Lettuce, Radish, Carrot. The trellis are holding spots for later over planting.
I believe I have failed to mention that normally, and last year was no exception, that while I am super gun-ho to have a garden, I am also super procrastinative to actually work in it. I don't believe anything was planted until the middle or end of May.

Plus, I have a very strict gardening weather policy. Once the temperature and/or humidity hit 80 all gardening tasks are turned over to the Miracle of Grow. I supervise from the deck, on occasion I will wander around with an umbrella drink and pull a sacrificial weed or comment on how great it will be to have some FRESH tomatoes. 
 

I am not sure what happened this year. I must be craving some Vitamin D. It's not even the middle of April and I have cleaned up and planted the herb beds and started the raised vegetable garden. 
Rosemary, thyme, cilantro (both seeds and plants) chives and oregano. Basil seeds in the center. Catnip by the sundial. Day lilies line the back. The AC unit is at its most attractive in July and August.
No Kale here.

Iris and day lilies border front and back. Parsley - both flat and curly, plant and seed - sage, lavender and seeds for tarragon and dill.
Nope, not here either. 
This is my vineyard.
 Last year we almost scored one bunch of grapes.
SQ-earl got it first.
I attempt to follow the Almanac-ain Wisdom which warns against the fool hardiness of planting anything but lettuce and some herbs until after Mother's Day. Only a damn fool would put tropical plants outside. (It says that very phrase. Right on page 348.)

I had to make the tough call with my palm trees. They were looking pretty rough from lack of actual sunlight in my kitchen and dining room so I moved them to the deck where it promptly went to freezing every night for the past week.
Robert Palm Tree looking a little...bent. Beach towels are providing a hopeful insulation.

Alicia Trees lost all but one of her leaves on the right hand stalk.  I may have to fashion her a wig.

Please keep them in your prayers.


Okay. This may have been a stretch for the letter 'K' in the A-Z challenge. But honestly, do we need yet another blog extolling the virtues of Kale?




8 comments:

  1. come on, palm trees!

    This has been a crazy Spring. I have been itching to plant for weeks but since a friend did an amazing revamp of the sides of my little plot at Sebago last Fall, I want to get more soil (dirt cheap? Sez who?) and that requires the cooperation of somebody with a car. TQ usually helps me out but we just haven't gotten organized enough to go to the garden center this year yet. I thought we were lined up for Saturday but now he has to work, so I'm going to see if any of the other Sebago gardeners will help me (or if Dragonetti's would deliver, they're very close to the club). I wish Dragonetti's had a dock, they're right on the other side of the Paerdegat Basin and I could totally paddle one of our club canoes over there to pick it up! Unfortunately that's not the case. However the lack of organization has paid off, we've had this crazy spring where everything was warm early on, and I totally woulda fallen for it and planted early if I'd had the bed ready, and then everything would've gotten snowed on and frozen. Phew.

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    1. I can completely see you paddling across the bay with a load of dirt in your canoe!! wish I could draw cartoons...
      I have just been itching to get things planted, but really only so I can then be a total deck bum!! Fingers crossed that it finally warms up soon.

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  2. Replies
    1. poor Alicia Trees was looking very very pale this morning...

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  3. So glad you are digging in the dirt. I love gardening--it's a way to connect with all aspects of nature. I'm heading out soon to do just that. Wishing you and your garden the best.

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    Replies
    1. enjoy your dirt time too!! it does feel good.

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  4. Praying for the palm trees, we love gardening also but leave the actual work to my husband.

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