Cub Scout Garden

  One of the many things I do, and love, is I’m an assistant leader for a Cub Scout den.  So the overall group of scouts is called a pack, and then they are subdivided into dens; Tigers, Wolves, Bears, and Weeblos.  Our den became very large, so we divided down into Den 1 and Den 2.  I help run Den 1.  My eldest son and three other boys make up the den. 

   One of the things I genuinely love about our den is that each boy presents their own difficulties.  My son has ADHD.  He’s sweet, but very, very impulsive.  We have one that is a maybe raised a little further on the side of defiant than I’d like to see, one with a few anger and attention issues, and one with a mix of all of the above.  But the thing about them is, they all have heart.  They are all very much sweet little boys.  I know people would disagree, but there are boys out there that are just plain mean and I can’t handle that.  I don’t know if it’s character or if it’s how they are raised, but I have met little children that seem deep down just evil.  These boys aren’t.  They are sweet, handsome kids that want to be their best. 

   So while some people may not take things like Scouting to heart, the Den Leader and I really do.  It’s as though we have a job, and the paycheck is watching our kids improve, and knowing that we are giving them every chance at greatness that we possibly can.  As parents we all have something to learn from each other, and our children learn from each other as well.  It’s an excellent dynamic.

   Okay, so I’m rambling… anyhow, if you can’t already tell, I love gardening.  I’m only just learning, but I really adore it.  There is just something about doing all the work, getting your hands in Mother Earth, taking pride in a little something, and feeling a little bit back to nature.

   Of the four boys in our den, three were in the same kindergarten class.  This class used to go every week to the local assisted living home to read to the residents.  Remember I said these kids have heart?  They had started to talk about how they missed the residents they used to read to.  My son stated that there was something they could still do for these lovely people they’d gotten to know.  And suddenly it hit me… how about we grow flowers for them?  We could hand make arrangements.  I could easily get vases and stuff to put flowers in at the thrift shop.   I also have a ton of left over seeds I was happy to donate to the boys if they wanted to.

   That last thought pushed me a touch further.  I also have a huge selection of veggie and fruit seeds.  When the den split, Den 1 chose to start our meetings an hour earlier, and we rotate meal responsibility or will pot luck, and we all sit around for the first hour getting settled down, enjoy a meal together, let the boys practice telling their stories of the week and taking their turns talking.  I realized that we could grow things to eat, and help the boys harvest their hard work and create meals around the produce they grow.

   As I thought even further, I realized there was just so much they could get out of this.  They have now an outdoor summer activity.  They get to take it, start to finish, seeds to table.  They carry reasonable responsibility over it.  They get to make choices, and they get to give back.  Oh, yeah, there is that part about giving back… they will donate extra produce to the local food banks.  That’s right, we have that too. 

   Here is where it gets really exciting.  It would seem the biggest challenge I had was to find a location for this garden.  I have plenty of room at my place, but nothing in the sunlight that wouldn’t already be in use.  There were several options, but none were quite perfect for the boys.  I remembered that there is a community garden, though.  So I went on a mission.  Sounds like hard work… yeah, I sent an e-mail.  The very nice lady who runs the garden tells me that the plots are all taken and there is a long waiting list.  And then this whole idea took on a life of its own.  Two of the larger plots are run specifically for the food banks.  The lovely lady forwarded my e-mail on to the lady who runs those plots.  She contacted me and told me they’d love our help.  It wouldn’t be growing their own, but it would be work, responsibility, outdoor time, and giving back to the community.  It was a great second place.  I ran it through the pack, who loved the idea.

   But then, yesterday morning I got an e-mail from the main garden lady, who says they’ve had a garden committee meeting over the weekend, and the committee and the city were so thrilled at the idea of helping out the boys, and so impressed that even though we didn’t get what we were looking for, but were still willing to help out, that they donated to us a flower bed that is about 30x3 feet as our very own scout garden.  I met with her yesterday to get the keys to the tools and the run down on how everything works.

   We didn’t even ask.  We were happy to sit on the waiting list.  But they really wanted to do something nice for the boys.  This plot is now big enough that the entire pack can join in and grow whatever they want.  There is a lot of work; the bed needs to be cleaned up and prepped for a real garden.  I think we’re up to it.  And we’re still helping the food bank plots, and a monthly work party.  How great is my town?!  They even provide tools, compost, mulch, Sluggo, they are providing for us some plastic weed barrier, and even digging the trench to put it in.  Heck, if somehow we had a lack of seeds, there’s even some in a drawer to get us started!  There are several gardeners, including a good amount of master gardeners, that are able and willing to help us out… it’s perfect!  Let the adventure begin….

When Creative Minds Get Rolling...

This post is a tad delayed.  I should have posted it days ago, but life is life, and I've been busy, what can I say?  :-)

   Big day!  First of all, my little experiment to warm the garden babies seems to be working.  I didn’t even need the electric blanket during the day, the grow light warms up the whole bit enough.  But at night, when I turn off the light, and the house temp drops, I do put the blanket back on low to maintain a nice temperature.

   And it’s been working!  Only two days, and I have several little seeds are poking sprouts out of the dirt already!  WooHoo!!! 

The Garden Babies Get a New Nursery

So, I set out some of my garden babies too soon.  They didn’t make it.  A moment of silence please….

   Okay.  That’s plenty.  I’m not worried though, because the babies that were sent outside were only peas, sweet peas, and beans.  Those are easily redone.  All in the spirit of learning.  The beans were killed off my the cold, but the peas and sweet peas had actually survived the cold and were doing well, until the big winds came around and snapped the little vines.  L

   Sadly, it being finals week and all, I had accidentally abandoned some of my remaining garden babies that were indoors as well.  Most are doing just fine, but some of the more fragile didn’t do so well.  Nothing that will end my garden season though.  Mostly just some flowers.  Some of the babies out grew their starter pods, but I wasn’t comfortable putting them outside just yet, so I upgraded them to 2” peat pots that I’ve placed in aluminum baking pans.  I still have some windowsill garden seed starting greenhouses, but there are other options for the thrifty.  Last year, I stocked up on aluminum baking pans with the clear plastic covers as I would find them on sale.  Those and some refill pods, or stock up on some seed starter size pots, and you’re good.  Poke a few vent holes in the top, and it’s just as good as the store bought version.

   Take it a step further, I read in a book the other day that you can use egg shells.  During garden season, there are several things around the house you should never throw away.  Egg shells are one.  They are a garden multi-tasker.  Some plants, such as tomatoes, need a little calcium boost, and egg shells crushed are great for that.  Crushed shells are also great for repelling snails and slugs.  Their soft underbellies can’t stand dragging across the sharp edges of the shell bits.  Just spread them around your plants and they should remain slime trail free.  But for these purposes, the really big use is as a seed starter.  If you get a good crack on your eggs, you can use the halves as little pots.  Fill them with your cheapest seed starter, and plant your seeds.  When they are ready to transplant, simply take your garden baby, shell and all, and lay it to rest in its new home spot.  The roots will break through the shells just fine, and the shells eventually biodegrade into the soil, providing nutrients. 

   This time of year, my house is just too warm to continue using the wood stove, which was what was providing warmth for the first round of plantings.  I don’t, however, like running the gas furnace too much either, so the house gets a bit colder, and my babies suffer for it.  I’ve looked into solutions at my hardware stores, and found they have these mats that are supposed to keep your seedlings warm.  But these things cost an arm and a leg!  I’m just not interested in spending that much money, it defeats part of the purpose of growing my own garden.  So I hit up the thrift store.

   At my local thrift store, I found an electric blanket for $3.00.  I laid a half along the top of the cabinet where I keep  my garden babies, then set my trays on that.  I set a fluorescent glow light over that, because I am fixing to block the natural light so they were going to need supplemental UV, and then tucked the other half of the blanket over the top of it all.  Now, safe in their little cocoon, they are warm and well lit.  As they grow too big to remain covered, I’ll rest them on top of the blanket, allowing them to adjust to cooler temps, and then harden them off outdoors before giving them a permanent residence. 

   It’s all one big experiment, but we’ll see how it goes.

   My eldest was finally afforded the opportunity to plant his own seeds as well.  I gave him 24 pods and let him take his pick of seeds.  He selected some from the store, all new for him, and some from my excess seed selection.  He’ll be growing chocolate cherry tomatoes, bird house gourds, some really pretty new flowers I’ve never heard of, zucchini, peppers, spinach (one of his favorites!), various sunflowers, sweet peas, corn, and marigolds (another one of his favorites).  When we get to direct seed sewing, he’ll be growing carrots, parsnips, and radishes.  He’ll also be growing some Mammoth Sunflowers.  Can you tell he’s thrilled?  This year, he’s also doing more of the dirty work than last year.  They grow so fast.  And so do the gardens.

Beating My Head on the Wall

   So here I am.  My back is killing me, and I love it.  It’s been a productive day outside, full of hard work, sunshine, great ideas, and dirt.  I don’t think it gets much better than that. 

   I started my seedlings early this year.  It seems determining the correct time to begin planting is a guessing game.  They always say things like, “start indoors three weeks before the last frost”.  Okay, well, last time I checked my crystal ball…. Oh wait, there isn’t one.  This year, as is often the case around here, Mother Nature even threw us a mean left hook, she gave us a last minute big ol’ snow storm.  Many people I know thought it was safe to start planting outside, and are now starting from scratch.  I guess really, you go with it, and if you have to re-sow, so be it.  So I took a gamble, and started my indoor planting, my garden babies.  Many of them are doing great.  Some, however, I’m going to have to try again.

   Last year I did so well with spinach and lettuce, this year I already killed off round one.  I’m not afraid though, they do their thing quick.  I don’t have to worry about ripening fruit or anything, so I’m all about just planting more.  Herbs, I’ve never had any luck with.  I can grow them from store bought starts, but from seed, big fat fail.  And it seems to be the case again this year.  I have, last year, grown cilantro and chives that turned out great.  This year, the chives are even resprouting, and I didn’t even tend to it at all.  I was just about to dump out the pot when I noticed the green shoots erupting from the soil.  The cilantro I planted this year is still trying, but everything else failed.  And I refuse to quit, so I’ll simply try again.  I’m hard headed like that, maybe even stupid, but I know that if I bump my head against enough walls, either I’ll kill enough brain cells to not even notice, or I’ll finally make it work.

   And this year, I’m growing a pumpkin patch.  It’s the same place in the driveway that I grew pumpkins last year.  Last year they were doing great.  I had several on these long healthy vines, and they were even beginning to grow orange, but the roots became bound in the container, and the vines begun to die off, and they couldn’t be saved.  I was so close!  So this year, I’m planting them directly into the ground. 

   Today, Hubby and I built a fence of branches and twigs around the area I’ll be planting these little bundles of joy, and I cleared out the weeds.  There is a bunch of pea gravel covering the dirt, so I believe my plan will be to shovel it all aside, amend the soil, plant the seedlings, and then roll the gravel back to let the rocks warm in the daytime sun to keep the pumpkins warm as they emerge.

   Yesterday I planted my peas and beans.  I had great results with them last year, so this year the only changes I’m making are:  less in each pot, and actually putting the cages upright this year.  Last year I nearly took out my eyes with the ends of the wire because I didn’t know I had placed them upside down.

   Last year I learned the love of sweat peas, the flower, not the edible peas.  Man, they smell good and even from a distance.  Lightly sweet, but the scent carries.  This year I’ve planted the pots for these right at the bases of my front porch, to allow the vines to grow up and wind their way around the railings and slats, giving me a wonderfully scented retreat for this summer.  I’m also hoping the smell will also drift into the house through the windows and the front door.  Much better than sprays or chemical oil warmers. 

   And, last but not least, today I planted my blueberry plants.  Someone suggested I remove them from their bags the day before I intend on planting them, clear out every bit of dirt and sawdust that I can, and soak them overnight in a root stimulant solution.  So I did.  I guess we’ll see how it goes.  I don’t expect fruit on them this year, because I know most won’t fruit in their first year, but I do hope they’ll survive to be overwintered and maybe grow some fresh berries next year.

   So, I haven’t done much of anything with it today, but I also want to mention my indoor plants.  I’m determined to make those grow as well.  I have aloe and some succulents that have survived the last year.  This year I’m trying a peace lily and several other plants that are supposed to be good for the indoor air.  And, just for the challenge of it, I’ve been told mini roses are difficult so I’m trying four or five of those as well.

   Where’s my wall?  I need to hit my head again.

The Great Garden Kickoff 2011

   I do believe it is safe to say spring is officially here.  If not, I guess I’m screwed.  My garden babies were getting too big for their cribs.  That is to say my seedlings were too big for their little pods and needed repotting.  So, with that in mind, several of them had to be moved to their new homes outside.  I think as long as we don’t get a lot of frost, or another snow, they should do fine.  I’ve only moved the peas, beans, and sweet peas as of yet, and I have pretty good luck with those.

   So, let me back up a moment and introduce myself.  I guess that would be the polite thing to do.  I’m Becky.  I have a lot going on.  I’m a full time student, a mother of three, two are twins with mild special needs, and I’m always trying new things around here.  See, I have real, honest to goodness, ADD.  So does my eldest son.  The youngest two are too young to know yet.  That means that as if the kiddos aren’t enough, I’m a handful for my husband too.  LOL.  ANYHOW…… 

   So I’ve tried for many, many years to pull off this gardening bit.  I have generally always forgotten simple things such as watering the poor buggers.  Funny how they don’t go far without a little water.  One year, I tried a portable mini-greenhouse, and when it got hot out, I forgot to leave the door open, steaming all my little seedlings.

    A couple years ago, I tried again with the same mini greenhouse.  I planted some sort of hot peppers and two kinds of tomatoes.  I wound up with 4 delicious tomatoes and more peppers than I knew what to do with… especially when you consider I had no idea what kind of peppers they were.  Yeah, I think of that whole bunch, we used one.  And I don’t even remember what for.

   Along with outdoor gardening, I have also tried several times to grow indoor plants.  The closest to success I had was when I spent six months in Japan.  I had a Peace Lilly, a bunch of bamboo, and this cute little porcelain egg that grew grass “hair”.  They did wonderfully, but I had to leave them behind because of import laws and such.  That was a sad day, as I handed them over to my friend who was staying behind.  She nearly had to pry my fingers off the pots.  It was a real sad break up.  Tears, me running after the train with a handkerchief….  “I’ll wait for you!!!”  Hahaha.

   So when I came home, I was inspired to try again.  The outdoor stuff, failed.  The indoor stuff, survived a couple months, then died.  Boy it was getting frustrating.  I’d read anything and everything I could, and still couldn’t figure out what the Hell I was doing wrong.  Then last year came around.  I don’t know what hit.

   I think it started as I walked down the gardening aisle at the local Lowes and saw these little seed starting window sill greenhouses.  I suddenly saw a way that maybe I could grow things without killing them before they are even big enough to put in bigger pots, or the ground, to give them a fighting chance.  So my interest was, once again, renewed.

   I think I spent a grand or so, mostly splurges out of pure excitement.  Tons of those little window boxes, stacks of pots, heaps of bags of soil and things to mix with the soil, piles of special tools, oodles of extras.

   See, at my house, there are very few places that get enough sun to grow veggies, and veggies are what I wanted to grow.  And when it came to the seed packed aisle, I had no edit button.  If it looked yummy, I bought it and was determined to try.  I have a long driveway, and most of it was covered in these pots full of big, healthy, bushy plants.  I was in heaven.  I had zucchini, tomatoes, peas, beans, more tomatoes, flowers, peppers (that I COULD identify), pumpkins, ground cherries, more tomatoes, herbs, corn, carrots… all kinds of goodies.  And I could move them as needed so that they could enjoy sunbathing all day long. 

   It wasn’t the most convenient set up, but it was by far the best success I had enjoyed in the area of growing plants of any sort.  I thought for sure it would grow hugely successful, until I got injured while hiking and couldn’t tend to my garden daily as I once had.  Suddenly my tomatoes were getting blight, and dying off.  My pumpkins were unable to tolerate the pots they were in, and I couldn’t get them replanted in time to survive.  My corn was the same story.  Zucchini was left on the vine way too long, and when the plant figured it had done its job in reproduction, it died off.  Flowers weren’t getting the pruning they wanted and the slugs finally reached all the rest.  All because I couldn’t do my daily tending. 

   It was so sad to watch my baby die so slowly and suffer so much, but at the same time, I was given the opportunity to learn new lessons to set aside for the next year to try again.  Here I am.  It’s the next year.  I’m trying again.  As I try my new things, and I learn even more through success and failure, I’ll pass them on.  I’m not a conventional gardener.  The things I grow, I grow because I want to, and I don’t care what “zone” I’m in, I simply try to accommodate the conditions required.  I think it’s fun to find new ways to do things, and a huge pride point to grow things others around me swear can’t be done.  I’d love to hear from you as well, if you have ideas, lessons, adventures….

   Let’s hope we all have a fruitful year in the gardens this year!  Cheers.  J