Good Friday

Planted 7 asparagus crowns & more collards. Thanks Amanda for the excellently grown starts. Now we wait for the harlequin bugs to appear. Soap spray?

a note on the puttering reflex…

Gardening is a human being’s most efficient means for reviving the ability to co-communicate with plants. This ability is systematically developed by the reawaking and refining of one’s innate “puttering reflex.”
The puttering reflex is triggered automatically the instant you step into your garden. Since the event of your last appearance in the garden, the resident plants have been growing and anticipating your return, and they will have a variety of organic details they would appreciate that you attend to.
Upon reentering the garden, you sense this intuitively, and in classic reflexive fashion—which seems almost involuntarily performed—you start tending immediately to the salient project nearest at hand. The perpetuation of the reflex loop is automatic as you hear the plants’ requests and respond, hear and respond, hear and respond throughout the garden community. In short time, this “puttering” process shifts gears into enchantment, graceful movements, shameless humming, deliberate creativity, full on joy, and non-resistance to total participation in the well-being of you innate health. Time ceases to exist along with the sidecar full of pressures that habitually ride with time in your life. Garden puttering is a mild form of trance that you enter, and when you come out of this green space, both you and the garden are emotionally and physically transformed. It is ambrosial adventure that enhances your immune system and tones your nervous system. Concurrently, the circulatory system is caressed by your complete disconnection with all time-related stress; the five senses are acutely activated; and like your muscles when enjoyably exercised, the more you us them, in turn, the more pleasure they give you. So, be well, putter forth, and play with the faeries.
The Herbal Medicine-Maker’s Handbook: A Home Manual
By James Green

namaste~

dawn

Self-Sown Stuff

We just harvested a lot of cilantro which finally sprouted & grew from last year’s crop, some of which I let go to seed, then scattered earlier in the summer. I love self-sown crops. Besides cilantro, there’s also bok choi, arugula & a good hot purple mustard that have established themselves — even some lettuce still growing from last year’s seeds.

And there’s always wild tomatoes — we’re ripening the last of those now. Flowers too — verbena still blooming, & orange cosmos. Next year I expect to see lots more gaillardia, & the zinnias we planted for a wedding. The four-o’clocks come back year after year as well, ditto the perennial flax, corn-flowers, other stuff. Hollyhocks have become a bad weed. The anise hyssop would probably try to take over large areas if we let it.

No frost yet. Garlic will go in the ground in the next few days, & we’ll sow winter rye in some of the beds. Looking forward to next year…

Dan S.

2010

It’s been one of those years…It started out pretty good, lots of strawberries, etc. But then it got HOT and DRY. Not even hours of hosing did much. I see that this was the hottest year in recorded history around Philly, even tho we only saw 100+ once, I think. July was sorta OK, but the pattern got worse again for the rest of the season.

Now it’s October. Good rains recently. Lots of work cleaning up & getting ready for next year. Gardeners are always hoping, always saying, “Wait til next year”.

Dan S.

A Ghanian prayer

The sun has disappeared,
I have switched off the light,
and my wife and children are asleep.
The animals in the forest are full of fear,
and so are the people on their mats.
They prefer the day with your sun
to the night.
But I still know that your moon is there,
and your eyes and also your hands.
Thus I am not afraid.
This day again
you led us wonder-fully.
Everybody went to his mat
satisfied and full.
renew us during our sleep,
that in the morning
we may come afresh to our daily jobs.
Be with our brothers and sisters far away in Asia
who may be getting up now. Amen.

I found this in a book call Earth Prayers that I have yesterday and found it quite beautiful. I am thankful for the evening harvest from a few small city garden plots across the street: winter squash (crazy huge vine  just grew right out of the compost bin!), basil, tomatoes, lemon balm and st. johns wort (both for drying). st. johns wort is known for being medicinal for depression. im saving that stuff for the winter.

peace.
joel

Sunrise, Sunset

Here are some pictures Dan took of the dawn sky as seen from the garden.

I like the shoes, nice touch Dan.

And alas, La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre bathed in the morning light.

The “Virgin of Charity” is tucked away in a quiet and orderly section in the back of the garden, yet she is visible from the front gate, as a welcome into the garden. Here is her story if you would like to read more about her.

tomato pride

i learned today from the weekly greensgrow email that there is a tomato blight wiping out tomatoes pretty strongly in the northeast of our country. i started my seeds extra early this year, put them out at a daringly early day that would be ambitious at least to call spring, and generally babied them a lot. im not sure yet whether it was entirely worth it, but its been cool to get some early tomatoes that taste delicious.

here are some pictures of a garden project which has been taken on mostly by me. i sure welcome ideas, insight and help any time, but i do also enjoy being the mastermind of it of sorts. or at least just the mind. hope it gets you to want to spend some time digging in the dirt.

tomato pride

hierloom eggplants

first time trying brussel sprouts. pretty awesome looking.

the red house in the back is the one i want to buy

russian red kale forest

peace.
joelb

Independent Together

Thanks be! We had a really great weekend in the garden on Frankford Avenue. About twelve or so individuals from Lancaster County came to lend a hand in the garden on Saturday. They were a real delightful bunch; they came ready to work hard and seemed to have a lot of fun doing it. Here are some pictures of them in action.

They mowed and turned beds. That is Ben to the right with the mower; he and Lindsay (pictured to the left in the photo below) were in charge of the group.

A lot of weeding (pictured above and below) went on, these guys and gals were thorough and knowlegeable.

They also brought a truckload of mulch with them and mulched our beds, which not only looks nice, but helps the plants retain water and helps keep weeds at bay.

 More weeding! I was so amazed when I returned on Sunday morning when the garden was deserted and all was quiet; the garden looked beautiful!

They also worked on the walk that Dan and I started a few weeks ago. They were diligent, I think they may have doubled the walk’s length.

They also relined a few of our paths and replentished our woodchips.

On the way back to the garden from a water run, a young lady stated that this was the first Fourth of July that she had not spent with family. Hmm, I felt like I was with family.

Everyone was hot and tired by the end of the day, but I think we all had fun and felt a great sense of accomplishment. I saw Dan on Sunday morning and he said that all the work and progress on Saturday was inspiring. I agree, and not only was their productivity inspiring, but their selflessness was inpirational as well. They came and really gave it up for the garden and were joyful all the while.

Thanks again for showing up and representing! It really does mean a lot to us. We hope to see you all again.

Be well.

There’s a New Compost Bin in Town

Dan has been wanting to build a new compost bin for some time. About a week and a half ago, this (below) is about as far as we got in a couple of hours with some pieces-parts “one-by’s” and some old half-rotten joists. We tried, but it was wonky to say the least.

A great group of people from Lancaster County spent their forth of July working in our garden on Frankford Avenue. They brought some tools and a couple of carpenters. Dan told them what he wanted, and they grabbed their tools and got busy. They leveled and squared our work.

Grant pictured above with saw and pencil. These guys measured twice and cut once!

The walls just went right up. That is Johnny B above and below with screws.

Dan monitored their progress closely.

These guys were really good to us, they even went to the lumber yard and bought lumber to finish the job. They built dividing walls, making three compost compartments. Each section had its own hinged lid and front door that slides up and out when the compost is ready. It’s real uptown stuff, like a compost hotel.

The moment of truth; Dan busted out the level to make sure it was plumb.

Yep, everything was perfect. Dan and I were marveled by these guys’ skills. Grant and Johnny B were also  excited that they  were able to finish it in one day’s work. It was a tall order.

They managed a well deserved squat in the shade. They got a little blurry from all the action in the sun. Thanks again guys, this is really big!

Turn And Face the Strange

Three kids-an older brother, a middle sister and a little brother from the neighborhood came around the Frankford Avenue garden Tuesday evening. Dan graciously gave them a thorough tour, a few turnips with greens and some wee li’l baby carrots. I just gave them some water.

“Well, it changes everyday, you just have to look close.” I heard Dan tell the group. I didn’t snap any shots of the kids or look real close, but here are some pictures of some new stuff in the garden.

Here are some of the turnips I mentioned earlier. Dan’s been talking up a recipe he heard from Mike-with-the-cookies. It goes like this, saute some thin-sliced turnips (save the greens) in orange juice, not too much, just so they are al dente, turn off the heat and toss the chopped greens on top of the turnips and mix them in-they’ll wilt a little and brighten up. Dan wants to gussy it up a little with some lemon thyme (pictured below). I’m thinking a little cayenne or crushed red pepper, some poached eggs, whole wheat toast and mint jelly. Of course, nearly all recipes benefit from butter.

We’ve also seen our first sunflowers.

The grapes are starting to pop out; at the moment we have two bunches (with Day Lilies).

 

The anisette (with Rachel legs) is starting to flower nicely. These pretty purple flowers will get to be about six or seven inches long. The leaves of this plant taste like licorice; they can be used to flavor tea, cookies, cakes and other stuff.

And finally, our blue friend, broccoli.

Come by, take a look, give a hand.