Rabid Gardener
My little yard is teeming with life, and I couldn’t be more excited. In addition to new shoots, leaves, buds, and blossoms, I have also seen an increase in wildlife - flies, slugs, snails, caterpillars, bees, birds, lizards, and tons of tiny soil helpers that I can’t identify. I wake up each morning eager to see what the new day has brought to my little backyard ecosystem. Be it a new pest or predator, or a little sprout just poking it’s delicate green head out of the rich brown soil, each morning offers something new for me to marvel at.
For each successful planting that transforms from seed to sprout I become more fanatical about growing food. As a result, I have veered from my original neat and tidy square foot planter box design, to a free-for-all guerrilla garden - sneaking plants into the lawn when no one is looking. Along the backyard fence I dug up some weeds, and put in twenty-three sunflower seeds that I got from Project Mason Bee. I justified my assault on the grassy backyard by planting only in the holes that had previously been empty or occupied by weeds,
thereby doing nothing to harm the lawn. Hopefully my landlord will agree with my logic. Of course being slightly mad with the thrill I couldn’t stop there. Once the first few sunflower babies popped up, I planted a dried bean from my pantry in each of the holes. A few days later I went back in and placed either an anise or cumin seed from my spice drawer in each of the holes. Along the fence in the front yard, I planted peas plucked from a live snow pea interspersed with some petunia seeds that I got in the mail.
I have no idea if any of the new seeds will be productive or if the plants could possibly grow in such close proximity if they did all manage to sprout, but at this point I am so amped up that I can’t be bothered to worry about the fine details. My spastic planting has also invaded my container box and four large plastic pots that I got for free from Craigslist. A few days ago I noticed some buds in one of my pots, and realized that I have no idea what it is. Only time will tell whether my newest buds will find their way to my dinner table or the compost pile, but either way, I am happy as a clam, just soaking up the Spring.
After many years of pining, and many months of delaying, I am now the proud tender of my very own growing space. My dear husband, whose benevolence more often than not gets taken for granted, spent several days designing and building me a raised planter box using nothing but his ingenuity, some hand tools, and a gift card to Lowe’s that he received as a Christmas gift. I am madly in love with my new box, and have been so busy spending time with it that I have gotten regrettably lax in my blogging!
When we moved into the new house in November, I was disappointed to discover that the 4×4 box in the backyard would not make a suitable planter box. The box is placed on a cement patio that is perpetually in the shadow of the house so growing things there is out of the question. Instead, I decided to turn my box into an open-air compost pile - easier said than done.
The Organic Consumers Association along with three certified organic personal care brands have filed a complaint with the USDA National Organic Program, calling for an investigation into false labeling of "Organic" personal care/beauty products that do not comply with USDA NOP regulations. Among the offenders are popular brands such a Jason, Avalon Organics, and Dessert Essence Organics. A