8.30.2008
Tiller of the backyard garden
As I mentioned in a previous post, we have been working on a new garden in a woodland/wetland area of our backyard. Today I rented a roto tiller and tilled up the area. It looks like most of the blackberry bushes I transplanted have survived. Who knows whether or not they will still produce next season. Here are a few pictures, taken today. It was overcast all day, with two tropical storms to the east and west of us. I can't quite capture the full scale of the garden, but it is about 40' x 50'. The neighbors on either side of us mowed down all their wetlands.
This is the "domesticated" backyard. The garden is through the small gate.
I put down a layer of the grassy stuff and tilled it in as well.
It's hard to tell, but this is the row of blackberries.
A view of a few of the neighbors backyards. It used to be a vegetative buffer zone from pine trees (right) to the water (left).
Summit standing in garden.
Our previous garden from spring time.
This is the "domesticated" backyard. The garden is through the small gate.
I put down a layer of the grassy stuff and tilled it in as well.
It's hard to tell, but this is the row of blackberries.
A view of a few of the neighbors backyards. It used to be a vegetative buffer zone from pine trees (right) to the water (left).
Summit standing in garden.
Our previous garden from spring time.
Labels: florida, garden, organic
Finally...bookshelves
After 14 months in our new house, and about 12 months of my wife asking...we finally have some bookshelves for our books. My original plan was to build some floor to ceiling bookshelves similar to the ones we had at our old house. Instead, we chose something very un-agrarian, the center piece of modernity...IKEA. Let me just say that I was very impressed. I have put together plenty of pieces of "assembled furniture", but these bookshelves actually went together with no problems.
I found out that the key to getting a deal from Ikea is to buy the white furniture, as it is about 25% less than the other colors. It was nice to finally have all our old friends back out on the shelves, and it actually cleared up quite a bit of space in our garage. Here are some pics:
I found out that the key to getting a deal from Ikea is to buy the white furniture, as it is about 25% less than the other colors. It was nice to finally have all our old friends back out on the shelves, and it actually cleared up quite a bit of space in our garage. Here are some pics:
8.17.2008
A New Garden
Lindsay and I moved to a "planned community" a little over a year ago, after our planned move to VA fell through. It is sort of a suburban resort type place with cookie cutter homes and lots of fun things to do. "Conservation" lots are a big deal in our wilderness-themed neighborhood, and our house backs up to some "wetland". In reality it is an old drainage/overflow canal that used to encompass the orange grove that used to be where our house is (the orange tree that we bought at HD and planted is slightly ironic). When we moved in, the last 30-40 feet of our backyard was overgrown with native plants that filled in the area from our bahia grass to the water. As a bonus there was also a ton of wild blackberry bushes that had great fruit.
Our neighbors all ripped out the vegetation (including their blackberry bushes) behind their houses and extended their lawns to the water. So our yard has been left looking like a sore thumb, a patch of wilderness in the middle of everyone's suburban back yards (we're kind of weird like that any way). We had gardens for a few years back at our old house in which we grew mostly beans and lettuce. At the new house we planted our first garden this past spring in a raised bed. We had some carrots and a little lettuce that quickly bolted.
We have been on an organic kick lately and so we decided it was time to start an organic garden in earnest. And so our new garden has started. We are going to try an organic garden in the "wilderness" area in our backyard, between the row of windbreak pine trees and the stormwater canal.
We started by pulling up a whole lot of a grassy weed (don't know the name). I tried to leave as many of the blackberry bushed unharmed as I could while raking up all the grass. I heaped up a great pile of grassy straw, which makes a great mulch cover.
After I cleared the area, I dug a trench along one side of the garden and transplanted about 15 blackberry plants. I have no idea if they will live, much less produce again next season. Next, we are going to have to till up the area to try and get rid of all the grassy weed. I need to get the soil tested this week, and hopefully we are not too late to get our seeds for a fall garden.
Homeschooling has begun, and we are planning on having the garden being an important part of our Charlotte Mason styled school year. The boys have already been helping me a lot preparing, the garden, and Lindsay and the kids will be responsible for the bulk of tending the garden once it is planted.
Our neighbors all ripped out the vegetation (including their blackberry bushes) behind their houses and extended their lawns to the water. So our yard has been left looking like a sore thumb, a patch of wilderness in the middle of everyone's suburban back yards (we're kind of weird like that any way). We had gardens for a few years back at our old house in which we grew mostly beans and lettuce. At the new house we planted our first garden this past spring in a raised bed. We had some carrots and a little lettuce that quickly bolted.
We have been on an organic kick lately and so we decided it was time to start an organic garden in earnest. And so our new garden has started. We are going to try an organic garden in the "wilderness" area in our backyard, between the row of windbreak pine trees and the stormwater canal.
We started by pulling up a whole lot of a grassy weed (don't know the name). I tried to leave as many of the blackberry bushed unharmed as I could while raking up all the grass. I heaped up a great pile of grassy straw, which makes a great mulch cover.
After I cleared the area, I dug a trench along one side of the garden and transplanted about 15 blackberry plants. I have no idea if they will live, much less produce again next season. Next, we are going to have to till up the area to try and get rid of all the grassy weed. I need to get the soil tested this week, and hopefully we are not too late to get our seeds for a fall garden.
Homeschooling has begun, and we are planning on having the garden being an important part of our Charlotte Mason styled school year. The boys have already been helping me a lot preparing, the garden, and Lindsay and the kids will be responsible for the bulk of tending the garden once it is planted.
Labels: florida, garden, organic
8.01.2008
Comprehensive Guide to Gardening
My wife found this book in a bargain basket at a store the other day and I have started working my way through it. It seems very thorough so far, and not over my head. We are working on clearing an area behind our house for a new organic garden we hope to plant in the fall.
My wife found this book in a bargain basket at a store the other day and I have started working my way through it. It seems very thorough so far, and not over my head. We are working on clearing an area behind our house for a new organic garden we hope to plant in the fall.
