snow on kale

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Our first snow! Its a very pretty light dusting. It probably won’t last more that an hour or so. My kale is delicious now. It is getting sweeter every time I try it. The more cold and snow, the better it gets. Kale (Brassica oleracea, Acephala Group)Brassicaceae
 
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lasagna gardening

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OK. Time to start thinking about next year’s garden. Here’s a photo of a plot at the Belmont Victory Gardens where the gardener does “lasagna gardening”. (That’s a thick layer of horse manure and wood chips on the top.) I’m starting to feel guilty about tilling my garden and this was a big discussion topic during my Thanksgiving travels. Here’s are highlights from my quick research on the topic. “Lasagna gardening is method of layering organic materials and compost right in the garden and then planting directly in these layers.…
 
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horse manure for the garden

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I used horse manure in my garden recently but a fellow gardener suggested it was not so good as a compost or mulch. From what I read on line, it seems that there are several reasons to skip this manure as it contains weeds seeds, deworming drugs, herbicides and high Mg levels. Ann’s Organic Garden: Just say nay to horse manure for mulch, by Ann Lovejoy topic: soil
 
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Desert Botanical Garden – Phoenix AZ

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CHIHULY garden art among the cactus “The Nature of Glass”: I’ve never seen garden art quite like this! Every color and shape of hand blown glass works scattered among the cacti. Quite a sight. My favorite was the boat full of blue squiggly things titled “Blue and Purple Boat”. I was imagining that in my front yard! Agave photos: The Phoenix gardens must have hundreds of varieties of agave. We were particular interested in the impression of the spines on the younger leaves. A blue on blue pattern. More plants…
 
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Grand Canyon hiking

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I will eventually be back at my garden, but for now I’m hiking a bit. That speck in the lower right is me. The Grand Canyon is an awesome place to hike and camp! We spent about 24 hours here. Overnight camping at Mather Campground (overnight low of 28* – bbrrr). Wapiti seemed to own the place and the nighttime chorus of coyotes was impressive (i.e. scary – my sister and I were sure they had surrounded our site and were moving in). Of course the canyon is beyond description.…
 
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traveling south ….

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Well, this gardener is heading south. The ground here is frozen, the garden is sleeping. Its a good time to visit family, hang out and reminisce a bit. I’m feeling lucky to have a sister in Tempe Arizona. She may regret her recent move to the desert southwest, as my extended family is gathering at her house this holiday weekend. My contribution for the big turkey dinner will be a potatoes and greens casserole with vegetables I grew. Silly enough, the vegetables are packed in my luggage for transport across…
 
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horse manure for the garden

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Someone leaves manure from their horses once a week at our community garden. All the gardeners scramble to collect this and dump it on their gardens. Today I joined in. I shoveled a wheelbarrow full and brought it to my frozen garden. I spread it out in the center. It needs to compost, but should provide good nutrients in the spring. Only problem is Skippy. I don’t know what is so exciting about horse manure to a dog. Bllaagghhhh. Oh yuck… I may need to skip the horse manure thing…
 
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garden is frozen

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Well, my garden plot is through for the year. Everything frozen solid. All the vegetables are gone. We’ve had a week of weather with highs in the 20’s, lows who knows where out in the open field. Down under the mulch, there is a bit still alive, but unless there’s a serious warming trend, that won’t last long. This past week has been unusually cold for us. I just told my sister I had all sorts of vegetables to bring for Thanksgiving. Well, I have none from the garden now.…
 
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local furred and feathered wildlife

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These are the “wild” things Skippy and I came across today. I can identify most but not all. Top is a house sparrow – of course. These guys empty my feeders instantly. Since they do good work in my summer garden, I refill. All are fluffed up with the 20 degree weather this week. The next is a female cardinal who blends very well in the background of leaves. A lovely bird. She’s very shy. Next is one of the squirrels who frequents my backyard. They’re finding the sunflower seeds…
 
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Kathy Martin
This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy thinks the garden is his, even though I do all the work. We're located near Boston, in USDA zone 6. I have bees, chickens, fruit trees and berry bushes, too. I use all sustainable organic methods and strive to grow all of my family's vegetables myself. -Kathy


weeks and counting until my last spring frost

What I planted recently

Jan 21
thyme, lettuce, escarole

Feb 21
celery, celeriac, parsley, leeks

March 11
cabbage, kale, arugula



What I'm planting soon

April 1
peppers, eggplants, marigolds, beets

April 12
tomatoes, basil, sunflowers

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My garden this week

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17 years of archives!

Check out the food pantry farm I helped to start up:

Aurelia's Garden

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Skippy’s vegetable of the month – Egyptian walking onions!

“I envision a day when every city and town has front and back yards, community gardens and growing spaces, nurtured into life by neighbors who are no longer strangers, but friends who delight in the edible rewards offered from a garden they discovered together.” – Greg Peterson

"What can happen to a seed is a miracle."

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