Home Grown

Laughing Boy

2011-05-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

This is a few months old - Wyatt is 5 months here (and Harvey is 3.)

pull up

2011-04-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

love

2011-02-14T08:59:00.001-08:00

Weeds

2009-06-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

Spent most of the weekend weeding - and somehow, there's still a ton to do! Still, it doesn't feel as daunting as it did. Problem is, by the time I get around to it again all the work i just did will need to be done again. We have a bunch of hay, and I'm thinking that we can use the excess compost and hay on top of newspapers to really lay a good layer of mulch out there... That would definitely help. For the most part, everything still looks really healthy out there. I haven't used any fertilizer or pesticide or fungicide type products yet, or done anything preventative... I hope that works out for me.

The Pawpaw trees that we planted bare root didn't take at all... So I went to a local nursery and bought some in pots, which we transplanted about 3 weeks ago. The leaves on one of the new ones are turning brown / black, they look burned or stripped, and I have no idea what's wrong. Online searches say that fertilizer burn / overdose of sodium can do that, but I only used compost - so I'm not sure if that's a plausible answer.

2009-06-02T12:24:00.001-07:00

June!

The garden looks terrific. Last month, we had pretty constant rain, it was hard to find time to get out at all. So, weeds have gotten out of control. But I have gorgeous, strong tomato plants, and the seeds have come up nicely. Lots of pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimmanning/sets/72157618111134566/

Garden update

2009-05-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I planted butternut squash, corn, purple podded pole beans, and trombolina zucchini.

Last weekend I put all of my tomato plants in!

Tons of work left to do on this summer garden... We're still having crazy weather so I haven't accomplished nearly as much as I'd have liked. Tons of rain lately.

Packing for Tokyo

2009-03-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

I am leaving for Tokyo early Monday morning. I need to:

1) Do laundry so that I'll have stuff to pack
2) Transplant tomatoes
3) Buy a light timer for the grow light
4) Clean house
5) Make a big meal to put in the freezer, maybe also some banana bread.
6) Make a list of things I want to do in Tokyo.

I've been way behind on gardening because I've been working on craft projects for Harvey's school auction. I think they came out nicely! Maybe I'll be embarrassed about them later, that's generally how it goes - but anyway, I really hope they are decent enough to sell. I made a bird mobile, a monster bag, and then I helped on a picnic blanket quilt.

The weather has been nutso anyway, and so I'm not sure when we're going to have a chance to plant. We had 80 degree weather last weekend, after the snow from the weekend before - and this weekend it was very chilly and pouring rain. The poor trees are really confused. Glad I don't have anything started outside (since the lettuce never came up.)

Really excited about Tokyo! Nervous about the business aspect, but excited about exploring. I should have a good 8 hours to wander on my own on Thursday, which is great. This daylight saving time thing always kills me, and I haven't recovered yet - so jet lag on top of that, not sure how I'll deal. And, it'll be my first time away from Harvey for more than one night, which is a little worrisome. But, all in all, it should be a good thing.

seedlings report

2009-03-05T20:08:00.000-08:00

Moved a space heater into the toolroom with the seedlings and they so obviously appreciate it. The tomatoes are definitely more upright and happier.

thunder snow!

2009-03-04T13:12:00.001-08:00

We had snow for 8 hours on Sunday, along with intermittent thunder and (purple!) lightning! So, turns out it was likely a good thing I was behind on the spring gardening. Here's a video of us playing in the snow!

Snow Day! 3/1/2009 part 2 from Kim Manning on Vimeo.

And, on the indoor gardening front - the seedlings are coming along! My tomatoes are a bit zig-zaggy spindly? They loop back and forth and wind around and stretch in all directions. They're getting their first true leaves, though. The eggplants and peppers are also coming along, but a bit more slowly.

Not sure how the new trees felt about the winter weather! I probably won't really know until much later this spring. Do new trees always leaf out their first year after transplanting? Guess I'll find out soon enough.

Mustache Rocks Glass

2009-03-01T13:22:00.001-08:00

Mustache Rocks Glass
Originally uploaded by BreadnBadger

bell peppers

2009-02-27T19:10:00.000-08:00

Bell peppers sprouted today! That means all of my seedlings are up and under the lights. They are so enthralling to me that I could sit in there all day and watch them grow... but it's probably much more fun that I only get to see them twice a day. It's amazing to see how much progress they make in the 9 hours or so I'm at work.

We're expecting heavy thunderstorms with strong winds all weekend - so, I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to prep the beds or start any of those early season veggies outside. At this point, I'm about 3 weekends behind on getting stuff planted in the garden proper. Maybe it's for the best - we've had some crazy weather lately, and I doubt that if new plants had sprouted they would have survived last week's golf ball-sized hail, or this weekends expected strong winds. But, if I don't get them in soon, they won't have enough of a growing season to produce anything before the weather gets too hot.

Here's my weekend to do list, modified since I'll be stuck indoors -

- Start lettuce and asian tigger melon seeds indoors.
- Cook and freeze meals for the week.
- Thrift store run for books - looking for pictures of trains, boats, planes, tucks, things that go for Harvey's room. Looking for a glove to turn into a little doll. Looking for glass bottles to use as picture frames. Looking for picture frames to use as picture frames.
- If we get a break in the rain, dig up the island where the chinese privet was.
- Auction crafts: Bird Mobile, Plush Dolls, Activity Bags, Waldorf doll, matching mom and child aprons

some craft projects...

2009-02-27T14:03:00.000-08:00

We have an ikea coat rack, this is so much more interesting!
http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/look/look-wood-tree-077400

Use for old wine corks!
http://www.glueandglitter.com/main/2009/02/03/wino-corkboard-greenupgrader/

An amazing idea for glass bottles too pretty to recycle -
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/look/look-glass-jars-and-bottles-as-frames-077372

Love this bird mobile!
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/07/diy-idea-bird-mobile.html

I bet it would be easy to find some gloves without matches at the thrift store?
http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/fabric-textiles/glove-toys-077509

Portable art studio
http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/how-to/how-to-portable-art-studio-077095

Love these butterflies in a raised box
http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/artwork/featured-artist-koko-studios-076882

Smart, cute, and do-able playmat and pillow (but a wee bit more complex than the other projects i found)
http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/decorative-accessories-pillows/fleur-playmat-pattern-by-one-girl-designwrks-076688

Waldorf Doll
http://simmy.typepad.com/echoesofadream/2006/10/basic_instructi.html

Matching mom and child aprons
http://www.sewliberated.com/patterns.html
http://www.stitchthrutime.com/childapron.htm
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_15&listing_id=21600936&ga_search_query=apron&ga_search_type=category_tags_children
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_15&listing_id=21600936&ga_search_query=apron&ga_search_type=category_tags_children
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_2&listing_id=18770236&ga_search_query=matching+apron+mom+child&ga_search_type=tag_title
http://langlangcreations.blogspot.com/2008/04/reversible-childrens-apron-with-fabric.html

Fleece plush animals

Lunch Bag

Wet Bag

seedlings

2009-02-27T14:00:00.001-08:00

Last night I noticed that the eggpant and jalapenos had sprouted - little hooks poking out of the soil! So I moved them in with the tomatoes under the grow light in our sunroom (without central heat and air, so it's probably 50 - 60 degrees in there). I hope they'll be okay without the heat mat, because I kind of don't want to use it.

Need to start those asian melon seeds! Still waiting for the bell peppers to sprout.

Need to get some mushroom compost / soil amendment to til into the beds outside, and need to get stuff planted out there! The lettuce never came up... should I start it inside?

Need to dig out the chinese privet island that got cut down last week. I have a list of native plants I want to install there!

2009-02-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

Today I noticed that all the tomato seedlings are up! (They are kind of long and lanky, 3 - 4 inches already - so, they probably have been up for a few days. I was sick so I forgot to check in on them.) Moved them under a light in the tool room, which is indoors but not heated by central heat. I'd guess it's around 60 degrees in there, which seems just right for the little tomatoes.

Eggplant and peppers are not up yet - I need to get them over a heat source. I should buy a couple of light timers, too, so I don't have to worry about turning off the heat / light at night.

We planted the paw-paw, apple, and pear trees on Friday the 20th. Saturday, we had help pulling up / cutting down all of the privet in our yard, so that's no longer a concern! Now, the big task is replanting that area - it's really ugly where they cut it down, and I miss having an island back there - the overgrowth made a secret path along the fence which I know Harvey will miss. I'll miss it, too.

Carolina Cherry Laurel

2009-02-19T13:43:00.000-08:00

So, I have TONS of Carolina Cherry Laurel growing wild in my yard. It's a recommended native plant on a bunch of people's "best" lists. But I hate it!

1)Extremely toxic: berries, leaves, flowers, bark, everything.
2) It seems invasive to me, it grows quickly, and it's everywhere in my yard.
3) And, MOST annoying, the flowers are extremely potent and smell like dirty underwear.

Why do people like this plant?

trees are here

2009-02-18T16:50:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I haven't dug holes for them, and tomorrow is ben's birthday, so they might have to sit until the weekend.

Spacing pawpaw trees - 8 feet

Spacing apple and pear trees - 20 feet

fighting the good fight

2009-02-17T07:46:00.001-08:00

Our yard is FULL of chinese privet. We've always recognized the shoots that come up all over our yard as nasty weeds, but we also have huge privet "trees" in an island area. I somehow did not make the connection until today that these trees are causing the shoots, as the birds spread the seeds from the berries that the tree produces. Apparently, it's invasive, and an environmental hazard in Georgia, so I guess we'll be digging it all up.

Also, I've been fighting this thorny vine near our apple tree, and I finally have a name for the thing - common green briar. I started digging up the roots, which are tuberous, and they are humongous - bigger than potatoes, in endless families in that area of my yard. I'm sure I've already dug up 10 pounds of root. The roots are flesh colored inside, and some of them have red wounds on the edges, maybe from previous round up applications, that contribute to the animal-not-plant feel of these roots. This thing feels like pure evil, it's freaking me out. The vines are super thorny and painful even when they're the diameter of a sewing needle, and the roots have hard spindly curved growths that look very much like claws digging into the earth.

list

2009-02-17T06:26:00.001-08:00

The top of the fridge is not warm at my house, so I should probably add a heating mat to the seeds tonight. Also, I might need to prop open the cake carrier slightly to avoid dampening off? Or, move them into a better container - I have some old seed starting things that might work.

Also need to start the Tigger Asian Melon seeds indoors.

Need to pick up a truck load of mushroom compost for the garden.

Need to get holes ready for the trees, which will be here any day now.

Need to get that new blueberry bush in the ground!

Yesterday and today have been cold - like February probably should be in Atlanta, in the 40s and 50s, but with a wind chill.

starting seeds

2009-02-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight I started san marzano 2 roma, red jelly bean grape, and bella rosa tomatoes, early jalapeno peppers, red beauty bell peppers, and vittaro eggplant in eb stone organic seed starting medium. I used plastic cups with drainage holes cut in the bottom as flats, and put them inside a plastic cake carrier to seal them and stuck them on top of the fridge. All seeds from john scheepers except for the organic early jalapeno, which came from park seed.

And so it begins

2009-02-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

It's been really spring-like here for a couple of weeks now - temperatures in the 70's! Which makes me itchy to get things in the ground. In the past I've only been interested in summer vegetable gardening, but this year I'm thinking about landscaping plants, adding stuff for my son to enjoy now and in the future, trees - I'm dreaming about, obsessing over, all things green.

I planted a bunch of bulbs last week that had been laying around since I bought them from a school fundraiser last fall, with no clear idea of what to do with them. They seemed to be in decent condition, but who knows if they'll come up. I also planted a camellia bush next to our porch swing outside. Yesterday, I planted a whole bunch of lettuce seeds (lovely lettuce mesclun blend salad greens from John Scheepers) scattershot, in the asparagus bed.

I've got over a hundred dollars worth of seeds hanging out in my kitchen, and several fruit trees on the way. I've been making lists of low maintanance shrubs and perrennials for the front yard, beacuase I really hate our boxwoods out there.

Here's what I need to take care of now:

Prep a place in the sun for blueberry bushes. Dig up and move the two old bushes into the better space, and add the new one.

Dig holes for the bare root fruit trees that are on the way (one pear, one apple, two pawpaw)

Prep the beds outside for vegetables - Clear out debris, move the hose, add a truck load of mushroom compost.

Plant Outdoors:
More lettuce (merlot batavian, jericho romaine, flashy troutback)
Carrots (royal chantenay and adelaide)
Swiss Chard (bright lights)
Kale (winterbor)
Turnip Greens (seven top)
Beets (bull's blood and chioggia)
Sugar Snap Peas (sugar ann)

Prep my indoor planting space.

Planting Indoors:
Eggplant (Vittoria)
Tomato (san Marzano 2-plum, red jelly bean grape, bella rosa)
Peppers (red beauty bell, early jalapeno)