If at first you don't succeed, read more blogs...

Ah, I haven't forgotten about you, blog! Motherhood is ever-consuming and it makes it difficult to find the time (and energy) to write. But as Liza told me, "the only way to blog is to blog." So, here goes.

Andrew and I constructed the borders of our new, large garden about a week ago. We've since filled it with soil, transplanted the cherry tomato plants, the bell pepper plants and the plants from seed: cucumbers, broccoli and Brussell sprouts. Then a few days ago, Sasha and I moved all of our herbs from the first plot to this one, because it gets much more sunlight. We are thinking about putting in a flower garden in place of the herb garden, or possibly a butterfly garden. But first priority right now is this larger plot.

I know I am slacking with posting new pictures. I will try to work it out with Liza for this week because her pictures will make the garden look better than it does in real life. In the meantime, let me fill you in on how much fun I've been having!

Let me start by telling you about my cucumber plants. Wow! I planted 3 cucumber seeds and they are growing crazy-fast. When I moved them from pot to plot, I split them up so I have one lonesome cucumber plant next to a pair. I don't know if cucumbers grow fast in general, or if the soil I am using is perfect for them, or if I just give them so much lovin' they can't stop if they tried. All I know is they are doing so great. Hard to believe they were just seeds a couple weeks ago. As for my other seedlings, they are growing but I wouldn't say thriving. Again, maybe they just grow slowly or maybe they are growing at a completely normal rate for vegetable plants but I am comparing them to the superstar next door. Either way, I am still excited by whatever progress they do make each day.

When we moved the herbs, I realized some of them were begging to be pruned (is that the right word?) so I gently removed some of the larger stems from the cilantro (which is HUUUGE), parsley, sage, thyme, and the horrific looking mint plant from the front yard. Then I spent about half an hour cleaning and drying them, uniformly bunching each herb separately, then securing the stems with small rubber bands. Then I took some dental floss and ran it through each of the rubber bands, spacing the bunches a couple inches apart. Tied a loop knot into each end and hung the herbs to dry out on the patio. We actually have a dehydrator here, which would very quickly dry them out. But I like doing detail-oriented work like that, and working with the herbs I've been growing was... Therapeutic. Calming. Rewarding. Now I check them every day to see how they are doing. The thyme is pretty much dried out, because the leaves are so tiny. The mint is also pretty dry. The others are all making progress but it will probably take another week or so. Not sure yet how I will store them (i.e. ideas welcome!)

In other news...a toolbox full of hand-held gardening tools magically appeared on the patio the other day! I assumed my mother-in-law came across it when she was reorganizing but she said she didn't know where it came from. So maybe it was my father-in-law. Or maybe, just maybe the garden fairy looked upon my garden and said, "Holy cilantro! This girl needs some tools!" Regardless, I have been having a ball with them. Yesterday I spent the baby's afternoon naptime working the dirt in both plots, even going around the plants I have in there already to give the soil some lovin'. When I was done it looked brand new and absolutely spectacular.

The other night I couldn't sleep so I laid in bed on my phone looking at other gardening blogs. And I feel like I am so far behind the learning curve. These other bloggers are very technical and knowledgeable and seemingly seasoned. I totally feel like the new kid in school who doesn't know where the bathroom is and so she holds it all day, but pees her pants when she sneezes in last period (I wrote that analogy without knowing how I would back it up but I totally can so it stays!) I feel like it's no big deal that I'm clueless but maybe by the end of this growing season I will realize that, damn I should have checked the pH of the soil. What if this garden is a total flop, destroyed by strong winds or aphids or inadequate acidity?! I guess that's how you learn, right? If it ain't broke, don't fix it but if at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again. You can dust it off and try again.

Alrighty then, I would say I have sufficiently updated you all on the state of the garden. Goodnight to all, and I hope you don't have that Aaliyah song stuck in your head all night ;-)

How fast they grow...

Every day I find more similarities between my two newest roles, as mother and gardener. Our older tomato plant has tiny green tomatoes popping out of seemingly nowhere. Is that what it's like to watch your daughter go through puberty? Ugh I dread the thought.

Anyway, it astounds me that every morning when I look at the plants they all look different. (Except those damn Anaheim peppers. Still just a pot of dirt.) Yesterday I swear there were just 2 little tomatoes and now there are 3. And now the cucumber plant has three sprouts, each with 2 large leaves. And between the leaves something furry is starting to develop. I don't know what that will turn into, but I trust the Big Guy that this process is completely normal.

It's the same with my Aleko. He is different every single day. Today he seemed to become more aware of the power of his hands, lifting things into the air, dropping them in front of himself, and doing it again. Fascinated, and fascinating.

What would I do without this kid? Well, what would we do without food?

See? Babies are just like broccoli

A gardener.

"The one who follows the seasons; weathers frightful storms; uses the elements of fire, earth, air and water; cultivates; sows; weeds; prunes; stakes; and reaps.

"As mothers and fathers we must be clear about our individual responsibilities as the gardeners of our sons. We must be in tune with the seasons of their lives. We must know how to aim the sun's ferocious light to help them find their inner guidance system of feeling, thinking, and self-direction. We must learn the gentle art of cultivating their souls. We must be explicit and united concerning the ideals and values we sow in their imaginations. We must be free to water and nurture them well with love, and to weed out our own frustrations and anger. We must be strong and kind, committed to staying connected with our sons, no matter what conditions their wild growth might create. We must prune and stake their fragile growth carefully yet firmly, using appropriate fencing. We must be confident, in the face of their fiercest storms and most aggressive outbursts, that deep roots are forming."

From Raising a Son by Don & Jeanne Elium

WE HAVE BROCCOLI!!!

The seeds are sprouting!!! Part of me can't believe it worked, and then the other part of me can't believe I was so silly to think it might not work.

In four small pots I planted a few seeds each of Brussel sprouts, broccoli, Anaheim peppers and cucumbers (one plant per pot). I was checking their progress daily, actually a few times a day. After two days I was already discouraged. "What's wrong with them, Andrew? Should I check them? What if something happened down there!?" As he often does, Andrew assured me there was nothing to worry about. "Relax, it takes time." Then, on day 3, out of nowhere came a small green sprout in the second pot. "WE HAVE BROCCOLI!!!" I think I followed it with a "Woo hoo!" or something to that effect. It was really fascinating to see this happen. Maybe I am just easily entertained but seeing the change from a pot of dirt to a broccoli sprout was really miraculous. Kind of like when I saw my first ultrasound. First I was simply a young woman, then all of a sudden I had this living thing sprouting inside of me.

Yes, I just compared myself to a pot of dirt, and my son to a stalk of broccoli.

I think you know what I am trying to say, though. Life is a miracle, in all of its forms. We go from one to two in the blink of an eye. And before you know it we are a side dish for a family of four, or, more likely, we become that family of four. People, broccoli, we're all the same really.

Okay, okay. Enough philosophizing.

Today is the day that we construct the borders of our second garden. I don't think I have explained the reason why we have to use these borders. We have two small dogs that hang out in the backyard sometimes and these boards will keep them from getting into our garden. Hopefully. Pictures will be posted soon of our new plot and our sprouts! Oh yea I got so distracted by my observations of life that I forgot to mention that the day after the broccoli, the Brussel sprouts popped up, and today the cucumber plant arrived. But I have a feeling I will always be partial to the broccoli. ;)

Moving on to bigger, better things

I do love to play in the dirt, but I realized today that my "connectedness" has its limits. For example, when the ground is teeming with cockroaches and worms and spiders, I will gladly outfit my hands with some gardening gloves (pink, as a matter of fact). I love the Earth and all, but creepy crawlers? Eh, not so much.

Today we tore up another plot of land to expand the limits of our garden. Again, we haven't measured anything but conveniently the planks of wood that my father-in-law bought to construct the border for this garden are the perfect length when two are placed one after another. That construction lies ahead, probably to be done on Thursday when my husband has the day off. So let me tell you about what we had to do to prepare this plot.

Using a shovel, we dug up the layer of grass on the plot. As Andrew dug up the grass, Sasha and I shook as much dirt off of the grass chunks as possible and compiled the grass; leaving the dirt on the plot. Florida grass is really intense and aggressive. As we were shoveling it out we kept finding that it grows on vines in the ground. If we didn't completely sever the ties it had to the ground we could pull up on the "grass vine" for several feet before it allowed us to detach it from the ground. Because of this the whole ordeal was more physically demanding than we had imagined but it went pretty quickly with the three of us.

In preparation for this new garden I have started growing some plants from seed! I can't tell you how excited I am to watch these babies sprout and turn into plants with actual edible fruits and vegetables. Once they make some progress I will transplant them into the garden and start some new plants from seed. For some reason I am worried that it won't work. What if the seeds don't have everything they need? How long will it take? Again, though, plants have been growing for ages, even before we humans learned how to garden. So I'm sure they will be fine. I will keep you posted on their progress!

I was born to play in the dirt

 It is official. We have a garden. Small, yes. Awesome? Yes!

Gettin' down and dirty

After much deliberation concerning the potential site for the garden, we finally settled on a small rectangular plot against our wooden fence in the backyard. We haven't measured it precisely but I will say it is about a foot and a half wide, and ten feet long. It is contained within a wooden frame, about a foot high and filled with soil and compost. The compost was a gift from my dear friend, who has been making it in her backyard for the past year or so. It was a birthday gift, actually, accompanied by a three-foot-long planter filled with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Paul Simon would be awfully proud.

Once the frame was constructed by my husband and his father, my husband and I put it into place on the land where his father had torn up the grass. Then we filled it with organic soil and the compost and mixed it to as close to homogeneity as possible. This part was actually quite magical. My expectations for the feelings that this garden would elicit had to do with some satisfaction for being "green" and somewhat self-sustaining. But so far the most overwhelming feeling I have experienced has been unity with the Earth. As corny and hippie-like as that may sound, it is the truth. Maybe deep down I am a tree-hugging corn-ball.

Roots of our starter chives...cool, right? I thought so.

Regardless, I want to tell you what it felt like being down on my knees working the soil with my hands. It was slightly reminiscent of my childhood. I would think most people can relate...who didn't play with dirt as a kid? Well I personally don't know why I ever stopped. It is incredible. Getting dirt in every crevice of my fingerprints, under and around my once-manicured nails; struggling to itch my nose with the cleanest part of my arm but failing inevitably; being suddenly aware of each breeze, as though they were made just for me. More than anything, the predominate sensation was one of being distinctly human. Purposeful gardening; deciding what we want to eat and planting seeds in the soil to cultivate and harvest. Doesn't that set us apart from the monkeys?

First plant going in! Basil! Can't wait to make pesto :)

To be fair, we haven't actually planted any seeds yet. But we will! Right now, on the plot we have the Scarborough Fair herbs, along with cilantro (I love guacamole), basil, oregano and chives. Also, my father-in-law's cherry tomato plant that has outgrown its small pot, a smaller cherry tomato plant and two bell pepper plants, red and orange. Besides the gifted herbs and the larger tomato plant, everything else is very small and young. So much so that when it was raining hard yesterday I literally feared for their lives. How very motherly of me, right? They survived though, as so many plants have done...

 

Now that we have accomplished this small goal of a small garden, we are planning a larger one next to it. We've bought seeds for more vegetables to put there and I can't wait to get started.

My baby with the baby chives, oregano, basil

 

 P.S. A bit of advice. You don't need to know everything (or much of anything) about gardening to get started. Our first trip to Home Depot almost ended with the conclusion that we would simply have a potted garden because we felt so clueless about starting an in-ground garden. “First we need a pH kit for the soil!” “Do we have a shovel?” “Should we take measurements first?” “Wait, let's just buy soil for now” “Oh nevermind we don't need a pH test kit until we have the soil down!” We didn't test our soil. We didn't take measurements. We were creative and did what worked for us and our space. Once you take the first step you can go from there. In our experience so far, your garden does not need to be planned in detail in order to begin. Just do it!

 

Photo credits to Liza Shurik :)

Every journey begins with just one step...

We want to grow the food that we eat.

We are not expert gardeners. More specifically, we are totally dumbfounded and completely mystified at the idea of growing our own food. We are three twenty-something city-dwellers and a high-schooler that have, collectively, zero days of cultivating experience. Our venture into urban gardening started last week when we bought a small mint plant. Then we decided to go bigger. People have been growing their own food for ages and ages. Can it really be that hard? But we have found ourselves asking questions like, “How do you put a seed in the ground?” and “Do the plants die and have to be re-planted from scratch every year?” We are clueless. We are also determined. We want to participate in this green revolution we see developing around us, in ways beyond reusable grocery bags and recycled water bottles and turning the lights off when we leave a room. So, we will turn our yard in South Miami into an urban garden.

Maybe you want to do the same thing where you live. Better yet, maybe you've already started. Either way, we will keep this blog updated with our experiences. Hopefully we will soon be able to answer some of our own questions: What does it feel like to work the dirt with our own two (or eight) hands? What is it like to watch the transformation from a seed to a plant to a fruit or vegetable and then into breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Will our homegrown food taste better than food from a grocery store? As we try different things and undoubtedly fail before succeeding, maybe we will even be able to answer questions that you may have.

We have some big ideas and some lofty aspirations, but we know that we must start small.

Step One: start blog!