see how the garden grows...

Mid-June, and the garden is growing! I think it's past that tender 'will it make it?' stage, but now we have to hope the little flying beetle bug dudes don't chomp all of the greenery. Last summer they had a hey day with the kale and chard. Seems like they're taking a liking to the baby bok choy that is looking so tender and sweet at the moment. I'm wondering if I should just harvest it (early) before the bugs get to it. And soap spray helps, too.

Tonight's my sister's first emagineGreen workshop, and I'm going to show up in this tee I designed (also sold by emagineGreen, via my sister). Next Thursday, the workshop's at my house, so if you're in Denver, c'mon over!


I'm also going to talk up the lobotoME pads that emagineGreen sells at both of these workshops - I love using the FeedME pad for meal planning. Meals around here of late have involved a)some sort of bean, b) a grain or pasta and c)a veggie of some sort. I'm really into bean/grain salads - vinegar, olive oil, herbs, maybe some feta cheese. The key to beans is this: eat a small quantity of beans at any given time, but eat beans more often. (At least I think.)

Tender Shoots

The garden is starting to look more like a garden. Little teeny plants are sprouting up, and, well, I didn't mark the rows, so I have no idea what's growing where. I'm a bit of a disheveled gardener. I planted some flowers, too - sunflowers, zinnias and cosmos, and some sweet peas thrown in for good measure - and they're all scattered together so we'll see what springs up.


I'm also growing a climbing plant from seed that I can't think of the name of - oh, wisteria. The garden center has an 8-year-old wisteria plant growing over the trellis that covers the outdoor plants - it's an amazing thing. Purple flowers, windy branches and root ... we'll see what this little guy does. I planted three seeds in this pot, and they're all coming up. Not sure at what point I should plant it in the garden, or where ... We'll need to build a trellis!


The other thing growing around here is Mirelle's hair. And she's looking more like a little girl than ever.

So I'm outside watering the garden tonight at 9pm, thinking about how much work and water it takes to nourish these little seedlings into beautiful plants by the end of the summer. The summer provides that kind of opportunity: to nurture tender shoots into something great. Seeds become vegetables that I'll cook up into some yummy meal, and colorful flowers that will make their way to vases on the breakfast table and my desk. But that warm summer evening air brings with it optimism of the adventures to be had: plans to keep adding mileage to work up to a half marathon or marathon this fall, mornings to get out on the bike to work up to a hilly ride, and days to explore new places and fun things happening in the evenings. Oh, and some camping, too. Time to trade our little backpacking tent in for something a bit more spacious!


Oh, and one more thing. I've been googling for 'specialty/gourmet dried beans' for ever and ever, and never came up with anything. Angry Chicken's blog posted this morning about a source for these types of beans ... yahoo! I'm looking forward to trying some of these crazy varieties over at Rancho Gordo. And I would agree with her - the packaging is way cool. photo from angry chicken.

A weekend in the garden

I know Memorial Day weekend is typically the kick-off to summer, but this past weekend might have rivaled it this year. It really felt like summer. A perfect weekend for mission:garden. My friend and gardeness extraordinaire Mary (who has a garden and yard in Fort Collins that needs to appear in Sunset magazine - she and John grow tomatoes that warrant cages special-ordered from Texas that need a ladder to be retrieved) was doing her annual plant buying this weekend here in Boulder with her mom Peg. I was invited along on the outing to the fab garden center, Sturtz and Copeland. Saturday. 8 am.


our empty little patch of earth





I took the 8 am thing seriously - I mean, Mary and Peg don't mess around when it comes to plants, so I better keep up, right? When I arrived, there was a cluster of people around the door, waiting to get in. Well, they were employees. And yes, that sign says 'closed.' Mary and Peg arrived shortly thereafter.


After two hours perusing the plant life, I had choice selection of flowers, herbs and veggies. My new veggie this year? Kohlrabi, a cabbage-like wierd-looking thingie that's great in stirfries. Tastes a bit like a broccoli stalk.


Me, Peg, and Mary. (I met Mary in Fort Collins when we were getting our undergrad degrees.)


The planted earth. Lots of seeds this year, so not much to show... yet. Oh, and some containers with flowers, too. Our soil leaves much to be desired, so we'll see what grows. Somehow we had a pretty good bounty last summer, so I'll hope for that again! One thing I did learn this year: plant the zucchini in the farthest corner of the garden, with lots of room for it to spill out into the yard.

Lovely journals from New Growth Design Studio

My dear friend and fellow designer Kelly gave me this beautiful handmade journal/notebook at the holidays ... I'm still trying to decide what special thing to use it for. Each notebook is hand silkscreened by Sara Blette in her studio in Boulder. I discovered Sara's other journals on her website, and am particularly interested in this garden notebook, especially for my friend Mary in Fort Collins who is gardeness extraordinaire!



Time to start thinking about that muddy plot of earth in our backyard and be inspired by all things green and blooming! Even if you don't have space for a garden, is there a little area where you can plant a few things this Spring?