*Warning:
This post contains random, appropriate swearing and Britney Spears rocking a succulent frame… oh, and Me.
**I promise these will become interesting at some point… for now, enjoy my video stylings.
Succulents with Britney Spears
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
Succulents with Michael Jackson
Thursday, March 18th, 2010*Warning:
This video contains random, highly appropriate swearing, succulents, and the occasional vocal stylings of Michael Jackson, via Me.
Veggie Appetence
Saturday, March 13th, 2010
I’ve been dying to plant vegetables the past few months. But with the weather just getting nice and my little farm (pic.’s to come!) still a bit too soggy, I’ve held off. I cover cropped fava beans, peas, and alfalfa, as well as spread about a pound of wildflower seed there… but this barely satiated my appetite to truly – VEG!
Soooooo, I decided to build (and when I say “I” I clearly mean Dustin) a little veggie box of my own, just to tide me over.
Ingredients:
4, 2×12’s cut to 6′
4, 2×12’s cut to 4′
4, 4×4’s cut to 27″
Plywood
Douglas Fir (I did not use Redwood or Trex since this will probably go to the farm after the season and I did not want to spend a million dollars. Read: Impulse purchase.)
18 p nails
Tattooed man to do the work.
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
I love this photograph.
I took this on a birthday extravaganza trip to Venice, Italy back in March of ‘06.
It was fabulous to come across in the cold, cobbled streets of Venice, and is still fabulous to see in a simple picture. I love the thought of a modest balcony garden. A few pots, scattered. Careless. (more…)
Gardener’s Challenge #1
Monday, February 22nd, 2010(Imagine “Mission Impossible” music playing as you read this…)
I have a challenge for the gardener’s out there:
Gardener's Challenge
Send me one of your greatest garden stories ever!
Like, the story you tell your family over and over because it’s so ridiculous. The story you think back to and wonder… why the hell do I garden in the first place?! For example:
“One of the first times I was hired to create a garden for a client I was 18 and thrilled with the thought of building a fabulous flower garden (which was really just weeding a 100 sq. foot area and tossing in a couple plants… to me – a huge job!) . Candace was my client’s name and she said she wanted tons of flowers! “Tons!!“, she reiterated. So, knowing that flowers needed lots of nutrients to bloom – I bought two yards of chicken manure and spread it throughout, roughly, 100 square feet. I realized it smelled funny but just thought more was better and I should apply it in ample amounts anyway. Then I planted an array of roses and salvias – one of the salvias (and when I say one I mean I planted ten!) was salvia uglinosa.
Once I was finished spreading the manure, planting and watering, I stepped back and took in the newly planted masterpiece I created. My client was very pleased and I went on my way. Then next day (literally) I got a call saying everything was dead. I was sure Candace was over reacting and drove there as fast as I could. But, as she said – everything was dead. The roses were burned beyond repair and the salvias looked as if someone took a torch to them in the middle of the night… oh, and I stained her driveway with the chicken manure delivery.
I had to pay to buy new plants, different compost, and do all the work for free to take away the old manure and replant everything again. After all that was done, a month later I drove buy to see everything happy again… including the salvia uglinosa! That stupid salvia was coming up everywhere like a weed! (Salvia uglinosa is on many states invasive plant list.. beware!)
Candace is still my client (ten years later) and we laugh about it to this day… she still has salvia growing in her front yard and I have never used chicken manure since. ”
The winner of this challenge gets their choice of a one gallon succulent or strawberry (already setting fruit!) AND one rose scented sugar scrub!
The winner’s story will be posted the week the contest is over, with link to their blog. Prizes will be send right away, with official certificate that your story rocked!
Contest to start: NOW
Contest to end: March 5th
Send stories to: gardenerj@gmail.com
******************************************This post will self destruct in 3, 2, 1 ….
Seed Savers
Saturday, February 20th, 2010
Viola seed pod in February
This little viola pod was just about to burst from the couple days of warm weather we had. Luckily I captured it in a glass bottle I keep for seeds. This will dry out for a bit, then be planted in the early Summer in the pots on my deck.
For another great source to buy seed online, check out www.seedsavers.org
They are a non-profit dedicated to the preservation of heirloom seed. I buy most my flower seeds here and last year’s cover crops seed for my farm. They come in excellent quality and fairly fast shipping.
Another fabulous place to buy organic heirloom (sometimes, sometimes not heirloom) seed is Seeds of Change. I usually buy my asparagus and strawberry crowns and other root crops here. They come in great condition and have some nice organic varieties to choose from.
And if all else fails – there’s always pillaging from your neighbors or even Craigslist.org
Dirty Love.
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010I spent my pre-V-Day with the ones I really love… my plants. Yes, I said it – and I don’t care if I sound like a pathetic loser obsessed gardener. I love my plants and am constantly wanting to propagate more. (Kind of like Brangelina’s obsession with kidnapping adopting children.)
Here’s how it went down:
Free plastic pots from HMB Nursery
Steal Ask local nursery if they have any pots they don’t need (it’s always a Yes! Take them!)
Lots of dirt.
Then, have Soil Farm deliver a shit ton of soil… but not just any soil! I have a super secret soil blend – so fabulous that throngs of screaming clients beg me for the ingredients. And for a limited time only you get them: (more…)
Ahhh yeaaaah! SF F&G Show!
Saturday, February 13th, 2010If Laura hadn’t reminded me I would have almost forgot to grab my ticket to the SF Flower & Garden Show early… having to bum a ticket at the door like I did last year. I’m usually one of those dorks that loves to get tickets early, print out directions early, schedule things… and so on. If I don’t control plan ahead of time, I get itchy. So luckily, I’m ahead of the game this year. (Thanks Laura!!!!!!!)
I absolutely love the flower and garden show (who doesn’t? It’s flowers and garden stuff!)…. but I do take a little issue with pictures of people gardening – when they are not dirty! It’s like, seriously? Who are you fooling. I mean it’s one thing to accidentally fall asleep in a mushroom patch wearing jewels, but it is quite another to be at a potting bench not covered in soil. Plus – that child should probably be whining about not being able to go inside and watch Barney or something, rather than perfectly posing… right? (Do kids still watch Barney?)
Beyond that – the SF Flower & Garden is fantastic and I’m going (Carla, you’re coming with… and buying me a corn dog or something.) Afterwards, be sure to tune back in about my findings….
For more info about how you can get your sweet buns to the show, go to….
Dianthus
Thursday, February 11th, 2010
I’m not a huge dianthus fan… but this one is really adorable, with tiny magenta flowers. It’s been in a fabulous little terra cotta pot on my deck… until the dogs burst out the door (which they do every time it’s time for “Let’s go potty!”) and bashed it over like a couple of filthy heathens. I have a slight suspicion that the little one, Patootie, purposefully did it out of some sort of sick revenge since I lost her favorite toy the other week. In any event, the pots broken and I finally got around to repotting it. In doing so I found that I should have repotted it… Ummm, like, months ago!
Here’s the raw footage!
Check out those crazy roots… it was spongy and completely porous.
Ohwwwweee! Sorry dianthus, now your in a five gallon, happy as a clam!
