Dirty Girl Gardening | How-To

WTF?! (Rant)

jenn — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:09:59 +0000

Cruising through craigslist is always a good time. Where else can you find a great antique velvet chair, a bunch of free organic tomatoes, a puppy!, and a boyfriend (so I’ve heard, so I’ve heard) in one convenient place? Other than a flea market in Florence!

But today, whilst searching for that leather club chair I need so badly, I stumbled over to the farm & garden section and found this piece of work!

Ok, try to read this nonsense:

“Yes i trap,poisin help kill
gophers[thomysedies] moles also,they become earthly active soon,now as ground is soft dont send mounds,but compress earth ,and they never leave a entrance for snakes,ever,have to get [QUEEN]as males are subordinates,and juvenile females,at first sign of tunnels,is time,ive had gophers dig 30 ft.for a plant,not any more,i do this cheaply,and i get them,So no planting is protected,but plant some tomatoes and see,radishes?i do not have to get big money as i like eliminating the issue[gophers],and i take the bodys,ive caught many,even QUEENS,Males are workers,only lead male [strongest] is allowed to breed[queen]“

**Now, I don’t take issue with killing gophers. I do feel bad since they are just trying to eat, and I don’t EVER recommend, suggest or pretend it’s ok to poison them – but if you want to trap your gopher that’s decimating the garden, go for it. But can’t we try to keep some dignity for those poor little bastards? I mean – this person clearly can’t formulate a cohesive sentence… and when people use CAPS in their posts (ok, I did it once above) it’s them YELLING AT YOU, and personally, I don’t like to be yelled at.

Gardener’s: if you want more info on getting rid of your gophers (somewhat) humanly, check the links in this sentence.

Seed Savers

jenn — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:55:30 +0000

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.

jenn — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:57:44 +0000

I 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:

1 yard mushroom compost

.5 yard Nitro-infused Redwood shavings

1 scoop of the smallest Lava rock available

.5 ton Oly #2 sand

1 yard Planting Mix (they blend a couple compost with some clean top soil… it’s just for bulking up the mix)

*This gets blended together and is great for repotting or propagating plants. The rest can be used to top dress your garden’s soil.

Bag O' Cuttingz

Then! You take your pillaged cuttings and get planting!

Your result is muy, muy baby plants!

muymuy babies!

More muymuy babies!

38HKT64U6ZFW

Fall in the Garden

jenn — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:38:34 +0000

Fall is the best time of year to plant. Most of your existing plants are at a time in the year they do not need to take up many nutrients and are slowing down their growing rate, thus leaving more nutrients and moisture in the ground for the new plants. The ground is not too wet and not too dry. And planting now gives you a bit of time for the plants to establish before the wind and rains come – but the advantage to have extra rain in the winter to take root.

Now the question is not when to plant – but what to plant… Here are a handful of my favorite things to buy ( and where to buy them.. clickclick) and plant this time of year:

#1. Fruits & Vegetables!

You know… those colorful things they put at the edge of your cocktail!

Artichokes

Asparagus

Garlic, Shallots, Onions

Strawberries

Lemon Trees

Pear Trees

All these are widely available right now, and are most happy when planted now. They can all be planted in pots or directly in the garden. And buy a bunch to plant… you can never have enough strawberries, asparagus or garlic. Just one or two plants is not enough.. grab three to five and toss them in the ground. Come Spring you’ll be happy you did.

#2. Hedges.

Have an ugly spot in your garden that needs filling? Or have an ugly neighbor that needs blocking?

Now is the perfect time to grab those couple extra shrubs to fill in holes along your fence or in the front of your house. It’s something that always gets over looked during Spring and Summer, since there are so many more interesting things to do in the garden tat time of year. Planting a simple box wood, pittosporum or stewartia will help hide anything you need not look at.

#3. Blueberry.

Blueberries could have been in #1. but they really deserve a section all to themselves. Ahhh, blueberries. It’s a sin not to have these somewhere in your garden. They work great in landscapes of any kind. They are beautiful in gardens and grow well in pots. The foliage is gorgeous and changes color throughout the year, the architecture of the branches are dense and beautiful, and the berries are incredibly healthy. If you have never eaten blueberries off of a blueberry shrub, you really are not alive. I’m sorry to say.

The Late Show Gardens

jenn — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:13:27 +0000

Celebrating garden design and addressing our current environmental challenges… Cornerstone will be hosting The Late Show Gardens, Sonoma.

I’m still debating if it’s worth going for just the shows, but I’m headed out to see Ken Druse and Topher Delaney. For more info visit www.thelateshowgardens.org