shear gratitude

Thanks to Chicago Cares , we now have a number of new gardening shears, clippers, pruners, and scissors, along with a 250-foot rolls of row cover and a compost thermometer.

Our tool inventory has dwindled over the last few years, so we are glad to have the new gardening implements. We may just tether the new tools to the shed to keep better track of them.

schwinnbuster

The last couple of work days have seemed slightly Sisyphean, with a lot of moving around of heavy things that we suspect will just have to be moved around again later. Two weekends back, we reconfigured our rain barrels: we elevated one on an additional level of cinder block supports to increase the pressure at the spigot and daisy-chained it to the second. Because our downspout was a little short, we rigged an extending sluice using a board and rope; we’re not sure how this will work.

We should have increased our use of rainwater long ago, solely because conserving resources was the right thing to do. It took a notice that the City plans to charge non-profits for their use of municipal water to provide a final incentive. We may purchase additional barrels and rig up a new gutter to collect even more rainwater from the roof of the garden shed.

Last week, we were joined by the Hardest Working Volunteers in Show Business—folks who all seemed to be in the local comedy and screenwriting scene, and who had no qualms with tearing into substantial tasks like digging out the back fence and turning over the contents of our compost bins.

At the request of our neighbors in Buena Park, we cleared a clogged storm drain in the front area. John found a twenty-dollar bill at the bottom of the pile of reeking muck; he immediately promised to spend the filthy lucre on refreshments next week.

We finished with the annual Bringing Out of Everything From the Garden Shed, followed by the annual Putting Everything Back into the Garden Shed, Only in a Slightly Different Configuration. Because we were in the middle of installing new shelves, we’ll have to reshuffle everything later.

Next weekend will feature more hauling about. We have scheduled a delivery of wood chips that we’ll spread throughout the garden to keep weeds down. We are fortunate in that the front garden will offer aromatic respite from our labors: when we need a break, we can sit on a bench and bask in the perfumed refulgence of our flowering trees and bushes. It’s as good as finding a schwinnbuster in the gutter.

Three Weeks Old

While the Garden hasn't officially opened yet, plenty of work is being done. For instance, the seedlings, now three weeks old, are coming up strong at Kilbourne.





This one is going to be a basketball player.









While stopping in to give these trays a drink I was astonished by how quickly these tomatoes, peppers, basil, greens and such were growing.















And the plants at the greenhouse aren't the only ones working hard to get ready for the garden's big opening! Some of these poor guys came up a little early and, although we never pressure volunteers to stick around in rough weather, we appreciate them sticking out the vacillating temperature to keep the Garden looking gorgeous.












I could live under this tree forever if it just keeps smelling so good.
















It's also selfish to think that just because volunteers haven't been coming that the garden has been unoccupied.
















I'm sure our winter caretaker won't mind sharing with us once the season starts up. Until then, he has full reign.
















Raspberries and Rhubarb, what more can I say? Ginkgo you make me greedy.
















More to come on our improving water collection system in weeks to come. OH! AND DON'T FORGET THAT TOMORROW, APRIL 7, IS THE SEASON'S OFFICIAL START DATE! COME ONE COME ALL!

starting seeds at kilbourn

 On St. Patrick's Day, Dave, Annie, John, and I spent a few hours starting seeds at Kilbourn Organic Greenhouse.

I brought along the seedlings of De Cicco Broccoli and Copenhagen Market cabbage that I had started on my windowsill. We transferred the seedlings in their peat pots to larger containers.

The day's results:

Tomatoes

Beam Yellow - 8

Blonde Cherry - 8

Brandywine - 12

Kellog's Calabash - 10

Mystery A - 16

Mystery B - 27

Old German - 24

Orange Banana - 24

Oxheart - 12

Purple Calabash - 24

Variety C - 24

Variety E - 24

Wapsipinnicon Peach- 24

Sweet Peppers

Bull Nose - 6

Chocolate Beauty - 24

Mini Red Bells - 10

Orange Bells - 16

Wisconsin Lakes - 8

Yankee Bell - 8

Hot Peppers

Fatali - 28

Habanero - 24

Serrano - 30

Beaver Dam - 8

Miscellaneous

Basil - 26

Beets - 24

Broccoli - 16

Cabbage - 22

Chives - 6

Collards - 24 Georgia Southern, 24 Champion

Dinosaur Kale - 8

Eggplant - 6 Purple Pickling, 24 Japanese

Swiss Chard - 12

once again

O sweet spontaneous
earth how often have
the
doting

          fingers of
prurient philosophers pinched
and
poked
thee
, has the naughty thumb
of science prodded
thy

     beauty       . how
often have religions taken
thee upon their scraggy knees
squeezing and

buffeting thee that thou mightest conceive
gods
         (but
true
to the incomparable
couch of death thy
rhythmic
lover
   
         thou answerest



them only with
                   
                        spring)


--e. e. cummings

seed

 On Monday, most of the "steering committee" of Ginkgo Organic Gardens met to plan the approaching season.  We learned that we had more money in various garden accounts than many of us had though. Hopes quickened that we might be able to make much-needed repairs in the garden that we had been delaying. Some of us spent the money several times over in our heads during the course of the meeting. We talked of replacing our fencing; regrading the washed out area in the back of the property; and replanting the front garden.

I brought out the seed packets that I had been storing in the crisper of my refrigerator. Dave distributed seed catalogs. Susan took notes as we described projects.

In the middle of March, we will meet at the Kilbourn Organic Greenhouse to start our tomato and pepper seedlings. Meanwhile, a few of us agreed to start broccoli and cabbage at home, hoping for better results with these crops this year if we start our brassicas indoors early.

This afternoon, I laid out 48 fiber pots of De Cicco Broccoli and Copenhagen Market Cabbage, arranging them on windowsills in my condo. I poked holes a quarter-inch deep in potting soil that was still chilled from being out on the back deck. I then dropped in the tiny seeds, listening to Kate Bush singing about snow, thinking about winter and spring.

and on my pillow
dead leaves
and bits of twisted branches
and frozen garden

Snow Storm

As mild as this winter has been, Ginkgo wears it well.
While the rest of the city trudges through the glop dropped overnight, Ginkgo bats an eyelash and strikes a pose.