Guerrilla gardening

Been busy gardening here on Caruthers Street in the last two days. It's been drizzling steadily. Great spring planting weather.

Median Planter No. 2
In front of my house in the median strip, I've pulled out the grass and dug in some stepping stones. Next to that, around our poorly located Birch tree, I put in another planter. It's made with the last of the wood from our old basement stairs, which, I must say, have certainly been efficiently recycled.

I moved some species cannas from our main flower bed to this new little planter. Hopefully, they'll be full of tropical red flowers all summer and come back year after year. I also plan to put in some Black-Eyed Susans, which are perenials as well. With any luck, they'll tumble over the edges full of yellow flowers. Purple cone flowers, AKA Echinacia, are another option.

Guerrilla gardening
I cut out this article a few years back from Adbusters. It was mostly photos, of course, and featured this guy who dug out a brick from the sidewalk, or maybe cut a hole in the pavement. Whatever. In the new hole, he planted something. Can't remember what. Just something.

Anyway, I liked the idea of guerilla gardening, of reclaiming the paved world, dirtying the dominant paradigm. So to that end, I've been trying to plant some flowers in the parking lot next door.

Last summer, I tried to plant calendula flowers in the tiny strip of mud between the asphalt and our fence. The soil was bone dry and rock hard, but I dug and enriched it, then put in seeds under some straw mulch. Unfortunately, there's a crew of highly efficient Mexican landscapers who regularly clean off the lot with a leaf blower, and they eventually dispersed my mulch and seeds.

This year, I'm starting early. Today, I dug some established calenduals from our main flower bed and transfered them to the little muddy wasteland. I also formed little mud "walls" around them to hold in some water. Their chances of survival for the whole season seem slim, but I have my fingers crossed. I may make a sign asking, "Por favor no mata los flores!" or "Estas plantas aqui son flores. Por favor, no las mata."

Sowing seed
In my little yogurt cups and butter tubs I've planted some seeds:

Zucchini
"Zucchino Verde di Milano" (Cucurbita pepo)
Seeds are two years old, from Italy, La Semiorto Sementi brand; they may not germinate.

Peppers
"Doux d'Espagne sel. Giapponese" (Capsicum annum)
Long red bell peppers. Seeds are two years old, from Italy, La Semiorto Sementi brand; they may not germinate.

Eggplant
"Long Purple" (Solanum melongena esculentum)
"Asian" variety of long, rather than egg-shaped, fruits. Lilly Miller brand. One year old seeds.

Squash
"Delicata"
From seeds saved in fall 2004. Variety unknown.

Tomatos
"Pompeii" F-1
Imported tomato variety of long, pointed, red fruits grown for sauces. Renee's Garden brand. Non-GMO.

"Zebra Stripe" (maybe)
Heritage variety. Green friuts with dark stripes, turning more yellow when as they ripen. Seeds saved in fall 2004.

Yellow cherry
A "cherry" tomato from seeds saved fall 2004. Fruits are numerous, very small & bright yellow. Sweet flavor.

Peas
"Oregon Giant"
Edible pod snow peas. Same seeds were planted at the Reed garden. Two year old seeds. Renee's Garden brand. Non-GMO.