Pees in weeds at Reed
Peas and weeds at Reed
So Thursday, which was, um, the 10th of March, I rode my bike out to the community garden at Reed College. It was almost evening. The sun was going down, and I had to rush to beat the fading light. In a frenzy, I began ripping weeds out along with their roots. I don't use tools--just squat down, get a firm grip, and pull hard. Not so great for my back, but better than bent hoeing. So...
Kales
I cleared around my kales (Russian & Italian), which were planted last fall and survived the winter, healthy & happy. They're about a foot tall each, but I've only got five left. Slugs ate the other three babies when they were first planted.
Peas
I cleared out the long narrrow bed for my peas, right down to the bare earth. Fluffed the soil with a spade, and neatly planted two rows of snow peas (Oregon Edible Pod variety, or something like that). Also put in a row of some European heritage green peas that my friend Heidi gave me when she left the country. The water at the garden has not been turned on yet; so I had to sprinkle the rows with water from my drinking bottle.
The peas are some sort of French "small rustic 'country style' dwarf pea" called "Piccolo Provenzale." La Semiorto Sementi brand. Two year old seeds; so they may not germinate.
Plastic
Last fall I scavenged a few rolls of black plastic from someone throwing them out. People use them to cover the soil and kill weeds, as well as dry out the ground a little. Walking around the garden, I'll come upon a whole plot entirely covered in shiny black plastic. It looks compulsively neat and obsessively controlling. I find it rather appealingly tidy, yet at the same time, deeply perverse.
Anyway... I spread out some sheets of plastic to control the fresh new spring weeds in the beds I won't be digging for a while. The unfortunate result looks, sad to say, kind of post apocalyptic, as though Mad Max liked to garden.
Up next
This week, I'll be starting Arugula, Turnips, bok choy, and chinese mustard, all of them for the greens.
So Thursday, which was, um, the 10th of March, I rode my bike out to the community garden at Reed College. It was almost evening. The sun was going down, and I had to rush to beat the fading light. In a frenzy, I began ripping weeds out along with their roots. I don't use tools--just squat down, get a firm grip, and pull hard. Not so great for my back, but better than bent hoeing. So...
Kales
I cleared around my kales (Russian & Italian), which were planted last fall and survived the winter, healthy & happy. They're about a foot tall each, but I've only got five left. Slugs ate the other three babies when they were first planted.
Peas
I cleared out the long narrrow bed for my peas, right down to the bare earth. Fluffed the soil with a spade, and neatly planted two rows of snow peas (Oregon Edible Pod variety, or something like that). Also put in a row of some European heritage green peas that my friend Heidi gave me when she left the country. The water at the garden has not been turned on yet; so I had to sprinkle the rows with water from my drinking bottle.
The peas are some sort of French "small rustic 'country style' dwarf pea" called "Piccolo Provenzale." La Semiorto Sementi brand. Two year old seeds; so they may not germinate.
Plastic
Last fall I scavenged a few rolls of black plastic from someone throwing them out. People use them to cover the soil and kill weeds, as well as dry out the ground a little. Walking around the garden, I'll come upon a whole plot entirely covered in shiny black plastic. It looks compulsively neat and obsessively controlling. I find it rather appealingly tidy, yet at the same time, deeply perverse.
Anyway... I spread out some sheets of plastic to control the fresh new spring weeds in the beds I won't be digging for a while. The unfortunate result looks, sad to say, kind of post apocalyptic, as though Mad Max liked to garden.
Up next
This week, I'll be starting Arugula, Turnips, bok choy, and chinese mustard, all of them for the greens.
posted by "Farmer" John at 11:49 PM
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