square rectangle

I finally had some time to plant seeds in my raised bed today! I am attempting to use a method of gardening recommended to me by our friend Joey, who is an urban gardener in Los Angeles. I admit I didn't get the book, but if you go online to Square Foot Gardening Foundation they have a comprehensive tutorial right on their website. Joey uses this method and swears by it... I guessed on the planting by reading the back of the seed packets and using the online tutorial. I also used less seeds. Now that I am a graduated novice, I realize using 3-4 seeds in every hole is unnecessary. The Square Foot method says to use 1 seed... I used 1-2 seeds but should have to thin less with this method. As you can see, I also do not have a square box, but I like to break the rules a little.

I used twine to mark off my square feet, hammering nails in to tie the twine to the side. I hammered the nails in halfway and then hammered them up to bend the nail in half. This way, the twine shouldn't slid off the nail. 

Pictured above: Making measurements; tying off the twine; diy Garden Marker for Summerlong Basil; Sowing seeds; Atomic Red carrot seeds - you can see little flecks of pink on the seed.

special delivery from BK to LA

I sent seeds to my dear friends Joey and Kate in LA who are also fellow gardeners and vegan microbiotic's. I sent a mix of macro and fun seeds like "Atomic Red" carrots. Happy gardening! 


Check out Kate's blog and her Mr.Kate jewelry line that we all love here in Brooklyn!  

babysitter needed for baby basil, will pay with beet juice

I can't believe it's only Monday. I'm glad it's only Monday because I have a lot to do this week. I am leaving on Thursday to vacation in Vietnam for 10 days. I need to line up a babysitter for my wee little bitty baby basil while I'm away.

My first batch of seed starter basil roasted next to the pipe that heats the upstairs apartment -- only one lone plant is pushing through. The second planting I started a week later, adding a plastic bag to create a greenhouse, those little basils are thriving! Removing bag because of a little mold build-up.

Other highlights to my Monday evening have been running around the yard with Mica after watering my outdoor seedlies; beet, carrot, ginger juice; and enjoying the last bit of my birthday flowers from my Jojo. I love the deep purple, such a gorgeous color!

parsley root, park benches and fresh juice

I started my weekend with juicing delicious orange juice and getting dirty in the yard. I planted container vegetables including an eclectic mix of cosmic purple carrots, southern collard greens and bok choy. 

Being dedicated to cleaning up our urban yard, I decided all the cement slabs that make up the pseudo-mosaic around the slate square patio need to be removed. I also cleaned up more cigarette butts and garbage that has accumulated since my last clean-up effort a month ago. Oh the joys of urban living! Apparently neighbors who live on the floors above think whatever goes our the window magically disappears into the clouds.

I had my furry friend keeping me company. Mica loves to tear around the yard to help aerate our "lawn." I say "lawn" because it's really just moss and renegade herbs that have scattered throughout the yard. Every foot or so there's a little patch of parsley oregano or dill. If I wasn't so disgusted with the leaching from what is under our topsoil, it would be quite the herb garden already!

Also pictured is some tentacled, dusty weeds, including a good-sized parsley root and the site of a future planter box.

blue curly dwarfs... smurfs?

Today marks the end of record rainfall for New York - yay!! I hauled my purchased bags of dirt to the backyard, gathered up my cigar box-o-seeds, broke in my new birthday gloves (thanks Mom!) and started some container plantings! I only planted in one container - dwarf blue curly kale (code for smurf food) and tomorrow morning I'll plant seeds in the remaining containers while the sun is out and warming up the dirt for the little seeds. 

Big thanks to the neighbors mom for giving us the containers! Coming up this week - planter boxes!!