My Urban Garden 11-22-09: Clematis in November

I was raking leaves this evening when I noticed that my clematis was still blooming.  I also noticed blossoms in my strawberry patch. 

Usually, at this time of year, my goldfish barely want to eat, even on warm days.  A few of the larger ones might nibble on a pellet or two.  All a part of getting ready for winter.  But these last two weeks they’ve been gobbling down food as if it’s still summer.

It doesn’t do much good to put too much faith in Ohio weather; but I am hoping for a mild winter.

 

My Urban Garden 8-24-09: Tomatoes, Green Peppers, and Eggplants

Now that I’m growing vegetables all I have to do now is learn how to cook them.

For the last few weeks, I’ve had little tomatoes to put in my salads.  This weekend I sliced the larger tomatoes and, along with basil, red onions, romaine lettuce, cheese and fresh marble rye, enjoyed the most satisfying veggie sandwiches.

But I’m going to have to find recipes for the eggplants and green peppers.  This will finally motivate me to look through all my dusty stacks of cooking magazines.

No way am I letting all this free food go to waste. 

Of course, it would be easier if my oven wasn’t on the fritz.

My Urban Garden Journal 8-7-09: Squirrels Steal Strawberries

Lately I’ve had a problem with squirrels raiding my strawberry patch.

Tonight I came home and one immediately darted along the fence, running away with what should have been my juicy, red snack.

And they only snatch the ripe ones too.  I guess I’ll have to start picking them earlier.

My Urban Garden 7-30-09: Salvaged Brick Path

 

What was once the exterior of a house is now a path in my back garden.  I’m so pleased how it turned out.  When the apartment building across the street is finally demolished I might salvage enough wheelbarrow-fuls to extend the path into my side garden. 

My Urban Garden Journal: Let me get dirty.

I spent most of the day weeding and pruning the front garden.  Pulling weeds after a heavy rain is therapuetic.  The roots tend to just slide out whole.  Sure, I came across an ant colony that didn’t take too kindly to my extracting/intruding and swarmed all over my arms and legs.   But, overall, it was rewarding.  Hard work doesn’t seem so hard when I can get dirty and messy while doing it.  For some reason digging around in the dirt is what’s gotten me in the gardening spirit this year, more so than the flowers.  Not only do I appreciate getting dirt underneath my fingernails but all over my shirt and pants too.

I fit the segments of brick edging that I salvaged from the demolition site together into a weird jigsaw of a border along my driveway.   I need about eight more feet.  The pieces are there at the site, but in lengths too long and heavy to lift into my car trunk.  I’ve been waiting these last couple of weeks for one of the bulldozers to plow into the remaining edging and break it into smaller, lighter chunks.

I have so many perrenial herbs in my front garden that I’m not using.  There’s chives, thyme, sage, oregano, mint and dill.  Dill is listed as an annual, but it’s proven to be a perennial–a very invasive perrenial.  It even grows out of the cracks in my driveway.  I wish I could establish a bartering system with a local restaurant.  I supply them with herbs, and I get a free meal once a week.  I’d be happy with a large bowl of soup.

Urban Garden Photos 5-8-09: Solomon’s Seal

Urban Garden Photo 5-4-09:Fern

Urban Garden Photo 5-3-09: Bleeding Heart

My Urban Garden 10-5-08: Water Lily Pad Pile Up and Goldfish

Next year I’ll have to learn how to divide water lilies.  Last season they started outgrowing their container, and this year they’ve started outgrowing the pond.  If I knew someone else with a pond, I’d give them my extras.  I’ve seen the ponds in front of megachurches and suburban office buildings and have wondered if there was a way I could sneak in and do a little guerilla water gardening.

There’s also close to forty goldfish of various sizes swimming around in my little pond.  I’m going to have to find a new home for most of them too.

Actually, I’d like to build a larger pond.

What’s interesting is watching the sparrows hop on top of the lily pads and use them as mini-birdbaths.

My Urban Garden 9-22-08: Two Praying Mantises on Limelight Hydrangea