Compost Cowgirls

There have been a lot of changes since last year’s growing season for me.

This winter, my husband and I bought a new house.  We weren’t really looking, but we weren’t really NOT looking either… you know, checking out the MLS every once in a while, dreaming of more space and a bigger garden.

You know what they say: careful what you wish for!  We found our dream house, a beautiful old house in Prospect Park.  It had been empty for a few years and needed some TLC, but the price was right.

But while we were dealing with plumbers, electricians, heating contractors, and mold abatement companies, I was itching to get out to the garden!  The biggest selling point for me was the gorgeous yard, with a screened-in porch, giant arbor, and huge pond.  I could not wait to see what would come up, and learn a little bit about water gardening and koi!

As we met more of our neighbors, we learned that the former owners were avid gardeners, hosting the neighborhood garden club, and even appearing in a gardening magazine.  Suddenly, it seemed like a lot to live up to.  Plus, the front yard is shaded by some magnificent big trees and I know nothing about shade plants.  And what was I thinking, adding a big pond to the list of things to learn about and take care of??!?!

Panic was setting in.

So we’re trying to take things one step at a time.  We had the guys from Definitive Aquarium come out to get our pond cleaned up and repaired.

Working pond, plus gorgeous redbud!

What a treat!  The running water is so peaceful and already two toads have made their home among it’s banks (we love to hear them chirping at night).  I’m not yet brave enough to add koi, we still need a lesson on pond maintenance.  But it won’t be long!

There is a lot of work to do but it will surely be rewarding.  I’m excited to make this garden a showpiece again but I’m intimidated about all that needs to be done.  And I’ll be looking to you, readers to help me identify some mystery plants.  I know there are some gems hidden among the weeds!

Seeds amaze me. Within these small ships, large cargo looms. Without seeds, our earth, our lives would be so different. Without them, no linen trousers or cotton t-shirts. No honey to put in my coffee. No coffee. No plants to feed the animals, so no ice cream or cheese. Without seeds, there is no bacon.

New seeds meant a great germination rate

This is where I go in my mind when I plant seeds every spring. The promise of tomatoes, basil, chilies, and Shirley poppies beckon each year. I always try new things, often flowers that I can’t readily find. This year, a mix of pink zinnias,  penstemon, a new coreopsis, Columbine flabellata and ‘Mrs. Scott Elliot.’ Sunflowers go in the ground when it’s warm enough, chard and carrots a bit earlier.

These penstemon need new homes

I keep old six-packs for planting and grow it all under two 4-foot shop lights propped up on phone books on the floor. For some things, I use a seedmat which keeps things around 75 degrees.  I use soilless potting mix and water from the bottom, placing the packs in a tray of water. Even though I’ve been doing this for about 20 years, I nearly always forget to check for dryness at least once and things wilt. I had to re-start the zinnias this year because I killed off many of them.

Two sizes of cells help the wee plants thrive

I love the process of potting on, or teasing apart the tiny seedlings and putting individual ones in cells of their own. I usually listen to music or a book on CD; this year, a spy novel set in Greece during WWII kept me company. My tools are low-tech: a spoon to fill up the packs and a cheap seed-company paring knife I’ve had since I can’t remember. (f you grew up on a farm, you can see this knife in your mind’s eye now.)

The 'Shirley' poppies now have growing room

In about four weeks, I’ll begin to “harden off” the plants by putting them outside for a bit at a time, getting them used to the intense sun and wind. Every day, they spend more time outside. Then, after about 10 days, I’ll gently tap them out and put them in the garden proper, talking to them all the time, introducing them to their neighbors, assuring them of great things to come.

Such as home-grown tomatoes on a late-summer BLT. With seeds, all things are possible.

At first, I thought it was me. When I first grew tulips, they were smaller every year, decreasing in size and number. Then I found out it’s them. I learned to let them grow for about three seasons, then replace them. Happily, breeders have been creating new tulips for a very long time, so I can always try something new.

Tulips, mid-April

Last fall, I decided to put in a lot of tulips in a small space. There was a time when I thought 25 bulbs was an extravagance. Hey, when you’re putting yourself through college, tuition does indeed trump plants. When I order a good chunk of bulbs, I like to plant them in clumps instead of singles here and there, or in an appalling straight line. (OK, I’ve only seen this twice, but still! A straight line of tulips lining a sidewalk?) Last fall, I ordered 50 ‘Ouillile’ and 20 ‘Negrita.’ I thought the contrast between the light pink and dark purple would work well. I also made sure to get bulbs that bloom at the same time.

The bulbs came, and I will just admit right here I lost sleep trying to figure out how to exactly distribute the bulbs so each group of seven would have the same number of light and dark bulbs. (I tend to like things even, lined up, and tidy.) Finally, in a gesture of amazing, willful carelessness, I mixed them all up and put in 10 groups of seven bulbs each.

The contrast, it works, no?

The light ones are the “Ouillile’ and the darker are ‘Negrita.’ At first, I thought the ‘Ouillile’ were a disappointing buy: they are rather grayish and dull. Twenty-four hours later, they darken and get that beautiful white edge. A keeper.

'Ouillile' at first blush and later, better

This bank of dirt is a mower's width from my garden.

Hello spring! Hello neighbor! Thanks for fixing your retaining wall! Three weeks ago, I couldn’t be more surprised at the weather and at our neighbors.

Neighbors: Mind if we use your yard to finish our project?

Me: Of course! Thank you for fixing your wall! (It’s been learning backwards 10 degrees and crumbling into our lawn for 10 years.) Let me know what we can do to help!

Today, the wall is still a mound of dirt and mud. I have lost my chipper attitude. In an ideal world, the wall would be completed. We’d share a celebratory beer and I’d plant my beds without fear of heavy machinery killing my cool season herbs and veggies. Win, win, win.

Instead, their project delays are delaying my projects. To add insult to injury, they’ve started planting in their garden. See the black fence in the background?

So, what does one do? Be “Minnesota nice” and silently seethe as the growing season slips away? (They are doing us a favor after all, right?) Or, put on my project manger hat and ask for timelines? (This may offend their Minnesota, no?) With an infant, I don’t have a lot of free time to lend a hand, but I can buy beer to build bridges…