Springtime in the Garden
Sep. 26th, 2007 08:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebeccmeisterOkay, I realize that it isn't spring right now. In fact, it's fall, at the opposite end of the seasons.
But when it comes to planting and growing things in Arizona, one must think a bit differently about when to do so relative to other parts of the country. The worst of the summer heat appears to finally be breaking, and so I've planted a few small things that will grow well outside for a few months, or hopefully through the whole winter: some cilantro, basil, chives, and parsley. So far, the basil has sprung up quite quickly, and the chives followed shortly behind. Just in the past day or two, the cilantro has been popping out of the soil as well, but the parsley is still nowhere to be seen. The instructions on the seed packet recommended soaking the parsley for 24 hours before planting, and I'm afraid I accidentally over-soaked the seeds. There's still time, though--I've never tried to grow parsley before, so I don't really know what to expect.
The chives have been the most interesting so far--even before I spotted tiny green shoots in the dark brown soil, I came home one day to find the surface of the soil scraped away. I don't know who did it, but something clearly thought the baby chives looked tasty. I replaced the soil and the small leaves started to poke through again a few days later. Then the same process happened all over again. Now I've put a cover over the pot, so that hopefully the wee plants can get better established before the pot turns into some other animal's snack bar again. Those are MY snacks, animals! Hands off!
I'm still reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which has been enjoyable inasmuch as it is a celebration of the things we can grow in our own small gardens. I particularly appreciate how smoothly Kingsolver is able to transition between telling the stories of the various plants she's growing and talking about how her small project fits in with a broader perspective on where our food comes from. It's pleasant to switch from a book that hops and jumps all over the world to a book that resides in one place and takes time to observe the seasons and the various botanical treats that accompany them (even if those seasons are quite different from what we experience here). It also makes me wish I could expand my wee garden, but in the very least it will inspire me to spend more time working with the compost pile and my small worm bin efforts.
But when it comes to planting and growing things in Arizona, one must think a bit differently about when to do so relative to other parts of the country. The worst of the summer heat appears to finally be breaking, and so I've planted a few small things that will grow well outside for a few months, or hopefully through the whole winter: some cilantro, basil, chives, and parsley. So far, the basil has sprung up quite quickly, and the chives followed shortly behind. Just in the past day or two, the cilantro has been popping out of the soil as well, but the parsley is still nowhere to be seen. The instructions on the seed packet recommended soaking the parsley for 24 hours before planting, and I'm afraid I accidentally over-soaked the seeds. There's still time, though--I've never tried to grow parsley before, so I don't really know what to expect.
The chives have been the most interesting so far--even before I spotted tiny green shoots in the dark brown soil, I came home one day to find the surface of the soil scraped away. I don't know who did it, but something clearly thought the baby chives looked tasty. I replaced the soil and the small leaves started to poke through again a few days later. Then the same process happened all over again. Now I've put a cover over the pot, so that hopefully the wee plants can get better established before the pot turns into some other animal's snack bar again. Those are MY snacks, animals! Hands off!
I'm still reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which has been enjoyable inasmuch as it is a celebration of the things we can grow in our own small gardens. I particularly appreciate how smoothly Kingsolver is able to transition between telling the stories of the various plants she's growing and talking about how her small project fits in with a broader perspective on where our food comes from. It's pleasant to switch from a book that hops and jumps all over the world to a book that resides in one place and takes time to observe the seasons and the various botanical treats that accompany them (even if those seasons are quite different from what we experience here). It also makes me wish I could expand my wee garden, but in the very least it will inspire me to spend more time working with the compost pile and my small worm bin efforts.
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Parsley germination
Date: 2007-09-27 02:51 am (UTC)-Mom
no subject
Date: 2007-09-27 11:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-28 03:09 am (UTC)I'll bet we aren't thinking the exact same thoughts about it.
So, what do you think about Kingsolver's arguments against GMOs?