Good Sugestions

[Guest guest]

On Friday, January 24, 2003, at 11:16 AM,

wrote:

 

> Message: 20

> Fri, 24 Jan 2003 11:52:58 -0500

> Pat Meadows <pat

> Re: Gardens Are a Joy

>

> On Thu, 23 Jan 2003 12:34:27 -0600, you wrote:

>

>> Anna,

>>

>> I envy you the garden. Grew up with a big one in our yard, and it was

>> always wonderful food we got from it. However, where we live now one is

>> not permitted, due to zoning ordinances, to plant edible plants in one's

>> back yard. Flowers? No problem. (What idiocy this represents I cannot

>> fathom.)

>

> I would move. Seriously. I would move. Is it zoning, or a

> homeowner's association?

 

No covenant, just the town's laws. Nebraska is control freak country, the

only monocameral state in the country and naturally all Republican.

 

> It's difficult for me to believe

> that any place would have such restrictive zoning, but I

> suppose it's possible. In either case, I'd move.

 

It's never that easy, and I've moved 15 times in 13 years so we're not

eager to do it again.

>

> Our FIRST priority when we bought this house was that it not

> be subject to a homeowner's association.

 

Very good idea.

>

> Our SECOND priority was that it have enough land (and flat

> enough - in actual fact, our yard is gently sloping - ideal)

> for me to have a large garden.

 

You're lucky to have such choices.

>

> The THIRD priority was that we be able to fence the back

> yard and have enough room for large dogs to run and play.

 

we have terriers but yes, and kids, too.

>

> Then the other criteria dealt with the actual house

> itself...

>

> However, I had a wonderful container garden on my deck last

> year (in addition to the 'big garden' in the back yard).

> The container garden produced beautifully, an abundance of

> veggies - maybe you could do something like this?

 

We've considered this, but the neighbors tend to turn you in for anything

they can. As I say, fascist place.

*sigh* I figure soon the whole country will be this way anyhow, with

spying and informants everywhere. Welcome to the United Soviet Socialst

States of America, the USSA. (Been calling it that ever since October

2002, when the Constitution was suspended. Democracy, well, democratic

republicanism actually, had died earlier, yet still no one seems to care,

or even much notice.)

>

> We had found a bunch of big black (not pretty) plant pots

> that were being thrown away (found 'em at a dumpster). I

> filled them with spent-mushroom soil (which we can buy

> reasonably cheap here). Top soil mixed with peat moss and

> dried manure would also do well.

 

Yes, we've done this before, with raised bed boxes made from railroad ties.

Not here, though.

>

> These are the things I grew in containers last year:

>

> * Swiss chard

> * green leaf lettuce

> * romaine

> * collard greens

> * green peppers

> * hot peppers

> * one Yellow Pear (cherry-sized) tomato (the rest of the

> tomatoes were in the 'big garden' in the yard)

> * bok choy - this is easy to grow

> * basil

> * beets

>

> I could have grown many more vegetables in containers if I

> didn't have the in-ground garden.

 

You'd flip if you ever saw my uncle's garden in California, in the San

Joachim valley. His back yard has everything from the traditional garden

vegetables to corn and so on, and also he's got a huge herb garden to one

side of the place. Amazing, and he reclaimed it all from a parking lot

some jerk had stored his old junkers in, too.

 

>

> Container gardening has a lot of pluses - easier to tend,

> you get more per square foot planted, the plants tend to do

> better, etc.

>

> Maybe you could do something like this?

 

Might just give this serious thought, I'll have to see what my wife says,

she's the main gardener usually.

>

> Pat

> --

> Pat Meadows

>

The lights of stars that were extinguished ages ago still reach us. So it

is

with great men who died centuries ago, but still reach us with the

radiation of their personalities.

-Kahlil Gibran, poet and artist (1883-1931)