Eagle-Tribune Blogs: Yard Dirt

My indoor seedlings are coming along nicely this year.

Here are the tomato sprouts:

And here are the purple basil, with tomato in the background.

I really like the combination of seed starter mix and sphagnum moss. These little guys went almost two weeks before I needed to water them — that soil really holds water!

The poblano pepper seedlings just popped out a couple days ago, two weeks after they were planted. I was afraid we had lost them! They’re coming up fast now, though.

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This week’s Yard Dirt column is about how I’m scrambling to make garden beds so I have a place to put all the things I want to grow.

“So many seedlings, so little space”

Two days ago I noticed the leaves on my shell pea plants have been nibbled a little. That means something has been sneaking through the chicken wire fence (chipmunks?). I’m so sad!

If the peas don’t survive, though, at least I’ll have more garden space.

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Here’s another great New York Times article:

“Moss Makes a Lush, No-Care Lawn”

A quote:

According to an informal survey by the American Society of Landscape Architects, many of its most prominent members predict that the use of native and drought-resistant plants like moss as a sustainable substitute for grass will be a major design trend of 2008. “We’re definitely seeing more creative plantings, and moss is a great one,” said Nancy C. Somerville, the organization’s executive vice president, who attributes the trend in part to environmentalism, and in particular to growing concerns about water in much of the country.

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Check out this interesting article in the New York Times today about the worldwide shortage of fertilizer for agriculture.

“The Food Chain: Shortages threaten farmers’ key tool, fertilizer”

It’s strange to think that people in many parts of the world are facing malnutrition because crops are suddenly so expensive, in part because of fertilizer prices, and yet the annual spring ritual of fertilizing our lawns is underway in the U.S. … at least in my neighborhood.

Sure, no individual (I hope) uses the amount of chemical fertilizer it would take to grow a commercial food crop. Still, the idea of using this scarce resource to grow grass seems wasteful and absurd to me this morning, after thinking about all the people who need it to eat.

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One of the best things about being a lawn and garden geek is that you can appreciate a dismal rainy April day. Isn’t today gorgeous?

I enjoyed all that sun, but the tender new grass in my lawn was getting thirsty. Yesterday it was looking a little yellow. And my lettuce didn’t seem to be growing. It was just sitting there. Now it’s so green I can see it from the window — it’s almost glowing!

Love that rain.

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This week’s Yard Dirt column is about my adventures starting seedlings for my veggie garden:

“This week’s lesson: It takes two hands to handle a seedling”

Here’s my messy kitchen counter during the planting process:

And here’s the baby right behind me being patient:

And then not so patient:

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It’s been a great week for yard work. I’ve miraculously been able to get outside in short bursts — thanks to my mom’s visit and a baby monitor with good range — and it’s been enough to make real progress.

My big project right now is tidying up the gardens in the front of my house. I’ve had a curl of plastic edging getting in the way in the garage since last spring. Yesterday I finally stuck it in the ground.

I also took the baby to the garden store Tuesday and we brought home two bags of hemlock mulch. I spread both bags yesterday during an afternoon nap.

The baby approves.

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In my column this week, I wrote about the clover I planted in my lawn last year (and also my unfortunate habit of spying on my neighbors’ lawns).

It’s Spring: Time to get in the game and check out the competition

It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who likes clover.

Here’s a comment posted to the blog:

Hi Julie, I live in the Newburyport area and like you, have discovered the joy of clover. Whilst my neighbor’s beautifully manicured lawns turned into straw last summer, mine remained green and lush. I too, am known as the crazy lady with the clover seed but this year my neighbors have stopped laughing at me and I think a few are headed to Essex Co Coop for some Velvet Mix and Clover!!
J True

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On Sunday I wrote about how nothing is happening yet in my garden:

“Yard Dirt: Backyard garden off to a slow, and messy, start”

Well, the seedlings have finally poked through. Here’s the leaf lettuce.

The lawn is waking up, too. Hooray for April showers and April sun!

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What a gorgeous day this turned out to be!!

I woke up at 6 a.m. with the baby and we listened to the rain. It was a good, steady garden-friendly rain, and it felt so cozy to be inside and awake when most people are sleeping.

The forecast called for raw, rainy weather all day so I wasn’t planning on going outside, but by late morning it was sunny and 60 degrees. Now it’s 70 and absolutely beautiful.

I did a bunch of garden clean-up this morning, and I’m just getting warmed up!

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