Eagle-Tribune Blogs: Yard Dirt

Here’s this week’s column, voicing my frustrations at trying to build “no dig” gardens following instructions on the Internet:

“Hay is for horses … not my garden”

There is an epilogue to this story. I had a chat today with Tom Stachulski, store manager of Dodge Grain Co. in Salem, N.H.

That’s an Agway, though not my local one, and it turns out they do carry bales of alfalfa hay.

And that’s not all. Tom also had a theory as to why the poor guy at my local store suggested horse feed. Lucerne is not just the British word for alfalfa, it also happens to be the name of a company that makes horse feed — including Dengie Hi-Fi.

Not confusing enough? The Lucerne company also makes a mulch that some people use in their yards.

Moral of this story: It’s worth making calls until you get somebody like Tom on the phone. Not only did he know what I was looking for, I told him what I was trying to do and he helped me think it through. He suggested newspapers over cardboard, but otherwise said I’m on the right track. I think I’ve found a new organic gardening guru!

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I’m pulling this up from the comments because I think it’s such a clever idea, I don’t want anybody to miss it:

Hi Julie:
I had never seen the “yard dirt column/blog” until today when I was reading the G.D.T. online, what a great way to share and receive some great information! Please allow me to introduce myself, I work @ Neptune’s Harvest, We are an organic fish fertilizer company in Gloucester, MA.

Anyway, I noticed you where a little concerned about chipmunks getting into your garden thru the chi fence and thought I would offer a suggestion. One way to rid them is to sprinkle crabshell as a top dressing around the plant itself, (about 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 inches should do it), you will find that they won’t be around the plants again. Chipmunks and other critters alike do not like the way it feels on their paws when they start crawling on it, so as a result they stay away! I have a lot of positive feedback from customers who have already tried this. Hope I was able to help.
Good Luck - Maribeth

p.s.: Crabshell comes in 12/lb pails and 50/lb bags. Crabshell is really nothing more than crushed up crabshell.

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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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