“Overcrowding is not just a problem for cities and schools”

At least now we’ve got a lot of green beans. This is just one little sample. There are still whole sections of the green bean crop I haven’t touched yet. We’re running out of room in the refrigerator.

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A few weeks ago I wrote about the weeds that are taking over my flower gardens and how I’m not even going to try to keep up. Here’s a visual:

Here’s last week’s column about my pea plants.

Fresh off the vine, then the moment’s passed

I got this picture of a pea pod when I wrote the column, back when the wrinkles were just starting to show up.

Sadly, the peas are completely done now. They got all shriveled and yellow. This weekend when I was weeding the vegetable garden I pulled up the vines and took down the string trellis.

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First, the full story can be found here:

“Where the wild things are: a yard corner goes unmowed”

And here it is:

If anybody knows what those tall, skinny plants are in the first photo, I’d love to know!

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“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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“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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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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Here’s the first installment, including a photo of my family:

Back in the dirt: New season of yard work, gardening comes with challenge of caring for a brand-new baby girl

The column is moving from Wednesdays to Sundays in the Eagle-Tribune. I’ll also be posting links on the blog.

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The Growing Green Group has invited Chip Osborne to speak about
organic lawn care. Chip and Pat Beckett started the living lawn project in Marblehead (www.livinglawn.org). The event will be held at the Rockport High School Performing Arts Auditorium March 20th
at 7:00 P.M. Please come celebrate the first day of Spring to learn more about being truly green! Any questions call Mary Mintz @ 978-546-2155

Chip and Pat are fantastic. I learned more about growing a lawn from attending one of their programs than from all the books and Web sites I’ve read on the topic. If you can’t make it to Rockport (Mass.) for this one, watch their Web site for other programs North of Boston. It’s worth it.

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It’s been an intense winter for me. My first child, a baby girl, was born Dec. 16 and she’s just finally sleeping through the night (most of the time).

All winter I’ve watched snow pile up on my lawn and garden, melt, and pile up again. At times my garden gnome was completely buried. Here is is this weekend, after the latest storm … chilly little man:

The sun is warm today, though, and my soggy brown lawn is soaking it up everywhere the snow has melted. And this morning I noticed the first little green blades of bulb flowers poking through the soil in my garden beds. Last fall is somewhat of a blur, but I think — and hope — those are the new crocuses I planted.

If my baby stays down for her nap a little longer, I may place my seed order today. Let the gardening season begin!!!

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I honestly thought we were the only ones who worried what the neighbors might think of a husband who lets his wife do outdoor chores (when she’s pregnant, no less) while he’s nowhere to be seen.

Not true!

One friend said sometimes in the winter she comes home from a day of working at a desk and wants nothing more than to pick up a shovel and dig into the snow, just because it feels good. Her husband begs her to please just go sit down inside and let him do it — he’s afraid of what the neighbors will think of him!

Someone else mentioned that there would indeed be something worse than my husband sitting on the stoop watching his pregnant wife mow the lawn, perhaps sipping a beer. It would be worse if he was sitting there with a group of his buddies, all sipping beer, listening to a Red Sox game on the radio and pointing out when I missed a spot. So true. I’m not even going to mention that to him because, knowing his buddies, they’d think it was a great idea.

Anyway, regardless of what the neighbors think, I’m happy to see green returning to the dormant lawn. Here’s a photo from a few days ago of the backyard. Do you see the green creeping in? Maybe just a little?

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