We received
twelve inches of snow earlier in the week, and yesterday we had well over a
foot with steady wind. The snow blower
could barely manage the depth and I had to shovel out our gas tanks that were
buried.
A year ago we moved from our cabin in the woods to a more manageable home.
We loved our cabin, but heating with
firewood, and the physical requirements of maintaining our place during the
Maine winters, was getting a little much for an octogenarian.
The downside
of living surrounded by woods was there was never enough sunlight to grow a
garden. I missed gardening.
The place we
now live in has a large open front yard with plenty of sunlight. This spring I intend to plant a starter garden
– something small, just a few plants.
Along with the prospect of fresh vegetables, a garden gives me something
to plan during the dark days of winter.
For the first time in years, I am ordering seed catalogues and watching YouTube bits about gardening. I am not planning to plant an extensive garden or build raised beds. Just limited planting in containers and grow-bags. Grow-bags are something new, and seem ideal for an urban gardener.
Our yard is
full of ants. It is my belief that when
man finally manages to bring total destruction of surface life on earth, it
will be the ants, not the cockroaches that survive. By using grow-bags, I can plant on our steps,
in our parking area and avoid an ant problem.
I am
thinking about planting one zucchini and one yellow squass (zucchini produce
all summer), three tomato plants (one cherry, one determinant and one
indeterminant), a cucumber plant, radishes and a large planter with herbs. But in my mind, the garden keeps getting
bigger.
Maine has a
short growing season so I will buy tomato plants; but I am also thinking about
purchasing a small greenhouse to start seeds and seedlings early. When we lived subsistence, off-the-grid,
while attending college, I started my plants in solar heated hot-boxes that I
designed, and had plants producing weeks earlier that the locals.
 |
| $39.00 at Tractor Supply |
Maybe I’ll
grow some carrots. Scallions are a necessity. Then there are peppers - I like peppers; I understand potatoes
grow well in grow-bags, and so does lettuce, eggplant, broccoli, beets, bush
beans - I have heard you can grow corn
in grow bags - broccoli and cauliflower…
the
Ol’Buzzard
