The first day

In the last few days, I've run around all over the place to find seeds I want to try, getting some new compost, and going through left-over seeds from last year. This morning, after waking up restless and early, I finally got my hands in the dirt. I mixed some potting soil, compost and water, sorted out my seeds, made labels out of old chopsticks and masking tape, and filled three flats with seeds.

This garden is not going to be a work of art. This is a rental propert, I will probably not be living here for more than another year or two. Over the last couple of years we've reclaimed more and more of it from lawn and weeds, but they keep creeping back over the property line. This garden is more experimental in nature, an education in what I can grow, how, where, how cheaply. I'm in many cases riffing off of How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons, and getting advice from every other source I can mine. I made a spreadsheet today, to keep track of my varieties and their productivity. I cannot express how unlike me this is.

Last year I went to a lady's permaculture farm, and she gave us all some of her seeds. Multicolored corn, painted beans, and what I have started calling the Tuscan Wonder Bean. I planted three beans last August, to propigate seeds. They took about three days to sprout and were still making more beans in late October. I have since given some of them away, and one girl grew them at her apartment's one window, in the winter--she's gotten beans too. These are the spiritual core of my garden.

Along with ordinary garden beds, I'm going to be experimenting with community planting, growing potatoes in bags, planting a bean curtain to shade the outside of my bedroom, growing ginger indoors. I have grand plans.

I'm starting this blog for a few reasons. I want to keep myself accountable to recording my progress. I hope I can provide a bit of education or vicarious pleasure for those of you who can't or haven't started serious gardens. There will be pictures very soon, and perhaps later there will be sketches or paintings. Along with the progress of the garden, be assured that later in the season there will be recipes and pictures of food, and probably pictures and information from other community and conservation projects I am involved in.

Happy spring,

Acer