The Community Gardens - or, a Reprieve from the Patio

One of the first things I did after moving was apply to local community gardens.  After I filled out a dozen applications and made a handful of phone calls, I ended up with 2 spots: one in the Assurance Church Community Garden (where the low-land muckishness of it invites crayfish to play amongst the veggies) and the Cook Community Garden (where I'm learning about Piedmont clay in all its dry red glory).

Assurance CG is by far my favorite.  This is it's second year, and it's just about everything you imagine a church garden would be.  There are a handful of plots for folks in the area (most of whom attend the church), but those are really just there to sucker you into working in the much larger community garden part.  You know - the one where you grow bushels of tomatoes, squash, corn, watermelons, etc., and send it all off to the food pantry.  

I really love it.  I run into all sorts of interesting people who have all been snared into doing one thing or another (like set up the sprinkler system or pound in stakes or run the tiller).  I love knowing that the work I'm doing is very directly helping a serious local need.  I haven't yet met a single snob, and I've gone home more than once with handfuls of produce just by virtue of being around to help.  Did I mention I love it there?

Cook CG is aesthetically more pleasing, but I don't really care for the spirit of the place.  They're all about the rules.  I had to sign about 10 waivers and assorted contractual weirdness, one for me and each family member who  *might* come by to help.  There are rules about everything:

• Chemical use: they want to stay organic, but you can use "organic" chemicals.
• Weed control: no landscaping fabric allowed - no, seriously!  But you can use hay... not that I would because of all the hay seeds in hay...
• The number of pots you can have at your spot: no more than two!!!
• What type of plants you can have: evil spreading oregano is outlawed unless in a pot, but mint in the ground is OK.  No, seriously.
• Even composting: you're not allowed to throw weeds in the compost bin.  I understand not wanting dandelion heads in the compost bin, but no weeds allowed at all?!  How do they keep their green content up?  Again, yeah... seriously.

It was thoroughly explained to me that this was a "community" space and so I was expected to interact with others, keep my kids under control, keep my weeds under control, spend 10 supervised hours a year in the donation garden, not touch the sprinkler system, and be friendly.  Even as the whole interaction itself was rather unfriendly and businesslike.

The whole thing reeks of the bourgeoisie "look at me, look at me, I'm growing things" mentality that seems to frame a lot of the recent green movement.  Most of the people, with two exceptions, are older (boomer age) 9-5ers with no kids.   My first "community" day there, I felt like a dark cloud over their sunny spot because I had two young boys who like the mud and were loud and chased butterflies.

Even though a big part of the plan was to start establishing friendships - at which I've failed miserably - the bigger plan (playing in the mud, growing things, and keep Quinn and I outside and active every morning) is clipping along nicely.  And I've got photos to prove it.  But not until tomorrow.  I have to go hunt out that darn cable...

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A Word About Spiders

michiganspiders.blogspot.com

Let me preface this little rant by saying I don't hate spiders.  I actually kind of like them.  They're cool-looking and mostly mind their own business and eat lots and lots of pesky bugs.

In Michigan, we had lots of spiders: our two out-buildings and huge musty basement = dark-corner-loving, eight-legged-freak heaven.  Wolf spiders are the most common and bite a lot, but they're pretty harmless.  A stout heart and a quick hand are all that is needed to keep the creepy beasts at bay.

Here in North Carolina, there are lots of spiders... including the two most venomous in the United States.  Honestly, I don't worry too much; no one in the US has died from a spider bite in the last 10 years (unless from an allergic reaction to the bug).  And bites can be painful and cause damage, but it's pretty rare.

But lately, I feel like I'm under attack.  I've had spiders falling on my head while I'm in the bathroom, crawling on my computer unannounced, scurrying across my kitchen counter, and otherwise just surprising me and making me jump.  And the ones I'm talking about have all been different kinds.  I didn't recognize them - but at least that means they weren't poisonous.

But it's starting to freak me out!  Either this apartment was uninhabited longer than I thought, or the air being on has scared them out of hiding, or someone has cursed me!

I'm going to be proactive.  I'm going to vacuum the utilities closet, unscrew all the vents and vacuum them, spray the outside walkway and patio with alcohol to kill what's there, then spray every vent, door, and walkway leading into the apartment with a solution of 2% lavender oil mixed in water.  I'm going to hang lavender bunches at each point of entry.  And then I'm going to repeat the process every month from here on out!!!!

Now, if only there was such an easy solution to getting rid of the ants...

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Don't stick your toes in the holes and other lessons...

I’ve learned a few things about patio gardening, and southern gardening, that I didn’t know before.  For instance:

When you see a 8” mound of mud in the middle of your three sisters planting in your community garden plot, don’t stick your finger in it.  It’s not an anthill.  It’s a crayfish hole.  You know – the tiny lobsters with big claws? (No, the boys didn't get pinched, but someone yelled a warning at them before they could.)

It’s not a good idea to put a string between your seedling morning glories and the hummingbird feeder, led by some misconception that the birds will like the flowers and the cover.  It just turns into a trapeze for more ants than you knew were in 100 yards of you to climb up and invade the feeder.  And drop on your head while you’re drinking coffee.  

Running a hose from your kitchen sink to the patio is a much more efficient way to water your plants… but beware the tightening process.  Water is expensive in the south, and the squealing the pipes make when you’re not releasing the pressure except by leakage will have folks looking at your apartment with “Take cover!!!  It’s gonna blow!!!!” written all over their faces.  (Yes, that's my actual contraption.  A $5 connector on a $10 hose.  Totally worth it:D)

And speaking of neighbors and watering, have you ever wondered if some uptight businessman in an expensive suit three floors below you might sue because you accidently aimed a little too high when trying to water your red geraniums?  Creating a shower on the walkout three floors below?  I have.  Luckily, he ducked.  And I looked wicked contrite.  

But the learning process is paying off!  Check out today's view:

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King's Mountain Military Park

Sometimes, a good stiff hike is just the thing to do... especially when boys are running around screaming so loud that you are either going to go deaf or deck someone out of self-defense.  I chose my usual favorite: burn, energy, burn!
I've been wanting to go to King's Mountain Military Park for awhile.  The park part isn't really on King's Mountain - it's more of a foothill to the mountain.  I knew I could take the boys and not end up carrying them most of the time. 

This weekend presented the perfect opportunity.  It is Memorial Day weekend, so they had an event where re-enactors dressed up as soldiers from time periods from the French & Indian War and Revolutionary War (whose King's Mountain Battle the park commemorates) all the way to the current Iraqi & Afghanistan wars.

The best part?  The weapons demonstrations.  Watching how cumbersome Revolutionary War weapons were to load and unload was very interesting.  So was seeing the evolution of weapons over the years.  Quinn, however, had a near panic attatck from the noise of the weapons (especially the cannon) so he and I ended up taking a hike by ourselves towards the end.  1.5 miles up a minor minor mountain and down again?  My back is still a little sore from the parts when I had to carry him! 

Also very fun was the fact that the re-enactor the boys hit it off with - the hunter from the Revolutionary War period - was a teacher from Rockford!  Talk about a small world!

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A Latta Plantation Nature Preserve Hike

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The Beginnings of a Patio Garden

Before I came back to MI, I got my patio garden off to a start.  I didn't have time to make it pretty, but that doesn't matter as much as actually having things growing:D

Gerber Daisies from Harris Teeter, a sock grass man Torin made at school, a variety of morning glories (to be spread out in different pots later), and a white pot with a moonflower that hadn't sprouted yet.  You can see my hummingbird feeder in the background.  I have no idea if hummingbirds come through my area at all, but better safe than sorry;)

Before I had found a community garden plot, I went on the assumption that I wouldn't have one.  So the terra cotta pots have pole bean and wax bean seeds that hadn't sprouted yet.  I think I'll leave them - what's more fun then going out to the porch an picking some yummy treats?  I have no idea if the smaller pot is big enough, but let's just call it an experiment!

The metal wash bin has a variety of salad fixins - a lettuce mix, green onions, radishes, etc - and two types of nasturtiums (which are edible too!).  There are some cucumber seeds under the wire cage - I'll let the healthiest plant climb up the cage instead of the porch.  Once the greens are over with, I'll fill it with later season crops and/or flowers.

 

Lettuce, spinach, flowers, parsley, dahlias from Harris Teeter... I would have to look at the seed packets to remember what is where.  There is another bird feeder there too.

See the cardboard underneath?  Well, the last apartment I lived in (about 5 years ago) taught me a lesson in remembering to be aware of drippings... the stuff that falls between the wooden floorboards on unsuspecting neighbors below.  It was a incident involving one of those small blue wading pools full of water on the patio, Torin, and neighbors coming in with groceries at just the wrong moment... I don't like to speak of it now.  :D  So, in a preemptive move to avoid patio wars, I used some giant cardboard strips left from new mattress packaging to prevent an invasion of dirt and compost raining down on the neighbor below. 

 

Finally, some basil.  Basil needs more light than my patio is able to provide, I think, so I took a different approach.  I bought one of those kitchen rod hanger sets from Ikea, bolted it to the outside rail, and wired the pots to it so they wouldn't blow off.  I'm going to do more of that, I think... the pots already have holes in the bottom, and the rods are pretty inexpensive!

I'm going back this weekend, so I'll have an update on how things are doing soon.  I'm such a geek - I can't wait to see how many true leaves have emerged!

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