September 12th Harvest

Black Eye Susan's and Lavender from my mom's garden.


A medley basket of multiple eggplants (Gretel and Bianca), zucchini, Japanese cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, herbs (Oregano, Thyme, Basil and Sage) and strawberries. From both my mom's garden and my own.


Multiple Tomatoes.


An array of herbs.


Tomatoes and herbs.


Gretel Eggplant.


Abundance.


Natures shapes.

Meanwhile, back at the old garden on Park Dr.....

Zinnia's are happy.


Bees are buzzing.


Time to water. I was dropped off so that I could put about an hour and a half into the Park Dr. plot. It needed it. I feel bad, but ever since we've been juggling both gardens, this plot has had less attention. None the less, some things are still producing in abundance and looking great.


One of our sugar pumpkins for the kids to carve.


Basil as tall as my 2 1/2 year old.


Black Cherries.


San Marizano.


Eggplant and Basil.


3 more eggplant.


Chili Arbol.

Main St. Garden: September 12th

Playing at the new garden. Notice the back fence. We didn't get to painting it just yet. It was our intention, but we decided to wait until Mercury went direct this evening at 4pm. Much of the back fence is recycled wood. All pressure treated wood that was taken out last week was donated to Michael's work for the Choral and Theatre programs in order to build risers. So, although we were set back, our garden came up ahead and we helped out a great cause. In the end, we're happy all worked out.


Jordan has begun gardening.


He loves the new space.


Looking into the tool box, as boys love to do.


The right side new fence with Douglas Fir posts. Also, the stack of boarder material that we got to design and shape our beds.


Left side fence again using Douglas Fir.


We got a hose extender that attaches to the spicket on the outside of our garden and connects to the metal holder's spicket that we purchased. Much more convenient for watering, although Mike is now dreaming of a drip system. He has already drawn out the plans for it. Now, it is just a matter of purchasing the material and having the time to add it into the labor of our design.

Mercury Retrograde Meyham

Apparently working on this project all three days of our vacation weekend, multiple times might I add, was not enough because we then stumbled upon a HUGE mistake that would add another evening of work into our already jam packed week. Oh, Mercury Retrograde. Thank you.

What is Mercury Retrograde you ask?
"It is when the planet Mercury slows down, and appears to stop (station) and move backward (retrograde). It's an optical illusion, since there is forward movement, like speeding by a slow-moving train -- as it recedes, it appears to go backward." astrology.about.com/od/advancedastrology/p/MercuryRetro.htm It occurs 3-4 times a year (roughly: Dec./Jan. March/April and August/September) for about 3 weeks. Many people agree that during this time, mishaps are at a rise and confusion can loom. Miscommunication, travel delays, malfunctions in technology all seem to be part of the focus with Mercury at the helm. Just make sure not to sign any legal documents or contacts during this time. They often end up very different than what you agreed upon. And purchasing electronics is not suggested. BUT, Mercury Retrograde can also be a helpful time to focus on all the "re's" in your life. For example, review, research, reevalute, relocate, renegotiate, etc. Also, it is a great time to vacation and reflect on life.

Well, I wish we were on vacation honestly because Mercury Retrograde was fighting our every try to move forward with this project. Instead we felt like we had to go backwards by re-doing the fence. Their is one of those lovely, "re" words again. Except this one wasn't so pleasant or kind to us.

When Mike and my dad were in the final process of building the fence on Monday, a fellow neighbor stopped by and asked the men about some (thank goodness not all) of the wood posts. Those that were not recycled from the last garden, were purchased at Home Dept. Mike has helped build a few fences up north and he had worked with some contractors that had used pressure treated wood. He had no knowledge of the wood and just assumed it was strong and durable for the project. Unfortunately, it is treated with arsenic in order to protect the wood from termites and other invasive insects. Even more unfortunate for humans and the earth, this poison used on the wood will seep into the soil over time and up into the root system of our plants. Without hesitation, Mike removed (yes, another "re" word...Ughh...) all the post and re-purchased (Ugh) new wood that was all natural and not treated. He then went straight to the garden tonight (Tuesday) after work and re-did the entire fence. Finally, we can move forward with the next project feeling good about our garden. It is healthy and safe for our family, community and earth.

Days #3 and #4 of Main St. Garden Project: Sept. 5th and 6th

By the end of last weekends work, our plot looked neat and beautiful. Wow! What a difference already. However, we have only begun. Their are times where I think about all that we have ahead of us and get excited and their are times when I want to cry. Their are so many details that I have thought about and want to achieve, but many big projects that must be tackled before.

Our goal for this weekend was to finish the details of the front fence and paint it, build an entire new fence around the side and back perimeters and outline the planting "beds" with a boarder material.

We headed off to Home Depot Sat., Sept. 4th in order to purchase all the material. We bought paint, boarder material, fencing material, weed blockage material and a storage bench. Of course that list above includes many small tools and parts needed in order to create and complete each project at hand.

My husband and father decided they would do the work this weekend and my mom and I would take care of the kids. With pre-school starting this week, I was running around like crazy trying to do a ton of errands.

Before the fence.










Putting the fence in and after (below).











Hose holder and pathway placed.

My Birthday Harvest!

Abundance!!

Beauty!

Day #2 of Main St. Garden Project: August 29th

Now that we cleared most of the items and weeds yesterday, we are going to focus on demolishing the back structure, old raised bed and front triangular roof on the door. We'd also like to get all the brick and stones up, in order to recycle them into our new design. Much of the wood from the structure we will also recycle into our garden. We are really trying to use as much of the left building materials as possible in order to save money and the environment.



At the bottom of this picture you can see the large square stones that will be perfect for an entry pathway.




Upon arriving, we called grandma and grandpa to take the kids for a walk on the beach in order for us to do the work. In all honesty, it is hard to balance the kids, work, gardening, etc. and some days I have to surrender to the madness of parenthood. Some days, I just want to cry like I'm one of the babies. And although this project feels overwhelming at times now, I know that it is one day going to be a peaceful, creative place for myself and my family to relax, explore, play and grow together. As you can see in the far right corner, we have alot of wood to recycle and work with!


Many bricks stacked for boarders, pathways, sitting areas and stepping stones within the beds. This saves us SO much money!! We feel so lucky.


In the process of taking this structure down on the back left and the wood raised bed in the back right. The bougainvillea was so over grown onto our side that almost the entire plant rested upon this mesh. It was entirely cut back by large clippers while wearing thick gloves. The are thorny and painful to tame and although they look colorful, they are not pleasant to work with. They are also not allowed any longer in the SM Community Gardens. Thanks to my new neighbor Byron, it will be entirely removed within 8 weeks. I'm thrilled. We also cut the wisteria on the back right off of our plot and emptied the old bed and pulled the plastic out.



Gnarly.


Thanks to multiple helping hands, we are making this miraculous change and bringing life back into this abandoned garden.


I took out the brick diamond in the center. I used a pitch fork, but if you had a big pick or ax, you could knock them out faster. We piled them and realized we had a lot of brick to work with! This will definitely come in handy when building and designing. As you can see, behind me is the emptied corner, where the ferns and bougainvillea were. A huge difference, allowing us to utilize much more of the growing space.


It was tough at times. My lower back is bad and has worsened since having my 2 kids. But I love seeing the results so much. Very gratifying.


Mike unscrewing the roofs hinges.




And sawing the roof off with an electric hand saw.


\
Using a hand saw to finish the job.



Testing out the structure and strength of the new entrance.





Originally we thought the blackberry roots were on our plot, but after trimming them back we realized they are our neighbors. I decided I want to put some trellis up to block it from my kids and put the play area on the other side.


Jordan loved exploring after his walk on the beach. He is more fascinated by dirt than the actual act of gardening at this age. I am going to design a kid zone in for toys and digging, as well as a bed for them to garden. Lets see what they can grow!!


A Japanese Beetle that had somehow ended up on his back. We also had two hummingbirds hovering over as we gardened. They welcomed us into the neighborhood and said "hi".