Friday, March 5, 2010

Seeds (shhh...don't tell!)


(our backyard, after a recent snowstorm)

We love our yard. We bought our house in part because its 1/3 acre lot seemed both more expansive and more private than most town lots because it was surrounded by big old trees. Over the years, our neighbors have removed many of the trees (I mourned each loss). But we still have just about the shadiest yard around. Perfect for me, who likes to hide from the sun in the summer. Not so perfect for vegetables.

So we haven't done much vegetable gardening. Some volunteer squash in the compost heap. A few measly peas here and there. A couple cherry tomatoes. But never a whole vegetable garden.

Until this year. We've decided to do a bit of guerrilla gardening. There's an abandoned house near us. It's city property, neglected for years. Most importantly, it's got more sun than we do. This year, a raised garden bed or two might appear in its yard. Who will care? If someone does, we're just out a few seeds and some labor. But I bet they won't. And then we might actually be able to grow some veggies.

We spent this afternoon dreaming over seed catalogs. Headed our way are:
Boston Marrow Squash
Double Yield Cucumber
Blondkopfchen, Moonglow, and Martino's Roma Tomatoes
Grandpa Admire's Lettuce
Green Arrow Peas
Chioggia Beets
Light Red Kidney Beans
Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans
Golden Chard
Straight Eight Cucumber.

Aren't they great names? I swear, I could choose plants for their names alone (I didn't though--not entirely, anyway!--we chose organic, heirloom, and productive).

I also know of a green space that might suddenly sprout some elderberries this year...

5 comments:

gardenmama said...

ha! you crack me up!
yes, i do love the names... heirlooms are certainly the way to go! have fun and happy gardening! : )

Anonymous said...

hey, you should look into Self Irrigated Planters (also sometimes Self Watering Planters) don't have a link handy, but Homegrown Evolution has lots of info about them. you can make your own out of a rubbermaid tote. i've just made my first, and been meaning to post about it for weeks. i think they'd be great for guerilla gardening, because you could just take them back home if anyone got on your case. plus, they're pretty conservative of water (another guerilla issue)
good luck!

Amy @ Lucky Number 13 said...

Guerilla Gardening...I love it! : ) This is what we need to do since our backyard is completely shaded by huge pine trees. I so miss my veggie garden at our old house...sigh. I love daydreaming over seed catalogs and gardening magazines!

Erin said...

We guerrilla garden but only in Downtown Toronto and just for the joy of playing in the dirt.
Can't wait to see how it turns out for you. Very good luck with your Moonglows (such a lovely name!).

Ariella said...

Lovely blog---now I want a purple house!