confessions
23 April 2013, by gj
Gardenesia is a member of the CRS Group of common disorders, and because the symptoms are masked as simple errors or mistakes, it often goes undiagnosed. Although this disorder is not fatal, if not treated promptly it can spread rapidly.
Some of the symptoms include accidental duplications of actions,
the placing of items in unusual places,
inability to recollect previous behaviors and actions,
and the victim may even seem surprised by the consequences of their own behavior.
Gardenesiacts can be treated by encouraging them to utilize simple items such as a calender, notebook and pen.
In severe cases, blogging is recommended.
Categories: addiction, confessions
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1 March 2013, by gj
A Garden is a wonderful analogy for the relationship aspect of our lives.
It is so exciting finding that piece of land, planning the garden down to every detail, and then finally getting a chance to set shovel to soil.
You want to check on it every day to see how it is progressing, maybe even take pictures to show your friends.
You get a rush of adrenaline when it starts to produce.
You miss it when you are parted, whether it is the winter months or just on rainy days.
Gardening can be hard work.
But over the years it may start to become more work than fun.
Perhaps the weeds and the rabbits are winning, and you’re just tired of the battle.
You might think to yourself “Oh look at that spot over there. There aren’t any weeds there. Maybe it even gets more sun or the soil might be richer. Maybe I’ll garden over there instead.”
Are the beans really greener?
Think about what would happen. Sure, it would be fun and exciting at first.
Eventually the rabbits would find the bed and the weeds would start to grow.
Maybe those weed seeds were actually on the bottom of your wellies, and you’re the one bringing them in after all.
Imagine it. Look back at your first garden, how are your perennials doing since you’ve been gone?
Is your asparagus getting thin or your strawberry bed overrun?
What if you had stayed there instead, what then?
Okay sure, I realize sometimes you get Bermuda grass, and there may be nothing you can do.
In most cases though, its simply a matter of mulching the weeds and enriching the soil. You may need to add a little manure to boost up its nutrient content, nothing wrong with that. You can even try some new varieties of veggies once in a while.
Cultivate the plants that do well, and minimize the ones that don’t.
Gardening, like life, doesn’t have to be complicated.
Do your friends see what you see?
Over time, you will have a garden that, although maybe not as exciting as it once was, you can trust to provide you with its best year after year.
Those friends of yours will stop by and admire your garden.
“You’re so lucky!” They’ll say.
You know the truth.
And you’ll smile, because you know luck had nothing to do with it.
Categories: confessions
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29 January 2013, by gj
Seeds are addictive. Well, they are if you have an addictive personality.
Like me.
The statement “There are seeds everywhere in the house!” of course could not be literal; otherwise we would have to move out.
The wall.
The statement “There’s a wall of seeds in here!” however, can be taken literally.
There is a wall, and that’s not all.
Just one box.
They are in boxes, by planters, on the crafts/gardening table.
There are probably some in the mail.
There are stacks of seed catalogs and magazines suggesting new and inviting seeds to try.
At times it is all but overwhelming.
Then there are the stores and seed displays… oh my.
Will it ever be enough?
So here I offer for your consideration, a different kind of Seed Pledge:
I will not knowingly purchase any more seeds for the upcoming growing season. Signed, Gardening Jones
This is going to make quitting smoking look like child’s play.
Well… isn’t that a bad analogy?
So, are you in? Do you have enough seed packets that you are willing to finally make a commitment? Will you sign the pledge?
And isn’t knowingly open for debate?
Categories: addiction, confessions
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16 December 2012, by gj
We all have snippets of life that we will always remember.
Not the major occasions like weddings, births, and funerals; sure we remember those.
It’s those little moments that have meaning to us, perhaps only to us.
chicks in assorted colors
Such was the case many years ago.
My father had retired and he and mom opened a ceramic studio in their basement.
They asked the kids to help by making samples of some of the pieces, something the students could use as a guideline.
free ranging chicks
Of course I chose a few gnomes, and also a chicken cookie jar.
I had never actually seen a live chicken before, and this was back in the days before the internet and no immediate source of info.
Not wanting to make the cookie jar too plain, I painted it yellow and brown.
backyard chickens
When my mother saw it she laughed “Chickens are yellow when they’re ready to be cooked, but they’re white when they still have their feathers on.”
Not only did she laugh, not intending any harm of course, but her students found it quite funny as well.
“How could I be so stupid?” I thought, “Why didn’t I just paint it white?”
a real brown and yellow chicken
That cookie jar on the studio shelf seemed to taunt me every time I stopped by.
Until a few years ago when we first got our own chickens.
Now the shop is closed and the cookie jar sits quietly in our kitchen with a look as if to say “You were right all along.”
not far off after all
Categories: addiction, confessions
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30 September 2012, by gj
My Dad, who recently turned 88 yrs. old, called me early in the summer:
“I’m making a DVD on starting veggies from seeds; since I already finished the one on starting seeds for flowering annuals, planning a flower garden with plant life expectancy in mind, and choosing the right flowering perennials. What veggie plants do you start from seed?”
What’s that adage about the Apple and the Tree?
When he told me a few weeks ago he was saving seeds to sell, I pert near fell over.
You see, I had just ordered envelopes to use as seed packets for the same reason.
There is one major difference between the two gardening maniacs in the family, the pictures you are looking at are all from his gardens.
That’s right, my Dad grows flowers.
So it probably won’t surprise you to know that while I was planting some sunflower and zinnia seeds this year, he was planting just a few veggies.
Is that a green bean I see?
Our website where we’ll be listing some seeds for sale- flowers from his gardens, veggies from ours.
What else, right?
Categories: addiction, all about seeds, confessions
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15 July 2012, by gj
It’s not unusual in families for one partner to be digging in the dirt while the other is playing in the kitchen.
For Mandolin and I, this presented a bit of a problem.
It used to be not uncommon for him to buy produce at the store that was growing in the yard.
“Really?” I remember commenting to him one afternoon, “You bought tomatoes and peppers in August?”
our roadside garden
You see, our first garden was in the backyard. It wasn’t something you would just walk by, you would only go there for a reason.
The garden then was moved to its current location by the road, and again, not a place you would be walking by.
So Mandolin wouldn’t know for sure what was growing.
We are building beds in the front yard just off the porch and already he has picked some broccoli and onions.
He sees what is growing every day.
growing hens and chicks
Even the Ladies know what is growing, it’s just that obvious.
It will still be another year though before the whole garden is in the front yard.
So in the meantime, I’ll keep using our line of communication that has been so effective these last number of years.
this he sees
Categories: confessions
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10 July 2012, by gj
Firsts are memorable moments in everyone’s lives, gardeners are no exception.
kohlrabi in the garden
‘An alien ship landed in the garden bed’ or so I thought the first time I saw a kohlrabi growing.
really- they have flavor?
Summer squashes weren’t quite as exciting, or so we thought until we ate one.
soon to be a watermelon
Greatly memorable was the taste of our first watermelon.
Not only was the flavor so intense it was almost unreal, but I understood why this fruit was so named-
Watermelon from the market does not require nearly as many napkins.
one potato
I became seriously hooked on gardening the first time we roasted a homegrown potato, if ‘fresh’ has a flavor you’ll find it here.
the first cucumber
“Taste this cucumber.” I remember saying to Mandolin, “It reminds me of melon.”
“I don’t like cucumbers.” he responded, “And they certainly don’t taste anything like a melon.”
One bite changed his mind on both counts.
It was years later I learned the two are actually related, which explains my reaction to the flavor.
cherry tomatoes don't count
What struck me as odd was the flavor of our first homegrown tomato-
I was not impressed.
The reason is most likely that I had grown up with that flavor; sure it had been a few years, but our first tomato reminded me of what tomatoes used to taste like.
It did bring back memories of my childhood, of summertime and no school and playing outside all day and into the evening when the fireflies would start lighting up the night like the streetlights do in the cities.
here it comes
Every summer I get to enjoy a warm slice of those memories anew.
And that’s why. of all the tastes of homegrown so anticipated each year, tomatoes will always remain first on the list.
Categories: confessions
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12 June 2012, by gj
The housework has been piling up a bit lately, and I’ve been feeling a little guilty about how much time I’ve been spending in the garden.
So even though the sun was shining, I got up early today to get some cleaning done.
I cleaned the laundry room.
Well, not actually the whole room, but I did clear away the biggest mess- the mound of clean unfolded laundry on the table.
Okay, so it was my laundry- it was still a mess and I folded it and put it all away.
Well, not exactly away, but I did fold it and put in on the bed, which is close to putting it away.
It’s also the reason why I couldn’t make the bed today.
So I went back out into the garden, where at least I could get something done.
After all, pulling weeds is a lot like doing housework, right?
And there will be rainy days.
but with fresh air
How about you- is your garden neater looking than your house?
Or have you had too much rain?
Categories: confessions
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29 May 2012, by gj
the notebook
Blatantly I have admitted to being addicted to gardening.
At some point I’m sure I have also said that my educational background is in Psychology.
Occasionally, the two meet.
RUT ROH.
looking inside is like delving into the subconscious
We were talking about how we keep records of our gardens in the Facebook group Gardenaholics Anonymous.
My friend Jack S. posted a pic of his great system of notebook and calender, Steve P. also got in on the conversation as did Maddie and others.
I kind of kept quiet.
FEAR OF EXPOSURE.
don't ask
I don’t have that kind of issue.
DENIAL
even Mandolin made notes- wait, this is my subconscious...
Except to make a joke and nickname it Gardening-Activated Compulsive Disorder.
DIVERT ATTENTION AWAY FROM YOURSELF.
a diary, of sorts
Truth be told- I keep records as well.
ADMITTING YOU HAVE A PROBLEM.
planting list of flowers for a continual bloom courtesy of my Dad
I get it from my Father.
BLAME.
It really is a great way to see what you have planted year to year, what did well and what not so much.
I also use my records to be sure I rotate my crops, and heaven forbid- as a reminder if the veggies had any particular problems or diseases.
JUSTIFICATION.
borderline obsessive
I also must admit that Jack’s set-up had me a little envious; but then, since I have something of a photographic memory I don’t need to be quite so detailed.
SOUR GRAPES.
no recovery in the foreseeable future
All joking aside, I’m going to invoke Catch 22- and keep my notebooks and lists and diagrams.
the garden expanding
And I hope you do the same.
Because- Insanity Loves Company.
Categories: confessions
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25 May 2012, by gj
about 150 plants
For years we have been planting onion plants here on the Jones Homestead.
Johnny’s Seeds has very good quality and variety for a reasonable price- about $14 for a bunch of approx. 75 plants.
Every year, we also have the smallest onions left in the fridge start to sprout and then become unusable.
And every year, we threw them into the compost.
free in the fridge
Now I learn a lot doing research for the blog and as such decided to try planting those leftovers this year.
After all, they look pretty much like onion ‘sets’ that we also plant.
We love us some onions, can you tell?
just the start
So this year purchased onion plants line the outside of the bed, with the refrigerator freebies in the middle.
planting free onions
After a few weeks, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, but I marked the rows just to be sure.
I see no difference.
Every year, something else happens with our onions.
No matter how diligently I try to get every onion out of the bed, no matter how small they are; I inevitably miss a few.
This year was no exception.
The only difference was, that instead of pulling them out early and tossing them, too- I let them stay.
Good. I need the bed.
Now they are almost ready to harvest, albeit early due to the mild winter.
So what have I learned?
To buy a little bit fewer onions come next year.
Categories: confessions, onions & garlic
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