Our first Sunday of clearing the lot, I asked our landlord Gino for a pick axe. He unveiled this tool heaven thats available for all the cottages in Casalino Court- it runs on the honor system. I ran back to Brittany and Meg to tell them about the gold mine I"d just discovered- we all trotted back over and spent some time admiring and handling all the cool tools.
this is an avocado picker for the monster of an avocado tree nearby.
Meg and I cut down the lettuce and are planning to rip it all out- it's too hot right now. Lettuce likes less sun.
already growing tomato plants and cages- that have been over-watered by us.
Here's a bunch of seeds leftover from Jake and James (former tenants.) It's too bad we left them in the sun because now they're useless- they should be stored in ziplocs in the freezer.
This is our front yard- we'll get to it eventually. You'd think you work front to back, but in this case we're going back to front. We both hate that purple bucket.
We're thinking of planting herbs in these cinder blocks. When summer comes again possibly some peppers, strawberries and tomatoes as well since they like to be drained.
garden feet...
I didn't think I would start blogging again until I either went on another long trip or had a family of my own. However; recently I started missing blogging and decided that even if I'm not traveling I'm encountering interesting things, places and ideas. I find myself often whining how I never have enough time to craft or create these days and then recently I came to the realization that even though I don't have tv, I do spend an adequate amount of time "dinkin" around on the internet. It may seem ironic- since blogging involves being online, but my hope is that blogging again will motivate me to make space for creativity.
When my roomate Meaghan and I recently based most of our decision to move a block up the street due to the allure of our very own backyard, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to get going on projects again and track the evolution of our very own garden. Growing up my mom always reminded me that gardening is often romanticized and really more about the back breaking, sun-blistering labor called "weeding." I have a vivid summer memory of helping her fulfill her weekly weeding duties at the local COOP- one of the best alternatives to reaping the benefits of a plentiful garden with minimal work. I was assigned to picking the potato bugs off endless rows of plants under the humid, unforgiving Connecticut sun and anxiously tapping the side of the bucket so the little devils wouldn't escape. Then and there I realized what my mom was talking about and for a long time I just decided the truth of the matter was that although gardening sounded good in my head, it really wasn't all that pleasant in reality. Since then I grew up and moved to Santa Barbara- the growing season is endless, I have a small, manageable and sunny backyard, I like cooking and am an avid environmentalist. I think learning to grow your own food is important, economical and pretty hip. Thanks to my mom I'm mentally prepared that a lot of work is involved- so here's our first attempt.
