First, a note to all (both?) my regular readers for the longer-than-usual hiatus the past week or so. I was once again lured away by that siren’s song of a better-than-zero chance of finding a job. It’s too soon to tell, but there are hopeful signs. Â I’ll report as things happen. It’s also been difficult to decide on just what to talk about given the whirlwind of news we are seeing; protests in Wisconsin, Ohio, and who knows where else, and that’s just in the United States. Â Globally, the underlings are getting downright uppity. Make no mistake, this is not a coincidence. Â These protests and uprising are as much about labor and issues related to it as anything else.
All that being said, the wind, torrential rains and unseasonably cold temperatures have given way to full-on summer. Spring must be on vacation because it’s as if there wasn’t even a transition phase. One minutes we’re all feeling chilly and the next minute the mercury is pushing 80 degree. Weird. Â But also nice.
Each year for many years we’ve planted a vegetable garden starting about now, or sometimes earlier. This can make a real difference in a number of ways, not just by delivering fresh produce to your table and hopefully those of your neighbors (face it, if you don’t get too much of something each year, it’s not a good year). Â My wife Denise, who normally heads up these efforts, has been purging the weeds that have crept in over the winter. The local county recycling center takes grass and yard clippings from residents and that generated elsewhere and composts it, producing piles of rich, finished compost to be had for the hauling away. Last year with some help from a friend we stuffed my ’91 Acura with bags full of the stuff and put it anywhere and everywhere we wanted to plant. My opinion is that it gave the garden a good boost. Â Check with your local recycling center or other garden gurus to see if your community has a similar program.
Last year, instead of buying seedlings from the local hardware and garden stores, we tried doing most of our plants from seeds, either planted directly or spouted in small biodegradable pots or other containers and then transplanted. To our surprise we discovered that the home-planted plants grew faster and were ready sooner. As they say, your mileage may vary, but if this year proves to be likewise, it can actually reduce the bother and expense of buying pre-sprouted plants.
Gardening is, more or less officially the most popular hobby in the United States. Â So if you want to start a garden, you can find more information on the subject than any sane person would probably want. Community gardens, container gardens, and indoor gardens, and now something called urban homesteading for the truly dedicated, and perhaps a foreshadowing of where we might be heading in the future. Me, I think that’s probably a good thing. Your local county will also have tons of information and in some cases can even help you with soil testing and other assistance.
Keep in mind that during World War II, when much of the food supply was going to feed our troops overseas, backyard “Victory Gardens” eventually were responsible for producing about half the fruits and vegetables grown in the United States. Today, big Agro and the food industry are less concerned with providing nutritious food for reasonable costs, both in terms of money and energy. People worry about pesticides. A home garden is a great way to take control of this important part of your life.
