Raccoon vs. Onions

A little while back, I planted some onion seeds in a plastic salad container. As the onion seeds began to sprout, I placed the container outside by my front door so that the little seedlings could get plenty of sun and eventually be ready to transplant in a yet to be determined location. After they had been outside for a few days, I observed that something had been digging in them. At first it wasn't anything major - just a couple small holes. I assumed it was a squirrel. No big deal. I would just bury the holes back in and go about my day. I wasn't too worried about it because it didn't seem overly intrusive. Then one day I noticed more digging than usual and decided I should do something about it. I found a piece of chicken wire and placed it over the top of the planter. The next morning, to my horror, the digging had advanced to a new extreme. The chicken wire had been shoved aside and what had previously been small, isolated holes had become one giant hole extending across the entire planter. I decided that what I was dealing with wasn't just a playful squirrel but most likely a menacing raccoon (especially since the deed seemed to be occurring at night). Frustrated, I dug out what I could of the onions, transplanted them into a smaller container, and placed them in a safer location, hopefully to never be bothered again. Unfortunately this means that what I had envisioned as a bumper crop of onions in the fall will now just be a meager harvest at best. This time, in the battle of Raccoon vs. Onions, Raccoon wins. Such is the life of a gardener and his constant battle against nature.

 

To read more of my adventures in the plant world, please visit: www.awkwardbotany.com

Monthly Recommendations: March 2013

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Arcade Game - I discovered this game at Spacebar recently. Michael Jackson fights bad guys and zombies with dance moves, etc. and saves little kids. Not too many things are cooler than that.

Heirloom Gardener Magazine - I really like what the folks at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds are doing, and I've been checking out their catalog and ordering their seeds for a few years now, but I hadn't checked out their magazine until this month. I'm not sure what took me so long - their magazine is great!

Johnny Marr: The Messenger - The Smith's guitarist, Johnny Marr, put out his first solo album last month. It's no Morrissey album, but it's still pretty great. It's got a very throwback feel and some pretty catchy tunes.

Weekly Recommendations, Week 28: Growing Things: A Guide for Beginning Gardeners

Growing Things is a little zine that Joshua put together out of desperation after seeking for a good zine about basic gardening to include in his distro (Ms. Valerie Park Distro) but not finding anything suitable. With promptings and contributions from friends, he took the initiative to produce the publication that he found lacking. Joshua starts out by making it clear that he and the other contributors are not experts and have no formal training in gardening (especially the science thereof), and that there are myriad ways of going about things. What works for one may not work so well for others. I am pleased that he stated this upfront because as an avid gardener (and as someone who is trained in the profession), I did find a few of the things in this zine to be a bit “off” from my experience and perspective. However, I also agree that everyone’s gardening experience is unique, and in fact, Joshua’s summary of the zine provides very succinct examples of how starkly different the experiences of gardeners can be and how, as I have always felt, gardening is a trial and error, seat of the pants adventure regardless of how long you’ve been doing it or how trained and educated you are concerning it. The content of the zine is exactly what you would expect from a zine about basic gardening: making garden beds, container gardening, planting, weed control, insects, composting, seed saving, watering, plant nutrition, etc. Some of the writing is less about the how-to and more about the joy of gardening. All in all it’s a very informative zine and a great introduction to the world of gardening. Joshua was correct in (albeit reluctantly) deciding to put together the zine he had been wishing existed, because the outcome is a very approachable, well put together, straightforward gardening primer. You can get a copy for yourself by sending $3 + $1 shipping in US or $2 outside the US to Ms. Valerie Park Distro PO Box 2645 Olympia WA 98507.

Weekly Recommendations, Week 16: Eggshell Pots

If you're the kind of person who keeps a garden, then now is the time of year when you are probably thinking a lot about what you're going to grow and when and where you're going to grow it. If you're on top of things then you've probably already got a few things growing indoors - and possibly outdoors too, depending on where you live. Additionally, if you're like me and like to find re-uses for things, then eggshell pots can be a great way to combine both your gardening pursuits and your re-use interests. They are also a pretty great conversation starter and a fun idea for kids - mainly just a neat idea all around. If you're not an egg eater, perhaps you can get some eggshells from your egg eating friends. It's probably a good idea to poke a small drainage hole in the bottom of your eggshell pots. This is best done before cracking the egg. Use a hammer and a small nail to make the hole, then crack the egg carefully, leaving as large of an intact "pot" as possible. Fill the empty shells with potting soil and plant your seeds. Place the eggshell pots back in the egg carton for safe keeping. Easy as that.
   

Weekly Recommendations, Week 6: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

Even though it is very possible that I won’t get to have a garden this year, I still placed a small seed order with one of my favorite seed companies, because I couldn’t look through their catalog without feeling the urge to at least order something. The seed company I am referring to is Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, this week’s Weekly Recommendation. To start off, they have the most visually appealing seed catalog I have ever laid my eyes on. It’s full color and glossy with the kind of photography that you might expect from a magazine like Organic Gardening; instead, this incredible photography is found in the catalog of a modest, little seed company based in tiny Mansfield, MO. Several of the photographs take up entire pages, while some even include the smiling faces of the Gettle family, the owners of Baker Creek Seeds. If your sole purpose of getting your hands on a copy of this catalog were to entertain your eyes, that would be totally understandable; however, an eye for design is not the only thing that Baker Creek has to offer – their massive and distinctive seed inventory is really the main event. They are leaders in the heirloom seed movement – scouting the planet continually for obscure varieties and old school favorites – so many of the seed varieties they offer are not likely to be found in many other places. In fact, in their 190+ page catalog you’ll find 1300 varieties of seeds from 70 different countries. One prime example is their wide selection of hot peppers, which includes ‘Bhut Jolkia’ (also known as the Ghost Pepper), weighing in at more than one million Scoville units. Whether you’re going to have a garden or not this year, acquaint yourself with Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, a company that truly sets the bar for all other seed companies.