Finding your Passion

Progress is being made on laying the newspapers and compost at the vacant lot across the street from me. I keep looking at all the trees around me when I am working, hoping that the area will receive 6 full hours of sun a day which is what most vegetables really need to thrive. Some pruning may be in order here.

On another note, it won’t be long before I hang up my hat at the Hoyt Library where I have spent the last 30 years of my life. This year we had a wonderful celebration for our 120 years as a federal depository library. As the documents librarian for the past 21 years I decided it was time to give this collection the special tribute it deserves. We had several government officials at the celebration and received some very nice tributes that now hang in the room where the collection is located. In a previous post I had a picture of two horses and a plow that I took to be my grandfather (well it could have been). That came from a Department of Agriculture document (none of these documents can be copyrighted so it is perfectly legitimate for me to post it). You never know what you might find in this wonderful collection, even some items of use to a gardener.



As I head into this next phase of my life I feel a great deal of gratitude for being able to do all the things I have done and excitement at the things I am going to be able to do. What a wonderful pleasure it has been being able to work in this lovely building with a great cadre of coworkers, some of whom have become dear friends. How fortunate I am to be able to look forward to working at the Master Gardener table at the Farmer’s Market and the Cooperative Extensions Service answering people’s questions about gardening. You can take the reference librarian out of the library, but you can’t take reference out of the librarian. I truly look forward to continuing to practice my passions in life and wish everyone the same pleasure.

Come and Come Again

There are some perennials I enjoy twice. After a first luscious bloom early in the season if I cut them back they will bloom again later in the year. The second bloom may not be as wonderful as the first bloom, but it is enough to make it worth the effort of cutting them back.

Here are some delphiniums currently in bloom after blooming profusely back in the early part of June. I cut the plants right back to the ground where new growth will come up, making the plant look fresh and new.



This Maltese Cross plant is giving a bright spot of orange in the garden even though this is August and it quit blooming profusely quite awhile ago.



This Salvia plant is reliable for repeat blooming through the summer.



And I realize that I don’t want the basil to bloom because I am harvesting the leaves, but by continually cutting the leaves these basil plants keep producing more leaves which means I will hopefully have enough pesto to last me through the winter.

Community Gardens

A couple of weeks ago we had a little excitement in the neighborhood. Several policemen showed up on the street where I live looking for a couple of fellows. I had no idea who or why they were being sought, but the policemen kept at it until they found their men. Later I found out that they had shot and killed a young man in a shopping center not too far from where I live. And then later I found out that the man who was killed was the cousin of a coworker.



I have been thinking about community gardens for awhile now, but this was the spur lit under me that I needed. Across the street from me a house was torn down in the spring. What remains is an empty lot owned by the Saginaw County Land Bank that is overgrown with weeds. So I decided to do something about it. I can rent the property for a dollar (big spender here) and I am still waiting to hear about liability insurance.



But that has not stopped me. I had a load of compost delivered from the city on Friday and spent Saturday using the newspaper and compost method of weed killing and laid the compost down. As you can see from the last picture there is still plenty of compost (and still plenty of property with weeds) left. Now I need to get more newspapers. Some of my neighbors are saving them for me. One of my neighbors helped with wetting the newspapers for awhile. Another helped me cut the lawn. Another told me to see him if I needed more compost as he works for the city and will ensure I get a good deal. I have talked to many people I have not talked to much before and it appears to me that just a small step on my part may lead to something good in my neighborhood.



At least I am praying it will. I will let the compost and newspapers sit for the fall and winter and hope that by spring I will be able to plant. And who knows. Maybe there are hidden talents in my neighborhood, ones that can help build raised beds, ones that will be willing to water, ones that will help with the harvest. Stay tuned to find out.

Tomatoes and Other Good Thing

It is the harvest season here in mid Michigan and I am eating out of my garden every day. My tomatoes turned red earlier than usual this year. I have come to expect red tomatoes in August, but usually not July. But I was out picking the Juliets last week and have been snacking on them ever since. Some tomatoes are slower to turn red, but that’s okay. Gives me something to look forward to.




I have a variety of beets this year along with pattypan squash, zucchini, cucumbers and of course the dill goes with the cucumbers. I’ve been eating cucumbers in dill and vinegar for breakfast. They are wonderful.




Soon I will be picking potatoes and corn. The corn has tassles and the potatoes are coming along. I can pick some, but I am waiting for most so they are a little bigger than they are now. I have some fingerlings growing in a grow pot on the deck. I enjoy vegetables on the deck. They are right there at suppertime!

Okay, since I now have some cilantro, tomatoes and garlic I guess it is time to make some black bean salad. I get my black beans from Hampshire Farms in Kingston, Michigan and since my own jalapenos haven’t done anything so far I bought some at the Saginaw Farmer’s Market. We don’t grow limes in Michigan so that and the canola oil are probably the only non-local items in this salad.




Here’s a tip to help you with your basil. When you cut a sprig, it will keep in a cup of room temperature water for quite some time. It may even sprout roots if you leave it long enough and you can have another plant.
Happy eating!