Change is good!

Spring is very near and I believe it is going to be a great one. I know it doesn't feel like it when temperatures are in the 20's and everything is frozen, but it's all a part of the rejuvenation process. My garden is all tucked in and resting under a layer of hay. A couple of months ago I started prepping my beds as they became available, pulling up any weeds and removing plant material after harvesting whatever I had planted there. I lightly turned the top three inches of soil, added a little organic fertilizer and cotton seed meal then covered them with hay.

At home I started some tomato seeds and lettuce seeds. Some of my tomato seeds took almost three weeks to germinate while others were up in about ten days. I have had some of these seeds for several years and was not sure if they were still viable. I will definitely have to purchase new seed for next year. I guess I could save some seed from this year as well.

We have had some extremely cold weather and many plants have not survived. My lettuce and mesclun mix finally froze after several days of lows in the twenties. Cabbage, broccoli, fennel, rue, onions, leeks and strawberries have survived. I used some cabbage in chicken and vegetable soup and it was delicious. This cabbage has to be the best cabbage I have ever had and I wish I could remember what variety it was. I will look for it again where I found it last year.

There are other great things happening in our community that are worth mentioning. On Texas Avenue things are really changing. The street is ripped out in a one block section to make improvements to the utilities and then resurface the street, add decorative pavers and wider sidewalks. I think it is going to look great, can't wait to see the finished product. Other exciting news are the plans for a new community garden. A non profit organization has been formed to start what will hopefully be the first of many gardens in the community. Grow Baytown is the name of the organization and will begin construction of this garden in early spring. I believe Baytown is ready for some change and I'm glad to be a part of it. This new garden will bring people together and may lead to other good things. Perhaps a farmers market could finally be established. At the very least all this work may spark other beautification projects in the community around Texas Avenue.

Great things are happening but they will not succeed without our support. Visit local businesses, there are several restaurants, shops and entertainment venues that need our help. Or maybe you would like to get involved by gardening in the new Grow Baytown garden. Many other opportunities exist for your support, Grow Baytown, Wetlands Center, Nature Center, Off Texas Ave. Garden and the Library are just a few. I hope to see many more people around town and as always, you are welcome in my garden anytime. So stop by and visit.

Local, seasonal, organic (part 1)

Trattoria Italia

Trattoria Italia

Donnelly"s

W. Defee Place

West Coast Donut

In my pursuit to provide the freshest food for my family I plan to expand my garden this winter. I could visit the farmers markets in the surrounding area but how fresher can it get than from my own garden. But what about the rest of you?

My idea of eating locally grown food is to grow my own but if you don't grow your own then you should be able to go to a restaurant that uses locally grown, seasonal food. First we would need a business committed to using the best produce possible. Then we would need farmers committed to growing the best possible produce organically and sustainably. Then we would need to support those businesses and visit them often. I have read many success stories of farmers, chefs and farmers markets across this country. I believe we can have that in our community. It will take all of us working together.

Lately I have been reading about urban farming in other cities. We have so much property available in our city. In the surrounding neighborhood of Texas Avenue there are many vacant lots that would look great with a garden on them. Off Texas Avenue Garden is just a small example of that. Some lots I believe may even be owned by the city. What better way to help beautify the area than to plant a garden. This may also help gain support from the community for the revitalization of Texas Avenue. I can envision a downtown area filled with shoppers visiting local businesses, eating in restaurants that use locally sourced produce. Adventurous chefs featuring menus with seasonal dishes with the freshest produce available. A thriving farmers market with local growers providing many good things to eat, grown organically and harvested within hours of us buying them. A neighborhood with vibrant color from flowers and gardens instead of spray paint. The sound of a community in harmony.

I have found a few businesses with their own gardens. These gardens are small but a garden may be as small as a container of herbs or as big as a backyard garden. I would like to thank these business owners for becoming leaders in a huge movement of which we are just a small part of. I challenge other business owners to survey your property and perhaps plant some flowers or start a small garden. And I encourage everyone to support local businesses and eat local.

Garden Trial...

Where has time gone? May is upon us, and I have beds that are still empty. Up till now I have done as much as I can one or two hours at a time. There never seems to be enough time. This week is going to be different. I plan to spend several hours throughout the whole week at the garden.

My first task is to have some top soil delivered and fill as many beds as I can. I am going to use sifted top soil and then ammend with cow manure, cotton seed meal, and add a little Microlife fertilizer. I am conducting a trial of sorts in the garden. The first three beds were filled with sifted top soil. I ammended these beds with cow manure, and cotton seed meal, but without the fertilizer. The next two beds were filled with soil relocated from my garden at home. This soil came with volunteer tomatoes, peppers, and many earth worms. Last week I filled three beds with a prepared vegetable mix. This soil has lots of mulch, sand, a little chicken manure mixed with top soil. I don't like all that mulch in the mix, but felt that I was running out of time to get beds ready for planting. After shoveling two yards of this mix I decided to go back to the sifted top soil and ammend with what I like. The vegetable mix tends to be drier and requires more watering, and will take at least one growing season to mature. The mulch ties up nitrogen due to the decomposition process and is unavailable for the plants. These beds will have to fertilized regularly to keep the plants thriving. I will keep you posted as time goes on, and have results of the trial later in the year.

Meanwhile, "On" Texas Avenue, there has been some activity in the past few weeks. A portion of the Brunson Theatre at the back of the building was demolished, and the front entrance has been boarded up more securely. The car show was a success, even though it started a little wet, and we even had a few people walk through the garden admiring the plants. Or perhaps wondering what the hell is this. Visitors just the same. Then last week Channel 39 did a segment on the revitalization efforts by the city and their plans for the future. Exciting news for property and business owners on Texas Avenue, and the community. Thanks to all who honk or wave as you drive by, or shout out "I like your garden". It keeps me motivated. Visit any time.

You say work, I say fun...

Gardening is a lot of work, but I find it very relaxing. Like all worthwhile things in life, if you are patient good things will come.

This weekend was very productive at the garden. My first task was to mow, edge, and trim around the beds. There was trash to pick up and general clean up of the whole place. Next I added two long beds and two smaller beds using recycled fence pickets. I then dug inside those beds to a depth of 4 to 6 inches and overturned the entire length of the bed, sod and all. I amended this soil with about an inch of cow manure donated by a friends herd. Also added was 2 to 3 pounds of cotton seed meal, an excellent slow release organic fertilizer. All this has been tilled to incorporate all ingredients and then allowed to rest for 1 to 2 weeks. This will allow enough time to kill the grass and clover. Exposing their roots to the sun and wind will dry them out and will add organic matter to the soil. More recycling! After this time period I will fill the beds in with soil mix and plant more flowers.

At the beginning of this endeavour I wanted to plant only flowers, excluding vegetables for now. I felt that flowers would be easier to grow and would provide a more colorful show. Having a bigger impact on the beautification of Texas Avenue and the community. But I think someone is trying to tell me something. In one bed that was filled in a couple of weeks ago, there are numerous volunteer tomato plants. I don't know what variety they are but they are thriving. So I will add vegetables throughout the garden. This is after all the beginning of a community garden and the possibilities for education are endless. This new direction inspires me to do even more. It's exciting, it's fun! So get ready to see tomatoes among the sunflowers.