Back to gardening mode

THIS is much better, getting out of vacation mode, that is.

Feeling my old gardener self. Got Mia off to her first high school field hockey try out - I can't tell you what an achievement that is on her part. Things have certainly changed since I sent her sister off to high school soccer practice, OH MY!!!.............. 22 years ago!!! WOW! - That 22 years just whizzed on by. It fills me up with so much emotion just to think of all that has happened in my life since then. To have this second daughter, and to be in such a different place as a parent, such an amazing journey! There are no words to describe this experience.

So 22 years ago, Paula just showed up for the first day's practices, with just a quick sign up at the high school, no 14 page regulations to read, no page after page of paperwork to be filled out, no expensive equipment, as the school supplied all but cleats, and no check for $165, and that for only one season, a second check to be due for gymnastics!!

Paula did advise Mia to get in plenty of practice/warmup this week in preparations for the grueling schedule until school starts. So she will be at the field by 7:45 each weekday 'til school starts, so I will be in the garden each of those days by 8!

And now the work really begins. Time to clean up/out the gardens!!

I have been working my way through a new book. "Gaia's Garden" by Toby Hemenway. It's a guide to Home-scale permaculture, which is a set of techniques and principles for designing sustainable gardens. Basically it is a way to develop your gardens to be more productive, and to contain more food sources, by making the best use of your land and natural resources.

I will be working on a plan to develop more food sources here in my gardens, focusing on greens and perennial vegetables first, then expanding to a greater variety of vegetables and possibly fruits and nuts, depending on resources available to me. It might be a possible topic for our advance gardeners. There is a great plan for creating a deer barrier, just with some thoughtful plantings as a border to keep them out and your plants protected from their rampages! As I learn more, I will share will all.

For now, though, I have decided on a plan to get through all the work here for this end of the season. Next week I will be in the gardens each morning, with a plan geared toward removing/thinning the mature planting all around.

I will be setting up a specific schedule for each area, and will start by listing the plants that are available in those areas which will need new homes. You need to let me know if there are specific plants you want. Initially I will set up garden areas to be worked on as I hear from you. Once I get an area set up to work on, that will be the only area I will take plants from for that time slot. I will be as accommodating as possible, but will be restricting where I work each day. This will obviously be done on a first come first serve basis after I have accommodated my VIP gardeners. So how do they rate? They have already put in over 5 hours each in various ways around the gardens and by providing plants/seeds here for others.

I realize you are not all available to work weekday mornings. You need to let me know if you are willing to come work for at least an hour. Morning hours will be between 8 and 10:30 or 11, depending on when I have to pick up Mia.
I can schedule afternoon hours from 2 or 3 til 4 or 5, but not every day. And I am also willing to schedule early evenings, Sat and Sun hours also, as needed.

I am not willing to wait until the last minute to set up appointments. I need to know that there will be people here to help and take home the plants I dig up. I will post cut off dates for signing up for specific times. I can only accommodate maybe 2 people for any given time.

Some of you who have been here before may be allowed to work independently, but if I do not ask you, don't take it personally, I need to be real confident of your abilities in order for you to work alone in any established gardens.

So I am in the process of listing what will be available and just lost an hour's worth of work as I forgot to save it. Be patient with me, please, as I get back to getting used to this blog and the computer quirks, lists will get done, just not totally complete until the weekend.

In order to get this post done this morning, as it is getting late and I need to get out in the garden, I will get some of the plants listed, with many, many more to come. I am working my way through one garden area at a time.

I am hoping to not have to do any Freecycle offers for these plants, as it takes a lot of follow up time on my part to do that. I am counting on those of you reading this to take the initiative and set up an appointment to be here, or to let me know what your availability is so we can work out a time good for both of us. Do keep in mind that I have a life outside of the gardens, and will need to set up what works for me, so give me 2-3 choices to pick from when letting me know what your availability is.

I appreciate your patience in all of this but I really can not respond to those of you who pick out a specific day and time and expect that I will be able to accomodate it, so please give me choices. If you do not hear back from me in 24 hours, please follow up. I will not be able to track you all down, as I have been doing in the past. If I do not fill up my time slots prior to 24 hours of the times, I will give the slots to those already booked. I will book only one slot per gardener to start. Let me know if you are able to fill more time.

I am so looking forward to working with all of you in my gardens. It is so much fun getting to know you all. My plants are all waiting for great new homes!!