Independence Days - Week ending 4/25

Yea!!!! Another productive week!

1. Plant something: Expanded my herb bed; planted lavender, citronella (technically a citronella-scented geranium), dill, cilantro, stevia, basil, parsley, grape tomatoes, and either lemon balm or bee balm (not sure which one yet) in newly-expanded herb bed; planted several varieties of tomatoes, 2 types of peppers, bush (soup) beans, kale (I know it's really way too late here to start kale, but what the heck - I need practice anyway), watermelons (3 kinds!), carrots, and chard.

2. Reduce waste/reduce dependence on commercial systems: Worked on hand-knit washcloths for Mothers Day gifts (from this adorable pattern - fast, easy, and tooooo cute!), finished setting up our home recycling center (no curb-side pick up here), sorted our first batch of recyclables, baked bread

3. Regenerate what is lost: I'm not sure if my entries in this category truly qualify, but in our highly developed suburban area, the impact to the environment and to native species is *WOW* off the charts. One of my projects since we moved here has been a butterfly garden in my back yard. I didn't spend much time on it last year, but most of my previous plantings there are perennials, so I still have something to work with. This week I planted what is either lemon balm or bee balm. The flowers are supposed to be highly attractive to butterflies and to bees. I also planted dill and parsley, which are larval (sp?) host plants. I have this strange idea that if I give the butterflies their own dill and parsley in their designated area of the yard, then they will refrain from laying eggs on the dill and parsley in my herb garden. Makes sense, right? Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. Oh well. The Eastern Swallowtails are an amazing sight in the garden, so I'm willing to share my parsley.

I'm so glad to have my square foot garden underway. I know that this will be a big learning year for me, as I've never gardened on this scale before. I know there will be failures, but that's okay. There will be successes too, I'm certain. I'm also thrilled to have my herb bed expanded. I've expanded it a little bit each year - the digging is hard, so I have to do a little at a time. Any further expansion will require additional beds, which I am not opposed to in the least, BTW. There are so many wonderful herbs, and so many wonderful uses for them. I dream of a cook's garden, a dyer's garden, and a soaper's garden. But then there are medicinal uses as well. Of course, many plants are great for several different uses. Calendula, for example, can be used in cooking (commonly called "pot marigold" because of this use), would be great for use in dying fibers, is useful in soaps, salves, and tinctures for its calming and anti-inflammatory effects, and can be taken internally as a tea for many different ailments. Oh - did I mention that I have Calendula seeds on the way?!

Spring has sprung!
Brooke