October Garden

School has started again, and...that means less time to think/blog/wax ineloquent, etc. I don't know how others that have such full schedules can maintain an interesting blog day in and day out. Nonetheless, on Wednesdays I'll have a little bit of time in the evening to decompress...so that's what I'm attempting to do right now.

Garden update:

This picture is of some of the produce from my garden this year. This was my very first garden, and although it was a lot of work in the beginning, now I feel like my vegetable cup is overflowing :) I worried about a month and a half ago whether or not my tomato and bell pepper plants were going to do anything...if only I knew what was in store! Two of the tomato plants I bought were an orange/yellow variety...some of these here I pulled off the plant so that they could ripen in the sunshine on our kitchen counter while we eat the already-ripe ones. There are probably easily another 30 or so good-sized tomatoes outside in the garden that will hopefully ripen within the next few weeks (weather permitting). The bell peppers look like they may have gotten a little bit frozen...they're a little black on some edges...but I'll give those some more time.

School update:

This term I am taking Basic Horticulture and Landscape Construction Practices. Last night I helped build and pour a small concrete pad. This was done up until about 9:45 at night, without much direction, experience or know-how. I was amazed my group actually pulled through. So, I now know how to build a concrete slab, should any of you need any assistance with that :) In the weeks ahead we'll be building fences, retaining walls, working with pavers, and doing a bunch of other cool things (all outside, between the hours of 6 and 10 pm in Portland weather...). I also know how to drive and operate a tractor and I could (at least somewhat) explain the intricacies of a chainsaw (I'm still scared to operate the damn thing, although I have cut off a few pieces of log with one so far :) My horticulture class is reminding me of my AP Biology course I took my senior year in high school. Mitochondria...cytoplasm...lateral meristem...chlorophyll....sound familiar?

The first few weeks of school were frustrating - we plunged into tractor parts and were left to our own devices in figuring out how to use the microscope and prepare slides...it's not that any of these things are hard in an of themselves...they're just hard when they seem so foreign. I wanted guidance. I wanted the instructor to explain everything before we plunged into it. But that's not always the best way to learn, I suppose. The best way to learn many of these things, unfortunately for me, is to just do them. Do them, look like an idiot, struggle, fail, and then do them again. I don't even understand how cars work, let alone tractors. I spent almost two hours last weekend trying to figure out what the hell hydrostatic transmission is and what difference that makes in operating a tractor that has that kind of gear system. This is so totally different than my experience at Whitworth as an undergraduate student. I'm hanging out with hard-core gardeners and construction buffs. And I like it, for the most part :)

Life update: I have decided to continue taking classes at PCC in the landscape technology program. Reason: It is relatively cheap and is the only way to gain experience and knowledge in the field without actually having a job in it. And hopefully...soon...I actually will get a job in this field. This weekend is Portland Nursery's annual Apple Tasting Event. I came last year by myself and was in heaven, walking through all the aisles of cool plants, listening to live Cuban music, eating apples, popcorn, cider, strudel and ice cream, and, best of all, being in one of the happiest places in Portland on one of the happiest days of the year (Portland is beautiful in the fall). The place is swarming with joyful, playful people. This year I'll be working at the event both weekends, starting this Friday. I'll be weighing and cutting apples, as well as serving popcorn. It's going to be the best thing EVER. A combination of almost everything I LOVE in life.

The bad news is that in order to work at this fantastic event, I will be missing out on my dear, dear friend Elizabeth's wedding in Albuquerque. I am sooo sooo sad about this. But Elizabeth, if you are reading this, I promise I will make it down there sometime! I am dying for a New Mexico sunset, and I'm only 25 - that means there are many years (Lord willing) ahead to take vacations into the heart of all things Southwest: succulent plants, Spanish-style architecture, exquisite sunsets, and sunshine!!!

I'm excited about this fall: the weather, my new classes, working at the nursery for a few days, and, something else to look forward to: for Thanksgiving, I'll be visiting the Benhameen in California, which will be awesome. And THEN, a few weeks after that, we will be living in the SAME CITY!!! Mid-December, after a year and a half of dating long-distance, we will both be Portland-dwellers. I can't wait. :oD

Garden update

It's been neat to watch my first veggie garden grow. Neat, but not without its frustrations. The tomato plants have all outgrown their cages...and although the plants themselves look very healthy, none of the tomatoes are turning red. At the farmer's market today, I overheard a few ladies saying they had the same problem this year w/ their tomatoes. And while at Powell's this afternoon, the checker lady said the same thing was happening with her plants - lots of green tomatoes and no red ones. I assume it is weather-related...but it's disappointing nonetheless. If I lived in a warmer, sunnier climate they may change, but I'm doubtful in Portland. I've learned a few other things too: fennel is better to grow from seed. Basil doesn't really expand much from starts - it's almost worth it to just buy bunches of it at the store or market and not bother w/ planting it in the yard. Next year I will plant cherry tomatoes - I've heard those do better here and have a much better chance of ripening than the big ones. The pepper is growing, but not developing into fruit yet...we'll see if that does well here in the next month or two. The seeds I planted about a month ago for winter veggies are starting to come up - but they are still TINY little things. I don't know if I sowed them too early or too late, but those will probably not develop into mature plants before the frost hits...we'll see. If we're lucky we'll get a few carrots, some little lettuce and kale leaves, and perhaps a few little radishes. I'm happy to see the acorn squash doing so well - and those I didn't plant - the seeds were simply left over from Nancy and Andy, as well as the pretty nasturtiums. The oregano, sage, and flat-leaf parsley are doing wonderfully - as expected. Nearby we have rosemary, peppermint, lemon balm, and dahlias. It's a happy little place, even with dandelions popping up every day, Bermuda grass growing out of control in some areas, and an eyesore of a lawn that's gone a whole summer with no water. Last weekend I planted a bunch of things on the two parking strip areas on both sides of the driveway. Tomorrow I plan on picking up some mulch and laying newspaper down to discourage weeds, especially the grass, from competing with the newly establishing plants, as well as weeding the south and west embankments. Always something to do!!

Gleaning more from the word 'Grassroots'

This afternoon I spent about an hour and a half pulling grass out of about a three-foot square corner of our already small veggie garden. It was no small task. After a visit to the Portland Nursery yesterday w/ sprigs of grass in my hand, I learned that there are basically two types of grass: the kind that have short root systems (which are most common on residential yards) and the kind that have long, extensive roots systems and that are spread via rhizomes. There is a particular variety of the latter type called 'Bermuda Grass' that I believe is making headway in our yard. It is a nasty weed that is virtually impossible to get rid of w/o an herbicide of some kind. And it is popping up all over our otherwise dead, yellow turf - and showing up all over the perimeter areas, inside the veggie garden as I mentioned, and also down in the rock/dry beds/parking strips. I HATE it. I'm sure this is a very useful kind of grass in the prairie where some type of animal could eat it for sustenance and therefore keep it under control...but it is a weed in a residential yard like ours. Did I mention that I hate it? Because I do. God only knows if I actually succeeded in removing the grass for that area - there were millions of tiny roots down there, and I have no idea if they were offshoots of the larger grass roots, or if they were roots of some other plant. I will probably find out in a few weeks.
Anyway, I thought I would update my readers (so, like, maybe three people) w/ the progress of our veggie garden. So far one of our tomato plants is beginning ot bear fruit. Also, the squash is doing well (and that one I didn't even plant!). The bare corner of the veggie garden is where I dug up all the grass - I planted what I hope will become some winter veggies - lettuce, kale, carrots and radishes.

I have no idea what I am doing. Most of the time if I think about what I am doing I get overwhelmed w/ possiblities and further questions of what to do next, how to do it, what would be best, etc. But then I start doing whatever it is that I'm thinking about and after many hours I feel better.

Once again I thought of an analogy while outside today pulling the grass. It reminded me of what I heard about the mustard plant while listening to Shane Claiborne's Another World Is Possible: Creation CD. The word 'grassroots' has had mostly positive connotations throughout my lifetime - for me the word stirs up images of brave people in our history who have fought the status quo and banded together to bring about positive change. Economic justice. Racial and sexual equality. Freedom of thought, speech and religion. Worker rights. Environmental protection. Nearly all progressive social change comes about throughout grassroots activism - it usually does not come about through a person in a powerful position deciding to make the change - usually because they themselves believe they are benefitting from keeping things the way they are. The mustard plant, if I remember correctly, is a burly, unsightly thing. Although it comes from a tiny, tiny seed, it produces a hefty plant that eventually nobody really wants to mess with. I think Bermuda grass is similiar. With each tear in the root system, it produces a stronger, larger strain of the grass. It multiplies underground and you have to dig deep and wide to pull out the entire strand. Meanwhile there are little roots underground that are happy you made room for them. As one dies, several more grow in its place.

Now, you may be wondering what the hell I'm talking about. Well, I suppose what I am trying to say here is that social change can be, and often is, unsightly and, quite frankly, annoying to deal with for the rest of us who aren't necessarily on the front lines of any particular social or environmental cause today. I'm sure that I'm not alone in feeling a bit frustrated over the overwhelming influx of emails and mail correspondence from dozens of organizations who are working tirelessly for the one issue they want so badly to change. Our generation, being so connected through the internet and generally in-the-know about what is going on in the world, have an unprecedented amount of pressure to do something about all of the suffering, unrest, and environmental degradation our world is currently facing. We have an unprecedented amount of pressure because, to our knowledge, we have inherited a world w/ an unprecedented amount of problems that will only worsen if we do not step up and do something about it.

I hope my generation and the one that follows are more like mustard seeds and Bermuda grass rhizomes - I hope and pray that we are so unsightly and annoying that positive social and environmental change actually comes into fruition. Jesus had a much more eloquent way of saying this - the parable of the seed. Perhaps being sown on good soil is more important than being an unrelenting plant. But what does that mean? Ok, I'm done for today. Time to go make dinner!

My Garden

<---Before - This is the eastside yard - with veggie garden in center. you can see how everything is overgrown and the grass and weeds are taking over. Everything was a bit greener then, mind you, because the hot spell had not occured yet. Now, the grass is gettin' pretty brown. I'm slowly getting over it. This picture does not show the many holes in the turf where I've dug deep and pulled out dandelions (some with roots nearly a foot long!!!). Notice the beautiful apple tree on the right. It's now producing lots of green apples. And on the left are raspberries!!! They are just now starting to turn red. If posting pictures wasn't such a bear I'd post more of them showcasing all parts of the yard I've "worked" on, and the many more parts of yard that I'm simply enjoying from Nancy and Andy's (the owners of the house who are living in Zambia currently) hard work.

After - With the grass trimmed and the veggie garden weeded and planted with tomato plants, fennel, peppers, basil, cilantro, dill, sage, and oregano, it's looking pretty good. Now, let's see if it grows! In the meantime, I think Beth (my roommate) and I will enjoy the activity alluded to below as much as possible while weather permits. :)
Yes, life is good at the particular moment. That tree w/ the hammock is a giant magnolia. For some odd reason it didn't bloom this year - most likely because of the stretched out period of cold we had this spring - I guess it wasn't warm or sunny enough to burst those beautiful flowers out of their buds. I learn so much about life, even human life, from plants. Our Creator has made this world, with all of its rhythms and diversity and quirks...that I've come to realize can teach us volumes about ourselves.