A novice's attempt to get 15 percent of his food from his suburban fifth acre
Posted in Uncategorized on Nov 23rd, 2009
A few weeks ago I planted a perennial gourd called a Chayote, and in this brief period of time it has displayed the durability I’d hoped for in this enduring class of plants. If the squirrels and rabbits are too numerous to be controlled and starved of other edibles by drought (which they are), then [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Nov 17th, 2009
For about $8 you can buy 1,500 ladybugs. Since August, I have released 7,500 in my yard. Despite all of the troubles I’ve had getting things rolling in the garden this year, I have avoided dousing my edibles in chemicals to ward off or kill the pests. It’s felt like a Pyrrhic victory, at times. [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Nov 10th, 2009
Speaking of oranges of the thin-skinned variety (see previous post), in the past few days I have found that a number of mine have started splitting. The splits range from tiny tears to gaping wounds dangling pulpy innards. In either case, the fruit just seems to be bursting, as if under pressure. Every year we [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Nov 4th, 2009
This past weekend I found myself with a free moment to finally trim back the Bougainvillea that has grown with abandon for some time. This vine thrives along the fence between our yard and our neighbor’s, and I have hated it for years and avoided dealing with it. But this plant had gotten so tall [...]
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