My apologies to those of you still under lots of snow with the prospect of yet more in your future, because this post is about the planting of my garden. Here in northern California, the danger of a freeze is past and so it's safe to plant all sorts of things right into the ground.
This year is different in many respects.
1. It's the 2nd summer in this house, so we know more about sun/shade/wind - the things that affect various plants in different ways.
2. We're starting many things from seed in our sunny kitchen window. If you want to eat at the kitchen table, you must cozy up to the two trays of peat pots with spindly little shoots straining toward the light.
3. Mr. OneWoman'sHands (let's call him S) is involved in a major way. Last year I did all the donkey work while he strolled around sipping Chardonnay, gathering peppers into a basket and commenting on how the tomatoes needed better tying up. (note: my garden was haphazard, overgrown and messy but it produced like
crazy)
Well, the tomatoes won't dare get out of line this year because We Have A Plan! This plan was drawn up on a spreadsheet in Excel, one foot to a square, labeled with what plant goes where.
S loves Excel in the way that some men love their car. He sees it as a tool that can be employed in many ways, not the least of which is laying out the floor plan of a wood shop or the planting of a garden.
A couple weeks ago, after
endlessly occasionally consulting me about how much space such-n-such veg needed, he eventually emerged from his office with two sheets of paper which he proudly handed to me with a self-satisfied smile and the air of a job well done.
We took these plans with us this afternoon when we sallied forth into the back yard to Plant. I stood by holding pots of veggies while he measured (you heard me right) the distance from the edge of the raised garden to where the first pepper plant should go.
Scrape chips away, set pepper down in bare spot, smile at wife - next!
We laid out most of the garden in this fashion, then went back and planted. There are many more plants to come, plus another (new) bed for root veggies, which we didn't have last year.
(I may have missed dead center by a few inches here and there but I expect it will all grow anyway)
Some of these are from the Sept 5th, 1912 issue of The Independent, a weekly magazine from New York. It sold for 10 cents an issue or three dollars for a whole a year. Quite a deal.
I get a kick out of examining the fashions and imagining myself going about my normal 2013 day all gussied up like that. And the ads are fun to read.
The paper it's printed on is old and thin, so there's some ghosting in the unprinted areas from whatever is printed on the other side. It can be cleaned up in photoshop but I don't have the time, sorry. The images themselves are fine since they're dark.
I bought a bunch of pages from an old Harper's at an antique shop last year while visiting Moneka in Visalia. I forget the year but they're quite old, as you can tell from the fashions. I've scanned most of them and now I'm using the originals in my art. UPDATE - the date of the Harper's is Oct 6, 1883.
The large text was from half a book page I found while rummaging. The large words are just the right size for postcard art.
These are the 4 cards I'm sending in for MMSA's green swap.
Each started life as a gelli print glued to cardboard, then I added misc green things found in my endless stash or torn from a magazine.
I think I like the confidential one best. The squishy circle background was big bubble wrap pressed onto the paint before laying down the paper. Then I cut a few of them out and glued them on top. Remind me of kiwi fruit. Or lime halves.
I made these for Karen at MMSA to use (or not) in an upcoming swap. Meanwhile, I thought if they appeal to any of you, feel free to download and use them however you like, except to sell. 
They consist of gelli prints, vintage photos, a receipt from 1915, an old tape measure, ancient button card, some wallpaper, some old airmail stickers, corrugated packaging paper, a few numbered wooden tokens, part of an old crochet cotton band, and a calendar page from 1920.
My apologies to those of you still under lots of snow with the prospect of yet more in your future, because this post is about the planting of my garden. Here in northern California, the danger of a freeze is past and so it's safe to plant all sorts of things right into the ground.
1. It's the 2nd summer in this house, so we know more about sun/shade/wind - the things that affect various plants in different ways.
3. Mr. OneWoman'sHands (let's call him S) is involved in a major way. Last year I did all the donkey work while he strolled around sipping Chardonnay, gathering peppers into a basket and commenting on how the tomatoes needed better tying up. (note: my garden was haphazard, overgrown and messy but it produced like crazy)
Well, the tomatoes won't dare get out of line this year because We Have A Plan! This plan was drawn up on a spreadsheet in Excel, one foot to a square, labeled with what plant goes where.
We took these plans with us this afternoon when we sallied forth into the back yard to Plant. I stood by holding pots of veggies while he measured (you heard me right) the distance from the edge of the raised garden to where the first pepper plant should go.
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Remember these?.jpg)
Please shoot me an email (maugreall at gmail dot com) with your addy and I'll get them on their way to you. If you have a fave card, say so. I'll try to oblige you but no promises..jpg)
