2008 November | You Grow Girl

November 20, 2008

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No Garlic

I think it’s time to let it go and accept the inevitable… that garlic is not going to get into the ground this year. I’m already a month late. Thankfully I predicted this would happen and decided against participating in the Great Canadian Garlic Nerd Fest months ago thereby avoiding not only being pissed at myself but enduring the shame of not following through on a commitment.

UGG.

Of course, as I’m writing the words, “Let it go” a portion of my brain is strategizing how I can still make it happen. Let it go? Never!

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November 19, 2008

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Gardening Mama

I just heard through my partner Davin that Taito, makers of the game “Cooking Mama” are about to release a similar version of the game called “Gardening Mama“!

I rarely talk about products or get all covetous on this site however… Must. Have. Game.

I’ll admit that while I have no idea what this game is or how it will function, I am super excited about it. Gardening! As a delightfully pink animated character. It must be the snow that is currently falling from the sky and today’s all day five o’clock grayness talking because I don’t doubt that there will be aspects of this game that will be all wrong. And that wrongness will drive me crazy. I can already see it in the image (above) in which the hose is shooting water all over the plants. I spend so much time advising people against that behavior, enacting it via an animated game will be maddening.

And now I will go hang my head in shame while simultaneously scheming to get my hands on one.

If you want to see more there’s a bunch of Japanese screens over here.

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November 19, 2008

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Fall Berries

I’m pretty sure these are highbush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum) but I’m not one hundred percent because the leaves are long gone from the plants. I’d have to dig around to see if I have any old photos of the bushes at different times of the year to be sure. Although, thinking back to previous visits to this spot, I’d swear the bushes looked like the plants depicted in these photos.

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November 18, 2008

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Papery Wasp Nest

The scale of the image doesn’t make sizing clear however, this was the biggest wasp nest I have ever seen. MASSIVE!

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November 17, 2008

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Things You Can Compost That You Didn’t Think You Could

While writing the composting section for the new book, it occurred to me that my list in book one was rather incomplete and only covered some of the things we compost at home. There’s a surprising number of common, everyday items that are fit for the compost, yet many gardeners tend to stick to the basics such as kitchen scraps and dead plant waste. Adding just a few more items to the bin can drastically reduce the size of your weekly rubbish bag.

Gum
Hair
Toothpicks
Pet bedding (Rabbits, hamsters, and other herbivores only!!)
Paper egg cartons
Tissues and paper toweling (Depending on what was on them)
Cotton balls (Depending on what was on them)
Paper bags (I shred these for use as bedding in my vermicomposter)
Toilet rolls
Shredded paper, newspaper, receipts and documents (non-glossy)
Wine corks
Matches
Dry dog food (Be careful about attracting vermin but makes a good compost activator for getting your pile rocking.)
Cardboard
Old spices and herbs from the cupboard
Nut shells
Wine (Another decent compost activator)
Felt, old wool, bamboo or cotton socks
Dust from sweeping and vacuuming
Old pasta
Spoiled flower bouquets and their water