🌻 eat your weeds + ask me questions

my kitchen favs, seed starting mix, and late pruning

hello from the garden! i am sitting in the backyard; it is a balmy 71°. the wind is rustling through the bamboo and the woodpeckers are drilling with great fervor. petunia, who shares a sensory processing disorder with me, keeps a continually frightened expression while outside - but she is committed to see every single bird, and i cannot take them from her.

POST-ADVERTISING LIFE UPDATE

it’s been four weeks, as of today. layers of my subconscious have been returning to me. the floating thoughts that ask quiet questions of the universe, the threads you absent-mindedly follow throughout the day. the poets can likely describe it but i do not read enough of their work. but, you know the ones: why do we compulsively create boxes of safety and then climb out of them? why do we weave webs of home and then complain of being trapped? 💭

rest — i do not have a clear understanding of what rest really is. we say it is the act of doing nothing. but we are living creatures — and it is impossible to do nothing. even if we were to sit and stare at the wall, we would be actively thinking. is it not the absence of doing work, but rather the presence of engaging in things that heal? sleep, poetry, art, walks, sudoku, pulling weeds. when does the action of rest become the action of work? if you know, or have met great writers who opine on this, please send them to me. 📖

dance - i take dance class now. this is funny to me, and i am not sure why. i have learned the tango, foxtrot, rumba, and next up is waltz and salsa. i look forward to it every week. 💃🏻

digital organization - i am beginning to wonder if our (lack) of digital organization is affecting our collective and individual mental health. i have sixty thousand photos on my iphone. the endless cloud means that my past self can continue to exist in ways that only ai could ever find a memory; certainly not me. i have been setting aside hours upon hours to delete files, organize photos, arrange past documents, etc and i feel lighter. 📲

FAV THINGS IN THE KITCHEN LATELY

the unavoidable twin hobby of gardening is cooking. i have been watching the lost kitchen, from the source, and replays of chef’s table. here are my 3 favorite kitchen companions lately.

this oxo glass salad spinner which doubles as a glass serving bowl.

these all-clad b1 hard anodized nonstick fry pans ($70). they top nearly every list of best nonstick for this year (for induction stovetops) and are wildly affordable, especially for all-clad.

these mamison rubber dishwashing gloves ($7) that i must credit fully to my friend abby farson pratt, whose lazy woman’s diary i love to read. i will never, ever, ever go back to cleaning the kitchen without gloves. she said it would change my life, i did not believe her, and i stand gratefully corrected. i clean better! faster! more happily! with hotter water! my skin and nails love me! cleaning is now a joy.

SEED STARTING MIX

i’ve found my winning combo: 2 parts coconut coir + 1 part compost + 1 part vermiculite. and yes this mix holds up perfectly for soil blockers.

a 10lb brick of coconut coir will expand to fill a huge rubbermaid container twice — so the 3 items below fill two rubbermaid bins. each bin of mix fills about ~15 standard trays.

• coco coir: 10lb plantonix - $20

• compost: 1.5 cu ft happy frog soil conditioner - $15

• vermiculite: any brand but lowe's has 8qt for $5

OUTSIDE IN THE GARDEN

this week i’ve planted onions and potatoes. a nice lil trick for the potatoes is to sprinkle some bone meal fertilizer in as you plant. root veggies require more phosphorus and bone meal is a natural source.

i use a general fertilizer mix to amend all my soil and then i add in bone meal for root vegetables and blood meal for high-nitrogen leafy greens (lettuce, cabbage, kale, brussels)! but, be careful. adding too much nitrogen to plants that are trying to fruit, flower, or grow taproots can backfire.

use “up, down, all around” to remember what (n)itrogen-(p)hosphorus-(k)potassium do for your plants.

(n)itrogen supports leaf development, (p)hosphorus feeds roots, and (k)potassium functions as immune system support. all plants need all 3, but in different ratios.

ps. this can also change during a plant’s lifecycle. for example, if you’re planting bare root roses, they recommend a balanced fertilizer mix plus extra bone meal (phosphorus) to support root development. once leaves begin to show, high nitrogen (blood meal) is recommended. then, once leaves have appeared, shifting back to bone meal (phosphorus) and limiting nitrogen supports development of flowers and roots.

speaking of crimes, i have also been pruning my hydrangeas. they are meant to be deadheaded/pruned in the summer as soon as blooms fade. but, i secretly like the look of the old blooms so i never prune and time passes. in the early spring, it takes me 3 times longer to prune because i must inspect each branch and be sure i am cutting back only to the last leaf node and not hacking off the small buds that have formed.

EAT YOUR WEEDS

our yard is littered with little wild violets, and it turns out you can eat both the leaves and flowers. i will never not be excited about FREE BEAUTIFUL FOOD. you can also eat your dandelions, chickweed, pigweed (wild amaranth), plantain, and purslane. i bet you didn’t know that plantain and purslane are two of the most nutrient dense plants on earth. (thank you robin wall kimmerer.) here's a complete list of edible weeds in nc.

ASK ME ANYTHING

sometimes you just really need to ask a question! you can comment on this email/post, and i will answer! i would love to start creating a community of readers in the comment section, as we all show up for the practice of growing together. 👩🏻‍🌾🌻🥬

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