2nd space!

Exciting news! I have a second space to work in that I am very excited about. A friend of mine recently moved into a new home ; her garden area is quite large and up to this point has been empty, except for sod that was put down last week. It is a large sunny lot perfect for sun-loving veggies. However, my friend is too busy to grow veggies herself, so I presented the idea to her that she should let me grow them in her space and in exchange she gets as many organic veggies as she likes. She loves the idea and is happy to support me in my new business venture. Bonus, I get to visit my friend more regularly!

The space is great for many reasons, but not ideal. The lot is level, but this was only achieved because the builders brought in truck loads of sand - in some spots it is up to four feet deep! Pure sand, no soil! My plan is to build up the soil over the Fall and Winter, and if all goes well I will have decent soil by the Spring. Today I started defining some beds with approximately 3-4" leaves and old spoiled hay I got for free. I added 3-4" peat moss on top of this and a sprinkling of lime.

View from the upstairs balcony

View from garden level

Next week I am going to add approximately 8" of compost. This will be covered with more leaves (not hay as I don't want it sprouting on top of all my hard work!) and then left to 'simmer' until the Spring.

It is quite a lot of work right now but, keeping my fingers crossed, this effort will be worth it come next year.

Great reading!

I am half way through reading The Omnivore's Dilemma- A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan. I highly recommend it! Pollan's premise is that North America is suffering from a national eating disorder. He explores how we produce, market, and agonize over what to eat. The book is basically an indictment of today's food industry (in particular how corn has found its way into just about everything we eat), and extols the virtues of ethical eating, which includes eating locally grown organic food. I think everybody should read this book, It will make you more aware of the moral ramifications of your eating habits, but also I'm sure you will just enjoy Pollan's humorous, ironic, intelligent writing style. Enjoy!!

Next on my reading list (it is quite long right now, thank you to Paul who went crazy on my birthday and brought me every book on my wish list!!) is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. Can't wait to get started!