“Oh the days are long/ ‘Til the baby comes…” – Sinead O’Connor That’s right – I’m still waiting for this baby. One week past my due date and just learned today that the baby, which for the last nine months has been perfectly positioned, has rotated and is now posterior. This just confirms my suspicions […]
My garden
Soil pH and nutrients: amending your soil organically
Ever wonder what these funky little kits are for? Before planting in the spring, I like to do a quick soil test for pH (soil acidity or alkalinity) and nutrients (your basic NPK, or, nitrogen, phosphorous and potash [potassium]). I just use an inexpensive testing kit from a local nursery, although if you want a […]
Nature’s idea of a joke
So, today’s the frost free date for Vancouver, and this is what it’s doing outside? Big, fat flakes. Doesn’t look like much in the photo, but come ON!
The Growing Challenge: expanding my vegetable-growing horizons
I’ve decided to join The Growing Challenge, started by Melinda of Elements in Time’s Creating Edible Landscapes blog. I’m not very good at these types of things, normally. Let’s blame it on my fear of commitment. Never could quite manage to do Green Thumb Sunday or Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day (although I have ordered the […]
First snowdrop
Today, a milestone – the first snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) of the year! It seems early, but I don’t seem to have recorded its first appearance before. (Note to myself in 2009: I actually noticed the first bloom about a week ago, but it was only this weekend that I had enough light to photograph by, […]
First snowfall of winter
Yesterday morning, we woke up to snow. As if the turning of the calendar page triggered Arctic chill. It seems snow has become more and more common in Vancouver over the past few years. I guess that’s part of the global warming/weird weather phenomenon. At this point, please allow me a short lecture, since I’ll […]
Mini West Coast woodland garden: how I integrated native plants into my patio garden
Last time I posted about our “backyard” (I have to put that in quotations because at 13′ x 15′, it’s hardly a yard) it was to brag about our new fence, step one in our garden renovation. I completely skipped step two, in which we laid 1′ x 2′ basalt pavers, which you can catch […]
Top deck veggie patch
Seems like this is the week of Before and Afters (ie. I am finally getting my act together in my own garden). Last year, our third-floor deck was a complete embarrassment due to a lack of access to water. This year, after installing a drip-irrigation system and some raised beds, we’re in business. You can’t […]