Thursday, April 27, 2006

sunflower sproutlets


sunflower sproutlets
Originally uploaded by squeakyweasels.

Why, hello there little Sunflowers!

Although I told my dad I was going to plant them straight into the ground, I found this little peat starter kit stashed away in the shed, so Gertrude and all the kids in the neighborhood helped me poke them into the neatly prepackaged dirt on Saturday. This is what they look like Thursday morning, all snug inside my little plastic greenhouse.

This weekend, I'm probably going to break ground on my next overly ambitious gardening project. I'm moving the garden into the middle of our back yard, away from the fenceline shared by my neighbor's weirdly exotic flowers and roses.

There will be rustic wooden fencing and a stone path. Because I don't know how to plan reasonable projects, apparently.

Does anyone want to help me build one of these?

Friday, April 21, 2006

Somewhere amid my plans to grow sunflowers for my kids this summer, the gauntlet was thrown down. My dad has his own sunflower garden planned. And a rivalry is brewing.

I was over at their house on Easter, and I pointed to a sunny spot in the yard. “Is that where you’re planning to put your sunflowers?” I asked innocently.

Dad looked at me with suspicion. “Is that where you would put them?”

“I don’t know,” I hedged evasively. “Looks like you could get some serious midday shade from that tree right there.”

“Of course I wouldn’t want to put them there. Would I.”

“Oh, hell no.”

“Unless…”

“Unless that side of the house gets better morning light.”

“Right. Unless is does…

We narrowed our eyes at each other.

This morning, I received the following sunflower-growing tips via email:

  1. It’s best to plant the seeds of the Helianthus Annus about 1 inch deep.

  2. Initially, seeds should be planted in small plastic or moldy clay containers in the depths of a cool, damp basement or cellar until your father’s seeds have sprouted and look especially lively.

  3. Water the plantings well.

  4. After planting keep the soil fairly moist after they sprout.

  5. Fertilize with common gamefish native to the region, carp and catfish heads are especially good for this purpose

  6. Or crappie

  7. Plan your garden to have a strip 1 1/2 to 2 feet wide

  8. In a trench at least 4 feet deep. Make Gary help.

  9. To keep birds out of your flowers, its best to practise Falconry during the early spring months.

  10. Relax and enjoy your garden of sunflowers: there is no competition to grow the biggest and the best. Unless mine get bigger, then I get bragging rights.


Recently I mentioned the sunflower competition to Gary and wondered aloud if I’d bought the right variety of seeds.

“Oh,” he said. “Those were for planting?”

Monday, April 10, 2006

It just occurred to me that the brown sequined scarf I'm wearing as a belt today might not be entirely brown.

I'm tired of having this conversation with myself:

Me-1: Is this brown or green?

Me-2: I don't know…probably!

It may be time for brown-green to go the way of the blue-purple debate. The answer to that question is “brugle.”

There are 1812 messages in my inbox. That was a good war.