gardening misadventures

misery

2008-05-01T14:14:00.001-07:00

i am currently succumbing to dolour. i need time toheal. maybe i will post tommorow. i can not promise. dear readers, i am sorry about this incumbent hiatus.

Gardening As A Theatre

2008-04-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and are little lives are rounded with a sleep".- William Shakespeare, The Tempest

It is 1621, in fall bleak and sombre. every step on the rotting flora releases a crimson blood that pervades the sylvan hearth. the auspicious winds of spring, and profusion of summer have acquired a phantasmagoric quality, and we are infused with dolour. We tentatively hold a feast thanking god for the foison, though uncertain the quantity will last us through the austerity of winter.

Imagine this despondent scene. We, in our endless bounty thanks to technological milestones, will most likely never encounter such a doleful occasion once again, with the exception of third world countries. Gardener, return to the days of yore. get yourself in the mindset beginning in late winter. though we must primarily utilize a computer to order seeds, we must order a quantity( and variety) of flora that will get us through summer and winter. yes, this is but a pretence of necessity, however, when we as gardeners view our task as secondary or tertiary, and not imperative to our survival, we slack off, and sometimes plants succumb due to our indolence. however, if we view our task of planting palatable flora as incumbent for survival, the laissez-faire philosophy pertaining to gardening will be eradicated, we will be viewing a more bountiful harvest, and by saving seeds(as they did in times past) we shall be saving money. Now, dear reader, by no means am i stating that we should not utilize modern means of cultivation, we should simply pretend that it is times past in terms of be attentive to our plants needs( observing them with assiduity) and the quantity/variety of plants you buy. in fact, i have plans for planting a great deal of palatable flora next year. i shall be sharing my garden plans with you. hold this philosophy dear to you, ignore the absurd quotidian routine of the times, and return to the garden. not only will you see a positive change in your verdure, but in yourself, too. Indolence is lovely, but gets us nowhere.

serendipity

2008-04-18T09:48:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by alecweinstein

It was by serendipity that I came across this jovian, melliferous cherry tree. Life is truly wonderful. i spent the day at the beach yesterday, a friend and i being the only ones there. it was so serene, and i shall return soon. (krigsman) the radish seedlings are robust and prolific, and i shall be thinning them out today. the lettuce has emerged in the 78(!) degree heat today.(my home) Notes for next year.... Do not use Peat moss! start nasturtiums outside! do not overwater! buy impatiens, do not start from seed!(my life) i am writing a romantic short story in jane austen format. i will elucidate later. the sea yesterday inspired me to write a poem entitled "on Youth". the tulips are blooming, and the grass is like verdure rich.i must run. my apologies.

P.S. i shall be planting dahlia this afternoon, and will be posting!

hiatus

2008-04-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, i have been bombarded with an absurd amount of homework. i have midterms tommorow. However, tomorrow afternoon i shall be posting once again. in the mean time, my radishes have almost completely sprouted, there diminutive forms not truly visible from afar. i have from April 16- 28 off from school, and will be gardening/reading/blogging/writing/reading/reading poe, shakespeare, quantum mechanics, earth science,de montaigne, karl marx, sociology,the napoleanic wars/augmenting my vocabulary/ writing anecdotes for my prelude to the tempest, short horror stories, non-stop. I cannot wait! as of now, the platitude of school beckons. arrrgggghhhhhh!

p.s. i will be buying pansies/ hyacinth shortly! And photographing the design of the pots!

A return to gardening!

2008-04-09T15:12:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by alecweinstein

Finally, my burden of work has been alleviated! i have returned to gardening. This diminutive radish sprouts have been popping with the mild weather lately, and my lettuce seedlings are so prolific in their growth, and will be transplanted next week. the cherry blossoms(sans kwanzan) are blooming, and the Bradford pear trees will be shortly. check out my page on Flickr to view my blooming neighborhood. (krigsman) Today, I have finally finished planting the radishes, and with warm weather expected in the near future, they should be sprouting within days. lettuce will be transplanted by Sunday.(home) i planted 3 varieties of Zinnia today, as well as other marigold seeds.(my life) the taming of the shrew is wonderful, thought biased and chauvinistic. By June, i will continue writing my prelude to the tempest. In order to build character development, i must read the republic, ethics, on war, kidnapped, and michel de montaigne's essays. I am also thinking of imbuing the story with Adam and Eve and other biblical allusions. In english class, we are reading the wonderful, wonderful POE! i can not wait to write short horror stories. here are 3 possibilities- the house by the sea, in which an old war veteran is taken under the hoodwink of night by the people he murdered and drowned in the sea, crimson leaves, in which a young girl is murdered walking home on a bleak November afternoon, and finally, the cabin in the Conneticut woods, in which a mother and young girl are raped and murdered. morbid, eh? well, i am a morose person at times, and jovian at others. i am beginning to comprehend Quantum Mechanics.

Prismatic daffodills

2008-04-01T15:15:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by alecweinstein

I discovered these gorgeous, jocund daffodills in the Krigsmans backyard by luck. they are simply stunning. While cleaning up the damage from a severe thunderstorm this afternoon, there hues suddenly caught my eye. i was in shock, as i have been using this allotment for 2 years and have failed to notice these beforehand. click on my flickr widget to view more photos.(Krigsman) I will most likely finish sowing radishes tommorow. the aforementioned ones are showing no signs of germination.yet. ( home) Today i sowed the lettuce i purchased Sunday, Burpee" Black seeded simpson" and "royale mix". i transported the double impatiens mini-greenhouse downstairs where the heat mat is located. ( my life)
i have put off A Tale Of Two cities, and i am reading The Taming Of the shrew in its place. this afternoon i plan on beginning Act 2 in the prelude to the Tempest.

p.s. My Mocca Pink tuberous begonias should be arriving this week!

garden goods

2008-03-30T11:30:00.003-07:00

garden goods
Originally uploaded by alecweinstein

Today I went to the Home Depot and spent an exorbitant amount of money on gardening products. I purchased nasturtium"peach melba", "Burpees tall mix", lettuce"black seeded simpson, and "gourmet mix", zinnia"oklahoma cherry" and radish "crimson crunch"/ i also bought a watering can(the other cracked over the winter) a garden wand, and a biodegradable pot that came with basil seeds. (krigsman) Radishes!! today i planted 5 out of the 30 rows of radish, and next week i shall be planting lettuce alongside it. Gardening is so therapeutic, and under the sooting march sun i was lulled to sleep.(my house) To my dismay, i discovered that i left 4 Ganzania seedlings outside last night. they all perished in the inevitable early spring frost. The Bradford pears that adorn my streets are showing signs of popping, there carmine buds slowly but surely unfurling.

seedlings

2008-03-28T07:10:00.001-07:00

zinnia
Originally uploaded by alecweinstein

my zinnia seedlings are growing profusely! My marigold seeds have sprouted, their emerald hues contrasting with the chartreuse of zinnia. on sunday, i will be going to the Home Depot to purchase an additional mini-greenhouse, radish seeds, and zinnias. I also plan on buying assorted gardening material. we recieved a dearth of rain last night. (my life) I recently purchased A Tale Of Two Cities, and am up to scene 2 in A Prelude To The Tempest. (backyard) the gardeners came yesterday and cleaned the garden of its winter debris. however, i must vociferate on the horrid weather we are experiencing in the North East. Raw, damp, and 28 tonight. nauseating.

p.s. I will take detailed pictures of radish planting sunday!

prolific zinnia seedlings

2008-03-26T14:51:00.001-07:00

seedlings
Originally uploaded by alecweinstein

(home) zinnia" apricot blush" and "blue point" from reneesgarden have germinated with 100& of the seeds emerging. morning glory"glacier star" has also poked up their chartreuse heads, marigold has roots forming, and dill is on the verge of sprouting.(krigsman) the weather is taking a turn for the worse, so although 62 today, tomorrows high is 48 and low is an abysmal 30! rather than planting radishes today, i will be planting them as scheduled, April 1, regardless of the weather(49 and rainy is the forecast). (my life) i have begun to write a prelude to Shakespeares "The Tempest" and have already written 2 scenes.unfortunately, homework beckons.
Alec

p.s. i planted the double impatiens in this fascinating mini-greenhouse that truly self waters through capillary action!(for those that are not earth science gurus, capillary action is the constriction of dirt particles which allows water to go against gravity and reach plant roots)

Updates

2008-03-25T18:15:00.001-07:00

(krigsman) today i finally finished tilling up the land and spread blood meal over the tilled hearth. i also contrived a make-shift device that would act as a deterrent to water, as flooding is a problem in parts of the krigsman lot. I will show you this tommorow. anyway, the device is two wooden stakes dug into the ground that lie on the dirt. the dirt is mounded surrounding the wood, so as to ensure water not seaping through. radishes( cherry crunch and some nameless variety) are going in april 1 to aerate the soil(sooner if the damn weather would warm up!). meanwhile, my zinnia seedling have sprouted with 100% germination rate! the morning glories are showing signs of movement, however, no signs of life from the nasturtiums or dill.tommorow- i start double impatiens!

Bailey

2008-03-25T18:12:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by alecweinstein

this is my accomplice, bailey the cockapoo. she is 1 and a half years old, her birthday being the 20th of october

almond tree

2008-03-25T18:09:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by alecweinstein

the jubilation of spring! when i was on vacation in israel, i came across this magnificient display of profuse blossoms.

daffodil

2008-03-25T14:00:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by alecweinstein

daffodils in blossom in israel, taken about a month ago.

welcome to my garden!

2008-03-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

for my first post i will introduce you to my garden zones- and i will use caeser's eloquence- my garden is divided into three parts- krigsmans yard, the back, the frontyard, and in future and previous year the robins nest and rabinowitz. this year i will be utillizing only 3 lots, 1 of them an allotment(krigsman). this year the only vegetables i will grow (due to the fact i am going to sleepaway camp) are radishes. today i tilled up krigsmans lot, and fertilized it with colloidal phosphate and greensand. radishes are going in april 1 !

anemone

2008-03-24T16:12:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by alecweinstein

deep rouge anemones blooming in israel- a harbinger of spring