Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Sunny and 69 and it ain't even April in Minnesota


Spring is my favorite time in my adopted home of Minnesota. After the brutal winter (which is shorter than the ones I grew up with in Hamilton, Ontario, but is far more severe in terms of sub-zero temperatures, amount of snowfall, and lack of sunlight), we really like to make the most of spring here.

In this blog, I'm going to try to document what I do in the spring to get my garden up and running. Part of the reason why is political. During WWII, Victory Gardens were used as a way of providing cheap sustainable nourishment to people suffering from the effects of rationing and wartime privations. In the current financial meltdown, I see it as an additional way to break away from dependence on the corporate/factory food machine. Perhaps it's a small step. But better to start with a small step than not at all.

I began this year's garden on Sunday, March 30, 2010, the day we returned from our spring break trip to Mexico (banish all thoughts of a frat party in Acapulco - we were in the Unesco biosphere reserve in Sian Ka'an).

Sunday was sunny and high 50s. I began by planting one of my salad tables (more instructions on & photos of salad tables to follow, as well as full credits to the guy who invented them - this is simply a quick post before I bike over to collect my son Tristan at school).

Yesterday (sunny and low 60s), I finished planting the first salad table. Today (partly cloudy and high 60s) I transplanted some herbs from Trader Joe's (rosemary, sage, and two bunches of thyme) into one of my homemade, eco-friendly container boxes (more on those later - including photos & instructions on how to build).


But today - simply a beginning to this journal. And a few quick pix (all taken by my iPhone since I have no idea where Megan's stashed the Nikon SLR).

Enjoy...