Uncooperative Worms

The worms arrived the other day. Left in the snow in their protective box, outside my porch. I opened the box and there they were in their little bag. One whole pound of worms. It didn't look like much until I opened the bag. Then I realized the bag was SOLID worms. I split them in half and put each half into a bucket. I was so proud!

The next day I lifted up one of the buckets and a whole bunch of worms were cuddled on the lid I kept under the bucket. The other bucket had no escaped worms. So I put the run aways back into their own bucket.

This continued. One bucket fine, the other full of restless, adventurous worms. I began to dump the escapees into the second bucket. But that's not good because now I am going to get crowded worms. So I went back to the restaurant and obtained 2 more buckets. Today I am going to transfer the contents of the bad bucket into a new one.

It is never easy, is it?

I bought the Square Foot Gardener book yesterday and have been reading it. Very interesting reading. Gives me more info on how to set up my yard this spring.

I also did a Sunday style walk through of Menard's and checked out the wood for my raised beds. Using 2x10x8, they will cost me around $40. each. But if I use 2x4x8's the cost goes down to around $25. Much better. Plus, maybe I can scrounge some wood from here or there. The book talks about getting wood from construction sites. But here in Michigan, those are few and far between. I do know a couple of fixer upper guys, so maybe they have some scraps hanging around. I also heard that we now have a Habitat For humanity store just down the road from me, so I am going there as well.

I worry about my neighbors a little. We are in a neighborhood, here, all fenced in. But privacy? We ain't got any. There is a neighbor behind me and on both sides. And they all are major yard neatnics. Next to me is the wonderful flower gardener. People from all over this area talk about her yard. On the other side of me is another wonderful woman who has grass. But it is always trimmed and fertilized and just looks neat. Then behind me is a family who never have child toys laying around. They are like a cross between both of my side neighbors. Their yard is perfect with a nice touch of flowers. So I am in between them.

I have put in lots of flowers, a small fountain and my pergola. I love my pergola. In fact, back when I was married, I used to cater parties for my husband in his rather large party barn. I told him that if I did this, I would like a pergola. After about 5 years of doing his parties (3-4 a year) I told him no pergola, no parties. So he built me a pergola. Part of my divorce demands, were that he take down the pergola and build it at my new place. Well, he dismantled it, but then stacked the wood in my front yard. So my nephew put it together for me. It measured 10' by 16 foot long. I put a stone patio under it and in front of it I built a huge 5x16 sandbox. When my grand kids get older, maybe I will plant potatoes there! or just add onto my patio.

My hydroponic lettuce is really taking off. Some of my spinach is sprouting, so I transferred them to the hydro unit. I try not to go down there and stare at them every day. If I go every couple of days, then I see how much they are growing. I want to start some more vegetables soon so that I keep a crop coming. I just may have to start another hydro unit!

Winter - The beginning

I love gardening. I love it. But over the years I have gardened and not gardened. In the 70's I eeked a garden out of rotten sandy soil in spotty shade. In the 80's we moved to 30 acres and I had the garden of my dreams. Huge. With every vegetable that I could ever want. We raised pigs, chickens, kids, fruit trees and bushes. I loved it. I gave away vegetables for the first time in my life.

Then my husband asked me to change my location. So I did. We planted more fruit trees where my garden had been. I still had a large space, although not quite as large as before. Then in the 90's I moved it again and my garden shrank. Then finally, I came home one early spring day to discover my husband burning rubbish from a house he was remodeling. The painted wood was old and I worried about lead. The roofing materials he added later had who knows what in them. So I gave it up. At this time we also gave up our animals, and our kids took off to run their own lives.

I always missed gardening. I loved not having to weed. But I loved the gardening, canning, the sustainability of a good healthy garden.

Since then I divorced my husband and moved to a small home near the city with a small fenced in backyard. I have a neighbor with a magic flower touch who loves flower gardening. I was disappointed the first spring to discover that my yard was almost totally shaded. The second spring, I put in a 4 X 8 raised bed for tomatoes, green peppers and cucumbers. I also put in a lettuce garden up by my patio that received some sun during the day.

The squirrels and chipmunks ate every single tomato. Because of the sun, my green peppers were very tall, but prolific! And I was able to harvest many cucumbers! My lettuce garden was always there for me and the swiss chard I sprinkled in there grew until the snow and freezing finally did it in. However, I potted several plants and have used them over the winter.

I want to garden again. I want to go out and touch my plants and pick vegetables and can vegetables. So I walked around and around my yard and called a tree person and had them trim my huge swamp maple tree way way up so that the sun can now hit my hard in several good places. And I found gardengirltv on Youtube. My hero.

So now I have hope for a garden this summer. A real garden. I am planning to build several raised beds so that I have at least 3. I am looking for a humane animal trap so that I can catch the critters that think I am raising things for them (We have a park a short distance away and they will be relocated). I started a hydroponics unit in my basement where I am (really I am) growing lettuce and spinach. And today my worms are coming!


I am getting ready for spring by starting my compost worm bins. I got a couple of pickle buckets from my sister"s restaurant and following the directions of the garden girl, I drilled holes and filled the buckets with shredded paper and soil and some water. I also have some veg scraps that I had from my cooking yesterday. So, as soon as my worms arrive, I am putting them in the buckets so they can start composting and creating some nice soil for me. Because this is winter and it is cold outside, I have them in my kitchen.

My daughters think this is totally gross, but the buckets are clean and they are in the corner. I will move them to my basement once the worms are in. Then when spring really gets here I will take them outside. I have them inside so that they will start working. And will chew up my veg scraps. So I am excitedly waiting!