First Compost Use

I set up my outdoor composter to use today.

To start: I dug out a square about an inch deep that was the size of the composter itself.  I put the composter itself into place and covered the edge with a bit of the leftover soil (no nothing could climb in the bottom).

To compost: My roommates and I keep our compostables in a container in the freezer. When the container was full, instead of putting the waste into the city compost, I put it in the new composter, covered it with some dried grass clippings and some dead leaves as well as a bit of compost accelerator (just to start).

This was the email I sent all my housemates:
Hello housemates!
I've set up the black composter outside for use. Save up any fruit or veg clippings (no meat, dairy, or dog or cat poo) and put them in a bunch at a time into the composter. Make sure you cover it with some of the dead grass, leaves, or sod (on the side of the tree nearest the composter) to keep the smell from attracting unwanted friends.
Here is a great simple resource: http://www.composting101.com/what-to-use.html
I'll deal with everything else.  Free beautiful compost for next year?  Yes please!

Plot Planning–Timelines

6 weeks before last frost
-Start indoors:
          -Tomatoes
          -Okra

3 weeks before last frost
-Start indoors:
          -Cucumbers
          -Callaloo/Amaranth

As soon as soil can be worked–under row cover until last frost
-Lettuces
-Brassicas
-Alliums
-certain peas and beans (sugar daddy snap pea / scarlet runner bean / tom thumb shelling pea)
-Beta vulgaris (swiss chard + beets)
-Parsley
-Sorrel
-Sage
-Lemon Balm
-Feverfew
-Korean Mint
-Sunflowers
-Poppies
-Watercress (may not get to it this year)

After Last Frost (May 9 this year in Toronto)
-Zinnias
-Cilantro
-Bush beans (Royal Burgundy Bean + Tendergreen)
-Trionfo Violeto pole beans
-Morning Glories
-Calendula
-Basil
-Borage
-Pattypan Squash
-Plant out seedlings:
          -Tomatoes
          -Okra
          -Callaloo
          -Cucumbers

1st Week July
-Start indoors:
          -Winter Squash
          -Broccoli
          -Cabbage
          -Cauliflower

1st Week August
-Plant out seedlings:
          -Winter Squash
          -Broccoli
          -Cabbage
          -Cauliflower

First seeds planted outdoors!

Today was an exciting day: the first of my seeds got planted outdoors!
Heirloom Organic Romaine Lettuce
Organic Ruby Red Swiss Chard
Pak Choi
Organic Russian Red Kale
Organic Bloomsdale Spinach
I was going to plant more but ran out of time...  Tomorrow maybe?

Seeing as all my cold hardy veg are nitrogen hungry, I mixed in a bit of extra coffee grounds into the soil before I planted my seeds.

For speed of planting, I used a tool that I don't know the name of that I got from my parents house to make narrow troughs to lay the seeds in.
I spaced the rows according to the directions on the seed packets or information that I found online and recovered with the displaced soil.

After I finished and lightly watered the ground where I planted, I covered the plot with a floating row cover (with rocks on the corners) to keep the soil warm on the still cool nights:

So soothed :)

Double Digging

There was a lot of hard work to be done at my plot as the majority of the space was covered in grass and the large maple tree on the south end of the yard had its roots reaching far towards the house. What we ended up doing on the south end of the lawn was double digging:

1). We cut off the top layer of sod

2). Dig down about 2 feet

3). Pull out all the tree roots

4). Lay down sod, grass down

5). Add some compost, coffee grinds, and banana peels with the soil we dug up

Hard work but lovely with friends, snacks, and tea. 

My beautiful friends digging away at the sod:

 Erin writing a blessing for the plot:

 Double digging away:

Compost Bin for my Studio

I was chatting with some studio mates today and there is a bunch of us who are excited to do some guerilla gardening out in the train tracks behind the old loft-ish space that houses our shared studio.  I'v been wanting to build a composter since there is no green bin (OR RECYCLING) pickup in industrial areas (ridiculous!)

I found this site and am excited to make a giant compost for us!  There is a bunch of pallets in front of our building just waiting to be used:

http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/2013/02/diy-how-to-build-a-compost-bin-out-of-wood-pallets/

Spring Equinox excitement!

Wonderful Film

I watched a wonderful film today about urban farming.
It's called Edible City: Grow the Revolution
Inspiring. Thought provoking. Have a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIVqGtgDHBo&list=PLw69HSUDzgSKKvwgggYbfKv08GXJKBae5&feature=mh_lolz