The return of Farmer John



After a year off I am going to have a garden again this year.



It seemed a shame last summer. Here I am, living on the best farm land on the planet, and I hadn't planted one seed, hadn't picked a single tomato. The year before I spent every free minute pickling and canning and freezing and harvesting.



I tried last year. Did the rent a city garden plot thing. Problem is I live on the far north side and the public garden is on the far south side. After one 35-minute bike ride with tools lashed to the side baskets, I called it quits.



I'd had a garden every year since 1994. Five different locations. One was along the side of my apartment parking lot: 20 feet long and 12 inches wide. Row of pole beans, row of peas.



This new spot is a tiny patch with four gigantic boulders and a big light post to work around, but it should work. I dug it up today - the soil looks a little weak but I'll work on it. Now let's see if the seeds I saved from the 2002 purple pole beans will sprout...



I've already got transplanted catnip growing all over Gaslight Village. You can't stop the stuff, it's a native weed! In a couple years it'll be everywhere. (Aside: Supposedly the reason Gaslight Village has all sorts of semi-wildflowers and interesting bulbs is that the city was after Old Man Black to mow. So he planted the stuff and said "NOW make me mow it.")