2010 - The 4 x 8 Procrastinator

May 15th is knocking on my door, and I haven't so much as ventured out into the garden since last Fall. We had a really mild Winter - hardly any snow, courtesy of El Nino - and a busy non-gardening life. With Clark finishing high school, and Emma taking on a ton of extracurricular activities in her junior year, mixed in with the younger boys' projects and activities, life has been a blur since November!

Despite all of this, all it takes is one dedicated weekend and voila!, the garden is resurrected. That's the beauty of raised bed gardening! Right now is tomato planting season, so we are not really behind the 8-ball - going back in time a mere 10 days, we had sub-freezing temps. And fortunately, this is not looking at all like the Spring of 2008, which didn't arrive until mid-June. I still remember those sickly, purple-leaved tomato plants that didn't green up until July!

So sit tight, fear not, and join me for our new season of,

" The 4 x 8 Farmer"

3rd Quarter Grades - August 15

I've been a bit slack in keeping the blog updated. A busy work schedule, a camping trip, etc. have contributed to my blog-less state!

However, I have not been slack in the garden. With thanks to my dear wife and children, and our neighbors, the garden has been happily tended when I have been MIA.

Now that we're hitting the tail end of the official summer (we had a heat wave hit here a couple of weeks ago, but the weather has now descended into 70's and 80's with intermittent rain), I though I should update things. In the spirit of "back to school" (which a couple of my sons will experience next week), I have decided to pass out grades for my garden:

Weeds - A
What does this mean? That I've been successful in keeping them under control? Or that they've been menacing my gardening? Well, a little of both. The planters themselves have been nice and weed-free for the most part. A few stragglers exist, easily pulled, or shaded into obscurity by the dominant vegetable plants. Outside of the planters, it is amazing how the weeds will flourish! I had the grounds CLEAN more than once this summer. I did so in mid-July, before our August camping trip. HOWEVER, just last weekend I had to hurry-up and cut down some prolific flowering and seeding weeds before they spread their legacy into my next year's plans. Definitely will be in the 2010 garden (frown).

Beans - A
The green and purple pole beans have done extremely well, producing an abundant crop, more than we can eat! The taste of fresh beans is wonderful! The purple beans grew more vigorously and matured earlier than the green - the green beans came on later but have picked up the slack as the purple are waning. Definitely will be in the 2010 garden.

Lettuce - A
I've had really good results with the lettuce, particularly the butter leaf varieties. Nice growth through July (when it got a little warm) before bolting. I grew a few rows between the bean trellises, which was a nice choice to fill in the dead space. Definitely there in 2010.

Zucchini - B
Great plants - lush, HUGE leaves. They seemed to take a little longer than expected to flower and fruit. The production has been good, but not nearly as vigorous as what I remember in the good ol' Central Valley: there, six plants were OVERKILL for a family of 5+! A similar number here has been nice, but not overwhelming. Will be there in 2010.

Beets - C
Still waiting to harvest them. They seem to be a little late in maturing, and not quite the size I would expect. Planted them in June, so I thought we'd have them by now. There are some small ones that I'll pull out today. Seems like last year they were late, too. Last year, the leaves were nice additions to the various stir-fry. 2010 - I'm a sucker for beets, so I'll probably have a few.

Turnips - C
They seemed to do better last year. I haven't harvested one yet. There are a couple that look ready. Fairly vigorous. 2010? We'll see - I'll probably plant them.

Sweet peas - C
Nice overall production, but the plants really fizzle out quickly. I have them in the same box as the beans, and they did start producing a little earlier, but for overall production, they just don't match the beans. Also, this variety is a sugar pea variety, so when the pods start to fill-out, the peas tend to be a little woody. Not sure if I will plant them in 2010, as they are best right off of the plant, and the household is not passionate about peas.

Crookneck - D
Really disappointed. They live in the same planter as the zucchini, they look just as beautiful as far as plants go, but only ONE actually harvested to date. There are lots of little ones, but nothing that resembles a harvestable squash. I'll not plant them in 2010.

Tomatoes - D-
Sob, sob. The plants are GREAT, very lush, much better looking than last year, BUT nothing yet to eat! Not even the cherry or pear tomatoes - I did have those to munch on this time last year. Perhaps the plants need to be "stressed" more - possibly a little chopping to the roots. I can't really cut back on watering too much, now that nature is kicking in. The weather is cooling. I have 1 1/2 planter boxes with them, and I had thoughts about having 2 next year with multiple varieties. I'm not so inclined, now. I think we need an actual hothouse to make this worthwhile. Ugh. I better like $5 tomatoes if I go that route! I'll plant them in 2010, but I better find some way to make it work.

Corn - I
The corn is forming ears, and should be ready in a couple of weeks (the first planting). I should have planted them 2-3 weeks earlier. Mental note for next year.

Pumpkins - I
I planted this short-maturing variety a little bit late (since the so-called maturity guide on the packet would have put them maturing in August if I planted them in early June, far too early for Halloween), but the plants are a little small, some flowers, no setting fruit yet. Hmmmm. I hope I get at least 5 decent pumpkins.

So that's the mid-August 2009 4x8 Farmer's report...

Stay tuned!

Wait Loss

"And now, here's a message from our sponsor"

Weight loss - something that most of us need to do. But this isn't a post about what "we" need to do. It's about what "I" need to do (and am trying to do).

For a few years now, I have been waxing whimsical about my thirtieth year on Planet Earth. That was the year I made a serious effort to get into shape. My regimen began with dieting, jogging, eventually gym membership and weight training. All the things you're supposed to do to get in shape.

And, in shape I was! Over the course of several months, I dropped about 40 lbs (hitting a "peak" low of 206), had a cholesterol of somewhere in the 140's, a pulse rate in the high 50's, blood pressure of something darn low - my doctor said I was in the shape of a 19 year-old. Yeah!

I played volleyball, basketball and softball on our insurance-league teams and other rec leagues. One of my friends, who hadn't seen me for a few months, thought I was ill, I had lost so much weight! I felt GREAT!

Alas, the gym membership ceased and the daily regimen changed. My job within the company changed, and I moved away from the peer-support within the office. I went vegetarian for a while, trying to keep the weight under control without the regular exercise program, but ultimately I regained my taste for fat-laden delicacies. Oh, and I started a new hobby - homebrewing.

Needless to say, the weight came back on, besting my former max by about 25 lbs.

After procrastinating (for what, sixteen years?), I decided to do something about it - with some thanks to my current employer and their wellness program. We started a team walking challenge on June 1 (we did it last year, too, but I didn't take it all that serious). As of my June 4 physical, I weighed in at 267 (and that was even down a few lbs from a mid-May doctor visit), blood pressure was 117:70, pulse at 70 (without caffeine), and cholesterol at 228.

Over the past 5 weeks, my walking regimen has gradually increased from 1.5- 2 miles daily to 3.5-4 miles and is a walk/jog at a 50:50 ratio. I visited the doctor on July 6, and my blood pressure was 104:70, pulse at 62, and I'm really starting to feel good. I swam with the boys yesterday at the local pool, and managed to get a good 45+ minutes of aerobic-type exercise (lap swimming, treading water, etc.) - something I wasn't able to do when we did a mid-winter swim at the Y in January.

The weight loss hasn't been as rapid as I had hoped - as of today, I'm 10 lbs lighter five weeks into this. Perhaps that is just fine - I wish I knew what my weight loss rate was when I was 30, it just seemed more rapid. Who knows?

What else motivates me? There are several hangers with dress pants the next size down in my closet beckoning me - my current pants are getting a little baggy, a little worn, and need to be replaced soon. I'm just not quite able to slip comfortably into the "new" old ones. Yet.

My goal is 220. Not as low as when I was 30, but I really feel I can hit this if I persevere. According to the weight loss experts, 2 lbs a week is healthy, so I'm looking at hitting my goal by Thanksgiving. Just in time for the holiday feeding frenzy! Ugh.

Summer has arrived! If only for a week...

Summer 2009 in the great Inland Northwest officially came with a sub-60's day. We had some nice days in the 70's during the week, but June 21 came in with a ppphhhhffftt (as Bill the Cat might have said).

I really thought Hoopfest the following week would have brought us 90's, since Hoopfest always seems to mark the Official Heatstroke Weekend for Spokane (I intend to play in 2010, so it will probably be in the 100's. Mark my words). It, too, was comfortable in the low-80's.

However, Old Man Summer finally showed up on the extended 4th of July weekend - the week was solidly in the mid 80's and by Friday, hello 95! For tomatoes and summer squash, mid-90's is the equivalent of heaven. We could almost hear them grow!

Yet, in the tradition of the Inland Northwest, 95 on Saturday become 75 on Sunday!

Our local Climatologist Cliff Harris has predicted a short summer. Hopefully, it won't be this short...

I will say that everything is looking great so far!

Loss of a Loved One

The last week of June 2009 was a difficult one for many of us. The world lost several icons. Farrah Fawcett. Michael Jackson. Ed McMahon.

On June 29, we lost Peachie the Cat.

Peachie adopted us in 1998. Our son Kent (shown with Peachie in the photo), then two years old, toddled up to the back door, crying out "Mo-mo! Mo-mo!" In his arms, he clutched this limp, purring ball of fluff, with wispy orange-yellow and white fur and soft brown eyes. Kent's cry of Mo-mo! was his way of telling us he had a cat like Morris, our orange-and-white tabby. And now, we had two cats.

Peachie was named after our favorite video-game heroine, Princess Peach, of Super Mario fame. We (Clark, Emma, and Dad) were hooked on saving the Princess in Mario 64 (which is my all-time favorite video game!), and the cat had the good fortune of having Peach's "peach" coloring. I don't think she minded.

Peachie was two years old when she came to us, according to our vet. For some odd reason, orange-yellow cats were the rage in our neighborhood. We brought Morris with us when we moved to Reedley. Peachie came, and there also was a short-term family member named Corduroy (Emma's favorite bear, and favorite story), who looked suspiciously like one of Peachie's siblings. Later on, we were adopted by another cat, appropriately named Peanut Butter, who was white with orange patches. In fact, orange-yellow pets were the rage at our home for a time - we even had a Golden Retriever named Chester (who needed more than an in-town backyard, and eventually went on to live with Emma's friend Ruthie and her family out in the country). One day, near our garden, I saw yet another orange-yellow and white cat that looked like Peachie and Corduroy. I thought I was going mad! Fortunately, our next cat Hunter was a gray tabby, breaking the trend.

Peachie (and Hunter) were the world-traveler pets in our family, having lived in California, Idaho, and Washington. Neither one really liked the snow, however.

Peachie had a caretaker's heart. Whenever someone was ill, Peachie would snuggle up to them, warming their lap, and often sleeping with them at night. She preferred that we keep our bedroom doors open, as she would venture from bed to bed - when the door was shut, she would claw at the base of the door to be let in (or let out). In our old house, with door handles (not knobs), she learned the art of opening doors, so no unlocked door was safe. She groomed our cat Morris II (our current cat), and began to groom us too. She had this amusing habit of climbing on the back of the couch and licking your hair, and would do it for as long as you would let her. I smirked every time I saw Peachie nonchalantly sneak up on one of our unsuspecting friends as they sat on the couch, as I fully knew what was in store!

Her purr was unique, one that I won't forget. She purred loud, with a bit of a squeaky recoil as she inhaled - kind of like a squeaking fan belt. She didn't meow that often, but would occasionally have this "Mmmmrrroooww" whenever she was trying to get our attention.

Peachie loved to join us in the garden. She came out often during our Spring preparation, walking along the edge of the planters, supervising and approving our work.

Over the last month, I noticed that Peachie was slowing down quite a bit. She loved to look out the windows and the glass sliding doors, and would sit at an open door, but wouldn't venture out, even during Spring and Summer (Peachie didn't like Winter here, unlike Morris, who loves frolicking in the snow. We have nicknamed Morris "Snow-Cat"). Her gait was slow, and the roughhousing with Morris was fewer and further between. She was sleeping more and more, a bit unusual even for a cat. And, her purr changed. The squeak was gone.

Reid, our son of hole-digging fame, was also the designated cat feeder. He developed this cat-call that would bring Peachie and Morris to the kitchen, no matter if they were dead asleep. Since Morris was banned to the garage at night (because he has this irritating habit of waking up between 3am and 4am, and crying mercilessly until someone - usually me - gets out of bed and lets him out the front door), Reid corralled Peachie every night, tucking her under his covers.

The last week was the toughest - and the most telling. The cat-call didn't work anymore. Peachie spent a lot of time hidden in dark places - the closets, behind furniture, and her gait was very slow. She didn't cry as if she was in pain - she just was slow. She ate and drank very little. Dorris and I had agreed that it was about "time". Reid continued to bring her to bed, and he and I spent a lot of nights talking about it being Peachie's "time".

The weekend came, and Peachie was not able to move well from room to room, and she would lay for hours in one place on her journey. I put a couple of towels in a berry-flat cardboard box, gently lifted her into it, and placed her within reach of water and food. A while later, I found Reid next to her, petting her while tears streamed down his face. I told him that it was Peachie's time to go, that she had a great life with us, she cared for us and loved us, and that she would want to be here at home when she passed. My voice broke as the tears streamed down my face.

Later that night (it was Saturday), I sat by Peachie, petting her, and telling her it was okay to go. Again, more tears.

I think she heard, and understood.

The next day, off we went to church, and when we came back, Peachie was gone. We made preparations - the boys helped with her final resting place, and I fashioned a cross out of redwood - and we held a simple service for her.

The loss of a loved one is hard. God gave us His Word for instruction and comfort, and through the life of our cat Peachie, He provided a great instrument for teaching our children unconditional love and loss. If God grants us pets in heaven, Reid and I have decided that we want Peachie there with us.

R.I.P Peachie. We miss you!

What's In The Garden, Anyway?

Time for a role call...

Tomatoes -
Early Girl x4
Yellow Pear x2
Bloody Butcher x2
Mr. Stripey x1
Yellow Cherry x1

Purple Pole Beans
Kentucky Pole Beans
Sugar Peas
Salad Bowl Lettuce
Bibb Lettuce
Raddichio
Spinach
Red Beets
Yellow Beets
Crookneck Squash
Zucchini Squash
Sweet Corn

Basil
Oregano
Thai Basil
Sage
Thyme
Cilantro

Weed Gehenna

My eleven year-old son Reid is the anointed "hole-digger" of our household. If I need a hole dug, Reid is "da boy". All I need to tell him is where, how big, how deep, and a few minutes or hours later, it's dug (He also pockets a little cash in the process).

Last year, I built five planters. Four were built and put into service - the fifth was built later in the season, and actually a little too late to be useful. But in preparation for the planter, a hole needed to be dug. Reid was in business!

My planter installation goes something like this. The planters I build are uniform, and are 4' x 8' x 12" high. I use two 2" x 6" boards for the siding, which gives me an effective planter soil depth about 9" above ground level. Since certain plant roots can penetrate the soil beyond the 9" depth, I dig out the soil about 18" below ground level and mix my amendments (compost, pre-composted plant material, sand, etc.) in with the native soil. This gives me a nice, deep loam for those deep rooted plants.

Well, the location of the fifth hole Reid dug turned out to be too shady to make a decent planter... so I ended up with this nice little pit near my fence line. Hmmm. What should I do with this? It was too far away from our back door to be a cozy fire pit - our neighbors have a great fire pit, where they roast hot dogs and marshmallows, but it is less than 20' from their back door - this hole was a good 100+' from mine, and it was in a garden area, not a patio. Should I fill it back in? I wasn't sure I wanted to pay to fill it (cheapskate!), and I certainly didn't want to do the back-breaking labor myself for naught. Besides, the soil exhumed from the hole is sandy, and could be used for filling one of my other planters if need be.

As I was weeding my non-growing areas over this past weekend, I noticed I was creating a nice bale of weed debris, and then it struck me - I could use the hole to make a "weed gehenna"!

What is a "weed gehenna"?

In the gospel of Mark, chapter 9, verses 43-48, Jesus is talking with His disciples about hell, which He used the word "gehenna". In hell [gehenna], "the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched" (verse 44, NASB).

The word "gehenna" was derived from an actual place outside of the walled city of Jerusalem, whic was a refuse pile for trash, dead animals, etc. In other words, it was a dump. The fires of gehenna burned on, smouldering and seemingly without end, and the worms helped the decomposition process along. You could say (or at least I could!) that gehenna was like a giant compost pile.

I like compost piles. You can take plant matter, manure, a little moisture, and after a little time has passed, voila! Compost! In layman's terms (since I couldn't give a biological explanation, anyway), the moisture causes the plant and other matter to heat up (the microscopic things start a feeding frenzy, eating away at the food source), and when things cool down, the worms get involved, also eating up the food source. The heat and the worms digest the vegetation and other matter, turning it into black gold - nutrient-rich compost.

So, my hole is a "weed gehenna" - a compost pile, where the worm does not die, and the fire (heat) is not quenched!