Joy's Victory Garden

21-day Vegan Kickstart Update

2011-02-20T13:51:00.010-06:00

I have been fully vegan, except for a few minor infractions, since January 1. I have lost a little over 10 pounds in weight and four inches off my waist. I am eating more than I used to eat. I have also been doing some exercise with my Wii, Wii Fit Plus and Wii EA Sports Active 2. I was so used to counting calories with SparkPeople that it felt odd at first to stop counting. But I did. I

21-Day Vegan Kickstart / a Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) site

2010-12-30T09:19:00.000-06:00

21-Day Vegan Kickstart / a Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) siteI am getting ready to start the 21-day Vegan Quickstart. You can follow along and you might consider going to the website and starting your own New Year's resolution for a healthy lifestyle. One that can be supported by your love of gardening! Now that is holistic!Buzz it upis_pub = 'ourfriendlyearty';

The joys of herbs!

2008-07-06T10:18:00.010-05:00

I purchased more herbs than would fit in my raised bed this season so I decided to plant herbs among my perennials where I generally planted flowering annuals in the bed alongside our driveway. I am enjoying the different textures of the plants in the garden and the butterflies and bees seem to enjoy the variety too.This morning I snipped some stems from my basil plants that were starting to

Firecracker Day Trip, Berries, Cider, and Wine

2008-07-05T03:42:00.002-05:00

Morning stop at the gardenThe zucchini is blooming this morning. As small as the plant is, I wonder if I should pluck the blooms and let the vine get a bit bigger.I found mushrooms popping up all over the bed this morning. I got out a hand trowel and broke them up into the soil. Not sure what type of 'shrooms they are, but I figure they can compost and nourish the soil. And, while I was working

Red Wrigglers have Arrived!

2008-07-03T21:58:00.017-05:00

A box, smaller than I imaged, was waiting on my porch when I got home on Wednesday evening. Red Wriggler's! Could there really be 2,000 Red Wriggler's in that small box?Then my next concern was "how long had the box been on the porch?" Were my wormies still alive? I opened the box and pulled back a sheet of newspaper packing. There was a cloth bag, tightly tied by a draw string. The bag was about

Perennials and things

2008-07-02T01:11:00.006-05:00

Each year my perennials return in their own time. As winter is passing, I look for them and wonder where they are hiding and how they fared the winter cold. When tender green shoots start pushing through the soil I welcome my old friends once more with a special reverence and joy and hope for another season of riotous beauty.Lavender lilacs hedge around my house and make a backdrop for my yard.

New Plants in the Garden

2008-06-29T22:01:00.028-05:00

I have had to find homes for some of my herbs outside of the raised bed. Since I first thought I had waited too late to buy vegetable plants, I bought herbs to fill my bed. Then, later finding some good plants at Home Depot, I bought vegetables too so my driveway flower bed has become home to basil, parsley, salad burnet, and rosemary.The bed had been overrun with weeds and I had a losing battle

Shopping for Plants

2008-06-23T12:45:00.032-05:00

No Luck with Veggies at the Local Garden Center12:45 PM - Busy schedules and gardening creates conflicts! I just went shopping today. I knew I was starting really late when I began this project but should have bought plants last weekend. This weekend was "Double-Dip Beethoven" with the KC Chamber Orchestra and a full 13-hour day at Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun. We had a great time with friends

Raised bed frame arrived today!

2008-06-16T22:02:00.005-05:00

The cedar raised bed frame arrived today! We assembled and added growing mix. Hooray!The materials are laid out and waiting: 2 bags peat, 10 bags cotton burr compost, 1 bag of vermiculite, garden weed shield cloth, and raised bed frame in boxes.First I cut two pieces of weed shield cloth, 10' long. The width of the cloth is about 3'. I overlapped the cloth several inches in the middle and laid

Growing mix is ready and waiting!

2008-06-15T17:40:00.021-05:00

Compost BinsOn Saturday evening I lifted the bins from the compost and turned it out. The compost in one of the two bins wasn't nearly broken down enough. The second bin was better and close to becoming good compost, but still not quite ready. I went back to ACE and picked up two bags of composted cow manure ($3.21) to mix in with my home compost. We gathered up clippings my husband had been

Still Waiting for Garden Frame!

2008-06-14T13:38:00.012-05:00

I was expecting to come home from work on Friday and find boxes of cedar from Natural Yards, only to find they had arrived at the FedEx hub but would not be delivered until Monday. I called the FedEx 800 number to see if they had a customer pick up option but was told by customer service that my boxes were in a container and that they would not dig through the container just to find my four boxes

Planting a Victory Garden

2008-06-06T16:59:00.016-05:00

Even though it's a bit late in the gardening season, today I purchased a cedar frame from Natural Yards so that I can create a backyard Victory Garden. I will plant some hot weather plants and then followup with a fall planting. I will journal about gardening and keep you informed of my progress. The blog site will also provide links to resources that I find helpful.I have not gardened for some