Open the door.

Doorknob
Originally uploaded by Roadduck99

If you’re still with me on this thing, be advised that what follows isn’t what you’ve come to expect from me. This isn’t intended to be a naval-gazer blog. Sometimes that’s just what’s needed.

I’m looking for a door to open. I think there’s one around here someplace, and perhaps it’s already open, like the one in the photo. Perhaps, like the photo, there’s a window that reveals what is on the other side, and perhaps the door is already open wide enough that the outside is reflected in the doorknob. And perhaps it has been there all along, but I’ve only seen the door separating me from the other side and never looked closely enough to notice the knob was ready for me to turn.

The 12 months or so have been difficult for me. Almost exactly a year ago, my wife and I moved into a new house in the heart of town. This was supposed to be an exciting new beginning, with a smaller mortgage and a smaller commute. What it has turned into, for me, has been a lot of dissatisfaction. I’ve had difficulty sorting out priorities and setting goals, or even seeing the value in doing so. I haven’t given the attention deserved by my marriage, my job, or myself. I have sought counsel to sort things out. I have, I am sad to say, come away with a lesser opinion of myself.

I have discovered that the doors I believed were keeping me out of a good place, may in fact be keeping me in a bad place. I don’t need to arrive so much as I need to escape.

I began this blog because I had stories to tell. I have not been allowing myself to tell these stories for a couple of years now. I have many excuses, but it doesn’t seem important to hash through those here. I’ve got people with whom I can discuss those. In recent months I have taken up telling stories through photographs that I post at flickr. The doorknob photo, I think, tells more of a story about me than about the old building that houses it. (The farmhouse at the McLaughlin Garden in South Paris, if you’re curious.) Other photos that I have posted tell stories about my gardens at home and the world that I see around me.

They say a picture tells a thousand words. I like them because, though I have much to learn, a photograph can be quick and easy to produce. They are also quick and easy for many people to enjoy. Writing, for me, is usually fairly quick and easy, too. When I have a story to tell, I can produce half a picture in a fairly short amount of time. But somewhere along the way I have closed myself in a room thinking that it’s not so quick and easy to write – not if I want to “do it the right way.” But I think it’s time to try turning the knob and see if the door will open.

I have stories to tell. I won’t be telling one every day, and not all will appear here, but I will be telling them. The door is open.

Grow Your Own

Down with the plants
Originally uploaded by Roadduck99

The time has finally come when those of us in Southern Maine can start in earnest to grow a vegetable garden. I had a small, traditional plot at my old house, but moved at such a time last year that growing veggies at home was impractical. I’m a big believer of eating locally, so Doreen and I took advantage of the local farmer’s markets to a great extent, even during the winter.

My back yard, however, is even more local than all those wonderful farms, so I was keen to start growing my own produce this year. Over the winter, Doreen’s cousin turned me on to the Square Foot Gardening method. (Note to self – return Denise’s book!) It’s a simple method developed by a gentleman named Mel Bartholomew, if a somewhat radical departure from traditional row gardening, wherein one maximizes the utilization of one’s space and enjoys a more flexible planting schedule.

Since I don’t have a ton of space at my new house for a traditional plot, this sounds like a perfect solution for my needs. In recent weeks I bought some 2x6 pine boards for the boxes, along with some 4’ ash lathe for the grids. Mel calls for making one’s own soil called “Mel’s Mix,” which is equal parts peat, compost, and vermiculite (or pearlite, which Mel doesn’t prefer but which is much more readily available – I have a little of each in my mix). I assembled the boxes in mid-April, and filled them with my freshly-made soil over the past weekend. Now to get planting.

Though I have in some years started seeds inside, I’m usually a little behind schedule for what the garden needs. (“Broccoli – ‘k it says here I need to start these 12 weeks before last frost. Last frost is toward the end of May and today is…..May 2. So I need to start these eight weeks ago.”) Fortunately, the local farmers are a lot more on top of this than I am, so I can get seedlings from them. Maybe it’s a little more expensive than seeds, but I’m not going to grow 100 broccoli plants anyway, and 50 cents for a plug seems perfectly reasonable.

So this week I got started with some seedlings from the Tuesday Farmer’s Market – and just in time for three days of nourishing torrential downpours, I mean rain. I’ve started with plants that should withstand any lingering frost we might get: broccoli, onions (Red Wing), lettuce (Romaine, Red Sail, Black Seed Simpson (I think)), and arugula. I also bought some shallot sets and put them in the ground this morning. I might pick up some radish seeds because they are fast and easy and can be planted right now.

I’ve still got a bit of infrastructure to build – mainly trellises on the north side of the beds to hold vining plants. Mel claims I can grow pumpkins on the trellis, but I believe I will start with cukes and tomatoes. Those will have to wait a few more weeks to go in. I also have plans for (short) carrots, peppers, and a few more things we haven’t decided on yet. A few squares will be dedicated to marigolds and basil to keep pests away, and maybe some alyssums or other flowers for a little color.

I’m excited to be growing food again. Keeping it fresh, local and organic is definitely the way to go!