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Post by johno on Apr 22, 2007 10:39:55 GMT -5
Nice to meet you, too, Michele!
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 22, 2007 17:30:28 GMT -5
What green crops have you in mind for the store plot, Johno??
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Post by johno on Apr 27, 2007 18:02:55 GMT -5
First - I'm supposed to have someone plowing on Monday!
I have a bunch of dry pinto beans free from the foodbank, so that'll be the first crop to grow and till under. Midsummer, I'd like to sow buckwheat, but we'll see what turns up. I'm not really sure what to squeeze in for a third turning in the fall... But I'll probably sow it with winter wheat after that and give it one last tilling in the early spring of '08 before going no-till. Hopefully we can get enough leaves and grass clippings saved up for mulching. If we're lucky, maybe someone will donate spoiled hay or straw, too.
I'd like to still be there next year, but who knows? If I'm not, at least it will be in good shape for organic gardening!
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Post by johno on May 1, 2007 20:52:05 GMT -5
Plan B.
As I drove up to the Heirloom Seed Shop this morning, I anticipated a freshly plowed field to spring into view. The row-and-a-half I saw instead was an instant let down. Upon closer inspection, there was about an inch and a half of soil on top of an old parking lot, just enough for a lawn. You never know what lies just beyond the surface, eh?
It would have been nice if one of the locals who knew that had told me... But, in retrospect, I suppose one should never assume anything. I could have dug a few test holes.
So, the logical area is the one the local high school had claimed. It has been tilled and used in the past. The school dropped the ball, so it's mine now. I was hoping that would be the case!
Of course, it's supposed to rain for the next few days, in which case it will be too muddy to till for another week. I'm thinking I'm gonna' skip the cover crop idea and plant my excess tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers, and pretty much all of the seeds from Native seeds/SEARCH, and sunflowers, and so on...
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Post by bluelacedredhead on May 1, 2007 23:39:17 GMT -5
Well wouldn't that just rot your socks... But then along came the cloud with the silver lining. Too bad for the school. Good score for Johno!! Are you still planning on putting in beans, along with the tomatoes, eggplant, Peppers... And what about Okra??Where's it going to be??? Gotta have Okra. The more the betterer.  What about signs? Will you be putting up signs at the store to promote your garden and it's future profits?? |
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Post by johno on Aug 12, 2007 0:21:01 GMT -5
Well, I wasn't able to do all the things I wanted to. If I were able to do them all by myself, I wouldn't have had the time to volunteer in the first place - I'd still be working for a living... But I did get in a small Three Sisters display garden, along with an even smaller sample garden with a few flowers and veggies. I took pics - when I'm feeling organized sometime I'll post them.
Sadly, all good things come to an end. I'm no longer working at the Heirloom Seed Shop, not on a regular basis, at least. Frankly, there just isn't anything to do right now besides water... Business is busted, and public awareness of fall gardening seems to be next to nil. Please keep them in mind the next time you order seeds, and thank you very much those of you who already have!
So, for now, I'm writing. It's tough to make a living starting out, but I just submitted an article, and have been requested to write another. I'm also working on a gardening book featuring a few gardeners and their gardens, each with a specific focus. I am extremely fortunate that the first one I've chosen is proving to be outrageously helpful and forthcoming (you know who you are!) With the aid of this fellow gardener, I'm hoping to snag a publisher with one complete chapter. Someone inquired of me recently, "Oh, and do you still believe in Santa Claus, too?" Well, no, but you have to reach for what you want. If that does happen, it will be the best case scenario. It won't happen if I don't try... There are backup plans. Anybody have connections?
The latest SNAFU in my life is a summons to jury duty. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud to have the chance to serve. If it had been another month later, though, it would have been much more convenient. I was going to give a presentation on Heirlooms to the local Master Gardeners club in September, which would help further my new career direction. Now, with uncertain availability, my talk has to be postponed. I shouldn't complain. Others are losing immeasurably more in the line of duty these days...
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Post by Alan on Aug 19, 2007 22:33:56 GMT -5
Glad to hear your working on a book friend and I hope that works out great for you! The heirloom seed shop is a really cool place and I have intenetions of ordering some seed from them come spring 2008!
Let us know anytime you have an article coming out so we can check them out and keep us up to date on the book, remember all good things come with time friend!
-Alan
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Post by johno on Aug 21, 2007 8:35:21 GMT -5
Chances are good that I'll have another article published in the fall '07 Heirloom Gardener.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Aug 21, 2007 20:55:58 GMT -5
I'll be waiting for it!
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Post by flowerpower on Aug 22, 2007 7:09:36 GMT -5
Another article? Cool.  |
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Post by downinmyback on Aug 22, 2007 21:59:11 GMT -5
Good Luck
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Post by johno on Sept 19, 2007 4:36:31 GMT -5
Feeling not so good lately...
I went to the doctor, and she thinks I have a neurological disease. Maybe something like MS or ALS. It's hard to diagnose. I might be able to get an appointment with the teaching hospital in Little Rock in a little under a year. They have fantastic neurologists (unlike the overpriced goofball here.)
Meanwhile, she put me on Neurontin, Baclofen, and Vicadin. I thought they were working really quickly, but now I think I just had a cycle of a couple of good days coinciding with when I started taking them. Apparently it's not helping with the insomnia... One good thing is it's helping with the spasms.
Dear Wifey is a wreck now. Many of these sorts of nerve diseases are incurable... Wish I could ease her mind...
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Sept 19, 2007 7:52:32 GMT -5
Johno, Contact the ALS society. See if they can't offer some support in terms of places to go look for quicker answers.
I don't know what any of those meds are that they have you on, or what they are designed to do? But we had a dear friend who had Lou Gehrig's and with the loving support of his wife and the ALS society, he showed strength and determination that I couldn't even begin to muster if it were me.
Huggz
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Post by plantsnobin on Sept 19, 2007 15:10:48 GMT -5
I am sorry to hear of your health problems and hope that you will be able to get answers more quickly than a year. But, these types of things can be difficult to diagnose, and it boils down to ruling out one thing after another. Be very careful with the Baclofen, especially if you are taking Vicoden also. It will help with the spasms, but it is a very powerful drug. When I was working ER we had a young woman overdose, she ended up on a ventilator. Good luck, and I hope everything turns out ok.
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Post by johno on Sept 19, 2007 16:41:22 GMT -5
Thanks for the huggz, Wendy!
plantsnobin, Yeah, it's powerful. The spasms all but stopped for a few days. I've only been able to stand two a day so far, but I'm supposed to take three. The spasms are coming back, so I guess I better start taking the three... Powerful combination, too... I had difficulty breathing from it the first day - one breath every 5-10 seconds was all I could muster. That side effect was short-lived, thank goodness.
And you are so right about the process of elimination. I try not to worry about any specific disease for now, because it's a real roller coaster ride if you concern yourself with every one that's a possibility.
Used to work ER, huh? I might be picking your brain...
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