April 27, 2006
my summer garden so far
My little garden is mostly for the basil, which I use for making LOTS of pesto, in different experimental forms (baba ghanouj pesto, guacamole pesto, sweet potato pesto), which I (and my housemates) eat through the summer. I also freeze a lot to help get us through the winter.
I planted a different kind of basil this year. I went to a small garden shop at S and 14th Sts. (called the Garden District) and they didn't have the kind of basil I'm used to. When I got up to the register I was informed that this was a dwarf basil, which would only grow about a foot and half tall (half the size of the regular basil). This would not serve our pesto needs, but I thought it might be fun to experiment with this new kind of basil, along with my other pesto experiments.
So I planted the dwarf basil, along with some marigolds (for protection from bugs). At the same time, I transplanted some clover to a bare patch. One of my housemates dumped lots of dead pine needles (from a christmas tree) into the garden at this spot. Not a good idea. Nothing grew there, everything was smothered by the pine needles, which didn't look like they were going to decompose anytime soon. Another thing I discovered was that, if you garden barefoot (which I do), those damn needles will keep pricking the bottom of your feet! So they had to go.
I shoveled up the pine needles and moved them to a spot closer to the house, near the azalea and rose bushes, and where the tulips were growing (but are done now--I left the bulbs in because they keep coming back every year). So now I have an experimental pine needle bed. We'll see if anything grows there.
The other plants in the garden: the phlox have been blooming for the past six weeks, but they're about done. There are a couple of bushes that produce golden daisy like flowers (I forgot their name), which I planted last year thinking they were annual, not perennial. They're full of buds and will soon be blooming again. We also have a glorious azalea bush which is about to pop. It blossoms at least twice a year. Then there's a rose bush about to get busy as well. When the rose bush is done, I'll cut it back later in the summer and it will probably bloom again. We used to have a smaller rose bush near the sidewalk, but someone stole it over the winter. Plants have also been lifted from remodeled houses and new condo buildings in the neighborhood, I've noticed. Either someone is putting it to the Man (that is, the yuppies infiltrating our neighborhood), or someone wants a fabulous garden for free. I just hope they don't figure out basil and what it's good for.
PS. I'm told that in some places in the world (i.e. Haiti), basil has magical powers. Maybe I should cast a circle around my garden to keep any magicians, desperate for basil, from stealing any. Then again, if they asked me nicely, I'd probably give them some.
Posted by jeb at April 27, 2006 9:37 AM | TrackBack