May 11

May 11 Garden Journal - May 11, 2016

This is the start of my "Garden Journal." I try my best to keep my Garden Tracker up-to-date, but, I'll admit that life sometimes gets in the way and sitting down to tally up the details of things sometimes just doesn't seem all that appealing. But, a journal may be more my speed and maybe it will force me to observe and reflect a bit more.

I put all of my seedlings and seeds in the garden last weekend. I planted a variety of things - even recorded a video for it to get things started. Unfortunately, I went out there tonight to check things out and found a single deep hole in several of my pots. One of my eggplant plants is even gone. Grrrr....so frustrating. Not sure what this is. Perhaps the rabbit I caught out back when I was leaving for work? Time to do some research...or get some video surveillance. See the pictures below. What did this? What would not only dive in but steal my poor little eggplant?

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Winebox Gardener

I'm Catherine, a small-space urban gardener in New Jersey (Zone 7a) who started gardening out of upcycled wooden wine boxes. For years, I wanted to try gardening, but didn't know where to start. I got up the nerve to give it a try - starting small with a single wooden wine box that turned an idea into reality. That reality quickly turned into my filling every sunny inch of space of my postage-stamp size lawn and turning it into a garden oasis. I grow mostly vegetables and herbs with some exception for fruits (when the squirrels and rabbits don't get to them first). I love learning from gardening communities (and lots of trial and error).

I hope one day to take all that I'm learning and apply it to a larger plot of land. To help me get there, I'm extending my learning through the University of Massachusetts, Stockbridge School of Agriculture's, Sustainable Food & Farming program. (I'm addicted to learning as much as I am to gardening.)

This blog isn't just for gardeners (although I hope it inspires some of you to try growing a plant or two). The recipes (food & cocktails) in theRecipes section of this blog contain ingredients that don't have to come from your own backyard. If you like visiting your local farmer's market(or even your grocery store) and would like to get some new recipes you can use with the fresh produce and herbs you get from your local growers, this blog will have plenty for you too.

In addition to gardening and cooking, I also love to visit and photograph my surroundings. I feel fortunate to have so many amazing places here in New York/New Jersey, where I live and work. Visits to local farms, farmer's markets, and cycling through rural farming areas help me feel connected and refreshed. share these experiences in theExploring section of the blog so that you might visit through proxy or be inspired enough to visit yourself.

With very few exceptions, all of the photographs on this site are ones I have taken myself. (For the photographers out there, I shoot with a Canon 7D and sometimes with my Lumix DMC-ZS15 compact camera.)

I hope this blog inspires you to grow, create, explore, and try something new. The best way to stay up-to-date is to follow me using the social buttons above, or click Subscribe and sign up for my email newsletters.

Happy Gardening and Healthful Living!

- Catherine

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