So, as I've said before, I'm all into this square foot gardening method this year, and I'm plumb thrilled to say that I now have my two 4'x4' square boxes established and in fact have two squares of lettuce planted (one red, one green leaf). Martin built the boxes for me, though I think he thinks I'm a bit nutty with this very mathematical approach to establishing the veggie garden. But he has been wonderful at entertaining and supporting my anal requests and helping me get this all started.
We had bought the wood to make the boxes a few weeks ago and all that was left was the acquisition of some good healthy dirt. Last year I had a couple of yards of dirt delivered by Lawn Boy -- apparently the best place for good dirt in Vancouver -- and as you may remember, I had a bit of a problem with the old gals in the neighbourhood carrying off pail fulls when I wasn't looking. This year I left things a bit late to get dirt delivered in time for this weekend (and I didn't want it delivered during the week while I was at work and unable to keep an eye on it), but a call to Lawn Boy informed me that they now sold dirt in bags so I could go get some myself Saturday morning in time to get the boxes filled on Sunday. And, as an added bonus my dirt would be all bagged up and less vulnerable to being filched. And so, I planned to drop Martin off at work on Saturday morning and head out to get enough dirt for my two 4'x4' squares.
Here's some friendly advice for those of you setting out to get some dirt/compost/manure to establish or revitalize your garden this Spring: do not undertake this task hungover. It would seem that my interpretation of the statement "We now sell our garden mix in bags" and the intended meaning varied in one key detail: how the dirt gets into those bags. Turns out, you have to shovel it in there. And this is not just your average dirt, it is really good dirt. And if you're a gardener you know what that means: it is in fact a heaping pile of steaming compost, mixed with just enough sand to help it drain well. Beautiful, warm, pitch black dirt. Oh and did I already mention the steaming? I sure hope so, because that part is important as you imagine me on a sunny Saturday morning at 9:10 facing a foreboding pile of said beautiful steaming black dirt, shovel and plastic bags in hand. If you were someone else, but you were as hung over as me, you might reconsider the importance of achieving all of the tasks on todays to-do list that sunny Saturday morning. I, however, am far too stubborn to turn away from such a dilemma, especially when my "to-do" list is in jeopardy. And so it was that by 9:45 as I was loading my bags into the van to go back home and take a now very needed bath, my hangover was pretty much gone. Not the cure I would recommend, but certainly effective.
The only problem with my new found hangover cure was that really: I wimped out. I filled one garbage can and 4 bags, and while I knew that wasn't going to be enough, I convinced myself it would do just fine because I just didn't have it in me to do much more. Turns out, the dirt fairy was watching over me.
Now is the time for a necessary tangent: A few nights ago, while walking home from our jog, Martin and I struck up a conversation with our neighbour up the block. Said neighbour has been doing some pretty fantastic concrete work to rebuild his stairs and walk in these great curvy, round meandering ways which we've been admiring. On this particular night he happened to be out, so we talked about his process and tricks for laying the walk and other general resourceful homeowner-type chatter. In the course of our discussion I guess I mentioned that I needed some dirt (admiring his pile of new dirt in one corner of the yard) and as it turns out he works part-time at a nursery. We've since chatted a few times in the evenings and been generally friendly and neighbourly with one another. Still, I was quite shocked to come home yesterday evening and find 10 bags of dirt and compost stacked up on our front lawn, with a bag of Casablanca White Lily bulbs outside our door, all of it a belated welcome to the neighbourhood present from this neighbour. Now I feel kinda like a jerk for being so territorial about my dirt, and he totally made my day this morning as we filled the boxes as I was really woefully short on dirt from my hungover haul. That gesture and gift is now added to an ever increasing list of just how much I love our neighbourhood and how very pleased I am to be lucky enough to dwell here.
Wouldn't you just love one of these adorable Cow Hugger Shirts from Herbivore?
. How nutty is that? 
is a business book for women looking for advice to start or run a successful small business. The book features advice from some pretty smart gals including Jenny Hart (Sublime Stitching), Grace Boney (Design Sponge), Alex Beauchamp (Another Girl at Play), and many others.
