gardening

My excuse: a crazy, busy, bustling, “retired” life

Posted on by Jean Campbell

  "Where the hell have you been?" my garden and the SGS blog both asked. I put in my last day of employment over a year ago, but when I set my sights on retirement from my "day job", sitting back and relaxing was far from the plan. In this next phase of my life, I will have plenty of time to garden while I finally pursue the career path I chose some 44 years ago: creating and selling art. After I wrapped up my professional responsibilities, I gave myself six months to develop a... Continue reading

What do you get when you cross eggshells and coffee grounds with a banana peel?

Posted on by Jean Campbell

  Fertilizer! One of my favorite ways to divert kitchen refuse from the landfill is by making homemade liquid fertilizer. We boiled eggs for breakfast one morning. I peeled the shells, returned them to the water I'd boiled them in, and poured the whole thing into the blender. To this, I added the morning's spent coffee grounds and the chopped-up peel of the banana we'd shared. The eggshells provide calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. The banana peels contribute potassium, and the coffee... Continue reading

Garden Bones and Chicken Broth

Posted on by Jean Campbell

  A soft footprint is not what I'm after. I don't want the planet to diminish because of me. My goal is to leave it better. I want nature to start singing the Hallelujah Chorus because I showed up. To that end, I am following the lead of the indigenous people of this continent, the original citizens of North America, in showing appreciation and using my resources without waste. It's not only good for me; it's good for the planet. Here's an idea, and it's pretty simple. Replace... Continue reading

The Kitchen Garden – 2021 in review

Posted on by Jean Campbell

Kitchen Garden is the new Secret Garden Originally an unexceptional collection of grass and shrubs, The Secret Garden was a fenced area just outside my back door intended to provide quick access to herbs and salad veggies. A year of observation proved my plan needed modification and the space earned a new name, The Kitchen Garden. January 2021 - Sheet mulching the grass away Goal number one - grass, the bane of our planet's existence, had to go. In lieu of renting a tiller or... Continue reading