Made in the Shade

I really want a shading device like this one in the image on the right for our garden. What's great about it is it allows you to move the shade to fit any number of scenarios / seasons / moods. Plus they are a fun punch of color to liven up your space. . .we need one of these!

DIY Garden Benches

  This is the DIY workbench and sitting bench I made over the weekend courtesy of dumpster diving and the Rebuilding Exchange.  They are total game-changers for productivity and enjoyment in the garden.  Both were made with with minimal resources or expertise.  I actually just took a picture on my phone of a workbench in a hardware store and just did the best I could to replicate.  Having virtually no experience doing anything like this, I had to pick-up some basic tools.  The only struggle I had was not realizing the importance of having specifically 'deck screws' - without them, screws don't go all the way in and get stripped.  

Power Drill: $30

Wood Saw: $20 

Miter Box: $5 - $10 at Hardware Store - for straight cuts.
Great alternative to needing crazy-expensive table saw.

Deck Screws are key - inexpensive but necessary - cheap $.  

Katie Night Garden

Summer evening in the garden. 

Sweet Potato Harvest

My impatience got the better of me and I dug these sweet potatoes up last night. Out of 6 plants we put in the ground back in June, only two of them have thus far produced significant potatoes as pictured above. The vines on all 6 plants certainly took off, but the development of the root hasnt taken off in the oth four.

Awesome Wall

This is awesome. Totally doing it. Will post the process.

Snow White Heirloom Tomatoes in Janesville, IL

I recently had the chance to visit the Janesville Rotary Botanic Gardens (NW IL) where I had a chance to taste some Snow White Heirloom tomatoes - which I learned wins a tasting contest like every year. I'd estimate that I ate about 15 right off the plant - and no joke they were easily the best little tomatoes I've ever had. They're small like cherry or plum tomatoes so the yield is considerable.

Sweet Potato Chips

Tomato varieties

Tomatoes in August

Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches

With a cornflake crust, spicy mustard and spinach on a pretzel roll. My first time making fried green tomatoes, turned out to be a success.
Recipe from Southern Living
1 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash ground red pepper
4 large green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter or margarine
8 lettuce leaves
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 (16-ounce) package bacon, cooked
8 sandwich rolls, split
1/3 cup Ranch dressing
Preparation
Stir together first 4 ingredients in a shallow bowl.
Dip tomato slices in egg, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook tomatoes, in batches, 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on a wire rack over paper towels.
Layer lettuce, onion, fried green tomatoes, and bacon evenly on bottom half of each roll. Drizzle evenly with dressing. Cover with tops of rolls. Serve immediately.
Note: For testing purposes only, we used Pepperidge Farm Sandwich Rolls.

carrots

probably one of the most satisfying moments of the garden, pulling carrots out of the ground. last year they were all cork-screwed around each other but this year they are much more straight. not sure why.

not cool: rabbit teeth marks on the tops of the carrots, which will need to be cut off before eating.

farmer john

harvesting a large zucchini on our way back from the pool.
made zucchini bread and a white bean pasta dish with Catherine.

curly bear

he is the reason for the name bear gardens.
he is the bear and he loves the garden.
and we love him.

BEFORE.

This is what the garden looked like when we were first starting out... on May 24. I think we got the wood chips from the streets & san lot the very next morning... at about 5am which was very exciting and a fun adventure!
Needless to say I was very excited to get home from work to see John raking away, and little did I know how nice the space would eventually become!

Activating the Space

Mid-June 2011

The process of turning the abandoned alley adjacent to our apartment building into a communal garden space was - and continues to be - extremely rewarding.  To call it a case of ‘guerrilla gardening’ is probably a stretch, but we certainly had a.  Rather, we talked with our neighbors and have made an effort to make the project as inclusive as possible.  

The picture above reflects the bulk of what we did to bring the space alive: raised planter beds, woodchips, pavers, flowers, shrubs and some small trees, the arbor, tiki torches and the hose.  

We pretty much managed to get everything for free as we are a scrappy bunch.  

Stay tuned.