I went to the Center for Urban Pedagogy’s Goo Gone event the other day about the nomination of the Gowanus for Superfund status. Very well presented and attended. It did, however, put the fear into me about toxins that I might inadvertently be putting into my garden.

While my containers are all fresh new soil, I have been composting weeds and giant trees and grape offal that sprout from the actual soil between the cracks in the patio. Calls to CHEJ and a soil lab they recommended up in Boston have eased my mind a little, but they recommended testing for sure. Steven Lester at CHEJ pointed out that the fruits are most likely fine, as plants have a barrier that prevents heavy metals from being taken up from soil and deposited into their fruits, and that the larger molecules of concern (PCB’s and PAH’s, in this neighborhood) are too large to get taken up by most plants. He warned me that there are, however, some plants better at uptake than others. Thus, testing is a good idea, if only because dust and loose stuff from Gowanus could be blowing around the neighborhood.

I hope to hear from the labs on Monday. In the meantime, I will wash all the produce I eat, steer clear of the greens until I know more, and assume the best case.

Half a pound of various beans harvested. Paul has the camera, so no pictures today.
The scarlet runner beans seem to be a different variety than I’ve grown before. Rather than all purple beans, they are green flecked with little purple stripes. I am a fan. The yellow beans (no idea of variety) are long, flat, fuzzy and very sweet. Also, first squash and cucumber blossoms opened today. The spiky vine growing out of the composter identified itself with blossoms today: it’s a squash! Bees were making time with it today, so soon we will know what kind of squashlings have volunteered.

The peas are all up, looking lovely with lots of leaves ready to unfold. Snow yesterday, so the lids stay on the boxes.

Today I can build more in the backyard, since the garbage is all gone. Yay! I don’t have to scramble over a busted toilet to get to the garden anymore.

First, I will make a taller frame so that I can start transplanting seedlings into larger containers next week. The Kale is very tall already, and the beets, I think will want to be moved as well.

I hear tell that the dogwoods over on Union street are in bloom, I will post pictures if it is true.

Today I planted seeds and pruned grapes.

I feel late to start seeds, but since I’ve jumped the gun so many times before, it’s probably for the best.
I remade all the paper pots that I rolled back in January because they were wonky and did not survive storage in a paper shopping bag. Apparently, paper pots are attractive nest fodder for kittens.

The rejiggered pots are much more durable and need far less paper than the first round. Rather than doubling the paper as in the demo video, I just folded the top edge, and went after a much shorter pot with a more solid bottom.
(That’s morning glory seeds soaking in the jar, and a jar of last year’s pickles in the background)

After the pots were made, I set myself to the task of choosing which seeds to start. Tomatoes, borage, morning glories, marigolds, thyme, basil (questionable seed), sweet alyssum, bachelor’s buttons (ancient seed), more tomatoes, pinks, and more marigolds went in. Planting went easy, in a purchased seed starting mix. For the flowers, which I’ll be able to put out from very small seedlings in about a month, I just used egg cartons. I am very committed to the Butter & Eggs marigolds, so they merited paper pots.

As I planted, the cats went berzerk because a bee was in the house. Bees? Already? It was 35 degrees two days ago! Paul helped it out the window, where I hope it won’t die without anything to eat. If I was a real hippie, I would have made it a little nest in a paper cup and fed it nectar with a pipette, but I am clearly a meanie.

Then, I tackled the complicated part, cat-proofing the seedling area. I used a bunch of bread delivery trays to construct a cage of sorts.

Then a nap, then Jeff came over to check out the diggings. We gossiped, ate sfogliatelle and then Jeff helped me clear vines out of the back corner.

After he left, I cut back about half of the grapes. Not sure if I’m doing it right, but I found multiple instances where canes that I pruned last year grew several fruiting canes. Tomorrow, I’ll do the rest.

I went upstairs when it got dark, and the cats had already gotten into the seedling cage. Paul and I made it stronger. We can no longer open the freezer without removing the top cover, but hopefully it’ll last longer. Grrrr.

A long day of bees and scheming about destruction.

Today I’m thinking about seeds.

They’ve arrived in the mail but are still in their little packets. Allegedly the rule is to figure out your safe planting time (after new plants won’t get damaged by the last frost). So I’m supposed to figger out what magic date was the last frost, count backwards through the germination and baby seedling time, and plant seeds that day.

Every time I’ve ever done this, I’ve messed up my seedlings most righteously.

• Plant too early, the babies are too leggy and spindly and weak.
• Plant too late, and they’re too small to be set out on time and tomatoes never ripen before September.
• Plant too close to the radiator and get great, early plants that fry to a crisp when the last cold weekend causes Saharan desert condition in the house in late April.
• Cat starts chasing soil gnats. Cat knocks petunia seedlings onto ground. Cat eats petunia seedlings. Cat pukes petunias and soil gnats all over rest of seedlings. Cat eats remaining seedlings when I try to clean up puke. Cry and lock cat in bathroom. Start again.
• Early summer rains allow only flood-resistant seedlings to survive. Drought kills rest of garden in July.

Hopefully I’ll learn better how to do this in first garden class in February. Have been collecting cardboard egg cartons for seedling starts.

Will try doing plants in homemade newspaper pots for easy transplant. Ma talked me through it the other night on the phone. In trial runs, it seems that brown paper bags and brown paper wadding is easier to make pots out of than newspaper.

I have a grow light bulb, and have scouted a place in house that is far from radiators.

Protecting the seedlings from Kitten and Big Cat, and later, Neighborhood Feral Cat is clutch. I’m working on a very cheap system of barriers using old busted out window screens with ag netting instead of screens. Testing commences on Superbowl Sunday, which is my favorite day to go to the giant hardware store: it’s all mine.