Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Let's all light up...and in the garden

I haven't been posting much lately.  I've not been at my best, because of my new neighbour who is a heavy smoker, and spends her days on her deck, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air, and smokes the day away.  While I have to close my house up tight to try and prevent the smoke coming in.  It doesn't work.  I'm living in a dirty ashtray!  And the smoke makes me terribly, horribly sick.  And sad, and mad.....in varying degrees at varying times.  The smoke has infiltrated my whole life......my house and yard smell, my animal's coats smell, my car parked under the house, smells, my clothes, fabrics and knitting wools smell.  I can't use my deck, because the fresh smoke blows across onto it.  I'm not in a good place, physically and emotionally. I've spoken to her about how her smoking so close to my house affects me, but there's been no change.

But I can still escape to my garden.  I've been slowly turning this weedy area that I've fenced off, into garden beds, it's my space where no feathered or 4 legged creatures are allowed.  There was really nice lawn growing here, but this side of the yard gets the most sun, so it seemed silly to waste it on lawn.  It's been hard work though, and it seemed as quickly as I  dug the grass out, the weeds crowded in because I wasn't able to get to the next stage quickly enough.

 
But here it is, a week later, and I've cleared a large area and put two beds in.  They've been prepared  with compost, composted horse and chook poo, and rock minerals.  Today I finished putting trellises in for the beans, peas and broad beans that'll be planted here, with greens.....kale, bok choy and Asian cabbage .....planted in front.  Photos of that in another post when I've planted up.
 
..............and here's one I prepared earlier.  In here there's cabbage, rocket, kale, silver beet and collards, a couple of parsley plants and climbing the wire fence on the left are sweet peas.  It's very satisfying to wander out and gather a good handful of greens for a meal.  The cabbages will be shared with the chooks!
 
On the other side I've started potatoes in used chicken food bags.  These are Nicolas, and I noticed today they're sending up shoots already.  I'll keep covering the shoots with soil and rolling the bags up, until the shoots reach the top......then I'll wait for the yummy harvest.  I grew potatoes this way a couple of years ago, and had a wonderful crop. 
 
And here's a couple of things that remind me there's lots to be happy and thankful for when I feel like I'm taking my last gasp through the smoke haze......this beautiful face
 
and the colours of an autumn sunrise...............
 
 
.....till next time.

8 comments:

  1. Hi Nanette...what an interesting way to grow potatoes...I never heard of it before. Good luck with the smoke issue...that's a tough one...I'll send some prayers...

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    1. hello Suzanna, lovely to have you visit. growing spuds in empty chicken feed bag is a great way to recycle. Prayers gratefully accepted thankyou.

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  2. Hi Nanette, my back knows how yours feels. I've finally got my three raised vegie beds up and running now that the weather's cool enough not to fry the seedlings. I like your space saving potato sacks; when I lived in Coffs I cleared a big patch of ground by chopping down the weeds, covering with a 30cm layer of sugar cane mulch and then planting chitted potatoes in little pockets of soil and compost in the mulch. It killed all the weeds and grass and I got a great crop of spuds! See you soon in Chiconia, Kate

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    1. Hi Kate...making gardens is hard work but satisfying. I love the sound of your big potato patch, I'll remember that next time.

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  3. So sorry to read about that neighbour, Nanette...is this the new building that you described last year? It's rotten that you can't sit on your own deck without being smoked out...an industrial fan pointing that way to blow the smoke back perhaps? (hope that made you smile) . Good on you though for your positive attitude and working in your garden. When the parish art show throw is finished I should have another finish soon after that may 'interest you'. :-)

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    1. Hi Maria, no, it's the house next door. The industrial fan has been suggested by a few people, I love the image of my neighbour being blown away. You're a tease, can't wait to see what it is that may 'interest me' :)

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    2. Nanette,

      You wrote about this neighbour on a comment at Down to Earth, I meant to go back there to see if anyone had any useful suggestions. I do sympathize, having lived with smokers in the past. I know the industrial fan has been suggested before but it might help. On the other hand it will send your electricity bill through the roof. But if it clears your house and belongings of smoke it might be worth the cost.

      Jeni

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    3. Hi Jenni, thanks for checking in. I do have a wall mounted fan in my kitchen, which is near the offending source of smoke, and is very effective in moving it away.....the smoke only, not the source :) So I have it going a LOT! The wind is coming from the south at times now, .....she is on the northside......so a little relief. It will take a lot more to rid my house and everything of the stale smoke though and it seems to hide in odd corners or inside cupboards, fresh as the day it was puffed.....just taking one day at a time.

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