Garden Expressions

Level 5 - Plan Layout for Quantity

I generally layout the plants in two ways. I pull up GIS (Geographic Information Systems) online, usually from the property assessor's office. They generally have a public interface that allows you to download a scaled map layout of your property and an aerial image with great visual details.

Welding Class

Garden ExpressionsMar. 21, 2014 The weeks have flown by and I am stunned by the amount of information my welding instructor was able to impart in five Tuesday evenings. I began as a complete novice in a team of men who were versed in one or more welding techniques, but who were also interested in learning more – new techniques and new applications. I, on the other hand, was afraid to light propane and soldered using a little soldering gun I bought at the Goodwill Store. You might wonder why I wanted to weld anyway. I began to feel limited by the shapes I could achieve using wood, canvas and paint and my interest in creating larger metal pieces for the garden grew. My mind is filled with designs that I’d love to see framed, even if I find that I am not able to physically manage the work with my Fibro Fatigue & weakness. Happy dreams were enough for the moment, but here is what I learned in those weeks.

I learned that guys in my sphere of gardening think more of me when they learn that I enrolled in a welding class. I happened to mention the class at the Frankfort Garden Club meeting, and a ripple went through the room. No less than three gentlemen rocked forward on their chairs, their expressions of shock taking me by surprise. “Where?” they chirped in unison. I have a great answer. Lincoln Way Central High School – adult public education. The barrage of questions trended to the details of how much is the cost, time commitment and techniques covered. I enjoyed my new cool and waggled my eyebrows in amusement more than once that night. But, that’s not all I learned about welding.

The first class covered basic safety procedures, such as eye protection and – judging by my instructor’s eyes, a lesson he learned the hard way! Don’t let light leak in – not even into your peripheral vision. We jumped right into arc welding where a mixture of fire fueled by Acetylene Gas and O2, proper angle and a nice neutral flame allowed us to generate a molten pond that we could run up and down the length of scrap metal. We learned that when the material got too hot, we could set off pops with hot little flecks that startled everyone in the vicinity and, “No.” I was not the only one to set off sparks and I wasn’t the only one to melt at least part of the mild steel into an ugly mess. I found out that I am NOT good at tapping the wire into the molten puddle while circling the flame to keep the puddle moving.

In the second class, we continued with ARC and added Stick welding – here I learned humility. We learned stick composition, gas mixes and electrical current requirements and benefits. I learned with slag you drag as I worked with a stick welder wearing a student welding mask and thick leather gloves. I couldn’t see anything until I struck the stick to metal and then I couldn’t see much. Still, the instructor was patient and encouraged me to keep trying – barely laughing as he suggested that I might want to tone down the party I was throwing. I lifted my mask and realized that I wasn’t even on the metal – I was trying to weld the table. Sheepishly, I picked up my steel and walked over to one of the guys to ask him where I was doing wrong. It was he that suggested that I toss the hot bar into the water and only then that I noticed my gloves were smoking. Whew – I was not at my best that night, but the gloves were worth the money!

However, it was in week three that I handled a plasma cutter and I decided I was going to like this class! The plasma cutter, powered by hot compressed gas allows you to cut through even fairly thick steel like a hot knife going through butter – in intricate arches too! Sigh… If I only had a CAD. I’d have decorative patterns cut into Corten steel that rivaled anything on the market today.

Week four found us working with Metal Arch Welding - MIG for short. By now, we had several stations going so that no time was wasted. We sweated a copper pipe, wicking the flux core into the tight joint and deconstructing the pipe to prove the quality – the integrity of the weld.

Taking Down Last Year's Leftovers

All hands on deck for clearing away the last of the leaves and dried stems from last year. Spring Bulbs, Catmint (Nepeta mussinii) and grasses are sending out new growth, sheltered by the cool night air. Finally, I feel confident in making the cut - taking the grass down by leaving 1/3, being very careful not to cut into the growing tips - woe to you if you make a deep cut and see a green spiral at the center of the dry reed. I see buds on trees and shrubs, and have decided to prune according to best practices. I stockpile my trimmings for composting or use in projects. We have an electric leaf shredder that makes light work and great leaf litter.

When to Prune: http://www.arborday.org/trees/tips/pruning.cfm

How to Prune: http://www.arborday.org/trees/tips/goodPruning.cfm & https://www.arborday.org/trees/pruning/

UIExtension Pruning Demonstrations: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=UIExtension+pruning

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02 2014

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21 2014

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05 2014

Garden Expressions Weekly

Every week, I journal as learning exercise - a reminder to myself of things I have done, highlighting successes and mistakes, and a planning tool for next year.

I am replacing a section of the front yard that was planted in turf. Conditions changed drastically when the Emerald Ash Borer killed four large Ash trees. The stress of long term drought conditions, tree removal and a newly sunny condition left the turf susceptible to disease. I can thank my lucky grubs for finishing off the 100' strip from the sidewalk to the middle of the yard where I already had a substantial planting area with a mature Oak Leaf Hydrangea. I know it was grubs because I was able to roll the dead turf up like a dusty carpet, a sure sign the buggers had been gnawing away at the root system. Now I need to decide what to plant and where each plant will go. I am fortunate to have a landscape plan which has been modified every time a major change needs to be recorded - last done when all of the Ash trees came down and a mass planting of Hostas (albo marginata) were frying in the sun. This newest area, shown below in a clipped portion of the landscape plan is labeled, "Target Area" and will be similarly modified.

Planning a New Bed

This clip of the landscape plan shows the Target Area in green. The heavier black outline and colored symbols reflect modifications that were made the last time a significant event necessitated a major plan change - the Ash trees, shown with red "X"s, let the sun shine down. The mass hosta planting that covered the entire section was not compatible with that level of sunlight. New plantings were keyed to the left of the site and the plants were installed.

Step 1 - Assess the Area

Whatever I plant needs to fit within the overall composition of the front yard from the house to the street. Therefore, my first step is to take inventory of what I have. I try to take pictures every year - although most are close views of a particular plant, a few should always depict the wider view - the big picture. These pictures help me to recollect the section I am planting. I was able to seam together a pair of pictures taken after the hostas were removed and the new plants were installed as shown below.

This photo composite shows the newly implemented landscape plan. Installation was complete in early Spring. It was surprising to see how quickly things filled in over the course of the growing season. The plants along the sidewalk are a repeat of a portion of the original landscape plan. Repeating an established pattern can provide continuity of design, tying the two areas together.

The Target Area was once a foreground of solid turf, low and uniformly green. It is bounded on the east side by a stand of woods and our hot asphalt driveway, edged in a cool blue garden bed with the fine texture of Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low'), medium texture and height of Dark Knight Bluebeard (Caryopteris × clandonensis), peaks of Dasante Blue Delphinium and wafting grasses for height and movement. The west side is bounded by a row of mature Yew shrubbery (outside of the coverage area) on the neighbor's property, transitioning to a Bottle Brush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) and three Purple Smoke trees (Cotinus coggygria). A planting bed mid yard is anchored by a gorgeously coarsely textured Oak Leaf Hydrangea. Sometimes your inventory may uncover opportunities to edit and you should definitely give this some thought. In my case, I am satisfied with the existing healthy stock, having already edited out the dead and dying Ash trees and a gazillion hostas. As a street facing strip, there is an expectation that can and should be accommodated within reason. Turf may be the expectation, but I do not enjoy mowing and intend to push the envelope, using native plants in a way that is sensitive to our neighbors.

Step 2 - Find Inspiration

I have been saving pins on Pinterest for just such an occasion, so I have been secretly preparing for this project all year. I want to keep it mostly green, low and finely textured to complete the composition, and even mostly grass, but with a twist. I also find inspiration in meetings I attend, Master Gardener, Garden Club and Wild Ones, an organization promoting the use of native plants in home and business landscapes and an excellent resource for information. This is also the year of the butterfly - if I could, I'd ask everyone to plant some milkweed in their yard to sustain migrating Monarchs; there is no substitute for their caterpillar (if it hatches on anything other than a milkweed plant, it dies!)

Native plants have adapted over many years to the climate and soils of the area or local ecoregion. They did so without sprinkler systems, so they are naturally drought tolerant. I used to think native plants were too expensive, and that they were harder to find. Once I became involved with Wild Ones, I learned where to buy native plants (yes, they do cost a little more, and yes, I have to drive farther to make my purchase, but certainly, they are less expensive and easier to maintain). I also learned that plants propagated from seed harvested in the local ecoregion is better for preserving the biodiversity of the native plant community. If you find a native plant in a big-box super store, chances are high that the plants are all clones of the same plant - maybe even cloned from tissue, replicating the identical strengths and weaknesses over, and over again. When there is a choice 1. buy seed propagated plants grown from seed gathered in your ecoregion, nearby and not in Texas or Tennessee; 2. Cloned by dividing a plant that was seed propagated; 3. Cloned by cuttings from a plant that was locally seed propagated.

Level 3 - Visualize the Combination at Maturity

I have an image in my mind for my front strip of land - something short of a natural landscape - a riot of wind tossed seed and a riot of color. I have in mind rippling grass punctuated by Pale Purple Coneflowers with pottery carp skimming the waves and an island of Native Monarda and a backdrop of Joe Pye Weed and Queen of the Prairie. A patient gardener would start sowing seeds, a slightly less patient gardener would purchase small plugs with a two to three year "leap" in mind, and an impatient gardener drives to buy gallon pots, ready to show in the first year. Before I start spending money, I like to test my inspiration by providing images for my husband (a visual thinker). I laid out the following images in Photoshop, like they are shown below. The colors are mellow and in my mind do not look weedy, as so many fear native plants will present. I am deliberately going with a muted palette to balance the unexpected form (anything other than turf next to the sidewalk is a shock to the system). The rippling movement of the Dropseed is so reminiscent of water that my art choice reflects that with a stellar find - three pottery Koi on stakes (I actually am acquiring five). I insert art into every nook and cranny...

Joe Pye grows to 4-7' tall and is very attractive to butterflies.

Monarda grows about knee to waist high and Milkweed grows to 4-5' or taller and is needed for Monarch larval stage.

Prairie Dropseed mounds ripple like 18" tall waves. Pale Coneflower & Dropseed blooms top out at 2-3'

Level 4 - The Mash-Up

Even with the photo collage, my husband could not imagine the area planted out. Determined to explain the plan visually, I set out to build an image that would sink in for my husband (he really needs to be on board with this as it is quite a departure for me). Again, using Photoshop, I layered in the pictures, resizing them to gain proportion, erasing parts that were not needed, and stamping in missing pieces. The resulting images are shown in stages.

Dropseed + Pale Coneflower + Koi Existing Filipendula rubra + Joe Pye

Adding the images, cropped and pasted in layers to simulate mature state in proportion solidified the plan for my husband and set me into motion - a bit early given our extended cold weather. The area may be larger than what is shown in the mash-up, and it certainly won't be quite as lush looking with new plants, but it will look presentable when our home is on the Hospice Garden Walk near the end of June.

Level 6 - Start Your Engines

I somewhat patiently ordered a flat of 60 Prairie Dropseed plugs from my favorite purveyor of native plants, Possibility Place Nursery - assuring the delivery of the plants that will form the backbone of my design. I will wait to buy more plants for my new garden when they will bring plants to the Bringing Nature Home Native Plant Sale to benefit the Forest Preserve District of Will County - our partners in Wild Ones of Will County. I love to buy native plants, especially when it is for the benefit of such a worthy cause. Oh, but I have another side...

I let my teenager drive me to Woldhuis, Sunrise Farms because they have an incredible selection of perennials and a fair selection of native plants, some cloned and some seed propagated. I almost stuck to my list! I bought Purple Coneflower, Bee Balm, Queen-of-the-Prairie, Joe Pye, and 7 #1 pots of Prairie Dropseed. In sharp contrast to the focused drive, being in the greenhouses lifted me to a near out of body feeling as I floated down the aisles, soaking up the green. My daughter felt it too, and she apologized for all of those times when she whined to leave before I was ready. Nirvana and Understanding. What a great day...

This is the areal image I downloaded from the Revenue Department in my community. I opened it in Photoshop and added plants, approximately to scale to get an idea of how many plants I needed. Spacing is based on the mature width of the plant and, since I want the Dropseed to appear to be rippling water, I am making the spacing a bit tighter so that they will grow together.

I had the original landscape plan scanned and have been adding as conditions change. Photoshop allows the user to keep many layers. Play around with layout until you are satisfied with the results before making your first purchase. Many professional landscape planners purchase 10% more for flexibility in the field. At this point, I am ready to approximate quantities.

By this time, I had two other projects underway – the repair of a 1950’s modern style surfboard table with a frame that had been repaired several times over the years and aluminum to make frame with legs that I planned to use to display the steel quilt blocks my sister-in-law gave me for Christmas (whoever made these has CAD and a plasma cutter – jealous!). The continuous feed wire that formed the glue of the weld fed so quickly for me that I managed to end up with a butterfly like proboscis at the end of my short weld. I did better than I did with my first TIG weld. My line was straighter and the width was more consistent, but the depth of the weld was inconsistent. Still, I was clearly doing better – at least I didn’t leave any gloves scorched!

Finally came my favorite - the class that made me wish we had at least a few more sessions before us. I walked into class prepared to learn Gas Tungsten Arc Welding - TIG, sporting a red racing stripped auto-darkness welding mask and a determination to do better than to … suck at welding. I picked up that wand and discovered that even though my mask was fabulous, I still couldn’t pat my head and rub my tummy – I mean tap a wire into a molten puddle while circling a heat source. I did however learn that I can heat two metals in close proximity to the point where the molten puddles mix and become one – welding the two together without additional metal from a wire – Wow – that was a rush. I fixed that little frame for the surfboard coffee table from the 50’s with welds that will never break and that measure of success made the $50 purchase of the red auto-darkening mask worth every penny! I need lots of practice, but I have a friend with lots of equipment if I can only clean out the pole barn in which it is stored, I’m sure I will have the opportunity to practice one day soon – well, not too soon because I will have to feel better, but there is a mountain of treasure in that barn to deal with first if I want to practice.Maybe the guys with so many questions about my class will have the opportunity to take a class if it is (and I hope it will be) offered again next winter if not sooner. And, maybe we can share equipment. And maybe I learned more than I thought. Sometimes it just takes knowing what you don’t know to motivate you to achieve the next level. After all, I am still not good at welding when dexterity is required, but I’m not half-bad when I only need my right hand and the weld isn’t required to hold back water. At least I’m no longer clueless and that is a significant advancement. I made an investment in a costly mask knowing it would rest on my conscience and drive me to find a way to practice. For now, I will begin the design process. And, when I have the opportunity to practice, I know where to get the information I need to review before picking up the big guns.

If I hear of an opportunity to take a welding class with Daymon Gast, I will encourage the people I know to grasp the opportunity (They’re welcome to borrow my spiffy helmet.). I know I was a handful and his patience, calm demeanor, safety procedures and ready competence in his craft made it so that even my measure of ability moved significantly. That was no small feat on his part!

I am grateful to my instructor and the Department for offering this class and would take others given the opportunity – especially if they get that CAD connected to the Plasma Cutter! I would also ask for my friends’ sakes that the next class come sooner rather than later with my commitment to share the date and time for registration with two gardening clubs and two organizations with interested parties.

Invasives of Illinois

Illinois Invasives Small File.pdf

What do Bradford Pear and Barberry have in common? They are both on the Illinois Invasives List prepared by the Illinois Invasive Plant Species Council (IIPSC) and you can buy them in any nursery. Those plants that make it onto the Federal List of Noxious Weeds are banned - from sale, importation, delivery, ya-da, ya-da, we get it not on the market. Additionally, states are taking locally noxious weeds to task, including Illinois. You need to have a PDF Reader in order to view the Illinois Invasives file which contains three spreadsheets. You can find information on Invasives in your area, usually on your State's Department of Natural Resources. List are provided on the USDA Plants website, but I do not know how often the data is updated. It's a place to start and you can always read the notes at the bottom of the list to find out who maintains the list and applicable laws as noted.

1) The list from the Illinois Invasive Plant Species Council (IIPSC). This list, as I understand it, is cued up, but is not yet added to the list of plants covered by the Noxious Weed Law or the Exotic Weeds Act. "The Illinois Invasive Species Council (IIPSC) was established March 9, 2005. The IIPSC reports directly to the Office Director of Resource Conservation at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). IIPSC's mission is to minimize the adverse economic and ecological effects that invasive plants pose to the State of Illinois. ... The definition of Invasive Plant Species according to IIPSC is as follows, 'with respect to a particular ecosystem, any species that is not native to that ecosystem, including its seeds, spores, or other biological material capable of propagating that species and whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm'."

2) Illinois Noxious Weeds (with added columns providing the links to USDA Plant Files and images.) Illinois Noxious Weeds are subject to the Illinois Administrative Code. 2002. Illinois noxious weed law. State of Illinois.

3) Illinois Exotic Weeds, subject to the Illinois Exotic Weed Act making it unlawful to buy, sell, offer for sale, distribute or plant seeds, plants or plant parts of exotic weeds (except for permitted research)

see: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1735&ChapAct=525%26nbsp%3BILCS%26nbsp%3B10%2F&ChapterID=44&ChapterName=CONSERVATION&ActName=Illinois+Exotic+Weed+Act%2E

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06 2014

I can’t do intensive gardening. I need to garden in an area that doesn’t have me working the ground and that is easy to mulch and weed. Last year, I tucked a few edibles into the fabric of my landscape, somewhat successfully. This year, with the help of my mostly willing husband, I am trying to supplement our pantry with vegetables grown in lovely and unlikely containers. I am using a laundry basket, file cabinets and clothes organizers with dividers and mesh for ventilation.

Water

Last year we installed drip irrigation lines that attach to our regular hose bib. We extended the system to cover a newly landscaped area where that weekly inch of water is essential to survivability in the first couple of years. These drip irrigation lines allow me to insert edibles where I wouldn’t want to haul a hose and they were super easy to install.

Sun Exposure

I’m almost not sure I know where to begin with such disparate planting areas and such a range of plants to consider. I’m not very experienced at edibles – so I need to choose carefully for ease of care and for widely different conditions. The University of Illinois Extension Office says, “The amount of direct sunlight your garden receives daily directly influences the types of plants that will grow successfully. Plants need sunlight to produce food through photosynthesis. Different plants need different amounts of sunlight to produce a sufficient amount of food to grow and maintain health and vigor.” I have three locations in mind for my edibles.

The convenient location I have chosen for my eclectic containers is as far from my already tried and found to be patient neighbors as possible, but has somewhere between part sun to part shade, a difference of about two hours of sunlight. I can’t really guess right now because the leaves are not out yet and some of my neighbor’s trees are dead or nearly dead Ash trees and may never get leaves (see, I’m patient too). I may be able to tuck several semi-beautiful-well-behaved edibles in the designed landscape, but I want to plant some of the more rangy vegetables and intend to take full advantage of the fence as a trellis. This is an area where I successfully grew newly planted asparagus, overplanted with bush beans and bell peppers, and tomatoes in very small containers on the driveway. I also planted one hill of Dinosaur Gourd – seeds that were a gift from my son after a trip to the gift shop, I mean Natural History Museum… Harvest was modest, not what it would have been had the sun exposure been better. Now I just need to figure out what else can grow in part sun to part shade.

Our flat roofs are ideal for gardening edibles that can take the exaggerated heat of the day on a black rubber roof membrane, provided we can install containers without damaging the roof and my daughter will commit to watering regularly and harvesting. This will be a totally new experience for both of us, I never go upstairs and even when I do, I don’t go out onto the roof, access is through her bedroom via sliding glass doors in what is a pretty sweet setup for a teenage girl. She is developing an appreciation for growing things….

With mixed results, I planted a few edibles within the landscape, not in concentrated numbers or locations. I forgot all about the zucchini I planted and thought I’d find a mushy mess at the end of the season, but evidently there wasn’t enough sun because there was nary a sign – except for the vine. Besides, the landscape is definitely the place to limit edibles to pretty ones.

Soils

I am making a mixture to fill my containers since my yard is full of clay and who knows what it contains. Have you ever seen a subdivision or home construction site? Also, I remember those days when oil was something to be dumped on the ground. I purchased Dr. Earth’s Organic Vegetable mix and saw a mixture of composted soil, soil conditioner, peat, perlite and granular fertilizer and I liked it, but it was pricey. I decided to make my own mix, so I set out to buy large quantities for lots of containers. My husband wheeled out the large wheelbarrow and under my observation, added peat, garden soil and pearlite in roughly equal parts. To that we added mushroom compost and Dr. Earth’s Vegetable mix to equal a final portion and topped it off with three capfuls of Osmocote® (about 1/4c). Mixed carefully, it made a lovely and light mixture that I hope will produce good results. I pointed and my hubby shoveled. It’s wonderful to have a partner willing to help!

The Edibles

Ease of care and sun conditions have become my limiting factors. So now I need to evaluate what I want, with what I might be able to plant. I want to plant salad greens, kale, cucumbers, carrots, beans, summer squash, zucchini, potatoes, bell peppers and tomatoes. Part sun or less…containers…fence for trellis. I’d like to plant most of my list in the container section, even though most of them would prefer and produce better in full sun. What to put where…

In the concentrated raised bed and container area, there is a mixture of sizes and shapes. To control the visual chaos, we decided to unite them in color. I have placed and filled new additions. Together with what we placed last year, they amount to two full garden rows or about 20 squares in a square foot garden. I’ll throw in a marigold seed or two in every planter grouping – they are one of the best companions for all vegetables because they repel bean beetles, aphids, potato bugs, squash bugs, nematodes and maggots (according to motherearthnew.com).

The asparagus is in a 12’ x 2’ raised bed from last year where we still plan to overplant with beans for one more year – I’ve never heard of this companionship, but as a nitrogen fixer, I’m hoping the beans will feed the asparagus rather than impeding their progress. I can take a few stalks from each plant this year and am hoping to get a nice asparagus harvest next year.

At the end of the raised bed, we placed a closet organizer with sections that may make good garden sections (it sounds like a good idea, but I’ve never tried to garden in this way, so we have reservations). The soil is deep and with a mesh bottom, the drainage is excellent. Italian and Spaghetti Squash can go here with beans – reported to be good companion planting pairs.

A tall black laundry basket has been lined with landscape cloth and cut with laces to allow for succession planting and harvesting of potatoes at three layers in one container. This seems to be a very promising way to grow as much as 30 lbs. of potatoes, even if we take the first planting early. As we place the seed potatoes, we will make an opening in the landscape cloth and place an eye of the potato near the opening.

The file cabinet planters are placed parallel to the raised asparagus bed, with stepping stones in between for access. When I saw them at the Goodwill Store, they were small, manageable and exactly the same height and width – which was important to me because I really wanted some semblance of order in the mixture of containers. I took the drawers out and was disappointed to find that they were open at the bottom. I got over it quickly when I saw how easily they could be bolted together, making one 60”x22” planter. My husband did the heavy lifting and I held the spray paint cans that made them pretty – glossy black. It was a good decision to take 20 minutes to paint them. There are drainage holes treated to resist rust, and they will be taking in or covered during the winter for protection. We padded the bottom with packing peanuts and landscape cloth leaving the soil depth at about 18”. They will receive the most sun and can take any of the listed plants but they will be difficult to trellis unless I add something outside of the container. This may be the better location for tomatoes – they will have added supports and the most sun, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Basil, carrots and mixed greens can fill in under the tomatoes.

I have one large round 3cf container with three Mexican Gherkins started and one zucchini planted early for succession harvesting. This large container needs to go where the sun exposure is the greatest and the plants can vine to the fence and up a makeshift trellis I will be wiring in place for extra height. It is being made from two panels I purchased from the as-is section in Ikea. I’m not sure what they were part of, but they are 4’x4’ powder coated metal frames with wire support lattices and are ideal for the purpose. The container will be on a wheeled trolley so it may be moved for greater sun exposure until the vines need more height – if the vines outgrow the 4’x4’ frames, the trolley can be wheeled up next to the fence.

In a separate section, but equally important to our family, we have two large blue pots filled with perennial herbs and which will be seeded with thyme, parsley and basil and anything else that didn’t survive the extreme, extended subzero temperatures.

Roof hardy summer food like squashes, cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes seem to do well in hot temperatures, if they get plenty of water. I have three grey rectangular fiber reinforced containers in graduated sizes – from 4cf to 2cf. They will be fitted with shade cloths and seeded with micro greens, lettuces and other salad fixings. This seems to be a good place to start with roof gardening. It’s light – weight wise, easy to grow – with water, and easy to harvest.

Tucked into the landscape will be kale, parsley and anything else I’m unable to plant in the containers – the less the better because it’s harder work.

Planting Edibles

Not a Hard Row to Hoe