a garden that is exactly the right size + an update on my worms

In southern Ontario, I put seedlings in the ground, watered them, and they produced and produced and produced. I gave vegetables to co-workers, came up with recipes, and donated to food banks. My garden-ettes were tiny but mighty.

Two years ago, I attempted the same here in Vancouver Island North and it led to absolutely nothing: in which the cool coastal climate kicks my ass: my first #gardenfail. I carefully cultivated seedlings indoors, only to see them die the moment they were put in the ground. Now I know why so many people here have greenhouses in their backyards.

After that disappointment, I took a year off, and didn't plant anything last year. 

This year we started a seed library at the Port Hardy library branch. It's been super popular, and it inspired me to checkout a few seed packets. 

In response to my various challenges, a friend suggested I try container gardening. It's a brilliant idea: easier on my knees, no need to dig up weeds to clear a space, and almost no weeding. It also feels much easier -- true to its name, it feels more contained.

I started very simple: three plants, and three inexpensive, non-decorative pots. I can imagine a gorgeous array of containers of all different shapes and designs, which beautifully fits my aesthetics. But minimal investment will cut down on potential disappointment, so I'm keeping it super simple, at least for now. 

I planted beets, carrots, and snap peas. 

I got an assist from my very own worm compost, and some chicken wire leftover from our attempts to keep Cookie at home.

Today I started the process of hardening off the seedlings, something I didn't know about on my first go-round. 

While in the process of moving the plants outside and in again, I discovered this: snap peas!

Maybe there's hope? As the Magic 8-Ball says, reply hazy, try again.

Nothing's hazy about the worms, though. They are thriving! My first harvest, in September 2022, produced about one kilo of rich, black compost. 

Then in April of this year, we harvested more than twice that amount! So I must be doing something right.

I found a great supplier in Alberta, cutting out thousands of kilometres of shipping, not to mention incompetence. I also resolved a few unknowns and settled into a routine that seems to keep the little guys very happy.

We're using the worm compost for new grass seed, Allan's attempt at reviving the raspberry patch, and of course, my little seedlings. The worms are great incentive to keep going with the container gardening.

dog agility, worm composting, and morning tea: three things going on with me

Does it make sense to create compost when you don't garden? I don't know, but I'm doing it.

Worms, but no garden

So, I'm not gardening. 

The Urban Worm Bag v2

Since moving to a cool, wet, temperate climate, I haven't done any successful gardening. My little mini gardens in southern Ontario were fun because they were incredibly easy. They also helped me enjoy being outdoors within the densely packed suburban landscape. 

Now, gardening is much more challenging, and I am able to enjoy the outdoors any time, whether that means sitting on our deck, talking long walks through the woods, or strolling on the beautiful empty beach. Working full-time, with limited time to myself, I really don't want to spend any of it gardening.

Last year, I tried to establish a small garden, and thought I would try vermicomposting -- composting with worms. The garden was a bust, but I've decided to continue my wriggling adventure. 

Why create composting if you're not gardening?

• It reduces waste. We don't have organics recycling here, and it feels really wasteful. Most of what can go in the organics bin can be used as worm food.

• The worm castings (compost created by worms) will improve the soil for all the plants already growing in our yard, including the raspberry bushes that Allan is trying to re-establish.*

• Working with worms, creating this miniature ecosystem, just appeals to me. I want to try it. 

The worm adventure was supposed to start last year, but the worms I ordered never made it here. I had already set up my Urban Worm Bag, organics scrap bin, and so on. So this year, I tried again. 

The worms were shipped from Wormbox, a company in Montreal. They assured me they have successfully shipped live worms to every Canadian province and territory, including remote locations, and that the worms would arrive alive. They wait to ship until there are three consecutive days of temperatures above freezing in Montreal and the worms' destination. That finally happened in early May!

The clock was ticking. With a long weekend coming up, and no mail delivery on Saturdays, I was starting to worry. But hurrah, the little creatures arrived on Friday morning, well packed and wriggling. Now they are in their new home, and my project begins.

Canine agility

Now that I am not taking piano lessons (at least for now), I'm planning to do some agility with Kai, and possibly with Cookie, too. 

I've been thinking about this since we bought our home in 2019. It's great physical exercise and mental stimulation for dogs, and having watched agility competitions on video, and once in person, I've always wanted to try it.

Will Kai ever do this? Time will tell!

Decent equipment is quite expensive. And while building a DIY agility course is A Thing, you may recall that I am not a DIY person. I have zero interest in building or macgyvering this equipment. I've decided to start with one piece of equipment -- one event, so to speak -- and gradually add on, as I can and want to spend more. Agility World has periodic specials where one obstacle is deeply discounted, so I'll track that as I go. (There is also the much less expensive Aosom, but I've read the equipment is quite flimsy and falls apart easily.)

This is decidedly not for competition. Just as my piano lessons were not intended for performance, my interest in canine agility will not leave my backyard. I find the human capacity to fashion nearly every activity into a competition simply baffling. I'm just hoping my dogs and I enjoy this and benefit from it.

A momentous life change

I am not drinking coffee in the morning. I am drinking tea! While not quite on the level of moving to Canada or becoming a librarian, I believe this qualifies for Big Change status.

I love coffee, and I'm completely addicted to caffeine. Although I've cut back by mixing regular and decaf, I've given up trying to eliminate it from my diet. I've gone caffeine-free for months at a time for various reasons, but I have no wish to do that permanently. I figure if caffeine is my worst vice, I'm doing pretty good. Caffeine may even have some health benefits -- although that's not why I love coffee.

I do have sleep issues, though. Like many people, I sometimes struggle mightily with insomnia. And because of this, I've always had a strict cut-off. Coffee in the morning, and strong black tea in the afternoon, but never after 4:00.

Allan and I picked up the afternoon tea habit during our trip to Ireland in 2001. It was November, and every day we'd arrive at a bed-and-breakfast, chilly and windswept. And the host would say, I'll put the kettle on. It became an enjoyable habit.

When we got home, we found a New York source for Bewley's Irish Breakfast tea, and with both of us working at home most days, a tradition was born.

When we moved to the Toronto area, I found it too difficult to get Bewley's, and we switched to Red Rose, the Canadian equivalent of Lipton. Now that we can get anything from anywhere, we're back to Bewley's. 

(We do also have decaf black tea in various flavours, which Allan drinks all the time, and herbal teas in a range of flavours, which I drink both hot and iced. I find iced herbal tea a good way to stay hydrated: tastier than water, but with nothing added.)

Recently I realized I really shouldn't be having caffeine in the afternoon, at all. Cutoff or no, it could be impacting my sleep. So I'm trying -- quite painfully -- to give up my afternoon caffeine. 

I made this decision right after a box of Bewley's arrived in the mail, plus a shopping miscommunication landed a huge box of Red Rose in the house at the same time. I can't return either of them, I don't want them sitting around getting stale, and it's more than I want to give away.

So I had an idea. Maybe I could try drinking tea in the morning, and seeing if I can get enough of a caffeine fix to start the day. When we've travelled in places with bad (or no) coffee but good tea, I have had tea in the morning. Maybe it would be possible?

I bought a teapot, and the experiment has begun. I still miss coffee, so I don't know if this will be permanent. But so far, I appear to be surviving.

And by the way, since giving up afternoon caffeine two months ago, I have had only one night of insomnia -- far less than usual.

* There were amazing raspberries bushes when we moved in. Then we cut them down -- as I read you were supposed to -- and they never returned. Allan is starting over.

gardening and games, but not piano: three things going on with me

Maybe next year: borscht.

It was not a total #gardenfail

You may recall that I tried to plant my little gardenette, as we used to do in southern Ontario, here in northern Vancouver Island. I was not successful.

The area we cleared became well grown over with weeds, and that was fine for now. 

Months later, to my surprise, I spotted some red stalks among the green. Beets! One beet plant survived and grew. I harvested one tiny beet. 

While I was showing the beet to Allan, he spotted a tomato plant growing amid the ruin. This gives me hope! As baseball fans have said for generations: wait 'til next year!

#pianofail?

I began piano lessons in March 2020, right after the covid shutdown went into effect. I practiced diligently and consistently for 16 months. As long as I was learning and making progress, no matter how small (and progress was only small), I enjoyed it. 

[Piano posts: why it is interesting and significant that i own a piano, in which i begin re-learning how to play piano, using pianote, reflections on a year of piano lessons by a dedicated (and untalented) student.]

After a year, small, incremental progress became tiny. Minute. Microscopic. Gradually, progress dwindled off, then stopped altogether. I understand about learning plateaus, but this plateau seemed permanent. No matter how much I tried, it seemed I had hit an impenetrable wall. 

Learning is full of frustration. I know that. But in this, I must ask if I've reached the limits of my ability. No matter how much I practiced or what I tried, I was no longer advancing. And because I was no longer advancing, piano went from a difficult but satisfying challenge, to pure frustration. 

In June of this year, I started practicing less, and by July, stopped altogether. 

First I took a little time off, then weeks stretched into months... and I stopped. This winter, I'm going back to jigsaw puzzles.

I have a lifetime membership to Pianote, so I can return anytime. We'll see.

My games addiction is back, big-time

I love games. For me, games of all types are completely addictive. Once I start playing a game I like, time disappears. I always have to drag myself away. 

In my 20s and 30s, I thought that any time I spent playing games was a total waste. I was  freelancing, and maintaining discipline was very important. I used to say I had to be busy at all times to justify my existence, and I was only partly joking. Games were an addiction to be avoided.

After being diagnosed with fibromyalgia (after seven years of misdiagnosis), I gradually came to understand the need for downtime, and built it into my life. I also started recognizing the value of giving myself space for whatever I wanted to do -- without the need to justify it. So here I am.

I'm not a gamer. I don't go anywhere near videogames. Not because I think they're evil or a waste of time, but because it's a door I don't dare open. My brief experiences with videogames led me to believe that if I had a proper game system, I'd never watch a movie or a series again. My series/movie time is relaxing and restorative in a way that videogames wouldn't be. So I don't allow myself to go there.

I very rarely get to indulge my love of board games, as my partner has no interest. Considering all the awesome tabletop games out there these days, this is very sad! I would love to have a weekly music-and-game night. But no.

I love jigsaw puzzles, and have been enjoying great puzzle challenges during the winter for the past few years. (When I complete a puzzle, I post pics Facebook, but have spared wmtc that particular nonsense.) 

In Ontario, during times that I commuted by public transit, I could never concentrate enough to read, so I would listen to music and play games on my phone, mostly hundreds of different kinds of solitaire. Now I have no commute, but somehow I've become addicted to games on my phone anyway: crosswords, anagram games (NYT Spelling Bee and Wordscapes), and 3D puzzle games.

When I began piano lessons, I dropped puzzles, feeling that I don't have time for both. So now, it's back to puzzles. Jigsaw puzzles might drag me away from my phone games.

in which the cool coastal climate kicks my ass: my first #gardenfail

I decided to convert a small patch of the front yard, overflowing with plantings from the previous owner of our house, into a small garden. My experiences with my gardenettes in southern Ontario were all very positive. They were also very easy: buy seedlings, put them in the ground, feed and water them, and et voilá, vegetables. 

This simple success has not followed me to my new home on the northern end of Vancouver Island. Unfortunately, there was more than one change, so I don't completely know what caused the failure. But failure it is. 

I'm not strongly invested in gardening, hence the words "tiny," "modest," and "gardenette" always appearing in these types of posts. But still, some vegetables to show for my efforts would have been nice!

Here's what happened. (I didn't document this experience with photos; photos below are generic.)

I didn't find a lot of seedlings (little plants already growing in small containers) for sale, and I always hear people talk about starting gardens from seeds, so I thought I'd give that a try. Never having planted seeds before, I researched quite a bit. 

I planted carrots and beets in the ground, and started tomatoes indoors. 

The beets and carrots never sprouted. Not a single leaf of either plant appeared. I have no idea why.

In our cool, coastal climate, you're supposed to start tomatoes indoors, then cover them when you plant them outdoors.

We saved small styrofoam containers from takeout food. I poked a few holes in the bottom, filled them with potting mix, and planted the tomato seeds. 

They sprouted quickly and grew bigger and stronger every day. I ended up with 14 plants growing in 10 containers. 

While the tomato plants were growing, we saved empty juice containers, then cut the bottom off, making a nice shelter for the plants. 

I waited until over-night temperatures were above 10 C (50 F), all the while saving juice containers and tending to the little tomato plants. When it seemed safe, I planted the seedlings and covered them, so they looked something like this. 

And then they died.

Not a single plant survived the transplanting. 

I know from past experience that plants often wilt after transplanting, so I continued to tend to the them. But it soon became obvious that my plucky little seedlings were not making  a comeback.

So I have a garden space cleared, I've started vermicomposting in the garage, but I have no plants. 

I'm done. For this year, anyway.

* * * *

Now I know why so many people in our area have a greenhouse in their backyard. There was a greenhouse in the yard when we bought our house, but we asked the sellers to remove it. 

I really don't want a greenhouse, but I won't attempt to start a garden from seeds again. Next year I'll make a greater effort to find seedlings. And if I try tomatoes again, I won't put them in the ground until they're much larger and stronger, or maybe grow them indoors only. 

the return of a gardenette, plus worms (but no scary pics)

When we moved into our house, the grounds were spectacular. Even in this area where seemingly everyone gardens, the former owners were masters. There were beautifully designed flower groupings everywhere, nine huge raised beds, an herb garden, a large (and locally famous) raspberry patch, a greenhouse, and chickens.

It was the perfect house for an avid gardener... but too bad, we bought it!

We asked the sellers to remove the greenhouse and the chicken coop (and the trampoline), and we removed the raised beds ourselves. Our backyard is a canine playground. We've spent a lot of money, time, and effort making it safe for She Who Cannot Be Contained. We mow the lawn and do a bit of raking and pruning, but serious yardwork is not our thing.

However... we did experiment with a tiny garden in Ontario, growing tomatoes, zucchini (a supposedly fun thing I'll never do again), eggplant, and a few herbs. I enjoyed this on a small scale, with zero intention or aspiration to expand.

While our backyard is a dog park, our front yard gets a lot of sun, and the dogs aren't loose there. So I'm going to try a very modest vegetable garden in the front. In our climate, you're supposed to start tomatoes indoors, so I've done that, and will soon be planting carrots, beets, and basil outside.

I'm also trying composting for the first time. However, in an area where bears saunter into yards to dine off fruit trees, there's no way I'm composting outside. There are supposedly ways to make outdoor composting bear-safe, but it sounds quite complicated, and -- at least where we live -- foolish and dangerous. Reading about indoor composting, I quickly decided I wanted to try vermicomposting, which is the fancy way of saying composting with worms.

The internet is loaded with information about DIY worm composting, the usual "all you need is this!" sites and videos. Reading more deeply, I learned -- as with most things -- that there are myriad ways to fail at vermicomposting. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you may know I am not a DIYer. Growing vegetables at all is enough DIY for me!

I investigated various options, and decided to buy a worm habitat from WormBox.ca. After much research, I ordered this Urban Worm Bag, and got a great deal on all the accoutrements needed to create a comfy worm environment. And then -- yep! -- I ordered worms on the internet! One pound of Red Wigglers -- about 1,000 worms -- are on their way from Montreal to Vancouver Island. 

I'm not posting pics, as many people are phobic or just grossed out. But I enjoy the wriggly creatures and look forward to adopting them.

this year's garden-ette

This year's crop: two tomato plants, basil, beans, and strawberries. Beans and strawberries are both new for us. 

I love that we're still planting our little garden, with no thought to expansion, just trying a couple of new things each year. And since we should all be boycotting Driscoll's, we are growing resistance berries. ¡Si, Se Puede!

Plus, bonus Tala, with her favourite Orbee.

mini-garden update: the eggplant arrives

I grew this! It's eight inches long, and three more are on the way.

What's ordinary to you veteran gardeners is still miraculous to me. Gardening on a small scale is easy, fun, and very rewarding.

Next stop, eggplant recipes.

zucchini abundance recipe of the day: penne with zucchini and fresh herbs

This is probably the easiest way to use zucchini from your garden, and if you're growing herbs, it's an excuse to use those, too. It's also one of those dishes that takes just about anything you like in pasta. I'm keeping it very simple, so as not to drown out the zucchini.

I use brown rice pasta. I originally tried it when we thought one of us was celiac, then it became habit. It's delicious and very healthy, but it does need the extra step of rinsing the cooked pasta. If you don't do that, the pasta will all stick together in a one big gluey mess... something I discovered painfully on my own. 

Also, if you use brown rice pasta, it's easier to use a "cut" pasta, like penne, rotini, or ditalini. Long pasta like spaghetti or linguini is more difficult to rinse properly. 

Pasta with Zucchini and Fresh Herbs

1/2 package of penne pasta 

1 large zucchini

a variety of fresh herbs, washed and shredded (I used basil, thyme, and cilantro)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated or shaved (Use good cheese! It makes a difference.)

salt & fresh black pepper to taste

olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta to just under desired doneness. When it's still a bit harder than you want it, remove the pasta from the heat and pour into colander. If you're using rice pasta, rinse it well with cold water, stirring the pasta with a wooden spoon as you rinse. Drain well.

While the water is heating and the pasta is cooking, slice the zucchini lengthwise, then slice each half lengthwise again, so you have four spears. Then slice each spear, so you have triangles. 

Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add garlic and let it cook a bit. Add zucchini and herbs. Cook for a minute or two.

Add pasta to skillet, add salt and pepper as desired, and continue cooking until the pasta and zucchini are both at desired doneness, tender but not mushy.

Spoon into pasta bowls and top with grated cheese.

One large zucchini nicely covered half a bag of pasta, for dinner for two people.

zucchini abundance recipe of the day: zucchini fritters

Apparently if you grow zucchini, you have too much of it.

Being new gardeners, we didn't know how prolific our one zucchini plant would be, or the insane quantities - and size! - of the vegetables it would produce. And those leaves! They're gigantic and there's so many of them! It's been a source of wonder and amusement.

We've cut back the leaves several times, as they're crowding out the herbs and the eggplant. And of course cutting back just makes the plant produce even more. I remember that much from my indoor planting days.

There's no shortage of recipes online offering ideas and advice on how to use your surplus zucchini, including several suggestions of leaving some on a neighbour's porch. So although there's no need, I'm going to add mine to the pile. My recipes are all adapted from what I've found online, usually a combination of ideas I find in two or three places, tweaked to our own tastes and cooking style.

Zucchini Fritters

1 huge zucchini, grated or shredded in food processor

Some salt 

1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 or more cloves of garlic, minced

1 egg, beaten

A little ground black pepper (if you've used seasoned bread crumbs, try not adding more salt)

Olive oil

Place shredded zucchini in a colander in the sink and salt lightly. Zucchini has a lot of moisture and this helps get some of it out. (Some people leave salted zucchini for hours or even overnight to leech out the moisture. So far I've found this is both unnecessary and too salty.)

While the zucchini is sitting with the salt, combine all other ingredients except olive oil in a large bowl.

Rince the zucchini, drain it well, and pat it dry with a cheesecloth or paper towels. Add the zucchini to the bowl with the other ingredients and combine well.

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet on a medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, scoop spoonfuls of the mixture into the skillet. Flatten each scoop with a spatula.

Cook 2-3 minutes until the underside looks golden brown, then flip them over and cook 2-3 minutes on the other side. We like these kinds of things very well done, so I continued cooking them until they had a crisp brown exterior.

Serve and eat them right away, while they're sizzling hot. Most people probably would serve these with sour cream or yogurt. I prefer mine with no sauce or condiments, as I do most food. Super yummy. 

One huge zucchini yielded about 15 small fritters.

this year's mini garden and a mini pupdate

This year's garden-ette is completely out of control! In a very good way. Here's June.

And here's today.

No idea what I'm going to do with all the zucchini. Neither of us bakes, so zucchini bread and muffins are not an option. Guess I'd better start Googling...

This eggplant is tiny right now, but I suppose soon I'll need those recipes, too.

Random Diego pic.

And because you're never too old to be a puppy, Tala recently fell in love with an empty peanut butter jar. No idea why.

this year's garden-ette and sweet dogs in their small backyard

Here are some visuals for this post.

This year's crop, we hope: eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and thyme.

As you can see, it's a fraction of the backyard we used to have, and kind of bare. But it does the job! We're putting a canopy over the patio.

"Wither thou goest...". Diego is pledged to Tala. Wherever Tala is, the big boy is right beside her.  

This goes all the way back to when she was first rehabbing from her spine injury. Three years ago:

And today.

More here on Flickr.