Fall Garden, Scouting New Sites

In spite of the the last week of wild weather, my zinnias are still blooming.

They are a bit temperamental and do not like to be arranged when they have bent to the side.

The flowers have richer tones than the blooms from summer.

My tolerance of weeds has encouraged these tiny daisy-like flowers.

And this white flowered weed has sprung up behind my butterfly bush.

My purple coneflower's autumn blooms are green.

I have been collecting seeds from the garden. I realized the morning glory that springs up everywhere would be perfect for strange little spots like this patch of weeds at the base of the sign post.

While I was hunting for sites, I came across these massive weeds.

This beautiful truck drove past like an omen. I thought I had lost it in the traffic.

But I turned a corner and found it parked.

End of the Sisters

The lack of rain and brutal heat proved too much for the remaining sisters. I had been watering them, but I missed a crucial weekend and they wilted. A few dried out beans were swaying in the wind.

The squash had started to flower, but everything is dried up. Next season I will do a planting in the community garden on my block. One of the gardeners is going to work with me. I am also starting to look for street sites for a new round of pollinator seeds. 

I am scouting out places where the weeds are strong. I have read about planting wildflower seeds in the late fall. The winter cold is good for the seeds and they start earlier in the spring. Most of the problems I had with the pollinators were from the weeds taking over and then people would pull up the weeds, and my plants. I hope the seedlings can get established before the weeds and the weeders move in.

Now Only Two Sisters

After a rainy day last week, I noticed that the three sisters were shorter. The corn stalk must have been uprooted in the storm.

The stalk in lying on the ground near the other two sisters. Luckily, it seems that Jose has added some supports for the bean plants. I wheatpasted a thankyou note to one of the posts

I hope he will see it! The squash plants are growing very well and are hiding the wood where I pasted the note. There are hints of yellow under the leaves where the squash flowers are blooming.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Earlier this week, there was a storm in the middle of the night. I woke up while the wind was blowing, worried about my three sisters. Sister number one, corn, was falling over, unable to support her younger siblings. The storm could mean the end. I went out in the morning with some topsoil to shore her up. She was indeed fallen, and while I was working, one of the neighbors came over. His name is Jose. He and his wife wondered if the planting was intentional. We chatted about gardening and the sisters. He brought me a stake and hammered it into the ground to support the corn. It was so wonderful.

What is left on Thames Street

It was especially nice because, my pollenator seedings are suffering from serious setbacks. The most successful planting was uprooted by an overzealous weeder. My suspicions fall on the Reverend Fennel of the Mount Cavalry FBH Church. The spot was in front of his church and everything was ripped out. The weeds have since come back, but I do not have hopes for the flowers. And over on Thames street, the planting had also suffered a severe weeding. A few stray clover remain, one or two cosmos. Who knows, maybe in the fall, the cosmos plants will surge out in the cool weather they prefer.

Clearly, I have to plant the guerilla seeds earlier so they have time to take hold before these midseason weeders jump in. I do not see the point of ripping the plants out of a spot of soil in August, leaving nothing but soil. But there is a whole crowd of people who believe that weeds are noxious and must be contained. I suppose it is the same group who live in the suburbs and do not trust trees.

Growing

The good news is that my three sisters planting is doing well. The beans and squash have come up and the beans are starting to twine around the corn. It is not huge, but there is already an ear of corn growing.

However, the tree pit on Melrose St. where I sowed some seeds was completely dug up and repaved. On the bright side, it looks they have planned a rain garden for the spot.

Many of the other spots have seedlings, mostly clover, but also cosmos. I made the cosmos seedlings in this picture a little yellow. On the left are what I hope are marigolds or even poppies. But I often get my hopes up about a seedling that turns out to be a weed.

Sometimes there are just a few stray clover plants. I have noticed that some seeds emerge way later than listed on the package, sometimes they come up the next season.

My favorite spot is where the weeds took over. Cosmos have emerged, shelterd by the weeds. My plan for next season is to look for tree pits that have a healthy weed poplulation in the summer. Then in early spring I will sow the seeds in those places. I started way too late this year.

For the current planting, I mostly have to wait. The cosmos won't bloom for several weeks. I haven't seen any borage, but in my own garden, it appeared rather suddenly. It is very weedlike and blooms pretty quickly. 

Not Quite Guerilla Gardening

My friend Randall runs the Figureworks gallery in Williamsburg. When I told him about my seed project. He asked me to plant some seeds around the tree in front of his gallery.
 

The soil is rather compacted around the tree, which gave me a chance to try out my new aerator sandals. I realize I should have photographed the sandal from the side, to show the aerating nails. I was caught up in the heat of the gardening moment.
 

Here the young son, Julien, is putting the sandal to work. One is supposed to strap the sandals on and walk around, but this soil was too compacted. We had to stamp the nails in.

While it was not the usual clandestine sowing of seeds, the neighbor did come out and demand we explain what we were doing. She softened up when we did and offered to sprinkle pepper to keep the dogs away.

Seedlings

I checked on the seeding spots about a week to see if anything had emerged. 

When I cut the plastic netting on Melrose Street a few days before, it must have attracted someone's attention. The netting was completely rolled up and the spot was swept clean.

Only a few very rugged weeds were left.

It is possible that there are a few seedlings as well. faintly visible below the patch of weeds.

A few spots had seedlings, mostly clover, which is not bad. The clover feeds the soil and protects the other seedlings.

Some spots had not growth at all, but it can take time for the seedlings to emerge.

I thought that the seeds I had planted under my hydrangea had not worked. Several weeks later, I have zinnia, cosmos, and I think a sunflower.

Some of the spots were taken over with weeks, no doubt drawn to the compost. I have mixed feelings. I should probably pull the weeds up to leave room for the seedlings. But I kind of love weeds. Maybe they will feed the soil and I can plant seeds there next spring before the weeds emerge. Maybe the seeds will sprout up between the weeds. I am just observing for the moment.

New Project

I did not follow up on the plants of Meserole Street I put out last year. That is because decorating the bicycle with plants seemed to attract the attention of thieves. Someone tried to steal the bicycle, did not suceed but overturned the plants in the process. I brought them to a friend who helped me soak them in water and soothe the trauma. I repotted them and gave most away. The bike has been slowly scavenged but is still chained to the sign post.

In the I had a new idea to plant seeds in empty tree pits. It was too late in the season, so I had to wait through the winter. In the spring I started looking for sites.

Three Sisters Planting, Jefferson Street

The first time I tried planting, the soil was too compacted. This spot had better soil, and I poured some topsoil on. The tagged over mural in the background used to show a pregnant woman being hugged by a child, the woman's belly was holding the earth. It was a little weird but the sentiment was good. When it was tagged, I knew I needed to plant here.

Three Sisters Planting, Jefferson Street

I am testing out a Three Sisters planting, corn, beans and squash. Corn offers a pole for the beans to climb, the beans fix nitrogen in the soil, and the squash provides ground cover and natural mulch. Only two of my four corn plants came up. I planted the beans and squash on Friday and added a little compost. I want to see if it works before I try it in other spots.

Around Bushwick, there are quite a few of these plots of dirt surrounded by plastic fencing. Sometimes there are large construction materials stored there. The soil is not bad, a little sandy. I decided to try growing some pollinator plants.

And also some Amaranth because it is hardy and good for the soil.

I mixed the seeds with some topsoil and compost and some clover seed. Clover grows very easily and is good for the soil.

Cats really like it.

Grattan Street

Sometimes I added topsoil. I am testing with and without topsoil here.

Melrose Street

The plastic fencing had blown over this planting. When I came back, I cut it and wrapped the end around the wooden post. Clover has already sprouted here.

Varet Street

Varet Street

Planting with whimsical graffiti in the background.

George Street

Harman Street

Moore Street

McKibbin Street

This is where I planted the amaranth. There are three trees but I couldn't get them all in one shot. The alternate side of the street parking was not in my favor. 

McKibbin Street

I am a little worried about these amaranth seeds. I planted some ten days ago in another spot and they have not emerged. In fact this is the problem with seeds is all that anxiety about whether they will grow. The pollinator seeds need sunlight to grow. We have had a series of cloudy days. Today, on the first day of summer, the sun has come out from behind the clouds.