Raised garden bounty

Two different friends installed raised garden beds this year -- I could become quite envious as I picture myself weeding while standing up. Besides, look at that tomato jungle at the right hand end (above). The jungle below is likely just one watermelon vine quite at home in a different raised bed, this one next door.

Here's the situation as of August 12: two wee fellows, more the size of large gooseberries than what you expect to eat at a picnic. FYI, that's a hand in the lower right of the picture below, just to give an idea of the size.

Time passed; I took pictures again on Sept. 15; the melons are beginning to grow up.

September 29, my neighbor held up one of the watermelons to show the bald spot, which he has been told is one indication that picking time is almost at hand. My crop this year: the four small cherry tomatoes that were not eaten (along with the foliage) by the javelina. But then I don't have a raised garden, which might discourage the little porkers. I don't even know where I'd put one on my hillside!

Linkage: After I published this post about mini-agriculture, I chanced to visit artistic, mild-mannered Lucy, who lives a quiet life in Brittany (France). Lo and behold, a rant. About French agricultural policies, factory farming and how the seacoasts in her locale are ruined by the heavy fertilizer/nitrogen runoff. And so she demonstrated against seaweed.

Veggies with attitude

It's been some weeks since my friend and I happened across a sign at Gurley and McCormick that shouted "free vegetables!" Once we made the turn onto McComick, there was the follow up, at the Catalyst Infoshop. Figures.

I would expect that at the end of August there would be a larger selection of veggies than we saw that morning. We felt just a tad put off that the sign shouted "free", but laid a guilt trip with that donation cup at the point of purchase. Figures.

End of August Links: Warren is showing some mighty pretty cactus blossoms at Touch Wind. Jim Morgan continues to post Arizona wildflower pictures with ID on Picasa. And, from the sublime to the ridiculous, Toilets of the World, in pictures -- a travelogue of sorts.

Hey -- I just found a real goodie -- a Wikipedia entry all about hurricanes whose leftover bits and pieces have dumped rain on Arizona. There's a similar list for California. Some surprises in both. Not mentioned is that Octave (1983) washed out the Kirkland-Skull Valley Road and really dumped on the west side of Granite Mountain (something like 14 inches, if I remember correctly.) It also cost Prescott the end of the Santa Fe link into town.

New Frontiers: Greenery & Pretty Veggies

When I stopped in at the New Frontiers deli for coffee-and the other morning, I was struck by the amount of greenery around and about our local natural foods supermarket. Even a spider plant hanging down in the middle of a packaged food aisle (above.)

Reason I noticed: 1) there were live plants on most of the tables and 2) it was watering time. Certainly a not too subtle way to underscore the natural theme.

The veggie displays also emphasized fresh and natural. (And they were eminently photogenic!)

That's why I'm dedicating this post to my two veggie afficienados, Lucy and Lizzie! Long may they enjoy! Just incidentally, I still prefer fruit!

Aside from the fine deli, another attraction of New Frontiers is the attention paid to the bulletin boards -- by me, an important aspect of any business that is a regular stop-off for customers. Fry's and Safeway tuck them into out of the way corners; Albertson's has none -- zero. At NF, the notices are in full view at one entrance; on one side, the announcements of events and causes; across the way, the peoples' bulletin board (sales, rentals.) Even here, greenery. A fine finishing touch.