Greengirls » Blog Archive » A weekend of $250 impulse purchases

A weekend of $250 impulse purchases — and no planting

Posted on April 23rd, 2007 – 1:30 PM
By Jaime Chismar

Saturday, little green buds started poking from the trees, but I was not poking around in the garden. I had the best of intentions. After my morning yoga class and a quick breakfast, my goal was go home, pot up some pansies and plant my snap peas and greens. I had even sketched out plans for my three garden beds.

Instead, I was driving all over south Minneapolis with a trunk full of gardening impulse buys. Uncommon Gardens, Tangletown Gardens, Sunnyside Gardens — No rusty trellis was too expensive, no plant was too frivolous. Fluorescent green creeping sedum? Peach coral bells that turn deep violent in the fall? I’ll take three of each throw in some burgundy hens and chicks for contrast!

I *did* remember to buy some pansies on my garden store bender, but by the time I got home, I was already running late for an evening with friends to see the North Star Roller Girls. As I cheered for my roller derby dames Anita Tension and Madge-O-Matic, I promised myself that I would plant all day Sunday. In fact, I wouldn’t even look at my impulse buys until after my spinach seeds were in the ground. Food first, then flowers.

Sunday I got up early with the best of intentions, but instead of clearing out the beds, I walked in circles around the yard, completely overwhelmed (and underwhelmed) by the landscape. Are the daffodils coming up? Should I move the peonies to a sunnier spot? Who’s been digging in the hostas? Do I even like hostas? Sweet Jesus, where did all these DANDELIONS COME FROM?

By the time I regained my focus, the sky turned grey and started pouring. I didn’t even get a chance to pot up all my pansies. Sigh.

How did your weekend garden plans go? Please tell me that you more productive than this scatterbrained greengirl.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 23rd, 2007 at 1:30 pm and is filed under Flowers + Grasses, Weather woes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

10 Responses to "A weekend of $250 impulse purchases — and no planting"

Judybusy says:

April 23rd, 2007 at 2:33 pm

I, too, had great plans for Sunday, but I worked out too hard at spin class and napped in the early afternoon. I woke up to the rain! I did get nearly all of my seedlings potted up to bigger pots, though, which is an enjoyable, if putsy project. The end of the work day can’t come fast enough so I can get out to the garden!

Aimee says:

April 23rd, 2007 at 3:59 pm

I hear ya Jamie! I had a pretty productive weekend before the rain started. I raked the yard and cleaned my beds Saturday, threw down some grass seed and planted some sunflower seeds. 15 minutes later I came out to see about six squirrels digging holes in the grass and nibbling the sunflower seeds I’d just planted. The only reason I even have any grass is for my two dogs, but it would be nice if I could grow grass and not dirt!

Jaime Chismar says:

April 23rd, 2007 at 4:21 pm

Argh! Every year our neighborhood critters find new ways to get a free lunch out of my garden. If the squirrels don’t eat the seeds, the rabbits will eat the seedlings. Last year, I had to stake off my sunflowers and cover the garden with plastic netting until the seedlings were strong enough to fend for themselves. Luckily, you have plenty of time to replant!

Tracie says:

April 23rd, 2007 at 5:49 pm

Unfortunately I am in the same boat as you. Along with the Daffodils, Roses and the Japanese Ferns we have; I decided I wanted a small veggie/herb garden.

Saturday we picked up head lettuce, rosemary, dill, cilantro, sage, basil, snow snap peas, green beans, carrots, and about $50 worth of other goodies that suddenly escape recollection. By the time we got home it was too late to do anything. I had one small thing to do Sunday which was only to be about an hour.

I got into the house, started to get things together and just as I was stepping outside it all but downpoured. No gardening for this new green girl until this coming weekend.

Ranty says:

April 24th, 2007 at 9:02 am

I spent hours working in the yard(s) this past weekend, but still feel as if I’ve barely scratched the surface! (This might have something to do with the fact that my house is a recently-purchased-former-forclosure, the landscape of which is/was a disaster.

I made raised beds, hauled $13/yardx3 compost from the University, filled the beds, planted cold crops, dug up my boulevard and began to plant some flowers. I also guerrilla-gardened the front/side yard of a vacant house next door with mixed perennial seeds and sunflowers. (It’s another forclosure, I think.)

The trouble is that after all that digging, since nothing’s growing yet, it still kind of looks like crap! Sigh. Patience was never a strong suit of mine…

Aimee says:

April 24th, 2007 at 10:14 am

Does anyone know where to get good and affordable soil for the garden? I need LOTS of it.

Peter Hoh says:

April 25th, 2007 at 9:40 am

Aimee, if you want to haul it yourself, I can give you a cubic yard of decent black dirt, and my neighbor has a smaller pile that he wants to give away, too. I’m in St. Paul, near Hamline University. Email me at peterhoh (at) earthlink.net

Ranty says:

April 25th, 2007 at 11:13 am

I forgot the name of the place where I got the screened compost, but it was just under $13 for a cubic yard, (which is a LOT!) and is fine to use both for your garden and to replace dirt in your yard. (Grass might even grow better from that, I think.) If you have a pickup truck, they will load you up for free.

To find the name of the place, you can call Mpls solid waste and recycling and ask them where they send their yard waste for composting. It was to that place that I went.

If you’re on the University East bank campus, you take University Ave. eastbound to Malcolm, turn left, and go to the end of the road and turn to the left where there’s a drive-up pay station. (Mostly you’ll see trucks there with stuff to dump, but you go there to pick up too.)

Hope that helps.

Robin says:

April 26th, 2007 at 11:46 am

Aimee I have a huge pile of nice composted horse manure that I am willing to give to you if you want it. There is more of where it came from. I am in Chisago city. prmolina@citlink.net

Aimee says:

April 26th, 2007 at 4:16 pm

Thanks everyone! Robin and Peter, I’ll take you up on the offer if and when I find a truck to haul it with.