August 22, 2008

Green Acres is the place for me.

Back in July, I first mentioned my grand germination experiment:

I wanted to plant corn for no other reason than the shock value of having stalks growing right up against the sidewalk in front of our house (I've mentioned before, but can not emphasize enough -- we have *no* property. All of our town is pretty much that way, so people get creative with their "land"scaping). I got a late start planting seeds, (1) because we had a really chilly spring, and (2) I had (have) no idea what I'm doing. The planting was really meant as more of an experiment more than anything else.

To my surprise, after a week or so, there were early signs of life in the sunflower "incubator":
seedlingsAnd, to my *utter shock* here's what the front of the house looks like today.



Hilarious, right?! The sunflowers started out slowly, but I'm encouraged by the growth spurt they apparently experienced this past week. The corn, however, grew like a weed from the start. When we sit on the front porch (and, since no one can see us behind the corn field) we hear all sorts of funny things. ("Harold....stop the bike...is that?...I think that's corn there!") I'm meeting neighbors for the first time who are stopping to chat and have a good chuckle over our harvest. My young neighbor suggested we have a corn party...and another neighbor chimed in to add that there may be enough to have a full-on harvest festival (I counted 19 ears this morning). There's still some question as to whether there will be actual corn on the ears; you're supposed the plant them in rows to ensure proper pollination (since they self-pollinate, the rows enable them to pass the good stuff from stalk to silk). I gave a gentle squeeze today and I can't say that I feel kernels on the cobs but who knows. At least maybe the sunflowers will bloom in time for the festival. ;-)


Tucked behind some of the stalks in front are other flowers I planted in the spring, still blooming. In addition to wildflower annuals (also from seeds) there's some Black-Eyed Susans and Dianthus (blooming for the third time!) still flowering.


And I have my co-worker Pat to thank for most of it. Pat makes Type-A people like me look mellow, and apparently her out-of-office energy is channeled into gardening like mad...a process that begins in the early-spring by germinating seeds on every flat surface in her dining room and beyond, which apparently thrills her husband to bits (note: sarcasm). She split some bulbs and assorted perennials in May from her own garden and gifted them to me, along with some housewarming May Night Salvia from Lowe's. Here's the bounty that came out of the car...it was like they had procreated on the trip over there were so many:


I pulled out all the greens (re: weeds) you see in the above photos behind the rocks and replaced with the plants and bulbs from Pat's garden. (Thanks, Pat!) I'm told our home's previous owner used to compost the front "yard" (again, using the term "yard" loosely), even though he never really planted. Too bad he didn't, because *man* is that soil rich and fertile. I'm thinking of adding composting to my bag of earth-lovin' tricks next year.

The man of the house is frightened.

16 comments:

pve design said...

Glad you are reaping the benefit of that good earth. Look forward to your craftiness and a little statue would look nice there, some sort of garden angel. :)

Anonymous said...

How neat is that, good for you I hope you get to eat your corn.

Cute post,

Kathy :)
jokaj@comcast.net

Rue said...

Good morning Laura :)

Corn?? LOL

You make a pretty cute hippy, btw ;)

rue

Laura @ the shorehouse. said...

pve, I do need to supplement with a garden statue! I saw this metal sculpture thing earlier in the spring...now that I know I can actually grow things I think I'll add something next year.

Kathy, I'm glad you enjoyed! Thanks for popping boy.

Good morning, Rue. Thanks for thinking I am (let's be honest...was :-) cute, LOL. Ahh...those were they days...

beachy in the burbs said...

Oh my gosh, that's so great! It's so delightful (and makes me giggle) to see corn growing in your front yard! :)

Julia @ Hooked on Houses said...

You have got to be kidding me! You've got corn growing in front of your house? I'm cracking up here. And I thought we were audacious for growing pumpkins in our side yard (the only spot with enough sun for a vegetable garden)! Now if any of my neighbors complain, I'm going to say, "At least we're not growing corn." Ha. -Julia

Anonymous said...

Oh my, I LOVE it. I love the corn! That's hilarious! And girl, enjoy your "yard", and those beautiful flowers...I'd honestly swap you that for this half acre that we have to take care of!

Linda Lou said...

If you plant it they will grow! Your neighborhood looks really cool. I love the overgrown, throw whatever in there look, and if it promotes more chats with your neighbors, even better. Let me know how those corn recipes taste!

Jude said...

Wow! Congrats on your green thumb!

Would you mind sending me an e-mail when you have a chance, so I'll have your e-mail address to add to the contact list I'm keeping for the notebook project? Thanks! Have a great week.

Mary said...

I love that idea! Sounds like you're already harvesting rewards...even if there isn't anything to eat!

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Oh, how funny the corn is! I just got back from my parent's Green Acres in NC & we picked corn while we were there. Well, my hubby did. Brought back lots of bounty to prepare & eat. Hope your corn has kernels too. Here's a tidbit for you...Silver King corn is the best!

Rhoda

please sir said...

This is so exciting - glad to see things are growing well! I'm coming to your place for fresh veggies.

j.cro said...

I read your post out loud to Amy and Jinda and we were all laughing.

At least if you plant corn next year you can try for a little row but I'm REALLY hoping you get ONE ear for your efforts.

Totally hilarious!!!!

Fifi Flowers said...

WOW... that's quite a garden you got growing there! It looks HAPPY!

Courtney said...

Oh, I would be so proud if I were you, Laura! i love how you are thinking outside the box with your garden. Hmmm, now I'm feeling slightly ashamed I didn't use MY front yard for a garden this year (since the backyard is out of the question...long story!).

Anonymous said...

I have the same placemats!