2703 Hanover

Where Have We Been?

2010-04-19T22:04:00.008-04:00

I'm sure the loyal followers of 2703 have been worried because of our recent silence. No worries we are all A-O-K. The truth is that we have been so busy doing our thing that not one of us has had time to log in and give y'all an update.

Here is what you've missed:

The 2703 Urban Tenant Farm is complete...seeds and seedlings in the ground and ready for action!

The whole farm took a field trip to Slaughterama!

And we graced the Hull St. bridge seeking out the elusive shad...the founding fish...unfortunately the only fish we were skilled enough to haul from the river up to the bridge were these white perch.

That is about all you missed...stay tuned for more frequent posts!

2703 Urban Tenant Farm Takes Shape

2010-03-28T13:48:00.005-04:00

Yesterday a dump truck load of a rich 50/50 organic compost and soil mix was dumped on the front yard of the 2703 Urban Tenant Farm (for those of you unfamiliar tenant farming click here). It was a daunting experience to have a full truck pull up armed with only a small wheelbarrow to move whatever may be hidden inside. The man backed up, pulled a lever dumped his load and pulled away leaving behind this:Six hours, two backs, four arms, an obscene number of calories, eleven calluses, one hundred thirty-two grunts and countless trips to and fro the approximately 24,000 pounds (actually only about 16,000 pounds of it, the rest is still in a pile near the street) of soil/compost was transformed into this:I can taste the fresh veggies already!!!

Umm Umm Kefir Good

2010-03-28T13:21:00.011-04:00

In addition to all the glorious fruits and vegetables you are used to seeing at 2703 we are now introducing a grain and not just any grain but the delicious and hearty kefir grains!!!

I must admit I was a little nervous when I opened the package my aunt sent down from Maine and saw what looked like a ball of cottage cheese. Once I read the instructions from my new kefir instructors, Marilyn and Eddie Jarzembski, I had restored confidence in our expansion to kefir grains. (sidenote: both Lane and Jed are starting neck beards like Eddie, Sean says a neck beard is too "crunchy" for a big time corporate lawyer like himself)

The kefir went into a recycled glass jar and waited to be transformed into the delicious edible grains.

Licketysplit the grains had become something more delicious than words. It was then strained and prepared to be added to a breakfast smoothie fit for a king. With Superfood as a base the kefir went in.

A mixture of fresh fruit on top.

A little bit of blending...
And then umm umm good the smoothie was done and ready to drink
Success!!! For more exciting kefir recipes check out here.

Improvements to the Adverse Possession Garden

2010-03-16T17:15:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday, Jed, Wee-Bey, and I took a break from making tomato sauce to get the backyard garden ready for this summer's crops. First on the list: improving the adverse possession garden. We raised the bed and added a compost/soil mix. Wee-Bay barked a lot, provoking some concerned comments from one of our anonymous-note-writing neighbors.

Something delicious will be growing in the new and improved adverse possession garden in the near future, I promise.

The Farmers of 2703 Get Saucy

2010-03-14T14:46:00.012-04:00

Greetings 2703 Urban Garden fans and followers!!!

In what has been a long winter of aging to perfection the excess tomatoes from the 2009 harvest finally hit their pinnacle of taste yesterday as they were transformed into a delectable sauce. Two of the 2703 Urban Garden Farmers joined forces in the kitchen while the third Farmer (Sean) slept the day away recovering from a raucous bash the night before with some of his big-time corporate lawyer friends.

The recipe was simple: Look up a real recipe and then decide not to follow it.

After a trip to Ellwood Thompson's and then on to Penzeys Spices we were ready to cook.

Veggies and herbs were chopped and diced

A variety of cherry, Brandywine and Goliath tomatoes went into the pot skins and allAfter 20 minutes of simmering we took this delicious looking pot of goodness and poured it through a waiting colander into a big salad bowl (all because we don't own or admittedly even know what a food mill is). From there the tomatoes, spices (secret blend), celery, onion, red wine and unrefined oil olive were poured into Sean's crockpot, without his consent because he was still sleeping at this point.

It turns out that a crockpot won't give a roiling boil...full mixture back into the pot on the stove...

Yes that is a carrot in the pot. A little traditional Italian trick apparently is using a full carrot to sweeten tomato sauce in lieu of adding sugar. While Sean may feel that nothing beats adding cups and cups of processed sugar to food or at the very least pouring corn syrup into things liberally, the rest of us at 2703 prefer a more natural path.

Great success! After hours and hours of simmering the sauce was ready to eat. The first meal consisted of some think spaghetti with the sauce poured over it and then covered with a mix of Parmesan and mozzarella cheese as it baked in the oven for 20 minutes prior serving. It was wonderful and definitely worth the wait and the work.

Sean probably microwaved some Ragu and poured it over Kraft noodles for dinner last night...

Squirrel Proof?

2010-03-09T15:58:00.003-05:00

Sean Strikes Again!

2010-03-01T17:25:00.004-05:00

Some days you get your hopes up and start feeling better about the world only to be sucker-punched with a reminder of the average person's complicity with so much modern society's ills.

I had one of those days last week. Upon returning home to 2703 Hanover after a hard day of fighting the good fight, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a number of organic seed varieties had arrived from FedCo. To top it off, someone finally got our address right:

(In case you can't read it, it's addressed to the "Hanover Urban Farm")

Whistling my favorite song*, I blissfully skipped into the kitchen to pick out the recyclable and compostable material that Sean throws into the trash. Upon opening the trashcan lid, I was stunned. My carefree mood quickly turned to frustration and inconsolable sadness as I witnessed evidence that Sean, in his never-ending mission to encourage corporate greed and irresponsibility, had visited his favorite Richmond restaurant for dinner, no doubt taking advantage of the drive-thru window:

* MJ's "Man in the Mirror"

2703 Urban Garden Expands to 2nd Location!!!

2010-02-28T09:01:00.007-05:00

While the 2703 Urban Garden '10 will be bigger and better than ever (see upcoming post on the expanded Adverse Possession Garden) we have also started the 2703 Urban Farm in a new yet undisclosed location.

The birds are starting to rejoice for spring, new plants are starting to pop through the earth and the rich humus below the 2703 Urban Farm was ripe yesterday for digging. This urban farmer learned the hard way that digging a post hole with a shovel is no fun.

After a brief delay and the acquisition of the correct tool for the job the posts were in lickety split. Who would have guessed that a post hole digger is pretty darn close to essential when it comes to digging post holes?

Throughout a day filled with blood, sweat and tears Wee-Bey and Dobsy didn't offer much help.

They instead both sat in silent protest as the fence that will keep them from destroying the Urban Farm went up around the newly sunk posts.

Little do they know that after a couple of months that small patch of ground where they used to evacuate themselves, bark at the neighbor's dog through the fence and chase each other for a stick will become a lush green farm. As stated above the 2703 Urban Garden will also be in full swing this year but by expanding into the farm we are going to be able to offer exciting new crops, such as an organic variety of blue, white and yellow corn, which the 2703 location would not allow. Below is a sampling of the seeds that along with the rich organic compost being delivered in two weeks and the sun from above will soon turn into a bounty worthy of envy.

Non-Gardeners Will Be Planted

2010-02-20T15:39:00.009-05:00

Greetings!

Today is a great day in Richmond. Warm springtime weather has arrived, mostly likely temporarily, but it is still here. Two farmers of the 2703 Urban Garden took the show on the road today and visited the Maymont Home and Garden Show in downtown Richmond. Before we made it to the convention center we took a detour to the banks of the James River to watch the countless great blue herons perform their yearly mating ritual. It is quite something to watch and action packed even for a non-birder. Follow this link to catch a bit of the excitement yourself.

From the river we travelled up hill a short distance and found ourselves at the Maymont Home and Garden Show. It was full of people getting ready for spring projects around the home, farm and garden, including this woman one of the 2703 Urban Farmers caught taking a little bath in the middle of the show.

Lane spent most of his time promoting the garden show and posing with fans of the 2703 Urban Garden who had heard some of our farmers might be present at this event.

To our dismay even one of Sean's favorite companies had set up a both at the show. I guess they had no standards in the application process.

It was a long day at the show and after signing autographs, giving speeches on vermicomposting and eating free samples of cheese this Urban Farmer needed a little snooze and he found the perfect place to do it...

The lesson of the day was an important one: Non-Gardeners Will Be Planted.

Global warming, my ass.

2010-02-10T12:38:00.004-05:00

Have you looked outside recently? We're supposed to believe that increased concentrations of "greenhouse gases" and burning of "fossil fuels" is heating the place up, while all the while we're approaching record-level snow fall? Poppycock. Have fun trying to get up that snow-covered hill in your Prius, tree-huggers. When you need a ride, give me a holler and I'll pick you up in my full size SUV, which is well equipped for these conditions.

Civic Pride: A Line in the Sand (Snow & Ice)

2010-02-10T11:22:00.007-05:00

Greetings followers of the 2703 Urban Garden!

Today we are again speaking on our relationship with not only the environment but with our neighbors as well. As you all have read recently there have been some differences of opinions on a variety of subjects around the 2703 Urban Garden. We are returning once again to civic responsibility and more specifically civic pride.

There has been a great deal of chatter about the city's lack of response to the onslaught of snow on the local blogs. While this type of discourse is encouraged by the farmers at the 2703 Urban Garden we are also disappointed in the lack of civic pride and community the snow is unveiling by means of critical blogs and news stories. As we all know Richmond is not a rich city and regardless of it's lack of wealth it also is not a city that sets aside a large portion of funds every year for snow removal, as that would be fiscally irresponsible.

How about instead of sitting at our computers complaining that some ominous "they" haven't removed the snow we pick up shovels and lend a hand ourselves? The powers that be, like Sean, unfortunately can't be held responsible for everything wrong with the world and with Richmond unless the masses are truly doing everything we can. We are not.

Once again there was a line drawn in the snow and ice around the 2703 Urban Garden. For the 3rd time (I've actually lost count so it might be higher) time in a row the sidewalks at 2703 have been safely cleared of snow while the surrounding sidewalks are dangerously covered with snow and ice.

Looking West:

Looking East:

Let's show some civic pride Richmond and lend the city, our community and our neighbors a hand making Richmond a safer, cleaner and better place to live every way we can!

Sean Travels to Vermont to Declare War on the Environment

2010-02-08T19:55:00.008-05:00

WAR! WAR! WAR!

Sean hasn't been getting a lot of press lately on the blog, sorry. It seems that with the winter weather and the effective end of the 2009 growing season Sean's anti-environmental stances have faded into the background at the 2703 Urban Garden. That has all changed!!! He might look all cute and cuddly but when it comes to waging war on the environment Sean isn't to be messed with. (Picture removed due to tidal wave of inquiries for Sean's phone number)

While the snow fell gently over Richmond Sean was busy packing the heaviest suitcase allowed by the Homeland Security Agency. Fed up with the state of the union Sean has declared war on the environment. Sunday morning Sean got on a plane and headed north to the heart of enemy territory to begin battle. Where did he go?

Vermont obviously.

Sean isn't back yet but when/if he does return we fully expect him to be carrying the green mountain state's flag ripped up in his teeth.

Stayed tuned for updates from the front lines of the war on the environment

THE MEN OF 2703 TAKE IT ALL OFF

2010-02-07T17:06:00.003-05:00

They are naked. Totally naked. Nothing covering them at all...

For the second weekend in a row the sidewalks in front of and around the 2703 Urban Garden are clear of snow.

Take care when walking to or away from the 2703 Urban Garden because once again many of our neighbors are not so diligent executing their snow removal plans.

On Civic Responsibility

2010-02-01T20:40:00.004-05:00

As the "anonymous letter" episode demonstrated a few weeks ago, we live in a society and neighborhood where even a selfless and responsible act such as taking advantage of the curbside recycling program can draw the suspicion and ire of one's neighbors. Perhaps it is a demographic divide between the renters and homeowners in our neighborhood--it is a shocking but little known truth that even Sean lacks the financial means to buy a house in our neighborhood. Or maybe it is a generational divide: both of our anonymous letter-writing neighbors, once I tracked them down with Encyclopedia Brown-quality sleuthing, turned out to be old enough to be our parents. Or perhaps it is a political divide--I am 98% certain that one of the formerly anonymous neighbors has a vanity plate on her sports car displaying enthusiastic support of the second President Bush.

Whatever the case, it is clear that an attitude of distrust pervades the sidewalks and back alleys of Hanover Avenue. And just as our urban gardening efforts are an attempt to be the change we seek in the world, we have decided that Civic Responsibility is the new Environmentalism. We have decided that our neighbors should no longer be burdened with sleepless nights and paranoid days--breaking out in colds sweats wondering if their neighbors are up to no good, like leaving recycling on the sidewalk.

So, from here on out, this blog will be dedicated not only to our urban gardening efforts, but also to our attempts to make our neighborhood, and our world, a better place through valiant and courageous displays of CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY.

(this photo says a lot about our sense of civic responsibility)

Civic Responsibility: A Non-Anonymous Note

2010-02-01T10:57:00.022-05:00

Greetings 2703 Urban Garden Followers!!!

Today we are blogging about civic responsibility. While past posts have concerned our responsibility when it comes to picking up dog doo, guerrilla gardening, the spread of recycling from it's treehugging roots or recently the placement of recycling on the curb for pickup, today's blog concerns making sure we keep our neighborhood safe.

Those of you may remember a recent note from a concerned neighbor who informed us all that the city sidewalks are the property of the people who live in the houses abutting them, the three attorneys living at 2703 do not concur but that is irrelevant. According to West of the Boulevard the city code in Richmond requires that for ever house in the city:

the path must be cleared on the sidewalk within six (6) hours after the snow
ceases to fall, or by 11:00 a.m. the next day if the snow ends during the night.
The city cautions that if someone is injured, you may be liable

We could look this up on the City of Richmond website (which apparently has been recently redesigned) but this time we are going to just trust WOTB. We will also trust this is law because our neighbor and 2nd District City Councilmember, Charles Samuels, was out shoveling his sidewalk with his wife while we were doing ours.

Not that anyone would be surprised but yesterday the urban farmers of 2703 traded our pitch forks and hoes for shovels and cans of PBR while we cleared off not only the front entrance of 2703 but also the sidewalk from property line to property line, per the city code. (a side note two of us actually dug a stranded woman's car out of a snowbank for her as well, but who's counting)

While neighbors, some of whom recently made accusations about a lack of civic responsibility at 2703, sat inside the warmth and comfort of their houses and apartments possibly performing a one-person acoustic concert, we did as not only the law requires but also what good neighbors do, we shoveled our sidewalks.

Our sidewalks are clean, clear and safe:

Our neighbor's, in contrast, are not:

(Dobsy demonstrates the safety disparity between the sidewalk in front of our house and our neighbor's)

For the second time in as many days, the farmers at the 2703 Urban Garden are extending a great big YOU'RE WELCOME to our friends and neighbors...as always, it was our pleasure.

BREAKING NEWS: URBAN GARDEN REVERSES GLOBAL WARMING

2010-01-31T17:54:00.007-05:00

Two correspondents of the 2703 Urban Garden just returned from an epic deep snow trek...and we didn't even have to leave the city limits...much to the chagrin of Sean, we believe that the 2703 Urban Garden has actually reversed global warming and sent us into a spin of global cooling.

Richmond 1-30-10

Two storms in just over a month dumping around a foot of snow each in Richmond will be talked of for years, this might be the new winter of '87. I always have remembered the winter of '87 being epic in Maine. That might be because I was hitting the pinnacle of my abilities both physically and mentally and it just seemed totally extreme or maybe we really did have a monster winter. I could go back and check the actual weather and snow totals but that would only cause a major disappointment if I am not right that '87 was the biggest snow winter ever.

EDITOR'S NOTE: regardless of how much snow fell in '87 it was also the year Michael Jackson released Bad so it was still the best year ever

Back to Richmond '09-'10...Those of us at 2703 just want to give out one big YOU'RE WELCOME for reversing global warming.

No big deal. It was our pleasure.

Look out for the "Civic Responsibility" post coming soon!!!

More Neighborly Letters

2010-01-14T20:19:00.006-05:00

There's not a whole lot of gardening activity going on right now, other than our composting efforts. Organic gardening, you may have guessed, isn't our only effort to live a an eco-conscious lifestyle.
I could not have predicted, however, the controversy that would ensue over our attempts to take advantage of what is turning out to be a less-than-meticulous curbside recycling program.

After yesterday's anonymous letter, we though that we would do our best to be good neighbors. After contacting CVWMA to arrange for them to pick up the recyclables that they missed yesterday, we moved our recycling down the sidewalk, to the spot adjacent to our alley, and across the street from another large pile of recycling that they missed. We moved it to the same spot where CVWMA picked up part of our recyclables yesterday--thinking if they would be certain to notice it this time.

As a side note, I should mention that we got an email from our landlord, a real friendly woman who lives across the street, who forwarded us an email from anonymous neighbor #1, who it turns out is our next door neighbor. She seems sweet enough--aside from the whole anonymous letter thing, they're probably just old folks who don't trust us young whippersnappers to keep the street around their house litter-free. I wish they did trust us, but hey, can't have everything.

Anyway, I come home to see that our recycling appears to have been picked up, as well as the other recyclables down the street that were left from yesterday. I think the situation has resolved itself, only to find this note, which Sean graciously stuck on the fridge:

Oh no! Another anonymous neighbor upset about the presence of our recyclables. He astutely notes that the sidewalk in front of 204 Mulberry is not our property. In the "not owned by the tenants of 2703 Hanover" sense, of course, but perhaps one could make an argument that, being a public right of way maintained by the City of Richmond, it might carry some metaphorical civic ownership, since we are all citizens of this great city and should look to all public right of ways with the same sense of responsibility that we owe our own, private property. I digress. My point is that I fear his misunderstanding of property law has led him to believe that he possesses an ownership interest in the public sidewalk in front of his house, which is presumably at 204 Mulberry. While he does have a legal duty to clear the sidewalk of snow or other hazards, that legal duty does not translate into an ownership interest, unless I'm misremembering the property/local government law I've studied over the years.

Unfortunately, he jumped to a number of conclusions that apparantly led him to react with much anger and frustation. Sadly, Central Virginia Waste Management made a trip all the way back over to Mulberry only to miss our admittedly substantial collection of recyclables, which had by that point been relegated to a dumpster somewhere, thanks to our neighbor.

I've crafted a very friendly letter to him, much less snarky than my admittedly over-the-top, asshole-ish reaction to anonymous note #1. I tried knocking on his door, but he didn't answer. I did speak to the woman who lives below him--I wish all of our neighbors were as friendly as her--who warned me that he is a curmudgeon and that she does her best to stay out of his way. Maybe I'll bake him some cookies to go along with my letter. Kill 'em with kindness...

Open Letter to Our Neighbor(s)

2010-01-13T19:30:00.006-05:00

Thanks "Neighbor" --I noticed. Councilman Charles Samuels also noticed, most likely, considering his recycling was also not picked up today, across the street from where ours was left. Something tells me that between the message I left with Central Virginia Waste Management Authority and Charles Samuels' attention to the matter, this will be taken care of. Moreover, we're a house full of dudes who all passed the Virgina Bar Exam (to the detriment of our street cred), we blog about organic urban gardening, and we actually bother to recycle. In other words, I'd like to think that we are the sort of responsible twenty-somethings most folks would see as welcome additions to the neighborhood.

I appreciate the time you took to examine the addresses on the boxes left by the curb, type this letter out, cut the paper to the appropriate size, and tape it to our front door. I suppose in the confusion of it all, you forgot to leave your name or address that way I could let you know that I was staying on top of the issue. Were you scared that we would be offended and toilet paper/egg your house? We're reasonable, law-abiding, environmentally-conscious people here. Don't forget that one of us is an assistant commonwealth attorney, who has on more than one occasion threatened to indict other roommates for various perceived infractions of the Virginia Code (admittedly, Sean isn't the best driver in the Commonwealth). In other words, Johnny f-ing Law. Seriously, are you scared of us?

Anyway, since you left neither your name nor address, hopefully you will read this and can sleep soundly tonight knowing that if CVWMA doesn't respond to my request/Councilman Samuels' anticipated attention to the matter within a reasonable period of time, your friendly, responsible neighbors at 2703 Hanover Avenue will take care of the matter so that you won't have to worry about recyclable materials littering the sidewalks and gutters of our fair neighborhood. We're not terrorists--feel free to ring the doorbell sometime and introduce yourself. We won't bite, I promise.

your neighbors,
-Lane, Sean, and Jed

Our snow is organic

2009-12-23T10:50:00.002-05:00

We grew some snow in the garden over the weekend.

Jed Gets Crafty

2009-12-05T15:09:00.008-05:00

If there is one thing that Jed loves more than chocolate, it's celebrating holidays. In attempts to keep things festive around 2703 Hanover, he's decided to turn some of last summer's tomato cages into a holiday light display.

From this:

To this:

Meanwhile, Sean's been busy sharpening his alchemy skills. He's currently advertising a "We Pay Cash For Lead" business. His plan is to melt the lead down and then transform the lead ingots into gold in the basement alchemist laboratory he's been working on.

(artist's rendering of Sean in the lab)

5th Annual

2009-11-21T09:58:00.003-05:00

The 5th Annual James River Fall Harvest Feast took place last weekend.

Jed gorged himself into a food coma. Sean tried to go incognito, lest anyone recognize him from the corporate world:

In other news, we still have peppers and tomatoes coming up in the garden. And the worms in the basement are already busy working on compost for next year's garden. We'll have some up close and personal photos of those slimy guys coming soon.

Run to the River (I beat Jed!)

2009-10-17T12:29:00.005-04:00

As hoped for/predicted back in June, all of the homegrown, organic produce that Jed and I have been consuming paid off--for me, at least. On this cold, wet morning I reclaimed the 2703 Hanover running crown at the Run to the River 10K "Hill Run" in Richmond's East End.

Needless to say, neither Jed nor I set any personal records on this one. Check out the elevation chart:

It was a pretty brutal reminder of why Richmond is sometimes called the "City of Seven Hills" (along with 44 other cities around the world. Way to be unique, rva).

Despite losing the crown, Jed ran like a true sportsmen, smiling all the way. He finished with a thumbs-up dedication to all of the urban farmers struggling to grow heirloom tomatoes in their back alley gardens.

Next year we're going to get Sean to be our corporate sponsor.

Corporate Cookie Monster

2009-10-11T18:52:00.003-04:00

Beloved roommate/corporate lawyer Sean doesn't need an urban garden as long as he can buy Private Selection Chocolate Lovers Chunk Cookies from Kroger.

Jed and I spent a relaxing Sunday afternoon soaking in the autumn sunlight while Sean racked up some more billable hours in his downtown office tower. Those cookies cost money, you know.

JAMES RIVER HARVEST FEAST 2009

2009-10-03T13:18:00.005-04:00

NOVEMBER 14, 2009....Put It On Your Calendar

Morning: Richmond Marathon/Half Marathon/8k

Afternoon: 2nd Annual Richmatic Adventure

Evening-wee hours of 11/15/09: 5th Annual James River Harvest Feast

Awaiting the Great Pumpkin

2009-09-13T15:29:00.003-04:00

Things are slowing down a bit in the garden, but most of our plants are still yielding fruit, if at a slower rate. Turns out these are red peppers after all. Delicious.

An exciting development has occured in the adverse possession garden in recent weeks. In a sure sign that autumn is approaching, the A.P. garden been transformed into a legit pumpkin

patch.

Can't wait to turn these guys into pumpkin pies for the 5th Annual James River Fall Harvest Feast.

Garden Party - Tomatina 09

2009-08-22T10:01:00.004-04:00

Pre: During:

Post:

CHAOS IN THE GARDEN!!!

2009-08-22T09:33:00.009-04:00

Things are starting to fall apart in the 2703 Urban Garden...

Yesterday I walked in the back gate and a flock of birds dispersed as I entered. Odd. I then looked down and saw what appeared to be the remains of a large number of sunflower seeds.

As I walked toward the house I noticed the source. Our friendly squirrel must have broken a mature sunflower off a sunflower in the adverse possession garden and carried it over the fence into the 2703 Urban Garden. Then for some reason the squirrel left the flower on the rail of our deck for the neighborhood birds to enjoy.

While I stood pondering the generosity of the squirrel I turned around and noticed the return of the Tomato Hornworm. What I had hoped would be a one time thing last year has unfortunately decided to become an annual event. Luckily the invader had yet to do any apparent damage when he was plucked from the reaching branches of one of our brandywine tomato plants.

Never fear. This little guy will not be visiting your garden anytime soon. He has been locked away in the security of a Mason jar on our kitchen table until we determine the appropriate sentence for attempting to destroy our tomato crop.

The carnage is not over. Earlier this week Lane alerted me that the cayenne pepper that had been maturing on the plant for the last month and was just about to harvested was stolen. I thought it was probably Sean but Lane suspects it was our resident squirrel. Lane actually had an expletive laced rant about what he hoped this hot pepper was doing to the squirrel's digestive system. As a nice example of the circle of life, as you can see in this picture, right next to where our pepper had been growing a new pepper has sprouted. I'm going to keep my eye on Sean until this is harvested. Lane will be watching for the squirrel.

On top of all the damage caused by the birds, Sean and the squirrel the 2703 Urban Garden is also becoming a victim of it's own success. After surveying all the damage in the garden yesterday I noticed that the eggplant had fallen from the rail, glancing off the compost bin on the way down and finally came to rest on the ground on it's side. What could have caused this to happen? Nothing more than the massive eggplant that is growing on the plant of course. To my great relief the plant escaped any substantial damage and the eggplant will still be able to grace our plates at some dinner soon.

Mutant Tomato Plants

2009-08-09T10:58:00.002-04:00

Back in the winter, Jed brought back some heirloom tomato seeds from Maine. These Brandywine tomatoes have produced some delicious fruit so far this summer, and they continue to grow at a surprising rate. This guy, yet to produce a tomato, has turned into an urban farming experiment to see how tall it will get before it tops out. He's currently at 9 feet and growing...

Here's Jed sizing himself up against the giant Brandywine:

By the end of the summer, our backyard will look something like this:

Black Beauty

2009-08-05T09:46:00.003-04:00

I confess that it wasn't until this weekend that I learned why the eggplant is called an eggplant.

In other 2703 Hanover news, beloved roommate Sean has started a personal campaign to wear only fur, since it is both expensive and involves killing helpless animals. Here he is sporting a fashionable summer look:

Sean's currently looking into converting our basement into a mink farming and "harvesting" operation.

Squash

2009-07-25T09:28:00.005-04:00

Apologies blogosphere for the lack of recent posts--Jed's been busy traveling to snowy Maine and throwing the book at Richmond ne'er-do-wells, Sean's been really busy with his new hobby of sliding down his pile of gold coins in the basement vault, scrooge mcduck style, and I've been studying for a little test I have to take next week. Despite our lack of attention, the garden grows on...

This guy's days are numbered

The garden is taking over

Morning glories adding some color to the garden

secret garden update

2009-07-13T19:59:00.005-04:00

It's been a while since we mentioned the secret garden and the garden annex on the south side of the James. So, a few updates.

The secret garden/adverse possession garden is looking pretty good. A few of the sunflowers have blossomed, and somewhere under there at least one squash plant and a few morning glory vines are hiding.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the river, the 2703 Hanover Urban Garden Annex is holding its own, under the watchful eye and tender care of friend and local/organic food guru Anne Darby. Check out this squash plant:

And speaking of Anne, next time you're at Ellwood Thompson's, check out the "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" brochure she put together for the Richmond Area Food System Council.

While the soon-to-be bountiful harvest of the 2703 Hanover Urban Garden and its affiliates won't be for sale (much to Sean's displeasure), there are plenty of great places to pick up awesome local food. Support them.

Thief!

2009-07-06T19:37:00.006-04:00

Upon returning home for lunch today, Jed's prosecutorial instincts alerted him that something was amiss in the 2703 Hanover urban garden. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a dark shape moving near the back fence, and turned around just in time to see a half-eaten tomato fall to the ground.

The culprit of this brazen daylight theft from our cherished garden is:

A) A neighborhood vagrant with a taste for unripe organic produce who was so tempted by the sight of the tomato plants growing along the back-alley fence that he decided to snag one for a healthy midday snack.

B) The shifty-looking squirrel who sometimes hangs out in our back yard.

C) One of Jed's jilted ex-lovers.

D) Sean, pictured below spinning his favorite Wu-Tang record, "C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)"

Fresh (Not Fried) Green Tomatoes

2009-07-03T11:34:00.007-04:00

What better way to celebrate the 4th of July Eve than a photo array from the bountiful harvest of the 2703 Urban Garden. Nothing says America quite like a grotesque looking heirloom vegetable.

Hold on to your keyboards...

You have witnessed this little guy go from flower to harvest. Yummy looking isn't it?

Baby Peppers!!!!

When it came to these brandywine heirloom tomatoes I couldn't wait any longer for them to turn ripe on their own. These babies are now all ripening, or hopefully ripening, in a brown paper bag on the kitchen counter per the advice of my mother on how to accelerate the ripening process. Hopefully they will turn quickly.

These are supposedly bell peppers. Either my image of a bell is drastically different from the people who sold these seeds or there was a little bit of a mishap in the labelling process. If Sean was involved with the 2703 Urban Garden he would probably be drafting a lawsuit for millions of dollars right now instead of appreciating the unintentional additional diversity our garden is going to achieve by the error.

Here is a nice ripe for sauteing zucchini blossom. Unfortunately other than blossoms and big leaves we have no other evidence of a flourishing squash crop yet this season.

Had I waited just one more day I would have seen this little guy ripening all on its own.

Happy 3rd of July!!!

Bigger than a baby's arm...

2009-06-27T09:55:00.004-04:00

Remember this little guy from a couple weeks ago?

Check him out now:

That fish emulsion stuff is no joke.

Don't Stop Til You Get Enough

2009-06-25T20:25:00.000-04:00

I Beat the Heat, Jed Beat Me

2009-06-20T10:50:00.008-04:00

For the past month, Jed and I have been feasting on delicious, healthy, and organic fresh produce from the 2703 Hanover Urban Garden. The spinach, lettuce, swiss chard, and spring kale, in true Popeye the Sailorman fashion, have been going straight to our quadriceps and hamstrings.

Not wanting to let all of that organic-produce-fueled brute strength go to waste, Jed and I decided to run in the 2nd Annual Richmond Firefighter's Beat the Heat 5k just down the street in Byrd Park.

In unfortunate news, I relinquished the 2703 Hanover running title to Jed, after having held onto it since the 2008 Monument Avenue 10k. In good news though, the nutrient-rich greens we've been consuming had their intended effect, with both of us soundly beating our times from last year and finishing with times safely in the teens.

Congrats to Jed, seen here basking in his silver medal glory:

And while I'll have to settle for bronze this time, I plan on doubling my intake of swiss chard from the garden in the coming weeks. And with the first tomatoes of the season on the verge of ripening, I'm hoping to reclaim the title from Jed before the summer's over.

For those of you wondering about Sean, don't worry. His diet of Vault energy drinks and fast food are sustaining him through his grueling hours in his office tower downtown. But without the sustenance of homegrown vegetables, he's had a hard time warrioring through the weekends. He was still asleep when we came home after the race. Poor Sean, we promise we'll share the bounty of our garden, if only you'd let us.

Thanks 2703 Hanover Urban Garden for fueling our quest to become the fastest urban gardeners in Richmond!

Not Quite A Peck Of Pickles

2009-06-14T16:52:00.011-04:00

CUCUMBER PLANTS THRIVE IN VIOLENT HAILSTORM

I was gone last week and missed a horrific scene in the 2703 Urban Garden. In a cruel trick of nature the garden was pulverized by a hail storm. Luckily Lane was home and able to capture the destruction on film. Sadly the lettuce and spinach plants didn't have such luck. The tender leaves of a half dozen each of spinach and lettuce plants were shredded beyond recognition by the storm. We are now back to square one for our cultivation of spinach and lettuce.

The cucumber plants are running wild. My idea that they could be restricted to the trellis that I built has quickly proved to be ridiculous. I'm not sure where the cucumber plants are eventually going to reach but I can assure you it will be far from where they started. Probably anywhere in the continuous yellow portion of this map.

In exciting 2703 Urban Garden news we have our first, of what promises to be many, cucumber growing on the vine.

Just a week ago this young cucumber looked like this.

And a week earlier.

And for all you romantics out there the cucumber plant was only a collection of these heart shaped leaves a week before that.

You Say Tomato, I Say 3 Dozen Tomatoes

2009-06-06T18:15:00.008-04:00

The bountiful harvest at the 2703 Urban Garden is flourishing. Lane first spread the news to me a few days ago that we had a tomato growing on the hanging tomato plant. I ran outside barely being able to contain my excitement. After seeing the green sphere that will someday become a beautiful ripe red tomato I started looking at the other plants and noticed that almost all the tomato plants were producing.

At last count we had over 3 dozen tomatoes growing in the 2703 Urban Garden.

Not only are the tomato plants showing what they are capable of but the cucumber plants are also starting to mature. Within the last few days the cucumber plants have grown a few inches or more up their trellis and have made a few bright yellow blossoms.

Never one to be outdone the pepper plants are also growing rapidly in the warming weather and longer days. Just today I noticed this pepper plant producing some blossoms of it's own.

Even the sweet potato that has been sitting in a half full Mason jar for the last two months is starting to reach for the sky with reckless abandon.

The farmers at the 2703 Urban Garden have tentatively scheduled the first annual 2703 Urban Garden Tomato Festival for the last weekend in July. There will be tomato tastings, tomato eating competitions, tomato sauce making lessons, Bloody Marys to start, and the day will culminate with a Tomatina in the back alley. With the number of tomatoes we are probably going to have I assume that it will look something like the picture below. Please save the date.

Gardenin' Out of Control a.k.a. Memorial Day

2009-05-31T16:20:00.006-04:00

While some people chose to observe Memorial Day by attending a parade or hanging a flag up in the front yard the urban farmers at 2703 decided to utilize the day off from work to celebrate in a different traditional way...the backyard cookout.

In a matter of full disclosure I must admit that I spent the 48 hours prior to Memorial Day observing a different tradition. Yes, I spent the better part of the weekend in Maine with 15 of my closest friends celebrating/mourning the end of bachelorhood for my friend Mike. We drank lots of beers and ate essentially nothing but meat off the grill all weekend. While I admittedly do enjoy the occasional frosty cold adult beverage I do not partake in the mass consumption of meat that frequently and I think a week after the week I am still struggling. Our grill all weekend long essentially looked like this.

Understandably when Sean called me from his big time downtown law office overlooking the river with the idea that we have people over for a little cookout I was slightly concerned if I could handle it. After 2 days straight of attending a bachelor party and then getting up at 4 a.m. on Monday to fly back to Richmond I wasn't sure if my body could take any more food off the grill or alcoholic beverages. Never the less I dug deep and came through.

The first downfall of the 2703 Urban Garden became apparent quickly. With all of our gardening success we have lost a great deal of our socializing area. As our few guests can attest to people have taken a backseat to vegetables in the back garden of 2703. As the summer goes on I think that the number of people that our back garden will accommodate will precipitously fall from its peak at about 40-50 down to 1 person who will have to contort his/her body around the plants that have taken over all the available space.

Even with the lack of room in the back garden our Memorial Day cookout was a success. Sean discovered his inner green thumb. I finally got to eat some vegetables. We played a rousing game of parcheesi for the first time in ages and Lane used the term "ballin' out of control" in a very serious sounding phone conversation. Over all a win for 2703 if you ask me.

Spring Harvest

2009-05-27T20:16:00.005-04:00

The swiss chard and spring kale snuck up on me, and managed to mature into delicious, mature plants at some point during the past week.

So this evening I culled a pile of leaves from both, steamed them for a bit, and sauteed them in some olive oil and vinegar with a little pepper and garlic thrown in for good measure.

And then my face got rocked off by the deliciousnes of it all. Overwhelming. The 2703 Hanover urban farmer's first harvest = ballin outta control. 4 real.

Gotta go walk this off for a bit, and try to find my face.

The Secret Garden/Adverse Possession

2009-05-20T18:34:00.003-04:00

Once upon a time here in the back alley of 2703 Hanover Avenue, an artistic resident went to effort of painting vines crawling up a white picket fence. Only one portion of the fence remains, and we only noticed the remnants of the secret garden after we decided to claim a small garden plot just outside our fence. We wanted a spot for sunflowers and morning glories that would get decent sunlight now that most of the sunny spots within the confines of our fence have been claimed by vegetables. Last week we added some compost and soil and put the seeds in the ground. The first seedlings are already poking up out of the ground. If we can keep up this openly hostile and continuous occupation for 15 years, we can call the secret garden our own. Perhaps one day the 2703Hanover blog will elaborate on the distinctions between guerilla gardening and adverse possession gardening. For now, a pretty picture:

And the tomatoes continue to grow. Jed says the Brandywine variety he brought back from Maine might get as tall as 9 feet--which, if they continue to grow at this rate, I believe. And how awesome is that hanging tomato plant? (answer: really, really awesome)

Go Brown

2009-05-13T23:13:00.003-04:00

Here at 2703 Hanover The Blog, we like to refer our readers to other bright spots in the blogosphere that we happen to stumble upon ourselves. Well this evening, as I was reminiscing about how great it was when McDonalds used to serve Big Macs in styrofoam containers (they just tasted better that way), I stumbled upon this little gem:

The website is letsgobrown.com, and it's the website for an organization called Go Brown.

Here is how Go Brown describes themselves on the site: "Go Brown was formed in the summer of 2008 with heavy sponsorship by the Huge corporation. It was formed primarily in response to the ubiquitous, hand-wringing, slightly effeminate Go Green movement. Go Brown offers an alternative lifestyle choice that allows greater freedoms in your use and waste decision-making. It is now more important than ever to trust in the private sector for solving environmental problems. Besides, once the Huge corporation comes to the final stages of its 'Dump Trash in Outer Space' program, there won’t be a Green movement to belong to anyway."

It's like Go Brown was made for me. How am I not already on this organization's Board of Directors?

Still Growing

2009-05-13T23:08:00.007-04:00

After a week of rain, the sun is back out, and the garden is growing.

And the hanging tomato plant makes its debut:

And coming soon, updates on the 2703 Hanover garden annex/sharecropping venture on the south side of the james, the guerilla gardening effort to reclaim what appears to be a forgotten garden plot just over the fence in the back alley, and failed efforts to channel the success of urban gardening to urban shad fishing.

POISON ALERT: Brilliant Blue FCF

2009-05-03T10:23:00.007-04:00

Some of you might remember an earlier posting that discussed Crimes Against Nature. Sadly today I must report that apparently another criminal is in our midst. I was in the kitchen this morning trying to enjoy a nice healthy breakfast when Lane drew my attention to something shocking in the refrigerator. While the fridge at 2703 is usually overflowing with naturals such as fresh veggies and organic juices today there is something that is not so natural.

Brilliant Blue FCF.

'Where?,' you might be asking yourself right now.

Here:

Not only is this evidence of someone supporting corporate America and non-local food but a closer inspection revealed the really upsetting news. This little cup is holding Brilliant Blue FCF. Ban in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Switzerland among other countries for health reasons, Brilliant Blue FCF is apparently not ban in 2703. The long-term toxicity and carcinogenicity impact of Brilliant Blue FCF is currently unknown but at least one resident of 2703 doesn't seem to care.

While other healthy options are available right in the same refrigerator someone selfishly prefers to contaminate all the other people in the house by bringing in dangerous chemicals. He/She could have decided to have a nice cool glass of water or possibly drink some delicious Superfood. But no, this person decided that corporate America hasn't taken enough from us yet with the bailouts and big bonuses. I'm sure that this person is sitting in their big law office downtown right now looking out his/her window over the James laughing about all the chemicals that are being washed into the river right now with the recent rainfall.

Lane and I haven't figured out who the latest criminal against nature is but as soon as we do we'll make sure to provide an update. Until then keep an eye out for anyone who might be trying to smuggle any more dangerous chemicals into 2703.

growth spurt

2009-04-29T11:37:00.000-04:00

Since the weather finally warmed up, the tomatoes are starting to take off. Unfortunately, my plans for the totally rad hanging tomato basket were thwarted by Jed, who neglected to water my tomato seedlings for a week. When I returned to Richmond, I discovered their limp carcasses, forlorn by the window. Jed avoided me for a while after that. I think he felt guilty since his tomatoes are doing quite well (pictured above).

I'm not giving up on the tomato basket yet, although I might suck it up and buy seedlings rather than trying to start them from seed again.

Meanwhile, Sean is trying to convince us to clear some space for the money tree he wants to plant.

Weekly Roundup 4

2009-04-22T15:03:00.002-04:00

Should the Obama's use pesticide in their garden? Someone (other than Sean, of course) thinks so.

As far as fertilizer goes, we've only used fish emulsion and "organic" fertilizer, but as this explores, what exactly is in the organic fertilizer we've used, and how is it different from using chemical fertilizer? And are we contributing in our own small way to further pollution of the James, or the Chesapeake, or the little known tributary to the James that periodically runs through our basement? (If polluted waterways is your thing, check out the Frontline documentary my buddy Fritz helped produce: Poisoned Waters, which airs this week on PBS, and streams online)

Critics of the localvore movement say that the movement is not sustainable, and they may have a point. If your roommate, say, forgets to water your pepper and tomato seedlings while you're in DC all week, leaving them to die a premature death, it certainly isn't sustainable...

It goes without saying that Sean hates Earth Day with a passion. He recently posted this article* on our refridgerator, from one of his favorite publications, Capitalism Magazine. Then he turned on every appliance and water faucet in our apartment in order to "bask in glory of mankind's superiority over nature." Happy Industrial Revolution Day!

*edit: to Sean's delight, the geniuses at Capitalism Magazine are back this year with an update, this time promoting "exploit the earth day." Brilliant!

RECYCLING: Not Just For Treehuggers Anymore

2009-04-18T12:37:00.008-04:00

It appears the global trend of recycling has finally spread from its roots in the houses of treehuggers and aging hippies into the mainstream and beyond. In the last week alone there have been multiple reports of urban pioneers showing respect for mother nature. The urban pioneers I am referring to are not the young professionals who venture outside of their friend's comfort zones by moving into a rough area of the city and constantly talk about how great it is except for the violence and the drugs and the boarded up rundown houses. No, the urban pioneers I'm talking about are the true pioneers. Men and women who shun all the modern conveniences of shelter and security in favor of a life out in the elements, living off the land and what they can steal from the Kroger store at 901 N. Lombardy.

You might be asking right now, 'where is this happening?' or 'it's not in my neighborhood is it?' Hold on to your seats but I personally know of three separate events in three different neighborhoods of the city this week alone.

EVENT #1: I was first made aware of this phenomenon on a little excursion into downtown last weekend. I was trailing behind Lane as he sought out the perfect photography angle on a building downtown. Focused on the buildings lines Lane barely noticed an urban pioneer engaged in an impressive act of recycling. The man pictured here was so dedicated to the cause that he was pushing this whole cart of recyclables up the hill on Franklin St. I didn't stop to ask him whether he was taking them to some recycling center because I didn't want to break his concentration as he precariously made his way up the street but I am sure he could not have had any other destination.

EVENT #2: A few days after the downtown incident I was made aware of another act of environmentalism by one of Richmond's urban pioneers. In the Jackson Ward neighborhood a resident came home to find a man sorting her recycling that was left in the backyard. It is great to see that instead of the regular schedule of sleeping in Monroe Park all day, spending the evening stealing alcohol from various 7-11 stores and then drinking away the rest of the night some of our outdoor dwellers are constructively using their free time to help local residents organize their recycling.

EVENT #3: The last example comes right from the very alley behind 2703. Some of you might recall an earlier post that discussed the guerrilla gardening movement that is flourishing in the Fan. While some guerrilla gardeners have done such things as plant flowers along alleys other have taken it upon themselves to hang birdhouses up and down Hanover Ave. I'm happy to report that one renegade guerrilla gardener has apparently noticed the poor quality of soil in the alley behind 2703 and has taken it upon himself (or herself but I really hope not) to spread some human organic matter along our back fence. Some people might be initially appalled to see evidence of a human making a #2 in their backyard but I say 'thanks.' The sunflower seeds that I recently scattered in that same spot will probably flourish with the addition of human compost. I'll probably have the best sunflowers in the neighborhood thanks to this selfless urban pioneer. Of course I can't really prove that this generous act was done by an urban pioneer but I can't fathom any non-urban pioneer dedicated enough to do what this person did. If you drive through the alley today you will see a little yellow flag planted in the human compost that simply reads, 'THANKS.'

Weekly Roundup 3

2009-04-16T14:02:00.000-04:00

Corporate composting, something even Sean can get behind.

NPR on seed-bombing. Jed, being the guerilla-gardener that he is, seedbombed the other side of our fence with some sunflower seeds.

Make your own self-watering, recycled-water gardening system!

The kale seedlings were undoubtedly "leggy" and limp. Hopefully, with the help of some botanical darwinism, and now that they're outside, they will start to look a little healthier. Maybe the grow light wasn't enough and I should have followed Jed's lead and picked up some warming mats. For the next round of seedlings, I'll try to do things a little less haphazardly.

Until then, fingers crossed that the kale, swiss chard, pumpkins (I know, a little early for pumpkins) and our flowers survived the cold, drizzly spell we've had for the past few days.

Urban Composting: Hotel Eggleston

2009-04-11T11:53:00.000-04:00

The City of Richmond has done an impressive job of promoting urban composting, particularly in its poor, African-American neighborhoods. Currently, the city boasts some 1200 vacant buildings, slowly decomposing, for what must be some future master plan for urban gardens all over the city.

This morning, the City marked a great achievement in one of its more ambitious urban composting projects: the Eggleston Hotel Building. Located in the heart of Jackson Ward, this hotel hosted some of the most famous African-American dignitaries, celebrities, and entertainers to visit Richmond. Jackie Robinson, "Moms" Mabley, Count Basie, Redd Foxx, Louis Armstrong, and others (I seem to remember reading that James Brown stayed there also, and maybe even MLK, Jr., although I can't remember for sure).

Well done, Richmond!

Update From The Front

2009-04-08T19:03:00.000-04:00

Winter weather returns to 2703... ...not really. We did go below freezing last night though at sunrise this morning it was back to a blustery 35 degrees. Lane warned me yesterday and as promised I took care of the 2703 Urban Garden the best I could.

I raced home and placed saran wrap over the flower pots.

Then I made sure to position plexiglass on top of the broccoli and spinach just to make these frost tolerant plants didn't have to be too tolerant.

In a final act of defiance against Mother Nature I moved the two tomato plants that I prematurely put outside in pots last weekend inside. I am happy to report that the precautions taken were sufficient to keep any plants from becoming causalities of overenthusiastic gardeners putting things outside too early in the season. When I returned from work today the temperature had returned to a much more seasonable 60 degrees. All is once again right in the world.

Frost Alert!

2009-04-07T12:25:00.000-04:00

Will the 2703 Hanover Urban Garden fall prey to freezing weather tonight!?!

The Richmond Times-Dispatch, the venerable institution that consistently raises the bar for standards of professional journalism, has the scoop: Gardeners, Beware.

Jed is planning on covering the entire garden in saran wrap and camping out with strategically placed space heaters in attempts to thwart the killer frost.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the Great Frost Attack of 2K9...

Making A Difference

2009-04-05T14:03:00.000-04:00

I think it is part of human nature to want to make a difference in the world. Some people make a difference by recycling, others volunteer, still others plant recession gardens or find another productive way to make a positive impact. People like Sean spend countless hours reorganizing their playlist on iTunes. I'm not sure what difference this makes but it must accomplish something or he wouldn't dedicate so much of his life to doing it. Why am I bringing up this topic you might be asking yourself right now? Well yesterday I was on a run around the neighborhood and I came across evidence of someone making a difference.

As I made quick time down the Boulevard a number of little yellow flags caught my eye. What could these be I asked? Focused on my run I jogged past countless of these flags, all with something apparently written on them but it was too hard to decipher I as went by. On my way back I promised I would slow down and investigate what these flags were and why they were there.

As promised I slowed down and took a look at these little flags as I was running back home. They turned out to be small metal stakes with yellow plastic flags attached at the top. There were no less than 19 of these flags over just two blocks. Each flag had the same slogan written across it.

And why were these flags placed up and down the Boulevard? Well, someone was making a difference clearly. Upon closer inspection I saw that each flag was planted securely in organic matter left behind by one of man's best friends. Is this really necessary? Is a little bit of dog poo really worth the time and expense expended by this difference maker to prove his/her point? I felt compelled to go home and make a bigger sign that said "Some Asshole Left Me Here" with an arrow pointing at the yellow flags. Mine of course would be made of biodegradable materials and would use a much friendlier looking font.

Now ironically as I was out today taking pictures of the work of a concerned difference maker I witnessed a tremendous showing of civic responsibility. This group of people must have decided that their Toyota Prius' were using too much gas and they needed to return to simpler times with less environmental impact. Will the horse replace the car? It may. In Richmond it looks like it is already happening.

I can only assume that these environmental equestrians must have seen the little yellow flags on a previous commute and made arrangements to be part of the solution not the problem. Following behind this traffic jam of horses and their riders were two City of Richmond street sweepers making sure that none of the horse emissions would need be marked with little yellow flags.

Vermicomposting a.k.a. Worms

2009-04-04T14:03:00.000-04:00

In an earlier post Lane mentioned that we have a community of worms living in our house eating our table waste. Sean prefers to throw all of his excess processed food in the garbage to go to the landfill but whenever we can rescue perfectly good organics from this fate they land either in the compost bin outside or the worm bin in the basement. Our current batch of worms came to 2703 Hanover just after Christmas thanks to a very caring gardener/vermicomposter aunt of mine.

This crew is my second batch of worms. The first group lived out on my balcony in a medium sized rubbermaid bin for the first year I lived in Richmond. When I moved to 2703 I released group #1 in the garden around one of the Dominion Power buildings. It was my small attempt to offset Dominion's (and Sean's) carbon footprint. The new worms have been living in the climate controlled luxury of our basement in a converted grain dispenser which also came from my wonderful aunt.

Today I decided to take the worms on a little field trip so they could see where they would be living shortly. Pictured here the worms are enjoying (or more likely trying to escape from) the sun for the first time since last summer.

Can you find the worm in this picture?

Here the worms are having their world turned upside down.

For anyone interested in raising worms the book 'Worms Eat my Garbage' by Mary Appelhof is a great source. The book is the bible/koran of vermicomposting. While raising worms can be as simple as shredding some newspaper, putting it in a bin, adding worms and a little bit of organic matter occasionally it can also get a lot more complicated. I have chosen to do it the lazy way and spend little time with my worms which probably results in fewer worms and less compost generated but it is still productive.

Check back in a few weeks when the worms are released into the wild to fend for themselves for the summer before hopefully being recaptured to winter in the safety of the basement once again.

Weekly Roundup 2

2009-04-03T16:21:00.001-04:00

Urban farming in Detroit. Kinda like us, but a tad more ambitious.

If your lifestyle is sooo urban that you don't even have a "backyard" like us, you might have to settle for a modest indoor herb garden. Lifehacker has some tips.

Great source for finding local food stores, markets and restaurants as well as ordering heirloom seeds and more!

Dirt! Jed and I have spent some quality time "building" our own dirt mixtures. There's a reason our tomatoes are going to be so delicious, in spite of Sean's carbon footprint...

Lastly, the intreprid urban journalists (and our neighbors) over at 10sboulevard have additional coverage of last weekend's appearance of dog poop markers along the boulevard.

roundup 1, addendum

2009-04-02T11:13:00.000-04:00

Would have posted this yesterday, but I assumed the NY Times was playing an April fools joke, blatantly copying us and all.

It's no joke. Don't front. Our [soon to be formed] bicycle club will come after you...

roundup 1

2009-03-30T15:20:00.000-04:00

Slate explores what to do with the abundance of kale that we'll have in a few months.

Michael Pollan sells out RVA. I think he would approve of our gardening efforts. Check back in a few weeks to see if any seats have opened up. Dude is a baller.

Admittedly, we've enthusiastic about our garden. Which is why we had pumpkins already sprouting by the end of march. This guy probably wouldn't approve, but I think he'd still enjoy hanging out in our garden. We'll figure out the whole "slow-gardening" thing one of these days. For now it's full speed ahead...

If you find an old window like ours but are feeling less artistically inclined, here's how to turn it into a cold frame.

According to this guy, global warming is great news for our garden! Hurrah!

Did we unwittingly join a gardening craze sweeping the country? Are we growing a recession garden? Is our urban farming venture totally awesome?

I only have an answer to the last question, which is emphatically "Yes!"

PUMPKIN PATCH UPDATE PICTURE:

Pumpkins & A New Window To The World

2009-03-29T17:58:00.000-04:00

Today was a big day at the 2703 Urban Garden. In exciting news from the seedling tray two baby pumpkins broke through the soil and have matured significantly in a matter of hours. The first two of many miniature pumpkin plants had poked their heads out from the soil in the wee hours this morning. By late afternoon they have already started to take adult seedling shape as shown below.

9 a.m.

By 5 p.m. the seedling looked like this

In the outside world of the 2703 Urban Garden Lane and I installed a new picture window. A few weeks ago I held Lane precariously by his ankles as he dangled into an oversized dumpster looking for buried treason. While he did not find any gold doubloons he did find a perfectly sound window frame with slightly less sound glass.

Lane wanted to use this trophy of world-class dumpster diving as a moon roof in his Volvo. After convincing him that the Cutco knives he just bought on the internet would not be capable of hacking a three foot square in the roof of his car he relented and was open to other uses for the above-mentioned window. With the weather finally opening up this morning we were given the opportunity to use our exterior design skills. I am not sure if this will let any more light into the garden but it sure will make it feel more like home. I am proud to say we now have both a window and a door at the 2703 Urban Garden.

Sunday Rainy Sunday

2009-03-27T18:07:00.000-04:00

GREETING

Today is Friday. Today is not Sunday. Today it is raining.

The outside portion of the garden has been stalled by inclement weather. While the spinach, lettuce and garlic are out facing the elements the rest of the summer crop is basking in the warmth and comfort of our 60 degree house.

BRANDYWINE TOMATO REPORT

I am happy to report that the heirloom brandywine tomato plants are growing nice and strong on the windowsill. Aided by a grow light and warming pad underneath the tomato seedlings are off to a great start.

They have progressed from this:

To this:

And finally as of today this:

Soon they will be producing these:

SEEDLING UPDATE

Lane has been away from 2703 since Monday. Before he left he planted some kale seeds. I think Lane might be the only person in the world that eats kale. Lane will be pleased to know if he reads this blog that his crop of kale has sprouted nicely and appears to be growing healthily under the artificial light of a grow light that has been running from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m. and again from 4:37 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. and inadvertently in between.

CLOSING STATEMENT

There is no explanation for the pig that is in our kitchen. It has been there so long I don't even think about it anymore. Sometimes I will go into other people's kitchens and say to myself, "where is their stuffed pig?" The most incredible thing about our pig is we have never discussed naming her/him.

Any suggestions?

Apologies, Blogosphere

2009-03-24T15:34:00.001-04:00

Our gardening blog got a little off track. However, it provides a "golden" opportunity for us to explain the motivation behind our backyard urban garden. Jed and I have always had an appreciation for the outdoors. Sean likes suburban shopping malls. Occaisionally, Sean will join us in the backyard, but this happens only when someone is grilling red meat.

When I look at our backyard, I see potential, whether it is envisioning a stage set-up for our good friend Marc to perform his passionate love ballads during some future James River Fall Harvest Feast or utilizing every sunny spot available to grow fresh vegetables. When I see the future of our backyard, I see something like this:

Jed, of course, shares this enthusiasm. And, to his credit, he really raised the bar when he began preparing for this year's garden--I'm proud to say that we have the beginnings of a legit urban farming operation going. In addition to the utilitarian benefits of a garden, Jed also has an appreciation for all things whimsical and artistic. He confessed to me recently that when he envisions the future of our backyard, he sees something along these lines--lush, green, organic, and titillating:

Sean, needless to say, envisions dollar signs. He's talked to some of his corporate cronies, and he thinks a surface mining operation utilizing child labor would generate more revenue than drilling for oil or a coal-fired power plant:

New wheelz

2009-03-23T22:33:00.000-04:00

Hey blogosphere!

So our government subsidized bonuses came in to the firm today (maybe Barack Hussein Obama's "spread the wealth" socialist plan isn't such a bad thing after all! Ha!), and I decided I'm going to use mine to buy a new ride. I'm having some trouble making up my mind as to what to get though. Here are my top options right now:

The Hummer H3. An obvious choice. Totally badass. The aggressive brush guard is ideal for ramming into hippie bikers getting in my way on the road. Get the hell off the road, dirty hippies!

Ford Excursion. This thing's a total beast. Sooo much storage space. I don't really have anything that big that I'd need to store in there, but screw it, it'd be nice to have that space. My hippie roommates would probably just BEG me to drive them to the market to pick up soil and crap for their garden, but I'd be like, no way! I'm not risking getting soil and worms and crap ground into my apolostry! Pick up your flowers from the market on your bike, hippie.

I'm not 100% positive that this is street legal, but how badass would it be to have an Escalade Monster Truck!? I bet you could run over a Prius in this hoss and you wouldn't even feel a bump.

Alright, I'm gonna go nuke some Easy Mac. Here's a pointer: get the individually packed Easy Macs instead of the big box -- they're so much easier!!

Crimes Against Nature

2009-03-23T21:19:00.000-04:00

Today I learned that there exists conduct that in the Commonwealth of Virginia that will result in a little addition to your criminal record titled 'Crimes Against Nature.' While the specifics of this 'crime against nature' remain unclear to me I have a few ideas about what it might be.

IDEA #1

Yesterday to my horror I came home and observed a bottle of diet Mountain Dew resting on top of the trash in the bin. My first thought was obviously 'someone actually drinks Mountain Dew?' This was quickly followed by, 'what type of person would drink diet Mountain Dew?'

I know it wasn't me. To my knowledge Lane does not 'do the dew.' Hmmm, I wonder who it could be.

Is this a crime against nature?

IDEA#2

After removing the plastic bottle from the trash can and placing it safely in with the rest of the recycling I decided to reward myself for saving the earth once again by grabbing a handful of organic, locally grown {insert favorite snack food here}.

As if I was trapped in a horror movie I opened the cupboard and was confronted with this image. Shocking. The preservatives. The wasteful packaging. The non-organic nature. The energy spent on transportation. Chocolate. The horror.

Is this a crime against nature?

My whole world turned upside down I was left to pacing around the kitchen wondering what kind of house I lived in and what exactly a crime against nature is. As I sought to find answers the backdoor of the house swung open with little care. Were we being robbed? Is Santa coming 3 months behind schedule? Is that neighbor who I took the leaves from yesterday looking for me? When who should appear but a bastion of corporate America...

IDEA#3

He was muttering something along the lines of, 'do they really think I am going to give that obscene bonus back just because it came from the taxpayers who thought they were saving the economy?' I tried to ask, passively aggressively of course, if he might know about the bottle in the trash or the box of fudge rounds but before I could muster up the courage he 'pulled some lawyer shit' and I retreated.

After all this I am still not sure what a 'crime against nature' might be. What I am sure of is that Sean is involved. I can't prove it just yet...but I will.

Urban Composting

2009-03-23T17:49:00.000-04:00

Jed and I are really proud of our composting efforts--it has been an uphill battle trying to make up for Sean's oversized carbon footprint, but we think the tide is turning in our favor.

Fortunately for us, and for mother earth, composting has become a neighborhood effort. Must be a sign that the food revolution has arrived.

Here, for example, is the work of an ambitious urban composter in our neighborhood:

Rather than enlarge his carbon footprint by expending non-renewable resources to recycle this glass beverage container, he added it to a compost pile in our back alley. According to this, we're looking at 600 to 1 million years! Whoa, Nellie! It looks like the label and surrounding brown paper bag are well on their way to decomposition, fertilizing the gardens of the (distant) future!

Here's the work of another intrepid urban composter. This is interesting--a classic example of the guerrilla gardening movement (you'll notice that Richmond has a prominent place in the history of guerrilla gardening).

In this case, it looks like a thoughtful neighborhood planetizen decided to compost, among other things, a styrofoam skeleton hand decoration from Halloween 2k8 by tucking it under a bush in our front yard. Creative!

Wait, you say that styrofoam doesn't decompose? Take a closer look at that skeletal hand--the ring finger has already decomposed!

This is the sort of "can do" spirit that makes us proud to call 2703 Hanover our home!

looking back...

2009-03-22T15:46:00.000-04:00

It all started earlier this year with a boy, some seeds and a dream.

A few days later life began to poke through the surface...this little guy will be a delicious broccoli plant in no time.

The kids here are taking their first trip outside into the elements. Little did spinach know that he was about to lose 2/3's of his friends on this vacation when Jed decided to give spinach a little haircut.

6 months of compost quickly expired as the farmers of the 2703 Urban Garden began to prepare for the 2009 growing season. Leaves stolen from the sidewalk in front of the neighbors house yesterday are taking the place of a rich organic mixture that had been slowly decomposing over the winter.

Lane plans on trapping song birds to supplement the broccoli, kale, spinach, peppers, lettuce, garlic and tomatoes we'll be growing. I am opposed to the idea on PETA grounds but Lane is bigger than I am so I am resigned to voicing my protest on this blog. If you come to Harvest Feast '09 don't ask where the 'Cornish game hens' came from...

Last year this thing appeared in my garden. We called it 'The Thing.' Cym Lane really disliked it at first but after a few days of it living in a jar on the kitchen table she fell in love. Here you can see that it has the power to devour half of a tomato. I learned it is a tomato hornworm. It is not to be messed with.

2009-03-22T14:47:00.000-04:00

Our other roommate Sean, relaxing with the newspaper this morning while Jed and I toiled away. Reminds me of a story I read as a kid: the ant and the grasshopper (?) -something like that...

Needless to say, when Sean comes crawling home from his fancy law firm job, ragged and starving for some garden-grown zuccini, he'll learn his lesson the hard way.

2009-03-22T14:24:00.000-04:00

Hanover and Mulberry. Represent.

Here's a fun gimmick we started this morning: a hanging tomato plant.

Here's Jed massaging one of the hanging flower beds. A second later, he licked his fingers--it's sort of a fetish for him. We decided we needed some color amidst all of the green that is going to overtake our backyard in a month or two, so we're putting in some morning glories, hollyhocks, and gaillardias.

We made a trip out to southern states to get some fish emulsion, and found some kale seeds there too, so we got the spring kale started--30 days to maturity! Also got another variety of kale for later in the summer. Between that, the swiss chard, spinach, and lettuce (the latter two already transplanted outside), we should have a nice selection of greens this summer.

First Day Of Spring 2K9!

2009-03-21T23:38:00.000-04:00

We've been composting since autumn 2k8. We've had worms going in the basement since december. Jed assembled the cold frame in february and got seedlings going inside with a growlight and timer two weeks ago. Today we got a few more containers ready to go with a mixture of compost, potting soil, and planting soil, with a few outdoor worms thrown in for good measure. We've got big things in the works, but after getting things rearranged outside, we decided it was time for a cigar and a few beers.

Green Thumbs!

2009-03-21T23:37:00.000-04:00

1st day of spring 2k9. time to start gardening!