Posts categorized as Gardening

It’s fall here in Rockaway and things are quiet. I’ve been walking more instead of biking – the wind while biking is pretty darn cold. Here are some shots I’ve taken during my daily wanders… Friar’s habit and Franciscan cords, looks like San Francesco to me! What is this about? Well, regardless it looks cool. Another person’s trash…! I found this on 97th and the beach block. I think I’ll make a planter out of it. The organic shapes created by beach pine are unbeatable. This Christmas season, I want […]

This is the first official “garden” post for our new location in Rockaway, Queens. I’ll post everything from a beach critter I find on the sand to the tomatoes growing in my backyard. Here’s the first post in The Nature Walk series! I discovered this beautiful Grasshopper the other afternoon. He was hanging out on my sunflower. This guy isn’t the only one enjoying these flowers, the bees are buzzing on them all day. In the spring, I ordered the Northeast Wildflower Seed mix which included sunflowers and other seeds that work […]

This photo sums up our new life – cats, construction and food. We’ve been making pit stops on our way home, “food shopping” for delicious tomatoes and other vegetables  from Maureen’s garden. (No judgement please; we’re on a budget now!)  This sheetrock container has come in handy. Reuse, recycle, right? Even thought I’ve been laboring at the house daily, It feels like I’m on vacation. I’ve been body boarding after I’m done working at the house, biking, and enjoying the beach. Shore living is relaxing by nature, I suppose. I’ve also […]

This past winter was harsh, there is no doubt about it. We experienced continual and bone-chilling cold for too many months. When spring arrived, it was joyous and we looked forward to the renewal of the earth. But our hearts sank, when we looked at the dead branches on our beloved fig tree.  Despite the devastation of superstorm Sandy, our tree survived another season and we enjoyed the delicious fruit.  But this winter looked like the death knell for the tree until we cut away the dead parts.  We saw […]

This week I had planned to post a final RD recap but then I found this… Nature is so fascinating, I spent almost an hour observing these paper wasps last night. Paper wasps are 0.7 to 1.0 inch (1.8 to 2.5 cm)-long wasps that gather fibers from dead wood and plant stems, which they mix with saliva, and use to construct water-resistant nests made of gray or brown papery material. Paper wasps are also sometimes called umbrella wasps, due to the distinctive design of their nests The nests of most […]

With branches from your garden or found tree limbs on the street, give this DIY centerpiece a whirl. I was on the RD looking around when Aunt Brenda’s voice echoed in my head “I JUST SPRAY PAINT EVERYTHING, IT’S WAY CHEAPER THAN BUYING THAT STUFF IN THE CRAFT STORE.” Aunt Brenda is famously known for her gorgeous holiday decor. She uses spray paint on found yard branches to make Christmas and Easter centerpieces. After she transforms them with sparkles of gold and silver, she hangs ornaments on the DIY trees. Every year […]

I’m sure many of you have had this experience; you buy onions, don’t use them for a while and they sprout. This happened to me recently. I thought the shoots looked pretty neat so I blasted out a picture on The Glorified Tomato’s instagram.  My Sister-in-law commented “Can those be planted to grow more onions, similar to how it works with garlic?” I didn’t have an answer for her, but the truth machine did. Once an onion sprouts it’s quality for eating slides downhill quickly. You could use it, but […]

This past weekend the 116th Street Partnership, community volunteers and the NYC Parks Department gathered to brighten up Beach 116 with garden accents. The Wave often notes about these local events. Also, information about community cleanups can be found on the NYC Parks Department website. Get involved and support your local businesses. The Beach 116th Street Partnership was founded by business owners along the Rockaways’ central business corridor to address the destruction after Hurricane Sandy. What started out as a response to a disaster has transformed into an effort to build a better and stronger community […]

Garden tip of the week – Maureen explains the correct way to plant your strawberry garden. June is strawberry harvest, so plant them now!

This is the first garden post for the new house!  There’s much to be done and it’s exciting, but more so overwhelming. I decided the front yard was most important to start on. Having a lush garden will detract from our current dilapidated exterior. The first task was to remove about 7 inches of sand left behind from hurricane sandy. Once I started digging, I discovered there was a weed barrier tarp layered on. I wanted to get this up so whatever I planted could grow deep. Removing this was not […]