I thought I'd tour you around the backyard to show you how things are progressing now that monsoon season's waning.
I took a few pictures last Tuesday (August 4). The soil in this corner of the backyard is so sandy beneath the thin layer of (crappy Ontario) topsoil that hardly any weeds grow there.
Tomatoes
Dahlias, marigolds, geraniums
My flowers are not pushing up the daisies yet. Confession: earlier this summer, I contemplated transplanting some of the wild daisies I saw by the side of the road along Strandherd. The 20-min. walk back home, in plain view of the traffic, with a fistful of flowers, dissuaded me. Not to mention the creepy-crawlies hiding in all that roadside growth. Only mention the word "grub" and I recoil. I don't do well with "slug" either.
A while ago, Ontario banned the use of pesticide. We find ourselves in a position similar to that of the last individual interviewed in the article. We like our yard (relatively) neat and tidy. James keeps the lawn nicely trimmed, and my job is weeding. I'm not obsessed with it, but I've been out there a couple of times with my amazing weed-picker. Yet for some inexplicable reason, the rest of our neighborhood would rather wallow in clover, thistles, and other pesky growing things I haven't yet positively identified.
Here's the view when we look down our back lane. It's easier to see where our lawn ends and carpet of chaos begins if you follow the line of the fence that separates us.
What's the market for clover like at the moment? Maybe our neighbors are growing it for cash crops. And who's to say that they aren't growing another kind of weed amongst the thistles under their decks? A little bit of extra income.
Except for the woman with the corner lot, everyone's letting their yards go au naturel. She hired landscapers this spring to put in trees and shrubs and an arbor. Their trucks were parked out front for days on end. She's a serious gardener; she told me she chose the black chain-link fence to let as much light in as possible. I like the look of the black, wrought-iron fences I've seen, but I think the men in our row units have decided to go with a wooden fence. Just as well, probably. It'll keep out the weeds.
Occasionally, the grass is not greener on the other side.
Get yourself a pair of night vision glasses and spray it all when everyone is sleeping. Start with Roundup. Viola, no more weeds (or grass or shrubs or ...). I think you would be doing your neighbors a favor.
ReplyDeleteYour neighbor's lawn is looking fairly horrible.
ReplyDeleteYour own lawn is looking really great, though I am sure you probably spend a lot of time with that special Fiskars weed puller to make it that way and keep it that way.
Curly looks cute as usual, and I can't help but wonder what Darthy boy is looking at and thinking in that picture of him. I wonder if he is trying to figure out how to get out to that one neighbors yard with the small see through fenceing. I bet that is what he wants to do. :-)
...I don't suppose you could take a few pics to update the status of your tomatoe plants, could you? A really ripe, juicy, homegrown tomatoe in the dirt....well, that just tastes really good. Combine the tomatoe slices with some relatively fresh whole wheat or white bread, and some pickles, lettuce, regular mustard, pepper, and some carnivourous meat of your choice, and you got yourself one really healthy and satisfying sandwich, fit for a king and queen. :-)
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