Tag Archives: vegetables

Jeff Flesch 3:00 pm on July 18, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , , japan, london, , UK, update, vegetables, website,   

A Blogger’s Diary 7/18/21: On the Week, Writing and Reflecting, Veggies and Blueberries, and Updating the Site and Traveling

The Week

Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted a diary entry. I am excited about this entry, as I’ve got a couple of veggie pics, a blueberry picking adventure, and some news about traveling. Fun.

Last week, the team and I completed the team building I wrote about in my last diary entry. It went well. The theme of the team building was Back to the Future; yes, termed such after the movie, and the concepts we discussed were connection, continuity, and change.

We discussed these concepts because we know that there will be more change, there always is, every moment something is changing, we are all changing, yet, we also know that within this change, there is also continuity and continued connection. 

An important paradox to understand and be at ease with. 

Writing and Reflecting

The past couple of weeks, I’ve been reflecting a lot upon the internal work I’ve been engaged in these past 4 years, and how this work has shaped the man I am today. Transformational is the concept that comes to mind.

Transformational because when we look at the pain we carry, get in touch with it, work through it, we get back so much more. The only way to let go of something is to actually be in touch with it first, and to then work through it. Then, we can let it go. 

I imagine my poetry will always be shaped by these experiences, because they are not static, they continue today.

Veggies and Blueberries

The garden is healthy and well, and is producing, and will produce even more in the next month. Exciting.

Here are a couple of pics.

Justin and I went to a local blueberry farm last weekend, and picked almost 40 pounds of blueberries, which are one of my favorites. I eat them everyday, and enjoy them most in my evening smoothies. Delicious.

Here are a couple pics of that trip.

Updating the Site and Traveling

Photo by Luke Stackpoole on Unsplash

As I wrote about a few months ago, I will make some changes to the site this summer. I’ve already removed the videos page, as it is very outdated, and am creating a couple of new pages, and condensing some of the other pages.

At this time, I am not planning on changing the overall site theme, yet, you never know. As I work through these changes over the next two months, if something occurs differently for you, or becomes difficult for you on the site, I would love it if you would let me know. You can get my email from the contact page. Thank you.

As I’ve written about before, I am excited to travel in the coming years; and, I’m excited to share that I’ve booked my first trip. It will be to London, next May. Since I’ve been at my current job, I’ve not taken off more than a few days here and there, and am excited to be in London for 12 nights. 

That will be the 2022 trip, and in 2023? India; and, then in 2024, Japan. That’s the plan anyway. We all know that plans change, yet, having a plan is important. And, then? Let the change come. It’s all okay.

Alright, that’s all for this week.

Wishing you all a beautiful coming week.

#blog, #blogger, #bloggersdiary, #blogging, #community, #diary, #gardening, #japan, #london, #travel, #uk, #update, #vegetables, #website, #writingandreflecting

Jeff Flesch 6:00 am on April 18, 2021
Tags: , , eflje, , greenhouse, , indoor planting, outdoor planting, peas, , , vegetables   

Community Gardening: Indoor Starts, the First Peas, and a Sun Elfje

Corvallis, Oregon 2021

Alright, I’ve decided to turn My One Thing This Spring: Gardening, into a new Spring/Summer series. It occurred to me that I’ll have many more updates, which made making the community garden experience into a series an easy decision. Okay, here’s what’s new.

The plot is ready, and I’ve been continuing to work the soil, and have actually planted the first few seeds. A couple different varieties of peas. Delicious. Well, they will be eventually. 

Here’s a couple pictures of those first budding peas.

Awesome. And, yep, the soil is dry, only on the top few layers though; and, the water at the community garden is now on, which is grand.

I’ve also planted seeds indoors. Many of them. 50 to be exact! Here are some of the herbs and veggies I’ve planted into an indoor greenhouse.

  • Basil and Cilantro
  • Mixed Hot Peppers
  • Raddish
  • Beet
  • Various Lettuce Varieties
  • Chard
  • Kale
  • Cabbage
  • Broccoli

I purchased this nifty little Green House at the local garden store for $20.

Here is what it looks like; and, here is what it looks like as the seeds begin to sprout.

Pretty cool, yes? Yes, I think so too.

Oh, and here is my latest addition. I bought these 4 beauties at the farmers market today.

Corvallis, Oregon 2021

I adore tomatoes. One of my favorites. Yum.

Next steps?

Sowing seeds directly into the ground, which will happen around May 4. We’re very close. Excited.

Alright, once the indoor seed starts and the tomatoes are transplanted, and I sow some more seeds directly into the ground, I’ll have another update.

Until then, enjoy the spring sun. Hopefully it is shining wherever you are.  And, oh, before we go, how about a little Elfje on the sun to take us out. Yes? Okay, here we go.

Orange
Sun shines
Bright as a star
Taken into my being
Delight

Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone.

#poetry, #community, #eflje, #garden, #greenhouse, #herbs, #indoor-planting, #outdoor-planting, #peas, #poem, #sun, #vegetables

Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on April 3, 2021
Tags: , , garden plot, , , My One Thing, planning, sustenance, vegetables   

My One Thing This Spring: Gardening Part 2

Readying the Soil and Planning the Garden Plot

Photo by Massimo Virgilio on Unsplash

In my last entry on gardening, I wrote about getting a community garden plot for this first time in a long time. It’s been 4 or 5 years since I’ve been a part of a community garden.


The community garden is just down the street from where I live, and has only been in existence for 4 years or so.

The plot I have is 20’x10’, which is a little large for me, yet I’ve managed to work the entire plot and ready it for planting.


Here is what it looks like after a month of working the soil.

Corvallis, OR April, 2021

Yep, it’s ready. Excited.

Now, in this part of the United States, it rains a lot. A lot, a lot. Which means that you have to wait to sow the seeds directly into the ground until the winter frost has mostly dwindled. Yet, you can also start seeds indoors, which I will also be doing, and will write more about next time.

Once I made my vegetable choices, I started to plan out the garden space. At that same time, I read an article about planning a garden plot. I learned a lot. There are actually applications and software programs you can use today, which make planning much easier.

Many of the applications and software programs are not free, yet I did manage to find one on the Old Farmer’s Almanac that had a free 7 day trial. The software program is amazing.

Here is the garden plot plan I created with the software program.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Planner

Pretty fun, yes? Yep, it’s pretty cool.

I am excited to begin to plant. I will start the planting process this weekend, and continue it over the next couple of weeks. I should have all of the seeds into the ground by late April. 

Alright, that’s this week’s installment of My One Thing This Spring: Gardening Part 2, Readying the Soil and Planning the Garden Plot. Next time, I hope to have some sprouting veggies to show you. 

Until then, be well, and have a lovely weekend.

#community, #community-garden, #garden-plot, #gardening, #life, #my-one-thing, #planning, #sustenance, #vegetables

Jeff Flesch 8:00 am on March 20, 2021
Tags: , , , , , , vegetables   

My One Thing Last Saturday: Gardening

Photo by Kateryna Moskalova on Unsplash

Well, as I’ve written about before, last year, just before the pandemic really broke out here locally, I moved to the other side of this small town. And, as I began to get out a bit last summer, I realized that there was a very nice community garden right by a park that I frequented for walks, and at that time, runs.

Though there are many community gardens in Corvallis, I was unsure about securing one for this season. And? I did! I am quite excited.

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve belonged to a community garden. The Willamette Park Community Garden has only been in existence for about 5 years. The people that run the garden are super cool, and the spot I got is also super cool.

Here is a pic of the garden plot after Justin and I did some work this past Saturday.

Corvallis, Oregon 2021

As you can see there are three phases to the plot. The first phase is closest to us in the picture, and is the area that Justin and I worked Saturday. The second phase, which I’ll begin on in about 2 weeks, is covered with cardboard and mulch, and the third phase is just to the right of that, covered for now with only cardboard.

I will likely begin putting seeds and starts in the ground in the first phase this weekend. What veggies, you ask? Good questions. Here is an example of a planting schedule for this area.

Corvallis, OR 2021

It’s always interesting to visualize what the garden might look like in three months. I definitely have a vision of it with walkways and veggie sections coordinated by their growing season. Fun.

Here is a garden plot template, which is kind of fun.

There are many vegetables and spices I enjoy that are not on this template, yet it does give you an idea of how you can organize a garden space.

Alright, that was my one thing last Saturday. Getting my garden plot ready to plant.

I already have an idea for another installment of My One Thing. Remember the guitar I bought? Well, I can now play 6 or 7 chords, and can also play the intro to one of my new favorite songs. Yes, super fun!

#communitygarden, #flowers, #garden, #gardening, #herbs, #myonething, #vegetables