Container garden farm report

Impatiens
Well I don’t think I will try growing impatiens from seed again. Those are a pain. Well with the exception of the heirloom Balsam variety of impatien that seems to be doing ok.
Marigolds
The gem variety of marigolds that were the first flower I was growing this season from seed are doing well in their south facing hanging basket. I hope to get some tasty (remember everything is to be edible) flowers fairly soon! I have planted some more seed in the same pot where I am growing a bush bean. So far a bunch of little seedlings have come up, but for the past week they haven’t done much.
The pot marigolds, another variety, they haven’t done much for several weeks. They came up, looked healthy and kinda just stayed immature looking. I’m sure later on they will spring forth with something.
Squash
I’m afraid if I pot another squash plant I will find myself sneaking around at night dumping zucchini on unsuspecting peoples’ doors. I planted one directly into the ground in the front yard, I don’t know if it is green or yellow squash. I also failed to note it in the little notebook I have tracking what I’ve planted where. I have 4 varieties of squash planted in pots in the backyard. They have taken their sweet time germinating. I was worried so I started a plant inside and transplanted it. Then several days later, one squash I had started directly starting poking up. I suppose the others will poke up next week.
Tomatoes
I’ll admit I was weak. I bought some tomato plants. I still have the little seedlings from seed in various parts of the yard just being and waiting for heat or something to get growing. So I have a few heirlooms, a lemon boy (what I think is a lemon boy), a patio and some funky variety that’s supposed to produce purple fruit. They haven’t done much either lately.
Peas
My peas are so exciting! I have some peas. The currently equal one bite. I’ve gotten some nice flowers but really, I’m interested in eating some sweet peas. I’ll have to wait for them to mature. They are grabbing at anything they can, grass, spider web, other vines, anything. I’m trying to get them to go up the trellis but they seem to have other ideas. They also are serving as food for some aphids. I sprayed them with insecticide soap. Maybe that will help.
Spinach and Salad
Well they are bigger than seedlings but smaller than the baby salad type you get at the store. That hasn’t stopped me from eating them though. I made a salad of the first leaves of spinach (not the true leaves that come later) along with baby, almost premie, argulua and Bibb lettuce. Some I ate simple because I had to thin out my plantings, so don’t worry, there should be enough lettuce and spinach to last me until the weather gets hot and everything begins to bolt.
Herbs
Peppermint is a weed. It needs no help. So it is in the treebox.
Thyme is okay. I bought some French and English thyme. The Winter Thyme I’m growing from seed is kinda small and thin but I have used a little in my cooking. Maybe as the year goes on it will get robust.
I have yet to plant dill.
The basil is very so, so. Maybe it is too early, but the seedlings are doing a whole lotta nothin’.
Onions
When I buy spring onions and I have some left over I typically plant them in the ground. When I need one onion, I then go out and pull it up from the ground, take the bottom part with the roots and bury that. They are still doing ok.
The bunching onions I’m growing are small and I worry about them.

Well it has only been a few months but I think I’m on the right track.

Poll

From Jim
Neighbors,

At the BACA meeting on Monday, PSA 501 Sgt. Mitchell asked those in
attendance what they felt were the top five public safety priorites in
our part of PSA 501. Hence, I pose this question to you for your input.

At your earliest convenience, please give me some feedback on this
question.

I plan to get back with Sgt. Mitchell on or about May 10, 2005, so
please have your input into me before this date.

Best,

Jim Berry
ANC 5C

‘Cause thieves and junkies have mothers too

I don’t remember if it was News 4 or some other local news channel that had a report last night about it, and then I get an e-mail about it, so I guess I should talk about it.
Mother’s Day (May 8th) is coming up and crackheads gotta give mom something too. This year I’m sending my mom roses via FTD, though I believe she’d rather have a gas card. But what does the local crackhead or heroin junkie give his or her mother after they’ve spent every last dime on their fix? So they walk down the street, pondering what to give mom when they notice the pansies you planted in your yard or the petunias in the treebox or the hanging basket of impatiens on your porch. With a scoop of the hand and a discarded BIG GULP cup (or those empty plastic pots sitting in your front yard) they have the perfect junkie arrangement.
So it is suggested that you bring in the prized plants or hold off from putting some flowers in the front yard or treebox until Mother’s day has come and gone. Right now I have $2.00 flowers from Giant in my treebox, along with some mint & thyme. I could try deadheading (cutting off the flowers) all the flowers so that there is only greenery and the plants are less appealing, but I’m too lazy for that. If flowers get stolen I’ll just fill the hole with thyme or mint or throw in some seeds. The rule of the treebox is not to put anything in there I really like. The only thing flowering in my yard is a tomato plant and the peas. I have a hanging basket but nothing is flowering in that, just greenery. Stuff in the backyard has yet to flower, so I’m good. But if they steal my veggies I’m gonna be pissed.

Be careful of what you write on the net

Some time ago the Washington City Paper mined several years of the Columbia Heights listserv for comments and published them. It did not make the citizens, particularly the newer citizens of the gentrifying neighborhood of Columbia Heights look good, especially with old vs new tensions. Upon reading some posts on a certain Shaw discussion forum makes me cringe a bit and I thought of the City Paper piece.
I do acknowledge everyone’s right to vent. I mean isn’t this blog just me venting? Yet since I have gathered more readers than the 5 or so circle of friends who read the earlier stuff, I am a bit more careful in my venting.
What makes me cringe? Well, I will admit I am a bit classist, it is a sin I comfortably live with most of the time. However when I see something that can be summed up to say “our neighborhood is changing so poor people don’t belong here and they need to go.” I grow uncomfortable and must reassess my own classism.
In some ways I do side with those annoyed with the old timers and the poor. Some in that grouping can be the most annoying and frustrating types. On my own block alone there are a couple of folks, the screamer, DM, and the crackhead who aggravate me and other neighbors and make the block less inviting. Yet, I would never (at least I don’t think I would) bluntly say (with the exception of the crackhead) that they do not belong and need to be pushed out. The crackhead does have to go, simply because of stupid crackhead logic that makes her & her friends a danger (like leaving your crack friend 1/2 dead on sidewalk) and a nuisance. The screamer and DM just need a little behavior modification, like not screaming at your kids for hours and not falling off the wagon. Yet I’ll admit that having them move away is a whole lot easier than waiting and encouraging changes in behavior.
I guess my other fear is that comments made on public boards, or in some electronic form that can be stored and distributed, is that these comments do feed the worst arguments about gentrifiers, even if it does not reflect all who help gentrify a neighborhood. From those who are in anti-gentrification camp, these comments prove that gentrifiers want to kick the poor and the old out of their homes. No really, I don’t want to kick the seniors out, I want their drug dealing grandkids out. The trick is trying to figure out how do that without making innocent people suffer just because they are older or poorer.

BACA meeting tonight

And I’m not going because B. has lured me away to another DC event.
But this is what I am missing:
MONTHLY MEETING NOTICE

Guest Speakers Include:
William O. Howland, Jr., Director DC Department of Public Works and
Raman Bhatia Community Greens

Agenda Includes:
Public Safety Committee Report
Land Use, Planning and Economic Development Committee Report
Introduction of “Flower Power 2005”

Monday, May 2, 2005
Mount Sinai Baptist Church
3rd and Q Streets, N.W.
Rooms 1 and 2
7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

BATES AREA CIVIC ASSOCIATION, INC.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20001

May 2, 2005

Monthly Meeting Agenda

1. Meeting Called to Order 7:00 p.m.

2. Opening Comments

3 Public Safety Report Fifth District Police

4. Remarks: William O. Howland, Jr.,Director, DPW
Insp. Jacqueline Brooks, DPW

5. Remarks: Raman Bhatia
Community Greens

6. “Flower Power 2005” Mary Ann Wilmer

7. Land Use, Planning, and Art Slater
Economic Development
Committee Report

8. Office of C/M Orange Linda Perkins, Director
Constituent Services

9. BACA Housekeeping J. Berry

10. Announcements:

(a) Next BACA Meeting – Monday, June 6, 2005

11. Adjournment 8:30 p.m.

12. Social Period 9:00 p.m.

Who are the people in your neighborhood

This is not a post to pick on one person or punish them for crimes where they have already paid their debt to society…..
Anyway.
So I’m looking at the DC Police Department’s Sex Offender Registry and I see there is a guy who reportedly lives on my block who is listed in the registry because of “attempted second degree child sexual abuse against a person under 16 years of age”. But I’m looking at the picture and saying, who is that guy?
I don’t know every single person on my block but I believe I have never seen the fellow the registry says lives on the unit block of my street. This makes me question the accuracy of the registry. That or he is really good about keeping his head low and out of sight or I just haven’t noticed him.
So what am I going to do with this info? Well besides being a blog topic for today, nothing. He has not wanted by the police and has a right to live in the neighborhood. I might mention it to some parents because of the nature of the crime.

BACA meeting tonight & other info

From Jim

Guest Speakers Include:
William O. Howland, Jr., Director
DC Department of Public Works
and
Raman Bhatia
Community Greens

Agenda Includes:
Public Safety Committee Report
Land Use, Planning and Economic Development Committee Report
Introduction of “Flower Power 2005”

Monday, May 2, 2005
Mount Sinai Baptist Church
3rd and Q Streets, N.W.
Rooms 1 and 2
7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

NEIGHBORHOOD UPDATE

Summer Job Fair for Ward Five High School Students: On Wednesday, May
4, 2005, between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., Council Member
Vincent B. Orange is sponsoring a job fair for high school students with GUEST
SERVICES, INC. The job fair will take place in the John Wilson
Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 103. On-the-spot interviews will be
conducted for jobs as cashiers/servers and ice cream cart attendants at
a rate of $8.00 per hour. Applicants must bring two forms of identification – i.e., a social security card and a valid driver’s license or any other government issued photo identification. Background checks will be conducted following a successful interview. For more information, call (202)724-8028.

Ward Five Picnic: On Saturday, May 14, 2005, from Noon until Dusk,
Council Member Orange is sponsoring his annual picnic and plant giveaway. The
picnic will be held at the Langdon Park and Recreation Center, 20th and
Franklin Streets, NE. In addition to the plant giveaway, there will be
food and music as well as a moon bounce, pony rides, bingo and other
activities for children. This picnic represents the kickoff of the spring and
summer cleanup campaigns that Mr. Orange would like to stimulate in every
neighborhood in Ward Five.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day: On Saturday, May 14, 2005,
from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., Washington, DC residents may dispose of
household hazardous waste items at Carter Barron Amphitheater Parking Lot, 16th
and Kennedy Streets, NW. Items that will be collected for recycling are:
(1) acids; (2) aerosols; (3) antifreeze; (4) asbestos tile; (5) batteries;
(6) cleaning chemicals; (7) drain openers; (8a) furniture stripper; (9)
ink; (10) varnish; lawn and garden chemicals; (12) fertilizer; (13) lighter
fluid; (14) mercury themometers; (15) moth balls; (16) motor oil; (17)
paint; (18) pesticides and poisons; (19 roofing tar; (20)
solvents/thinners; (21) transmission, windshield wiper and brake fluids; (22) wood
preservatives; and (23) your old green or maroon recycling bin. This
event is being sponsored by the DC Department of Public Works. For more
information call (202) 727-1000.

Police Service Area (PSA) 501 Monthly Meeting: The next PSA 501 meeting
will take place on Thursday, May 19, 2005, from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.,
at the Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church’s Bishop Alfred Owens Family Life
Center, 609 Rhode Island Avenue, NE. This meeting represents an important
opportunity for residents to share their public safety concerns with
the MPD official who is directly responsible for providing police coverage to
our area. In addition, residents can be exposed to “best practices” that
are being implemented by citizens in other parts of the city to combat
crime.

Senior Citizens’ Police Academy: In partnership with the DC Office on
Aging, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has created a unique
opportunity for seniors to understand the operations of the Department,
develop problem-solving skills and strategies, become ambassadors to
their communities, and volunteer to help solve crime. The MPD’s Senior
Citizens’ Police Academy program was developed in concert with the Partnership
Academy, a crime prevention leadership training program for community
residents and other stakeholders in the District of Columbia. MPD will provide
senior citizens with free courses that enable them to understand each other,
their role in neighborhood safety and health, and the role of their MPD
partners; courses that build the capacity of neighborhood residents to impact
crime and disorder problems; and courses that support the leadership that is
necessary for systemic change. The program runs for 12 weeks on
Tuesday mornings for approximately three hours. Classes will begin in June
2005.
Participants must be 50 years of age and older, express a willingness
to complete the entire program, be a resident of the District, and consent
to a background check. For more information, please contact Marsh Hott at
(202) 727-8751 or the Office on Aging’s Information and Assistance Unit on
(202) 724-5626.

“Happy are those who dream dreams, and are willing to pay the price to
make
them come true!”

BATES AREA CIVIC ASSOCIATION, INC.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20001

May 2, 2005

Monthly Meeting Agenda

1. Meeting Called to Order 7:00 p.m.

2. Opening Comments

3.Public Safety Report Fifth District Police

4. Remarks: William O. Howland, Jr.,
Director, DPW
Insp. Jacqueline Brooks
DPW

5. Remarks: Raman Bhatia
Community Greens

6. “Flower Power 2005” Mary Ann Wilmer

7. Land Use, Planning, and Art Slater
Economic Development
Committee Report

8. Office of C/M Orange Linda Perkins, Director
Constituent Services

9. BACA Housekeeping J. Berry

10. Announcements:

(a) Next BACA Meeting – Monday, June 6, 2005

11. Adjournment 8:30 p.m.

12. Social Period 9:00 p.m.

JDB

Like I care

500 block of R Street.

If you know what supposedly recently happened to the Shaw East area. I say ‘supposedly’ because I can’t find any proof that this zoned restriction has occured yet by the DC gov powers that be… AND if you know my feelings on this, then you know why I don’t care.
If the picture is too fuzzy for you, just know that it looks like vinyl siding is coming up.

DC demographic changes in miniature

Well C moved out this past weekend. She and her kids. I guess the last tax assessment was the last straw. I never saw the house up for sale. There was never a sign out front. Our neighborhood handyman, mentioned it and said ‘everyone has a price.’ It must have been a pretty good price because C had a strong reason to stay. Her parents lived just a couple of doors down. Really. Kids would run from her house to their grandparents house in a matter of seconds. Can you say free babysitting? Her kids seem to play well with the kids already on the block as they would all tear up and down the sidewalk, throwing the ball around, rough housing, doing what kids do. They were good kids. Now she’s gone. One less black family. Fewer kids on the block. Fewer playmates for the kids who remain.
Her replacement, from what I can tell, is European-American, has no kids, but does have a dog (I tell you this block is going to the dogs), and didn’t see a significant other. 1 replaces 3.