Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

I was promised a recession.

Not all heroes wear capes.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Infrastructure week. at last.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

After roe, women are no longer free.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Second rate reporter says what?

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Reader Interactions

66Comments

  1. 1.

    w3ski

    It looks great as is. All I have going is a couple a willing potatoes, despite being Go season now. Just been to lazy or too busy.
    w3ski

  3. 3.

    VividBlueDotty

    Nice. Lovely to look at and you will be enjoying those veggies before you know it!

  6. 6.

    Stuck in the Funhouse

    I must say, that is impressive. I just hope you don’t have too much organic matter mixed in, as the soil looks awfully dark. I sure wouldn’t add any nitrogen in it for a while.

    It is back hot as hell today, so I cut a hole in my porch railing, and made a small space fenced in, so Charlie can scope out what the haps outside.

    This old decaying apartment complex, has turned into a canine, and feline haven since the new owners started allowing pets. With all sorts of doggies, and their owners out walking them, and chatting up other dog owners while the mutts sniff each others crotch. Charlie has made some 4 and 2 legged friends, and a couple of Chihuahuas just wandered by with their owner to say hi.

  7. 7.

    LT

    That’s fucking great. Damn. Mkes this one br, second floor apartment feel even smaller. Blarg.

  8. 8.

    LT

    That’s fucking great. Damn. Mkes this one br, second floor apartment feel even smaller. Blarg.

  9. 9.

    Holden Pattern

    What do you do for trellising? Need to trellis some cukes this summer.

    (Anyone with experience please chime in here.)

  10. 10.

    mzrad

    Do you think you could remove the copper wire from some old computer cables, staple it in lengths along the edge of your raised bed planking, and keep out the slugs? Would that work?

  11. 11.

    karen marie

    Isn’t it kind of late for peas? I always put them in in April and was eating them by now, if I recall.

  13. 13.

    maven

    That box with the tomatoes is going to Take Over. Better get a beer and start with the supports.

  14. 14.

    gogol's wife

    @lamh35:

    I saw it in a bookstore yesterday, and it’s very attractive. But I have zero interest in gardening!

  15. 15.

    kdaug

    Good on ya, Cole. The more food you can grow yourself and eat (for FREE) is a net plus across the board.

    A buddy of mine just set up his with stacks of cinderblocks last weekend. I think it’s a brilliant idea. He’s using the little pocket things for herbs and the main space for the bigger vegetables.

    You might want to rig up some chicken wire to keep the birds out, but your course is dead-on.

  18. 18.

    Stuck in the Funhouse

    @lamh35:

    I just got an email from Flotus, saying thanks, General Stuck. Well, she used my real name and my heart went aflutter. I don’t even know what she thanked me for, and don’t want to spoil the mystery by opening it and ruining my fantasies. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe not.

  19. 19.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Stuck in the Funhouse:

    I must have missed something, somewhere (not unusual). Did you used to be General Stuck? It was the reference to Charlie that clued me in.

    Speaking of … any chance of a recent picture? I thank you in advance.

  20. 20.

    jl

    Looks good.

    Note to self: constantly pester Cole for garden pix, and that there are cukes but no zuchs.

    Fine, waste another year on a silly summer squash strike.

    Years and years from now, Cole on his death bed, the aroma of delicious stuffed zucchini blossoms, redolent with garlic, olive oil, fennel, and Italian sausage will waft into his room. And he will want some.

    And the aroma of fresh baked zucchini bread.

    But no. It will be too late. Cream of rice and metamucil for Old Coot Cole.

    It will be too late. He was warned.

  21. 21.

    aimai

    John, have you heard of “Square Foot Gardening?” Google it. I have the book, though I’m not actually a gardener. I guess that’s like a flat chested woman subscribing to “Juggs” but there you go. However, its a fascinating theory of succession gardening in which you plant just enough of each thing on a square foot grid and then when you harvest you plant the next thing. It produces amazing amounts of stuff–just enough for one or two people–in a very small space with very little weeding or waste. If I had enough sun in my tiny city plot I’d definitely be using it.

    aimai

  22. 22.

    Raven

    A friend of mine died the other day. He was an ecology/biology professor, father, husband and former Navy pilot. This article is about how doctors die but it is also how he chose to go.

    Here is what his daughter wrote the night he died”

    He’s resting comfortably and peacefully and his pain is controlled, and he is surrounded by the love of all his family and friends. We are all very sad to say goodbye but I am confident that he is not afraid of this journey and that his spirit looks forward to joining the nature he loves so much. He will finally get to become a tree and experience photosynthesis firsthand, the beauty of which must be beyond comprehension.

  23. 23.

    Stuck in the Funhouse

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Did you used to be General Stuck?

    Why yes, and still am if you want to call me that. But I was Stuck in the Funhouse originally, way before the General Stuck iteration. It was during the 2008 campaign season, and one day the silly factor was so high, out popped Stuck in the Funhouse. The rest is hysteria.

    camera battery low, and needs charging. Maybe tomorrow a charlie pic. :-)

  25. 25.

    jl

    Oops. I assumed Cole has planted no summer squash. I am liable to be chewed out for making assumptions, implications and insinuations about his garden. And Cole will chew me out far out of proportion to IMHO venial sin.

    So, I am sorry. I will restate my last comment:

    Mr. Cole: would you mind sharing your complete list of plantings, and would you be so kind as to inform us whether summer squash of the speicies Cucurbita pepo are honored with inclusion in your garden?

    thnx, and good luck with garden.

  26. 26.

    Scout211

    @Holden Pattern:

    I bought my cucumber trellis from Gardener’s Supply Company (www.gardeners.com). They sell them in 2 sizes. The larger sized ones I also use for cantaloupe. I angle the trellis to run the vines up the trellis to catch the fence that surrounds my garden. Works great.

  27. 27.

    r€nato

    any desert farmers out there?

    I’m thinking about what to do with a plot land in my back yard. It gets a lot of sun, but otherwise it’s perfect. I’m thinking of not only adding poles to support a shade, but also maybe adding a misting system to help them survive the warmer, dryer months.

  28. 28.

    Freddie deBoer

    Keep meaning to do an open thread about this, but y’all are quick. We just welcomed a new member to the family.

    His name is Suavecito.

  29. 29.

    Violet

    Your garden beds look great! I see you’re watering with an overhead sprinkler. Tomatoes and squash don’t like that and it increases the likelihood of soil-borne diseases. You might consider drip irrigation. You can get a drip hose fairly cheap and just move it from bed to bed. Or splurge on four, one for each bed.

    @r€nato:
    I don’t specifically, but last year was so incredibly dry it was like being in the desert. I’d recommend high-compost beds and mulch, mulch, mulch, mulch. Then more mulch. Afternoon shade is helpful if the temps are super high, so if you are putting up shade, plan in that way.

    Not sure where you’re located, but it could already be too late to put in some of the things you see in Cole’s garden, as he’s possibly much further north than you. If you’re at altitude, you might have more time.

    A misting system is probably a waste of water. A lot of vegetable plants don’t like getting their leaves too wet and most of the mist would evaporate unless you use it at night/early morning.

  35. 35.

    John Cole

    I must say, that is impressive. I just hope you don’t have too much organic matter mixed in, as the soil looks awfully dark. I sure wouldn’t add any nitrogen in it for a while.

    It’s a mix. The bottom couple inches, after I plowed before putting the beds in, is just topsoil. Then I put in a combo of the compost I’ve created the past two years, Dr. Earth organic soil, a little peat, and some manure. It just looks really dark because it is wet because I was watering in that photo. When I first plant things, I really like to get a good watering in, so I ran the sprinkler for a while tonight.

    I assumed Cole has planted no summer squash.

    I have not- squash and zucchini are so plentiful around these parts that I can get my fill for pennies on the dollars. I went with romas for a full bed so I can freeze them and have good sauce year round.

  37. 37.

    Svensker

    @Freddie deBoer:

    Such a cutie! Oh squeezles!

    I am jealous of gardens. Miss my okra beds and green beans and maters. Also, too, squash blossoms. Stuffed with goat cheese and herbs, dipped in milk then crumbs, fried in olive oil. Wowzers good.

  41. 41.

    karen marie

    @maven: Yeah, I’m not sure I would have put more than 3 tomato plants in a bed that size. If you mix up your plantings — 3 tomatoes in one bed edged with peas, lettuce, carrots and/or herbs, for example — you can maximize your space. Get a piece of fence to stick in the side somewhere and you can grow your cucumbers up — keeps them more pristine. Get the peas on there first and when they’re done, move the cukes over.

    I no longer have the luxury of such things. I’m sacrificing myself to increase the number of Democrats in Arizona in general and Maricopa County in particular, and a garden like John’s is not at all possible. Today it was close to 100. It was so hot my dog kept laying down under pickup trucks when I walked her over to the Circle-K. I brought her water to drink along the way, but I’m going to have to make sure it’s under 95 before I take her out again like that .

    Rosemary grows in great hedges here where there’s irrigation or water available, so I’m looking forward to growing myself a great huge stinking rosemary bush before too long.

    I miss my space in the Fenway Victory Gardens.

  44. 44.

    Violet

    @John Cole:

    after I plowed before putting the beds in,

    You don’t have to plow. Do the sheet mulch method instead. Put cardboard down on the grass, build raised bed so that everything inside it has cardboard underneath, put soil on top of cardboard.

    The cardboard will keep the weeds from coming through and kill the grass. Make sure it’s reasonably thick cardboard – just the normal thickness of a box, not anything super thick. And use normal brown cardboard, not the shiny stuff. Cardboard disintegrates over time, but not before the weeds and grass underneath are killed. Works like a charm.

  45. 45.

    Meg

    Don’t forget to stake the tomato plants!
    It is better to do it now than later since you don’t want to hurt the root systems once they are developed.

  46. 46.

    currants

    Nice garden, John Cole! I must jam plants in way too tightly: 9 tomatoes, 3 eggplants and 3 peppers in a 4×8, and that’s lots more room than last year….

    Try this for irrigation–on a timer, before dawn. Pretty simple, easy to set up (once you decide on a layout), and low-maintenance.

    Have fun!

  47. 47.

    maven

    Have stopped ‘roto-tilling’. The tiller is for sale tomorrow at the neighborhood garage sale.

    Keep the weeds out; let the wildlife flourish.

    All will be well.

    Am making pesto tonight. Home grown basil (container) with the luxury of ‘white’ pasta.

  48. 48.

    Stuck in the Funhouse

    @John Cole:

    It just looks really dark because it is wet because I was watering in that photo.

    That explains it. Anyways, awesome garden spot you built.

  50. 50.

    Yutsano

    @lamh35: Why do I get the feeling Luthor’s next move is to tell the DoJ to go fuck themselves? That seems to fit his pattern so far.

  51. 51.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    @aimai: I’m on my third year of Square Foot Gardening, with 2 4×4 squares. There’s a couple of versions of the book out, the earlier one is supposed to be better. I haven’t gotten nearly the bounty the author has, although I’ve had some success at planting a second crop. Broccoli planted in August did much better than the April stuff. It likes cold weather when it’s time to harvest.

    PS I went with conduit instead of water pipe for the trellis supports. Much cheaper, and lighter, and it’ll last plenty long before it has to be replaced.

  53. 53.

    parsimon

    All hail to Cole’s garden beds. I’m a little surprised the green beans aren’t coming up yet.

  54. 54.

    p.a.

    any plans to protect the crop from critters?

    and herbs? are u using pots? they say basil between tomato plants keeps down bug infestations. i do italian, thai and australian basil. the aussi isn’t as tasty but is VERY hardy and bugproof. i live in zone 5 but have gotten 5 years out of rosemary- south side of yard against a west-facing wall. want a challenge, John? try a fig tree. fresh figs are awesome. my neighbor boxes his up for winter with pink foam insulation on the inner wood surfaces. old-timers would dig a trench, drop the tree into it and cover it for winter, and ‘resurrect’ it each spring. people i know who tried wrapping their tree in canvass were gravely disappointed come spring,

  55. 55.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Stuck in the Funhouse:

    Thanks! I think I came on board at BJ in late 2007 or early 2008, and it took a while to get to know who the “regulars” were — so I guess i was oblivious to your original nym change.

    Pictures of Charlie are welcome and appreciated any time!

    And O/T (as if it weren’t already), don’t you live in NM? I was just there for the first time in my life and thought it was beautiful. I want to return soon and see more of the state than I had a chance to.

  58. 58.

    Stuck in the Funhouse

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    don’t you live in NM?

    Yup, and I love living here, not too hot, not too cold, but just right, and a blue bastion sandwiched between two batshit crazy red states.

  59. 59.

    Mnemosyne

    @Freddie deBoer:

    What a cutie! It looks like he has a big dose of Ragdoll in him, which is the second most awesome breed of cat. (Maine Coon being the undisputed first, of course.)

    @lamh35:

    One of my friends at work is both a gardener and a huge fan of FLOTUS, so she’s pretty excited about the book.

  60. 60.

    Ron

    Somewhat OT (sounds weird in an open thread.) I made burgers tonight with ground brisket. Holy shit, those are good. I highly recommend them. (Maybe this would have been more appropriate for the battle of the protein thread earlier)

  61. 61.

    Cacti

    Cole, does this thread mean you’ve shoved your inner glibertard back in his cage after the “New York landwhales have an unfettered right to swill down 80 oz of corn syrup”.

  62. 62.

    Keith

    Very OT, but I was reading about the actor who plays Bronn on Game of Thrones (best character on the show, IMO…by a nose. HA!), and ran across this.
    Anybody here know the actor is also a British pop singer?

  63. 63.

    ruemara

    I’ve thought about putting in a tomato or pepper plant in the garden containers I could save, but every time I see gardens it just makes me sad. Yours look really good, can’t wait to see the inevitable “how do I cook 47 marrows and 3kilos of paste tomatoes” post.

  64. 64.

    Constance

    @currants:

    My friend Kim, the Permaculture maven, recommends a very similar product called Netafim (developed by the Israelis–those people know how to utilize water) (and no, I do not support Israel in her insane treatment of the Palestinians but give the gardeners in Israel credit–they know water). No pressure valves are required, just hook it up to a hose. I’m going to start this year in my parking area which has about 125 feet of perennial beds, 8 feet wide. I’m exhausted every weekend moving the damned hose and sprinkler around.

  66. 66.

    karen marie

    @Raven: I had two, 1/2 brother and sister, 18 months apart. They were the best dogs in the world, but my boy James stole my heart. I have another dog now, a female Cavalier/Cocker mix. While she’s a sweet and lovely girl, she will never fill the hole left by my James and Our Patty.

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