The Fink Farm Dirt

It hasn't been easy during the coronavirus shut-down to know what is open and what is not. The Fink farmers were certain that nurseries were closed. We shook our heads and murmured about how it looked like it was going to be a fallow year for the garden. Then -- overhearing gossip -- we learned that nurseries were open to those who wear masks and keep appropriate social distancing. Farmer Karen leapt into action and bought pony packs of tomatoes (Romas and cherry), marigolds, Italian basil and assorted lettuces. We're overstocked with tomatoes for the space we have -- and understocked with marigolds to keep the tomatoes free of bugs. We've taken a cross-your-heart, pinky-wrap vow to prune the tomato vines as the summer unfolds and to keep the suckers plucked.   We're also experimenting with growing a tomato plant in a pot with a Rube Goldberg arrangement to climb on. (One day we'll get around to putting masonry screws on the cinder block wall that ...

After years of DIY and hand-me-down composters, we've splurged and purchased a rotating composter. The idea was inspired by Tom, an Oklahoma friend who posted a photo of his on Facebook.  When I commented on it, he told me it came from Tractor Supply . I ignorantly said that Tractor Supply outlets were hard to find in urban L.A. He proved me wrong! Now, I had been poking through Amazon's offerings with appalling results. I found one that cost $300 and reviewers reported that it took hours to assemble. Not for me! The Good Ideas Compost Wizard Jr. was about half the cost, easy to bring home and took no more assembly than dropping it into place and cutting the bands holding its two parts together for transportation.  American-made, it has a seven-cubic foot capacity divided into two chambers. With curbside service at the Santa Clarita store, we had a rotating composter in about an hour. An unexpected consequence of the coronavirus pandemic has been that when you ...