Backyard Gardener
gardenerbythebeach.bsky.social
Backyard Gardener
@gardenerbythebeach.bsky.social
Currently obsessed with evicting gophers. And with preserving democracy and basic human rights. Circle of control = my garden 🪴
(I am not here to sell any products or services)
Loved my visit to the Chico seed orchard, an USDA research center since 1904 and very cool
April 4, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Our new bioswale that we dug out has been doing a phenom job of temporarily holding on to overflow stormwater 😍
March 24, 2025 at 5:55 AM
Reposted by Backyard Gardener
Does Trump realize his autopen conspiracy theory makes him look like a frothing lunatic?
March 19, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Closeup of our red leaf lettuce - super easy to grow in beds or pots from starters. Harvest around the perimeter for salads on demand, and it will keep giving until weather gets too hot (then replace with romaine which is more heat tolerant). 💚 🥗
March 18, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Reposted by Backyard Gardener
Walz: "The idea that the secretary of education would not know what IDEA is -- individuals with disability in education act -- that's like your mechanic not knowing how to put air in your tire. And she's in charge of this nation's education progress. It is catastrophic."
March 13, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Horrible move that will reduce access to healthy food and hurt local small farmers….

www.politico.com/news/2025/03...
USDA cancels $1B in local food purchasing for schools, food banks
States have been notified that they will not receive 2025 funding for schools to buy food from nearby farms.
www.politico.com
March 11, 2025 at 4:59 AM
Reposted by Backyard Gardener
When Trump was sworn in, Elon Musk's corporations were under more than 32 investigations conducted by at least 11 federal agencies.

Most of the cases are now closed or likely to be closed soon, and the federal agencies are being defanged by DOGE.

Funny how that works, huh?
March 9, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Fava bean flowers have a lovely scent! Like a very mild jasmine or sweet pea. 🫛

Been super easy to grow so recommend giving it a try, but it does get big. it has been in the ground 8 weeks or so and is already about 4 feet tall
March 9, 2025 at 6:52 AM
One clear example of how all these cuts are not about cutting govt spending or balancing a budget:
“By firing us, you’re going to cut down on how much revenue the country brings in,” said an axed IRS specialist who’d been brought in to audit complex tax returns filed by large corporations and wealthy individuals. “This was not about saving money.”

By @andykroll.bsky.social
How DOGE’s Cuts to the IRS Threaten to Cost More Than DOGE Will Ever Save
The Trump administration claims gutting federal agencies will save money, but cutting the IRS means the government collects less taxes. “If you’re interested in the deficit and curbing it, why would…
propub.li
March 9, 2025 at 6:41 AM
Mood after the work week. 😆

Unexpected gift from friend after I gave her some of my homemade seed starting mix. 💚 (If you want to make your own - Simple mix of coco coir, sand, perlite)
March 8, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Reposted by Backyard Gardener
Trump hammered the cost of groceries on the campaign trail, promising to lower them immediately, but that didn't happen. Makes you want to throw eggs, but they're too expensive, Times columnist Steve Lopez writes.
Commentary: Trump promised lower food prices immediately, but I gave him six weeks. Here's my grocery bill
Trump hammered the cost of groceries on the campaign trail, promising to lower them immediately, but that didn't happen. Makes you want to throw eggs, but they're too expensive.
www.latimes.com
March 6, 2025 at 10:17 PM
White lotus character is bit by a cobra 🐍 and back from the Thai hospital in time for dinner? A little of that Mike White “Survivor” toughness I suppose.
But I gasped when she got in the strangers’ truck cause I wouldn’t go to the ER without extra clothes, charger, snacks, etc for the long haul 😆
March 7, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Seed starting day 14: and they rise! Some are duds, some are champs. Metaphor for people / life. 🪴

These seedlings need to be strong for the gophers are kind of out of control, so keeping them inside for long as possible 💚
March 7, 2025 at 5:57 AM
Me! I’m a No Buy girl - goal of no new clothes shoes or bags in 2025. Buying used, swapping with friends, or making do with what I’ve already got
This growing group of shoppers is fed up with a constant barrage of marketing in their social feeds and phone alerts, and they're participating in “Low Buy 2025” or “No Buy 2025.” The trend is as much a pushback against the forces of a consumerist culture as it is about saving money. nyti.ms/3EUwLf6
February 28, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Reposted by Backyard Gardener
A grassroots movement is calling on all Americans to abstain from shopping with major retailers tomorrow, February 28, as part of an “economic blackout.”

I encourage you to join. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/boycott
February 28, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Flip these districts! All these aholes voted for the billionaires instead of everyday citizens. Let’s please get rid of them
February 26, 2025 at 6:13 AM
Reposted by Backyard Gardener
Vital services and protections for everyday Americans are being gutted thanks to DOGE.

And this is happening in exchange for renewing one of the biggest tax cuts in American history that will predominantly benefit people like...you guessed it...Elon Musk.

See the problem here?
February 25, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Allies in the garden today! This earthworm is helping enrich the soil with nutrients from its castings. And, here in a patch of weeds are some ladybugs 🐞 who are expert tiny game hunters who eat little pests that go after your plants 🙏 One ladybug eats 50-60 aphids a day!
(weeding is overrated)
February 25, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Grateful for Jane Fonda’s words: “We must not isolate. We must stay in community. We must help the vulnerable. We must find ways to project an inspiring vision of the future.”
The whole speech is more than the “woke” soundbyte and worth a read:
“A whole lot of people are going to be really hurt by what is happening, what is coming our way,” Jane Fonda said at the #SAGAwards. “And even if they’re of a different political persuasion, we need to call upon our empathy.”

Read the full speech transcript: www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
February 24, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Reposted by Backyard Gardener
In 1968, 13-year-old Mary Beth Tinker was suspended from school for wearing a black armband to protest the Vietnam War.

We took her case all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of Mary Beth and students’ right to free speech 56 years ago today.
February 24, 2025 at 5:23 PM
They cut thousands of service jobs like park rangers and firefighters, but spend billions more on the military? 😡
Last week, the Senate GOP passed a budget that included a $150B increase in military spending.

This week, the House GOP will vote on its own budget — which includes massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP to pay for more billionaire tax cuts.

This isn't about what we can "afford."
The House Wants to Pass Trump’s Agenda in One Big Bill. Here’s What’s in It.
The G.O.P. bill would extend tax cuts and almost certainly make big reductions to programs serving the poor. Passing it may be hard, though.
www.nytimes.com
February 24, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Seed starting day 3 - watering. Using water from rain barrel to up-water them for a bit.

We have 4 rain barrels that capture an amazing amount of rain! One inch of rain on 500 sq feet of roof = 300 gallons water.usgs.gov/edu/activity...
February 23, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Brussel sprouts are so cute on the stalk. First time growing them and have new appreciation for all the times I’ve bought or ordered them by the handful as they take a minute to grow 🪴
February 22, 2025 at 3:53 AM
Reposted by Backyard Gardener
Good morning friends! Sending you all a big hug on this Friday morning. Today I will be trying to remember that even small acts of kindness and love matter—and to do a few.
February 21, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Backyard Gardener
Thanks to Donald Trump – it's a great day to be a billionaire in America.

For the rest of us? Not so much.
February 19, 2025 at 11:36 PM