Tea Garden

 This spring I decided to join a group of volunteers who plant and tend raised bed boxes in the granery district along Alpine Avenue.  

We met at Mac Market last week, and chatted about the project, what was planted in the beds last year, and chose from those available for tending and watering this year. 

Alpine garden beds

I'm one of 10 new volunteers, and my first bed (near the one in the photo) has raspberry, blackberry and strawberries. There's room for some Edible flowers, and perhaps a native Camas. I'd like to add an arctic raspberry, when I find some!

We'll return soon for garden cleanup and spread a new layer of mulch. Many of the beds have cover crops, including a nice patch of miners lettuce! 

Tea Garden Gal!

There's a Tea Garden, and I was excited that one's now available, so I'll be tending it! I may ask for the herb garden next to it, and see if someone else would like the Berry bed.  The perennials don't require as much water as the annual veggies planted in many of the beds.

Over a decade ago, my friend Nikki and I began growing Sochi Camellia sinensis. The most northern tea, this variety grows in Sochi Russia near the Black Sea, and is well suited to our latitude at nearly 45° N. 

Camellia sinensis

Tea camellia is the source of black, white and green tea.  It's both aromatic and frost Hardy. While the flowers are small (about the size of a strawberry flower), its mature leaves are about the size of those on an ornamental Camellia. 

My grandson and I visited the gardens midweek - he loves Purslane, and enjoyed trying the Miner's Lettuce, and seeing the other cover crops. 

Cover crops - rye, cover & field beans

Later in the week, I met my friend Donna at the gardens, and did some pruning and deadheading - it's good to leave spent foliage and flower stalks through the fall and winter for the critters, and save this task for early spring.

Tea Garden clean up

I found a cat mint by the chamomile and mint clump - that's one I wanted to add! No sign of the lemon verbena that was there the first year - I'll likely need to replace it! 

The tea camellia, chamomile, cat mint, Lemon balm, a couple of peppermints and Rosemary are all looking good! There are also some small borage seedlings - a happy addition to tea and salads. 🥗 💙 

Tea Garden plan

After a bit of tending, Donna and I walked down to Mac Market and admired the beds along the way.