Rose Cottage

  I *finally* got out to rework the garden bed Zander and I began summer of 22!  Matt tossed clover seed over the back several years ago as a ground cover. They have gardened on the back lot several times over the 15 years they've been here, and it's good soil, but more exposed to cold than near the houses.  Zander and his sis learned about food security and planted seeds each day at VBS '22 (vacation bible school), and we gave the marigolds, beans and sunflowers they started a home, along with tomatoes, peppers and pink celery. We used wood rounds and chicken wire around the bed to define it. Kale, chard and lots of clover When I moved across town last fall, I put in a couple of chard, Perennial kale, ( homesteaders kaleidoscope,  seed from Experimental Farm Network), plus garlic and Babington topset leeks. I've had the leeks a decade, after getting sets from Peace Seeds; whose founder Dr. Alan 'Mushroom' Kapuler recently passed.   Mushroom loved sha...

  As the fall cool weather and rains arrive, the tea camellia are in bloom - I never tire of seeing their pretty white flowers, and am excited to get the larger plants in the ground and growing on.  In Southern Yunnan province in China, there are wild tea trees  600 to 1800 years old, and 15 meters tall! My last tea camellia, at 15, was about 5×5'  Camellia sinensis, Sochi  And - here in the N, is time to plant garlic! My favorite garlic method (zone 8b, so fall planted, hardneck garlic): Forgotten garlic clump Look for some clumps you missed during harvest (since I plant mine in various beds, I usually miss some!) Ease them out of the earth Gently tease their roots apart Poke holes around the garden, drop in the bulb, add compost or soil, and top with a layer of leaves. Strawberry planter with garlic starts   One clump (seperated) went between plants in the cedar strawberry planter, the second into a long planter with more strawberries, and the last into t...

 It's been getting colder and fall rains have begun.  Matt brought in the summer hanging baskets, and I added some of my tender perennials to the greenhouse.  First plants in the greenhouse After several rainy and blustery days, it cleared up, and I decided today was a good day to rake leaves, and cozy-up the greenhouse.  I watched several videos on using a composter in our by the greenhouse for winter warmth, and decided to give it a try! Lime, Tea tub and bistro I began by moving in the tub of tender perennials, & created a cozy nook with the Bistro table and a chair.  Leaves and compost I raked dogwood leaves - and reflected on how much I enjoyed doing that with my dad each fall. I packed some in the bottom of a 3 gallon pot, then added about a gallon of partly broken down compost from the bin (plus worms and black soldier fly larvae!) & then another layer of leaves. Compost Corner I set the compost pot into the hardware cloth cage Zander and I made ...

 On a recent shopping trip, I got a bag of nutrient dense whole buckwheat groats. I've used buckwheat before, but it's been awhile!  Buckwheat - soaking some for sprouts With origins in Asia, this pseudo-gain (*it's a large seed - naturally free of gluten) has a unique amino acid composition that gives it biological activities and properties which promote health . These include cholesterol-lowering effects, anti-hypertension effects and the ability to improve digestion. A fan of oatmeal? Try adding some Buckwheat or Kasha to your meals! Buckwheat Japanese agricultural encyclopedia  When buckwheat is fermented, in drinks or sourdough, it can act as a valuable prebiotic that nourishes healthy bacteria in the digestive tract. Studies show that consuming fermented buckwheat products can improve the body’s pH level — or the balance between acidity and alkalinity — that keeps harmful bacteria and disease from forming. Components include  Phenolic compounds and flavonoids, ...