Rose Cottage

  This spring my son came with his small tractor to till the back lot while the fence to the S is open. While I prefer no-dig methods, and minimal soil disturbance, Mary wanted the lot evened out. Garden shed, greenhouse, artichoke and Rosemary - and on the right, the row of blueberries.  Freshly Tilled Garden I'd already put together several garden beds, and Mary helped me assemble another. Two were in the garden with chard and perennial kale - so I moved those plants out weeks before Josh came to till. Two beds with branches and straw Ideally, I'd cover the whole back with tarps and cardboard ... I had saved enough cardboard to cover the bottom of each bed.  Matt took out the grape in back, and saved the branches for my beds.  The black bag has goat bedding from Michael's house - two bags was enough for  a good layer in 1 1/2 beds. I harvested some of our compost for another layer. The mound of our native dirt to the left of the back bed it's loose enough to d...

 This week for Earth day, our Climate Action Group hosted several events:  Saturday a fair worth talks on reducing use of plastics and recipes/ tips.  On Monday, we joined the worldwide prayers for the earth, and showed the new film Common Ground, which highlights the importance of returning to sustainable agricultural practices. Rojo Chiquito beans in filtered water  This morning, I'm soaking Rojo Chiquito beans  (du ya • gi ga ge i) - I usually soak beans 4+ hours, then rinse, drain and pre-sprout by repeating the rinse / drain sequence several times over 8-24 hours.  I'll simmer frozen veggie trimmings for stock, and add a splash of vinegar, kombu (seaweed) a bay leaf,yomohi and herbs as I cook the beans.  For making Stock, plus my Rice n Lentils recipes, check out this post . These small red beans will take a bit longer than the lentils, likely 60-90 minutes total. I Picked up the beans on my Tuesday trip to Wellspent Market (in Mac Mkt on A...

 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 annua...

 A new house includes gardening in a new spot!  My daughter and son-in law moved here 13 years ago, and have gardened off and on throughout that time.  It's a double lot, with the garden area fenced. Small fruit include a row of blueberries, raspberries, a couple of grape vines on arbors, and a rhubarb.  There's an artichoke patch, a lovely Rosemary and several other herbs. The border the veggie area, which has had several configurations.  Artichoke patch My younger grandson and I began a no dig bed last summer, and planted greens and tomatoes. They learned about food security and planted seeds each day at VBS (vacation bible school), so we gave the marigolds, beans and sunflowers a home. Plant station At my old house, I potted up perennial veggies and herbs, and kept new plants in pots - my dear son-in law brought them over on his truck - several loads! Some will remain in pots, and others planted out as the garden expands. I brought tender perennials into the ...