Golden Gardening

I just had to return Carol Deppe's book The Resilient Gardener to the library, and put it on hold again because I didn't have time to finish it. But it's a good one! In the meantime I have some quick notes from chapter 2 regarding her stated "33 Golden Rules", which can be found in complete list form here. Personally I think some of them are redundant but I understand why she repeats certain principles for dramatic affect. The first three and last three are the best.

1. All gardening is local
2. Plant things that grow where you live
3. Variety, variety, variety

31. Slow down
32. Notice everything
33. Save, cherish and distribute seeds of the varieties you care most for

So how am I doing? I really need to... relax and pay attention.

Soil, what are you?

It's always nice to have more information. Dita was visiting the past few days and right before she left she asked me to make sure I plant peas. I was like, I got you! How about some chamomile and dill too? Dill is a most prized herb in Latvian cuisine. She said she had trouble growing it here for the last two years. Is that because she was trying to grow Latvian seed in Seattle ground? I have seed variety special for here. Or is there something up with the soil? Today we are in the Capricorn constellation (earth/root). Yesterday I looked for a soil tester kit at Swansons but they didn't have one. Today I googled "soil testing Seattle" and came up with this. There are many services here in Seattle (of course) including a resource at UW. I have a couple days to check this out. I'm also super excited to visit the Botanic Library for the first time. I've always wanted to get soil tested before, just for the experience. The King Conservation District has FREE SOIL TESTING SERVICES. I may even do something with the information I will gain.

Pruning For Prunes

Went to another workshop at Swansons this morning co-organized by City Fruit, promoting the production and maintenance of urban orchards and fruit trees in Seattle. I went so I could learn tips for caring for this very old plum tree on the property that hasn't been maintained for who knows how long.

Each year in the Spring, fruit trees should be pruned back to no more than a quarter of the total canopy surface. This is to promote fruit production and health, for purposes of increasing air circulation and greater light access. Branches situated at 45 degrees (rather than inward, vertical, horizontal or downward) are optimal for spaciousness. As can be seen in this photo the branching is heavy and mostly positioned horizontal or downward. The canopy is very dense.

Which makes a lot of sense because it's an old tree, and surely has a complex root system. The complex crown exists to balance it out. As can be seen in this photo, though, the tree was trained well in the beginning, there is good structure coming from the trunk. But at some point the maintenance was let go.

My task will be prune back the "4 D's", as Ingela the instructor put it, that is those parts of the branches dead, dying, diseased or deranged. All of the unnecessary complexity getting in the way of light, air and space. Cutting smartly, though, so I don't damage the tree by creating too many wounds. Carefully now. In the middle of March the moon will be in descent (waning) in the Saggitarrius constellation (warmth/fruit) which seems like a good time to battle the plums.

Grapes & Berries in Aries

We entered the Aries constellation today / warmth / fruit. And so appropriately, I went to workshop at Swansons this morning called "Grapes and Berries in Your Garden", and have walked away with some informational handouts and increased excitement for caretaking the berries and grapes currently established, and perhaps adding a few plants this year. Now is the time to plant bare roots. With the enormous rhodendron hedgerow shading out half the garden I will probably add currents, which are able to tolerate some shade. Other berries are said to need at least 6 hours of sun, which some beds in this garden cannot provide. Soon I will need to prune the table grapes.

 At the workshop I learned that in order to maximize sunlight, foliage should be cut back. Also the rows should be planted North/South. Unfortunately for these grapes, they are planted among a rhodedendron hedge East/West. Since I have to go in to prune, and can barely find the canes anyway, I'll be cutting back some of the rhodedendron.

For berries, we have one flowering current, one gooseberry, two blueberries (do not self-fertilize, so need at least two kinds of plants nearby each other) 

and lot's of ever-bearing strawberries (one main crop in June and smaller crop end of summer)!!! I found out contrary to my previous understanding, that strawberries, too, prefer lot's of sun, and like roses and other berries, should be watered from below - don't water from above and avoid fungal problems.

 I love this photo because it makes the strawberries seem like they have super intense root systems. What you are seeing here is a need for me to trim back some runners. I really need to clean up these strawberry beds because more space is better for productivity. One farm I worked on let the strawberries go and it because so dense in there, nothing much came out. The farmer decided to take out the entire bed altogether, but better maintenance would have ensured more crop. I'm one to talk. I should not have all that foliage as seen above. Strawberries are supposed to be "mowed down" after harvest to an inch to overwinter. I did this to some extent last fall. Since I'll be removing the border beds to plant alliums and nitrogen-fixers I'll finish the job soon. Months later. Today I will clean up the strawberries, tomorrow I will prune the grapes. Full Moon is on it's way.

Re-Store Resolve

With the day off after 3 long ones, I visited the Re-Store for the first time (after having biked past there so many times! Yep). They currently have a wheelbarrow for $30, which I may purchase, it's just a matter of getting up the hill to North Beach. I was overwhelmed by the amount of material, like I would be in any hardware store, but the people are so nice. I have until March 10 to design the bike cart and make a supply list, for the chicken coop too... Because there are these workshops coming up:

Salvage Chicken Coop Design Class
March 10th, 10 AM - 12 PM The RE Store, Seattle - 1440 NW 52nd Street
Price: $10 (includes discount to the store)
Questions or pre-register with Bray

Interested in keeping chickens in your backyard but don't know how to get started?  Brad Halm from The Seattle Urban Farm Company will help guide you through the process of designing a chicken coop and run and figuring out where to put it.  He'll discuss the basics of managing a flock in an urban backyard, sizing and siting the coop, design tips to keep out predators, and how to personalize your coop and save money using salvaged materials for construction!

• Keeping Chickens in the City
Time: 6:30 PM to 7:45 PM
Location: Ballard Library
Want to keep chickens but don't know where to start? This class covers the basics of keeping chickens in the city. It includes information on starting with chicks, feed, housing requirements and resources to continue your chicken education. This class is part of the four year anniversary celebration of Seattle Free School. Four years ago on March 15th Seattle Free School held it's very first class, Keeping Chickens in the City! Register Here
Awesome! I've wanted to attend a free school workshop since they first started organizing themselves upstairs in Cafe Allegro. I can't believe how long it takes me to organize myself. I'm about to bike over to Portage Bay Grange  to say hello.

How Green Is My Garden?

In lieu of "high yield" or "productivity" comes the book High-Impact, Low-Carbon Gardening by Alice Bowe (Timber Press, 2011) filled with talk of sustainable strategies. Of course I can get behind that. Although one major discredit is that the book lacks discussion on distribution of resources. No chapter on the sustainable obcurement of resources (although there is a section titled "choosing plants from sustainable sources"). It's a problem because each garden is much larger than the garden itself. I suppose if I were to quiz the author on this point she'd say, that's a whole other book, not my project. But how do you talk sustainability without talking larger scales?

Regardless the book is beneficial to encourage me thinking about how I can make this little North Beach garden (and the BCC kids garden) as sustainable as possible. Plants to capture carbon emissions, a bike cart to transport plant starts, a drip irrigation system made out of reused materials. I still haven't been to the Re-Store, so I guess I have some homework to do. I'VE BEEN WANTING TO MAKE A BIKE CART FOR SO LONG WHY HAVEN'T I DONE IT YET. Baby on the way. (Make sure to check out the links on each of these projects, they are awesome)

"One Cow"

Watched this documentary about biodynamic farming as portrayed through the work of Peter Proctor, and farming in India. Called "How To Save The World", quite an ambitious project, right? No need to be turned off by the title. Although the film is propaganda for the biodynamic movement, it's at least a do-gooder. And it's atleast reflexive enough to address the criticism of this philosophy as "voodoo doo doo". Though I haven't been convinced biodynamic food production will save the world (it's hard for me to wrap my head around how the preparations can be produced on a mass scale) I still appreciate the heart and attention this system offers, in the relationship between the grower and that which is grown. My instinct says these preparations designed by one man, Rudolf Steiner, not that long ago, are just arbitrary formulas. The more important thing as a farmer or gardener is to be engaged at the depth Steiner was, working through their own formulas. At the same time I think the herbal preparations make sense, because nettle, dandelion and chamomile plants are full of wonderful properties, but to follow Steiner's precise recipes seems unnecessary. But what do I know?

My instinct also says that cosmic forces are indeed operating in our microcosmic lives and gardens. I don't want to get hooked into beliefs like in the constellation capricorn root crops will behave this or that way. But I still want to pay attention. Today was New Moon, and we are entering a period of ascent as the moon moves to Full... Tomorrow we enter the Aquarious constellation (flower)... I'm working 3 8-hour days when all the daylight abounds so I probably won't get to the garden.

I want to live in a city where cows are unfenced and chilling by the side of the road!!!

Stories From Monsanto...

As a global force, Monsanto is producing stories everyday, from the GMO seeds sprouting in people's gardens to the closed door whispers planning the future. Today, as a snapshot in time, The Guardian reported a French court found Monsanto guilty of poisoning a farmer, producing neurological problems via the Lasso weedkiller. Is this a win for the organic growers movement? Monsanto says they are disappointed with the ruling, that there is not sufficient evidence for a causal relationship between their product and the farmer's problems. 47 cases have been recognised as due to pesticides in the past 10 years. If there is a battle waging, the organic growers have more to prove.

See, I would love to set about some experiment proving the damage of chemicals. A carefully controlled study pitting the conventional against the purely organic. But then I would have to play around with chemicals. Risking my own neurological damage... Who wants to give me some land?

Have you seen the documentary "The World According to Monsanto?" Or any youtube clips? On Facebook today, one of my friends posted a link to "Scientists From Inside Monsanto". All of this is part of the world I've inherited. Crazy. Insane.

Bud Union

Went to seminar at Swanson's Nursery this AM regarding rose care. I have left with some excellent handouts and inspiration for loving the roses around this property better. Terri Hyat has convinced me that if I give them enough love I can watch them produce a couple hundred flowers over the upcoming season. I do not even know what varieties these are, nor does Dita, but I now have a better understanding for classification. There are shrub roses in the back, which are bushy, lower growing, which are apparently easy to care for. Honestly I haven't attended to them once since I've moved in. There are Grandiflora (a cross between Hybrid Teas and Floribundas) right outside my window, which I have harvested from and guided into dormancy. They grew to be over 5 feet this year, and produced large, full single and cluster flowers well into October. There is a climber rose plant, that leapt over the stone steps down the side of the house, and culminated in lot's of rose hips. I harvested them too late, though, so didn't get much from that.

Right outside my window...

There is some lush foliage...

Some of it's diseased and needs to be trimmed, but the buds are pushing their way forth. The roses are waking up and I'm getting excited to prune them soon. I believe the correct time to do this will be March 1st, when the moon is in ascent and in the constellation of Gemini (flower). Why not? It also happens to be my father's bday that day, so I'll let him know I pruned the roses.

Terri said if I do everything right I will have more beauty than last year, so I guess that means I have something to look foward to.

Internships - don't be afraid

I previously interned at Frog Hollow Farm, a permaculture homestead on Guemes Island, now Gaia Rising Farm. That was back in 2008, and it's about time I secured the next learning opportunity. This morning in my inbox I learned about a project on Camano Island called Shambala Permaculture Farm, and they are conducting a course this upcoming June. I've never taken the design course because it's a bit pricey but I suppose it's about time I've invested. How wonderful that this place is on Camano because it's more accessible via public transit than Skagit County. I can take the free Island Transit from Everett to get there and bike around. This is the kind of work I want to be doing, and that's OK. I have until May to visit this place and decide if it's up my alley.

BCC Children's Garden

Yesterday I asked the kids if they want to start a garden club to make the BCC garden their spring project. There are at least 3 kids who want to, and the first thing we'll do when we meet next week is come up with a unique name. Here are some of the "before" pictures, reflecting the past work of the now defunct 4H Club and contributions by Sustainable Ballard.

Right now there is cover crop in the beds ("containers") and three kale plants. As can be seen in this picture there are two worm bins.

There are two more raised beds like these not shown in the picture surrounded by a sea of cement. Clearly there's a lot of space, though, to work with.

Here's the pathway to the center's entrance bordered by two beds and bins, previously growing culinary herbs, tomatoes and strawberries. I'd like to see all this cement get color and art. The outside of the building is kind of boring and really needs at least one mural.

Job Opportunity?

Someone forwarded me an email letting me know about a part time children's garden coordinator position through Seattle Tilth. Of course I am going to apply for that. Of course lot's of other people are going to apply for that. http://seattletilth.org/about/childrens-garden-program-coordinator-job-description
It's always worth a try though.

"Production production, production"

Last night at SB Food/Garden Guild meeting I learned about a community greenhouse project based in Wallingford producing plant starts for food bank plots in p-patch gardens. Distributed by Lettuce Link. A similar project is starting in Sunset Hill to produce lettuce starts for Interbay Food Bank plots. Basically all volunteer run. The overall goal is to demonstrate intensive gardening, high yield from greenhouse to food bank, in order to feed as many people as possible. Great idea.

Just watched film about Eliot Coleman regarding high yield food production, a pioneer in the organic gardening movement. Lot's of good learning that puts my little garden to shame. I'm super excited to learn more. Watch the DVD trailer above to see what he's all about.

Seeds arrived! + spotlight on German Chamomile (Metricaria recutita)

Abundant seeds arrived today, although without the pole beans. So I contacted them to let them know, yet I hope they believe me. So here I am interpreting the pretty seed packages. Also at work I was chatting with a parent from Germany, and we looked up a map of where my grandmother grew up (I can't believe I hadn't done that before). She loved sunflowers, and I've shared a cup of tea or two with her. Chamomile also happens to be the tea of most abundance at my current home, here before I arrived, some which was sent from Latvia, so I can't read the packaging. But the look and smell can't be mistaken. So I am happy to grow this plant for Dita when she returns in the summer.

[Photo taken from Abundant Life Seeds website]

Of any tea to have in abundance chamomile is a wise choice. I'm sure it's in the house of every tea drinker. When I was first introduced to the tea I was told it was a relaxant and sleep aid, and good to drink when you are sick. I now understand there are better herbs for easing these ailments, but still I am attached to chamomile like a best friend. Because it's so gentle. I'm currently drinking it in a blend with St Johns Wort, Peppermint, Spearmint and Gingko, I'm calling "Dream Dance" (carminitive, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, bitter, nervine, tonic, vulnerary, hypnotic, astringent, anti-spasmodic). If you are wondering what these terms mean check out this resource: healthy people, healthy planet.

But I should say more about this wonderful plant. As an "hypnotic", the flowers are indeed a sleep aid, and a relaxant counteracting anxiety. Modern research can defend this diagnosis and treatment (although more research is always needed), while among folk therapy it's rarely disputed. In one study from University of Pennsylvania, 57 participants diagnosed with generalized anxiety received chamomile extract over 8 weeks. Compared with placebo, chamomile-takers demonstrated a greater reduction in anxiety (HAM-A scores) - in a way that was "clinically meaningful and statistically significant". Go figure centuries of traditional plant medicine could prove to be meaningful and significant in these modern times.

Still I'm not sure how I will grow chamomile. Direct sow is not advised, except in soil temps between 60-75 degrees. For best germination, I'm supposed to use a seedling tray, and expect something slow and erratic. On top of that the seeds are said to need a 4-6 week period of "cold stratification" in soil temps of 33-35 degrees. Basically I need an indoor grow lamp for that initial heat, than should leave them outside in their seed tray covered. I'm praying that my friend's offer for use of grow lamps at her house actually pans out.

Allium sativum

My first experience harvesting garlic was on a farm in Oakwood, OH, in a summer's late morning, overcast with drizzle. I don't know if this added moisture enhanced the scent of the garlic as I was digging it. Although it was hard work to unearth two entire rows of garlic, carefully, so that I wouldn't stab any of the bulbs, and took a couple a hours, it was totally worth it for the constant incense. I fell in love with garlic then, and have since been developing my relationship with it. Learning how to eat the cloves raw, how to cook without burning it. This past November I planted some cloves and I'm pleased to watch them continue to grow, now in February.

I recently read allium's are good to plant around the borders of garden beds to detract pests. So I will do that. And the November sow and February sow can have a race. In the meantime I will continue to research this plant for it's health-bearing qualities. In the past I've eaten a raw clove to ward off early stages of cold. It seems to trap illness in my belly, sit there really heavy for about a half hour, then disappate. Not fool proof, but works too well to ignore.

I finally have a workable camera, which is how I've brought these photos at you today. I also couldn't resist capturing a photo of one of the many mole hills on the property. I've been watching them migrate since last July and they don't do much harm. I just have to avoid stepping on them. I'm curious to see how these moles interact with the garden this spring.

Biodynamic chart for February

Picked up a few more books for the library and starting reading Gardening for Life the Biodynamic Way by Maria Thun (Hawthorn Press, 1994). Which is based off  Steiner's Eight Lectures (Rudolf Steiner Press, 2005). Just for fun I created a biodynamic chart for my own February gardening. You do chores at the right time too.

Feb 7-8 (Tue/Wed) is Leo Fruit/Seed time, which I take to mean time to do last minute garden chores. Such as turning in the cover crop. Testing the soil. Weed around the wooden perimeter. Clean/santize tools. Pull the hoses back out. Organize tools. That's probably all I'll get to this month. Unfortunately I will be out of town Feb 11-15, which actually makes me realize I should put all that bed prep on hold for one more cycle and just sow later. But I'll see what happens.
I still want to only experiment in biodynamics with the biodynamic seed. Because it seems more authentic. And it could be less work. It could also be more complicated, maintaining charts for some plants and not others. Although once I got into a groove it would probably be fine. February will show what I can take care of.

Purchased Commitment

The group seed order was cancelled last Thursday in lieu of being coordinated on google document. I'm taking it as a sign that my real desire not to order through Territorial is simply manifesting itself. Just ordered seeds online from Abundant Life. The final selection is (in addition to Aslan's sunflower and snap pea):

Ura pole bean, Major bush bean, Rote Kugel beet, Spring Mix greens, Sora radish, French sorrel, German chamomile, Mammoth dill - the beans, beet and radish are biodynamic seed

The final draft bed plan is here:

Inspiration yields...

Went to a talk last night at UW by Jonathan Foley, a scientist and writer of food policy. There are 11 articles you can read by him in Scientific American here. He was very optimistic despite data he is working with (you have to be I guess) and I am so glad their are thinkers like him working on these issues. His general philosophy regards our global responsibility to feed everyone while eradicating damage to the planet. So there are many agricultural practices to work on needing the involvement of farmers, consumers, policy makers, agri-business. One thing I took away from his talk was the necessity of enhancing efficiency and yield. It made me think of the square-foot gardening method which is fully focused on maximizing yield.

A few days ago I picked up a few gardening books from the library, one of which is titled small-plot, high-yield gardening by Sal Gilbertie & Larry Sheehan (Ten Speed Press, 2010). I'm skimming it, like I do most textbooks. Paying particular attention to the section on growing tips and also the section for novus growers. One thing lasting in my mind is their recommendation not to go purchase-crazy on seeds, don't spend $80-100 on seeds in the first year, and don't jam too many crops in one space. My budget is a good constraint for my overambition. I've narrowed my original wish-list of 30 varieties down to 17, and am ready for the seed buying party tonight. Updated bed plan is on the way.

Also related to this whole "maximizing yield" concept arrives Mark Winne's talk next Tuesday, co-hosted by Sustainable Ballarda at Sunset Hill Community Association, 6 PM! Lettuce Link posted something about the event in their blog. I haven't read his book Food Rebels, Guerrilla Gardeners, and Smart-Cookin’ Mamas but am stoked to have this inspiration to look forward to. Yay food!

Welcoming to February

My mom gave me a book Gardening Month by Month in Washington, which is a handy little guide on all the small details easily overlooked. Useful for a novus like me who lacks the bigger picture and sense of details... Something that arrived in my inbox today at the head of this new month was a blog post by Margaret Roach regarding her February chores. So I have looked at her list, and in this here book, and have started compiling a long to-do. Which I will not bother with you here. I would rather mention these things after I have accomplished them... But here are some of those chores:

*Clean/sanitize tools/equipment
*Prune grape vines/plum trees
*Clear turf/weeds in beds-especially cascading beds
*Build cold frame

Also in my inbox today came Tilth's monthly newsletter, and I finally put their events calendar in my planner. Another event is the Northwest Flower & Garden Show, which I will attend for the first time this year. Although I will miss some of that because I will be in NV for my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary...