seasons

In the winter, my skin is pale and soft
My body is comfortable and resting
My time is spent indoors eating and planning and cultivating family
The world is resting, retreating, renewing, empty with the readiness for spring

In the summer, my skin is rough, ever darker, and stings from Sun and scratches of unknown origin
My body is alive with each muscle telling me of its presence
Dirt is permanently pressed and etched and embossed into my fingernails and calluses
Time is an urgent race to plant and harvest and preserve
The world bursts forth into three dimensions growing and changing before my very eyes
The energy is palpable, the garden challenges me to keep up with its vigor. Knowing full well that I never will

What's Growing: April Planting

This is my plan...

Last year I (and my husband's tractor) started a new bed out along the roadway.  I filled it with squash of every kind.  Too much squash?  Maybe, there is such a thing and it can happen quickly.  But, I was really happy with the results.  This year, the task of weeding before planting was daunting so I developed a strategy.  Create mounds - 5 x 8 - on a grid and plant 1-3 squash, corn, and sunflowers on each.  Squash actually like growing on mounds- the soil warms up quickly and drains well, helping them to become established and dominate the space.  Squash need to be about 5 feet apart from each other leaving too much room for weeds.  But if they are mounded, their location can be quickly identified, weeded, and watered.  They squash will dominate the weedy in-between space after they have established and expanded.  You can see in the photo, I still have my work cut out for me digging 40 mounds but I think it's doable.

Yesterday I took advantage of the sunny day in anticipation of a nice drizzly week and got some squash started in egg-carton trays.

I planted:
Watermelon
Cucumber
Butternut
Acorn
Spaghetti
Jack O Lantern
and Gourds
(I didn't have any Zucchini saved... none of mine grew last year)
I started Cantaloupe, but that won't go in the front bed.

all from saved seeds

I also planted:
Corn 
Dill
Basil
Cosmos
Nasturtium
Hollyhock
and Heirloom Tomatoes

all from saved seeds

I thought it might be too early for tomatoes, but the tomatoes are sprouting in the compost, so I took that as a good sign that it was ok to plant some. 

What I'd like to do is get all my mounds dug and heaped, add a bit of mulch and compost, and give that a chance to breakdown a bit.  Then once my starts are about 2 inches tall, pick the best ones and out-plant.  I'm thinking I will do 1-3 per mound hoping that I will get 1-2 good plants each mound.  That means though that 40 mounds will quickly turn into 80 squash plants.  8 varieties, 10 plants each... I think I'm going to have another busy summer!

What's Growing: April

Here's a look at what's growing in my garden in April.

Blueberry - check out the baby blueberries!
Potato - overwintered and Spring-planted are both up and happy
Grape - huge buds
Nasturtium - self-seeded last year
Garlic - overwintered and going strong
Oregano - overwintered and going strong
Spinach - overwintered and survived the slugs!
Celery - planted from kitchen scraps in the early Spring
Kale - overwintered, but full of aphids
Strawberry - overwintered and blossoming
Pea - planted a few weeks ago
Thyme - overwintered
Raspberry - this year's canes are coming up

Other updates

Plum - baby plums appearing
Asparagus - starting to fade out
Onion- overwintered and bolting, so I need to pull them.  They just get too confused overwintering in Oregon
Arugula - overwintered and bolting.  I plan on saving seeds
Rutabaga - a few overwintered and bolted.  I plan on saving seeds
Rosemary - overwintered and flowering

Salamander ID

I love finding wildlife in my garden.  It makes me feel like I'm doing something right.  Lawn is not a healthy ecosystem.  You're not likely to find awesome spiders and salamanders in amongst your grass.  This is my third summer working in my garden and this is the spring of the salamander.  They are out in abundance and I take it as a big complement. 

Why do I care?  Why does it matter to me?  Why does it matter to the garden? 

Counterquestion

Does it make more sense to fight and strong-arm a world-wide system or work within the system using it's pathways to attain your goals?

My garden has pests just like every other garden. But I don't have the time or skill to manage them as well as a fleet of hungry predators.  Salamanders, especially, tend to be a bit on the delicate/sensitive side.  So, when I find them rooting around, I'm especially honored.

But I'm relatively new to the west coast and it's flora and fauna so this guy is hard to ID.  If anyone has some insights, I'd love to hear them.

Compost... something to be jealous of

 

I don't have too many things in my life that I can point to and say, "That is something to be jealous of!" but my compost rocks!  I have to give props to my wonderful husband who built these recycled-pallet compost 3-bins.  They work great, hold a lot, and don't require much maintenance.

Good compost is exciting!  It just makes sense.  It cuts down on your trash, keeps the landfills more clear, and results in an awesome product that every garden needs.

So how do you make good compost? 

What goes in:  Anything from plants... kitchen scraps, paper, cardboard, yard debris, paper napkins... 

MUST have a good amount of browns.  GREENS get slimy (think grass clippings or lettuce).  BROWNS add the structure... paper, cardboard, I put in oatmeal containers, paper napkins, twigs, and sticks...

AIR... if it's stinky, it needs more air.  Now, how do you give it air?  Well... grab a shovel, Baby, or a pitchfork.  BUT, if you have enough structure in there, i.e. BROWNS, then you won't need to deal with that.  I am aggressive with my BROWNS so I rarely have to deal with stink or turning.  However, the more you turn and get that air in there, the faster your compost will break down.

MOISTURE... if it dries out, it's going to stop breaking down.  So, if you're watering your plants, water your compost too.  BUT, in Oregon, sloppy-wet compost is more often the problem.  Yuck.

HEAT... put it in a sunny spot.  The sun will warm it.  As it warms, the microbiota will explode and get the decomposition happening.

And that's about it. 

I flip mine in Spring and again in Fall.  As I flip, I throw chunks back into the system and put the fine particles into the wheelbarrow for garden use.

Here's how the compost looked in January.

And that, is how you get something, truly, to be jealous of.  You can buy it, but it's MUCH more satisfying to have it made in your own backyard.

This is Why I Love My Cat

No dinosaurs were harmed in the making of this photo.  That mouse she's got, however, was definitely eaten.

  

I am not a "cat person."  My cat doesn't come inside, she doesn't really play with toys, she has no interest in cat nip, and yet, she is an important part of our family.

I decided to take on the cost and complication - hello vet and vacation sitter - of owning "cats" after our second summer in this house.  Not only were voles eating ALL my red cherry tomatoes - ya, they were voles, I caught one but that's another story - but, they were also starting to gnaw and chew and dig around my house.  And I was NOT interested in having a house-mouse issue.  So we "picked - up" two cats.  "Picked-up" because here in rural Oregon, practically every farm and farmer has "barn cats" that widely breed and roam.  So, we caught one from a farm, and had a farmer catch an additional one for us (Smokey).  Well...  farm kitty #1 was not the brightest (though she was super-cute).  After having them both fixed and vaccinated, Buttercup was hit by a car.  Smokey was alone for winter #1.

The next Spring, I said, "ok, we can try for another cat, a companion for Smokey."  And so, we got Pickle.  Pickle was a champ.  Friendly with the kids, even following them into the kiddie pool (or was it a kitty pool?  ha!).  But a bit too brave.  Before he was even old-enough to be fixed, he disappeared in the night.  He had taken to escaping from the safety of the outbuilding and I'm afraid he was eaten.  Possibly by an owl or hawk.  More likely by a coyote.  Smokey was again alone.

But not for long.  A neighbor wanted to pass-on an older cat, Ginger, to give her space to roam as well as make space in their suburban home for two new puppies.  I said, "sure," giving fair warning about the demise of two previous kittens.  I hoped that this cat would be wary enough to survive as well as big enough to stand up to tough Smokey.

Here it is, about to be summer again and Smokey and Ginger are still around.  I wouldn't say they are the "dynamic duo." But they are learning to abide together.  They each staked out their prospective corners of the property but have learned to co-habitate enough to report for morning roll-call.  Every morning they wait patiently at the glass door for their breakfast treat and tolerate a quick pat on the head.  

So, that is why I love my cat.  She has survived the dangers of being a "barn cat."  She reports, dutifully, every morning so I can keep tabs on her.  And, she is the most-awesome rodent-control!  I feel WAY better about having a murderous cat patrol my house than leaving piles of rodent poison out everywhere for rodents and slugs to crawl through and ingest (yes, slugs- you squish them and green rodent poison comes out, it's super-gross!).  And, even though she is very "cat" about it - everything is on her terms - she is a part of our family. 

Make your Own Yogurt

My friend, Emily, turned me on to this a year ago.  You use a purchased yogurt culture and milk to create your own yogurt at home.  Because we can go through a lot of yogurt at my house and because the stuff my wallet likes isn't the best stuff for my body, I gave it a try. 

You have to start this project on a day when you will be home because there is lots of waiting.  But, it's simple, easy, and delicious. 

I recommend reading a few "recipes" first to get an idea of how it works and some tips and tricks.  Then give it a shot. 

You will need a slow-cooker, a large-thick towel, a whisk, and a milk thermometer. 

You will also need cheese cloth and strainers if you want Greek yogurt.  But I skip this part because straining yogurt is a MESS!

Here are a few sites to check out:
http://livesimply.me/2013/05/06/homemade-yogurt-in-the-crock-pot-recipe/

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/10/foolproof-crockpot-greek-yogurt-and-i-mean-foolproof.html