Getting geared up

I am anxiously awaiting my seeds to arrive in the mail.  I ordered them a few days ago.  Mostly veggies.  I am looking forward to getting my peas in the ground and their supports up.  I am going to make every effort to record dates here that I am putting seeds and plants in by request of a friend.  I want this blog to be helpful and inspirational for people.  I hope to be putting up my own website soon to offer support and consultation to fellow gardeners experienced and beginners.  This weekend I hope to draw out some plans for the front yard.  We plan to remove the rest of the lawn and hell strip of grass. Because lets face it the only reason for grass was to show wealth after WWII.  Lets make a new green movement of gardens and food in our front yards to show our wealth.  Our wealth of getting back to basics.  Family, sustainable living, eating organic and feeling the earth beneath our hands and knees.  Lets do it for us, for our families, for our children and our communities.  Gardens can save lives, can save someone sanity, can save someones spirit and soul.   

Getting Creative

Well it is that time that we start getting our seed and Dahlia catalogs in the mail. I love to peruse through the catalogs and daydream about warmer days. I have been flipping through the Territorial Seed catalog as well as the Swan Island Dahlia catalog. If you have never been to the Dahlia farm in September it is truly a treat. You should really check it out. Acres of beautiful flowers. It is much more rewarding to get up and close the these beauties. As far as the seed catalogs go it is amazing how many different types of beans there are. Green, yellow and purple. I had to purchase a few types. I am truly excited about a dark almost black tomato. It originates from Russia and apparently has a taste that is indescribable. Rich and thick. Sounds good to me. I can never resist the interesting tomato breeds. I am going to take a shot at growing eggplant this year. Big Daddy (Danny) loves eggplant Parmesan. So we'll see if we can get some good meals out of those.
On another note a friend of mine was so inspired by all my talk of my worm bin. She found it necessary to carve a scare crow from a potato. He is now happily living among the worms. Protecting them from any intruders. I hope to give a class at my plant exchange on worm bins for all those enthusiast even those of you that just want to recycle more.

winter gardening

Well our winter storm has come for 2008.  This year they are calling it Arctic Blast 2008.  I love the news coverage we get in Oregon.  I have been busy covering all the plants I do not want to lose.  Moving plants into the garage and greenhouse and covering the worm bin with a blanket.  We made sure the chickens' combs and waddles were covered with bag balm today.  I made sure my neighbor Natasha's hardy fuschias were covered.  Don't forget to take care of those wild birds as well.  Give them water and seed.  There are things to do in the garden every month of the year in the PNW.  The picture here are some birds my dad captured in there yard in front of their Forest Pansy.  

Sustainability

My friend Danielle and I have talked a lot about this topic. We get really jazzed about it. I thought it was an appropriate topic on my garden blog. With the state of affairs in our government and the world we must rely more on what we can grow in our yards and what we can trade with our friends and neighbors. In the spring we got chickens. Our lovely ladies lay us eggs nearly everyday. I believe we could have 3 more to really have enough eggs. We eat a lot. Perhaps I wouldn't name the next 3 so that we could eventually eat them. Although if my cranky chicken attacks me one more time she may become stew but that is another topic. We also had quite a bit of food growing this year. Next year we will have even more. We are ripping up our front yard and will have a bounty there as well. Some worry that food will be stolen. I figure if someone needs it that badly then by all means help yourself. Hopefully leaving me a bit as well. We had so much basil this year I was happy for neighbors to help themselves whenever. By growing our own food we are being responsible for our own sustainability. We know where it comes from and what is put on it. Only sun, water, compost and love in our case because we garden organically. Using worm tea as a fertilizer. By being able to grow and trade food we save money and we protect the earth. We are not relying on trucks to bring us our food. Our children know where it comes from and appreciates the work that goes into growing healthy food. If I am able to grow food as well as I can grow fuschias we will be in good shape next year. I am posting a picture of our heirloom tomatoes that we grew this year. We planted six plants. I have saved the seeds and will plant more next year and share many of the plants with neighbors.

Fuschias

It is a rainy day in October. Halloween to be exact. My fuschias are starting to fade. This year I really went nuts over fuschias. It all started with a fuschia my mom gave me about five years ago. A lovely upright f. magellanica. A delicate yet very hardy fuschia. Dark pink with purple corollas. Fuschias are such a wonderful addition to a garden. Many people think of fuschias as basket plants that you get in the spring and throw out at the end of summer. There are 1000s of different types of fuschias. Many are hardy and do great in the NW in our climate. I have I think about 19 different kinds. Most are in the ground and over winter just fine. Some do better if brought into my cool greenhouse or kept under cover. Most you can just mulch well. A good tip about fuschias is to plant them deep. Dig the hole twice as deep as you think you should and cover that plant half way up. Cut them back in the spring hard. This way they will become bushier and not get leggy. You can continue each spring to mound compost around the base of them. It is also a myth that fuschias need to be in shade. Some of mine do better in part to full sun. I have two called "golden gate" The one plant that is in the sun has done much better. It is bigger and brighter. I have another in full sun called checkerboard that thrives in the sun. The truth is that they like warm feet rather than wet feet. Many people over water their fuschias as well. They do need water but down drown them. There is a great fuschia farm in Woodburn called Monnier's. If you ever get a chance to visit it is quite a treat. The best time of year to go is in September. Sometimes they visit Joy Creek Nursery in St Helen's off of Hwy 30. Check out Joy Creek's website.

Fragous

So the last few days have been absolutely FRAGEOUS. Yes I said it FRAGEOUS. Not many people know this word. My mother taught me this word. I will explain. A day in October when the morning is crisp. The sun breaks and the day is 60-70 degrees yet the air still feels brisk. The colorful leaves are on the ground and flowers haven't quite disappeared. The sunrise is pink and Mt. Hood can be seen at 6:30 am. The other day I could see Mt St Helens, Mt Hood and Mt Adams. It was a blessing.

Vermiculture

  As many of you know I am a worm farmer.  I love worms.  I love vermiculture.  I love that I can have these darling creatures turn my waste into glorious dirt.  Many don't share my love of worms.  My friend Natasha shares the same love.  My mom digs the worms as well.  When I went out to check on my precious darlings today I discovered they had delivered 3 gallons of glorious tea for me.  The castings that they produced were like black gold.  If I could figure out how to make a necklace or a coat or even use it as a facial mask I would.  I wanted to post a picture of the product but felt I could not do it justice with my photography skills.  My big dilemma now is where to distribute the black gold castings.  I want to be careful as to where I put it.  What area of the garden deserves it?  I will stew on this a bit.