Leaving Me Lonely

I remember all to well when we were in the thick of two consecutive remodels the twinge of jealousy and frustration at seeing the lush and bountiful gardens on my favorite blogs. Seriously, the busier I stayed sanding priming and painting woodwork, the little time it left me for perusing all the virtual gardens that left me feeling lonely for one small red tomato to call my own.

As I have been enjoying a beautiful vegetable garden this summer those thoughts are long behind me now. It occurred to me though that there just might be folks out there experiencing my circumstance of being temporarily gardenless. But looky here, I've got a plan for you. A few things to do while your expecting. Next years garden that is!

In anticipation of a fruitful and healthy garden for next year, build or manage your compost system. I hope the following posts will energize you. Composting. Composting Revisited.

Bare ground is a no-no. Don't abandon your garden completely but try this composting in place method to keep weeds and unwanted vegetation at bay. Layer with newspaper (carbon) and top with grass clippings (nitrogen).

Gather all the leaves you can and stockpile them. Spread them on your garden in fall for a lovely earth enriching mulch. I toss on a few limbs too so my precious leaf mulch (it's what I yearn fer) doesn't up and blow away in windy weather.

Plant garlic for next years harvest and opt for growing a green manure crop as a living mulch to draw nutrients deep into the soil.

Get a jump start on next years plant selection. Seeds are usually discounted for clearance in the fall. Pick up a bunch of packets and check out my post on Wintersowing.

I hope your to do list keeps you busy and full of hope for a stunning garden in 2012!

Community Garden

We have a son! Yippee! Bear with me please as I say stuff like that. When ever I see my boy, I am instantly transported back to the day he was born. I won't go into it but just know that 31 years later I still feel a need to announce his arrival. Sheesh, doesn't everybody do that?

Now that boy of ours manages an apartment building in a town not too far from ours. The small complex isn't located in the most desirable area I might add, and lacks the amenities of the higher end units on the other side of the tracks if you know what I mean. But ever on the beat to improve the environment of Ford Street Court Apartments and bring a little sun and life into the lives of it's residents, the guy comes up with projects, some of which the head hillbilly and I have helped on. The latest, A Community Garden.

I'll give you a run down of the process from start to finish in pictures, and thereby reducing the chit chat to the bare minimum. I'm talking like thats possible for me when I know dadgum well your not fooled. But lets go ahead shall we?

Ford Street Court Apartments and a little nondescript patch of green.

Hard and weedy but too weak to withstand our assault.

Our potential new occupants are waiting!

I weeded out the big stuff and HH hit it hard with the tiller.

Our grandson quickly seized the new territory for his monster truck.

Next our boy unloaded a yard of compost.

And the whole gang jumped in to spread and mix the compost into the old dirt.

We added two large stepping stones in the center.

And then before you knew it, more folks joined in on the fun.

Everyone who wanted to help was invited to participate and it was fun to chat with the tenants and others who enjoyed observing the process.

Gardens just tend to bring folks together don't they?

We created paths with grass clippings

And then a tenant from the neighboring apartment complex donated some broccoli and got into the planting too.

As we finished up and packed up our tools, I glanced over at my boy and instantly recognized the familiar look of contemplation that comes over him. Moms just know this kinda stuff, am I right? Sure enough he was planning his next project. He somehow felt the garden wouldn't be complete without a fence and that a nice enclosure of some sort would offer the garden some protection and respectability.

And so it goes.

Welcome to Ford Street Court Apartments

Community Garden.

P.S. Hey other side of the tracks, check it out!

The Horta, alive and well

For those of you not familiar with the "Horta". I give you a short clip for history's sake. You might just remember that you actually are familiar with the Horta or at least a close relative. They are prolific I hear. Maybe you've been wondering what has become him. Time to find out.

Psst... He's a She.

Then in her youth as a film star as now the Horta is not very pretty. And okay it's kinda true people are a little skittish about her reputation as a simmering hot blob of matter reputedly devouring anything that crosses her path. But it's her job okay. Things get a little warm when consuming all the garbage folks throw at her. Sheesh, give the gal a break.

Really, her benefits far out weigh her deficiencies in the looks department. Trust me. So I hope you'll encourage her and her offspring to hang around your spread. And if you throw brambly debris, weeds, dirt, manure or even rotten tomatoes and banana peels at her and call her "compost", she won't mind atall'.

NO KILL

Pruning Raspberries

I know I'm risking any ideas of being an authority on gardening because of this post. Pruning raspberries in January? uh-oh.

But if you won't mind bearing with me, I promise to direct you to the proper authorities on Summer and Ever bearing raspberries.

In the meanwhile, this is the why and what for of my madness, and it carries a one-two punch, look out!

This is a partial row of my raspberries right now. They are a pretty healthy mix of Summer and Ever bearing raspberries. Don't ask me why they are mixed, it don't make no sense a'tall!

I trim back the top gangly part of the canes to keep them from whipping around in the winter weather. I also like to portion out some of the gardening chores through out the year instead of being hit with the whole shebang in Spring.

I only whack them down to a bit over knee height and so far with this practice, they haven't incurred any damage, yet. That of course might be largely attributable to our temperate Pacific Northwest climate, and not the commonsense of this cottage woman.

Here is the after photo of those same raspberries.

The double punch is this-

First: My weird pruning timetable helps ease my gardening chores into a manageable size through out the year.

Second: Those top trimmings are a much needed addition to the compost pile at this soggy time of year. And my raspberries aren't any worse for wear!

That's a knock-out in my book.

The trimmings are recycled back into the compost pile, adding a layer of carbon and creating air space within the pile to keep those soil microbes active and happily doing their job of making beautiful rich soil.

Madness or just plum good common sense, I'll let you be the judge.

Or you can find authoritative advice on pruning raspberries at About.Com

Needful Nuisance

My barn is your everyday run of the mill barn complete with the needful things to do, well, barn things. This space contains the following essential items. A feeding trough, poop tote (with old sheet hanging on it.) An old sheet? Ya, great for protecting your hay from dust. Then there is the old tarp in the back that covers the dirt floor to help keep moisture and flash flood like rains from the getting the hay wet. Oregon, need I say more? What you can't see is the old recycled wood pallets the hay sits on. They're used for an extra measure against moisture and for air circulation. The concrete blocks? For small grandchildren to help feed and pet the animals. And there you have it, the typical barn you would see most anywhere, containing the same needful items that make it functional.






And oh, the wheelbarrow holding just a remnant of it's former mass of Poly twine?

You will see that hanging around most barns too. Gathering on any post, hook, bin, or barn surface that will hold the evil stuff. Just try and avoid it. Can't be done. You just turn your back and the pile grows exponentially.

It's a dadgum nuisance!

Before the agricultural use of Poly twine, sisal was the material of choice. The intro of Poly was and is a two edged sword. No more hay loss due to rotting breaking sisal twine, a savings. But random poly ( there is random poly to be found on every farm) jams and damages farm equipment ending in expensive repairs. That random poly has cost the wool textile industry in Australia dearly. It takes a constant crew of pickers to inspect and remove tiny (almost microscopic) bits of poly from the finished woolen goods. Some of it is unrepairable. Unfortunately there isn't an outlet for the recycling of poly. It's usual way of disposal is the landfill where it will live forever intact. Or burning which turns it into an immediate air pollutant because of it's chemical and oil composition. So while the debate continues on the universal use of poly, the farmer, rancher will find useful ways to live with the nuisance. Believe you me, there is only so much you can cleverly do with the accumulation of poly, but here are a few suggestions.

1. a makeshift gate latch
2. garden plant ties
3. tarp tie downs.
4. rope (tie together for a continuous piece)
5. emergency fence repair
6. for bundling loose cords and hoses to hooks.
7. weave into a durable floor mat
8. macrame a plant hanger
9. tie end to end until you have the worlds largest bright orange ball of poly
10. I've run out, what are your clever ideas?

While you are brainstorming, keep in mind the dangers of allowing too much accumulation of poly on your farm or ranch. This newsletter article from Jessica Jahiel of Horse Sense warns horse owners of the life threatening issues associated with poly twine laying about willy nilly. Being vigilant in keeping your farm or ranch free of poly could save you financially and emotionally. All twine, sisal, hemp and poly have been reportedly associated with accidental injury and/or death among livestock and humans. But being there is no other way to purchase hay bales without the twine, I would opt for the natural hemp or sisal if it were possible. At least the natural fibers of hemp and sisal (if not treated) are more easily broken down and composted . And you know how I feel about compost.

I guess my wild mass of poly is free to grow with abandon for the time being.

Unless you can answer number 10 above...times a zillion..

Please enlighten me, I'm all ears.