The Ignorant Gardener

Jamie's Biointensive Gardening

2011-04-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

My friend Jamie has an amazing garden going at his Napa home this year and he's been kind enough to share his pictures with me for my blog. This is a picture of his gardening "bible". How to Grow More Vegetables then you ever thought possible on less land than you can imagine. Written by John Jeavons. John Jeavons uses garden techniques developed by Alan Chadwick. This book shows you how to raise enough fresh organic vegetables for a family of four on land as small as 800 square feet. John Jeavons is the director of Ecology Action, an environmental research and education organization formed in 1970. He has helped revolutionize sustainable mini farming around the world. Jamie has been using the guidance of this book since 1996.

Jamie's Garden May 2010

Jamie's upside down tomatoes. These did well except for their tendency to dry out often and they got a bit of blossom end rot. They produced some good tomatoes, but in Jamie's opinion it's better to grow them in a bed if you can.

Jamie's garden plan for this year. This year will be an heirloom tomato garden. The Squash bugs invaded last year. Turns out the only way to get rid of them is to not grow squash for a season.

Jamie used a Florida Trellis System in his garden last year. You can see it in bed number 1.

Jamie's compost

Jamie's redneck greenhouse. 2X4's, wood screws and shrink wrap. Looks pretty cool to me.

Sunflowers and Marigolds popping up

Double digging bed #1. Jamie moved a wheel barrel of soil out of the way to loosen up 12 inches below with a garden fork.

Compost to be spread on the beds

Move the soil next to it into the space and work back, shoveling 12 inches and then loosening, then you're done.

Composting the "green layer" of top of the rice straw (or wheat straw) and oak leaves.

Florida Trellis system - tomato plants will reach 6 feet or more.

April 10th 2011 bean sprouts popping up. Below the beans are Burpee's American Giant Hybrid Sunflowers, Burpee's Golden Cheer sunflowers, burpee's mix marigold and some standard marigolds - pest defenders.

O
Organic fertilizers. Crushed granite, oyster shells, blood meal, bone meal, fish meal, alfalfa meal, rock phosphate and 2 cubic foot bags of "Bumper Crop"
from Van Winden's. A scale should be used and the LaMotte soil test should be used to see where one is at as far as soil nutrient balance before adding organic fertilizers.
Flat design from How To Grow More Vegetablese

Jamie's cost breakdown. The Shallow flats cost $9.46 each. The deep flats were $10.17.

Beans almost ready for transplant, sunflowers and marigolds and tomatoes sprouting. Cleared area to plant sunflowers, intending to use the sunflowers for the beans to climb. Below is Jamie's mix. Equal amounts of compost, bedding soil and a bit of sand to keep it loose. He also used a slow release fertilizer since this spot isn't as nutrient as his beds.Jamie used old arrows to mark location of his sunflowers. They are spaced 24 inches apart. Beans to be 8 inches apart. Flats waiting for transplants. And 30 1 gallon containers to go into beds. 10 varieties, 10 per bed, 3 beds.

And Finally - Jamie's pole bean set up, since the sunflower/pole bean plan isn't going to work, because they're "antagonists". It's better if they climb up a companion plant, like corn. He's using a horizontal wire and strings running down to the beans here.

So there you have it - Jamie will be doing his transplants tonight in the light of the full moon. I'll be following his garden throughout the season, especially since I can't grow my own this year, so check back to see Jamie's successes.

Rent A Ruminant

2011-04-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

Can't manage that yard work? Get a goat.
http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=25440992&GT1=35009#atoolb

Spring is here, really it is

2011-03-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

It's a wet one here in Humboldt

It may not feel like Spring is here in Humboldt, and in many other parts of the country right now, but Spring is here, I have found signs of her arrival. Really, it's true! Look!

The salmon berries are starting to bloom! Yum! Now if I can only beat the birds to the berries.

A poor little soaked daffodil

I'm not sure what these flowers are, but they tell me spring is here

Wild onions - it smelled delicious here.

The blackberries are budding.

Horsetails

Lupin - not blooming yet, but they will soon enough

If you look around - the signs of Spring are everywhere - before we know it we'll be complaining about the heat.

A food word of the day for the gardener

2010-10-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Bullrush - Massette - An aquatic plant which grows along the edges of ponds and swamps and the banks of rivers. The leaves and young shoots are eating in salad. The roots, which are fleshy and full of starch, are also edible.

From Larousse Gastronomique

Zen Garden

2010-10-10T21:03:00.001-07:00

A Carrot by Any Other Name

2010-09-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

A Carrot by Any Other Name

Farm Aid: 25 Years of Making A Difference

2010-09-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

The garden at the Loleta Cheese Factory

2010-09-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

After a nice lunch at the Loleta Bakery the girls and I took a nice walk in the late summer sun and enjoyed the gardens at the Loleta Cheese Factory. What a great place so spend a sunny afternoon.

My New Garden

2010-08-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

I'm in my new place and have a new yard to play with. Now to get all my garden tools dusted off and see what I can do with this.

High Class Chicken Coop

2010-08-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

I work with a crazy lady who has an endless obsession with chickens these days. She got a wild hair this year and decided to do the urban chicken thing in her backyard. She's discussed so many different kinds of chickens with me that I can't remember all of the breeds she has now. All I can remember is that there are some silkies, banties and auracanas. Over the past five months she has spent endless hours building the coop for these lucky little fowl. Today she shared the final result with me, and I tell you, these are some lucky chickens. These are some fancy digs. Turns out she's a pretty talented lady.

Carter House Gardens

2010-07-27T22:36:00.000-07:00

Today I stumbled upon one of my favorite restaurants gardens. The Carter House Restaurant 301 has been raising it's own edible flowers and herbs for 27 years. The Carter House maintains one of the most extensive organic gardens of any Inn on the West Coast, most of the herbs being used in the restaurant the very day they're harvested.

Not only does the garden have a daily supply of herbs and vegetables for the inn, (the Inn's guests are invited to help the chefs harvest for the meals to be served that evening - a nice way to get close to your food, I'd say) but the master gardener also puts on lectures and garden tours. The garden is also home to organic garden seminars and horticultural education. I found today that not only does it supply food to the inn and an opportunity for education, but it's just a beautiful and peaceful place to roam around in, smell the intoxicating smells of the herbs in and to just relax in. I'll be back soon.

Sunday Flowers

2010-07-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

Anthony Bourdain’s Medium Raw Challenge

2010-07-10T16:59:00.000-07:00

Anthony Bourdain’s Medium Raw Challenge

Stop by and check out the essay I entered in the challenge. If you like it please feel free to vote for it.

From Ignorant to mad to sad gardener

2010-06-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

This year I lose my garden. It's killing me not to be able to buy starts at the nursery and dig in the dirt. But next year will be different.

In the mean time, I am reaping some benefits from my hard work in the past. This is the first year I've had such a great crop of strawberries and the apples are coming on strong.

A final gift from my garden that I'm extremely grateful for.

From Ignorant to Mad Gardener

2010-04-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been out of my mind. For quite a while I've been out of my mind. I've been down right mad lately, and not in an angry sort of way, but more like a Mad Hatter sort of way.

And when the gardener goes mad you can see just how mad she's gone by that state of her garden.

The mustard went wild, the carrots buried alive in weeds, the turnips gave up and the lettuce was being taken over by volunteer potatoes. My artichokes are dying and the asparagus is all but gone. The kale and cabbage went to seed and the weeds are so bad not even the mint can survive. All a reflection of what's been going on in my head.

But, lately, I've been trying to do some weeding or de-cluttering in my head. It's a slow painful process, but I'm feeling better, and just like my head, my garden is slowly getting de-cluttered, which is also a slow painful process, but just looking at it after one session of weeding it's already looking a little better. I've got a long way to go, with my head and my garden, but at least I feel like I've made some progress, which has lifted some weight off of my shoulders.

The lettuce, mustard and carrots were salvaged. The dead and dying removed and fed to the goats. A great many weeds pulled, but many more to go. Just seeing the difference after this give my mind a small amount of much needed peace.

And a small amount of bounty for the dinner table.

Mustard greens, lettuce, carrots and a few beets.

Hopefully I'll reap some bounty after clearing out the weeds from my head as well.

2010-03-22T09:51:00.001-07:00

http://ping.fm/WtihB

Spring is peeking around the corner

2010-01-31T21:48:00.000-08:00

I'm noticing on my morning walks and in my garden that, even in the 3rd week of January, Spring is poking her little head up above the cold dirt.

The Salmon berries are blooming! I'm hoping I can beat the birds and the County road crew to the berries this year.

Daffodils are popping up everywhere and all the plum trees, including ours, are going into full bloom.

My apple tree is starting to bud out and it desperately needs a good pruning. I hope we get another awesome yield in the fall. My big chore in the garden now, is to get it all cleaned up and ready for the spring, and to decide what I'm going to grow this year and get some seeds ordered. I'm itching to garden!

Winter

2010-01-05T22:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't been able to spend much time in my garden. It's in desperate need of weeding, no watering is necessary, and thankfully my seedlings are growing right along. Not much else to share. So I'll share this picture of the beautiful bloom on my Christmas cactus. This cactus is a cut off of my great grandmother's plant. I'm not real good with houseplants, so I've made it a priority to keep this one alive. I was so please to see it bloom, and at Christmas time no less.

When you're done enjoying the cactus blossom, be sure to stop by Omnivores Delight and read my little rant about American's and there silly New Years Resolutions, and then you can read about my silly New Years Resolution.

Happy New Year.

Winter Garden

2010-01-02T21:56:00.000-08:00

Mustard Greens

Carrots

Oriental Spinach

Chinese Kale

Walla Walla Onion

And plenty of Romaine lettuce that I somehow didn't get a picture of.

Seed Catalogs are comming!

2009-12-28T22:12:00.000-08:00

It's like Christmas all over again! The seed catalogs are coming! One of my favorites is Territorial Seed Company. I can't wait to start picking out what I'll have in my garden next spring. I hope to post pictures of what I have growing righ tnow by this weekend. I actually have a vibrant and living garden growing this winter. Romaine, Oriental spinach, Chinese kale, turnips, carrots, beets, and mustard greens. All doing pretty well inspite of the several hard freezes we've had. Cross our fingers they make it long enough to harvest! Pictures to follow soon - I hope!

Crazy Fall

2009-11-29T18:14:00.000-08:00

Like I said in my food blog, Omnivores Delight I've had a crazy couple of months. It's not been a fun crazy, but I keep trying to move forward. Unfortunately all this craziness has taken a lot of time from my blogs. I have been busy in my garden though. I've been attempting to see what I can grow into the winter months here in Humboldt. So far lettuce and Chinese Kale are thriving well beyond my wildest dreams. The Oriental Spinach would be if the slugs didn't like it so much. My turnips and beets are struggling. The soil just doesn't have the nutrients they need to thrive, but my carrots seem to be doing pretty well. I just stuck some onion starts in the ground, walla walla's and green bunching onions. I'm pretty sure this is the wrong time of year to do this, but they seem pretty happy, so we'll see how this goes. I also have a bunch of mustard greens doing pretty well. My arugula is struggling, but the seeds I had were pretty old. I'll have to get some pictures of my garden, as weedy as it is, and keep you posted on the progress. Hopefully I'll find the time between now and the crazy Christmas holiday, which by the way we will be enjoying leg of lamb from the lamb we raised ourselves. I'm so excited about that!
Happy harvests!

Little apple tree - HUGE apples

2009-10-15T13:01:00.001-07:00

My little apple tree produces pretty big apples every year, but this has got to be it's biggest ever:
4 inches across:

This is my giant apple next to an apple that is the size of one you would buy in a store:

A Growing Market

2009-09-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

Interesting article for local Humboldt County Farmers with a farm to table concept coordinated by the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) http://www.caff.org.

The new food fighters - Health

2009-09-08T09:21:00.001-07:00

The new food fighters - Health & nutrition | GreatSchools

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busy busy

2009-08-24T23:08:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy busy. I haven't been spending near enough time on my garden, but I have been scrambling to keep it alive. My daughter is in 4-H and has been raising a sheep to show in the fair. We spent the entire last week working on that, as well as her getting the opportunity to learn how to show animals by showing some goats for a friend the week before. It's been an exhausting and rewarding experience for the entire family. She ended up selling her lamb for $5 a pound and made herself a nice profit. I'm very proud of her and she is of herself as she should be. This is her first year (and mine and her dad's) and it's great that she has done so well. Next week is the last week of summer before the girls are back to school and we're off to visit family. I hope I come back to a garden that isn't demolished, other then by the friends who'll be here to watch it and the livestock. They're welcome to indulge. I just hope the varmints, goats, and elements leave me something to work with when I get back.
Enjoy the last dog days of summer, and may your harvest be bountiful!

Love Your Farmers Market

2009-08-07T16:29:00.001-07:00

I just voted in the "Love Your Farmers Market" contest sponsored by Care2.com and LocalHarvest.org to help my favorite market, Ferndale Farmers' Market, win a grand prize of $5,000. I care about promoting fresh, local and healthy foods, and I need your help to get enough votes to help Ferndale Farmers' Market win. Please vote here: http://www.care2.com/farmersmarket/17312?refer=21496.01.1249686504.164956.

Humboldt County Fair Livestock Auction

2009-08-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

Cordelia is showing her first sheep at the fair. Be there at 1 pm for the auction to cheer her on or put in your bid.

A Relaxing Sunday in the Garden

2009-07-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

Politics of the Plate: Family Farms or âFacilitiesâ? Food Politics: Gourmet.com

2009-06-24T17:30:00.001-07:00

A great article from Gourmet.com. All American family farms should make themselves aware of this issue.

Politics of the Plate: Family Farms or âFacilitiesâ? Food Politics: Gourmet.com

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Too sick to garden

2009-06-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

I've been sick for over 2 weeks now. I've spent little to no time in my garden. The most I've done is a little watering. I do have lots of pictures though, so I'll post them today, because that's all I have energy to do today.

Oriental Spinach on March 29th

Oriental Spinach on April 26th.

Chinese Kale - March 29th
June 6th - Chinese Kale. We'll be eating this in a couple of days.

Romaine lettuce starts - April 26th

Romaine lettuce - June 6th. That's broccoli behind it.

My roses

My strawberry patch, with makeshift deer protection
My poor little fig tree - trying to save it from the deer this year.
Cecelia's basil starts
One of the hen's taking advantage of the leak in our hose.
My tomatoes! Cross your fingers that they keep doing well.
Apples are coming!
Cordelia's beet starts. Unfortunately something demolished these hours after transplanting.
Our veggie garden on June 6th.

Sheesh what a day!

2009-06-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

It has been ages since I've posted. I'd like to say it was because I was busy in the garden, but that wouldn't be entirely true. That has been part of it, but only part. For the last week and half I've been sick with some crap that's taken on all kinds of symptoms. I've been stressing about the economy, specifically our own personal economy, trying to keep up at work, with the girls school work and social life, dishes dishes dishes (remember the dishwasher is broken) and a myriad of other things. I have been busy taking pictures along the way, and have tons to post. Now, where to begin.

Tonight, I'm exhausted. It's day 11, going on 12 of whatever this crud is I'm sick with. I got home today and immediately went down for a nap before the girls came home. I got in an hour, barely woke up to my husband scrambling to deal with some kind of chaos in the field. I crawled out and looked out in the field for him to look back in exasperation and say, "OH Shit! They're on the roof!"

That's the goats he's talking about. I yell back, "OK!" Throw on my crocks ( not the best shoes for the challenge ahead) and run up our slope behind the garage and hope I can lure the goats off without actually getting on the roof. (I'm scared to death of heights.) It worked! But then.....

What do I do now? I have to somehow get them back in the field.....alone,

I head for the upper gate next to the chicken coop with Sugar Magnolia following in hot pursuit. This could be good or bad. Is she happy to follow or pissed? Turns out she's pissed. As I try to unhook the makeshift gate with my dog nipping at Sugars feet, she pins me, all 150 lbs of her, against the fence post, and proceeds to push harder and harder until the fence post starts to uproot! I'm yelling for my husband to help, I can't move, she's got me pinned. Then I look up to see him walking slowly towards us, in the neighbors field, holding his chest. Oh shit! He broke his ribs, again. He can't help me. I look behind me and Mocha is looking for an in to give me a good butt. I'm getting angry now. I grab Sugar by the horns and to my surprise I've got her under control. Gotta love adrenaline. Unfortunately I can't hold her with one hand and open the gate with the other. Finally I get it open and realize I can't let her in the way I planned. The 4-H sheep are in there and Sugar can't go there. I check on John and head back the other way. The goats follow, not too closely thankfully. Then they attack my apple tree! Now I'm really pissed!

Between John, our dog CB and me we finally get those damn goats back in the field. But to really top off my day, we walk down to the vegie garden and discover that something ate every single ( about 40) beet sprout I had planted the night before. I drug my sick butt out to the garden and planted the sprouts that my daughter started only to find them demolished. A garden day from hell I'll tell ya!

Tomorrow, I'll have more pleasant stories to tell. I have had some successes and I have tons pictures to share.

Next time you're having a bad gardening day, be glad you don't have any goats on your roof.
Happy gardening!

How does your garden grow?

2009-05-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted much lately. I've been trying to get busy in my garden. So far I've mainly got my herbs planted. Here's my oregano, plus some marjoram.

More herbs. I love being able to step out my door and grab fresh herbs when I cook! I have basil, dill, Italian parsley, summer and winter savory.
My romaine lettuce starts are going well. We need to get that cold frame set up so I can move them. This is the second round on my milk jug cloches. This is a great way to start seeds.
My amaranth is making a come back.
My oriental spinach, which I started in my milk jugs a few months ago. It's doing fantastic! I happened to notice our local nursery is selling oriental spinach now. I wonder where they got their seeds. Mine came from China Town in Oakland. I've decided that this stuff will grow pretty much anywhere, since I'm having such success with it. We've recently tested our soil and discovered it's low in everything, nitrogen, phosphorous, potash, and everything else, except acidity, which, typical of the pacific northwest, it's high in.

The Chinese kale I started in my milk jugs is hanging in there. It's not doing as well as the spinach. It's probably needing one of those elements our soil is low in. Hopefully it will keep hanging in there.
The artichokes are producing! Yeah!
Well, back to the garden. I stopped at the nursery yesterday and I created more work for myself. Off to go dig in the dirt.........

The Amaranth has Sprouted!

2009-04-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

Back in February I posted about my milk jug cloches that I had planted seeds in as far back as January. The Oriental Spinach and Chinese Kale succeeded, but the slugs got to my lettuce, and the amaranth just never sprouted. Now, here it is 3 months later. I went out to clean out the jugs and try replanting the amaranth. I was sure I had done something wrong, since I was completely guessing on how to sprout them. See, the instructions are all in Chinese. I opened up the neglected jug, that had been out in freezing temperatures and not watered, because I assumed there was nothing growing. I opened up the jug and to my surprise the amaranth has finally sprouted! I'm so excited! In fact, some of the romaine lettuce has sprouted as well. So I planted some more lettuce, and put slug bait around it this time. When the sprouts get big enough to take pictures, I'll post some. Right now they'd be nothing but tiny green blurs.

Cold Frames

2009-04-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have been talking about building Cold Frames for a couple of years now. Well, he got motivated a few days ago, and so far this is his masterpiece:

It's big! And I'm wondering how we're going to get this through the door out to the yard. This will prove to be a comedy of errors, I am quite sure. I'm not looking forward to helping him move it, but I am very excited to get some plants going.

Stay tuned for the "big move". I'll have to hand my camera over to my daughter so she can document what should prove to be quite hilarious. I sure hope that glass doesn't break between the garage and the other side of the house!

My poor neglected garden

2009-03-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to get down in my garden and weed for days now. I've been meaning to plan out what and where I'm growing everything, and go out and buy my bounty, but life just seems to keep getting in my way. Today was my husbands birthday, so we went shopping for a gift yesterday. My plan was to get his gift, get some lunch stop at the nursery on the way home and head straight to the garden, but birthday boy had other plans, and I never got near my garden yesterday. I also didn't get any of my other chores done, so that's what I did today, and consequently, only enough time to walk through and take pictures of the neglect after dumping my kitchen scraps in the compost bin.

Here are some things I discovered on my garden stroll. I've got volunteer potatoes popping up, and the mint my husband planted is taking over the upper plot.

This is my Chinese Kale that I started in the milk jug cloches. It's barely hanging in.
But the Oriental Spinach is doing great! It's taken to our cool coastal weather quite well.
I also discovered that the artichokes are starting to flower. Yeah!
This is my pride and joy. I planted this chard a full year ago and it just keeps on producing!

Hopefully I'll be busy weeding and planting in the next few days. If only it would quit raining on the weekends!

Evolution of the Victory Garden Part 5

2009-03-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

I'm finally back to write the next part of my Evolution of the Victory Garden. I had written part of it out ahead of time and thought I knew where I'd be going with this, but things are changing rapidly, and people are sending me lots of new information, which I greatly appreciate. So where to start? I'm not entirely sure, but here goes.....

We've had "Victory Gardens" throughout history. I've even read that they started beyond what I had originally posted about the depression in the US in the 1800's, back to Europe in the 1600's. This makes me think, that in times of fear and need, we turn to our connection to the land, Mother Earth, to keep up warm, fed, and safe. Once again, we, here in America at least and maybe in lands far away, are feeling that need to be nurtured by our Mother.

We now have the beginning or the Modern Victory Garden. A retreat to the land. I wonder, how is this different from Victory Gardens of the past?

The difference is in the motivation. During the depression in the 1800's and the Great Depression of the 1930's , it was about survival and morale. During World War I, it was about patriotism, as it was in WWII. Now we're in the era of big agribusiness control, terrorism, food fears, fear of bacterial/viral contamination's, in the midst of a major recession, possible depression, AND we're at war. Once again we turn to the land to save us.

We now face large centralized farms using up too much fossil fuel, using too many chemicals, accidentally spreading e-coli and salmonella. We're seeing outbreaks of dangerous bacterial diseases, obesity, and poor health, in spite of our wealth. We've lost connection with the land and we're out of touch with our food. You can't buy a piece of lamb with fat on it, because the grocery store knows Americans are afraid of the vision of fat, yet we can sell McDonald's hamburgers like no tomorrow, which are laden with more fat then the piece that was trimmed off the lamb chop in order to sell it.

As American's we've lost our collective food minds. But the sanity is returning to the sweet smell of Victory Gardens. Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, both have petitioned the White House to plant a Victory Garden. Finally, First Lady Michelle Obama is having the ground broken on the South Lawn of the White House Lawn for a garden that will supply vegetables for the First Family. It will be interesting to see how this pans out.

Many are excited about this "new" trend, but there is nothing new about it. In 1800 John and Abigail Adams moved in and planted the first garden at the White House. In 1801 Thomas Jefferson adds ornamentals and fruit trees. In 1814 all is destroyed by the British, but in 1825 John Quincy Adams plants fruit trees and herbs to support the first family. In 1918 Woodrow Wilson uses sheep to fertilize and mow the First Lawn to conserve resources for the war effort. Then, in 1943 Eleanor Roosevelt plants a WW II Victory Garden on the White House Lawn, setting an example for the American People. Now, here we are 66 years later, and we're returning to the soil. Curling up in mamma's lap in a time of need.

Personally, we headed toward the "self sufficiant" life style several years ago. We started with a vegetable garden, then some sheep, then chickens, and now goats. We live on the coast, my husband fishes for much of our food. We're planning on clamming, hunting, gathering, growing vegies/fruits, raising/ butchering meat. We were going to do this before the economy went south, but now, it feels like a necessity. We turned to the soil to heal other ills, now she serves us in an unexpected time of need. I am greatful to my parents for teaching me what I needed to survive in these times. And I'm grateful for my luck in having a place where I can do this and that Mother Earth is providing us with what we need.

Happy Spring, and here's to an abundant crop!

Hey! Why don't we come up with posters for the new Victory Gardens? Got any ideas? Leave them here.

Victory Garden Handbook

2009-03-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

I still have a part 5 to add to my Victory Garden series, but have got behind having to deal with sick kids, a sick dog, broken appliances (dishwasher) etc. etc.

To add a little nibble to the subject go to this site and check out the Victory Garden Handbook of the Victory Garden Committee War Services, Pennsylvania State Council of Defense, published April 1944.

I'll be back soon to add to my series. Have a wonderful first day of Spring!

Evolution of The Victory Garden Part 4

2009-03-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

Victory Gardens of World War II - These are the gardens my parents talked about and helped to grow with their families.

Many of the Victory Gardens of WWII sprouted from the the Relief Gardens of the Great Depression, and many had their start as WWI Victory Gardens.

During World War II the War Food Administration created the National Victory Garden program and it had five goals.

1. To lessen the demand on commercial vegetable suppliers and therefore make more food available for the Armed Forces.

2. To reduce demand on strategic materials used in food processing and canning.

3. To ease the burden on the railroads transporting war munitions by releasing the produce carriers.

4. To maintain the vitality and morale of Americans on the home front through production of nutritious vegetables and being outdoors to cultivate them

5. To preserve fruit and vegetables for future use when shortages might become worse.

Shortages were very real during WWII and rationing of food and resources were a reality for Americans at the time.

In 1942 5.5 milion gardeners participated in the War Garden Effort. Seed package sales rose 300%. The USDA estimated that 20 milion gardens were planted with and estimated 9 to 10 million pounds of fruit and vegetables grown per year. That was fourty-four percent of the fresh produce grown in the U.S. In 1943 315,000 pressure cookers sold for canning. Only 66,000 sold the year before.

The Victory Gardens of World War II helped to improve the morale of Americans and provided and outlet for patriotism, fear and anxiety, with loved ones off to war.

Today, we're seeing a resurgence in Victory Gardens and there are many similarities to the Victory Gardens of World War II, but there are some stark differences as well. Stay tuned for Part 5 of the Evolution of Victory Gardens, when we explore the modern Victory Garden.

Evolution of The Victory Garden Part 3

2009-03-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

The Great Depression 1929 to 1939:

The stock market crashed, jobs were lost and people were hungry. Once again municipalities turn to gardens to lessen the burden on the American public. Relief gardening programs were put in place to combat hunger, poverty and emotional stress. These gardens were known as welfare gardens, vacant lot gardens, subsistence gardens and depression relief gardens. It was believed that these gardens would improve health and spirit, create feelings of usefulness, productivity, importance and provide opportunities for food and work.

There were three phases to depression era relief gardens. In the beginning the program was hindered by disagreements on the size and placement of the gardens, who would be involved in creating them, uncertainty on the length of the depression and the fact that these gardens would no longer be grown for the sick and disabled, but for healthy people unable to find work. Most support for these gardens came from the citizens themselves in the beginning.

In 1933 these issues were resolved for a couple of reasons. First non government organizations such as The Family Welfare Society and Employee Relief Commission formed garden committees to combat hunger. People with land were encouraged to cultivate and seeds and supplies were provided. Many farmers disliked this program because they felt that by growing more produce in these relief gardens caused overproduction which in turn maintained the depression. Second, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became president and started the "New Deal". Over the next three years the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) gave over $3 billion of aid to work garden programs. Gardeners received wages for cultivating and distributing to those in need. This program lasted until 1935.

How well did these programs work? In New York City a gardening campaing led by the Welfare Department and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) created over 5000 gardens in vacant lots producing $5 worth of vegetables for every $1 invested which came to $2.8 million of food produced by 1934.

In 1935 government funding ended and the third phase began. The gardens were no longer viewed as opportunities for success and improvement. The attitude of the public began to change to viewing the gardens as a tool for poverty and laziness, and that they were best geared towards the disabled and sick. The connotation went from "relief" gardens to the pitiful impression of them becoming "welfare" gardens.

But by 1939 another war was brewing in Europe and these connotations would be looking to change soon. Next up, World War II Victory Gardens.

Evolution of The Victory Garden Part 2

2009-03-04T18:37:00.000-08:00

The original "Victory Gardens" began during World War 1, even before the U.S. entered the war. In 1914 in Europe, the allies had most of their farmers go off to war leaving crops unharvested and rotting in the fields, most of the farm land had become part of the war zone, and it was becoming more and more dangerous to ship food to Europe due to the German submarines. There was virtually no meat available, and dairy products were so limited that a person had to get a doctors note saying that it was necessary to their health to acquire them. Bread was often not available at all.

In the U.S. citizens had to cut their consumption of food as prices rose and as the burden fell on North America to provide food for 120,000,000 people. Meatless and wheatless days were promoted in order to conserve. As a response to this community gardens started to pop up everywhere.

In 1917 Charles Lathrop Pack founded the National War Garden Commission. The Commission campaigned for backyard Victory Gardens with posters, cartoons, press releases, and pamphlets to "to arouse the patriots of America to the importance of putting all idle land to work, to teach them how to do it, and to educate them to conserve by canning and drying all food that they could not use while fresh." (Pack 1919). Posters had sayings such as, "Will you have a part in Victory?", "Put the slacker land to work", and "Can the Kaiser". President Woodrow Wilson stated that, "Everyone who creates or cultivates a garden helps..."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture formed a committee on public information to help plant "a million new backyard and vacant lot gardens." These gardens were meant to feed America so that the country would be able to send food abroad to support our European allies, and to save fuel and free up transportation and middleman jobs to help with the war effort.

How well did this effort work? In Dallas Texas in 1918 there were 20,000 gardens producing 17,500 cans of vegetables in only a few weeks. In Marion Indiana where 29,000 people resided there were 14,081 gardens. Nationwide in 1917 there were 3 million garden plots. By 1918 that had increased to 5,285,000 plots with a harvest of 528.5 million pounds of produce for that year.

When put to the test, individual Americans can really produce.

Next stop down garden history lane will be Depression Relief Gardens. Stay tuned.

Evolution of The Victory Garden

2009-03-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

I've been hearing the term "Victory Garden" thrown about more and more these days. I had to wonder, how many people really know what a Victory Garden is. Or, should I say was? I grew up hearing the term, having parents who grew up during the depression and who lived through WWII. Their families had Victory Gardens, and they often spoke to me about those gardens, which went beyond vegetables to include chickens, and usually a milk cow. I've seen my Mother shudder at the sight of a butter churner in antique stores. Yes, she had to churn her own butter, but that's another story all together.

My curiosity got the better of me and I decided to blow off chores and do some research on Victory Gardens. I discovered a rich history in American gardening and I'll share what I discovered in my own little series here. So story number one, where did Victory Gardens begin?

I had a vague recollection that WWII Victory Gardens had their start in WWI. When I started researching WWI Victory Gardens I discovered that The U.S. has had a long history of encouraging backyard gardens as a way to get by and even to control the impoverished.

Between 1890 and 1910 a group of middle and upper middle class city dwellers started the City Beautiful Movement. It started out of their fear of the masses of poverty stricken citizens they reluctantly co-existed with. Between 1860 and 1910 the US population had tripled which put a lot of strain on urban areas. Nearly 19,000 people lived in 303 alleys in Washington DC. Sanitation, crime and overpopulation were becoming major issues. It was believed that by beautifying the city it would inspire civic loyalty and improve morals in the poorer civilians, which would, in turn, reduce crime.

Part of this movement involved city gardens, which they hoped would improve the health of the poor population by getting them outside and providing them food and giving them a rest from the stresses of life. One group in Minneapolis grew so much in their City Beautiful garden that they began supplying local stores with their produce.

During the depression of 1893 to 1897 backyard gardens were also encouraged due to increasing poverty and unemployment. Detroit Michigan was hit particularly hard at this time and Mayor Haze S Pingree put out a request to owners of vacant lots to be used by the unemployed to grow vegetables for subsistence. These vacant lot plots later became known as Pingree's Potato Patches. It was hoped, that in doing this, that the food supply would increase and supplement income, and that a sense of self respect and independence would grow as well as gaining the benefits of fresh air and exercise. The gardens ended up saving the city money. Detroit invested $3000 in supplies and in the first year yielded $12,000 worth of vegetables. This allowed the city to not have to raise taxes to support the unemployed and saved Detroit $9000.

2000 people participated over several years between Detroit and Buffalo. One goal for the potato patches was the hope that recent immigrants, like the Polish women pictured above, would socialize and become more ingrained in the "American Way". Similar programs existed in Minneapolis and Denver.

The U.S. has always had a rich agrarian history, but I've never really looked into the city side of that history before. I find it fascinating how city gardening has been used in the past to help the poor become more nourished, not just physically, but emotionally in the past. I have to wonder why (I think I know why) it's not being encouraged so much today.

Next I'll share what I've learned about the Liberty Gardens of the Great War, or better known as World War I.

More Winter Gardening

2009-02-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

I have officially moved my Chinese Kale and Oriental Spinach sprouts to the big garden. Cross your fingers that they survive to food status.

Here is the Kale:
And the Oriental Spinach:
I have to give a big thanks to my girls for helping me plant my starts. Cross your fingers that I'll be posting a yummy recipe for Chinese Kale and Oriental Spinach in a few months.
Happy Gardening!
OH Wait!
On my way to the garden I couldn't resist taking a few pictures of our plum tree. Here is is for your enjoyment:
Spring is so close.....hovering like hope.

National Animal Identification System

2009-02-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

Being the owner of a small herd of goats, one sheep, soon to be two and a small flock of chickens, I'm just not too sure I like this whole National Animal ID System thing our government is planning on laying on us. Talk about Big Brother!
I learned of this on the Happy Homesteader Blog on the online Mother Earth News. You can read the article here. If you agree with me that this isn't the way to go, be sure to speak out against NAIS. This is all about protecting large agri business and smothering out the small time farmers and ranchers. Let's not let this happen.

Seed Catalogs

2009-02-16T16:35:00.000-08:00

So, is anyone else being inundated with seed catalogs? I use to get one or two a year. Then I ordered seed potatoes from Territorial Seed Company last year, and this year, I received 10 catalogs within a 2 month period. Usually I would be irritated by receiving so many catalogs, but seed catalogs today are like the Sears Toy catalog was for me at Christmas time when I was 5 years old. I can spend hours looking at them and dreaming. So, how does one go about controlling themselves and only ordering what they really can grow, and how much do I really need to order. How much can I buy locally?

My plan is, to circle everything I want, then note what I know I can get locally, either from our local nurseries or from our farmers' markets. I've already discovered I can get asparagus crowns, seed potatoes, onions, and rhubarb locally. Even though I can buy purslane and veronica at the farmers market, I can't seem to find the seed or starts for them locally, so those I'll order, along with the other things I can't find locally. But from which catalog?

I've received catalogs from Connecticut to Wisconsin (even though they're called Vermont seed Co.), to Maine to Pennsylvania to Oregon. So, I've decided I'd focus on the one's from Cottage Grove Oregon, specifically Territorial Seed and Abundant Life. They're as local as I can get when it comes to seed catalogs. If there is anything else I can afford to order and really want that I can't get locally or from Cottage Grove, I'll break down and order from the others.

The one other thing I'll have to order from out of state is Sweet Potatoe's. No one will sell to California because they're too restrictive on what can be shipped to the state. It frustrates me that sweet pototoes are grown in California on corporate monster agribusiness farms, but none of these companies will sell slips to small farmers to grow on their own, and no one is allowed to ship slips into California. Well Ha! I've found one place willing and able to ship to California, and I plan to grow sweet potatoes this year. I'd say who this source is, but I'm afraid if I print it here, they'll be stopped from shipping, and I dont' want to do that. Just spend some time googleling and you'll find them.

So now I need to figure out who much I can squeeze into my already tilled garden and how much more of my yard I have time to till or build raised beds onto, then I can start shopping away for all the delightful treats and yummies I hope I can grow this year.

So back to circling all the "toys" I want from those seed catalogs and to all the mapping out and planning!
May we all have and abundant year!

Winter Gardening

2009-02-15T11:33:00.003-08:00

About a month ago I was reading an on line article from Mother Earth News, Use Cold Frames To Grow More Food, and on page 3 a section called Milk Jug Seed Starters got my attention. For one, it was an unusually sunny and warm January here on the North Coast of California, which got me motivated to get out in the garden, and second I have a ton of milk jugs waiting to be taken to the recycling center. I figured why not use a few of them to take care of my itch to get outside and garden.

Back when we took our trip to Oakland's China Town we had picked up several packets of seeds from the markets. Oriental Spinach, Chinese Kale, and Edible Amaranth. They are all suppose to be winter hardy plants, so I decided to experiment and try these seeds out along with some Romaine lettuce seeds in the milk jug seed starters and see if I could achieve some success.

So far I have been pleasantly surprised by the Chinese Kale and the Oriental Spinach. Nothing has sprouted from the Amaranth yet. Being the ignorant gardener I am, I'm not sure what I did wrong. My Romaine sprouted and was doing beautifully, but has since been demolished by some critter, most likely slugs and/or snails. I have one start left from the 20 or so that first popped up. I'll have to give that one another shot and find a safer location. Apparently the slugs and snails don't care too much for the kale or spinach. I hope I didn't just jinx myself by typing that.

Here is my one lonely lettuce sprout, that probably won't make it through the day:

And here are my successes. The Chinese Kale:

And the Oriental Spinach:

And true to the poorly translated from Chinese to English instructions, they are cold tolerant plants and have survived the cold front that has brought freezing temperatures
to our area, beautifully. I should be able to transplant them to the garden without hardening them off, since they've already been acclimated to the weather. At least that's what I'm hoping.

Hopefully I'll be writing of further successes with the Chinese Kale and Oriental Spinach, and that I finally figured out how to get the amaranth to sprout. Oh yeah, and whether I've succeeded in saving any new lettuce sprouts from the slugs and snails. Those evil little slime makers!

Well, off to look up some recipes for Chinese Kale and Oriental Spinach, and some psychological tricks to get my kids to eat them.
Happy Gardening!

Humboldt Crud

2009-02-10T20:10:00.000-08:00

Well, so much for the big start on my garden blog huh? Soon after I got it rolling again I had a sick kid home, then I got sick, now I have another sick child at home and I just haven't had time to post a thing. I have sprouts started that I'm itching to show you! So hopefully I'll get to that in a day or two. So off to finish up my chicken, garlic, ginger dinner that is suppose to cure us of all evil and illness, (using sage and rosemary from my garden - woo hoo!)
Keep yourselves healthy out there,
Kim

Spring! Already?

2009-01-19T21:36:00.001-08:00

I haven't written here in a while, but I've decided to revive my poor neglected Ignorant Gardener blog. I have so much to say and learn about gardening and it ties in so well with my food blog Omnivores Delight.

So this weekend I had the time to get out in my garden and start cleaning up and getting ready for spring and planting. I had so many Woo Hoo! moments. First was the fact that I had already cleaned up the upper patch of my vegie garden, meaning I only had to focus on the bottom section. I still had beets to harvest and discovered the carrot seeds I accidentally spilled took and I now have several carrots to harvest soon. That is, if I can beat the nasty little gophers to them. I gathered seeds from my collards and broccoli to replant this spring and was surprised to find one of the broccoli plants growing a new head. They're becoming perennial on me. The coolest Woo Hoo garden moment was when I was cleaning out around my artichokes and asparagus. The asparagus that I thought was a failure that I told my husband to plow over with the rototiller because it obviously isn't going to grow in our soil, and then there it is popping up randomly throughout the garden asparagus. The asparagus that I learned later needs three years before it produces anything of significance, but will provide you with a spring crop for the next 20 to 30 years.

Since I first planted those asparagus plants I have since learned from one of the farmers at our local farmers market that where I live is ideal for asparagus. And considering how hard we tried to kill those plants, thinking they were already dead, and there they are putting out spears not just in Spring but in Fall as well, and then yesterday I discover this:

So apparently Spring has arrived in mid January! I real spear of asparagus. It's the only one, but I'm so excited, and I will be planting more now that I know the time line. I think I'll go buy some prosciutto to wrap around that one little spear. All I know is, it may be one spear, but I'm not wasting my precious bounty.

Happy garending!

Article about the Klamath Basin

2007-09-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

I found this article interesting mainly because it's where my Dad grew up, it's where my family settled over 100 years ago. Water has been a big issue there since the beginning, and my family, being farmers, have been in the middle of the controversy all along. My grandfather, Charles Brown, worked on the reclamation project. He remembered when Tule Lake use to actually be around the peninsula, and he remembered when a lava tube broke open and a great deal of the lake drained out into the lava tube. Most people blame the farmers for the loss of water, but that's not the case. The Anderson's mentioned in this article are cousins of mine.

My grandmother, the one married to Charles, was an Anderson. She came to Merril Oregon (not far from Malin) in a covered wagon in the early 1900's. It was her family, and the Browns along with others who built the communities and the farms there. Kandra is another name I've grown up hearing. I'm quite sure my dad went to school with a Kandra.

It's interesting to see the North Coast Journal side with the people who farm the refuge, the people who are bringing in the corporate farms. Here in Humboldt it's all about keeping it local and supporting the local small farmers. I guess if it's not in your backyard, then corporate farms are all good. Unfortunately, it's not good for the way of life my family has been trying to live in the Klamath Basin for more than a century.

Deer in the garden, fox in the hen house

2007-07-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

Shit! First we have deer jumping in our vegie garden eating our cauliflower, then I wake up to my husband yelling, "We only have one hen left!" Damn! I meant to close up the hen house last night right after dinner. My husband woke up to two "shadows" in the hen yard, turns out they were fox. One ripped the head off of a hen and dug straight into her abdomen to dig the egg out of her body. And people wonder why farmers want to kill off predators. I guarantee if most of these citified wanna be enviro's saw what we saw this morning, they'd be praying to their porcelain gods and plotting their revenge.

Gardening Again

2007-07-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

Well, after taking a break from writing and gardening, I'm back at both now. My garden was a mess and my pages have been blank. A lot of catching up to do. With a lot of help from my husband we now have a happily growing vegetable garden full of lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, and many other things. Celery, once again this year is doing extremely well, as is the Pak Choy we tried out this year. Our pole beans aren't fairing too well though. I think there may not be enough sun where they're at. I'm giving asparagus a shot this year. I've heard it's difficult to grow, but that's what they said about celery too. I'll have to be patient for the asparagus. I won't see any harvest until next spring. The peas seem to be doing fairly well so far. Our squash and pumpkins are looking extremely happy as well. One of my happy surprises is that my basil is doing very will this year. I try every year and it just suffers along. But, thanks to the "drought" and all the extra sun we're getting this year, it's doing very well.

My next project is to get some more lettuce starts rolling so we can keep lettuce growing year round. Unfortunately tomatoes are out of the question here until I get a green house. I didn't event bother to try this year. So I'll have to buy all of my tomatoes at the Farmers Market. I'm hoping I can get the energy and gumption up to do some more canning this year. I'd like to have canned tomatoes, peaches, apples etc etc.

So, here we go.......garden on!!!!

Rhododendron Festival

2007-04-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

Rhododendron Parade and Festival April 28th ~ 10 AM
Eureka
This popular community event is sponsored by the Greater Eureka Chamber of Commerce and accepts parade entries from throughout the region. The Year's 35th annual parade will start at Seventh and E Sts. and will travel up Seventh St. to H St., turn south on H and proceed West on Henderson Ave., ending at the Eureka Mall. The annual Rhododendron Show will be held at Miles Hall, St. Bernard's Elementary School, 115 Henderson St., on Saturday. Other events are to be arranged. Those interested in participating should contact the Chamber at 707-442-3738.

Rhododendron Society

2007-04-22T19:15:00.001-07:00

Rhododendron Society. 7:30 p.m. Christ Church-Episcopal, Parish Room, 15th and H sts., Eureka. Don Wallace of Singing Trees Gardens presents "The King of Shrubs" slide show illustrating the use of rhododendrons in landscaping. Carol Dunning leads the Rhodo 101 session "Using Rhodies in Flower Arrangements." Refreshments. 443-1291.

It's Time To Garden!

2007-04-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Fortuna Feed & Garden Center is having their anniversary sale on April 28th! Woo Hoo!!!!
25% off of everything in the nursery! Yes! And they're having a BBQ and a goat calling competition! Can't wait!

17th Annual CR Plant Sale

2007-04-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

The College of the Redwoods Agriculture program will be holding its 17th annual plant sale on Friday, April 27, from noon until 6 p.m. and Saturday, April 28 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the CR greenhouse on the main Eureka campus

The Christmas Garden Affair

2006-12-12T18:25:00.000-08:00

I'm not doing much gardening these days, although I should be planting my garlic bulbs and putting in some lettuce and spinach starts...yeah, whatever! I just don't want to go out in that rain in the short days. Really, all I want to do is sleep, and read right now. Hibernate! So, I'm trying to read all I can in my little bit of spare time. I've discovered an author who is, first and foremost, a gardener, and a mystery lover. I've never read one of her books, but she comes highly recommended by the librarian. So I'm curious to see how this book pans out. For more check out my href="http://lonleystarbookclub.blogspot.com/">Lonely Star Book Club blog

Ecolandscape

2006-11-29T14:21:00.000-08:00

In connection with my article on landscaping with native plants, I thought I'd share this information I received from Susan Leroy for the following conference in Sacramento:

EcoLandscape Working Group (ELWG) is presenting EcoLandscape 2007: Ecological Landscapes for Sustainable Businesses. This conference will be held on Saturday,
February 3, 2007 at the Samuel Pannell Community Center in Sacramento.
Complete information on the conference is online at http://www.ecolandscape.org.
I have also attached the flyer for the conference.

This event will build on the successes of the 2004 and 2005 conferences by
providing cutting-edge information on how to design, install, and maintain
landscaping in an environmentally-sound manner. Topics will address the
issues of water conservation, peak run-off reduction, soil enhancement,
weed management, storm water pollution, and pesticide and fertilizer
reduction. Highly-acclaimed speakers, combined with a mini-trade show of
innovative products and services, will help landscape professionals meet
the challenges of landscaping in the 21st century.

Speakers at the conference will discuss many of the topics covered in the
forthcoming “River-Friendly Landscaping Guidelines”, which is being funded
by the Sacramento County Stormwater Quality Program. The booklet should be
completed and available for free at the conference.

Please take a moment to visit http://www.ecolandscape.org to see our complete
program. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact
either me at the number below or Dave Roberts, ELWG chair, at 916-492-0393
or email at info@ecolandscape.org.

We look forward to seeing you at the conference!

Growing Vegetables West Of The Cascades

2006-11-28T12:15:00.000-08:00

The BEST gardening book I've found for the North Coast!
This is my all time favorite gardening book right now. If I lived south of here or east of here, it wouldn't be very useful, but in Humboldt Co., it's the only book that can explain how to grow vegetables out here. It's actually geared towards Washington and Oregon, but applies quite nicely to Humboldt, especially the northern end of the county. We're a bit warmer than some of the areas described in the book and our growing season is longer. Where this book is very helpful is when it comes to soil. Our soil here is acidic, just as it is north to us, and that plays a huge part in gardening here. We're also very wet here and not too warm, unless you live inland about 40 miles. This book addresses those issues. This book covers an incredible amount in only 340 pages. From soil to composting, to garden planning to water to starting plants from seeds (as well as collecting your own from your plants) to transplanting the seedlings. He even has a section on predators that are indigenous to our area, as well as how to build a cloche. This book is my gardening bible, and if you are a gardener on the north coast, I highly recommend it. Until Amy Stewart quits messing around with flowers and writing for the North Coast Journal and gets down to the business of writing a garden (especially vegies) book for Humboldt County, this will be the only truly useful gardening book for you coastal Humboldt vegie growers.

You can check it out at Humboldt Library and see if it works for you, or go buy it through Amazon.com or see if any of our fine local book stores carry it.

My new blog site

2006-11-26T18:15:00.000-08:00

Check out my new blog site. Lonely Star Book Club

GOPHER BROKE

2006-11-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

Gopher Broke

Add to My Profile | More Videos

2006-09-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

My first ripe tomato. I've had a couple more since this one, which is amazing for living only a few miles from the ocean. It's foggy here most days and it's near impossible to get a tomato to ripen without a greenhouse. So, I figure I'm doing pretty
darn good!

Otherwise, the garden is winding down a bit. My zucchini plant has died off, thank God! I've had enough zucchini to last
me until next summer! Our corn plants are suffering. It's just too shady and damp where we planted them. Next year
we'll try a different spot. Our artichokes are starting to put out some nice artichokes, and our apple tree is brimming full of apples. We're still harvesting broccoli too. I've got lots of beets and carrots coming if the voles will stay out of them. Our
cantaloupe and watermelon plants look nice, but I think it's too late in the year and we won't see any fruit from them. Especially since my dog keeps peeing on them!

I need to start working on clean up, planting some winter crops, like lettuce, spinach and chard, and planting soil amendments. And my poor roses need attention desperately.

Off to the garden!

We'll miss you Steve

2006-09-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you for gracing us with your life Steve

2006-09-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

Here's my garden.....NOT!
Pretty nice though

picture

2006-08-28T18:12:00.000-07:00

Gardening with native plants

2006-08-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

I've been busy traveling and getting my daughter ready for school, so I haven't had time to post a thing lately. I did have to write an article for my magazine writing class. I chose to write about gardening with native plants. Here's the article:

GARDENING WITH NATIVE PLANTS

Have you driven down the highway in spring and admired the golden hues of the blooms of the scotch broom? Have you admired the beautiful green leaves of ivy growing up the wall of the quaint craftsman down the street? You may even have found these plants at your local nursery and considered planting them in your own yard. But should you?

“Why not?” you may ask. “They’re growing in the wild and sold in the local nursery, so they must be a native plant, and therefore a good thing to plant in my yard.”

It’s true that you may see these plants everywhere along the roadsides and in your nursery, but that does not necessarily make them native. In fact, about three percent of the plant species in California are considered invasive. Three percent may not sound like much, but they inhabit far more area.

A non profit group called the California Invasive Plant Council or Cal - IPC has defined invasive plants as plants that have “evolved in one region of the globe are moved by humans to another region, a few of them flourish, crowding out native vegetation and the wildlife that feeds on it.” These plants affect the soil chemistry, increase the danger of wildfire and flooding and use more water than native plants.

So, what should you take into consideration when considering landscaping with native plants in your garden? Are you concerned about water conservation? Do you have erosion problems? How healthy is your soil? Do you want to limit the use of pesticides and other toxins? Do you want to attract local wildlife, birds, butterflies and other beneficial insects?
These are all things that can be improved, or diminished depending on your plant choices.

To help me in understanding how to make wise plant choices for a healthy native garden I spoke with Susan Taylor. Susan is a local biologist who received her BA degree in biology from Hollins University. She is currently the associate environmental planner for Cal-Trans in Humboldt County. Susan acts as project manager for revegetation projects in which habitat and vegetation are removed for highway projects. She identifies invasive plant species and develops and implements eradication projects for transportation projects. She is also an avid gardener and incorporates native plants in her own garden.

The first thing Susan was adamant about was to never plant an invasive species in your landscape. You will be asking for trouble down the line. They spread so prolifically that they take away from the food supply of the other plants in your garden. They will eventually choke your other plants out. English and German ivy are prime examples of this. When this happens your plant diversity diminishes, which will cause your garden to be more susceptible to pests and disease. A more diverse garden will attract more beneficial insects to your garden, and not compromise the health of the soil. Avoiding invasive plants and planting more native plants will help to maintain a healthy balance in your garden.

Susan also pointed out that “local” is a relative term. Many plants in California can become naturalized to an area that it is not native to. A good example of this is California’s state flower, the California poppy. This flower is “local” to southern California, but it is not native to the northern end of the state. Most people think of this flower as being native to the entire state. Many people also confuse the difference between invasive plants and weeds. Many plants that are considered weeds, like dandelions, are native, and not considered invasive, unless, of course, you are avid about a perfect lawn. Plants that are native to an area, would find it difficult to become invasive in their local habitat because of natural checks and balances within the ecosystem that keep them under control.

Going back to the things to consider when planning your native garden, there are certain advantages, according to Susan, that native plants will have over others. Native plants use less water than non natives or invasive plants. Many native plants aid in erosion control, which is a major issue in northern California. Native plants will reduce the need for pesticides making your garden less toxic, and reducing the cost of gardening. One of the most enjoyable benefits of native plants is that they attract beneficial insects, and many beautiful butterflies, local birds, and other wildlife. The only downside, is that a native plant garden can be slow growing. You won’t have an instant garden, but it is well worth the wait.

In xeriscaping Susan said there are really no native plants she would caution people from using, but if you have a pristine lawn you may want to avoid some plants. Any plant that spreads through rhizomes, like the wood sorrel, or bleeding hearts, can quickly take over a perfect lawn.

So, is it ok to plant non native plants at all? “Yes” says Susan. “Gardening is a personal thing.” she says. “Certain plants hold meaning for people, and gardening can be a very spiritual hobby. If a plant is special to you, by all means plant it”, but, as Susan says, “ be responsible, do your research first.” Make sure it is not considered invasive so that you won’t have problems and have to go through the hassle of removing it later. Keep your garden healthy and diverse.

So, what are some examples of native plants you may want to consider for your garden? Susan suggests local evergreens like redwoods, sitka spruce, or various cedars. The evergreen huckleberry is also a great choice for attracting wildlife. Some deciduous plants to consider are the thimble berry, salmon berry or the California blackberry (avoid the Himalayan blackberry, as it is very invasive.) All provide wonderful edible fruit for humans and wildlife. For erosion control good choices would be bear berry, buck brush (unless you have allergies to it.), and certain grasses, like California oat grass, California fescue, and blue bunchgrass. To add more color and beauty to your garden you may want to consider the seaside daisy, California fuschia, pacific coast iris, or aster (good for stabilizing slopes.).

To learn more about what plants you may want to consider for your natural garden you can contact the North Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society at xxx-xxxx, or check their website at www.northcoastcpps.org.This organization provides an excellent list of recommended natives for northwest gardens at northcoastcpps.org/ls.grdn.htm. This list provides the scientific names, common names, and notes explaining the growth tendencies, best uses for, and benefits of growing each plant. For more information on invasive plants check the Encycloweedia website at portal.cal-ipc.org or the Global Invasive Species Initiative at portal.cal-ipc.org.

Native plants that attract hummingbirds (compiled by Jennifer Kalt (3/97) at Northcoast Chapter of CNPS)

crimson columbine
Indian paintbrush
red or orange larkspur
firecracker plant
wild or hummingbird “fuschia”
Humboldt fuschia
scarlet gilia or sky rocket
red flowered rock penstemon
honeysuckle
Sticky monkey flower
cardinal or scarlet monkey flower
Indian warrior
penstemon or beardtongue
coffee berry
cascara sagrada
rhododendron
western azalea
currents and gooseberries
catchfly or campion
hedge nettle

Native Shrubs and small Trees that Attract Wildlife (compiled by Judy Hinmann (9/00) of Northcoast Chapter of CNPS)

red alder
serviceberry
manzanita
dwarf Oregon-grape
Pacific dogwood
California hazel
salal
tan oak
Pacific wax myrtle
Indian- plum
bitter cherry
chokecherry
California coffeeberry
cascara buckthorn
California blackberry
willows
blue elderberry
red elderberry
snowberry
evergreen huckleberry
red huckleberry

Mourning my pumpkins

2006-08-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

I'm still so disappointed about my pumpkins. My husband pointed out that the last vine had been attacked. I almost wanted to cry. Damn it! If I could just figure out what did it. I have to keep them out of my cantaloupe patch.

Otherwise another beautiful sunny day. My tomatoes are making a valiant effort at ripening. Yeah! Maybe I won't have to live on fried green tomatoes! Next year I hope I get a green house. Then I can have ripe tomatoes.

Not much else going on except that my beet seeds are coming up. Yeah! I'm hoping for my carrot seeds to be popping up soon. Unfortunately I won't be here this weekend when they should be popping up. I have to leave my garden in the hands of another! EGADS!

Death Of A Pumpkin Patch

2006-08-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

This is what my pumpkin patch looked like soon after planting our starts. Beautiful! Soon it was taking over the yard and their were close to 50 pumpkins. I was so excited. You see, both of my children were born in October, my oldest on Halloween, so pumpkins are an important part of our lives in the fall. I love carving them, and there's nothing like pumpkin pie made from scratch!

But, alas! No pumpkins to be had. I walked out a few days ago to find one of the vines severed at the base. The next day, another vine severed. I couldn't, for the life of me figure out what was doing it! Slugs? But why would they just sever the vine? They usually head for the blossoms and leaves. Can't be slugs. Gophers? Maybe. I know we have Moles, which aren't the problem. They eat grubs and insects. Voles? That's possible. We have tons of those. Rabbits? I've seen them across town, but none here. I just don't know. I haven't figured it out, and today I discovered the last vine severed, and it had a huge pumpkin on it. I'm heart broken. I guess the great pumpkin will not be visiting us this year.

It will be another trip to the real pumpkin patch again this year. I'll be asking them for some pointers on how to keep my plants from being destroyed. And next year I'll be guarding my pumpkin patch like a sheep dog guards his sheep!

Day 1

2006-08-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I only have about 5 minutes, but just wanted to get something posted on my first day. I hope to come back frequently and post about my attempts at gardening. I've always struggled with keeping plants alive, but have this urge to keep trying anyway. This year, I managed to do a pretty damn good job, with the help of my husband, of course. So, I thought I'd share, or at least have a place to go back to and look and show myself, "see! You can do it! Just keep trying. You'll succeed again."

Already the kids are screaming for me, and I have to get to work. So, I'll be back as soon as possible.

Happy gardening!

The Ignorant Gardener

Jamie's Biointensive Gardening

Rent A Ruminant

Spring is here, really it is

A food word of the day for the gardener

Zen Garden

A Carrot by Any Other Name

Farm Aid: 25 Years of Making A Difference

The garden at the Loleta Cheese Factory

My New Garden

High Class Chicken Coop

Carter House Gardens

Sunday Flowers

Anthony Bourdain’s Medium Raw Challenge

From Ignorant to mad to sad gardener

From Ignorant to Mad Gardener

Spring is peeking around the corner

Winter

Winter Garden

Seed Catalogs are comming!

Crazy Fall

Little apple tree - HUGE apples

A Growing Market

The new food fighters - Health

busy busy

Love Your Farmers Market

Humboldt County Fair Livestock Auction

A Relaxing Sunday in the Garden

Politics of the Plate: Family Farms or âFacilitiesâ? Food Politics: Gourmet.com

Too sick to garden

Sheesh what a day!

How does your garden grow?

The Amaranth has Sprouted!

Cold Frames

My poor neglected garden

Evolution of the Victory Garden Part 5

Victory Garden Handbook

Evolution of The Victory Garden Part 4

Evolution of The Victory Garden Part 3

Evolution of The Victory Garden Part 2

Evolution of The Victory Garden

More Winter Gardening

National Animal Identification System

Seed Catalogs

Winter Gardening

Humboldt Crud

Spring! Already?

Article about the Klamath Basin

Deer in the garden, fox in the hen house

Gardening Again

Rhododendron Festival

Rhododendron Society

It's Time To Garden!

17th Annual CR Plant Sale

The Christmas Garden Affair

Ecolandscape

Growing Vegetables West Of The Cascades

My new blog site

GOPHER BROKE

We'll miss you Steve

picture

Gardening with native plants

Mourning my pumpkins

Death Of A Pumpkin Patch

Day 1

Politics of the Plate: Family Farms or âFacilitiesâ? Food Politics: Gourmet.com