Going Organic

Organic cooking is really not that complicated once you know a few basics. In fact, it’s easier, and in most cases healthier, than trying to cook by some new fad diet guidelines.--read more

So, we've been talking about knowing your meat over here, and meeting farmers and organic vs. regular and whatnot.--read more

I'm currently in thrall to some deadlines and getting the garden cleared out, but wanted to share this link.--read more

Sorry for the delay in getting pictures of Day Two up. We spent most of yesterday lazing around recovering, or rainboot shopping for the girls. Do you know there is not a single decent pair of size 2 rainboots to be had in this town? Josie's peeved. Off to the catalog we go.

Here are Karen and Leonard, the people who made all this happen:

Karen put the call out for help for me, and Leonard answered it. I will be forever grateful to them both. Isn't Leonard adorable? He is. I also have to thank Gail. I don't have a picture of her, but she was here through the entire process and my family's great thanks goes to her.

Here is Spencer with his trellis:

Spencer is a crazy boy, also adorable, who was out there building that trellis until 12:30 am the night before. Grapes will be on that trellis. Or something. Maybe squash or cucumber vines. Or all of the above. We haven't figured out yet what's going up the trellis. Talk to Leonard. But ain't it purty?

Speaking of adorable boys, here is JJ in the pond, and our friend Tom helping him:

They emptied it, mucked it out, found the holes that had been draining out water, patched them, fixed the fountain pump, and got it all running again.

Everyone had fun making seed balls:


Inside these balls are seeds for all kinds of flowers, herbs and edibles. Scatter the balls into spots where the world could use some green--empty lots for instance--and voila! instant wild garden with no further input from anyone else. Karen made me a big one shaped like a goddess figure--she's holding it in the top picture--but it broke! I'm going to let the pieces dry out the rest of the way and then scatter them in the front by the kiosk.

At the end of Day Two the group had finished about half of what we've set out to do in the yard.

--The swingset has been taken down, the old garden beds taken out, and five new "guild" style plantings are now in that area, anchored by two apple trees, a nectarine, a pie cherry and a fig. Underneath them are gooseberries and currants. Underneath THEM are medicinal and culinary herbs including "fraises des bois," the little wild strawberries that do well in dappled shade. I have yet to get a good picture of one of these plantings but I'll keep trying.

--A grape has been planted to grow into the laurel hedge.

--The pond is cleaned out, patched and working again. This spring we'll restock it with fish and tadpoles.

--The front of the property has been planted with forest/shade plants like salal and oxalis, and mulched.

--The new swingset is taking shape. As soon as it stops raining later this week John will start that up again, and if the weekend weather cooperates he'll have it finished then.

--The rose and iris beds have been cleaned out and the irises, overcrowded and unhappy little rhizomes that they were, have been divided. You can now get into the gazebo from all four sides.

Still to come:

--Annual garden beds sized so we can put the chicken tractor over them.

--Herb spiral plantings.

--Cane berries and kiwis on the back fence and shed.

--Guild plantings in the western half of the garden, including paw paw trees. Pickin up paw paws, put em in your pocket...

When the rest is going to happen I don't know, but I think it's soon.

About 15-20 people have been marching in and out of my yard today. Things are winding down so I thought I'd post some pictures of the guild planting and sheet mulching techniques that they're using in the yard.

First they put down cardboard:

You can see in this picture that some of the plants (the big ones) have been planted in holes cut in the cardboard. Some smaller, shallow-rooted ones are being planted right on top of it.

Then they put down a bunch of rabbit litter--straw and rabbit droppings--donated by a gal associated with City Repair who has a whole lotta bunnies:

Another view:

Then in some of the guilds (like the one directly above) topsoil is put on top of that; in all of them, mulch--in this garden's case, shredded tree--is the top layer.

So that's what's going on right now. It pretty much looks like piles of mulch surrounded some little trees; if you didn't know better you'd think we'd just hauled in some piles of wood chips. I have to be careful about letting people step on them, because some of the plants are small.

The thing I really want to show you is the trellis Spencer is building along the side of the house, out of bamboo and pieces of the deceased apple tree. SO cool.

I leave you with one last thing--the garden plan, which I meant to post yesterday. Click on it to get a bigger view:

I'm exhausted and the build hasn't even started yet.

I spent all day and night Tuesday, all day and night Wednesday and a good chunk of this morning dealing with the server problem, just in time for the start of work on the garden this morning. Leonard was here bright and early with a chipper to chew up the remains of the apple tree, which now sits in a big pile in the driveway along with a truckload of tree shreds from a service. A bunch of volunteers started clearing out the garden in preparation for tomorrow's build.

Plants are arriving: A fig, currants, a male kiwi, grapes, Oregon grape, salal, a nectarine, two apples--one of them a Cox's Orange Pippin, one of my favorites, the other a Melrose, another favorite. Two beautiful trees, I'm excited; I actually clapped my hands and squealed when Leonard told me about the apples. A honeysuckle. Ferns. Strawberries. One by one, two by two, they're trickling into the yard, these plants.

I spent the afternoon clearing out the dirty, messy gazebo so I'll have a space tomorrow for feeding people. I'm fixing two kinds of porridge--vegan and vegetarian/omnivore--and two kinds of soup--vegan and omnivore.

And now I am completely and utterly exhausted. This is exciting and wonderful and I'll be glad when it's over.

UPDATE: I finally found my card reader, so here are some pix of the end of day 0.

City Riparian
10/13/06-10/14/06

If you're interested in learning about permaculture, here's your chance. The City Repair project will be planting a food forest in our yard throughout City Riparian. There will be workshops, too, on "guild" planting, sheet mulching, making seedballs, and spinning yarn (taught by yrs trly). The work/learn party is free; the workshops and nighttime events are suggested donation, but no one will be turned away.--read more

As a dietetics major and personal chef I am interested in making information available to new moms concerning raising healthy eaters in a healthy environment. I would be interesed in the Complete Org--read more

According to the University of Pittsburg, Montsano's Roundup weed killer is highly lethal to amphibians.

This report was published over a year ago and somehow I've only just heard about it.--read more

When we had some of our old windows replaced we saved them (leaning against the shed in the backyard at the moment) because I wanted to use the glass in a homemade greenhouse. I'd seen articles about these in Organic Gardening and in Mother Earth News and it seems perfectly sensible to me to reuse old windows for this. --read more

Use the world over in various culture, here is an organic insecticide...Allsion, was it you who was interested in trying to rid your garden of critters with something a bit more organic? Sorry it took so long to get back with you.--read more

hmm, i just selected every single category that has to do with my life, but perhaps that was overdoing it. Yet all these subjects came up today:

Teens, Education, Homeschooling: my homeschooler is trying to crash a class at the local public high school, and although we have every right as "taxpayers" for her to attend, all the b.s. that goes along with their bureaucracy makes you have second thoughts! She thinks it's so funny that the teacher admonishes the kids to be quiet and keep their hands to themselves, stay in their chairs, etc. She's been going to independent classes and community college classes for a year now, and no one ever talks like that. Yet this class is supposed to be this really creative interdisciplinary math class that people vie to get into... had to do an "audition" like it was a broadway show! Maybe it will turn out to be inventive and cool... right now she's just mesmerized by the social scene. They also gave her three hours of homework last night...what on earth? If they spent more time in class doing math instead of worrying about the baby stuff...--read more

I just got some strawberries, fennel, and basil. I have grown stuff before, but its been a while. The last time I had stawberries I was a kid. My husband says they need lots of water, is that true or will I just drown them? They are all from seed and will be in pots.--read more

Just trying this out. I've been attempting to create my own website/blog. Dh says I'd never keep it up, so this is a good test!

Today is blustery. They say that rainy days are so gardeners can get the housework done, but all I want to do is start a fire and watch a movie with popcorn.

Volunteered at school today. I was reading mom for ds7's class, and helped with math in ds5's class. On day three of a cold, three hours at school wiped me out.

I need to get the garlic in. It's been too warm and dry to do it yet. The rabbits have devoured the kale. So far they have left the lettuce alone. Our pumpkins this year are almost florescent orange; they are so bright. I have a couple of acorn squash, too, which I need to bring in before the crows/squirrels/rodents get them. I was very disappointed in the amount of squash we have this year. Someone told me that you can't have pumpkins/acorn squash/zucchini in the same garden or they won't produce? --read more