Patio 2010

After hacking out some more ivy and wheelbarrowing-in some more decomposed granite, there's a nice, big patio with planting beds that will get morning and late, afternoon sun, but mostly shade throughout the day.

I've sown the bare soil with daikon seeds, and other various cover-crop seeds (they're growing now but that isn't shown in this photo). I transplanted a few strawberry plants there and a lovely red chard plant too.

We got a lovely north wind today, then some rain tonight. I was hoping for a little more rain before the dry season sets in, if only to delay the need for irrigating from well water.

I envision currants and perhaps edible honeysuckle in these beds, also alpine strawberries, which take some shade, and even more blueberries (I can't get enough!).

A guild of sorts

This selection of plants happened to come together in a rather unplanned way. Leeks, chard, borage, fig, parsley, clover, and alpine strawberries. I also grew daikon and fava beans as cover crops. I feel like something is missing from this guild, but I am not sure what it is. This area is located near the oaks and the plants benefit from the oak leaves. I usually don't dig the leeks when I harvest them, rather I cut the below the soil line and they do grow back from the roots. Borage is a mineral accumulator and bees love the blossoms, which are edible, as are the leaves. I think maybe it needs nasturtium or perhaps a melon for the summer. Something to cover the ground after the daikon, fava, and borage are cut. I don't want too much clover since it is known to attract gophers (they also love fig roots and alium roots too).
I loved looking at this planting progress through the fall and winter
Here is a photo of the same spot in November 2008. Note the droopy chard plant, fungi, very small borage plants, lots of blossoms on the alpine strawberries.

Ginkgo Tree leafing out

The Ginkgo Tree is one I grew from a seed a few years ago. I planted it in the ground two years ago and it has grown about 12" each of those two years. Eventually it will offer shade and leaf litter for the planting underneath it. The leaves can also be used medicinally I've read. Blooming Daikon in the background.

Backyard in Late March

Chicken house (in progress) in the far corner, new supports for a hops tunnel over by the ladder.
The yellow flowers are calendula (foreground) and collards blooming (background).
Over to the left, white flowers are daikon radishes that were planted in the fall. Bare paths need mulch, I'm working on it. That brown stick in front of the collards on the left (look for a white plastic plant tag at its base) is a saijo persimmon tree I planted bareroot. It started leafing out about a week after this photo was taken. In fact, everyday the leaf cover noticeably increases.

November Harvest

Vegetables from the garden, picked Nov. 12, 2008.
Clockwise from top left - Collards, Chard, Mizuna, Butternut squash, summer squash, baby red chard, trombetta summer squash, tomatoes, daikon radish.

Oh, a pumpkin pie sits to the right - made with butternut squash - and it was delicious!