April 4, and it actually feels like spring!

Four of us gathered this morning in the greenhouse. It was a regular Tuesday 10-12 work party, but first we had to decide what to do.

There wasn’t anything pressing in the greenhouse, which made us glad since on a day like today, with birds and breezes caressing our ears and skin, how could we lose?! 

It’s April now, so time to plant flowers. Hydrangeas, allium, dahlia, gladioli, and even jumbo elephant ears (which we used to have in the patio garden, but Rebecca took the bulbs when she left, after ten years, for the west coast. That was almost exactly two years ago, so it’s about time the big beautiful fronds sprung up again!

The elephant ears, gladioli and dahlia we planted in the patio gardens, and at least some of them should be up to wave at us during our Community Dinners in late July or August.

The allium we planted in one of the front gardens, also the two soon to be glorious hydrangea bushes.

We also bought two new blueberry bushes, and planted them in one of the back vegetable gardens. Confession: Annie (a former resident, and good friend) had planted I think it was five blueberry bushes along the outside of the property last spring. And . . . nobody took care of them. This morning, before planting the two new ones, I went to check on the ones outside, and prune them. And guess what? Three are still alive! Okay. So much more care this year. But: that’s why we planted the new ones closer at hand. Much more likely to just naturally care for them. 

Which reminds me: one of the valuable permaculture concepts is that of “zones.” And our neglect of the first blueberry bushes illustrates just why that notion is of value.

Zones

Some of the beans in the greenhouse were so eager to climb that Joseph and Marita wired up a little place for them to do so in the smaller greenhouse, here. (They look rough now; because just repotted.)

And, we decided to experiment with putting the other climbing beans outside against a fence that will also harbor other climbing things, like glorious moon flowers, and some kind of squash (unless we decide it’s not worth it, given the resident squirrel which ate them all when we planted squash there two years ago). Here’s Marita planting the eager bean babies, a big early, we know. So we’ll see if they make it.

Finally, here’s yours truly, planting . . . what was it, ah yes, gladioli!

Hands in the soil. Verrrry satisfying. 

P.S. I’m amazed that I used to plant only annual flowers. Now I plant only perennial flowers. So much fun to see what comes up next year!

Mid-March Work Parties: Planting, potting, composting, coop cleaning

And, I’d say, most of all, making sure the little ones in the greenhouse stay safe, warm enough, and watered, day and night. Here are two photos I took this morning. All of them have their covers on, and the heat maat is going, but no fire at this point.

Five of us are in communication with this ongoing task, via texts, usually. Your turn tonight? Do we need a fire? Let’s unplug the heat mat, drying them out too much — at least during the day. Wow, these little ones need to be put in their own pots! Which Marita and Adam did, during Tuesday’s work party.

On Saturday, Ning Yao and Ben stopped by late morning. Ben turned the compost . . .

. . . while Marita was in the chicken coop cleaning. You can’t see her in the dark, but she’s in there!

Ning Yao and I planted Yukon Gold seed potatoes. Hope we knew what we were doing! See the area thickly covered by fresh straw in the middle of this photo? That’s one of the hugelkultur beds, where we planted them before covering with straw.

If I’m not mistaken, I think these potatoes are the first things we’ve planted outside this season, directly into the soil.

This Thursday, we return to bi-weekly Community Dinners. (The last one was cancelled when someone took sick.) I’ll take a few pics that evening. 

It does feel like we’re on track for our spring activities in the greenhouse. This is the very first year we’ve not had a garden manager to tell us what to do and when. Instead, we rely on each other — and the internet. From top down Capricorn management style to loose, networked Aquarian style, which, interestingly enough, requires each of us to be more responsible, since we can’t just ignore the situation except for following orders from above. A very different feel to the atmosphere with this changeover. A bit dicey, chaotic; but we’re learning. And our seedlings, believe it or not, are thriving. 

Work Party 3/4/23: we plant herb seeds and more

Yesterday, at our Saturday 10 AM to noon work party, I asked everybody present — from left: Ning Yao, Camden, Marita, Joseph, and Nicolas (Marita’s increasingly handsome near-15-year-old son with new, wire-rimmed glasses) — to stop what they were doing, just stop! — and pose for the camera. And sure enough, they did! (A rare occasion for this herding cats outfit). Joseph and I had just returned from a survey of the gardens, to decide and map out which veggies would go in which beds. The rest of the crew were planting herbs. 

So today, 3/5/23, I took pics in the greenhouse. Definitely more trays! 

A few more — and yes, we have to move that bike in and out of the greenhouse every time we work. . .

After the seed starting, we fanned out to do a few other tasks. Marita and Camden tossed grass seed where needed and put straw over that; Joseph pulled old sticks that remained from last season, leaving this garden about bare, except do you see, motherwort is already starting to grow again;

 — while NIng Yao, Nicolas and I began the process of tackled a tangled mess to break up into sticks and make a tidy pile. Meanwhile, Ning Yao (26 years old) hungered for me (80 years old) to tell her the dramatic story that changed my life at her exact age . . .  

See straw in front, tangled mass and pile in back? That soon to be shaded area is going to become a place where we’re going to try (try again, I should say) to grow edible mushrooms. The sticks will likely end up as fire starters, or else be used as deepest layers in new raised beds with aircrete sides that we plan for this year.