No matter the language, my garden is my paradise. To watch the lovely birds that nest in the trees and bushes. The bees, butterflies are such a joy to see.
And so the winds continued yesterday. Sun came out .. .went for a break, then decided to shine for a while. Glad to have you back, transforming the yard!
I’ve started taking a teaspoon of the EM concentrate every day .. as it seemed to have been very effective in warding off a recent ailment that was bothering me. Yea again to the magic of EM. I’d listened to someone who shared that she has taken a spoon daily for a few years and has managed to avoid catching strong colds that were affecting her friends. Those kinds of colds that really knock you off your feet. So I’ve heeded her story and have begun with the daily EM. It tastes quite sharp and not bad at all.
Decided it was time to mix up a batch of garlic scape pesto… so quickly chopped, put in the blender, added olive oil, finely shredded parmesan and almond slices (slightly browned in a small cast iron pan). Loosely guided by a recipe found on the ‘net .. I soon had a delicious mix prepared. Garlicy .. delicious.
Next, I placed a small amount in wax paper and into the freezer, to firm up a bit. Later, I placed sections in a small square of w/paper, formed into a small circular shape, and piled them in glass containers for the freezer. Now, I’m all set to use a bit in the next recipe.
And speaking of which, I found a great blog with a variety of pesto recipes and one in particular for pesto broccoli quinoa .. I’ll reblog that one!
Yesterday I was getting back in my stride … feeling so much better. Spent hours outside … finally potting up those herb seeds from a gift years ago. Funny, the seed packets note to “use the seeds before 2006” … ha ha, I scoff, as I soak the contents of each packet in a diluted EM solution. We’ll see, my pretties!
Don’t know what I’ll do if all the seeds sprout, though! There are: coriander, thyme, parsley, basil and some spinach. Bumper crop. Then I found some lovely squash seeds and my wonderful luffa. I’ll just try a few of the luffa seeds .. to see if I can actually grow some. Fingers crossed.
Then I spent some time unpotting some Scotch moss, separated some of the plants into two sections, soaked them in diluted EM and placed them at the side garden, in front of the boxwood. This area is starting to look great. And I scattered hundreds of Calendula seeds in this area. These flowers grow like weeds. Lovely yellow and orange coloured petals. Then I can collect the petals for future use. Ah, at times it seems as if I’m regressing .. I used to do this years ago.
I plan to get back into soap making .. on a small-scale, just for the fun of it. I’ll not use tallow this time .. will focus on the cocoanut base and other plant-based materials. And I do not plan to go into business this time … so will just enjoy the pleasure of creating a small variety of soaps for friends and myself.
Watched the baby sparrows learning from their parents, how to feed at the bird feeders. I can hear their tiny chirps high above in the trees. They sound cute. Still looking forward to seeing the little woodpeckers, chickadees and other birds.
Funny how time just disappears in the garden. Such an enjoyable place to be. And I’m very slowly decluttering .. planting the cuttings started last year. Collecting all unused plant pots. I’m really making headway .. and … enjoying the journey!
So, the winds arrived on Sunday .. well, they were really a continuation from the past few days. They really dry out the soil so I had my little garden sprinkler on in several places, in particular in the garlic patch.
Still gathering some garlic scapes. Funny, some of them are so small, they are easy to miss. I’ve read that only hardneck has scapes, but I’m also finding them on the soft neck also.
I’d purchased 4 types of garlic from Richter’s a few years ago… had started off with a lovely sign for each type, or so I’d thought. Quite cute, I thought, writing the name of the garlic on a large shell, using permanent black felt marker. Until the weathering from the rain and the winters caused the letters to fade. I was then left with quite a quantity of garlic and used to guess which bulbs they were.
Well, the Kazakhstan, Music and a few others were just mixed in together. Now I realized that I am not the world’s best organizer in the world of plants and that just suits me fine. Gotta live with what’s there, right? I’ll leave it to other gardeners to neatly label, sort and plant nice orderly gardens. That just doesn’t work with me.
And this just adds to the zany colourful and magical world of gardening.
I’d also purchased a few Elephant garlic cloves from a market stall and planted these alongside the fence at the side of the yard. Last year I was rewarded with several baseball sized single cloves. These were just delicious . .mild and flavourful.
What I would love is a large field so I could plant more garlic .. am I obsessed? That’s ok if I am .. not a bad obsession, I think. Our next place will definitely have more space for gardening. I’m using this year to show my sweetie that I really can be tidier and organized (in my own way, though!) and am getting to be more successful in growing fruits and veggies.
This success, though, is mainly due to that most wonderful EM .. with the addition of seaweed. And also some spent hops which I collect from time to time. Adding to the lovely garden beds. And the best compost of my life .. now that I’m more aware of the correct procedures of composting. Information learned in the OMG course, Gaia College. Changed my life forever in the way that I garden.
So, anyway, yesterday .. I’d been hit, out of the blue, by some kind of bug that must have been picked up when we went out for supper a few nights ago. So I fought it as best I could. Taking a spoonful of concentrated EM … feeling the improvement. Lots of water with lemon. Tried to work outside, but no energy .. oh, I dislike being ill, yes I do.
Still, I dressed up for gardening, not keeping a good woman out of her garden! Topped up the bird feeders … they were empty, whether due to the winds shaking the contents about or perhaps a heavy influx of birds, who knows!
Wandered back to the latest gardening area. Planning to fill in some areas with spoiled hay, seaweed gathered last week. Mix in some soil. Plant some squash and some basil. Lovely.
And I have this great little herb seed gift pack from years ago to plant up. The kit contains some great little labels, printed on think copper sign posts. They will look great.
Played with my new lawnmower .. so happy to have a push mower again! Two-fold activity .. burn a few calories and cut the grass without pollution and noise .. hmm .. that’s three-fold!
Gathered a few more roses for drying. Abundant blooms this year. Can you say “EM”?
Wandered around the garlic plants .. those scapes keep growing, even when picked. And today, I’ll make up another batch of garlic scape pesto, adding lots of garlic gathered from last years crop. This is green-gold!!
Another great day. And today .. energized, time to go outside and play some more.
Saturday .. a mix of rain ..and clouds. Outside for a little bit. The day was for puttering around. Not a day for massive amounts of work.
I like these kinds of days. Time to relax, be creative. Perfect opportunity to just focus on some little things to do. Those things that get cast aside when the urge to work hard and dig and move hits me.
So yesterday I took advantage of this little window of fun. Started off by putting more empty pots in a container .. to be washed out and either given away or recycled.
Next, time to clear off my little outdoor working table. It’s one of those white plastic patio tables that I bought many years ago at Sears during a Saturday sale. The umbrella is long gone .. but the usefulness of the table lives on. Just the perfect size and weight so that I can easily move around the yard for my various projects. The legs are easily undone and the unit stored away when not needed.
A quick scrub and a rinse with the hose and the table’s surface is proper again.
The rain continues … it changes from a light mist, moves on to a drizzle and then pours down. Oh, it feels wonderful to be outside at this time. Nice and cosy. I tuck my i-Pod and camera into one of those new little clear plastic storage boxes, purchased at Canadian Tire yesterday. Handy little things, these are and perfect for the rain.
First chore … is to finally pot up some miniature rose plants …. gifts from the Christmas season. Nicely watered with EM and time for them to be planted in some real soil, instead of the shredded coconut fibre that they were packed in. So now they are sitting pretty in some cheerful blue coloured round garden pots. Did I hear a sigh of relief as their roots settled into real soil? Or was that just my imagination??? 🙂
Well, I feel better anyway!
Then, time to pot up some flax seeds. These have a good history to them. And a special importance. They are from a collection belonging to a person who was quite ardent in permaculture, in recycling, in all the healthy and non-pollutant ways of living.
I was lucky enough to ask for and receive one of the packets of flax at her service earlier this year. And promised to share these with friends. I’d originally intended to repackage the seeds into several small envelopes, but, seeing that I’d inadvertently left a lot of my seeds outside (oops)… it was time to just plant them the best way that I could. Thus the little pots. Once they start to grow a bit more … then it will be time to share them. And for me to plant some in my yard. Positive memories and inspiration for the future.
During some breaks in the rain, I wandered around the yard, admiring the beautiful crystal clear droplets of water that bejewelled the leaves and flowers. Such decadent beauty.
Finding more garlic scapes (they will keep on growing after I’ve broken off the scapes) .. .and gathered them all up. Yum …. more garlic pesto!!
Looking forward to harvesting the garlic .. that will be just so much fun, like Christmas morning!
Just last October, I’d reshaped the garlic bed and carefully planted lots and lots of these wonderful bulbs. And now, with the lovely mulched soil, lots of EM and a healthy topping of seaweed .. I have a true garlic forest!
Stopped for a while and watched the little Chestnut-Backed Chickadees foraging for insects and spiders in the white lilac tree. Loving their little nasal chirps. Wonder where the Red-Breasted Nuthatches are …. as these two travel together, or so I’m told.
Looking forward to the new baby Bushtits. Last fall & winter there were so many in the yard. Then spring arrived and there was one couple .. so I was wondering where they might have set up a nest in the yard. There are plenty of places around our yard for them to set up a little home.
Spent some time just relaxing outside, enjoying the peace and quiet, the sounds of the birds. The sounds of the raindrops pelting the leaves. Breathing in the wonderful earthy smell of the wet ground around me. Utterly content.
Step by Step Instructions on how to build your very own Worm Composting Bin. This is a 5 minute project. I completed it in 3 minutes with a cold beer in one hand. You can buy worms locally or from several sources online. I purchased 2lbs of Red Wigglers online for $29.99.
Here’s all you need:
2 Rubbermaid tubs (or cheap knock-off like these) or some old 5 gal buckets.
2 blocks (in this case a couple 2×4 pieces)
Shredded Paper (I find that worms like bill collection letters the best)
Kitchen Scraps (no meat or dairy products just veggies)
Crushed egg shells (provide calcium)
Cheerios and coffee grounds (with filter)
Worms (Red Wigglers or Eisenia foetida, are the best compost worms)
Drill (2 bits 1/8″ and 1/4″)
Step 1: Drill 1/8″ holes in the top (for oxygen) and 1/4″ holes in the bottom for worm juices. In…
So, yesterday, I spent nearly the whole day in the garden, from early morning till later afternoon.
My intention was to proceed with the clearing up of cuttings made last spring, sort plant pots. Decided to make a pile of things to give away, including the majority of those fantastic hard styrofoam flats that are just magic for propagating those difficult things, like boxwood, bay laurel, etc.
There are about 80 cells in each flat. Each cell is about 2 inches in diameter at the top and tapers down to about 1/2 ” .. and they are about 4 ” deep. They offer tremendous protection throughout the seasons to encourage root formation. And the root formation for the bay laurels are very strong. Each time I pried up a cutting from a cell and saw the tremendous root growth .. my belief in the magic of gardening was affirmed.
So I emptied 4 of these flats, have a few more to go. I was very strict with myself, and any cuttings that didn’t show any roots .. well, they go into the compost.
Next .. I looked at the flats of Boxwood .. what to do with these plants? I’d originally made the cuttings …. just to see if they would root. And they all did! I was going to have a plant sale, but … changed my mind. And then the idea began, of actually using these little plants in the yard.
So, I began digging away at the back side of the yard .. at the location where I had located my gigantic leaf compost pile last year. The soil here is very good. Gently digging away at the area … I began planting the tiny boxwood plants. Shook away the soill they grew in, dusted the roots with mycorrhizal fungi to encourage strong growth.
Soon, I had a little border of these plantings. They look tiny now, but just wait a few months! I temporarily placed some other potted plants here and there, just to see what the effects would be. Some variegated grasses, daisies. Irish Moss will be at the front of the row. They add a touch of brilliant green foliage and brighten up this area.
Once I’ve determined the final shaping of this area and the little veggie place at the back (where I’ll plant those Kentucky Wonder beans!) .. then I’ll put some ground up tree branch mulching … the final remnants of some free material that I gathered from a residence, thanks to Used Victoria.
This will add a good finish to the ground, allowing a soft surface to the little paths here. And I just don’t like the look of bare ground, anyway. The mulch will add a sort of carpet like feel to this area.
After hours of digging, on my hands and knees, moving things here and there I was just getting a little tired, so decided to go inside, make a cup of Yorkshire Tea .. and just for the heck of it .. turned on the computer.
Went to Used Victoria and … voila . … there was an ad for a push mower, only a year old and just $10! Plus, I was the first viewer!!! Quickly called the owner, and I was the first contact! So raced over there .. and made my purchase!
I’d really been wanting a push mower. The last one I owned had been quite heavy and difficult to move, so I’d given it away.
Plus, met some lovely little doggies and some rescued ferrets. Turns out this gentleman and his wife care greatly for these little animals. At this time, they have 4, but in the past, they’ve had quite a few. So inspirational to meet such lovely kind people who care for animals.
Yippee .. my new lawn mower in my car .. time to make a few grocery purchases on the way home. And, what do you know! Plants are on sale at a local supermarket! There was a lovely selection of ferns, so I chose 4 (includes a Japanese painted fern, beautiful). Was thinking also about getting another grape-vine, but decided against it.
I’d planted a grapevine in a sort of sunny/shady area a few years ago. It’s not grown much. That is, it hadn’t grown much … until .. I watered EM on it! Now it has flourished and is growing like crazy. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was able to actually see grapes this year.
Well, wonder of wonders! There was a grapevine in the store that was going to be discarded, and magically, it was given to me! This one I will plant in the sun and feed it lots of EM.
How lucky am I, then? Two wonderful items that I’d really wanted and now I have them!
Back home, I try out the mower .. works great. The front grassy section of the yard isn’t even, so I had quite a workout and burned a few calories. Great fun.
So, Friday was a wonderful day for gardening and so onwards and upwards, will continue today!
Thursday started out as an overcast, windy and chilly day. Which later changed to a sunny and occasionally windy day. Perfect for drying off the small batch of rock weed gathered at the beach a few days ago. Air smells lovely with the scent of the sea, mineral laden air, how lovely..
I spread the small amount of the rock weed into a number of deep sided, woven baskets so that the brisk winds could freely enter these containers, without swirling the contents into the air. Seems to have been effective, they are drying .. although they’ll need to sit in the sun for a few more hours. Today is perfect.
Making sure that the bird feeders are kept filled so that our winged friends can dine in style! I see the colourful House Finches queueing up at one feeder. The slightly nasal chirp of the Chestnut-Backed Chickadees sound throughout the yard … they visit the feeders and the suet blocks. They must be getting used to me, as I was standing by the feeder and one by one, they flew to the feeder, quickly chose a tiny black oiled sunflower, tightly held between their talons and pecked away the hard shell, and munched on the tender meat of the seed.
Is it just my imagination or are these birds a little tired from taking care of the youngsters? The amazing magical instinctual nurturing is taking place in the current raising of feathery offspring. I certainly hope that I can see some of the young Chickadees and Bush-Tits flying around.
Yesterday I had a goal .. which was to continue clearing away my propagating area and to create another small growing space for those amazing Kentucky Wonder Beans. Found myself spending hours digging out rooted cuttings of lavender, bay laurel, Buddleia, Artemisia. Potted them up … plan to either install them in a garden area, or leave in pots for another year, so that they can grow a little more before being planted.
Time disappeared .. and all that existed was the exciting discovery of strong root growth in these little cuttings that I’d started last fall. The natural processes of the life force in the cuttings worked away quietly during the fall, winter and spring seasons.
I think how far my garden knowledge has come since this time last year. Hard to believe that I really thought that I had so much garden expertise at that time. My gardening life totally changed once I began the Organic Master Gardening program through Gaia College, held at Royal Roads University.
Now I am aware of the millions of life forms that exist in the soil beneath my feet. The beneficial and cyclical world that I was so unaware of. And the amazing power of EM (effective microorganisms). That alone was worth the cost and time of the course.
I’m constantly preparing batches of EM for the garden. The plants have grown so well, healthy, strong, and I just can’t single out one plant that is doing so magnificently. As a matter of fact, every single plant, from the garlic to the blueberries .. the apple and plum trees also. The tomatoes .. the strawberries .. .all are amazing.
Power to the EM!!
🙂
And I’m still finding little “treasures” in the yard … that somehow keep popping up! yesterday I found a small section of plastic train track beneath an apple tree. From whence it came, I do not know . .yet, there it was! Curious .. I picked it up. Perhaps a bird flew by and dropped it there?
Anyway .. back out to the yard .. and more EM to be established on plantings. Today will be a sunshiny day .. and rain is expected for the weekend! Good for the plants.
Yesterday, another lovely hot and sunny day! Spent some time spreading out some rock weed to dry on some lattice frames. Perfect for soaking tired hands & feet later on. Seaweed is perfect for soothing tired muscles, sore from lots of gardening.
So very much to do in the garden .. that’s what happens when chores aren’t organized, I find. However, it’s never too late, I tell myself .. as I wandered around . .. sorting out where to start first.
I’m quite surprised when I visit the area of the garden where I have organized my propagating and seeding area. Uh, oh, all those packets of seeds that I left out on the table, with all the best intentions of putting them in seeding flats … and then I’d gone on to other things. Well, most of them have sprouted.
I’d purchased a lot of them at a Seedy Saturday, months ago. Then stored them neatly in a clear acrylic box, for future use. After that, I’d taken them outside and so .. now .. after periods of rain .. some of them have actually sprouted in their envelopes. Strong plant roots have broken through the paper barriers and grown and grown.
Opening some of the envelopes, I’m surprised to see strong and vigorous green growth! The Pea seeds (a rare German variety) were well rooted. I soaked the envelope in a little bucket of water, so that I could easily separate these treasures, without harming the root structure. And I installed one of my wonderful pvc sections, joined in the middle, to form an arch and placed on long rebar stakes, held firmly in the ground.
Next, I hung plastic netting to the sections (last year I’d placed screws along the sides of the pvc, so that the netting could be held firmly in place) and fastened it snugly. Then, busy gardening, I dug a long trench, planted the pea seeds, watered with EM and placed seaweed carefully around the seeds. This keeps away the slugs. No “slug bait” needed here. Nature rules.
Soon, these strong little peas sprouts will be rapidly climbing the netting. I foresee a heavy yield of these peas .. and will save some for seeding next year.
Once that was done, I returned to the table to check on the next packet of sprouted seeds. These turn out to be Kentucky Wonder Beans .. and wow .. do they live up to their name! Again I placed the seeds in water to loosen up the roots and pot them up, temporarily, in pots, to plant today. I’m running out of garden space .. so spend some time, planning another temporary garden section.
I notice that the basil and flax seeds have been thoroughly drenched and so I soak them and place them, temporarily in pots, ready for planting.
Procrastination just doesn’t always work in the garden.
I mix up another batch of EM (effective microorganisms) .. the magic elixir that enriches the soil with a mix of bacteria, fungi, et al, that makes the soil come alive and encourages splendid new growth. And I water some of the veggies with the EM ….. healthy soil, healthy plants.
And I tuck seaweed around the base of some blueberries, to deter the slugs which have been munching away on the leaves. They aren’t doing that anymore, thanks to the seaweed!!
I love the new temporary raised bed, by the wild and crazy tree. A wonderful mix of spoiled hay, leaf mulch, alpaca & goat manure, plus compost. I had one remaining board left from the original raised beds of years ago. That formed the front edge of the new bed. Next I collected bricks from around the yard and made a facing, so it appears as if the bed is solidly established.
Then I placed sections of boards on top of the facing board, placed flower planters on top and interspaced them with beach rocks .. so now it appears as if this bed has been here for a long time! (photos tomorrow!)
So .. today .. lots to do … setting up more little temporary beds and will plant those Kentucky beans there.
The past few weeks in the garden have been lovely. How I want to spend every moment there .. but, life intervenes. There is shopping to be done. Cats to be taken care of. Necessary housework.
And .. then .. time to go outside. Mug of Yorkshire Tea. Sudoku. Silence .. listening to the happy chirps of the birds. Buzzing of bees. Whirring of the Anna’s as they fly around the yard.
Special moments in the garden. Such as .. I was happily looking at the bees that were very busy gathering nectar at the giant Buddleia, the one with the yellow globe flowers .. they love those flowers. so I was watching them, taking some pictures, kneeling on the ground. Suddenly I heard a whirring sound above me, looked up and there was a young Anna, hovering, then flying down towards me … curious as to what I was doing.
After a few moments, he/she flew over to the Buddleia, and just settled down on a branch. Content to just observe me. This is a magical moment in the garden. One of the many rewards that come to us who love working with the natural processes in the yard. Priceless, special, magical.
My wonderful gardening neighbour has given me some tomato plants, flowers and .. oh, treasure beyond measure .. lots of kale plants. I envision tamari kale chips .. yum, yum, yum. I’ve created another temporary garden bed, beneath the wild and crazy tree. This was the sapling that I nursed to health, when the plum stock that was grafted onto it, many years ago, succumbed to weather or something. Anyway, this tree now provides tremendous privacy to our yard, shade to the ground, perching places for all the birds that visit, or call our yard “home”.
Here is where I’ve been composting 10 bales of hay, so I mixed in some compost, leaf mulch, alpaca manure, seaweeds and where I’ve planted the 26 kale plants. Plus two bush pumpkins and a large plant that will produce white “ghostly” pumpkins.
Plus an assortment of other plants.
Last fall I’d moved the garden soil around and created some oval and crescent-shaped garden areas, bordered by brick. I love temporary garden shapes. Years ago I had proper raised beds, and wood chip paths. Neatly hemmed in with a tidy fence.
All that has been changed over the years and I now have that area filled with free-flowing garden beds and lots of plantings.
More about that tomorrow .. especially regarding this bed, how I’ve edged it and it really looks quite nice.
Anyway, just writing a few thoughts on my garden .. time is running away .. so am posting a few photos from my back yard.
Tomorrow, more about my latest update to the kale bed. I’ll go on and on about the magic of EM (effective microorganisms) .. power to the EM, really!
So .. the end of the week has arrived, so quickly. Many things to do .. errands … before I can allow myself to play in the garden.
Out and about, recycling all set out … shopping .. it’s been awhile since I’ve just randomly gone out shopping for this and that .. from a list. And I re-discovered that it was a lot of fun. Spoke with a variety of people. Enjoyed the positive energy of some very helpful sales clerks in some stores.
Some people just bring a shine to your day and that is what I found today! Positive attitudes and so very helpful .. so many of us start off that way and along the way, the lustre just disappears. For whatever reason. I’ve worked hard to keep mine polished, though! Just feels so much better to me.
London Drugs at McKenzie & Quadra was a good example. I was looking for a pressure cooker on sale and the lovely cashier searched and found the one & verified the cost against the flyer. Now, how many employees would even take the time to do that?
And then, Home Depot at Colwood .. another bright energized young lady was ever so helpful when I was looking for, first .. plant pot saucers .. and then, when I was looking for some unusual vegetable plants, well, she led me to the section with Bok choy .. and chose a lovely 6-pack of this vegetable. As I spoke to the cashier, I discovered that the energized person had just started work there this week. Keep that positivity going …..
So, finally, at home. Eventually, to the garden.
Moved all the potted up garlic starts over to the “garlic bed” .. and began to plant them. Then, when I’d planted .. maybe .. 30 or so .. I looked again at the garlic bulbs planted up in tubs and thought .. well, the root systems are so intermingled .. why don’t I just leave them bo .. for the summer .. and so I did that.
I must admit that I’ve become quite enamored of garlic. All that magic power from a simple bulb, culminating in a vigorous growth of strong green stems and finally a lovely fat garlic bulb! And … ta da .. yesterday I clipped some garlic scapes .. . omg .. so delicious and so garlicy.
Tonight I made some garlic scape pesto (many recipes online) and then mixed up some almond kale chips, adding lots of garlic and the scapes.
I found out that the hardneck garlic grows scapes and so I’ll leave the rest of the scapes to grow into longer lengths. Then I’ll clip them and will either make pesto or perhaps I’ll just freeze them to make into various recipes later on.
As usual, I’ve walked around the yard, taking photos of the developing flowers .. enjoying the changing conditions of the yard. So much beauty.
Tomorrow I’ll share my latest plants and also how I’ve reshaped a little section of the yard, using boards, bricks, hay, Alpaca manure, compost and all the lovely things one can add to a garden.
My Lovely Garden … Mon Joli Jardin 