Week 2, Project Log #1
Date: 04/13/07
Time Spent: 2 Hours
Activities: Farmiliarizing myself with the site, Identifying plants, Thinking about changes to make, Drawing Plants and taking pictures.
Learning: I've learned what a lot more of the plants are called on my site. I just took time to look at them up close, take pictures, and draw their leaf structures. This helped me on all the plants that I could identify through signage, but I still need to learn the ones that have no sign. I've been thinking about seperating the vanilla leaf and the thimble berry more, so they have two distinct spaces.
Total Cumulative Hours: 2
Week 2, Project Log #2
Date: 04/14/07
Time Spent: 2 Hours
Activities: I got rid of a lot of dead sword fern today. All the brown crispy branches I could find I pulled out. I tidyed up the place, but questions came about. Planning out more of what I want to do with the place.
Learning: I learned the amount of life that in each squarefoot. It was amazing to examin all the old leaves, and the various stages of life growing on in their layers. I also had many questions today... Should I remove all the dead leaves that are covering the floor, or should I leave them there? How am I going to to get bunchberry dogwood into the garden? Where are my partners? I have much to ask about in class on wednesday.
Total Cumulative Hours: 4
Week 3, Project Log #3
Date: 04/15/07
Time Spent: 1 hour
Activities: I spent an hour today researching what types of plants are able to grow in my section. I'd really like to get some bunchberry to go with the vanilla leaf and the thimble berry as ground covers. I want to make a new map within the next few days, but it's be great to find the binder that we had in class.
Learning: I learned of the various groundcovers that could be put in our area. I think the trees in the place are looking good, but it'd be great to get better groundcover, between the ferns and the salmonberries. It'd be great to have groundcover of vanilla leaf and bunchberry, i think they'd make a great mix. I learned that other possibilities include twin leaf, stream violet, and bleeding heart. I think we should keep bleeding heart more in the elderberry grove.
Questions: Questions today include: where to procure more vanilla leaf and bunchberry?
Total Cumulative Hours: 5
Week 3, Project Log #4
Date: 04/21/07
Time Spent: 0 hours
Activities: I spent more time with Derek cleaning up the site. I pulled up a lot of ferns and raked massive amounts of leaves. We also chatted about various groundcovers that we want to put in the garden. After I left the garden I went to a synergy conference on sustainable buildings.
Learning: Today I realized how wonderful it is to work in a garden with other people. When there's so many different brains to pick at, it makes learning very fun and easy. I'm starting to enjoy the group of people that I'm working with. Derek was a very great resource.
Questions: Questions today include: where am i supposed to find all the time to put into this garden? It's amazing to be with the earth!
Total Cumulative Hours: 5
Week 3, Project Log #5
Date: 04/23/07
Time Spent: 1 hour
Activities: Spent time cleaning more dead growth back, Meditation through prewning. Thinking about layouts. Weeding out the herb robert that seems to be an infestation.
Learning: I learned today that i have the power to cultivate this garden. I also learned i need more false lilly of the valley and i need bunchberry dogwood very badly, if i want to get what i want done done by the end of the quarter.
Total Cumulative Hours: 6
Week 3, Project Log #6
Date: 04/24/07
Time Spent: 2 hours
Activities: Even more time getting rid of dead sword ferns. More weeding of herb robert. Started to draw a map of my site, proving difficulties. Noticed that someone(most likely derek) has put in more vanilla leaf, more false lilly of the valley, and some bleeding heart.
Learning: I learned that people in this class are very generous, even though i wished i could've transplanted these plants. Hoping that there's more of that to be done.
Questions: Will i be able to do some of the transplanting myself?
Total Cumulative Hours: 8
Week 4, Project Log #7
Date: 04/30/07
Time Spent: 3 hours
Activities: Spent time in the garden with Lorn today. We took speakers out to the longhouse and played music to the plants as we gardened. We spent time cutting back old fern growth (IT NEVER ENDS) and also a lot of time weeding out Herb Robert (again IT NEVER ENDS). We're closer and closer to getting these things out of the garden. Also I spent time cleaning up dead leaves and thinking about more ground cover.
Learning: I feel like when we were playing reggae to the plants they swayed with the wind just perfectly. I also learned that pruning takes a long time even though it seems that it should be simple.
Questions: Why haven't i gotten music out at the garden before?
Total Cumulative Hours: 11
Week 4, Project Log #8
Date: 05/02/07
Time Spent: 2.5 hours
Activities: Spent time in the garden with lorn again. We brought out the music again and removed more herb robert and old fern growth. I'm so close to getting rid of all of these pesky buggers that i can taste it. We were going to de-sod some of Lorn's area, but it started raining so we decided to do it another day.
Learning: I feel like my area is the best one i could've gotten and it chose me. I'm excited to see how it develops for the rest of the quarter.
Questions: ...need more false lilly of the valley
Total Cumulative Hours: 13.5
Week 5, Project Log #9
Date: 05/06/07
Time Spent: 1.5 hours
Activities: I spent time researching Herb-Robert (Geranium robertianium) because there was so much of it in our section. I'm almost done getting it all out of there, but it's been a pesky bugger.
Learning:While researching I figured out that it's endangered in Maryland and threatened in Indiana. (http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=GERO [1]) I also learned that because of the odd odor it gives off(i know it all too well) some people call it stinky bob. It currently poses a threat to understory diversity in western washington from sea level to 4,000 feet. It speads very easily and can have a density of up to 220 plants/m2. (http://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weed_info/Written_findings/Geranium_robertianum.h... [2]) I also read that it is sometimes used as a toothache medicine.
Questions: Will Herb-Robert be stopped from terrorizing the understory of washington's forrest.
Total Cumulative Hours: 15 hours
Week 5, Project Log #10
Date: 05/07/07
Time Spent: 2.5 hours
Activities: Spent time helping Lorn out in the Dry Woodland area. Tore up lots of grass not native to the Northwest. Also talked to Derek about procuring plants tomorrow.
Learning: I learned that the roots of grass are very strong, with a high density even in very small tuffs. I also felt odd when we found a winshield wiper blade in the garden. Talked about music with Lorn. Learned the joys of gardening on a day like today(it was beautiful.) Saw Parker in the garden for the first time. I also learned about growing mushrooms from Lorn, his seem to be doing pretty well.
Questions: Lorn's area is pretty ratted up, I'm curious about what exactly is going to go on in there?(he told me about a cool idea about putting logs in the ground and exploding them with mushrooms.) Will the herb robert come back after all the trouble it's already caused me? How will the procuring go tomorrow?
Total Cumulative Hours: 17.5 hours
Week 5, Project Log #11
Date: 05/08/07
Time Spent: 2.5 hours
Activities: Spent time with Lorn and Derek procuring False Lily of the Valley, Bleeding Heart, Vanilla Leaf, and Inside Out Flower. Planted above plants in my garden area. Also looked for more interesting plants that I could put in my area; there was one down by the beach that was very interesting.
Learning: I learned that it's hard to spot plants out a moving car, but somehow we did it. The green blur moves much faster when you're going fast. I learned about transplanting, and about how much root structure you need with every plant.
Questions: I'm curious to how many of the transplanted plants will survive.
Total Cumulative Hours: 20 hours
SPECIFIC PLANS FOR REST OF QUARTER: I plan to continue pumping the site full of more groudcover until it reaches a nice healthy green. I'm hoping that all the ones that I just put in stay afloat. I also plan to make a new map of the area. I'm really wanting to procure some bunchberry dogwood before the end of the quarter and i might just end up buying some for my area from a nursery or something. I'd like to get more sinage also...
Week 6, Project Log #12
Date: 05/13/07
Time Spent: 2 Hours
Activities: Today I spent time researching some plants that I've been seeing around. Particularly False Solomon's Seal (Smilacina racemosa). I also did more research on groundcovers.
Learning: I learned that English Ivy(a groundcover that i liked the look of...haha) was invasive to the pacific northwest. This made me confused because it looks so nice, so now i have mixed opinions on it. This led me to investigate on invasive species. On the way to Portland I saw this disgusting mustard yellow plant littering the sides of the highway. I learned it's Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius), and that it's very invasive to the southern part of the pacific NW, especially the costalranges. A scottish commander brought it over in the 1800's. False solomon's seal is a perennial with a very fragrant smell. I first noticed it while procuring plants with derek & lorn, and again in class the other day.
Root tea: used for constipation and upset stomach
Leaf tea: quiet coughs and aid to contraception
Leaf applied directly for relief from ichiness or rash.
http://www.notesfromtheroad.com/pacificnorthwest/plants/plants_field_guide3yellow.htm
http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/hehe1.htm
http://ncnatural.com/wildflwr/fsseal.html
Total Cumulative Hours: 22 hours
Week 6, Project Log #13
Date: 05/17/07
Time Spent: 2 Hours
Activities: Today I spent time watering. Trying to nourish the newly planted.
Learning: I learned that i should've signed up for the hose key, because filling up buckets with the sink faucets was not fun. And neither was hauling heavy buckets of water to the plants. Some of the plants were dying, hopefully the bleeding heart will perk back up.
Total Cumulative Hours: 24 hours
Week 7, Project Log #14
Date: 05/18/07
Time Spent: 2 Hours
Activities: Today I spent time watering. Trying to nourish the newly planted. I also started weeding this plant that I'm not completely sure of the name. I do know that it's coming up EVERYWHERE though. It's a cousin to the dandilion though, it's not that hard to weed.
Learning: Weeding is such a thankless job. I know it's very necessary for the garden to thrive, i just wish they would STAY out of my area though. I will continue to do my best to get these pesky buggers out of my area. Watering just is not fun with a huge bucket and water faucets
Total Cumulative Hours: 26 hours
Week 7, Project Log #15
Date: 05/19/07
Time Spent: 2 Hours
Activities: I spent time weeding during class time today. My back is aching from being bent over for a long time. I gotta get this area cleaned up before the end of the year. I also helped sherry and mike a bit on the compost bin
Learning: It always rains once you've washed your car, the same is to be said about watering your garden. In the afternoon part of class we got some rain and the garden will probably be very happy about this.
Total Cumulative Hours: 26 hours
Week 7, Project Log #16
Date: 05/23/07
Time Spent: 3 Hours
Activities: I spent more time weeding...It's a long and thankless job, but it has to be done. I also just sat with my plants for a while. Touched them, gave them good energy. Also spent time trying to figure out what this weed was but had no luck. Also
Learning: I'm still curious to what this need weed is that im pulling up. I can't seemed to find a propper identification anywhere i look. I spent a long time looking for it and couldn't find anything about it. I'd like to figure that out soon, i forgot what marja told me it was the other day...She said it was part of the dandeilion family though. I've been pulling it up left and right though...It's not that hard to pull, but it's coming up EVERYWHERE!!! Also, i think herb robert is trying to make a comeback, it's a very sad sight. I think most of my transplants are doing well by this time. The bleeding heart is loosing some color, but it seemd to be about to drop pods or something, so i'm just letting it chill there. The garden looks so much nicer now then it did when we first started on it. I've gotten rid of so many weed's bust im still scared they're all gonna be back next year. I spent a while just analizing the garden, just breathing it in: thinking about what i've done to it, and hoping that it will someday thrive as much as i was hoping for it to.
Total Cumulative Hours: 29 hours
Week 8, Project Log #17
Date: 05/29/07
Time Spent: 3 Hours
Activities: Today I spent time weeding. It seems like it will never end in mixed forest A. I also spent time watering the plants with Derek. Much time was spent with me sitting with my plants and thinking about all the things that i've done this quarter.
Learning: It seems like I've done a lot, but not all i wished to get done this quarter. This is probably a common feeling throughout the entire human race. So much to do, but not enough time. I learned a lot throughout this quarter...mostly that if i ever have the space for my own garden, it will be a raised bed vegetable garden instead of an ethnobotanical one. Much less weeding to be done in one of these. I'm mostly just scared that all of them will be back next year, hopefully with less force though. Derek is a really nice guy, and i'm glad that i was granted the oppertunity to work with him.
Total Cumulative Hours: 32 hours
Week 8, Project Log #18
Date: 05/30/07
Time Spent: 3 Hours
Activities: Today i spent time working out in the garden with lorn. I helped him transplant some kannikannik and bunchberry. I also helped him start digging up a path that would allow people to walk through his space. I watered plants that were needing them (newly transplanted) and i also weeded a bit more in my section. On top of all of this I just gazed about the garden at all the beauty.
Learning: The garden has come a long way this quarter, and i think it will continue to flourish and get better as the years go on. I'm excited to look at it periodically throughout my years here. I think that eventually it will be a place that people recognize more then they do now. I just had a wonderful experience this entire year getting my hands in the dirt and learning about the green world.
Total Cumulative Hours: 35 hours