Healing Gardens

Site Description:

The garden I will be working with is at the house I live in, on the Westside of Olympia near the food co-op.  There are 2 main garden plots, established for many years, and four other small beds around the deck and under and apple tree and a gingko tree.  There is space on every side of the house for growing things.  There are full sun spots and partial shade and full shade.  The main beds are on the south and east sides of the house with good sun. 

The spot I will focus on is a flat rectangular bed, where I grew vegetables last year, and now has a sparse covering of late-November-sown winter rye cover crop, with some kale plants from last year and a few volunteer mullein plants.  The bed gets full sun for several hours a day in the summer; right now if it were sunny it might get 3-4 hours?  The soil is loose and dark brown beautiful that the owner of the house had brought in several years ago at least.  She has owned the property for twenty-some years and has been renting it out and living next door for 5 years.  We moved here a little over a year ago.  The garden has been all organic for as long as the current owner has had the place.  The property is landscaped with native plants and is a double lot.

28 February 2007

There is a compost bin in the yard that I’m not sure what to do with in order to make it function to turn into beautiful dark fine crumbly compost.  It is a wooden structure with 2 bins side by side with the front slats built to easily slide out.  It appears functional but upon closer look, is lined with black plastic and the 2 bottom slats are nailed in and not removable.  So when I go to turn the compost, the pitchfork pokes and catches on the plastic, and I cannot really get underneath the pile.  The landlady is out of town; when she returns I will ask her how it is intended to work.  The last year it has just been a place to put plant material to break down and feed the raccoons and not go in the garbage.

I want to keep my garden plans simple this year.  Last year (the first year I have been in one place long enough to start a garden) I planted a lot of different things in a small space and it got too complicated and I felt frazzled trying to keep track of dates to plant and whatnot.  Plus right now I’m having some heavy Saturn transits, dude.  So I want to just grow things I use a lot of and that I love.  I’m thinking of chamomile, cabbage (lots of sauerkraut), and winter squash (will store).  Maybe a beanpole house for my son to play in.  Arnica.  Last year I tried to grow arnica and chamomile and all I got from 2 seed packets was two. chamomile. flowers.  And when I tried beans the deer ate them before they could get more than a foot high. 

I like to pay attention to the phases and signs of the moon for planting and weeding.  I don’t always follow it because sometimes I just have to do things when I have the time or they won’t get done, but generally I follow moon signs and phases for everything in my life anyway.

I will probably plant more things around the yard- I have so many seeds left from last year- but I will only dedicate myself to this one bed for now. 

3 march 2007

GARDENACTIONPLAN:

Weed landscaped beds, spread bark

Compost- turn.  Ask Carolyn what to do with it

Dig beds for main spot- reshape beds

Also dig other garden area by road

Prune back buddleias?  Is it too late?

Transplant rosemary?  Too late?

Weed bed by deck

Cut back Oregon grape?

Prune roses?  Too late? –smaller ones and huge bush

Pile up cut strawgrass

Figure out pots for Echinacea/elecampane/astragalus/angelica

LIST OF SEEDS I ALREADY HAVE:

  From seed exchange at plants&planets:

Black holly hock

Skullcap

Echinacea

Elecampane

Angelica

Sunflower

Nasturtium

Calendula (from my pop)

  Bought to use last year:

Beet

Radish

Carrot

Broccoli

Turnip

Pole bean

Sunflower

Gourd

Flowers for gourds

Astragalus

Arnica