May 2020 - Taking Refuge

I woke up this morning thinking about refuge. Witnessing the suffering in our country from the relative safety of our mountaintop is quite the privilege. Every instinct we have has been telling us to become as food and energy independent as possible, and to create a place that offers comfort and diversion in uncertain times. 

This is now our whole life in one picture; the modest rented home from which we work, and the bit of land we are trying to fill with as much life as possible. It's a story of our times that feels right to tell. 

So thank you for reading, and here's what we've been up to in May...

May is one of my favorite months, the perfection of spring, the welcoming of the sun while everything is still green and before the hot, dry summer begins. It certainly is my favorite garden building time. It feels good to be back in the saddle, working in such a peaceful setting on a garden that will feed our family.

We don't have a lot of flowers around the place now; but what we do have we have a lot of! This huge clump of Salvia leucantha is tucked in a deep corner between the driveway and the front walk. It just needs to be cleaned up a bit in late winter and it blooms year-round. Same with the massive banks of lavender and lantana in the back - they must all have been here for years. I tucked praying mantis egg cases in several likely places earlier this spring - hopefully my favorite insect will be making an appearance later in the season!

So here is where May began - still in that frustrating "it looks great in my head" place where everything is just a mess. First priority was to get the poor strawberry starts planted (they've been waiting more than a week for us to get the bed gopher-proofed). Half the bed is "Quinalt" ever-bearing and half is "Evie-2" day-neutral. Next tasks: set up the second raised bed and fill the grow bags for the warm season vegetables. We'll have no shortage of sun, that's for sure. 

Speaking of sun, here's a sunset! It's interesting to watch its daily progress north; there's a different view every evening.

A week later and things are looking much better! I scored these beautiful chunky bamboo poles from a kind neighbor, and have been pondering what to do with them in the garden. The shortest one was used to span the gate, which was an immediate improvement! A second one will be suspended from the two tomato cages in the back, and will hold the cucumber netting. And the last four really wanted to be a bean teepee, so I said fine. 

I like adding height in the middle of a garden; it keeps things interesting and makes good use of your space. The metal raised bed gives the poles nice corners to lock into, and the whole arrangement is pretty darn sturdy.

I was going to have all my shelling beans grow up some sort of trellis along the south-facing side of the garden, but changed my mind for a couple of reasons. First, only one of the beans was actually a climber (oops!) Second, I now have a bean teepee! So I'll grow the one climber (Hidatsa Red Indian) on it, along with some heirloom Cannelini beans. The bush beans are neatly lined up behind, as they should be.

Flower break! This is the first bloom on my new Thunbergia "Rose Sensation" from Annie's Annuals. It is one of the most cheerful plants ever. I'm tucking vigorous vines in two opposite corners of the garden, hoping to enclose it a bit and provide shelter from wind. I have also popped a couple of moonflower seeds into the pot, I would love to get them growing on the fence as well. You can see little Rose peeping out in the lower left corner of the next photo.

I asked my generous neighbor if he had any more bamboo laying around, looking for something to do, and he did! I had been toying with the idea of reinforcing the top of the fence with bamboo, and the new pieces were perfect for that. Have I mentioned that zip-ties are the best invention ever? 

It's details like this that make the garden feel settled, complete and personal, no matter what you are working with. My design/build mantra is: finish your edges, hide your wires, mind your transitions and be generous with your materials. 

Remember when I said I'd figure something out for the gates in the deer fencing? Here's one solution. Another kind neighbor gave me some smaller bamboo poles, with top-knots still attached. I slit the deer fence right up the middle of the gate opening, and then wove a pole in and out along each edge and secured with zip ties.

At the top I trimmed the leaves to just above the edge of the fencing. Makes it look rather jaunty!

At the bottom I pounded a chunky piece of PVC into the ground. The bamboo ends drop in, bringing the fencing snug to the ground, and then I just secure the two poles together with a strong clamp to close up the garden at night. I like how the two sides gracefully fall open when I unclip them in the morning; I can also fold them back completely out of the way. 

Someday I'll have a nice gate here, but for now, this works fine. We really don't have deer nosing around this area of the property; it's off their normal browsing path, and there is SO MUCH else for them to eat that we haven't seem them expend extra effort for food. We close it up at night anyway (we've recently spotted chipmunks, rabbits and a sunflower-seed loving skunk, all of whom could cause mischief in a garden.) Time will tell what visitors we'll have, and how resourceful they will be - we really have no idea!

I've been flirting with this chair for ages, and decided I now have somewhere to put it. My daughter and I were talking recently about our mutual love of chairs. I think it's because I need to sit to really think and focus. When I'm planning a garden, I can sit motionless for an hour, just looking and thinking and planning and imagining. And once the garden is done, I like to sit and look at it! EVERY garden must have a chair or two, otherwise it's just a place to stand around in.

And who has time to stand around anyway, because the chicken coop has arrived! Bang on time as promised from Urban Northern Coops in Washington. It was beautifully made, reasonably priced and easy to put together. This is just part of our chicken housing arrangement though; with wild animals about we want to make sure the girls are safe, so we're designing a solid setting for it. 

Flower break! Hector is due to mow the meadow today (it has to be done for fire safety, and to prevent us from misplacing Milo). Viewed up close it's a very sweet collection of sturdy small field flowers (the yellow dandelion is about the size of a dime, for reference). It's been interesting to watch the succession of blooms.

But who has time for blooms when there is planting to be done? I will spare you the complete inventory; you'll no doubt meet the rest of the cast at some point. I will share a couple of highlights though; these exquisite pale-green zucchini come from Lebanon, and are very sweet and tender. 

Shelling beans are so cool looking! This mix includes several varieties, including these called Jacob's Cattle. I'm doing individual pots of each variety (don't YOU sort all your seed mixes?) These are beans that you leave on the plant all season until the pods turn leathery. Then you shell all of the beans at once, dry them a bit and then store them for the winter!

Another benefit to grow bags? They are a nice height for working at from a chair. Remember what I said about sitting? When I was a younger woman I thought nothing of plopping right on the ground (and I scratched my head at the "garden kneelers" I'd see in the gardening catalogs). Now I understand. My trusty camp chair has been great for this; I can prep soil, plant, thin, harvest and inspect for pests. And it will hold my beverage.

Carrots, beets and spinach are coming right along! We've been harvesting spinach leaves and beet greens for salads already. I don't harvest the whole spinach plant, by just removing the outer leaves you can keep it going a lot longer. This variety is called Bloomsdale and is so tender and tasty.

By Memorial Day weekend the sun has come out and night temperatures have topped 50 degrees, so you know what that means? We can plant all the tomato, pepper and cannabis seedlings and get our windowsills back!  

John's in his happy place in the back 420!

More fun with bamboo - now that the tomatoes are planted I can finish building the cucumber trellis. Kind of hard to see, isn't it? This is black vegetable netting suspended from the large bamboo pole, and anchored at the bottom with another piece of the slender bamboo. All firmly zip-tied to the tomato cages - this makes everything more stable. We have one grow-bag of pickling cucumbers (smaller and bumpy) and one of slicing cucumbers (smoother skin). 

As May draws to a close, my heart aches for the world. The solace of familiar garden rhythms has been comforting. Everything is in the ground and something new is sprouting every day. I even found the perfect spot for my small strand of prayer flags; you'd be surprised how much their gentle fluttering adds to the peaceful feel of the place. With bees settling in and the garden planted, our next project is to get our greenhouse and chicken area figured out. 

So now we're up to date, except for one more sunset! This is our view on a hot evening, with the high pressure holding all the fog down, and a knife-sharp horizon line.

In Which Havoc is Wreaked Upon My Balcony Garden

 

Recently I was told to be careful about describing something as "blooming," because by doing so you must also see it as something ephemeral, destined to fade, sooner than later. So, given that life is ephemeral enough, it should really cease to amaze me when I lose a garden!

Last December, during the darkest days of the year, I moved into a lovely, sunlit apartment, and built a charming little balcony garden that was fun to write about. I love my apartment, and when I saw how bright it was during winter, I also knew how dark it would be in summer. I decided the trade was worth it. 

Sun in winter is a prize beyond measure for me. Total shade in summer is another thing; great for keeping things cool, difficult for plants. Things were starting to suffer a bit, inside and out. But it was still charming, and the ivy that I had twined around the railings was really taking off. And I had recently spotted a praying mantis, so my streak could hit its...12th year? 

Then the notice came that my apartment building was to be painted, and that everything would have to come off of my balcony for 2 weeks.

Yeah...

Everything. Into my dark, dark apartment. For two weeks. Coinciding with a busy, delightful visit from my daughter, who I see way too seldom, AND some new adventures. It was doomed...

To make matters worse, this came precisely at that time of year when I get bored with a garden anyway. I'd much rather think about going somewhere else and getting recharged by the change of scene.

So this garden is REALLY doomed. I'm not being melodramatic; the casualties are pretty severe. I won't even show you. Everything is sitting out there right now, wilting. The love seat is still in the living room. Only the truly stalwart will survive (I'll write about them, next time).

I've gotten pretty good at not getting attached to things or places. It's sad, but that's life. I prefer to focus on the opportunity that loss presents: to try again. Things are changing in interesting ways, please stay tuned!

EnSeven Update: In Which We Try "Plant Nannies"

I love that moment in late winter when you realize that the days really ARE getting longer, and our (admittedly brief) dormant season is ending. My little south-facing balcony has been very cozy; it collects falling leaves but is protected from rain and frost alike. Being able to doze in the sun on my love seat is still a little miracle.

Think I can extend my Praying Mantis streak to 12 years on a tiny balcony? I brought this egg case (found in the Marjoram) from my old house. We'll see; I'm keeping a close eye. Would be wonderful to have at least one hang around!

I've made a couple of changes. The Asparagus Fern that so gracefully framed the fountain also liked to drop many soft little needles into the water, clogging the pump. It has been tucked safely away, and my Aeonium 'Sunburst' will take center stage. The Nandina just keeps looking beautiful, and the ivy is getting the idea.

I was glad to see these first shoots on the Japanese Maple. He suffered a bit last season from lack of feeding, and as the star of the whole design, he must be happy! 

I wrote a while back about my concern over keeping my little oasis properly watered. I was quite spoiled by an automatic drip system, and I tend to get lazy with hand watering toward the end of the season. So I'm giving a product called Plant Nannies a try; a simple arrangement of a spout that attaches to a standard plastic soda bottle and slips into a terra-cotta funnel inserted into the soil. Water dispenses slowly as the roots need it. So far, so good!

Here's how the arrangement works in the Fatsia pot. On my balcony the plastic bottles are hidden behind foliage or furniture, but they also make Plant Nannies for wine bottles, or ones with decorative globes. As long as I can keep the big boys happy, the rest should be fine.

Have enjoyed how this purple plum tree is bursting into bloom in the courtyard; since I moved in December I particularly appreciated this indication that spring is just around the corner. Thanks for visiting!

Discovering DIG Gardens in Santa Cruz

Recently my friend Rebecca Sweet wrote a great post about DIG Gardens in Santa Cruz, so I just had to see it for myself!

This former patio furniture store has been lovingly and skillfully reworked, making full use of the high ceilings, abundant light, and ample wall space. I'll be seeing more of this classroom area in the future, as DIG has a wonderful lineup of Talks and Workshops this spring, with timely topics like Chicks in the City, Backyard Bee Keeping and Jam Making (Meyer Lemon Marmalade, anyone?)

The chicken corner! Organic supplies for the home henhouse, pretty cool. Don't think my apartment complex includes chickens in its "pet friendly" policy...dang.

Every corner is a delight...all that's missing is the coffee...and I believe they are working on taking care of that (a coffee shop next door? Brilliant!)

I especially liked their interesting wall pieces, some including live mosses or Tillandsias; just lovely. Displaying houseplants this way really helps customers visualize the possibilities for their own spaces.

Rebecca spoke so highly of the beautiful succulent-infused art and furniture built by 5 Feet From The Moon; they've evidently been very popular; I think this was the only piece left!

Hey, look! Books by our friends Jeffrey Gordon Smith (who is busy creating a spectacular garden for the SF Flower & Garden Show) and Debra Lee Baldwin (who will be speaking at the show AND at DIG, on Saturday, March 26th) Since they keep selling out of Debra's new book (Succulent Container Gardens) that should be a popular event!

I've been hearing a lot about terrariums lately, and since DIG seems to be right on target with other new trends, I wasn't surprised to see terraria of many kinds in the shop. And, of course, there will be a Terrarium Workshop this coming weekend (February 5th) that will teach you how to do cool things like this! Here's something an apartment dweller could get very interested in...

Woolly Pocket is another product I keep seeing everywhere, and this stunning wall display of houseplants shows why they are so popular. DIG is a great place to learn about vertical gardening, and of course they have everything you need to succeed.

I loved this beautiful display of contemporary pots. Oh, and if you have your eye on that cool Sansevieria cylindrica on the middle shelf, too late! (It's OK, they have more.)

Great Balls of Succulents! (Sorry, had to say that.) These were especially effective against the fresh white of the walls and ceiling. Lovely.

After reading Rebecca's post I was particularly  interested in seeing these succulent panels, which are SO hot right now. This is a great example of how they can be used to create a garden on a cinderblock wall; loved them against that green. DIG owners Cara and Will Meyers hand-pick their plants from many local nurseries and growers.

A note to Inlanders; some of these plants are quite tender, and to live outside they are happiest near the coast. Planting them in pots that can be sheltered during winter should keep your conscience clear!

Loved this! Again, good for a sheltered spot...would not be happy in freezing temps OR blazing sun. Just because succulents don't use much water doesn't mean they don't appreciate being able to keep what's stored in those lovely leaves, bracts, fingers, and spikes, right?

Delighted to run into an old friend in the shade house; any day that includes Kwan Yin is a good one. Thanks for joining me on my first visit, and if you're in the area, consider coming to one of DIG's many events; maybe I'll see you there!