This pastoral setting is right next to the country garden. Last Friday my Mom and I had a wonderfully sunny and productive day in the country garden. It brought us hope for this year's gardening season and hope for the future in general. Here's the latest from both gardens:
Country Garden:
Last Friday since it was a nice, sunny day (it was in the mid-seventies by late afternoon) we did a lot of weeding, hoeing and planting of our cooler weather crops. We started out weeding and preparing the soil in the corner where there are 4-5 rhubarb plants that are really thriving this year! It'll be nice to make our first pie from our own rhubarb soon!
A lovely, healthy patch of rhubarb in the country garden.
There, we decided to create wide rows of cabbage and broccoli. Next to the fence we planted some more peas. Later on we planted some onions in this area as well. The varieties we planted include: Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage, Danish Ballhead Cabbage, Yellow of Parma Onions and Thompson Broccoli.
A view of the wonderfully prepared country garden this spring.
As my Mom planted seeds I worked on weeding and hoeing other areas including areas around the boysenberries. Sometimes I would give large clods of dirt to the chickens because they contained worms that they were more than happy to eat!
Adam in the garden near his tractor- wrapped up in towels.
While we were busy working in the garden Adam busied himself with a solar radio! He had the best time and sat in the sun very contented! Later in the afternoon he had fun wrapping himself in beach towels and then checking out the tiller, etc.
One of the very healthy raspberry plants.
Also, we checked out the progress on the raspberries, boysenberries and blueberries and it looks like they are going to have lots of berries this year!
A view of one of the blueberry bushes.
Delicious! I'm sure Adam will enjoy eating them straight off of the vines and bushes!
The boysenberries.
Later on in the weekend here's the report my Mom gave of their progress in the garden and yard:
"I put some kale and chard over by the peas and garden fence, where you did that weeding on Friday.
I did go ahead and plant carrots, parsnips, and radishes in the space between the boysenberries and the raspberries. That was the best place it seemed, as the soil is loose with no clumps at all. The parsnips in particular need that.
I made some short rows where Adam was sitting and playing with the radio on Friday. I planted a wide row of beets there, and then as I had some seeds of Brussels sprouts and cauliflower left from last year, I put those in a row alongside the beets. I also added some rows of turnips, rutabagas, and lettuce there.
I also chopped weeds among the raspberries and gooseberries, and got the blackberries out of the fence area on both sides of the fence on the end where the gooseberries are. There is still more to be done on weeding next to the fence, but the thistles and blackberries are at least chopped out of that area.
Dad worked down in the gully just north of the orchard. He burned a pile of branches, and also burned Scotch Broom and blackberries that he removed. He is continuing some of that today.
While I have been walking around between the garden and the gully, I noticed some wildflowers - bunch berry - that I have not seen here for years. They aren't in bloom and are rather sparse, but they are there. I am going to put little sticks by them to help Dad and Stuart see where to avoid mowing. I think they got overwhelmed with all of the blackberries, so maybe now some of the native plants can come back. It is my cherished hope. "
As you can see by my Mom's progress a lot has been done! It is a constant battle between the blackberries and the wildflowers and native plants- but by mowing and keeping after the blackberries many lovely native plants are coming back! It is wonderful! My Mom let me know that she has finished planting all of the cool weather crops so we will be ready in 3 weeks or so to plant the warmer weather crops such as tomatoes, basil, peppers and corn.
Suburban Garden:
My husband Paul and I did some yard work on Saturday before it started raining again. It seems like in the spring there is never more than one sunny day in a row, so if it isn't raining, it's time to hurry up and do yard work!
So, Paul trimmed back the rhododendrens close to the house, put more paving stones around the edge of the lawn, and hauled a lot of mulch to the back yard to put into the flower beds. He also mowed the front lawn. It looks really nice out front now! I also was able to edge and mulch the rhododendren/hydrangea bed in the front yard late last week.
Another view of the side yard garden with a few more flowers.
Also, on Saturday I planted a few more flowers in the side yard because it looked a bit sparse. I planted some more begonias and a few dwarf dahlias as well. I love the way it looks- so bright and cheery! I still hope someday soon the neighbors will chop up the wood next to the side yard and put it away- it would really make the yard look much nicer.
I bought 2 new herb plants at the Beaverton Farmer's Market to put in my garden. I bought a "perpetual basil" and a sage plant. They go nicely in the garden and will add to my kitchen garden. I also got my Walla Walla onions and lettuce seeds planted in my raised bed garden.
A view of our raised bed garden and back yard. We've made a lot of progress mulching the flower beds and edging the lawn with the paving stones.
Today I continued to spread mulch on the flower beds in the back yard. I had to run inside because it started to rain. However, there is only a small pile left and I am nearly finished with that job! Hooray!
In closing I'd like to leave you with a quote I thought was very important that I read in a speech by Pat Mooney- the co-founder of ETC Group in Ottowa Canada that he made to a group of Seed Savers Exchange members:
"Who's going to help us survive climate change? It's going to be the peasants, the heirloom breeders, the ones like you, who are taking care of the plant. The companies can't do it, they can't even imagine doing it, and they don't know how to do it.......So who is going to save us? Who is going to feed us? It's the peasant system. The people who love gardens, who love their land, who love their neighbors. "- Pat Mooney
I love this quote because it is so full of hope. When all is changing around us- we can do something positive by planting a garden, a flower bed, a pot on a balcony. I think that all of the people put together who work to preserve heirloom varieties and work to save plants that are important to them and that they love to grow, eat and share will help us in the coming years. I know that I love the land, my garden and my family, friends and neighbors. I want to do my part by having my suburban garden and also helping out in the country garden to make this land healthy and a better place for all.
As you can see by my Mom's progress a lot has been done! It is a constant battle between the blackberries and the wildflowers and native plants- but by mowing and keeping after the blackberries many lovely native plants are coming back! It is wonderful! My Mom let me know that she has finished planting all of the cool weather crops so we will be ready in 3 weeks or so to plant the warmer weather crops such as tomatoes, basil, peppers and corn.
Suburban Garden:
My husband Paul and I did some yard work on Saturday before it started raining again. It seems like in the spring there is never more than one sunny day in a row, so if it isn't raining, it's time to hurry up and do yard work!
So, Paul trimmed back the rhododendrens close to the house, put more paving stones around the edge of the lawn, and hauled a lot of mulch to the back yard to put into the flower beds. He also mowed the front lawn. It looks really nice out front now! I also was able to edge and mulch the rhododendren/hydrangea bed in the front yard late last week.
Another view of the side yard garden with a few more flowers.
Also, on Saturday I planted a few more flowers in the side yard because it looked a bit sparse. I planted some more begonias and a few dwarf dahlias as well. I love the way it looks- so bright and cheery! I still hope someday soon the neighbors will chop up the wood next to the side yard and put it away- it would really make the yard look much nicer.
I bought 2 new herb plants at the Beaverton Farmer's Market to put in my garden. I bought a "perpetual basil" and a sage plant. They go nicely in the garden and will add to my kitchen garden. I also got my Walla Walla onions and lettuce seeds planted in my raised bed garden.
A view of our raised bed garden and back yard. We've made a lot of progress mulching the flower beds and edging the lawn with the paving stones.
Today I continued to spread mulch on the flower beds in the back yard. I had to run inside because it started to rain. However, there is only a small pile left and I am nearly finished with that job! Hooray!
In closing I'd like to leave you with a quote I thought was very important that I read in a speech by Pat Mooney- the co-founder of ETC Group in Ottowa Canada that he made to a group of Seed Savers Exchange members:
"Who's going to help us survive climate change? It's going to be the peasants, the heirloom breeders, the ones like you, who are taking care of the plant. The companies can't do it, they can't even imagine doing it, and they don't know how to do it.......So who is going to save us? Who is going to feed us? It's the peasant system. The people who love gardens, who love their land, who love their neighbors. "- Pat Mooney
I love this quote because it is so full of hope. When all is changing around us- we can do something positive by planting a garden, a flower bed, a pot on a balcony. I think that all of the people put together who work to preserve heirloom varieties and work to save plants that are important to them and that they love to grow, eat and share will help us in the coming years. I know that I love the land, my garden and my family, friends and neighbors. I want to do my part by having my suburban garden and also helping out in the country garden to make this land healthy and a better place for all.
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