After converting a patch of lawn into a kitchen garden, building the soil over five years, and growing lots of delicious veggies, had to give it up. Gophers invaded for the first time Spring 2019 and ate everything. This spring installed 210 square feet of raised beds with a hardware cloth bottom to keep those little buggers out. Once the bed frames were done, added straw bales and conditioned them for 6 weeks before adding compost and a soil topper. So far it seems to be working.
hiatus over
This is what happens when you’ve been away too much. Young adult male black bear decided he lives here now, and that I’m in his territory. More to come on that. The hiatus lasted longer than planned between having to work off the homestead, knee replacement surgery and recovery, and lots of travel. Back just in time for winter!
hiatus
Planet B is on hiatus for the fall and winter as we go a-traveling. We’ll pop back in October to winterize the garden, plant garlic, and prepare the earth for next spring. Then we’re out and about until March 2018. Check back then for updates on what’s new and happening at Planet B Gardens.
nuthatch squatter
Pileated woodpeckers start deep holes in the logs of the cabin. The woodpeckers soon learn the wood is too hard and they’ll never peck a hole deep enough to accommodate their size. The red-breasted nuthatches are content to claim squatter’s rights. Nothing goes to waste here in the forest garden.
garlic harvest day
Garlic fresh from the garden…now for the month-long cure. Fresh garlic is mild compared with its cured version, and tasty in its own right. Curing the garlic by hanging with stems and roots attached in a cool, dry space concentrates and intensifies its flavor. The cured garlic can be kept for many months, and cloves from the best heads can be planted in the fall for harvest the following summer.
saving seeds
Letting some of the romaine that did well go to seed this year. Will save the seeds and try replanting them next season. I saved seeds from broccoli, tomatoes, and chilies last year. Most of the saved broccoli seeds successfully germinated this year. Only a couple of the saved tomato and chili seeds germinated, so will have to try those again this year. The goal is to develop hearty local varieties by saving seeds from my best producers year after year.
eggplant flower
First year I’ve planted eggplants. Flowers are stunning!
green cherries
The first of the fruit trees I planted last spring have fruit — check out the green cherries…
the view…
…never gets old.