GRAFTING

WE HAVE JUST GRAFTED A CRAB APPLE TO OUR HONEY CRISPS IN OUR GARDEN.
LAUREL AND I TAPED THE SHORT TWIGS IN PLACE...WE WILL SEE IF IT TAKES IN A FEW WEEKS. MY GOOD FRIEND GAIL TELLS ME THAT THIS IS DIFFICULT WORK AND ONLY SOMETIMES WORKS AS ONE NEEDS TO LINE UP THE 10 CELLS THICK CAMBIUM LAYER! I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED.
FOR NOW WE HAVE SOME GARLIC SPROUTS AND ROOTS AND GREENS GOING IN THE BEDS. WE ARE HOPING EVERYTHING DOES NOT DROWN IN THIS 3 DAY DELUGE OF RAIN! THE LEWIS GARDEN IS PARTICULARLY SOAKED RIGHT NOW.
I HAVE JUST EATEN A MOST ENJOYABLE MEAL OF TURNIP GREENS AND RICE. TURNIP GREENS ARE HIGH IN CALCIUM AND VITAMIN A-GREAT FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR OF REBUILDING OUR BODIES FOR THE SPRING AHEAD.
SOON THE NEXT BATCH OF TREES WILL ARRIVE AND WILL BE PLANTED AT THE GARDEN....LOOKING FORWARD!

HALLOWEEN GARLIC PLANTING

A LEEK SLICE HALLOWEEN FACE FOR YOU!

SO ABOUT THIS TIME OF YEAR, I START TO IMAGINE THE GARLIC I WILL HAVE IN 8 OR 9 MONTHS FROM NOW...

This is the season to plant it, and I have chosen Halloween for that day. On this day I will put some leaf mulch on top of the soil and separate all the cloves from the bulb. Each clove goes downside into the soil about an inch or two and will hibernate for the winter, producing a long green stalk or two or three which can be eaten as green garlic in the winter and spring (like chives).

There are many types of garlic to choose from. The standard whites are good, yet so is the elephant garlic if you prefer a milder flavor. I prefer the purple varieties that don't grow as large, but do taste strong and rich with flavor. We eat them raw, with other foods. So I guess you could say that we are accustomed to the strength of the garlic.

Some other crops to consider....onion sets, leeks, carrots, beets, turnips and greens.

You will have to cover the seedlings if it gets to cold. I have agribon over my turnip and beet seedlings due to early cold weather. As you thin them, throw them into your salad for a spicey treat!

Butternut

In our community garden

this exquisite creature grew! Several of them, along with acorn, crook neck, and summer squashes. This squash is so valuable because it will keep for many months, offering nutrition in the form of vitamin A during our illness season which begins soon. So eat lots of winter squashes and keep your immune system up!

Our corn is as high as an elephants eye.....

Corn!

Pictured here is a stalk of Martian Jewel Corn from Seeds of Change.....This is the type of corn I planted in my garden at the beginning of July. Here it is 30 days later and just beginning to develop the idea of husks! Now, mid August the husks are fully developed. I highly suggest this type of corn for the Julian area.

In the M & M community garden, I planted Japanese Popcorn seeds from a fellow local gardener, Celia, who had been successful with her crop 2 years ago. Since I planted this late on August 1st, it still remains to be seen. I also planted it in our no-till zone, which is still in experimental conditions, having only been planted with legumes and clover last winter. No-tilling to prepare the corn, just a thin layer of compost over the legumes.

In the Lewis garden I planted Silver Queen White hybridized corn which is a mainstream type. It is going strong and about 2-3 ft high. It was planted early July.

By comparing these 3 very different corn within a short distance (not too close to cross pollinate), I am hoping to discern what does best for our area. True, the popcorn was planted later and not with the moon waxing. The popcorn was also at a possible disadvantage with more tenuous soil conditions. The other two were planted in compost bins. The seeds however did come from a proven crop two years earlier. We shall see soon enough what happens.....

The tomatoes are doing well all three gardens with a variety of heirlooms. No ripe ones yet!

Pumpkins and squash are coming on strong which is to be expected in the month of August.

Cheers to all community gardeners out there!

.....harvest time for garlic and fava beans.....

Now is the time for garlic to come popping out of the soil and for you to prepare it by drying in a cool dark dry place. For me this place is in my kitchen on a low table, or handing on my porch wall.
In the M&M Bearing Fruit garden we harvested our garlic and braided it to hang and dry. After drying for a few weeks it will be ready for consumption. Some eat it early, yet it has a bite and is very strong, yet sweet. We donated a braid to the local food program as there are many now who are in need.
The fava is peeled and the succulent beans can either be dried for next years crop or they can be eaten. I like mine cooked in olive oil with lemon juice and spices; then added to sauteed greens and garlic.
About half of the several hundred beans taken from M&M and my own property allowed easily for both uses. If you google fava beans you will find many uses of the fava bean plant including eating the greens.
Try to remember to save the seeds of whichever plants do well in your area. We have already started a seed bank to help with next years community gardens. Currently we have quite a few beds planted with summer crops (squash, tomato, corn, eggplant, beans, sunflowers, greens, herbs, etc...)....hopefully you do too!

Road to Consciousness....

There are many wonderful reasons for visiting your local farmers market....

the least of which is not the beautiful music you will encounter there!

This is a picture of Highwire, an eclectic original folk group who are blossoming in

the area.

Please remember to support your local musicians as they are a growing thing as

well as something which contributes to a healthy locavore diet. Music feeds the

soul they say...and I say it feeds the body too. Go on out and move about to the

local music coming from your neck o the woods!

DIRECT SEEDING OR STARTS? THAT IS A QUESTION...

So many things there are to consider when beginning your garden.
Through many years of experience in Julian's climate zone 9, I have learned not to plant until mid-May; even later in a year like this with so many cold days. So I can satisfy my spring fever itch by planting starts...
What plants do better as starts and which do better as direct seeding into the soil?
In my experience, most do better when they are directly seeded into the soil, yet to get ahead of the limited growing season, I start many hot weather lovers such as: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, and basil in planters in my window seal. Laurel, my co-creator in the garden, has made a make-shift green house in her backyard with the use of plastic wrapped around shelves in order to keep wind and cold from destroying her babies. Some others I know create cold frames with the use of old windows propped up over their boxes to shield from the elements. Experiment! What resources you have available will help to determine your style. In my case, I have limited money resources, yet materials that I refuse to throw away can become useful in the garden.
At our last community garden meeting we agreed to begin a "needs" and "offerings" page to our website. In this way, resources can be shared among the group. Services will be included here as we have builders, massage therapists, artists and astrologers among us!
We also agreed to bring our abundance of certain herbs (mints, chamomile, oregano, etc.) to our medicine wheel in the Bearing Fruit community garden. With the use of pots we can more easily contain the herbs from taking over. The medicine wheel is in the shape of a spiral and will be the medicine chest for all members to use.
We have also created an arch of willow branches to serve as a threshold into the new view taking place in our midst! It is a view into a natural world of co-mingling natives and non-natives; medicinals and food sources; trees, flowers and herbaceous thriving life!
Long live the locavores!

as we move into april....

Into the month of April, come she will, change is in the air....

Building our planter boxes, loosening the soil with a pitch fork under the boxes, building up soil with amendments, harvesting of worms to be put into the new planter boxes, and planting.....!

We will be making a spiral in the center of the community garden that will be planted with stinging nettles for allergies; butterfly weed for pleurisy; chamomile for relaxation; mint for the tummy; and other herbs as we go along....We hope to create a medicine chest right there in the center for all to use.

Our No-till methods will be in place for direct seeding of corn, beans and squashes. As our clay soils are difficult now, we will be adding green manure to keep it healthy and balanced for the summer crops.

Preparation for a gathering of like-minded individuals in our garden adventure will be planned for the end of April. At this time we can co-create the locavore world that we wish to be a part of....helping the surrounding environment as we go, attracting beneficial insects and sharing some of the bounty with the surrounding native birds; behaving as if all life matters.....

The lovely flowers at the upper right are fava bean flowers- looking very yin yang.

Fava's add nitrogen and green matter to the soil; the pods can be eaten raw or sauteed; or ground into a paste with chili and other spices for a nice spread on crackers. The greens can also be eaten cooked with other greens and onions.

Visualize!

Now is the time to visualize your garden for the Spring....
Take out a piece of paper, some colors, and paint the picture of what you will create in the Spring/Summer growing season.....
How often i have done this with great results...sure the gophers and birds may come to share your bounty...so be sure to come up with a strategy for them as well. With gophers a shield effect will be helpful by placing hard wire on the bottom of your boxes. Netting over your fruit trees will cut down on the bird action. Spraying a little dish soap concoction on your veggies will discourage the insects.
Think ahead too for the coming weather. In our area this means cold until May.
It may also mean lots of rain in this particular year, so be aware and plan accordingly. This is great for your newly planted trees and the cover crops, as long as there is mulch in place to protect the tender roots.
Remember that there is always something to do in every month! February will be the time for me to turn the piles of compost, weed out the weeds that have grown into the garlic beds, mulch with these weeds around the garlic, and plant some early lettuce. I will probably put up some seedlings in the window sills for the things to come in Spring....greens, squash and tomato starts.
If you have not put out your flower seeds (wild and domestic) now could be prime time to get those little roots established for the spring bloom.