Today we started the first bed in the front yard area. This marks the first in ground area we have started at this house. We have had the bed prepping with chicken manure from the neighbor since last year so now we have really rich dark soil that should be just what the squash are..
Read morePickled Asparagus
This week we had the opportunity to get asparagus from the group that is driving to eastern Washington to get excess produce that would otherwise go to waste. We decided to pickle it to preserve it. We found an awesome recipe in WECK Small-Batch Preserving, see recipe below.
Read moreBearded Irises Make Their Appearance
I found these irises in the side yard of the house after we had lived here a year. They never bloomed because they were in the shade under a cherry tree. I dug up a bunch of the rhizomes last year and transplanted them to the front garden and they appear to be a LOT..
Read moreGarden Update – 04.24.2020
Today I had a helper in the garden so we took advantage of a break in the rain to get some root crops planted. We planted Parsnips, Carrots and Beets in one of the raised beds in the front garden. Also I realized that the back yard fence is another trellis just waiting for a..
Read moreGarden Update – 04.20.2020
Updated Garden Layout including the recent additions of Asparagus(which will take 3-4 years to actually product any that we can eat), and Nasturtiums. If the weather holds out this week we will be added the following to the mix. Radishes Beets Parsnips Carrots
Read moreWater for the Garden
We are saving some of the spring rains for the garden. Since putting on the new metal roof it is easier to get cleaner water to save. So I ordered a recycled barrel from Azure Standard (www.azurestandard.com) for $20 and used a canning jar filler that I already had along with a $20 diverter I..
Read moreGarden Update – 03.28.2020
Today I set out the first round of onion starts that I grew from seed in the grow tent. Anxious to see how they do instead of buying starts. Also transplanted some strawberries that had decided to run into the herb bed into a container of their own. They only have to share with the..
Read moreGarden 2020 – Beginnings
With about 4 weeks left before last frost date, I can actually start to plant some things outside. So we start with Peas. First ones are Spring Magnolia Tendril and Springs Blush Tendril, both from Baker Creek (www.rareseeds.com). This year I decided to try to be more formal with the garden layout instead of making..
Read morePlant Starts Are Growing
It was time to give the plant starts more growing room so everyone got a new home yesterday to allow them to keep thriving until it is time to move outside in a few more weeks. Average last frost date in my area is not until April 16th so they have another month to wait...
Read moreProject Time – Greenhouse
With the short growing season but mild winters of the Pacific Northwest we have decided that we can extend our growing season to almost year round by adding a greenhouse. We searched for a long time and finally found plans from Ana White (https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/diy-greenhouse) that I also saw completed by Justin Rhodes and helpers on..
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