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ysabetwordsmithThese pictures are from the left side of the Charleston Food Forest. See Part 1 Right Side.
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( Walk with me ... )
ysabetwordsmithToday we visited the Charleston Food Forest. I took pictures and rescued some plants that were growing in the paths so they don't get trampled. These pictures are mostly from the right side. See Part 2 Left Side.
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( Walk with me ... )
What I'm Growing
Nov. 12th, 2024 06:33 pmysabetwordsmithAlmost everything in the Charleston Food Forest is something I'm growing, would like to grow, or at least recognize from edible plant studies. So I thought it would be fun to break that down, listed in approximate spatial order moving through the lists of pictures ...
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ysabetwordsmithThis concludes the tour of the Charleston Food Forest. (See Part 1: Right Front. Part 2: Right Back, Part 3: Left Back.)
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ysabetwordsmithThis continues the tour of the Charleston Food Forest. (See Part 1: Right Front. Part 2: Right Back.)
( Walk with me ... )
( Walk with me ... )
ysabetwordsmithThis continues the tour of the Charleston Food Forest. (See Part 1: Right Front.)
( Walk with me ... )
( Walk with me ... )
ysabetwordsmithMy partner Doug spotted this place recently, and today we explored the Charleston Food Forest and its plants. (See Part 2 Right Back, Part 3: Left Back, Part 4 Left Front, and What I'm Growing.) It's a skinny rectangle, and not all that big. If you cut it in half and lined the halves up as a square, then it would fit in a typical town yard around here. It has a LOT of plants in it, thoughtfully chosen and arranged. I wouldn't call it a food forest myself, because while it has multiple layers, it is really short. I doubt anything is more than about 10-12 feet tall. That's sensible in a garden this small. But when I think of a forest, I'm thinking one that at least has a canopy layer. Mine has emergents, the main canopy, the subcanopy, and then all the shorter stuff as shown here (understory trees, shrubs, herbs, groundcovers, roots, fungi, vines, etc.). So I'd probably call this one a permaculture garden. (See the layers of a food forest and permaculture design principles.) I didn't spot actual guilds, but everything is arranged in logical order. Someone has done an amazing job setting this up in the space available.
The really subversive thing: it's not a garden to be looked at, it's a garden to be used, for free, by everyone. A little slice of Terramagne, or Turtle-Island-That-Was, especially since it's located right next to a government building with several human service offices. So I helped myself to some seeds. Sure, I might come back later for things to eat. But what I am really interested in is gathering things from here that I can grow at home.
I could only think of two things I'd really add to make this even better:
1) A Little Free Seed / Plant Library so folks could swap things.
2) A community bulletin board, chiefly for people to post their Have / Want lists for trading, but could also be used to announce things like plant swaps or sales, garden open houses, etc. There is an Events section on the back side of the welcome sign, but it's under glass.
( Walk with me ... )
The really subversive thing: it's not a garden to be looked at, it's a garden to be used, for free, by everyone. A little slice of Terramagne, or Turtle-Island-That-Was, especially since it's located right next to a government building with several human service offices. So I helped myself to some seeds. Sure, I might come back later for things to eat. But what I am really interested in is gathering things from here that I can grow at home.
I could only think of two things I'd really add to make this even better:
1) A Little Free Seed / Plant Library so folks could swap things.
2) A community bulletin board, chiefly for people to post their Have / Want lists for trading, but could also be used to announce things like plant swaps or sales, garden open houses, etc. There is an Events section on the back side of the welcome sign, but it's under glass.
( Walk with me ... )
Photos: House Yard and South Lot
Mar. 24th, 2024 11:57 pmysabetwordsmithI took some pictures around the yard today. These are from the house yard and the south lot.
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( Read more... )
Herbs for an Omelette
Jun. 21st, 2022 07:39 pmysabetwordsmithI picked herbs from my yard to make an omelette. :D My post includes a link to my earlier omelette recipe for anyone who's into that.
ysabetwordsmithThese pictures are from Saturday, April 16 showing the forest garden and herb gardens. See the house yard and orchard, south lot and west edge, forest yard and wagonwheel garden, savanna and prairie garden, and ritual meadow and flowerbeds.
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Yard Pictures from Sunday
Apr. 4th, 2022 02:37 pmysabetwordsmithYesterday before we went out, I took some yard pictures. It was finally sunny, so I got good ones this time.
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Yard Pictures: Flowers
Apr. 1st, 2022 10:24 pmysabetwordsmithI took a few more pictures of my yard today. The lighting still isn't great, but there's a lot going on.
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report from yesterday
May. 24th, 2020 08:22 amrafiwintersSo I have a garden now!
Yesterday morning my wife and I went to a nearby garden center--a locally owned and independent one, not one of the big chain stores. This place had been recommended by someone I know, and they were super nice, super helpful and informative. We came away with:
* two cherry tomato plants (Sungold variety)
* two large lavender plants--they also had smaller ones in smaller pots but I rly rly like lavender
* two different kinds of marigolds--different shades of yellow/orange/reddish, total ten plants
And one each of:
* sage
* marjoram
* thyme
* rosemary
* mint
* lemon balm
And when we got home it was threatening to rain, so I went right out and planted my haul from the garden center. Mint and lemon balm in pots to be kept out of the main garden. Rosemary at either side, lavender plants together near one of the rosemarys, marigolds in two lines, the other things in the rest of the garden. I ended up tilling a bit more space, for the lavender and rosemary, and so I would have space kept clear for eventually planting bulbs in the fall for blooming next spring. Yup, thinking ahead!
It started raining just as I was tidying up (putting pots and tools away, throwing away some trash that had been in the garden bed, etc.), and I dodged inside just as it got steady. Perfect timing for new little baby plants.
Yesterday morning my wife and I went to a nearby garden center--a locally owned and independent one, not one of the big chain stores. This place had been recommended by someone I know, and they were super nice, super helpful and informative. We came away with:
* two cherry tomato plants (Sungold variety)
* two large lavender plants--they also had smaller ones in smaller pots but I rly rly like lavender
* two different kinds of marigolds--different shades of yellow/orange/reddish, total ten plants
And one each of:
* sage
* marjoram
* thyme
* rosemary
* mint
* lemon balm
And when we got home it was threatening to rain, so I went right out and planted my haul from the garden center. Mint and lemon balm in pots to be kept out of the main garden. Rosemary at either side, lavender plants together near one of the rosemarys, marigolds in two lines, the other things in the rest of the garden. I ended up tilling a bit more space, for the lavender and rosemary, and so I would have space kept clear for eventually planting bulbs in the fall for blooming next spring. Yup, thinking ahead!
It started raining just as I was tidying up (putting pots and tools away, throwing away some trash that had been in the garden bed, etc.), and I dodged inside just as it got steady. Perfect timing for new little baby plants.
Intro Post
Feb. 25th, 2020 07:33 pmdarkestabsolWith spring coming soon, I figured it was high time to start preparing for growing season to start, and ended up here. Anyway, info!
I live in Canada, in roughly zone 8 or 9. Last year I had a few potted herbs (basil, cilantro, thyme) and some broccoli growing, but this year I want to expand with a few more herbs (mint, sage, oregano) and vegetables (peas, beans, lettuce, radishes). I also want to transplant last year's thyme plants to a bigger container to get it away from the mint my mom put next to it. I'll have to keep watch to make sure the mint doesn't try to overrun the thyme post transplant via any roots, but we'll see what happens.
( And here's a couple pictures of my newly sprouting oregano and last year's thyme )
I live in Canada, in roughly zone 8 or 9. Last year I had a few potted herbs (basil, cilantro, thyme) and some broccoli growing, but this year I want to expand with a few more herbs (mint, sage, oregano) and vegetables (peas, beans, lettuce, radishes). I also want to transplant last year's thyme plants to a bigger container to get it away from the mint my mom put next to it. I'll have to keep watch to make sure the mint doesn't try to overrun the thyme post transplant via any roots, but we'll see what happens.
( And here's a couple pictures of my newly sprouting oregano and last year's thyme )
Plants in the ground!
May. 15th, 2012 02:43 pmamalnahurriyehWith the semester over, and it no longer looking like there are going to be overnight freezes (living in upstate New York: gardening is hard), I just put in some plants today. Now, I had intended to put them in last week, but discovered, when trying to dig holes in the front flowerbed that my landlord put in, that our front garden is apparently solid clay. Like, not "gee, we have some clay-y soil." Like, "gee, I can roll the scoop of dirt I just pulled out of the ground into a ball, and then sculpt a pinch-pot with it." I decided it wasn't work digging out the whole thing and replacing with topsoil, so I went out and bought pots and dirt to put in them, and spent my early afternoon happily digging.
( pictures of food plants (and some non-food) )
At the moment, I'm planning on keeping all the herbs on the back step, the tomatoes on the porch edge, and putting the peppers on the front steps. We get morning light in the front, strong mid-day light on the back step, but not for very many hours (it's shady in the morning, and gets shaded pretty fast in the afternoon). I'm not sure about the lettuce. Previous attempts have ended up with bitter, inedible lettuce in June, but I've moved to a cooler climate; should I position them to get less sun, or put them alongside the tomatoes up front? I'd rather get to eat them than not...
( pictures of food plants (and some non-food) )
At the moment, I'm planning on keeping all the herbs on the back step, the tomatoes on the porch edge, and putting the peppers on the front steps. We get morning light in the front, strong mid-day light on the back step, but not for very many hours (it's shady in the morning, and gets shaded pretty fast in the afternoon). I'm not sure about the lettuce. Previous attempts have ended up with bitter, inedible lettuce in June, but I've moved to a cooler climate; should I position them to get less sun, or put them alongside the tomatoes up front? I'd rather get to eat them than not...
greenwitchI've acquired four lavender seedlings (still pretty tiny), and have no experience growing lavender, so I don't have any idea how fast they'll grow or how big they'll get.
My main concern is what sort of and size of containers to plant them in (the ground isn't an option due to lack of sun in the available places). What I've read so far is that lavender needs good drainage, so I'm guessing the best would be to put a layer of sand/gravel in the bottom of a pot, and that terracotta would probably be best since it's permeable. Right now I only have a few 8" terracotta pots -- would these be big enough, or should I purchase larger ones? What about the rectangular planters? Would the smaller kind (the ones that are about 18" long) be large enough, or too narrow?
Also, does anyone know if lavender is prone to being eaten by pests? We have serious deer issues in my area (they eat everything), and we have a woodchuck that's been caught sneaking under the deer fencing I've put up to eat my tomatoes/basil/cilantro. If being eaten isn't an issue for lavender, I'd be very happy not to have to worry about covering it or spraying it (of course I didn't think cilantro would be a problem, either.)
My main concern is what sort of and size of containers to plant them in (the ground isn't an option due to lack of sun in the available places). What I've read so far is that lavender needs good drainage, so I'm guessing the best would be to put a layer of sand/gravel in the bottom of a pot, and that terracotta would probably be best since it's permeable. Right now I only have a few 8" terracotta pots -- would these be big enough, or should I purchase larger ones? What about the rectangular planters? Would the smaller kind (the ones that are about 18" long) be large enough, or too narrow?
Also, does anyone know if lavender is prone to being eaten by pests? We have serious deer issues in my area (they eat everything), and we have a woodchuck that's been caught sneaking under the deer fencing I've put up to eat my tomatoes/basil/cilantro. If being eaten isn't an issue for lavender, I'd be very happy not to have to worry about covering it or spraying it (of course I didn't think cilantro would be a problem, either.)
