Knee High by The 4th of July

Our popping corn is plugging right along, and if the forecast is correct the next stretch of sun will really help things along!

Happy 4th!

The Definition of an Orchard

The definition of an orchard as spelled out by wikipedia is "an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production." My guess is that my front yard won't look the way it does for many more years. I am slowly replacing ornamental's with plants that give a little bit back. Last fall I planted a 4-way cherry, a 4-way pear and a Gravenstein apple. In years past I put in blueberries, raspberries, rhubarb and strawberries. Everything is growing and looking very healthy (except maybe save for the strawberries, can't figure out why they only want to make pea-sized berries). I wasn't sure I would get anything this season from my fruit trees what with it being their first year in my yard and the flip-floppy weather we're so famous for in the lovely Seattle area. Here is a little peek at my orchard.

The apples are right now about the size of a 'shooter marble' and my mouth just waters when I think of the pie and homemade sauce in my future!

This is on the Bartlett branch, disappointingly no D'Anjou this year (which is kinda the reason I got the tree in the first place)

I have exactly 3 cherries growing this year; have to put up the bird netting soon I would die if birds ate them!

Loads of raspberries comin'; these are the epitome of summer fruit in my mind, nothing better.

Blueberries makin' their way too!

Here are my funny little strawberries, the smallest things I have ever seen (but darn tasty when ripe)! Anyone know what's happening here? I acquired them from a neighbor and his berries were 'normal' - they're Alpine which are a more petite berry, but come on; I'd need 100 of these things to call it a snack!

My Garden Defines Me

So this is the 3rd/4th year I have worked/expanded our family vegetable garden. I started with a pretty foundational love of plants and working in the dirt and have now turned over most of my southern facing side yard to food production. In past years I've grown some family standards and then also thrown a few "hmmmm...that would be interesting" cultivars in the mix. This year I decided to stick with only things I know my family will eat (maybe with a little coaxing). I started everything from seed (mostly using Territorial Seed Company mail order) except the tomatoes came as 3" starts. And cartwheeling greenhouse aside, this is looking like my best year ever (knock on wood). A huge thanks goes out to my dad for opening up the sky for me, with the branches gone my yard and food budget got a great face lift.

This years garden list is as follows:
Dutch Fingerling, Yukon Gold, Red and White Potatoes
Sunflowers (for seeds)
Red and Golden Raspberries
Green, Burgundy, and Yellow Bush Beans
Garlic
Storage Onions
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
2 Varieties of Kale
Spinach
Romaine
Salad Mix
Dual Purpose (baking and carving) Pumpkins
Sugar Snap Peas
Tomato's 8 Varieties
Zucchini
Cucumber
Purple Bell Pepper
Purple and Orange Carrots
Easter Egg Radishes
Flat and Curly Leaf Parsley
Popping Corn
Some random squash from seeds I saved from last year.

Photos of above mentioned deliciousness:

Realizing that this photo doesn't really do the space justice this is a  5x17 foot bed

4.5x15' bed

9x17' with 2 foot walkway divider

To put it all in perspective, I have a close-as-I can-get-aerial-shot of the garden. Because this is taken from the furthest perch on my deck the bed against the house is not pictured nor the popping corn rows just behind the tomatoes and wooden raised bed.

As for my goals:

1. I really want to continue to replace and repurpose my existing ornamental beds with ones for food. I am visualizing a blueberry hedge just in front of the apple and pear trees in the front and ripping up more lawn for over-wintering raised beds.
2. I want to save the seeds of things that we loved (just one tomato offers so many seeds!)
3. I want to continue my investigations in succession planting to have a constant harvest.
4. I want to do a cover crop for the first time.
5. I really want to pay attention to what grows well on my plot and what we will eat. I have wild dreams of wheat and quinoa in years to come too. We'll see.

(sigh)

At first I thought Molly or a raccoon got a little rambunctious out by the garden, then I was leaning toward maybe some stupid kids on their way to school walked through my yard with a mischievous mission...but then it struck me:

high winds + a small greenhouse (made of materials not unlike that of a winged box kite) = one heart sickening moment.

My future veggie garden cartwheeled across my yard at a surprising speed. 3 weeks of careful watering and monitoring heat levels inside were turned on their head. Delicate seedlings were littered all over my front lawn. The raccoon and hoodlums were subconscious wishful thinking...it was all my fault. I had moved my little veggie hothouse this weekend to take advantage of the gorgeous sunbeams and left it out in the open. I salvaged what I could, but I'm not holding out much hope they'll survive their trauma. It's difficult to tell the difference between brussel sprout and broccoli seedlings in the maze of soil and shoots. The sunflowers and corn fared well, but my zucchini seeds were crazy expensive I didn't see any survivors. My hardy cucumbers and pumpkins had just poked through this week so they were still relatively packed in tight, but the spinach and romaine starts were like replanting wet toilet paper in soil.

To make myself feel better I planted all my sunflower survivors in the proper garden, got all my bush beans going and redid my brussel sprouts and broccoli this afternoon. I anchored my tiny classroom-style greenhouse to the fence, and fingers crossed I'll have better luck this time.

** Thank you for the grace you gave me family, and for letting me vent, Jennifer I was in a very bad place this morning and doing better now.

Spring Break Re-Charge; cold weather camping

1000th post!

on the drive

Tho we don't fall into the typical Spring Break needing family, we did decide to take advantage of the week off our parent-participation school offered and made a 2-night reservation at the Cape Disappointment State Park located at the furthest coastal SW tip of Washington. The weather didn't promise sunny warm breezes so a 13x13 pet-friendly rustic cabin seemed like a good idea. We all piled in the bunks (and floor) cooked outdoors on our stove, explored the beaches near by, roasted marshmallows, and hiked to both lighthouses that bookend the cove.

The exact opposite, in every way to Hawaii's version

Waikiki Beach

the boys by tide pools

drift wood

the gals

she just couldn't resist

playing it safe

hallow tree

Bunker on the way to a lighthouse

The Moll-Doll

Sooo happy to roast

hand grinding our morning coffee

a truck kite?

overlook

lighthouse

First Kite Flight

A spring ocean vacation offered much wind

Paw Prints

E and Molls at the seaside...apparently 40-some degrees and whipping wind isn't enough to deter bare feet in the surf

Puddles

This boy never tires of a stomp in puddles.

The Bee's Knees

Gravenstein Apple

4-Way Cherry

4-Way Pear

I like the idea of keeping honeybees, but I'm not ready for the work. Some year I'll take a class, invest in a swarm, give that golden sweetness away to friends and family, blah, blah, blah. But for now I'm trying out Mason bees. They're docile, solitary, and really hard workers. I threw in a small orchard last fall and my trees are starting to bud; it's crazy exciting! I have high expectations for these little saplings and my duty is to help them and by extension me out in every way possible way; water, weed, feed...and now pollinate!

box-o-bees

La Casa

I purchased a small starter house, tubes and matchbox sized cardboard box with 10 cocoons inside (that are now patiently waiting in the back of the cheese drawer in my fridge). Apparently these things multiply like rabbits, and maybe I have a few hibernating out round the yard already, but I wanted to start out with a few mating couples now. This bee crisis seems to grow while the EPA looks the other way, my favorite pastime threatened, and the good food on my childrens' plate in jeopardy, I'd like to say I'm doing my part.

Crown Bee is a local information source check them out. Help out your garden and our food supplies!

Now, if only the weather around here would stop the massive rain showers and warm up a bit, we'd bee in business.

The Beauty of A Crocus

These first brave blooms of Spring are a promise of more color and warmth to come. They push through the frozen earth and I breathe a sigh of relief.

Excuse Me While I Kiss My Chicken

The winter brings a lot less to worry about in the yard, the veggie garden and fruit trees are resting and in our chicken coop so are the hens. Something most people wouldn't realize is that with the shorter days comes reduced egg production. Chickens need light to lay. The average laying chicken needs approximately 13 hours of daylight to trigger egg production. Often times chicken owners will install an artificial light source to keep those eggs a comin; after all we still have to feed and care for the birds regardless of whether or not their making us breakfast. I didn't get around to that this year, and for 2 strait months my egg bowl on the counter sat empty...no eggs (this is another little known perk about chicken husbandry, freshly lain eggs don't need to be refrigerated. An invisible yet protective membrane is washed away before lining them up in a cartons for sale in stores).

This is a bitter pill to swallow after a plentiful summer of more than 3 dozen eggs a week, I was selling them to neighbors for heaven's sake! A little part of me died each time I had to pay for eggs at the grocery store, I know it's not a handsome fee but to have little egg making machines scratching around in my own backyard and then pay for far less than superior eggs just killed me. Well, the days are getting noticeably longer, and we got our "first" egg this week. When I compare the two it's no contest, my eggs are better. Look at the difference! You couldn't buy an egg that big at QFC!

organic free range egg on the left from a grocey store/organic free range egg on the right from our Marigold

Snowed In & Out

Molly enjoyed her off leash snowy walk/romp on our quiet deserted street this morning.

Downtown Christmastime

This afternoon when N woke up from this nap we shuffled the kids into the van, drove downtown to find a parking spot and did our yearly Christmas outing. It was just us, and we had a really nice few hours. N even wore underwear the entire time without an accident! We didn't do everything I had on our list; we forgot about the giant gingerbread houses until we were already back in our seat on the monorail, we skipped ice skating on purpose because neither D nor I wanted to wait on the sidelines with a 2-year-old rubber ball bouncing off the walls. But the miniature train was pure magic for N, the aforementioned monorail offered a lovely view, and the carousel is a must. This year we also stopped in for a scheduled snow flurry inside a mall (not much to write home about, but now we've done it). All in all it was a really nice time with my family.