Harvest

Listen to the air.

You can hear it, feel it,

smell it, taste it.

Woniya wakan, the holy air,

which renews all by its breath.

Woniya wakan, spirit, life, breath, renewal,

it means all that.

We sit together, don’t touch,

but something is there,

we feel it between us, 

as a presence.

A good way to start thinking about nature,

talk about it.

Rather talk to it,

talk to the rivers, to the lakes,

to the wind,

as to our relatives.

                            JOHN LAME DEER

As the temperature warms . . . finally summer? . . . the Cascadia pea plants finally are ready to be removed. The seeds saved from last years' crop were planted on March 05. Peas are a cool weather crop. Usually by now they would have long ago been pulled up. As we all know climate change is wreaking havoc globally. AND here in Northern California is no exception. We have had unseasonably cool temperatures thus the peas have been harvested here in midJuly.

Why Cascadia peas you might ask? Jim Bagget at the OSU Vegetable Research Farm created this particular pea because you can harvest the pod or wait for peas to fill the pod. They particularly thrive in the Northwest.

As is my long time practice 4 or so seeds were planted in each of the concrete block's holes on the East side of the West most bed and on the West side of the East most bed. Once the plants are 4 to 6 inches tall all but the strongest looking is pulled out. When I had ducks these would have been put in their huge watering bowl. The ducks gobbled them up in nothing flat as the saying goes. Now, since I no longer have a compost pile they go into the green waste bin.

Wire is secured against the blocks to support the vines.

From this pile of pulled up vines the pea pods were picked.

I partook of just plain old shelled peas with my lunch. Delish!!! The peas that were too old to eat will be dried for planting next year. My plan is plant way earlier in the Spring of 2024.

When we moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and had covered raised beds

I planted Cascadia pea seeds when snow was still on the ground. These seeds had been gathered from my garden at MuRefuge.

  Calycanthus occidentalis (Western spicebush)
Today when I was watering
in the front yard
I noticed the bloom on this shrub.
The color of this shrub's flower
is most unusual . . . not
truly orange nor pink nor red
rather a combination of all these.

So on this sunny, now windy, Summer day I

Edibles

Strawberries ripe for tonight's dinner salad.

In 2022 bare roots of Albion, Chandler, Seascape and Sequoia were planted along the west fence.  Those purchased from Harmony Farm Supply and Nursery did the worst, some withering and dying before they fully leafed out. When I attempted to get a refund, it was refused since I did not bring the dead plants. Well, I now avoid shopping at what use to be my "go to place". 

At the North most destination along the brick abutting the shed two bare root Boyne (Rubus idaeus) Summer bearing raspberry were planted. Red raspberries are one of my very favorite berries to pick and eat immediately. Eventually the two bushes will produce enough to make jam.  

Then on the North side of the shed two bare root Rubus (subgenus Rubus Watson) ‘Black Satin’ Thornless were planted. They are thriving with many baby blackberries noticeable on the bushes now.

Since I and the hummingbirds love the bright red flowers of the Scarlett runner beans, seeds from last years' crop were dried. A few weeks ago the stunningly beautiful seeds were planted. The first leaves now adorn the plant. Unfortunately some BEing is munching on the leaves. Oh well, "they have to eat too" is my mantra.

Pink Pearl apple tree had many flowers which then developed into many teeny, tiny apples. Since the tree is young, all but a few apples were left on the tree to grow to their normal size. This is the apple I use to pink applesauce since the flesh is marbled pink in color . . . hence the name.

Cascadia peas are twining their way up the wire support. With this particular variety of peas the pods can be harvested OR they can be left to develop peas inside. The pods are great in salads or sautéed. I can hardly wait to begin picking peas! Many of the peas rarely see the inside of the house as I love to shell and eat them immediately after picking.

The raised bed was planted a few days ago with the lettuce. The seeds were started on April 09 in a Todd planter. This particular seed package contains seeds from every lettuce Wild Garden Seed grows. The diversity is stunningly beautiful to behold: there is head lettuce as well as red, green and oak lettuce, loose leaf lettuce. So when I scatter the seeds onto the Todd planter I am never sure what exactly will sprout. I love this kind of surprise! 

'Wild Garden Lettuce Mix' 
purchased from Wild Garden Seed.

 

Friday Three Sisters (beans, corn, melon instead of squash) were planted in three circles. When the sun is shining, this particular spot in the backyard receives full sun most all day. The Three Sisters thrive on the warmth of the sun. Radish seeds, to deter insects, were also scattered about. About an inch of soil mixed with chicken manure covered the seeds. Soil amendments was generously applied as well. Once the task was completed, remay was secured to prevent the pesky squirrels from digging in the moist soil.

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a must have plant for Midwest girl. Luckily this plant resided in the backyard when we purchased this house some two years ago. I cook three or four stalks with just enough organic maple sugar to sweeten. This warm sauce I then pour over my organic blue corn meal pancake for a delicious breakfast!

The edible garden created here on Page Street is providing much food for both the human and canine who lives here. As I tweak the garden so it is "more perfect" (the albatross for a One on the Enneagram), I thoroughly enjoy the process and

Spring Gardening in the Rain

The Manzanita have never been so spectacular in
bloom as in this drought year. This is
‘Howard McMinn’(Arctostaphylos densiflora)
happily flowering along our driveway
providing nectar for the Anna's Hummingbirds.

Glorious rain! During the month of February MuRefuge and Northern California in general have been blessed with rain. The native plantings are all yelling "hurrah," flowering and leafing out. Their ability to sustain dormancy in the wake of drought is part of the natural ebb and flow for these plants "rooted" here long before we humans arrived. As climate change presents unpredictability in so many ways, the native vegetation seemingly adapts. Unlike in years past I did not put any new plants in the ground this Fall past; rather I waited until midWInter on the calendar. All the native bunch grasses I planted then in the duck yard to replace the invasive European grasses that are pulled out as they appear are just so happy with the rain!

Also, as some of you know, a major out door project happened midWInter. With overplanting done some twenty years ago along our gravel road's easement, the plants eased beyond their allotted space onto the road. Hired hands, so to speak, brought a mini Cat and dug out all the plants including a couple of trees. I grieved, watching the gorgeous bushes and trees ripped from their home. The foliage was chipped and has been used to mulch along the easement to control reemergence of fox tails. Many, many wheelbarrows of Coast Live Oak leaves were raked and used as mulch there as well. 

The remaining Coast Live Oak along the West fence in the North corner received a pruning of about a third of its canopy. To my amazement when I viewed the tree later on in the day the tree top was filled with Bush Tits. Perhaps they were dining on Propertius (essentially all brown with tan spots on hind wings) or Mournful (white border on hind wings) Duskywings' hibernating caterpillars? The former flies April through July and the latter March through October, and both depend on oaks as caterpillar food. When I was originally planning native vegetation to be planted for butterflies, oaks were on the list. So I have been excited to observed clouds of small brown butterflies flying, these past few years, in and around the oaks growing here at MuRefuge. 

Inside the fence South of the easement four Coast Silktassel (Garrya elliptica) ‘Evie,’ a cultivar with many catkins of creamy white flowers with a maroon tinge which appear each winter, found a new home. These large evergreen shrubs, purchased at Mostly Natives in Tomales, grow 8 to 10 feet round. 

Two Coast Silktassel
'James Roof' cultivar with extra long tassels
were planted in the Fall, 1994, along the North end of our
East fence and have grown to their 20' tall predicted height.

Two Bearberry, one each of ‘Point Reyes’ (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) and ‘Radiant’ (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), were also planted inside the easement fence between the Buckeye tree and two apricot trees. More Todd planters of Idaho fescue starts, a native bunch grass, were planted under and around the 'Evie' and Coast Live Oak .

A Winter freeze a number of years ago killed the very slow growing Snowdrop bush ((Styrax redivivs) shown below sporting a beautiful array of blossoms.

From California Flora Nursery in Fulton another Snowdrop bush was recently purchased and planted in Sun's Spot. Patience while the bush slowly grows is well worth the wait since the blossoms are just so spectacular and cheery!

Before this most recent set of rain storms I fed all the trees on the West side of the property. The oyster shell and Azomite will provide health giving food to the oaks and fruit trees.

This Year of the Green Wood Horse with its adolescent like qi is an excellent time for learning and/or taking classes. To take advantage of this qi I am converting my planting routine to the biodynamic way. First, I purchased a different calendar (a biodynamic planting calendar working with cosmic rhythms) called Stella Natura: Inspiration and Practical Advice for Gardeners and Profession Growers. I purchased my copy from Turtle Tree Seed but it is available locally at Harmony Farm Supply. Second, I am taking several classes on biodynamic gardening at the Rudolph Steiner College in Fair Oaks.

And for those of you who consider your gardening top notch as do I, check out the Walter Family garden. Reading about the Walter Family's garden brought memories of my stepfather Steve's garden which covered several acres which he packed with vegetables. When they were ready to be picked he did so, carting them back to town in bushel baskets for my mom to can, freeze and store for Winter culinary enjoyment. He used to say, "why go out to eat when the best place to eat is right here on Pioneer Avenue (in Shenandoah, Iowa)?"

Starts are ready to be planted in the raised beds the first week in March using the new biodynamic planting guide. And more seeds will be scattered on soil in containers in the greenhouse as well.

"This is the first lettuce we put in the field in the spring,
as much as three weeks before the others. Hardy and
delicious," says the Turtle Tree Seed catalog about
Cracoviensis lettuce.

Cascadia peas started from MuRefuge saved seeds.
"First dwarf snap pea with Sugar Snap quality, and them some.
Extra plump, very crisp, very sweet and flavorful pods. . .
Heat resistant, went to the end of June for us" says
Bountiful Gardens catalog.

 Bloomsdale Spinach, my very favorite spinach.
Over the years I have tried numerous varieties but
now it's grown exclusively here at MuRefuge.

Wishing those of you still under Winter conditions a greeting to stay warm and remember Spring is on the way. For those in the West where we are enjoying a rainy pattern, stay dry and remember gratitude for the moisture. May you all