Every year I draft a garden plan for our four raised beds that will take us from spring into the fall. I try to balance a good crop rotation with companion planting to maximize our space. I am please to report that this year’s plan is ready for sharing! Companion plants are plants that pair well together because they require different things – either growing
Spring Planting
Spring fever is in full swing and it’s time to get the first round of vegetables into the ground. We recently prepped our garden soil for the season with a thick layer of homemade compost. Juniper and I were both very excited to finally be able to move our vegetable starts into the ground. We planted the vegetables we eat most often: spinach, lettuce, arugula,
October Harvest
October is giving us the last drops of warm-season harvests, but it’s time to draw the curtain for winter. Juniper helped me pick the last of the ripe fruits and veggies. Her way of helping has more to do with eating than actually putting anything in the harvest basket, but I enjoy the company nevertheless. Our cupboard is already packed with tomatoes for winter –
How to Plant Tomatoes
It is time to get those tomatoes in the ground! I pulled out almost everything in my late spring bed – all the bolted celery, arugula and mature onions – and replaced them with healthy young tomato starts. There are a few things you can do when planting your tomatoes to make them extra happy. First, dig a hole larger than the tomato you are
From Spring to Summer
I can’t tell you how many people I have heard gushing about the amazingly sunny spring we are enjoying in Portland… How much they love being outside again… How it’s so overdue after a gray winter… Meanwhile, I’m the curmudgeon wishing for showers in the forecast! It has turned out to be one of the driest Oregon springs in state history, which is bad news
The Case for Boring Vegetables
My first years of gardening really focused on the divas of the produce world: tomatoes, pepper, eggplant and melons. Those are the plants that want a hot climate (something the mild NW can barely provide) and lots of water. They are the plants we garden nerds coo and crow over with one another, talking about which sexy varieties we’re adding this season. As the years
2013 Vegetable Garden Plan
My gardening ambition grows with every year, increasing the pressure to maximize every inch of gardening space. Climbing peas and beans grow on teepees among the fruit trees and berry bushes, while squash and melons lumber along the ground shading the soil. Aside from these space-gobblers, most of our vegetables are grown in four gorgeous raised beds. The beds came from NaturalYards, a local Oregon
Planting Fall & Winter Crops
It is difficult to think about fall and winter crops when the tomatoes are just starting to ripen on the vine. Alas, that is the life of an urban farmer – always looking ahead to the coming season. It’s time to start plugging seeds in here and there to make sure we have good food to harvest through winter. There are some tricks to working
May in Review
A look back at May shows a lot of life and budding fruit on the homestead. This is a photo-heavy post of the spring sights I have been enjoying: flowers, veggies and Baby Junebug! My favorite spring flowering bulbs, Allium giganteum, came out in full force. The purple petals are fading away leaving what looks like a green pincushion behind. They will dry out and
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- …
- 8
- Next Page »