The wind and rains are rolling in on these late fall evenings – a reminder that winter is rapping on our door. Here are some snippets of what autumn has looked like on our homestead. Fall creates a mix of cool blues and gray-greens in the front yard, dotted with yellow leaves from our trumpet vine and quince shrubs. Scarlets pop up here and
Prepping Beds for Winter
The days are growing darker and there is a bite in the morning breeze. Before the first frost hits, which for Portlanders is around November 15th, the homestead needs to be prepped for winter. We have had some fierce rain and wind storms already, so when we had a clear weekend I jumped on my garden to-do list. As we all know, vegetable plants suck
January Harvest
It has been a cold, dry January thus far – at least it seems that way to me. Some of the crops that typically overwinter uncovered have been barely hanging on. This chilly swiss chard is one example. The plants are still alive, but we won’t be harvesting them until it warms up enough for them to leaf out more. Inside, a not-super-sunny-window is providing
November Harvest
How did it get to be November? The trees are looking half empty of their leaves and telling us it’s time to spend more time inside than out. Thankfully, my winter garden vegetables are ready to start harvesting. Arugula! I love this meaty salad green, especially in the colder months when we could use something thicker and more substantial in our salads. This veggie has
Belated Winter Garden
Finally, the winter garden has been planted – better late than never. Winter vegetables need enough time to get established before cold temperatures roll in. Tender plants will be damaged and killed by frost, while the hardier winter crops will endure. Not sure when your first frost date is? Check the Farmers Almanac to find the frost date closest to your location. Our first frost
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
Raking Is Not Homework
“I can resist anything but temptation.” -Oscar Wilde This became the theme of my weekend, for better or worse. I tried hard to sit at my desk focusing on homework while Jay worked on tidying up the backyard. Have you ever seen those old psychology experiments that tested the ability of little kids to resist eating a mashmallow? It was kind of like that. Of
Late Summer Already
How did it get to be September already? Is someone playing a trick on my calendar? Here we are in the thick of tomato and squash season. I feel like it all happened overnight! I have been volunteering intermittently at the Urban Farm between summer vacations and it is just bursting there right now. I probably consume more food while I’m working than I help
What to Eat
It’s that time in the term. I am sleeping just enough… I am showering just enough… I am battling colds just enough… and I have a lot of drawing to do. That’s about all I can handle. But to temper that, I am eating more than well enough. I cannot compromise on that point. I was explaining to a friend just earlier this evening how