.overwintering.

rather than doing the traditional sewing of a cover crop this winter, i left most of the garden as-is over the winter to see what would make it and what this maritime growing season was all about . . . well, here's how my experiment played out.

BED #1

full of leeks, beets, onions, rosemary, garlic, lavendar, arugula, lettuces, broccoli, brussels sprouts, chard, and several kinds of kale!  (no carrots, thanks to the dog who raided the garden and ATE THEM ALL)

BED #2

the big empty patch was where my tomatoes had been - i guess i could have sewn a cover crop there, but i never got around to it.  i have a few onions, a little kale and chard, happy sage, sad radishes and not so great broccoli/kale hybrid (this plant didn't fare well in my plot from the beginning - i let it go as a sacrifice to the predatory bugs as long as they stayed away from the rest of my plants).

for now, i am starting seeds indoors (see posts below), put in peas (some from seed saved from my sister's garden and some from territorial seed co, and am working on building a garden map based on companion planting and crop rotation.  it's like a big math problem and i am not good at math problems, so we'll see how it goes!!

.the beginning.

Spring is coming. Seeds are starting. 2013 garden has begun.

.a new leaf.

i've started prepping seeds for my 2013 garden . . . got some started in a seed tray . . . am making lists and circling dreams in seed catalogs . . . i've been in this new, motivated, inspired mindset lately.  i just want to create, to dream, to plant, to begin . . .

the days are getting longer.  spring is teasing me with her coming.  i know that here in the PNW, she's still a bit far off.  we've got more rain and cold to get through, but the light is returning and that's enough for me.

so, i plan vegetable gardens, i clean out my closet, i begin new art projects, i start to plod through the pile of mending, i make soups with what is left of the tomatoes i preserved from last year, i see the garlic i planted last fall peeking out of the soil.

crocuses bloom in the neighbor's front garden and it makes me wonder if i still have time to get my daffodil bulbs in the ground.

my cousin and i are buying tickets for summer concerts already . . . i am dreaming of family camping trips and flying back east for visits in the spring and summer . . . i am ready for a change.

my husband has been biking to work all winter, but i am a fairweather biker.  i prefer the bus on the cold, windy, raining mornings . . . but i am beginning to dream of evening bike rides down to mississippi ave to drink beer on patios and see shows in the small venues.  and it's on it's way.

this is going to be good.

----------

in preparation for this creative spring that's just around the corner, i've been reading some new books.  i'll put them in my mixed media sidebar - but here they are as well:

The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Pacific Northwest
i am excited about this book because it offers tips and advice for growing food in the exact region that i live in, as well as month-by-month guides to what to plant when. living in the PNW means i really can have a year-round harvest if i know how to do it.  this book is pure gold.

Print Workshop
this book give examples and simple instructions for all kinds of at-home printing techniques.  i have been more and more interested in the printmaking art form and i needed a little more knowledge in my brain about how to do this business.  this book seemed to have the best approach for my learning style.  since i've renewed my simple line of Hudson Tshirts (awesome shirts with my dog's face on them), i've needed a few more tools in my toolbox in this category.  super exciting!

Cut Up This Book
papercutting is, by far, one of the most magical, awe-inspiring art forms.  it's dreamy how someone can take a flat piece of paper and make it come alive!  this book gives a simple history of papercutting, offers some awesome examples of contemporary paper artists and gives a few projects that one could do at home.  i am hoping with this bit of a push i could set myself on a journey to mastering this magic for myself.  i was lucky to get to see a cut paper exhibit at the MOMA in NYC a few years ago - it was breath-taking.  stoked.

what have you been doing in this long winter months?  how are you preparing for spring?  

xo,

tj

.pity party.

my friends are starting seeds for their gardens . . . being in the PNW means that we have a longer growing season than when i used to live in RI . . . but . . . my house only grows mold (this means no window hydroponics - not that there are any windows that have sun hitting them anyway) and my yard only grown mushrooms and mold (no sun hitting the ground there either) and all the community garden have 3 year waitlists.



uuuuugggghhhhhh......


feeling sad today.

here's a few shots of the former glory of my gardens from the past:

getting started with our first cold frame.  built by the man-friend.

heirloom lettuce.

lavender, rhubarb, peas, chamomile, basil, lettuce, raspberries.

my raspberry bush always produced early and then had a flush in late summer/early autumn.

carrots!

the bees loved our echinasea.

peppers!

tomatoes and basil. best combo on earth.

the miracle of pollination.

the most delicious arugula i've grown to date.

chamomile and tomatoes = good companion planting.

the rhubarb got so big!  but i don't mind because it shaded my lettuce from the hot new england summer sun.

oh i miss it so much.

.garden may 2011.

.garden april 2011.

(our gnomes were stolen)  sad face

     

.garden march 2011.

.march?!?!?!.

how did it get to be march already!?!?!?!

i've GOT to get started on planting some seeds!!!!

and i've got to get my third garden gnome (a gnome for every year that i have my own garden) to join john barleycorn and tom bombadill out there in the dirt!

.busy bee.

i took this photo recently in my garden - this big, fat, happy bee was buzzing around my marigolds. there's not a ton left in my garden - just root veggies (beets, carrots), leeks, and onions. i've mulched it all over and pulled up the dead tomatoes and peppers. left to overwinter is my raspberry bush, rhubarb and echinasea . . . as well as the potted mint. i planted some garlic and still have daffodil bulbs from last year. i've got high hopes for next year too - as long as i keep doing a little better each year, i'll be happy!

.garden surprise.

was greeted at the garden by this sweet surprise left by my friend and fellow community gardener (and derby girl!), The Cheese. she painted me that sweet rock.

also . . . since they live very close in the neighborhood, she and two other derby girls and i have recently acquired . . . . WALKIE TALKIES!!!

we use them from house to house.

love.

.how does your garden grow? v6.

.how does your garden grow? v5.

.how does your garden grow? v4.