Posts from the ‘Potager’ Category

Jan 23

Our 2010 Garden Plan

This year we decided it was time to remodel the front and back yard. The design below is my rough sketch of the changes we’ve got planned. I’m not sure we’ll get everything done. Even though it looks like I’ll have the summer off (my job moved out of state) and I’ll have plenty of time to make changes, we may not have enough money to get all the hardscaping done.

I’ll simply need to be creative when purchasing patio pavers, stone and plants.

As you can see, our house and yard are pretty small. I’ve already got a list of plants prepared for the new beds, click here to see some of the recommendations I got. Pretty much everything except buildings, the lawn, patio and pathways will be a garden area.

Our Yard Now With New/Changes Marked with a *

Dec 17

5 Comments

First Herb Garden Based on a Song? Why Not!

It all started over nine years ago when I planted my first herb garden when living in the Beaux Arts cottage. Not knowing what herbs to start with, I decided to plant Parsley, Sage & Thyme since there was already a HUGE Rosemary bush in the garden and the phrase “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme” was stuck in my head. I figured it was from a song — I just didn’t know what song.

This system of picking herbs actually worked out great for me. Not only do I still grow all four of these herbs, but I’ve since added Oregano, Cilantro, Dill, Basil, Chives, Mint, Bay and Bee Balm to my garden. It gave me a great foundation of easy to grow herbs without being overwhelmed.

Now, some of you are probably still SHOCKED that I didn’t know what song these herbs were mentioned in. (At least I knew it was from a song.) Anyway, just the other day I remembered how I picked my first herbs and decided to find out what song it was from.

And, well, you guessed it. I had the 1966 song by Simon & Garfunkel called Scarborough Fair/Canticle stuck in my head. Which was based on a ballad from the 1800’s. What’s even better (according to Wikipedia) is that the pegans believed by combining these four herbs together you could create a love charm. Good thing my “young & stupid” self didn’t know this or I may have tried it.

Here’s how the song goes:

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
(On the side of a hill in the deep forest green)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Tracing a sparrow on snow-crested ground)
Without no seams nor needlework
(Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain)
Then she’ll be a true love of mine
(Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)

Tell her to find me an acre of land
(On the side of a hill, a sprinkling of leaves)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Washes the ground with so many tears)
Between the salt water and the sea strand
(A soldier cleans and polishes a gun)
Then she’ll be a true love of mine

Tell her to reap it in a sickle of leather
(War bellows, blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Generals order their soldiers to kill)
And to gather it all in a bunch of heather
(And to fight for a cause they’ve long ago forgotten)
Then she’ll be a true love of mine

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine

Nov 2

13 Comments

Harvesting & Drying Walnuts

I may be the only one that LOVES this walnut tree. It’s technically our neighbor’s tree but since it’s just over the fence, I get to claim the half that hangs over my yard. The reason everyone dislikes the tree is because of the mess.

I just can’t get over how beautiful the tree is and really don’t care about the mess.

Because we get so many nuts, I’m ashamed to admit we haven’t harvested any until this year – but it’s better late than never. So, instead of simply tossing the nuts in our yard waste bin, like we normally do, we collected a big pile of nuts and stomped on them to loosen the nut from the husk. Then, we went to work removing the nuts from the husk and set the nuts in a bin for washing.

Once the nuts were rinsed and remaining chunks of husk removed, I placed the nuts on a wire rack to dry. Again, since we’ve never done this before, we have no idea how long they’ll need to dry. We assume they’ll be ready in time for Christmas.

On a side note, if you ever plan to harvest your own walnuts, be sure to wear gloves. I don’t like to wear gloves and now my hands and nails are stained a dirty yellow/brown color.

Apparently, the husks are also used as a permanent dye for reed used to make baskets, like the ones my friend Kari Lonning makes. I just hope the dye washes off my hands soon, since it was a little embarrassing having dirty “looking” hands at work today.

Below are a couple pictures to help you visualize the process. Enjoy.

Oct 24

2 Comments

Book Review: Let it Rot!

Book Cover

When packing for my (work) trip to Los Angeles I grabbed a couple books off our bookshelf to read during the week-long trip. One book I grabbed was called ‘Let it Rot! The Gardener’s Guide to Composting’ by Stu Campbell.

I want to start by saying I really enjoyed reading this book. Stu does a great job explaining how the ENTIRE compost process should work. After reading the book, I feel I better understand what happens between the time I add the raw materials to my bin and put the compost in my garden. I now know if I tend to my compost pile more often by turning it, aerating it and adding a natural activator, such as alfalfa meal, I could have compost ready to add to our garden multiple times a season instead of once a season.

Here’s one of my favorite excerpts from the book:

“Maybe the time has come for us to start being less compulsive about worms, insects and bacteria and to become more conscious of how these things benefit us rather than harm us. Things might be better if we just let them rot!”

Overflowing Compost Bin

I also realize I need a better compost bin. Much to my delight, Stu provides instructions on how to build compost bins to meet a variety of needs. I even found one I plan to build in my back yard to replace the small plastic bin we’re not happy with – it’s too small and falls apart often.

If you’re curious about compost and want to know how to do it right, you should pick up Stu Campbell’s book ‘Let it Rot! The Gardener’s Guide to Composting.’ It’s a quick read that’s packed full of easy to understand and very useful information.

My only regret is that I didn’t read this book earlier.

Oct 6

2 Comments

Getting Ready for Frost

Well, I knew this day was coming. I even had to scrape the frost off my windshield the other morning. Even though I don’t really believe the weather reports “claiming” we’ll get down to the mid-30’s this week, I figure I’d better be prepared. Most years I cover the tomatoes with plastic to keep the rain from splitting the fruit as they ripen, this year we’re getting right into the frosty weather.

Under the plastic we have six tomato plants, two pepper plants and a lemon grass. It’ll all be worth is if we can get at least ONE MORE ripe tomato.

As you can see, I didn’t cover the roma or cherry tomatoes since they’re too wild to enclose. These guys ripen a lot easier anyway.