Geese in an organic Alaskan garden.....

The weather has been warm and beautiful, the days are getting noticeably longer, and the snow is slowly melting.  These are all wonderful things, but this year the sure sign of spring at Woodside Gardens is goose eggs!  Gerdie has laid 3 eggs so far this season, and it has me excited for the year to come!  My geese are most definitely my pets, and I would keep them simply for the compost boost they give me, but I've decided to sell her eggs to cover the cost of their food (see the facebook page!), which really works out nicely!

 A goose egg compared to a large chicken egg from my Mother's flock.

I have been ridiculously impressed by how well these birds did over the winter.  Their coop is not heated or insulated (except lots of straw, of course), and I had no supplemental light other than a string of small white LED Christmas lights around part of the fence perimeter to help me see the MOOSE.  I kept a metal trash can in the coop for food storage, along with a heavy ceramic dish for them to eat from and an elevated (so they don't try to swim in it) heated dog dish for water.  That's all it took!  They have 24 hour access to their fenced run, and they actually chose to spend most of their time outdoors.  I filled the coop with a bale of straw last May, and added another this past January, stirring it a bit every month or so.

Having a permaculture-centered garden means that I don't purchase fertilizers, I make them myself.  My compost bucket in the kitchen doesn't fill up very fast anymore because I feed the geese all the edible scraps. Those scraps still make it to my garden soil, but first they provide free food for my birds!  They also eat all the weeds I pull out of the raised garden beds, and every dandelion they can get their beaks on!  After Gerdie is done laying eggs for the season, I'll pull all the straw out and throw it into the compost pile, and start the whole process over again.  The compost feeds the soil and also builds it up, so every year I have more soil to build more gardens, which feed my family and birds, and feed the compost pile!  It's a beautiful, never-ending cycle!

I do feel that it is important to note that geese are BIG birds, and they can be dangerous.  When I steal an egg, Herdie wants to kill me, no kidding.  I know how to handle them, and I'm not afraid of them, which helps, but they are NEVER near my children or visitors.  Geese are easy to care for, but I don't want anyone to think they are cute and friendly like chickens (which can be vicious also!).  Some geese are sweet as can be, but most are not, and you must realize this before you get them.  That being said, they have provided endless value to me, and I'm glad I have them!

Today's Harvest...

Despite the mediocre harvest due to this year's wonky summer weather, there were plenty of successes as well! Today Lily and I decided to harvest the potatoes and the carrots...

From 4 seed potatoes and 1 garbage bag came this...

 3 pounds of perfect little potatoes!

Next we pulled the carrots... (well 2/3 of them, the rest we are saving for another day)

6 pounds of beautiful, sweet, crisp carrots!

Lily wanted to eat ALL of them!! I love teaching her where food comes from, and I really look forward to the day that she plans and plants her own garden!

Transitioning to a New Compost Pile...

It is officially that time of year again, when I start a new compost pile and start preparing the old one to be spread on the raised garden beds. This summer has been considerably colder and wetter than most, and my compost is not as far along as it normally is.

The old compost pile...

I am no longer adding anything to this pile, and I will be turning it every few days, in an attempt to get it to break down as much as I can in the next 2 months, before it starts freezing outside. As I dig through it, I am finding a ton of very large earthworms, which is a happy sight! Most of them will be spending the winter happy and warm inside a worm farm. Between the worms and the more frequent attention, this pile will look very different, very soon.

Because I can't add anything else to the old compost pile, it is necessary, of course, to start a new one! Fortunately for me, my friend just cleaned out her chicken coop a week or so ago, so I had a couple of bags of old straw and chicken manure just waiting to be used!

The new compost pile...

I moved the fence to the new compost area, behind my vegetable garden. The straw and manure are simply heaped into a pile, and I've been dumping my kitchen waste on there for a few days now. I'll probably turn it in a week or so, and then once or twice before it frosts.

Here's a link to one of my most popular posts...  Why you should start a compost pile... right now! ... in case you want more information on starting your own!

As I was turning the old pile this morning, I heard a rustling in the fireweed along the side of the vegetable garden fence...

Can you see the little guy hidden up against the fence?

I have been seeing this little rabbit around the compost pile the last week or so. He is fairly tiny, and I don't see much evidence that he has been there, other than actually seeing him. He seems to be after the compost rather than the vegetable garden, and the raised beds are tall enough that he wouldn't get into them easily, so for now, I'm just watching him. All wildlife is welcome here, and I'm honored that he is comfortable enough to let me see him. I even made sure that a bit of fruit made it outside of the fence, so he can find himself an easy snack!

Are you composting this year, or planning to start a pile soon?

What Would Nature Do?

Anyone can garden. I used to think that it required too much planning, and they certainly do require a bit of hard work, but I love that my garden takes on a life of its own now. I'm almost more of an observer than an active participant, which is what works best for me. You might not be able to farm acres of land, but with a little experimentation, you WILL find something that works for you.

There are so many different styles and philosophies when it comes to gardening, how do you know what advice to follow? Ultimately, it boils down to what is best for you and your individual situation, and what information seems to ring true for you. I have chosen organic gardening because my mind simply could not rest once I learned what conventional methods consisted of, and I am fortunate enough to have plenty of space and time, which makes a big difference. I like to take a very laid-back approach, which works for me because I have been gardening enough years now to know what I can get away with. I try to only interfere with my plants when I have too, preferring to let things grow the way nature intended them to. I don't fertilize at timed intervals, I don't pinch plants for maximum output, and I'm not looking for the highest volume of tomatoes per plant or perfectly straight carrots. My philosophy has always been that the happiest plants... and the happiest soil, comes from letting nature do its own thing.

In many of my pictures (like the one above), you will notice that there are always weeds in the garden beds. I don't weed my garden very often. I'm careful to not let the weeds go to seed, but for the most part, they help the plants like any other mulch would. They help keep the soil cool during the day, and warmer at night. When I do weed, it is selective... mostly just the largest ones,  or any that are getting ready to flower. Weeds are much easier to pull when they are a bit larger.

I do not fertilize my growing plants AT ALL! I feed the soil every fall with homemade compost and steer manure, which sits on the top and continues to break down over the winter. In the spring, I lightly turn the soil, plant the garden, and focus on building next years compost pile. That's it!

I have started to develop non-edible flower beds, which is really a new thing for me. The very first thing that I discovered was that perennials were a MUST because the annuals were to much work and required too much space. Now, instead of worrying about a bunch of little seedlings every spring, I simply remove the leaf mulch from a few lucky plants that won my sympathy, and watch as everything comes back to life, all without so much as a nudge from me!

My garden works for me because I have designed it to only require the amount of work I am willing to put into it. What about you? Does your garden defy convention, or do you do it by the books? What works for you?

I love coffee...

Coffee may just be one of the most marvelous drinks on the planet. It warms you up, wakes you up, AND feeds your garden! If you are anything like me, you need a cup of coffee or two to get you moving in the morning. My question is... what do you do with all your spent coffee grounds and filters? Here's a short list of possibilities...

Compost -
Coffee grounds do marvelous things in the compost pile. They are considered a green, not a brown. Coffee grounds actually have about the same nitrogen content as fresh cut grass! Just mix the whole thing, filter and all, right into your pile.

Worm Candy -
Worms love this stuff, but you have to be careful when adding it to your worm bin. Coffee grounds are acidic and abrasive, and if you give too much to your worms, they will be unhappy. Also, watch the moisture content of your worm bin when adding coffee grounds, as they tend to retain a lot of water.

Slug Repellent (and Snails and Ants also!) -
Because the grounds are abrasive, slugs and snails don't like to cross them, so circle your plants with some, like you would do with eggshells. Ants don't like the acidity, and will tend to steer clear as well.

Garden Fertilizer -
You can bury the grounds, top dress with them, or scratch them directly into the soil around your growing plants, especially those (like Rhododendrons and Azaleas) which like their soil on the acidic side. You can also soak your spent grounds overnight and use the brew as a simple liquid fertilizer.

Mulch -
Coffee grounds make a great mulch! They look great (and smell good too!) and they work as a slow-release fertilizer at the same time!

Plant Rx -
Coffee grounds are known to suppress late blight in tomatoes. Top dress or mist the plants with water that has soaked the grounds overnight.


Most of us have an abundance of coffee grounds right in our kitchen, but if you don't, you can most likely get them from your office coffee pot, or maybe your next-door neighbor! Starbucks also offers spent coffee grounds for free. All you have to do is ask!

What's your favorite way to recycle your coffee grounds?

Are you a consumer, or a creator?

Reading my blog roll this morning got me thinking about something important.  To the food companies, and the government, we are all just "consumers".  We buy whatever they put on the shelves, whatever they tell us we need to spend our money on.  New cars, huge houses, gadgets and gizmos that are outdated a week after we purchase them.  Buy this, buy that, work 80 hours a week so you can buy more of our products... after all, your neighbor has one... so don't you need one too?  My answer is a resounding NO!!!  Why should I spend every hard earned penny on pre-packaged crap and things that will break after only a few uses.  Why should I spend $50K on a new vehicle when my 11 year old truck is functional and already makes me happy?  Why should I trust a food company who just recalled a bunch of their "kid-friendly" meals because they are full of bits of wire, or feed my children from a package that has to shout out what is healthy about it, because when I look at the ingredients list, most of it I can't even pronounce, let alone know what it is?  Because my government tells me that spending all my money on this crap is the "American Way"? NO!!!  NO NO NO!!!

I refuse to be defined as a "Consumer" any longer.  I am a creator!  I created a beautiful, bountiful garden where there was just a pile of large rocks.  I create the most beautiful garden soil by being conscious of my waste around the house and yard.  I grow amazing tasting vegetables that have no unpronounceable ingredient lists.  I can create cheese, butter, beautiful jams and jellies, sew a $50 curtain from $5 worth of material, crochet a warm blanket for my children from the scrap yarns that were given to me, knit scarves and hats and gloves, bake rustic loaves of bread, build most of the garden tools I need... the list just goes on and on!  I am limited in my creations only by my own imagination, and for the government to tell me that I am an irresponsible citizen for not going out to spend spend spend is simply assinine.

If the price of consumables skyrockets, (ha... "if".  Its happening right now, folks), I will be ok.  I'm not 100% self sufficient, but between me and my family, we can mostly take care of ourselves if it is required.  I have neighbors that I can count on to lend a hand, even though we all mostly keep to ourselves in our day to day lives.  I live in a small community which chooses to self fund their projects through raffles, community donations, and volunteers, (most recently a sports arena/hockey rink,) rather than asking the government for money.  I am a creator, and I choose to create a healthy, happy, anti-consumerist life for myself and my family.  And guess what... you can be a creator too!  There are people out there that will help you, teach you, guide you.  Its not as hard as the big corporations who want your money would like you to believe!  Reach out... try it... you can make it happen!  Your bank account and your quality of life will thank you!

Why you should start a compost pile... right now!

We were discussing compost at my garden club meeting today, and it got me thinking about how many folks seem to be "afraid" to start composting.  There are so many different formulas out there, and so many people preaching this way or that way being the only way to make it happen.  Let me just say this right up front... there is no right or wrong way to make compost!  Put a bunch of plant matter in a pile and ignore it, and eventually you will have amazing compost!  You don't have to have exact ratios of green to brown, you don't have to turn it every day, and you don't have to add any starters or additives to make it happen!

What is compost?  All it is is broken down (rotted) plant material.  In nature, when plants die off, there is nobody there to remove all the dead material, clean up the space, and till the soil.  The plants die, the dead material falls onto the ground, it rots, and the rain pushes the rotted bits into the soil where they protect and fertilize the plant.  Mother Nature provides the earthworms to break down the bits into smaller bits, and the occasional animal to hoof through it and mix it up.  That's all it takes!

So, where do you start?  If you have some spare chicken wire or old pallets lying around, build yourself a small enclosure.  If you don't have an enclosure, don't worry!  Just make your pile wherever you want it (out of the direct sunlight is best, but NOT necessary,) and add your scraps as you get them.  I add all my kitchen scraps (no meat, just plant material,) all the vegetation that comes out of the garden, and any leaves that are floating around the yard.  Each time I start a new pile, I add a garbage bag of straw and chicken manure I get from a friend when she cleans out the chicken coop.

I like to start a new pile every fall.  I pile up the chicken manure, add anything else compostable that I have laying around, water it down really good, and ignore it!  This gives it the winter to start breaking down.  I don't turn it for the first time until the following spring.  When spring comes, I mix it all up and start adding my kitchen scraps.  I add to this pile all summer, bit by bit, and turn it whenever I feel like it.  By late July, my compost is ready to screen. 

I save the screened compost for adding to new plants the following spring, and the bigger chunks get spread on top of the garden beds.  There they sit for another winter, and in the spring I turn it all into the beds and start the whole process over again.  Don't worry if not everything breaks down right away.  Anything that is still recognizable ends up buried and it finishes composting right there in the garden.

This year I was fortunate enough to acquire some earthworms, meant for a worm bin.  I gave up on the bin fairly quickly, and just dumped all the worms into the compost pile.  When it came time to screen the compost, I pulled out literally hundreds of worms and gave them to my Mother, who keeps a worm farm.  The compost was beautiful!  The worms helped break down the pile much faster, and I will be adding them every spring from now on.  But if you don't have access to earthworms, don't worry!  If your pile is on the ground, the worms will find it, and work their magic on it without your help.  Adding worms yourself just makes the process happen a little faster!

Yes, you can turn the pile every day, monitor the temperature, carefully measure the ingredients, and otherwise fret over this garden gold, but honestly, why would you?  Pile it up, add to it, give it time, and Earth's natural processes will take care of the rest!

Funny how we develop routines without even realizing...

If you will look at this blog post from almost exactly 1 year ago, http://woodsidegardens.blogspot.com/2010/09/you-know-its-fall-when.html , you will find almost my exact dinner for tonight!  I just added some chicken to the pan this time!  Some things never change!

I made Crabbapple/Wild Blueberry Jam today, with apples from my sister's tree and berries my mom picked up north.  I also managed to make a batch of Mint Jelly, with the last of the mint from my herb garden.  We added some food coloring, at my son's request, and it is a very yummy emerald green!

The garden is officially put away for the year, as we have had a hard frost the last two nights in a row.  All the raised beds have compost and steer manure covering them, which will be turned into the soil in the spring.  The new compost pile has been started, and I covered the clematis, which isn't supposed to make it through the Alaskan winter, with old leaves from the edge of the yard.  I also put some of the leaves in a burlap rice bag and put that over the top of the whole thing.  I'm not holding my breath, but we will see if it works!

I didn't post any pictures of the garden this time, as I'm not sure you all want to see a bunch of bare raised beds full of compost and steer crap, but I'll take some if you want them!

Sigh

I wish this was a post about starting seeds for the garden.  Unfortunately, due to an impending house remodel, (the little one is so big she needs her own room!) I will not be starting any seeds in my house this year.  I have a ton of seeds which will be planted directly in the garden this year, but my tomatoes, cukes, and most likely summer squash, will have to come from the local nursery this year.  I don't feel too bad, because the local nursery is not a chain store, and the owner lives (and starts his seeds) only about 5 miles from my house.  I am looking at this as an opportunity to support a local small business.  But of course, if anyone close has extra seedlings that need a new home, I would be happy to be a foster-gardener!

I have been watching the snow melt, ever so slowly, and my garden is starting to come into view again.  It is making me ache to get my hands in the dirt!  I have so much to do this spring, and waiting for that snow to melt is a slow torture for me!  Fences have to be moved, compost needs to be added, and I need to get the greenhouse ready for its new beds!  At least the greenhouse will be productive this year!  Last year it was out of commission due to it needing a new location in my yard.  Now I just have to build the new beds inside, and fill them up from the lovely compost pile I have been nursing for a few years now!  I'm so anxious to see the green and smell the plants, I can't hardly contain myself!  Hopefully my next post will be about getting those garden prep chores out of the way.

Bring it on, Spring.... I'm waiting!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I had to pick and toss 4 zucchinis into the compost pile this morning.  It has been so wet that they started developing some major gray mold and rot.  I think I got it before it affected the whole plant, or the other plants in the hothouse.  This rain is really starting to get depressing!

Willow Garden Tour 2010

*Warning, long post, but lots of good pictures!

I attended the Willow Garden Tour yesterday, and it was fabulous!  The weather cooperated ALL DAY!  I couldn't believe it!  It was very obvious that many people put a lot of effort into this event, and it was well worth it.  And this was the 25th anniversary of this tour, which made it a little special!

There were 6 amazing gardens on the tour, so I will divide the pictures up that way and make it a little easier to follow along.  I just wish I could post all the photos I took, but there were WAY to many for that. 

Don't forget to click on the photos to get a better look!

Garden #1-
Jim and Kathy Huston Gardens (Alaskan Host B&B)

Hands down, the best part of this garden was the water feature, but there was lots to enjoy.  The wildflowers edged the lawn beautifully, and there was lots of wildlife (both real - swans and a muskrat, and not so real - geese and the moose).  This was a comfortable spot, with lots of beautiful rock incorporated throughout.

Garden #2-
William and Kathy Mailer Gardens

I loved this garden from the minute I walked up to it.  They had TONS of Columbine and Delphinium, which are two of my favorites.  This was a garden in which you could wander aimlessly for a very long time, although I found myself stopping every 2 or 3 steps to just look around.  So much to take in!  There were nice touches of garden art throughout, without being gaudy.  This garden had FANTASTIC TEXTURE!!

Garden #3-
George Murphy and Dorothea Taylor's Gardens

Honestly, the first thing that struck me at this stop was the beautiful log home.  And the dark slate everywhere.  The slate was used for the house, the paths and the walls, and provided a nice dark background for all the color.  You could really tell that this is an older garden.  Plants have really made their own way.  Very natural and unmanicured, peaceful and wandering.  There are Forget-Me-Nots woven amongst most everything and they really added a nice, whimsical Alaskan touch.  I got the sense of a "tamed" meadow.

Garden #4-
Jerry Freeley's Vegetable Garden

This garden was awesome, although the pictures don't really do it any justice.  Different from all the others as this was strictly a vegetable garden.  Not ornamental at all, yet still beautiful in its own right.  There were tons of huge Rhubarb plants, and the veggies looked amazing!  I was surprised that he had all his tomatoes and cucumbers right out there in the ground, with no cover or protection of any sort, and they looked fine!  Mr. Freeley uses only compost and lime in his garden, no chemicals.  One day I hope my vegetable garden is this big!

Garden #5-
Albino Hare Garden & Gallery

This was a fantastically whimsical garden.  Toys and trinkets were a big feature here.  It had a very cottage garden feel with lots of bent willow adorning the beds.  There were several upside-down trees used in creative ways, lending it a very playful tone as well, almost like a fairy land!  The gallery had some great pieces for sale, and it fit well in the garden setting.

Garden #6-
Les Brake's Coyote Garden

The last garden on the tour and well worth the wait.  This garden felt big and small at the same time.  Lots of large trees and old growth really made you realize that you were in the middle of a big, old forest.  There were vegetables worked into the borders, and lots of volume to the plantings.  Beautiful structures everywhere went well with the large trees, giving some size to the garden which couldn't be achieved with plants alone.  This garden had tons of flowers, but they weren't the predominant sight by any means.  There were tons of big ferns, beautiful moss, and lots of leaf color and pattern.  It was very peaceful here.

For those who weren't able to make it this year, be sure to make time next year.  It was well worth it and gave me LOTS of ideas for my own spaces!