Thanksgiving

It's almost December and the garden is providing potatoes, collards, kale, chard, carrots, leeks, rutabaga, cabbage, fava beans, and broccoli. I cut up one of the big Hubbard squash to make a pie for Thanksgiving and it was delicious.

Flowers are still blooming in the garden because the weather has been so warm this Fall. We had a good frost a few days ago, but things are thriving. There are Brussels Sprouts that are just about ready to harvest that I planted this summer. I planted a number of plants in September in hopes that they would survive the winter and come to maturity in February/March.

This has been a challenging year with Anthony shedding his "earth body skin" on April 21. He was mowing the sacred path around the garden and died almost instantly of a massive heart attack. What a way to go! He was full of life and joy, doing what he loved - caring for the Dragonfly Garden. These were his last moments on this earth and then he moved on to his next great adventure. (Read more about Anthony.)

With the help of my friends on Orcas, the garden survived the sudden changes of this Spring. Two months after Anthony, my dad was ready to make his departure from this earth life. I had to suddenly leave for Oregon if I wanted to be with him before he died. I had just planted all of the carrot and corn seeds and several young transplants. A crew of garden angels answered my call for help and watered and cared for the garden through the 2 weeks that I was gone to Oregon. The garden was thriving when I came back much to my comfort and relief!

It has been deeply moving to feel the love from the Orcas Island community for Anthony and me and the garden. At times I thought I might not be able to continue the garden without Anthony, but it has all managed to work out. The garden has been very patient - supporting, nourishing, and loving me during this challenging time. I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!!

Swallows

About 3 weeks ago, I saw some swallows flying over the garden. I rushed and cleaned out all of the birdhouses that are hung on the posts around the garden. I haven't seen them since. They were the scouts who come every year and check out the area. I wonder where they go to tell the others that are waiting to come? How do they know when it is the right time to come? There are a lot of insects for them to eat, so it must be the temperature.

Each year we have been fortunate to have them come and raise their young. It is one of my favorite experiences to watch and hear them as I do my work in the garden. From making their nests, the little ones peering out of the birdhouse, their first flying lessons, sitting on the wires of the garden fence chattering and waiting patiently to be feed, to their soaring flight and swoops down into the garden - it all is a wonder to witness.

One year they nested by our front door. We had a very close connection to this particular family of swallows.They didn't seem to mind us walking by their nest and our curiosity about their activities. One day the nest was empty and we felt sad that they had left. Then a few days later, Anthony walked out the front door and discovered that the little ones were sitting on the dragonfly doorknocker!! We grabbed the camera and captured this wonderful moment. That was the last time that we saw them.

I always wonder if they are the swallows that soar around me when I'm in the Dragonfly Garden.

Snowing in April Again!!

After a week of nice weather and a chance to start cleaning up the garden, it decided to snow!! I quickly covered the lettuce, carrots, beets, and fava beans that are just starting to thrive. I put some mulch around the base of the roses, just in case the snow sticks.

The garden clean up is going slowly, but every chance makes a big difference. I'm still pulling up dandelions and pepper grass. There's a new type of grass that has made its home in the aisles and isn't easy to pull up. I'm not sure how I'll handle managing it. I've pulled out the worst weeds that were near the chamomile carpet in the Heart Room and the Woolley Thyme in the Center Room.

The raspberry patch is continuing to send up new shoots for the second bearing later this summer. I'm happy to see this after almost losing the whole patch last winter due to the ice and rain storms. We lost one blueberry plant this winter and I just replaced it yesterday. I hope it won't mind the snow.

Many people on the island are complaining about the cold spring and the difficulties of getting their gardens started. One woman, who has gardened here for 50 years, said that this is the coldest spring that she can remember.

"May the Farm Be With You"

I was sent this very funny video clip on Organic Food with a Star Wars twist called "Grocery Store Wars". It's very clever and so true. View Grocery Store Wars.

Spring Frost, Snow, Hail

For the last 2 weeks we have had cold weather with snow and hail! We even had 2 days of hard frosts in the meadow. It felt strange to wake up and see a winter wonderland in April.

When I stepped outside to take these pictures, I noticed that our deck was coated with white ice crystals. The bird baths were even frozen over.

By mid-day it warmed up and was really very pleasant outside. I began some clean up of the perennials, but decided to wait before pruning the roses. I learned the hard way, that it is best to prune after the last frosts. It's important to let the cuts on the stems seal otherwise the cold temperature can get into the plant and kill the stems.

I wonder how the wild plum blossoms have managed with the drop in temperatures. The daffodils and other plants haven't minded. In fact it seems that the rise and drop in the temperature is stimulating their growth.

The carrots, beets, lettuce, and fava beans I planted about a month ago are starting to come up. The asparagus has broken through the ground now and is about an 1 inch high. The artichoke plants look very vigorous and are about 2 feet high. The raspberries are leafing out and there are a lot of buds on the blueberry plants.

Dandelions are coming on strong and starting to bloom. I did a thorough clean up of the whole garden. The little unopened buds in the heart of the plant are very delicious and a good spring tonic so I picked a bowl full to add to our salads. I decided to dry a few roots for a tea,too.

1st Day of Spring

The damp of the March rains and the descent of cool air from the arctic north are creating a chill in the air that makes me want to stay indoors by the warmth of the fire. The garden is calling my soul, and I know that as soon as the front moves through, I'll be fully engaged in another season of magic in the Dragonfly Garden.

Outside my window, the daffodils are blooming, the grass is growing like wildfire, deciduous trees are starting to leaf out, and the wild plum tree blossoms are adding splashes of white to the rich dark green of the surrounding forest landscape. The Red Currant is blooming and waiting for the arrival of the hummingbirds. They are a little late this year and I wonder how they are doing on their long journey back to the islands.

First Planting of 2008

The weather has been dry enough to lightly work the soil in a few beds and get some seeds in the ground. I've planted carrots (Mokum), Fava Beans (Broad Windsor), Beets (Early Wonder Tall Top), lettuce (Oak Leaf), and a lettuce Mesclun mixture ( Bon Vivant). I covered them all with Remay cloth to protect them from the hard frosts that we are still having in the evenings. The lettuce that I planted in the cloche last Fall is starting to grow and is about 4 inches high and filling out and will be ready for harvesting in about a month.

Most of the garden in still very wet but the warm days and longer sunlight is stimulating a lot of growth in the perennials and the berries. I did a thorough walk around the beds and made a full assessment. Everything looks like it has survived. The artichoke plants are perky and ready to go. I pulled back the piles of straw that were covering the asparagus patch so that they can find the light. They should be popping through any day.

The Red Flowering Currant is blooming and so the hummingbirds should be arriving. The "heather bees" have found the plants blooming by the front of the house. The crocus and snow drops are blooming, the daffodil blooms are plump and ready to burst open. The forest is full of songbirds and the signs of the arrival of Spring are all around. I feel like I am coming out of hibernation, too. Overall it has been a mild winter and somewhat of a relief that it was not as bad as last year which had all of the damage from the wind and ice storms.

Frosty Morning

An Arctic Front is passing through our islands on its way to California where it is predicted to drop a lot of snow. A few days ago we could hear the winds blowing on the north side of our island and by evening we were surrounded by the sound of the Spirit of the North Wind.

The evenings have been cold and crisp. The night sky has become crystal clear and full of glowing planets and stars. The almost full moon is casting beautiful white light all around the landscape. It is quite magical.

The meadow was white with frost this morning. Temperatures dropped to 20F. Now the sky is bright blue and sunshine is pouring into the house. Even with the cold temperatures, the first signs of spring are happening all round us.

I heard the first frog last week, the songbird scouts are showing up in the forest, a song sparrow serenaded me outside my office window, a flock of red winged blackbirds passed by, the bulbs are about 4 inches tall, and the pussy willows are out. I feel the surge of life force happening inside of me too.

Brussels Sprouts for Dinner

The garden landscape is brown, with withered plants, and cold rain soaked beds. Nights are frosty and some days it tries to snow. There are some plants that thrive in this winter weather.

The Brussels Sprouts (or just sprouts as they are called in England) and Red Russian Kale are vibrant and strong, as if it were summer. They are especially sweet at this time of year, because the Cole Family vegetables manufacture a type of sugar that protects them from the cold.

Find a local garden this winter and try some cabbage, broccoli, sprouts, and kale. You'll be surprised.

Twin Cucumbers

Here is a photo of our twin cucumbers that we grew last summer.

I felt uncomfortable harvesting them, so I kept them on the vines as long as I could. Other cucumbers started to yellow as they aged, but these stayed green and strong until just before the Fall frosts.

It almost felt like a violation to harvest them. They felt too precious and unusual! I knew I might never see any cucumbers like this again in my lifetime. Their energy was very strong and cutting them up and eating them was difficult for me, too.

Twin Tomatoes

I'm gathering the best photos from last year's garden for the photos pages on the website.

We had several twin tomatoes in the 2007 garden. Here's a photos of one of our tomatoes.

We also had a twin sunflower plant. Two stalks were joined from the base like the cucumbers above and grew up together for about 4 feet before it split and started branching out with its blooms. I've never seen twins in our before 2007.

Happy New Year

In November a huge wind and rain storm hit the Pacific Northwest with hurricane force winds in some areas. This "Pineapple Express" came in from Hawaii, and blew down a lot of trees and flooded major transportation corridors in Oregon, Washington, and Canada. Thankfully, our islands were spared from any damage. Nearby parts of Washington were declared disaster areas, though.

With all of the rain, the garden is very wet and soggy. Lettuce is growing slowly under the Remay cloche (about 2 inches tall) and should take off by early Spring. However, we are harvesting Brussels sprouts, beets, kale, chard, and young carrots. We are also enjoying the raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries we froze, the dried beans and peppers, potatoes, and canned tomatoes! It feels so soul satisfying to eat food from the garden when the weather is so miserable.

Yesterday, I found a few pink roses blooming along the walkway into the Center of the garden. They even had a slight fragrance! Their delicate beauty was such a dramatic contrast to the fierce wind and rain storm that was blowing across the landscape at that moment. I checked to see if they had a fragrance, and they did. It was very subtle but enough to touch my heart and bring tears to my eyes. The presence of flowers is profound!

I feel the new season of gardening coming alive. The seeds are stirring with the return of the light. I'm already getting the urge to prepare beds for early carrots, lettuce, and peas. There's still straw and cardboard to put down on the aisles so we can work in the garden. February is right around the corner and I plan to be ready to go!