There's Seed Saving and There's Seed Saving Part Deux

Well the worst of summer seems to have passed.  At least here in Middle Tennessee.  Temperatures have dropped mostly into the 80's and rain arrives with almost plannable regulatrity.  The garden is humming along nicely with a steady flow of vegetables coming ripe.  The mulch has truly revolutionized our garden, as we had hoped.  It is not completely weed free, but, if you consider the level to which we are not weeding out there, it is certainly weed free enough!

Mulch Madness!

I know, I know, I keep going on about mulch.  I can't help myself.  Mulch is making such a difference in the maintenance of our whole place that I can't help but talk about it.  For example, currently we have no functional lawn mowers.  Solution?  Mulch!  Of course!  It is literally taking over the whole yard, and in the process creating future planting beds.

Feeling Blessed

It seems as if all of our decisions are blessed this spring! 

We determined this past winter to make an effort to reach out to our community more.  It's not as easy as it might seem.  For the 15 years we have lived in Tennessee we have primarily lived as "tethered nomads".  (In other words, having a "base camp" home that remains a part of your life but almost living other places.)  Living this way has had its pleasures.  We have met many interesting people and had some incredible experiences, but as a result, we know very few people who live close by. 

Obtaining a Yield

We each ate half of a ripe strawberry this morning!

We never get strawberries.  As a matter of fact I rarely plant them because they take so much more effort than the average garden plant to maintain.  These came from some plants my mother gave me last year and somehow survived my complete neglect.  Two beautiful red berries.  Just imagine if I had given them proper attention!  I will readily admit that this is not my best example of permaculture gardening, but it is a reasonable example of a single permaculture principle: Obtain a Yield.

A Story of Two Men

A young man approached an old man in a field while the old man was planting a peach seed.  The young man asked, "Old man, why are you planting such a fresh tree?"

What Gandhi Taught Me Last Night

Sometimes I feel like I have spent most of my life blind.

Last night Joe, Micah and I were discussing saltpetre production.  Though this may seem like an odd topic it will be common in our household over the next several months, seeing as how we are working at Mammoth Cave again and it was once a major supplier of saltpetre. 

So Many Questions!

This post is primarily for those of you who are looking to start a little bit of gardening, but who are not in a rural setting like mine.  You may have a patio or tiny yard and you may be renting, so plowing up your allotted bit lawn is out of the question.  In what ways might a person in this situation set up a winter garden or any kind of garden for that matter?

Winter Gardening (Trials, Tribulations, and Lessons Learned)

Winter gardening is not for sissies!  Especially when it is your first year of it and you are prepared only with the desire to do it. 

Celery and Food Security

Last week at the grocery store I heard a woman exclaim about the price of celery, "That's ridiculous!  I would NEVER pay that much for celery!"  I looked at the celery and it was about $1.39 per bunch.  A decidedly high price, to be sure.  Her words remained with me throughout this past week, as I wondered what she will do as the price of not only celery but all of the other food in the grocery store continues to climb to more and more seemingly ridiculous heights.  And I was brought once again to the concept of Food Security.

There's Seed Saving and There's Seed Saving

Twenty years ago or so, while living in Freedom, Indiana, My sweet hubby and I were in search of propane to fuel our brand new used propane refrigerator.  We were directed to the house of a man who lived, like us, in the middle of nowhere.  His name was Kenny Freeman.  We found him, and pulled our tank out of whatever vehicle we were driving at the time.  (Was it the Volvo wagon?)  Either before or after filling our tank, we began discussing Gardening.  Joe and I were in the middle of planting our first really huge garden.  Kenny took us on a walk through his garden, all the while sharing tidbits of valuable gardening wisdom of the type that only an old farmer seems to compile.  (Did you know that if you wipe your shovel off with an old oil rag every time you use it and store it inside it will last forever and never rust?)  As we wended our way through his beautiful rows and trellises I came across a lovely yellow cherry tomato plant.  When I asked Kenny about it, he plucked a couple of fruits from the plant and handed them to me, admonishing me NOT to eat them.  Cruelty of cruelties! How COULD he deny me the exquisite pleasure of relishing these warm golden delights??? 

Growth

This might be my best January ever!  I have alluded to it before, but it just keeps coming back to me.  Typically, when January comes, I am struggling with depression.  It's perfectly understandable why this is.  The holidays and all of their joys and stresses are over.  Where I live there is generally no snow, just lots of gray drippiness.  There are always so many projects, but no money or energy to complete them.  So negativity builds upon negativity until I just don't want to do anything any more.

This year is different.  Has the post-holiday void gone away?  No. Is there lots of beautiful snow?  No. Is it gray and drippy?  Yes.  Do we have tons of money to work on our place?  No.  So why am I not depressed?  What do I have to live for?