A Photo Stroll Through Lincoln P-Patch

Join me on a stroll through beautiful Lincoln P-Patch...

Where Nasturtiums reach out to say hello...

And dahlias add splashes of bright color...

Sweet-peas scent the air...

Where flowers look as if they were touched by a painters brush....

Roses demand to be admired...

Creativity abounds...

Squirrels find tasty morsels...

Sunflowers shine down upon you...

And peace blows on the breeze...

Maurie, Maurie...How Does Your Garden Grow?

It's been a while since I mentioned our Lincoln P-patch plot.  I wrote about it back in February.  We didn't start work on it until this last weekend.  And what work there was to do!  It had gotten pretty weedy since the above picture was taken in February, but it will give you an idea as to how much change really happened over the weekend.


I wanted a design that would be really comfortable to work in, one where I could plop my ample tush down in a path and comfortably work in the beds.  Wide paths aren't that common in p-patch plots because we only get a little bit of land (ours is 10X11 or so) and people want to use all that space for plants.  I have a war with myself over this every time I design a new p-patch.  But I know the way I garden.  I like to be comfortable, not cramped and that can make a huge difference in how much time I end up wanting to spend at the garden.  So with Mark's encouragement we designed a garden plot with ample path space and a layout to be able to let some of my artsy nature have room to play.

We also had a serious slope to deal with and it was essential to build up the garden space, level it out and makes sure that we did a design that would not allow our soil and seeds to wash away down the hill.  We ended up putting 12 inch tall boards in on the west and north sides to help with that issue and then went with raised beds with in that, to help even more.

There are four triangular beds one for each of the four directions, something I like because of the tie to some Native American beliefs and lore.  Each direction is also connected to one of the elements, earth, air, fire and water.  I can have fun with that by incorporating colors and little artistic touches to represent each.  This was done in more formal herbal gardens in times past and really the garden plot does have an herb garden look to it, though very few herbs will be grown in it - I am trying to find spots at home to put my herbs where they will be more handy.  On the East side we put a bamboo trellis up to discourage the dogs that run down the path above the garden from running straight into a garden bed.  When we saw that we would have some taller bamboo support poles on either side we thought it would be fun to put a string of colorful prayer flags between them.  Mark picked out the larger sized flags from the garden center and we ended up stringing them along three sides of the garden.  East, South and West.  It makes the garden really colorful and pleasant, and yes, unique!  Here are some pictures of the process:

After those pictures were taken we got to planting some starts.  Golden beets edge the perimeter of the south bed (in the above picture that's the one to the right).  Red scallions edge the west bed.  Broccoli fills the center of the north bed and the edges have two different lettuce starts along them.  The east bed has Russian Banana Fingerling potatoes and a few left over scallions.  I have some shelling pea starts that will go along the trellis.  The rest will be left for some summer crops to be put in after the May Tilth Plant Sale.  I have two spots where I plan on putting flowers either in planters or by creating more raised bed spots at the ends of the paths on the NW and SW corners.  We still have to figure out what we are going to do for the paths.

We have an 8X4 raised bed in our backyard where it gets at least half a days sunshine or a bit more and we will have more food plants in there.  I have pictures of that process but I'll save that for another time and another post.  It's sunny outside and I think I may just head over to the garden and get those peas in while the weather is cooperating!

Happy Spring and Gardening to everyone!

This and That

I'm sorry Reduce Footprints, I couldn't do it.  I was afraid this would happen.  I had a funny feeling when I read this weeks Change the World Wednesday Challenge that I wouldn't be able to pull it off.  Every time I went to the grocery store over the last couple weeks I would check and walk away sad when it wasn't there.  But today, it appeared and I could not resist - I mean I WRITE about vegetarian food so how could I keep from grabbing up the March copy of Vegetarian Times when first I laid eyes upon it?

You wouldn't expect that of me, right?  Am I forgiven?  Maybe the fact that on the same errand I stopped by the library to pick up a googgely-gob of cookbooks on all things raw.

So at least I fulfilled that part of the challenge.  You gotta meet me half way, OK?  OK.

The third part of my errands this afternoon was to pick up my CSA from Full Circle Farm.
It was LOADED with delicious fruits and veggies - lots of them.

Yes, two people really can eat that many fruits and vegetables - and then some, really!  This weeks share:

3 pounds Garnet Yams
1 head Cauliflower
1 bunch Carrots
1 Cucumber
3 Hass Avocados
.66 pound Snowpeas
.66 pound fresh Shitake Mushrooms
.66 pounds cut mixed Salad Greens
1 monster head Green Leaf Lettuce
6 Braeburn Apples
6 D'anjou Pears
6 Navel Oranges
1 Mango

Oh and if you look closely at the pictures above you'll see a special little something that we added to our order this week, Seattle's own Theo Chocolate Coffee Dark Chocolate Bar - YUM!

All those fruit and veggies were organic and only cost $37.05.  They would have cost significantly more at the local PCC where I regularly shop and I'm supporting a local farm directly by buying through them - as the local season progresses more and more of the produce will come from Full Circle itself.  I'll be able to drop the size of the box when my own p-patch starts producing and use their substitution options to make sure I don't get to much of any one thing or not enough of another.  I can put my order on hold altogether if I get inundated with too many veggies (is there such a thing?) or if I get a chance to go out of town for vacation or I decide to just shop the local farmer's market for a few weeks.  It's all good.  I love my Full Circle Farm.

Now I'm going to sit here and enjoy the view of pink blossoms and busy hummingbirds while I peruse my pile of cookbooks, my new magazine and attempt to not eat the whole chocolate bar before Mark gets home - I would be in SO much trouble!

New Neigborhood New P-Patch

Our move to West Seattle last fall found us an inconvenient distance from our  P-Patch at Interbay and needing to switch to someplace closer to home. So when we got our new plot assignment we removed our perennials from our Interbay garden, mulched it with a heavy layer of leaves and said our goodbyes. We left a 200 square foot p-patch with access to a greenhouse. Those are the two things I will miss the most about Interbay. As for the garden as a whole and the garden community we never really felt at home there. Not like we did when we were part of a smaller P-Patch, Queen Pea, the first time we lived in Seattle. There is something to say for large P-Patches and the things they can get done. But when it comes to making connections and feeling more a part of a community Mark and I prefer the smaller settings of P-Patches like Queen Pea and our new home - Lincoln P-Patch. There's more of a chance of finding a niche for yourself in the community aspects of keeping up a P-Patch and it is far easier to start recognizing faces and even remembering names when there are fewer gardeners to get to know. That is what we are looking forward to with the move to Lincoln P-Patch. And the location. Lincoln P-Patch is right across from Lincoln Park, one of my favorite parks in West Seattle and one I never think I get to spend enough time in. Hopefully that will change since I'll have already travelled the few miles to the garden I might as well spend some time wandering the various habitats of Lincoln Park. Which is exactly what I did yesterday.

In the afternoon, during a break in the rain, I drove on over to Lincoln P-patch and spent over a half hour wandering the garden, taking pictures, familiarizing myself with the common areas and repeatedly walking back to my own little plot of soil to stand over it and ponder its future.

It is a smaller plot, about 10X11 and built into the side of a hill. Above it is a natural area and Solstice Park.

It's on the west slope of a hill so afternoon sun shouldn't be a problem, although I wonder if the temperatures get very hot due to wind exposure. I'll find out this summer. There are only two other plots in our section, one on either side of ours. Just above our plot is a nice bench that I think will find Mark and I resting, snacking and pondering quite a bit through the garden year.

When finally I had my fill of garden dreaming I was ready to take advantage of being conveniently close to Lincoln Park. I wandered through the forest as mist started to come through the trees and a gentle rain began again. I breathed in the fresh green air, listened to birds chatter, watched squirrels rummage through leaves and dash up trees and kept out of the way of joggers. I considering when I could come back for my own jog through the muddy network of forested trails that is the upper part of Lincoln Park. In the mean time I enjoyed a moderate paced walk and when the trail took me along the bluff I looked out at the waters of Puget Sound and told myself that it was too late in the day to head down to the shoreline part of Lincoln Park. It would have to wait for another day.

So I have hope. For our new garden, for the community it will bring and for the increased frequency of trips to one of West Seattle's many treasures - Lincoln Park