Deodar Guild

No, that's not a new race of beings for a fantasy action adventure game. It's a plant name and a concept in a combination perhaps never seen before.

Deodar is the name of the beautiful cedar trees along our fence. There are four Cedrus Deodara 'Aurea', or Golden Deodar Cedars planted just outside our backyard fence along the south side of our property. They are well established landscape trees with a drooping aspect and golden color. But what sort of benefits do they provide beyond beauty? What other functions do these trees have? This is a very 'permaculture' question - are there stacked functions at work in these trees?

That's where the Guild concept comes to play. I recently finished 'Gaia's Garden' by Toby Hemenway. I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking a better understanding of permaculture practices that can be adapted for home scale use. A plant guild is an intentional community of plants grouped in order to maximize benefit from shared proximity and stacked function. A good beginner example is the 'apple guild'. Google it if you want to know more about it. I'm talking about a Deodar guild here - something never seen before, as far as I can tell.

Hemenway suggests a means of developing plant guilds by researching native plant communities. I discovered a plant survey from the Himalayan region of India where the Deodar Cedar is native. I found a short list of plants that nature has thoughtfully placed around Deodar cedars. Then I did a brief search on each - first to learn what the common names were, since the list was in Latin nomenclature, then to see if any could find a home in my yard surrounding my trees.

This was an exciting process of discovery. I found plants in the shrub, vine, herb and ground cover levels that could be easily adapted to my microclimate as guild plants surrounding Deodar cedars. Here's what I found: Viburnum, Artemisia, Lonicera and Indigofera. Let me parse that for you - Highbush Cranberries, Tarragon, Honeysuckle, and Indigo. Ah, that's better.

The Viburnum could be the blooming variety, but why not pick one that fruits? Sheep berry or blackhaw would work too, but I know that Highbush Cranberries work in this region. The Artemisia is the Wormwood family (mugworts and sagebrushes too). But again Tarragon provides an edible, medicinal herb as well as purported insect control to protect other plants.

I could plant a vining Lonicera, or Honeysuckle, but here in the Pacific NW we can grow Blue Honeysuckle bushes, or Honey Berries. Just like blueberries they need two varieties to polinate. Hmm...Territorial seed company sells Honey berry bushes in just such a pairing. How 'bout that. Finally an Indigo, like the Hairy Indigo is a forage/compost crop that fixes Nitrogen. It will probably die back in the winter, but Indigofera Pseudotinctoria stays 2'-3' high and likes full sun.

Throw in some clover for a spreading ground cover and I'm well on my way to a thriving Deodar Guild. Two berries - one red and one blue, plus an herb and a nitrogen fixer/compost crop, all of which should (theoretically) do very well in my location around my beautiful cedar trees...this oughta be fun! Now it may be a while before we can afford any new plants but I have a head start on the selection when the time comes. If any of you readers have any thoughts on plant guilds, let me know what you think of my combination.

The Soil's the Thing

For a short while now I have been fascinated by the gardening of folks like Ruth Stout, Emilia Hazelip, Masanobu Fukuoka, and most recently Paul Gautschi. If these names are not familiar, here are some links:

On Ruth Stout:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2004-02-01/Ruth-Stouts-System.aspx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt-KHUITId8

On Emilia Hazelip and Synergistic Agriculture:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugFd1JdFaE0

On Fukuoka:

http://www.permaculture.com/node/140

On Paul Gautschi:

http://backtoedenfilm.com/

These approaches all have one thing (at least) in common - a covering of mulch. Almost all of these methods would be considered 'organic' in that there is no pesticide or herbicide use. But they are radical in that they go beyond organic into what is described as 'natural' or 'synergistic' by adding a no-till and no-fertilizer approach. There is no compaction of the soil, so it stays loose, rich and moist beneath a covering of hay, straw or mulch (or even wool!).

I have become convinced that these are not just one-off experiments or exceptions to the rule that just happen to work because the gardeners are actually fertilizing or cheating in some way beyond the prescribed rules of the method. It makes beautiful sense when you stop to consider how nature functions, and, as Paul Gautschi says, how God designed the world to be.

As a preacher I know how hard it can be to 'get out of the way' and let the Holy Spirit do its thing. But when I am successful in delivering a faithful message (not necessarily fancy or fitting but simply faithful to deliver the pure gospel truth) I can see the result in the many folks who say to me, "How did you know what to say? You were speaking to me today!" I tell them it wasn't me, but God found favor enough to use my foolish faithfulness and despite my sinful condition managed to connect with you through the Holy Spirit.

I think it's the same way with the soil. We tinker with it by adding compost, fertilizer (even organic), etc. and then what? We have to keep tinkering in order to maintain the imbalance we created by overfeeding or undermining the natural processes already at work. So how do we get out of the way and let nature do what it's already wanting to do? And how does it work?

The what to do is well covered by the folks already linked above. The how is another story altogether. That's covered in great but easily digested detail in this book, "Teaming with Microbes" by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis.

http://www.earthfort.com/products/literature/books/teaming-with-microbes.html

I checked out a copy from my local library and devoured it in a few evenings. The soil food web is the amazing universe of life beneath our feet. Or, rather, to follow Hazelip's advice - no compacting the soil - in our garden beds. I learned that plants actually communicate with the soil life by exuding and secreting substances (exudates) from their roots that attract microbes which will turn organic matter and other soil critters into nutrients the plant can use, in a form the plant can uptake.

This is cutting edge science that stands poised to reverse the green revolution; it's that radical. This is the why behind the mulching methods and, not to put it too lightly, every functioning soil system on the planet.

Suffice it to say my approach to gardening has shifted dramatically since awakening to the soil food web. My job is no longer to feed the plants, but to feed the soil. Soil remediation and repair is possible with a few simple steps like sheet composting to get the process started, then patience and time as nature does the rest. In fact, the soil can be repaired very quickly in the span of a few seasons of intentional 'work', allowing a cover crop to do it's thing unseen beneath the surface. In nature this process of gradual rebuilding and succession takes several years. We can duplicate this process and shorten the timescale by bringing together the elements needed then getting out of the way.

Okay...enough for now. Can you tell I'm excited about this? I hope you'll take the time to follow these links and do some research on your own.

Until next time, happy gardening!

Galen

Foundations

When I set out to prepare the raised beds this spring I discovered just 'how firm a foundation' we really have around here. Too firm, in the sense of having too many rocks, but also not firm enough. Take away the rocks and you're left with mostly sand, some silt, and very little organic matter. I submit these two pictures to illustrate my previous plight and some solutions I've developed in response.



In the image above you can see the tools and maybe get an idea of the method I use for sifting out rocks. Leaning against the wheelbarrow is a home-built screen of 1/2" hardware cloth fastened to a 2x4 frame. When I was making this screen a few years ago, I was surprised to learn that hardware cloth isn't really fabric, but screen. Well, why don't we call it metal screen? 'Hardware cloth' seems to be one of those terms developed to create a crowd of those in the know and those who've yet to learn. Like dimensional lumber. Whose idea was it to make a 2x4 smaller than 2 inches by 4 inches? Just another method of exclusion and tradecraft skill/knowledge protection, if you ask me.



So I lay the screen on the wheelbarrow, then shovel on some dirt. After shaking vigorously (sliding the screen back and forth) I dump the remaining rocks behind the wheelbarrow over the handles. The sand/silt and pea gravel that remains gets mixed with compost about 50/50 and dumped back into the bed or simply dumped into the bed then later amended with compost. Hard to believe this picture was taken on April 10 of this year (2010).



In this picture above you can see the 'threshold' I made using a few fine specimens of stone I found during the raised bed excavations. This was a fun little project I decided to do one afternoon when the berry beds had been completed.

The compost you see between the beds and the grass is area that used to be weed cloth and pea gravel just like the paths around the raised beds. In fact, if you look into the raised bed just beyond the threshold you can see some weed fabric (it really is fabric, not metal screen) laying in the bed frame. This image was captured on March 20, 2010.

The composted area has since been seeded and has grown in nicely. I need to add more fine compost to raise up the ground level to match the existing ground. The new ground settled more than I thought it would.



In an upcoming post I'll share what I've been reading about (hint: the soil food web) and how hay mulch fits into that picture.

Summer Update with Broccoli

Compare the first two photos with the ones from the garden tour post. These were taken Thursday, July 15, 2010.

The largest corn stalks are the three from the seed I had planted. The rest are from the Wells' garden. The little cuke plant has a tiny 2" cuke developing. That monster broccoli plant yielded a 1 lb 3 oz head. The largest carrots are about pencil thick but long and straight and well formed. Notice also two more tomato plants. A third nestled in with them is for a topsy turvy hanging planter. I may put some beans in that space where the dog dug up two corn plants, between the corn and the cucumber/broccoli, and between the corn and carrots. Double-dug beds allow closer spacing.

The potatoes have recovered from their fall now that I've braced them with wire (thanks Frank!), the broccoli plants are producing well, lettuce is still going (hidden beneath the broccoli and potatoes) and the sweet potatoes are really taking off in this warmth.

This broccoli became stir-fried Broccoli Beef. Thanks to Kathy M. for raising the beef. New York Strip makes a nice stir fry beef when thinly sliced. It's so nice to know where your food comes from in this age of lax corporate quality control (e coli on lettuce?), and pesticide & herbicide laden soil.

This was what I found inside the stalk of that 1 lb head of broccoli. Don't worry, the stalks are so good roughly chopped and stir fried with the rest of the florets. What didn't make it into the dish goes back into the soil via the compost. Very little is wasted.

The broccoli I planted was started from seed. It was a Territorial Seed Company blend of four varieties, if memory serves. So I'm not really sure which was which, but the smaller head shown above was a different variety than the larger one. The smaller one had a spicier kick to it raw than the larger, and the stem was a darker green. Both were delicious.

More to come as the summer continues!

Galen

Potato Surprise!

Since we each had to preach this Sunday (on the 4th of July) my wife Kristi and I were both pretty well spent yesterday afternoon. This meant we ordered pizza instead of fixing a meal. But today we were busy in the kitchen again. Kristi canned peaches in brown sugar syrup as well as making a peach syrup from the skins & juice. A jar of peaches plus what didn't make it into a full jar went into a casserole dish followed by a box of cake mix and some butter. After a half-hour at 350, she poured some of the peach syrup on top and back it went for another 15 minutes. It's the classic campfire peach cobbler and it sure is delicious.

I harvested our spinach. This was washed (see photo) and became creamed spinach. I sauteed a small onion finely chopped along with a clove of garlic, pressed. In bacon grease, of course. Then I wilted the spinach in batches, adding another handful once the previous had settled down. After it was thoroughly wilted and dark green I cooked most of the water off. Next I stirred in probably 2/3 a cup of half n half. To finish, I added freshly ground nutmeg, salt and pepper. It's amazing how a great big bowl of spinach, some leaves nearly as big as my hand, turns into a scant skillet of soppy green goodness.

But that's not all. The main course was a rack of ribs from Tony Romas. These are the kind you let out of the package into a hot oven then pour the sauce over once they're warmed. Real good, real easy. Also corn on the cob. We cut off the ends, wrap in saran, then microwave for 5 minutes. Yum.

The surprise came from the potatoes. It was a double surprise. The first came when Kristi suggested baked potatoes to go with the rest of the meal. Fine. Surprise - the potatoes in the pantry had long since begun to sprout. So I thought we'd just make do with spinach, corn & ribs. Surprise #2 came from the garden. After harvesting the spinach I decided to sneak a peak at our own potato patch.

Lo and behold I found spuds! In an area not more than a foot square I found eight little beauties, shown here washed & peeled - all one step when they're this new. I just reached down under the earth until I found a round thing and pulled it out. I had already cleared away the rocks so it was truly wonderful to find actual spuds (not 'spanaway spuds' - a local nickname for the rapacious river rocks found throughout our soil). These I cut into chunks, boiled then mashed with butter and half n half.

That's all for today. Thanks for reading!

Galen

Fruits & Berries

One of my early childhood memories is sitting in a strawberry patch. Naturally, in the Northwest, we must have fruits and berries. At our home in Kelso I had planted 20 feet of everbearing raspberries, an unknown variety passed on to me by a semi-retired pastor who had received them from his daughter, who took possesion of them when she moved into her home in Port Angeles, I believe. It was a shame to leave them behind. However, I managed to bring two cat litter tubs full of healthy canes with me. They had established well enough to be quite fruitful and multiply.

We also brought with us to Puyallup a pair of blueberry bushes. These are Ellicott and Northland varieties we had purchased as bare root plants from Costco. One of them is pictured below.

Also making the journey to our new home were three half-barrels full of strawberry plants. Again, I have no idea of the variety, but the barrels and the berries came from a friend in the congregation where I served at Longview, WA. One barrel still contains second-generation strawberry plants from the originals I was given. After they are finished this year I'll pull them out to make room for another blueberry bush I bought for my wife for Mother's Day. The other two barrels have already been cleaned out and will take the other two blueberry bushes after they finish fruiting and before the plants go dormant.

As I mentioned previously, one of the small 3'x5' beds contained strawberries. These are quinalts. Very tasty. In order to make room for other veggies, I created a strawberry patch in our front yard, pictured below. This strip gets good morning sun and even late afternoon sun shining between our house and the neighbor's place. It's about 4'x10'. I transplanted 48 strawberry plants - 24 quinalts and 24 of whatever it was we brought with us.

We gave away many strawberry plants after clearing out the barrels and the small raised bed. This year has not produced as many strawberries as the last. Last year gave us enough to snack on and make a pie. (Before we left Kelso, the raspberries there had given us enough for 4-5 pies that summer!) But this year we are getting blueberries off our bushes, and last year we harvested 3 dozen pears from our pear tree!

With that segue, we have two pear trees and two apple trees in our back yard. There's also a cherry tree that seems to be doing better this year than last. Last year I got approximately a dozen cherries off the tree. We'll see how this year goes. The pear tree that produced so well last year only has a half-dozen fruit so far this year. Neither apple tree has done well yet. I think they're not in a good spot. We'll put manure around them and wait another year, otherwise they may become applewood chips for barbeque!

Last year at a local farmer's market we purchased a couple thornless blackberry canes. They have established well. Also, I have received many new raspberry canes from a family member of a church member at my current congregation, Bethany Lutheran in Spanaway. They seem to be doing very well, with signs of fruit as well as new canes emerging.

Here's to a fruitful summer!

Back Yard Raised Beds

Take a "grand circle tour" around the back yard raised beds. There are four beds; two 3'x5' beds and two 5'x7' beds, arranged in a grid. I built the two 5'x7' beds to match the existing 3'x5' beds left from the previous owner. The newer beds are simply 2"x10" untreated doug fir. Each bed was (mostly) double dug in order to remove as many rocks as possible. The soil was sieved through 1/2" hardware cloth attached to a wood frame before over 2 yards of compost was added.

The whole area around the beds had been covered in weed fabric and pea gravel. The original smaller beds were placed directly on the weed fabric and filled with soil. When we bought the house one bed contained strawberries (quinalts) and the other weeds. I planted a few things last year in those two beds, but harvested little more than lettuce and radishes. When adding the larger beds, I moved the smaller beds in order to create ample access on all sides. Then I cut away the weed fabric and dug out the ground beneath each bed in the same manner as the larger beds.

Let's start with the bed in the northwest corner. Currently there are a few marigolds, a struggling little basil plant, a small zucchini plant, a large area of spinach, an 'early girl' tomato plant and a few tomatillos. The large rock and any stone you can see larger than the pea gravel came from digging out the bed beneath the weed cloth!

Our next stop is the northeast bed. More marigolds, another zucchini, four pepper plants (mixed hot varieties - three under jugs), and a Roma tomato with a couple walla walla onions around it. Between these two beds and the house are three barrels. Eventually they will hold blueberry bushes. Two of the bushes are setting on the barrels and are currently fruiting...but that's another post.

Next is the southeast bed. From N to S are sweet potatoes, broccoli (I think...), salad blend lettuce and potatoes (unknown variety). I've hilled the potatoes twice already now and need to support them before I add a hefty layer of hay.

Our last stop is the southwesterly bed. Here are corn plants, carrots, a broccoli, cucumbers, walla walla onions, three cabbage plants (once more, I'm pretty sure...) another Roma and a Champion tomato. OH, and more marigolds. Once the marigolds are of good size, I may transplant them to other locations in each bed to spread them around.

You'll note the beds are surrounded by pea gravel and other rocks from sieving out the soil. The frames are resting on the level of the weed cloth while the friable soil extends another 8-10 inches below. Digging rocks out of each of these beds was a major pain, but I hope it'll be worth it. The extra depth should allow me to space plants more closely and plant more intensively. It's only 100 square feet total area so I have to make the most of it.

I incorporated into each bed compost from the Corliss quarry next to the landfill on Meridian (for you local readers). They were generous in their lading and each yard was only $20. I had to make two trips but they let me get it in two half-loads. Sure, it's not 'cedar grove' like Ciscoe recommends, but the only place I could get cedar grove compost was farther away, charged by the half yard (almost twice as much), and was stingy in how much they gave me. Guess where I'll go next time I need compost?

So that's the state of the beds as of June 26th when I took these photos. We've been enjoying spinach and recently lettuce. Since these photos were taken I've received 8 additional corn starts, bringing my total up to 11 plants. I seeded over 30, planning to thin by half or so. Only three came up in our unusually wet, cold springtime. Hopefully we'll have an 'indian summer' and I can get some corn off these stalks!

Next time...fruits!

Galen