The Greenhouse Kit! Season extending techniques

I was so excited when my greenhouse kit for the raised beds came a few weeks ago, I hope that it extends my growing season by several weeks if not a couple of months (depending on the severity of our early winter here in Columbus).

The air over the last few weeks has been steadily getting cooler and before we get into a situation where the crops are stunted or worse threatened by frost, I thought it best to put the greenhouse kit on one of the beds.

The kit, provided by http://www.frameitall.com/ fits on the raised beds I purchased from them a couple of years ago. The fabulous thing about this system is that they include extra parts in case you don't have their raised beds. These parts adapt to your bed so you can still use their greenhouse kit. Another advantage of this system is if I want to expand it (and I might after I see how long it extends the season) it is easy simply to add framing pieces and zip together two of the heavy guage plastic domes.

The set up took all of 10 minutes of laying out the parts, reviewing the instructions and setting it up....super easy and it looks great. The greenhouse has flaps and bird netting to allow air flow and venting that can be covered over with the plastic flaps to protect the crops when the air cools down at night!

For ease of construction, I give it a 10, we will see how it works and I will update you!

Happy gardening!

The Motherload of Herb Harvests!

I knew this day was coming, but I didn't expect the massive bounty of herbs from the garden on this harvest day! I have been taking cuttings of herbs all summer long for my cooking as well as making lotions and potions for healing and comfort. I have also been taking larger cuttings to dry and replenish my culinary stock for colder weather. Today, however was a different kind of harvest.

As we prepare for the colder months ahead, the herbs will start to slow down and to retreat into senecence and or death. I will be mulching the herb bed in the next week or so to prepare for frosty mornings and eventually (eeek) snow. Before that happens, though I needed to take the large harvest of herbs for medicinal and craft purposes.

Lavender was one of my goals today...lavender is fantastic in that it provides two cuttings! First the florets are harvested, dried and either the flower pods are removed or they are left on the stem for crafting...that is what I am doing since I already harvested the culinary portion. The second cutting is the trimmings. To properly maintain lavender bushes, you need to prune them down to a mounded shape. All of those trimmings can be bundled up and dried and used for perfuming your fireplace, firepit or sacred fire this autumn and winter.

The same goes for lemon balm (which there is always a bumper crop). Trim your plants a handful at a time and bundle the trimmings with a rubber band out in the garden, it makes it soooo much easier, then hang these bundles somewhere light and warm to dry. I placed tension rods in my sunporch windows thanks to a suggestion of a friend and tied the bundles to it with kitchen string. Once dried, I will keep stored for gifts this winter!

The more delicate herbs of sage, thyme and the last of the basil are treated a little differently. These stems are picked clean of just the leaves (no stems), washed carefully and either dried on a flat drying rack (see earlier posts) or you can use an electric dehydrator (of which I am now in possesion of). Once dried, they can be packaged in airtight jars kept away from heat and light.

I have a few days before the mornings get too frosty and they herbs die back...I still have to cut back the mugwort, wormwood, bergamot and a few other medicinal herbs and get them dried for winter storage before the cold days are upon us!

Happy Gardening!

Between the Worlds: A Green Portrait

Last week I spent my vacation at a wonderful gathering called Between the Worlds. One of the many things this festival celebrates is our connection with the earth. And what better place than Wisteria to celebrate that interconnectedness of life!

Wisteria is situated on 620 private and rural acres in the Allegheny mountain plateau region of the Appalachian mountain chain. Swisher Coal Company and others strip mined and lumbered the area beginning around 1959. Reclamation work was done by the state of Ohio from the mid-1980's until the mid-1990's. The owners and residents of Wisteria have continued that work over the last 15 years. The spectacular place not only has some great camping, festival and sacred space, it is also a permanent nature reserve. This space was marvelous for connecting with people, but also an amazing place to meditate.

What struck me about this precious land isn't that it is perfect, clearly the damage inflicted upon it is still evident, but what is amazing is that the quiet majesty and determination of nature to heal itself is alive and clear everywhere on this land. While the land is not fully healed, it is on its way; you can feel the spirit of the land reawakening. Here you can listen to the voices of nature and add your own to the chorus. I won’t soon forget my experience there and in celebration of the Autumnal Equinox, Mabon or Balance day...here are a few images from a couple of my nature hikes to share.

Happy Gardening!

Walking Between the Worlds

Even a sustainability nut, earth god(ess) needs to recharge his batteries and sometimes he really needs to step out of the comfort and security of his home by the hedge and take on a challenge. Well that is what I did recently…and I am so much better for it.

My friends know that for years, I have resisted the idea of camping…I don’t want to upset anyone by saying this, but there are no concierges in the woods…which was a concern of mine, but I decided to push past my fear of that, of being in a tent, being dragged to the woods by a pack of rabid raccoons, catching the scurvy and the host of other fears that have kept me from experiencing nature more deeply. Those who really know me understand that I follow an eclectic path to spirituality, acknowledging a creator but understanding firmly that I walk in and work in this world.

The opportunity came to combine these dual natures in a single event. A camping experience as well as a spiritual retreat called Between the Worlds; a week long gathering of similar minds and souls for revelry, communion, learning and brotherhood.

It is terribly difficult for me to translate the experience into words other than it was transformative on a physical, emotional and even metaphysical level for me. I strengthened bonds with my current friends and made new ones I hope I will have for the rest of my life. I proved to myself that I could be self-sufficient, interact with others who are like minded and embrace aspects of myself I have long suppressed.

For my traditional Jewish nature, this type of event couldn’t come at a better time. As we approach the high holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we analyze our life, our choices and our direction for the next year. My more earthy side also acknowledges the ending of one year and the beginning of the next with the Autumnal equinox and Samhain. With this convergence of annual events comes the reaffirmation of my commitment to nature, the land and earth based energy I work with. I am definitely refueled to work with my garden, produce yummy food and good medicine for myself and those I care about!

I am slowly re-entering the world but the memories of this week are passing through my mind and my heart and filling it with warm light and energy.

Blessed Be and Happy Gardening!

Feelings...who who who...feelings

Self help books, Oprah and my therapist are always talking about how good it is to express our feelings so I am going to do just that....but just for a minute ;-)

Today was the first major garden clean up day. The butternut and pattypan squash plants have come to the end of their lives. I pulled what squash were left to be harvested and then removed and composted the vines, thanking the plants for the wonderful yeild this year dispite the weird weather. I also harvested the last of the green beans and composted those vines as well. The peony plants were cut down to the ground since they were brown and wilted.

This time of year always stirs emotions for me...I am a bit melancholy since the biggest part of the growing season has come to an end and I know that fall and winter are not far behind. I am also extremely grateful for the garden and the wonderful and delicious things it brings. I am also resigned that much of the garden will be resting this year, but I am also hopeful that my new greenhouse kit will allow me to eek out some cold loving greens for the majority of the winter.

There are still many more things in the garden; tomatoes for a couple more weeks as well as eggplant. I am planting broccoli transplants this week since my seedlings were eaten by a garden visitor as well as all of the cold weather crops that are coming up; lettuce, radishes, carrots...so while this is a bit of an ending for the summer garden, it is a beautiful and quiet beginning of the fall garden.

I wish everyone a peaceful and safe Labor Day and Happy Gardening!

Summer Harvest: Sweet Bell Peppers!

The peppers have started to mature! I am very excited since this is the first year of success with peppers in my garden. They have always been destroyed or pilfered by the fairies, brownies or what have you. This year I moved them to a large pot on the patio where they would get full sun and I could keep an eye on them!

Bell peppers have been cultivated to come in different colors including red, yellow, orange and green. I myself prefer the yellow, red and orange...they seem to have a more delicate flavor, more nutritional value and have fewer "digestive side effects", plus they are pretty :-). These peppers are native to Mexico, Central and South America. The peppers enjoy a lighter soil mix blended with good compost and peat when planted in pots. They are not heavy feeders, but a good organic fertilizer once or twice a season is fine. Do not let the soil dry out too much or the plant will be stressed and not produce peppers. Keep it moist but well drained.

I pulled my first orange pepper from the plants this evening and sliced it up and saute'd it with roasted tomatoes and served it tossed with linguini. The pepper and tomato mixture is also flavored with fresh garlic, basil and oregano as well as salt and pepper to taste. I love late summer meals that are easy to toss together, but still delicious!

Happy Gardening!