The raised beds

Number 1

As you can see here, the level of the soil has settled down a good 12 inches.  Some of the logs are exposed, and I need to move everything out of this bed and build it back up.  The Basil has been potted up and taken to Mom's house because my cat Mica would have eaten it.  Same with the rosemary.  The comfrey and french sorrel have been moved to the future asparagus bed.  I still have to find a home for the tarragon, the sage, the anise hyssop and the other hyssop.  Also some white spiderwort and the egyptian walking onions.  There are also some kale and red cabbage plants still hiding in here.   The other two beds are filling up with twigs, compost and cardboard.  I have some logs waiting for the last two tall beds.

Number 2

number 3, farthest from the house

Dani the Plum and the work on my road.

We got Dani in the ground and the city showed up to start the work on my section of the street.  Lucky us they are on the other side of the street!  It will be interesting to see how much they tear up.

Mother Earth News Fair

Heading out tomorrow afternoon for Topeka, KS.  My brother Matthew will meet me there and we will be attending the fair this weekend!  Lots of wonderful speakers and booths to see.  Joel Salatin will be there!

Early in November we should be getting the Plum tree planted and I hope to get my other two raised beds constructed.  Pictures of the first 3 and their current condition coming next week!

Persimmons. What do I do with them?

I have been doing some research, even though I know it is several years down the road!  As a fall crop they are often paired with winter squash.

 Drying Persimmons

Cooking with Persimmons and Martha Stewart

More Recipes

2nd Persimmon in and the rest of the azaleas planted

More mulch going down around the Maple

 After conversations with City Utilities we decided to go ahead with the rest of the planting in the front yard, 3 more azaleas to finish the circle around the maple, and the 2nd Persimmon, a Fuyu which Jennifer has named William, or Sweet William for short!  The guys also brought in another 8 cubic yards of mulch!  Now my job is to keep everything watered in.  Looking good!

The plum will get planted in November.

Sweet William the persimmon's spot prepped

Last three azaleas and a lot more mulch!

Sweet William is in the ground!

Watering in

No new pictures today.  Mostly I am just watering in the current azaleas and persimmon tree.  I did go to HomeGrown Foods today because they were giving away free Purple Coneflowers and there are quite a few in my design.  I went ahead and planted them in the holding bed for now.  Maybe I will throw in a picture of my holding bed, ie the first bed my brother Matthew built for me this spring!  Things have moved in and out of this bed and it has settled down almost a foot, so I will have to pull everything out when I have more leaves to pile in it!

Birthday present!

For my 60th birthday this year my Mom and I visited my sister Jennifer and her husband Nick in Santa Cruz, CA.  It was a wonderful trip and included a very sucessful whale watching cruise on the Monterey Bay and lunch in Big Sur.  A highlight for me was a visit to the UCSC Farm based on Alan Chadwick's "French-intensive/biodynamic" method.

For my birthday they gifted me with the first fruit trees to go into my new permaculture yard!  Thank you so much!  Jennifer also named the trees for me, so here are the first pictures of Pumpkin, the Persimmon!

My birthday card!

From the corner, looking at my house.

PUMPKIN the Persimmon tree!