Water, Water everywhere and not a drop to Drink

Posted on July 8, 2013 by seedybeans

I can’t tell you the relief I have been feeling lately in the garden. We have had 5 days straight of evening thunder storms, which considering it has been over four months with no rain, we are beyond grateful. I kind of gave up in the garden, once the tomatoes (and overzealous 100 plants this year) were in, and the irrigation on, I was too hot and losing faith…so I just prayed for rain. You see, no matter how much well water you pump from 100 feet down up onto the garden, nothing nourishes desert plants like water falling from the sky.

And then it came, downpours of beautiful abundant water, and with all that precious water came a huge strike of lightening that hit our neighbors tree and carried under ground to blow our well pump!!

Yep, so now we have water from the sky but not from the ground. The garden is thriving and we are doing just fine with our rain buckets full, but I must ask, what kind of divine comedy is going on around here? For those of you who know the story of our little house and it’s remodel you know water plays a huge role around here…( there were frozen pipes leading to a three-day flood in the middle of the winter we first meet). The water made way for a lot that probably would not have gotten done otherwise.

Joel set to work tearing out flooring and replacing walls, inserting windows, adding radiant and all kinds of beautiful touches and I helped in that process making this my home too….The water washed away the old and made way for the new, though Joel worked his butt off doing it!! And now Joel is out replacing the well pump right now, taking in stride the ongoing efforts of owning and caring for a homestead.

Bless his heart and hands for having such skills, patience and perseverance! I had no idea how well I chose such a crafty DIY guy, in fact today he got a letter from our local hardware store saying..

Yep that’s my guy.

So heres to my hubby and the mysterious, powerful, ever-flowing Waters above, below, within and all around us.

Singing in the Rain!!

Posted on June 30, 2013 by seedybeans

There has been lull in the gardening around here. Once everything got planted, t-tape set up and timers on I have been on to other things– mainly sewing in the cool house and hiding from the sun. But this weekend the rain finally came!! Two days in a row and the world was changed!! Finally braving the outdoors again, I am greeted with abundance of Beets, Chard, Cota, Calendula, Carrots, Basil, Kale, Lettuce…just to name a few!!

Gardening with friends has been my greatest blessing this week. Rejoicing in the bounty together, gabbing all the way. Folding Cota together in the rain while our sons and husbands play around us.

Here in the desert the rains bring us so many gifts, not just much needed water, but relief, reprive, revitalization of our sometimes hot, heavy hearts. I often feel like the rains bring the new year, a place to start again, the reset button as a friend likes to call it. The rains wash us of all we are carrying, allow us to set everything down to go out into the desert and call up to the clouds, “Thank you! Welcome! We have been waiting & waiting & waiting for you and now you have answered our prayers!!”

In thanks for the rains that fall and the garden that grows, these simple miracles remind me new life is always sprouting up around and in us–

Happy Rainy season, may it linger long and abundant this year!

Blessing for one about to be born

Posted on June 24, 2013 by seedybeans

I am so pleased, tickled, teary really, to announce the debut of a video project my photography was just featured in, ‘Blessing for one about to be Born’.

You see I have amazing and talented friends, and one special someone hooked me up with another friend who is an exceptionally wise and eloquent poet. You see Kyce has been at many, many of our birth blessings here in Santa Fe and being a poet herself she always shares the perfect prose on any given occasion. Jennifer Ferraro’s ‘Blessing for one about to be born ‘ has had us all tearing up time after time and when Kyce had the brilliant idea of pairing my pregnancy photography and Jennifer’s poem, it was and instant match. Not only did the essence of our work align perfectly, but we clicked right away, only to discover we grew up within 100 miles of each other so we will forever be bonded by a certain understanding of the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you with the work of Jennifer Ferraro, poet, author, wise woman & shining light of our times. This poem is only the tip of the iceberg of her genius and the video the perfect birth to our future collaborations. I am honored to work with her and delighted to share her with you.

So many thanks to the beautiful mamas who have allowed me to witness their grace, strength, wisdom and beauty and allowed me to capture their truest essence in my pictures. Your are all my teachers, my muses, & my friends.

Here is the poem for all to share, as I think every soul who braves to venture to this blessed Earth should be so welcomed!

Blessing for one About to be Born by Jennifer Ferraro

What shall we call you,

one who comes across a vast distance

bearing secrets of the future,

your mother’s hidden wishing,

and the remembrance of beauty that hung diffusely in the air

all those long years without you?

We call you the awaited one,

the dreamt of one, the sung one,

for we sing to you now a symphony of welcomes,

and a wish for your smooth passage to this world.

As if you were sweet basil, as if you were mountain rosemary,

as if you were the golden sweetness of the apple and the pear

at harvest time—

You sweeten your mother’s innermost heart

and ripen her for ever greater mystery—

For she has kissed the hem of the most Beloved

in calling you forth, sheltering a wild faith in life

in the darkness of her belly.

Like a rose folded inward, hiding great fragrance,

like a host watching over the sleep of the most cherished guest,

You are so tenderly awaited.

Little one, we sing to you now,

calling you joy, calling you promise fulfilled,

calling you sheer vastness and little drop of honey—

Join us here,

and your earthly journey

will be cloaked with songs and praises evermore.

Your mother’s vast heart, deepening as she awaits you;

Every tear she’s ever shed for joy gathering and intensifying–

For you, little drop of honey,

coming across great distances

just to see her face at last,

just to gaze upon the face of Love at last.

— Jennifer Ferraro

A Garden in the Desert

Posted on June 1, 2013 by seedybeans

Sometimes desert living can get, dry, so dry that are beautiful mountains catch on fire. So dry the yearning for wet, green and lushness get deep under our skin. So while the mountains as burning, we decided we needed a little family fun day. For our family that usually involves anything green: the woods, the rivers, the mountains, or of course parks will do and being the garden tourist I am this time it was the Botanical Garden in Albuquerque.

Incredible rose wisteria arbor for weddings

If you are a parent in New Mexico chances are you have been there, maybe more times than you would like to admit, but we were newbies and totally thrilled. I am sure after years of birthday parties and kid gatherings there, the love may wear off…but it was a perfect fix for a family craving a little lushness in our lives.

There were ponds and flowers in full bloom

but my favorite part of course was the Heritage farm.

Complete with heirloom grapes,

an apple orchard and of course a neat & tidy little veggie patch with a prefect adobe barn.

And the high light of mama’s mini farmer

the tractor of course. That’s my boy!!

So if you too are seeking a lush, smoke free day, check it out, it is green salve for the desert soul.

Desert in Bloom- Great mix for shade and desert dry hardy!
Columbine(yellow), Jupiters beard(red) Mexican Primrose
(pink)

Weekend Events June 1 & 2nd

Posted on May 29, 2013 by seedybeans

Wendy and I when I ran the garden at Monte Del Sol Charter school.

Back to blogging after some technical difficulties and just in time to tell you about two awesome workshops I would love to share (and attend) this weekend. The first is with Wendy Johnson , one of my mentors through the Edible School Yard in Berkley, where she consults on gardening. We don’t know each other well, but I know kindred garden fairy spirit when I see one and Wendy is just the kind of Fairy I aspire to be someday. Her book is one of my favorite of all times, and I am still savoring it piece by piece and somehow i feel i can in tha tis took her ten years to write, though hopefully it won’t take me that long to read it….called Gardening at the Dragon’s Gate. She is a Zen Buddhist and plant whisper among other amazing human vocations such as wife and mother and has nurtured many famed gardens such as those at Esalen and Green Gulch. She will be in Santa Fe teaching at Upiya Zen Center with Roshi Joan this weekend teaching a Workshop based on her book and her experience ‘at work in the wild and cultivated world’

The next is at my very own SFCC orchard. Dave JAckie, east coast permaculturist and author of Edible Forest Gardens, will be giving a public lecture tomorrow night from 7-9pm in the Jemez room at SFCC and then a 2 day workshop there on Saturday and Sunday called Gardening Like a Forest Workshop . Hopefully he will help us transform this

Into this

Someday that is!! Have a great weekend what ever you do!!

Tomato Time

Posted on May 17, 2013 by seedybeans

Yes spring has finally has finally come to New Mexico, or rather summer it seems. It is now plenty warm to put those tomatoes in the ground and with the moon in Leo (a fire/fruit sign) this weekend, all systems go!!

If you have ever read this blog you may be aware of my growing obsession with tomato production. I put up a few tips here last year on transplanting tomatoes. And then this year I went to a Homegrown New Mexico tomato class and learned a few more tricks. To add to all this, this year I have been saving all of my eggshells, drying them, crushing them and now I have to magical powder that I plan to put in every hole before I plant. You see tomatoes often get blossom end rot, and many of my late tomatoes got it last year…

(though I believe it was a watering issue. You see my irrigation was turned off and I didn’t know it, so by the time I figured it out the plants had been shocked and needed to recover, which they did do, but blossom end rot was s side effect)….But in my reading I found out that blossom end rot is also linked with the plant’s ability to take up calcium…enter egg shells. Lots of readily available calcium for the taking. So I will sprinkle the magic calcium powder in each hole before planting and we shall see if I can notice a difference.

IN any case, happy planting weekend, I know we all have lots to do!!

Salad Days & Dressings

Posted on April 24, 2013 by seedybeans

We had a smashing spring day in the sunshine at the Children’s Museum this weekend and I got the blessing of feeding many folks my garden greens. We talked gardening, making potting soil and building wooden flats and got a few young gardeners started sprouting their first sunflower seeds!! Nothing quite like that first spring day where it feels like the whole town is out to play. It was truly nostalgic for me, as about eight years ago I ran the garden there and it is actually where I meet my husband for the first time. Now we have a little one of our own to bring to play, mingling with our sprouting community of little ones frolicking beneath the very beings my young hands planted so long ago. Feeling so lucky to have such a great crew to hang with and such a beautiful place to raise our babies up in. Thanks to the Arts of Nature for providing such a splendid community gathering, Griet, such a delight to see yo manifest your visions.

I also made a few home dressings that I shared, so as promised, here are the recipes for those.

Green Goddess- Voted #1

· ¼ c Tahini

· ¼ c olive oil

· 1 tbl +1 tsp Tamari

· 1 tsp Miso

· 1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil

· 2 tbl Apple Cider Vinegar

· ½ c water

· 2 cloves garlic or a handful of fresh garlic chives

· 1-2 green onions

Blend all ingredients in a blender/food processor until desired consistency and serve on fresh greens mmamma.

Maple Mustard- Voted #2

1/4 cup Mustard

1/4 cup Maple Syrup

3/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

3/4 cup Olive Oil

1/4 Flax seed Oil

These measurements I just made up so do measure it to you taste. Shake and serve

Tarragon Yogurt- Voted # 3

2 big handfuls of fresh Tarragon

1 big handful fresh Mint

1 1/2 Yogurt

Salt/Pepper

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

Add more of whatever you wish to get the taste you like. Blend till smooth

Here’s to lots of springing energy and plenty of spring greens!

Bountiful Weekend Events for the Garden Loving Family

Posted on April 18, 2013 by seedybeans

This weekend has three very sweet community, family friendly events that will inspire both you and your garden.

The first is a Garage/ Moving/ Plant Sale were I will be selling some of my home-grown Heirloom Tomato & Cucumber babies. They were loving nutured in my greenhouse all these months and will be perfect for planting out in just a couple of weeks when this cold spell passes and the sunny days are here to stay. Come check it out just 2 blocks south the Farmers Market across from the old Alvord Elementary school.

Garage/ Moving/ Plant Sale —Saturday April 20th-9am at 546 Alarid Street.
See below for a full list of all the varieties available

The next event is over on Acequia Madre St. at Garcia Street books where there will be a book signing of George Ancona’s new Book- “It’s Our Garden”. The book features the Acequia Madre Elementary School Garden which has bloomed and grown by the loving hands of a wonderful mother, volunteer, friend and fabulous garden teacher, Sue McDonald.

Saturday April 20th there will be a Book Signing from 2-3pm at Garcia Street books and at 3pm a walk up to Acequia Madre School garden for a tour.

After and good night’s rest, dreaming garden dreams, join us

Sunday at the Santa Fe Children’s Museum between 1 and 4 pm,

for a homestead inspired Earth Day Celebration for all. It will be an opportunity to bring your questions to local homesteaders & engage in hands-on activities that are meant to inspire, motivate and support the implementation of sustainable practices of all kind at your own home!!

I will be doing ‘ Grow your own Greens’ demo and tastings among many other wonderful friends who cook with the sun, milk their own goats and use zero waste while raising children!!

Can’t wait to see everybody here, there and everywhere!!

2013 Plant Sale Varieties

Tomatoes

Sugar Sweetie- Botanical Interests- Cherry

65 days from transplanting. Indeterminate.
This delicious organic tomato is well-known for its strong tomato flavor. Large numbers of 3/4″ – 1″ cherry tomatoes are produced in grape-like clusters. Provide support for vigorous vines that easily reach 6 feet long.

Black Krim- Botanical Interests-Tomato Pole

70 days from transplanting. Indeterminate.
This Russian heirloom originated in Krim, a Crimean town on the Black Sea. Baseball-sized fruits weigh 10 – 12 oz. and have reddish-brown flesh filled with an earthy, almost smoky flavor. Fruit sets well in heat and is the most reliable of the black tomatoes, producing even under adverse conditions from summer to fall. Provide support for vines that reach 6 feet or more.

Cherokee Purple- Plants of the Southwest

80 days from transplanting. Indeterminate.
Cherokee’s rose/purple skin with green shoulders encases red brick colored flesh with just the right level of sweetness. You’ll be harvesting large numbers of 10 to 12 oz. tomatoes from this well-regarded heirloom variety from summer to fall. The flavor has been described as yummy, tasty, wonderful, delicious, heavenly, and unbelievable! Provide support for vigorous vines that reach 6 feet or more.

John Baer- Seed Savers Exchange

aka Boony Best- From the Bonny group of tomatoes that includes Chalk’s Early Jewel. Introduced in 1914 by J. Bolgiano and Son of Baltimore. Bright red, meaty, smooth fruits with very good flavor. Once a leading canning variety, also great for fresh eating. Heavy Producer. Indeterminate, 60-80 days from transplant.

Japanese Trifele- Seed Savers Exchange

One of the best Russian black tomatoes. High yields of blemish- free fruits that rarely crack. Rich full flavor, great for canning. The size of a Bartlett pear, weighing 4-5 ounces. Potato leaf foliage. Indeterminate, 70-80 days from transplant.

Pink Brandywine- Bounty Beyond Belief

This is a heirloom beefsteak variety with large pinkish- red tomatoes with a wonderful rich taste and a bit Sweeter and larger than the Red Brandywine. Indeterminate. Potato- leafed plants produce huge tomatoes often weighing between 1-2 pounds. These remain one of the best tasting tomatoes available.

Giant Syrian-Seed Savers Exchange

Received form a SSE Member Charlotte Mullens of West Virginia. Nice Yields of deep pinkish- red fruits exceeding one pound. Very Meaty, few seeds, excellent flavor. Indeterminate. 80 days from transplant.

Risentraube-Seed Savers Exchange

Originally from germany. name Translates as “gaint bunches of grapes.” Tntroduced commercially in the U.S. in 1994 by Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. High- Yielding plants. Tasty 1′ fruits are born on large sprays and shaped like beaked plums. Indeterminate, 80 days from transplant.

Chadwick Cherry- Seeds of Change

Introduced by the late horticultural genius Alan Chadwick, this large, mouthwatering cherry tomato has a tangy, sweet flavor. It produces huge yields and is disease resistant making it a popular choice among gardeners. Days to Harvest: 85

Cucumbers

Aremenian- Botanical Interest

65 days. Want to try something new in your garden? This is it! Armenian cucumber with handsome, light green, thin skin is nearly seedless, and more tolerant of heat than most cucumbers. Sometimes called serpent cucumber or yard long, it is actually a variety of melon! A long production period means harvesting right into fall.

Straight Eight- Botanical Interests

63 days. There is nothing more refreshing than a cool cucumber. This older, open pollinated variety is still around because it is simply one of the best! Vigorous vines produce cylindrical, very straight crisp cucumbers about 8″ long. Who can resist a salad of home-grown sliced cucumber, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella dressed with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper? Yum!

Homemade Pickles- Botanical Interests

55 days. Making pickles at home is easy with Homemade Pickles. This plant has excellent disease resistance, very high yields, and is ready to harvest early. The 4 foot compact vines produce cucumbers for quite a long period; harvest anywhere from 1½” to 5″ long. Perfect interior texture for pickles, but can also be eaten fresh. Excellent container variety.

Space Master- Botanical Interests

62 days. Has your garden ever been overrun by cucumber plants that spread everywhere? Spacemaster is the solution! Its 2′ to 3′ vines make it the ideal choice for small growing areas. It produces large numbers of flavorful, full-sized slicing cucumbers, perfect for snacking, salads, and sandwiches, and even for pickling when harvested small.

Seeds Starting Recap

Posted on April 15, 2013 by seedybeans

Last Saturday I gave a public class on Seed Starting at Earth Care community garden. It went well and was well attended but made me realize a few things…..One was that a little re-cap may be useful, as people tend to have the same questions and quandaries about starting seeds indoors.

Seed Selection– Save your own, Trade, Share, Swap…If you are to buy seed go for heirlooms, locally appropriate and organic. If you would like to start your own seed saving collection, open pollinated varieties are what you need. Avoid hybrids (for seed saving) and GMOs at all cost! Sources I recommend:

to name a few

Containers and Soil– There are of course so many choices, so I encourage you to use what you have and find what you like. My favorite are wooden flats so here is a link to making your own out of old pallets or new wood. I also prefer to make my own soil, so here is link to that, but of course find your method of ease a pleasure. Just remember for seedlings fluffy and light soil is best- high in peat moss or Coconut fiber. Once the seedlings the bigger they will need more nutrient rich mix or a rich garden bed and I will write more on that later.

Temperature– Seedlings need different soil temperatures to germinate. For example some lettuces can germinate in soil that is 50 degrees and Tomatoes often need 70 degree soil. Here is a great Vegetable Planting Chart form High Mowing Seeds blog that has great info on soil temp, germination times, spacing and more. If you are starting your seedlings inside, the soil is probably stable at the temperatures of your house, but if not they are in an unheated greenhouse or cold frame, it is probably much colder. I simple Soil thermometer, purchase at any nursery, should help you see what your soil temps really are.

Check it morning and evening to see how it changes. Also check your seed packet to see if it tells you ideal soil temperatures for germination, so you know if you are waiting long enough before starting over. Remember if you seedlings haven’t come up yet, they are just waiting for the right chemistry, so don’t give up. Just keep working the elements of warmth, light and water till you see those sprouts. If you need to you can buy seedling heating mats here.

Light- This seems to be the most tricky for home growers. Many windows simply don’t get enough DIRECT sunlight. Choose a south-facing window that gets direct sun ALL day, that is at least 8-10 hours a day. The more the better. If your seeds sprouts but then get really long and leggy and look like the are desperately seeking the sun, you probably need to supplement with electric lights. So many people know so much more about that so google that.

Water- Seeds really only need the right temperatures and moisture to germinate, that is sprouting before photosynthesis. Once you sow seeds (in a moist sowing mix) you MUST keep them moist at ALL times. Yep, Always!!!! that means watering many times a day if you need to, especially in a heated house in a south-facing window in the high desert!!!. A helpful tool may be a spray bottle. Set it on a fine mist and mist the soil. If you have children helping this is a great job for them and really can’t be over done. Once you see puddling on the surface of your soil, stop watering. A watering can with a fine sprinkle really is necessary, as big flows of water can wash the seed right out of the soil. Because the seed is only in the first inch of soil, this is what need to be moist. Once a plant grows the water needs to go deeper and the plants can be watered less frequently, but int he the beginning, moist always.

Water quality has an effect too. I use my precious rain water for seedlings and really have noticed a difference from the years I have used our hard well water. Tap water is ok, but it is best to fill your watering can or a big bucket hours, or days before you water so that the chlorine in the water can evaporate and the water can come up to room temperature. Cold water can shock plants and of course chlorine can harm them.

Seed Needs– Each seed of course has it’s own temperament. Some like to be planted deep, some with no soil at all. Some need fire, freeze or even scaring to crack their seed coats. They say a generally to plant seeds twice as deep as they are wide. Seed packets are great source of information, but if you don’t have packets, the High Mowing Vegetable Planting Guide works great to find out all the little special needs of each of your precious seeds.

So there you have it– If you seeds are warm, wet, sunned and in a good growing medium they should come up just fine. Plants are more like us than we might think. If you are cold, they probably are, too hot, the might be too.

Now planning your sowing timing and taking care of the babies well so that they thrive and are ready to go outside when the times comes, oh and of course there is seed starting outdoors as well…..but I think I will write more on that later, for now this should get you started if you haven’t jumped in already. Happy Seed Sowing!

Seed Starting Class

Posted on April 11, 2013 by seedybeans

As you may have gleaned from my blog, I like to garden. I like it so much that is mostly what I write about, and frankly do with most of my time. I also teach gardening and have in lots of different places from the Children’s Museum, to Elementary Schools, then high schools, and now I even teach it at a college!! This Saturday I will be teaching a class to the public hosted by Homegrown New Mexico and held at Earth Care Community Garden.

We will cover as much as we possibly can about seed selection, sowing mediums, containers, schedules, technique, and care in 2 hours. It would be great so see some of you there! RSVP here.