In the New Year

Hi Folks! Happy new year- oh what's that you say- it's almost February? Hardly new year territory anymore? Well- yes that's true-strictly speaking- but I think it takes at least a month to get into the new year's groove. And I've been busy with the kids and the surgery healing and all that stuff. Plus it's been amazing weather wise here, above zero some days and that must be celebrated with snowmen. And there were a lot of snacks to be consumed...so... I was busy.

Anyhow- on to the blog, new year, new changes, we're renovating at our place right now, so things are sort of mayhem-like. This renovation has been in the works longer than I care to say- and we've been attacking it the same way some people make knitted projects- (you know small bursts of intense making, followed by longer periods where it sits in a bag and gets forgotten about- only to be dug out decades later almost complete- but woefully out of style, or is that just me?). Anyhow it's exciting to be getting this reno on the road, and we're such die hard do it your selfers it's bound to be entertaining for you too. It's a kitchen project mostly- but as with most old houses the projects do tend to balloon
into other rooms, so far we've only had to re-wire the entire house, as a side project- it's almost done- but not quite.

In other news I'm also hoping to switch this over to, or connect this up to a more serious professional website, I'm not sure what shape it will take- but I want my online art presence to be a little more, well, um, present to start with. An etsy shop or some other shop will likely be involved, and so that means I need to make more work. I think a main theme in my art making is that I need to make more work, always. But in other art news I think I'm going to start making some new paintings- I haven't painted since I left school- but it's my natural medium, so I'm going to do a series of portraits, I've got to get some canvases made and then I'll be off- the above photo might make a return as a painting- a 'Madonna of the cats' sort of image- we'll see- it's early stages yet.

I'll probably post a bit of my inspiration posts too- but I'm aiming for a more organic blog this year I think- one that doesn't feel like a chore, and also allows me to spend my creativity off the screen, instead of squandering it here (that sounds negative- what I mean is- I want this space to to feed my real life creative endeavors, not take the place of them. I think that's possible- I will try anyhow.

Hope your new year is ticking along well, and you're enjoying the winter so far- what's better than scarves and boots and hot chocolate anyhow?

A Year in Pictures

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

In the garden: July 11

Wild Bergamot

Tansy

Borage

Pirkstine orange tomatoes

Costoluto Genovese Tomatoes

Tomatillos!

Gypsophila

Thing are getting big out there! we're eating more and more out of the garden- spinach, peas, strawberries, swiss chard and soon- Zucchini! Things have really bounced back after the grasshopper attack, and the weeds are under control- plus lots of flowers are blooming- which is so heartening. I'm really loving the Gypsophila (or " baby's Breaf" as N says- while holding them out of A's mouth- so cute), they are really a beautiful plant out in the garden- wispy and bright.

The tomatoes are really doing well- our big black krim and saved seeds are such beautiful plants, stocky and sturdy stems, with lots of fruit on them already- we haven't put up tomato cages or any sort of support yet (not on purpose...thing get busy) and I think we'll just let some variteties do their thing this year with no supports. Some varieties are awfully leggy though like pirkstine orange and will need a support, the mini pirkstine tomatoes are so adorable though not as cute as the costoluto genovese tomatoes which are about a the size of a quarter, and just gorgeous. The other tomatoes are not producing much in the way of fruit yet- but they're coming.

I'm linking up with Amanda for this update, if you'd like to leave a link to your garden- please do so in the comments.

In the Garden: June 28

Things are looking much more garden like out there- it's still much too large to be photogenic in a full on photo- as you can see here:

It just looks huge- and mostly empty. I sometimes wish for a more compact space- with small mulched pathways, and lots companion plants growing cozily next to each other- but the reality is that the wide pathways make maintaining the garden much easier, and harvest also- as the 'gator can motor around in between rows, and we can load it up and haul the produce out, we can also drive in between with a water tank in the back and water really effectively. I am thinking about seeding a ground cover in our pathways- then green manuring it in, but I worry about weed control too. This year we had a ton of beneficial volunteer plants ( I love that term- it seems so helpful and eager)- borage, and calendula, a few bachelor buttons, cilantro, dill, poppies, larkspur and lots and lots of stocks (which I don't really love as a flower- but will let grow just for the bugs). We also had a lot of weeds, and it seems as though they are mostly in the areas that were rows last year- which proves that tilling our paths had a good effect on the weeds, since we're rotating rows and paths now, I'm hoping that a few more years of keeping the paths black will really cut back on bad weeds (round leaved mallow, thistle, shepherds purse, pigweed, sow thistle). After that maybe we can start sowing clover, or fall rye, or vetch in the pathways- and keeping them mowed instead of tilled (though I hesitate to add more mowing to the chores.)

Anyways- a few things are in bloom, the Atomic Carrots we overwintered are producing lovely flower heads, they are so fringed and beautiful, I can't get enough of them- even though it has been too windy to really photograph them- I'll keep trying. The spinach is producing now, as are the strawberries, the beans are starting to climb, or bush out, the peas are flowering (and not being eaten by deer- which has us totally paranoid about what is in the yard that is keeping the deer away- coyotes? cougars? goodwill?). The tomatoes are flowering too, and looking really strong and vibrant.

We've had a bit of a pest problem though- grasshoppers are everywhere- eating everything, though the recent rains and strong winds have sort of knocked them back a bit I think- no new holes on the emerging leaves. I'm going to try some molasses water traps, and I will keep you updated on how that works, if worse comes to worse we may have to spread some eco-bran bait, which is not organic- but which is specific to grasshoppers- so it won't hurt any (many?) beneficials. I think we would only spread it in the long grassy areas around the garden- and not in the garden itself- I'm not sure if it would have enough impact to justify the use. Hopefully it won't come to that though, I'd much rather not use it. I suppose if they do continue eating everything we'll still have our row covered cruciferae- so that's something, it almost makes me want to cover the whole darn garden.

Linking up with Amanda's garden updates- how is your garden growing?- leave a link the comments to let me know.

In the Garden- June 20th

Row covers in the background- looking tiny.

The frame of the row covers without the sheer covering.

Strawberries in bloom! 

Raspberries in bloom too! 

N has a little corner of the garden- beans, corn and peas growing, and
now with the bean tee-pee for her to go inside, it's like a mini- homestead. 

We've reached that point in the summer where the garden looks more like a giant weedy mess than anything else, where the plants are too small to visually count and the pathways look like the rows, and the whole thing makes me think "What have you gotten yourself into?" It doesn't usually last long, and tilling the pathways goes a long way to restoring my confidence, but we are at that point now, and I've been weeding and mulching to try to rescue the plants from their weedy captors (wouldn't life be easier if we could eat quack grass and round leaved mallow?)

The other thing we've been focusing on this week is putting up the bean tee-pees, and the row covers. We only have two out there so far, well only two made actually, and as usual the things that looked huge in the shop look tiny out in the field. We've made them ten feet long, and three feet wide, and we planted 12 cabbages in one, and about 15-20 broccoli in the other. The plants can push out the sides of the row covers so I think they'll have enough space.  I still have some trellises to make for the cucumbers, but I love the height they give to the garden, It lets me know that something green will be that big at some point in the summer

Posting along with Amanda, if you want to please share a link to your garden update in the comments.

In the Garden: June 10

It finally feels like summer. Things are growing pretty well so far- only half the Tomatoes have made it in the ground- but the other half are hardening off nicely. The most soul lifting thing at the moment is the little grain patch we've got going- we've got some barley, two kinds of Lentils- pictured above- which are just so healthy and lovely looking- and two kinds of Quinoa, which seems to be not doing as well- last year our Quinoa didn't take off either, so we're on the verge of giving up on this grain, but maybe we'll still figure it out, who knows.

The asparagus is done I think- we'll maybe get another stalk or two, we've been enjoying it on pizza- so yummy! The strawberries are doing great, and pretty much all the seeds we've put in the ground are up and thriving, which is also tremendously cheering. We transplanted some Chamomile and some Oriental Poppies this week too. Hopefully these sunny days keep on coming.

In the Garden: May 29

Things are looking green, though the earth is surprisingly dry considering the amount of rain we've been getting, my chives are looking great, and tasting awesome, the Rhubarb is almost ready to pick, and is sending out its crazy looking flower stalk. The wild bergamot that I planted last year, from tiny seedlings, has totally taken off, and is even holding it's own against the quack grass- (which is also growing shamefully well). Earlier this week I gave myself a ridiculous blister while weeding the strawberries, without gloves. The day was perfect, N was playing (mostly) quietly nearby and A was having one of those naps in the stroller where you start watching their chest carefully to reassure yourself that it's still moving, and I just went at the dandelions in the strawberry patch, it was getting pretty serious in there, let me tell you.  The strawberries are thriving now, though it may be a few days before I can get to the quack grass in the herbs due to the blister.

I also need to rescue the rest of the little perennial corner, and this week we're hardening off the tomatoes and melons and peppers and celeriac. We are also working on the mini-hoop house for the cruciferae plants. We have tried and tried to grow nice broccoli and cabbage etc. without chemicals but it just hasn't happened, it's either flea beetles eating the entire plant, or cabbage worms so thick that you can't actually eat the stuff, because after picking them all off, you just can't stomach it. So last year we test ran a sheer fabric hoop house, with the most ramshackle of set-ups for the supports (sticks and masonry cloth), and leftover fabric from curtains hastily sewn up together. It worked amazingly well, we picked bugs once, and then didn't have to touch it for the rest of the season, and they grew so nicely.

This year I've taken it up a notch and sewed four ten foot sections of the fabric covering, with french seams, and a nice wide hem that we can weigh down without the fabric unraveling, and we're working a more sturdy steel frame. So this year we should have forty feet of covered area for the garden, and I can already taste the Kale, and Romanesco Broccoli, and Rapini.

Garden Planning

My initial must buy list- that has a few things crossed off and some things added,
 after the final tally.

Last years' ridiculously detailed garden plans- I think there's
10 pages detailing different crops- pregnancy makes me crazy.

My big garden plan- the only one I really need- to scale though,
with measurements clearly marked.

Well- it's that time of year- garden plan time- I'll tell you how I do this phase of the garden- though it's by no means the most efficient way I'm sure. I'm a big dreamer, so I tend to go big- and then scale it all down once I get out to the garden, but the big dream part is helpful too- it gives me somewhere to reach to- and helps me to realize my long term plans. So I always start by just looking through the catalogues, and writing down everything I would buy if money was no option (which of course it is- especially when you have two kids under five and one income), I tend to limit this stuff somewhat by thinking of what I actually have time to do in one year/how many fruit trees I want to be watering through the summer, or holes I want to be digging in the spring, but otherwise I just write it down.

Then I go through and see what seeds are left over from last year- and what I can stand to let go- keeping what I really feel we need. I buy seed and plants from a few sources so I also go through each catalogue and see if I'm buying from the most cost-effective source. I like to buy local- and also buy heirloom, but sometimes that's not so important to me, and I'm usually willing to pay a little more if the seeds are actually produced by the people selling them- also if it's something that I can save seeds from easily- like tomatoes- I feel like it's okay to splurge- other things- like broccoli, leeks, onions, I don't want to spend too much on- because you have to buy them over and over. Once I've gone through and pared it all down, (this year my original list was 401 dollars at first go- 200 of that being perennials, and fruit trees, but I got it down to around 350, after I checked through my seeds, and did my mini reality check-( no arnica or sea holly for me- at least not this year, well maybe not...)

The next step is to plan out the garden on paper- making sure that I keep my rotations in mind, I did a super detailed garden plan last year- I'm not sure it was needed- I don't think I followed it at all once the reality of planting set in, but I have it now forever- so I know how far apart I like to plant peppers- for what it's worth- I also write down what worked and what didn't in fall (peppers growing next to corn was not good- not enough sun, summer squash need ridiculously wide rows on either side if we want to till them, the borage, tomato, tomato, borage routine worked well- though I should plant the borage earlier). I keep a simple plan every year so that I know where I planted stuff and I try to rotate as much as possible to help avoid disease and bugs.  This plan is pretty much what happens in reality- and I update it once we're done planting too- but it does have a fair bit of room to move around too- plus a few overflow rows, where I can stash extra plants I pick up on a whim, or can't bear to not let grow.

I sometimes feel like our garden is not the picture of sustainable, Eco-friendliness I'd like it to be because we have so much bare soil- our paths are five feet wide- the rows are three, so that we can till it, and drive the 'gator down the row to harvest. We offset this 'un-greenness' by tilling the weeds into the pathways, so we're essentially green manuring, and also by rotating the paths and rows each year- so each garden row gets a fallow year between growing- it's not ideal, because driving and walking on the soil compacts it- so we have to till in order to aerate it- and that's hard on the soil.

This year I think I may plant five foot rows and five foot paths- to make it easier to rotate them and also because the plants need more space. I like to grow certain plants in blocks- things like carrots and beets, and greens grow in short rows across the wide garden row- so I have 10 short rows growing north/south, in my long east/west row- once they grow in a bit I don't have to weed at all, and they maintain more moisture so that's a real bonus- by July most things have grown in enough that the only weeding needed is in the paths, and only things like peppers, onions and eggplant need grass mulch on them.

We're a bit detailed with garden planning, I think, compared to most people- but we both worked/still work in agriculture research, and that stuff rubs off on you- don't even get K started about straight rows, and marking them, and tilling them, also there's nothing better than anticipating the garden in the middle of winter. The next step is my favorite: planting the seeds. Growing heirlooms usually means starting your plants from seed- which is not as hard as it sounds, but takes a little effort and a good space, I'll be starting some things inside this week- as well as getting my winter sowing on the go too. How do you plan your garden? what tips have you come up with over the years?

Garden Goals

This time of year is usually when I get semi-serious about my garden daydreams. I like to make lots of plans and lists, I usually have a lot of dream plans that won't actually happen, and some garden drudge work that I forget to plan for and end up not doing in the summer for that reason alone. I've joined up with Emily though for her Make it Happen in 2013 challenge, so this year I'm trying to seriously plan out and set specific goals for the garden. Here are a few:

• Compost- we don't have a proper compost bin, it's shocking I know, but it's something I'd like to remedy this year.
• Plant some more fruit trees- on the slate for this year- apples, cherries,hazelnuts, hardy kiwis, a rose bush that sets hips, and a fig tree.
• Winter sow some perennials to beef up that corner of the garden- including- creeping thyme and coneflower, oriental poppies and some edible dianthus.
• Try out and keep a good record of (this is the key part- a good record) new varieties of heirloom veggies.
• Keep seed from everything I can this year, and try some hand pollinating to that end.
• Build a wood fired oven outside, and possibly a foot washing station- and prep the area around it for a patio.

In the Studio

the spectacular mess of removing wallpaper-
but this is the last bedroom with wallpaper upstairs! yay!

I love finding the layers of old paper and paint under wallpaper,
this bright teal blue is really lovely. 

It's that time of year again, time to get working on some art (actually it should be that time of year all year right?). I found that doing a studio related post once a week as I did last year, really held me accountable- I had to get something done if only to post about it, and I felt like I made a lot of progress, even if it was baby steps it was nice to have it all laid out for me, so I'm going to start those posts up again.

In keeping with Emily's making it happen in 2013 challenge at  Bluebirdbaby here are my art related goals for 2013:

• make a more consistent model for mugs- I love hand building but I find it hard to get a really uniform product, and while I like the unique quality they have- there is room there for a little more uniformity- there is a fine line between unique and weird- especially in functional ware.
• get my base glazes set- a good gloss and matte base that can be coloured using both oxides and stains.
• Get my studio set up so that I can easily slip into it for a few minutes and make some work. I find that caring for small children makes it really hard to find any solid chunk of time to make work- so I need to be able to work on something for 10 minutes then put it aside and come back to it later. If I wait until I have an hour to devote to something I think I'd be waiting a few years. 
• Get my little ones into a schedule that includes some devoted studio time for me- even if that time is interrupted by forty thousand requests for milk and pee breaks. 
• Set up a space online where I can start to sell a few pieces at a time, as I make them, I think that craft sales and farmer's markets are a great way to sell product, but it does require a large amount of stock that is constantly updated and ready to move. I have a hard time making that much stuff (because of aforementioned milk and pee breaks). Also by the time I make enough product (sometimes a year or two!), It feels like I want to move onto something else, and the older stuff seems not as good as the new stuff, and that is not the type of sale I want to have.

I think that's all of it. This week I'm doing a bit of a face lift in the studio- taking down wallpaper and ripping up carpet- I'm excited to see what the space looks like when I'm done- hopefully I'll get it done in the next week or two, and then I can get down to work.