And since I was away last year and never got to share my very last garden on my Micro Homestead, I thought today I’d do just that. A bit of inspiration, to get your gardening motor all revved up. I hope you enjoy!

Warning: major picture overload ahead –>

April

As a control, I also planted out a simple single-layer bed of taters, to compare the yields come harvest time. So let’s start there:


This is the raised bed at the end of the growing season, a few months back. Through early autumn I let the foliage naturally die down and turn brown, and then about a month ago Waits and I spent a chilly morning digging up potatoes. He is such a great little garden helper!

The average results from one plant – not bad! (don’t mind the baby artichoke on the left)

And the final haul, a very full colander of incredible, buttery delicious taters.

So yeah, I was pretty impressed with the way the raised beds went. The spuds were all pretty small, but I credit our strange summer weather – the same weather that stunted all my tomatoes, grrr – with that one. As far as quantity, I was happy. But of course, the real question still remained. How would they stack up (oh, ha!) against the towers???

That’s the tater tower at the end of the growing season, and again I waited until the greens had dried up and died down. I actually waited quite a while . . . all the way up until yesterday morning! That’s okay though, because it’s been dry here and potatoes won’t rot in the ground unless it’s really rainy. It hasn’t been rainy, but boy has it been coooold! Waits and I bundled up and got to work:

First layer, nada.

Beautiful winter birdies! They came out to investigate while I worked . . .

And Waits went exploring inside the henhouse . . .

I finally hit pay-dirt in the third box down/second from the bottom (*sigh* all too familiar).

. . . while Waits tried to make friends.

All in all, the three potato plants resulted in – collectively – a measly quarter-colander of spuds. Sad trombone! They were a bit bigger on average than the other bunch, but still on the small side:




BUT, at least now I know, and as far as I’m concerned it’s official. From now on I’ll be growing potatoes the old fashioned way – right in the ground!

What a strange year it’s been in the pacific northwest! A late-start summer that never fully matured, cool weather, early rains and bursts of heat made for a confusing fall and a totally befuddled garden! Since my last update I’ve torn out most of the flowers, harvested most of the veggies, and planted an entirely new crop of greens. Here’s a few of the final snaps, before we button down for the winter:

The tomatoes have been totally bewildered, but they finally started to trickle in around early fall. Waits eats them right off the vine as soon as they’re ready, so they rarely make their way to the kitchen. A wonderful trade as far as I’m concerned!

Second round of spinach.

Baby kales.

Baby romaines.

Last of the mini zinnias.

The cosmos are gorgeous . . . and totally out of control!

Oh beautiful, bountiful beets!

Last week I gathered the first real crop of cherry tomatoes – a whole basketfull! – and brought them inside for a special treat. Tomatoes in late October? Well twist my arm! What a perfect, simple supper:

This project appealed to me on many levels. Of course, I just love to garden, period. But I also work with a pretty small space, so I get excited by new ways of maximizing surface area. Up not out! Most of all, I really appreciated being able to up-cycle old “trash” into a new, useful purpose.

But there was just this one thing. See, tires are made with funky metals. And creepy chemicals. And even though I scoured the internet and couldn’t find anything that would definitively deem this idea as unsafe, well . . . I couldn’t help but be at least a bit concerned.

Still, I went for it. And those were seriously, SERIOUSLY, the most delicious potatoes I ever ate. And I was pregnant, and Waits is perfect, so, you know, tires are probably fine.


This year I was ready to get my tater on once again. And I wanted to try something different this time. So . . .



We used old some scrap wood instead. Damian built all of the necessary frames in under an hour. Really, it was that easy. He had this plan involving drill holes and dowels and interlocking boxes, but see, we have this toddler. And so we went with expediency. Expediency works good, apparently.


Back in early spring we found these taters at the FarMar that Damian was really lovin’ on – some sort of heirloom German variety. So I cut them in half and planted them. Again, so easy! I started with two frames (pictured above) and this time, I was careful to add the dirt very gently, not packing it down at all. I wanted a lot of air in there (you can read the “what worked and what didn’t” from the first potato tire project in this recap). I interspersed layers of compost for maximum plant (and people!) health.

As a control, I also planted a bunch of taters in another raised bed, one that wouldn’t have stacks added to it. This is the bed I asked Damian to build me when I got obsessed with azaleas back around May. It was supposed to feature artichokes and azaleas, but it’s been completely overrun by potatoes!



It will be interesting to see how the yields differ, come harvest. I’ve continued to add frames onto the tower, and now I’m at four which is where I’ll stop.

Theoretically, there should be taters developing all the way up the tower, and the tower plants should produce three times as many taters as the single-level plants. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!




Anyone want to make any bets? Do you think the tower taters will make more, or do you think they’ll be about the same?

Now, if only I could get Petunia to quit taking dirt baths and laying eggs in my tower!

But I’m a shiny-side sort of gal, so I’m choosing to see the positive and notice that the season for greens has been extended this year. And you all know how I love me some greens!

Anyway, on to the garden:




Two months ago the northwest bed looked like this, which I described at the time as “blowing up”. Ha! Clearly, it has truly been blown. The borage has reached mammoth heights and provides great shade for the three varieties of kale, which are nestled in the center. I enjoyed that kale all through early summer, and just used up the last of it in a super exciting project, to be posted soon. Borage is a common companion plant and works especially well with brassicas. The little purple flowers are so lovely! If I had been able to find some extra time, I would have been picking them to use in my kitchen. Borage flowers act as both a culinary and a medicinal herb.



Also in the northwest box are calendula flowers, dill, and some mighty snow peas. The snow peas were wonderful just like they are every year, and we made many a stir fry (and many raw meals as well). They’ve pretty much died back by now; I need to get in there and harvest the seeds and clear out the dead brush.




The northeast box is a solid wall of aster tops – cosmos to be exact. You may remember that two months ago, it looked a little barren. Well no more! Still, there’s no sign of blooms which is pretty funny. At least I’m fond of green.

But there’s actually a lot going on under there:



Pumpkin! You may remember how much fun I had with my homegrown pumpkin last year, so I’m super excited for this.



Pumpkin on the run, haha. Okay, moving right along!




The southeast bed is thriving. Two months back this bed was all about the perimeter of spinach. Now that spinach has bolted and I let it go completely to seed. I’d just laid it down to compost right back into the soil, before this picture was taken. I’m wondering if I mightn’t get a fall round of spinach with those seeds!



The zinnias are amazingly, amazingly beautiful. In early spring I simply tossed out a bunch of zinnia seeds and a bunch of basil seeds, but none of the basil took. That’s okay. The zinnias are lovely and they make good companions for my tomatoes. Alas, my poor tomatoes . . .




It’s another rough year for my little red treasures. These late-start summers just suck the momentum right out of them. Poor babies!

But it’s not over yet and I’m not giving up. Tomorrow, we fertilize!




And finally, the southeast bed continues to provide its bounty. It was already doing great in this picture from two months ago, and it’s continued to thrive with an abundance of swiss chard, beet greens, bok choy, and snow peas. I need to harvest the dill, and the walla wallas and beets will be ready in the next few months. Aren’t the calendulas purty? They’re edible, too!





And that about wraps it up for the Bonzai Garden. What about you my friends? How are you growing this year? Is this heat hindering your grand plans, or are you keeping things under control? Do tell!

But be on the lookout for guard chickens. Squawk!

I’ve yet to post any real pictures from the micro-farm this year, what with all the other goings-on around here. But this past weekend I finally transplanted the last of my indoor starts, so I thought I’d snap a few photos to share. We’re still in the process of tidying up after the big remodel, so you’ll have to forgive my messy black plastic. Eek! My manners . . . Many apologies.

This year I’ve planted four beds, each a mix of veggies and flowers that act as garden companions in a mutually beneficial symbiosis. We’ve got:



The bed at the northwest edge is totally blowing up! Ain’t it beautiful? Though I really need to thin out that kale . . . The bed includes snap peas, lacinto/dino kale, red russian curly kale, 6 butternut squashes, dill, calendula, and borage. I’ll late-start some broccoli for fall as well.



The northeast bed is less impressive – for now. There are 9 mounds and each contains a vining veggie – 4 pumpkins, 3 acorn squash, and 2 watermelons! Each mound is encircles by a ring of cosmos. There’s also chamomile planted between the mounds, though I’m afraid it’s not going to take. On the far side along the fence are a few pickling cucumbers.



The southeast bed is my baby. My tomatoes! This year I’m growing beefsteaks, a white dwarf variety, and a big red heirloom. Interspersed are buds of basil and zinnias. The perimeter is spinach, save for the far side along the fence, which houses slicing cucumbers.



The southwest bed is doing very well too. There’s a lot going on in here: snap peas, 3 varieties of beets, 2 types of swiss chard, walla walla onions, bok choy, dill, and calendula. There will be mid-season additions of fall cabbage and possibly cauliflower.

A tiny tomato just transplanted – cross your fingers for it’s survival!

I planted the bok choys late and they’re just beginning to fill out, flanked by a thin line of walla walla sweet onions.

Calendula and dill are both powerful players for attracting beneficial insects.

And this is what I do every single morning – strap Waits to my back and go “thin out” the seedlings. Can you guess why . . . ?

I love spring time!

What about you my dears? I know some of you have some pretty impressive plots that put my mini food meadow to shame, and I know some of you are taking your very first stab at the world of “growing your own”, and I know a bunch of you are somewhere in between! So tell me friends: How are your garden’s growing?

Last year may have been micro, but this year I’m going BIG. We’ve remodeled our backyard and built 4 giant raised beds. Plus the patio potted plants, the new potato project, and a couple of other fun little ideas I’ve got in mind . . . it’s going to be an epic season!

It started with Damian building me an impromptu potting table in our living room, under the south-facing window. A few late-night sessions of paper folding, and I was ready to start my seeds. Oh how I *heart* little newspaper seed pots.



And boy howdy, do I have a plan for these babies! Color coded, drawn up and plotted out, meticulously organized. Because I am crazy . . . and that’s my idea of a good time!



I have two resources that I find invaluable: Great Garden Companions by Sally Jean Cunningham, and The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide. My bibles.



Great Garden Companions is a fabulous introduction to the concept of companion planting. It’s packed full of information (I’ve read it cover to cover) but also has a bunch of super simple charts and guides, for easy reference. Highly recommended!

The other manual is, obviously, specific to my region. But I bet if you check your local nursery, there’ll be something similar for wherever it is that you live. These are the best, because they tell you exactly when to do what, for everything. Very handy!



Sorting through all the seeds . . . so many packets this year, makes me feel like a kid in a candy store! And of course, Waits and Harley wanted to help.



Now it’s just the waiting game. Well, waiting and watering. Grow little guys, grow!




How are your gardens coming along? Are you planning anything new this season? What are you growing?

ARE YOU AS EXCITED AS I AM?! *SQUEE*

This random zinnia popped up in an unused pot. Aww, little fighter!

It’s been months since my last “state of the garden” address, and a lot has changed since then! By now we’ve had our first frost, in fact, and the whole shebang is shut down for the winter. Only the kale lives on. (because kale has magical powers!)

Here’s how it went down:

By late summer the gourds were dominating the whole yard, while the rest of the garden was also going strong!

This guy was our Hallowe’en pumpkin! So cool to grow our own this year.

The Swiss chard was beautiful, but never got very big.

Ladybug larvae keeps my greenery safe from pests!

Basil, also beautiful but also not very big . . .

Kale heart <3

The tomatoes exploded with lots of foliage, but very little fruit. It was the same story all over Portland – a bad year for ‘matoes. I sure did shed a tear.

The haul. I got another handful like this, and that was it.

Beet bounty! Be still my heart and stain my fingers!

Meanwhile, up on the herb deck . . .

This huge parsley pot went into a big batch of soup stock right before the first frost.

I planted these jalapenos waaaay late in the season, on a whim. I didn’t even think they’d sprout!

Well they did sprout . . . and they grew up big . . . and then in some late autumn sun, they flowered! That presented a quandry . . .

With healthy herbs and peppers about to fruit, I was facing first frost. I decided to take a chance and transport parts of my garden into the house! Suddenly the sunny windowsills where I sprout my seeds took on a whole new purpose.

a few weeks later . . . SUCCESS! Muahaha

Oregano’s new home on the kitchen counter (spot my ferments in the background!

Thyme hangs out atop the fridge.

And finally, I dug up all my basil and transplanted it into pots. It worked! A month later and it’s actually survived!

I’m really loving the indoor gardening and plan to keep it up through winter – maybe even expand! Have you ever experimented with indoor/off-season growing? And how did your garden go this year?

I get a lot of questions about keeping urban chickens and how we manage to do it, given our limited acreage. So today, I present a guided tour of the girls’ room . . .





We built a run down the side of the house, so they can always access a place to scratch and bathe and play. Using scrap wood and old wire and repurposed roofing, we got the job done with barely a budget. About a third of the space is covered – the area closest to the entrance, where the raised box sits. This offers protection from the rain (or snow). But the rest is nice and open, bounded only by mesh to keep the predators away.





Damian built ‘the winter box’ to keep them warm last snow season, and it sort of stuck around. Their food and water sits on a small shelf inside. They lay their eggs in there, but given the choice they’ll never stay overnight. It’s raised off the ground because our pet chickens have pet rats . . . that’s another story.

The little door in the front is just for them. The whole roof lifts on hinges, and that’s how we access their food, water, and eggs. It’s an incredibly simple design that Damian conceived of and constructed in a weekend. It works like a charm!





Did you know that wild chickens (jungle fowl) are tree birds? It’s true, they actually don’t like to sleep enclosed. When I learned this I was determined to give my girls a comfortable place to roost. In the picture above you can see their ‘tree’, which we built out of a hedge we’d cleared. A couple of hefty branches and the old screw gun, and our ladies were sitting pretty, sleeping perched each night at the highest point.

The hens spend their days free ranging the yard. This spring we built a fence to separate my garden from their grazing . . . which I was ever so grateful for. It’s been a wonderful summer of plucking slugs from the old potato tires and dust bathing under the plum tree. Seeing them living and loving it out there every day, it just brings me endless joy. I can’t imagine HQ without them!

Oh well, I can’t complain! In this odd year of mostly hands-off-farming, I’ve actually learned a whole lot. And I’m so excited for next year! I can’t wait to implement all my new insights, and I just can’t wait to see this baby beast all covered in dirt and sprinkling seeds as he toddles along. We’re gonna have so much fun!





So speaking of seeds, I sort of have this grand idea. I want to organize an international seed exchange for Bonzai readers! I’ve always been enamored with the idea of saving seed – there’s something so inherently whimsical about this incredibly practical act. There are tons of really great reasons to do it, not to mention the fact that it’s just plain fun. I mean, talk about recycling!

I’ve written a bit about various seed-saving techniques, but the truth is, it’s fairly universal no matter the species. First, remove the plant part that holds the seeds. If it’s a pod or a flower, allow it to dry completely and then liberate the seeds. If it’s a fruit like a tomato or gourd, simply excavate the seeds and then allow them to dry out. Either way, collect your fully-dried seeds and label them clearly, storing in an airtight container (old spice jars work great). Easy as pie!

So this autumn as your garden begins to wind down, why not save as many seeds from as many plants as you can? Then email me, tell me what you’ve got and let me know what you’d want, and I’ll do my best to get everyone matched up for a great trade. I’ll post more info as the time draws near, but for now just remember to let some of your stock go to seed!

~~~

And now, a little look into my pitiful plot, haha. But I swear it’s not all my fault! It’s a similar story in every raised bed across the city. All the plants are petite; each bloom and fruit is delayed. I don’t know anybody who got homegrown blueberries, and even the Farmer’s Market produce is showing up late for the season.

What a strange year it’s been . . .



One thing I haven’t had any issue with is my gourds! Funny, since last year I planted a ton and didn’t get a one. But check ‘em out this time! They’re lovin’ it!



My very first homegrown pumpkin! There are a few of these guys already, with hints of more to come. I’m so excited!



I think this guy would grow up to be an acorn squash. Alas, I’m pretty sure he won’t make it. One of the casualties of heat + weekends away . . .



These are my first ripening tomatoes. Yes, my first tomatoes. It’s basically September. The best thing about waiting so long for your garden to get it together? Man, these are gonna taste soooo good.



What’s left of the chard. It was super lush but never got very big. But it still made many a smoothie! (of course!)



Beet greens . . . I wonder if there’s actually anything going on under there? Ah well, if nothing else the greens will be delicious!



My basils are finally starting to take off. I just hope it’s not too late! Pesto ahoy!



Summer is never complete without sunflowers! My big beauties are finally getting ready to bloom. They’re just about 7 feet tall already!


So tell me my dears, how has the season been where you live? Any luck in the garden this year? If so, I hope you’ll be saving your seeds!