1470 is now out of my possession, and a 25-year era has passed. Yikes! A fair bit of nostalgia at times when I was watering the garden every few days, although I was ready to part with it after so much hot weather, requiring a lot of maintenance.
The property has sold for an excellent price, in spite of some wear and tear, and I’m quite amazed and very grateful. I think the new owner is a plant lover, so hopefully everything is being left in good hands.
A lot of plants past prime, but still more blooms coming on into mid-summer.
The front CG bed filled with red clover was fading out to brown by the time the final photographs were taken just before the listing was active, so none of the plants in front of the fence were included, but an old photograph of some very bountiful days was used instead, which was fun. The house yard looked very different with all the added bark mulch, but I guess it did make the plants pop out. And just to show off, my old ‘Salmon Party’ Oriental lilies, as well as the ‘Stargazers’ began to bloom in full force for the open house. As the Crocosmia blooms were fading, the butterfly bushes popped open their blooms, so a perfect transition.
‘Salmon Party’Oriental Lilies putting on peak show at official sale listing and open house time!
I grabbed the 6 red Bartlett-type pears on the tree, still requiring a bit more ripening time, to get a last taste, since the tree was barely mature when I started renting. There are some apples falling off the trees, and a few nice clusters of grapes getting bigger, for the new owner to enjoy.
So, now I can keep focused on my regular “110” residence, as we’ve moved through another fantastic strawberry and blueberry season, and lots of veggies and plants in containers to take care of. I made divisions of a fair amount of plants right before selling, along with more divisions of plants from 110, anticipating the eventual move to a new home….who knows when?
Stay tuned!
With many thanks and blessings to the new owner/caretaker….and to all my helpful neighbors. A chapter has closed, but new ones will be made!
The “1470 House” is being cleared and prepped for sale, although house repairs are not in full sway yet. My last two weeks have been spent inspecting tenant damage, meeting the sales team and repairs coordinator, viewing estimates, removing the last of my own house and garden accoutrements left for my tenant to use, and most importantly…keeping the garden trimmed and watered for its upcoming “show”. My realtor had asked me for some old photos of the community garden bed when it was in full swing with big plants and bounty, to show on the pre-sale listings. So it was a bit of a blast down memory lane. To share…
A blast from the past, circa Sept. 2011:
(CG running rampant!)
The final full garden year of 2015 at harvest time:
(The time when the plants just weave their bounty together; criss-crossing paths.)
And now, pre-sale, being enjoyed by the bees and passers-by…
(The first step to being almost on the main listings. Red clover & sunflowers keeping the CG bed useful for pollinators, tiding it over for new owners…)
House yard looks a bit different, with matured fruit trees and bushes:
Stay tuned for the “final versions” after the landscaper “cleans up”…..
It feels like I dropped into a different universe for the last 4 years, as I realize it’s been that long since a posting. Without a doubt, many of us have been living in different realities bubbles and timelines given various worldly events during this timeframe. Gardening has ever been a sanity saver and focus for stability, allowing mind, body, and soul to be engaged in mental, physical, and inner exercise.
Thinking back for a brief summary:
2019 finished out as relatively steady and uneventful, with a lovely gardening year, and one travel trip.
2020: brought us more than we want to think about. It was a year of maneuvering restrictions, but also having more time to spend with the garden, a bonus. However, it also brought the massive aberrant and rogue wildfires in the local Cascade Range on Labor Day, destroying many of the small communities, and thousands of forest trees. Western Oregon was saturated with ash, smoke, and winds for 1-2 weeks, followed by eerie smoke-filled days without any normal westerly winds to clear the stagnation. We had to mist some of basil and veggies to clear off soot. So grateful that this did not happen earlier while blueberries were still in production. Eventually, in later October, more seasonal weather prevailed again.
2021: Still an odd time, but gardening proceeded as usual. I could start seeds earlier and plant several flowers and veggies out in late April; even tomatoes by mid-May, with some protection, after which it turned a bit chilly again. Shortly after a family reunion in mid-June, temperatures soared to 111°F, and hung out over 100° for nearly a week. During that stint I was nursing a broken collar bone, and with not having the full complement of soaker houses placed outside, watering needs became Randall’s duties, while I did the monitoring. All plants survived (hooray!), but not all birds, sadly. Hopefully the swallows nesting in an old box flew away in time, and possibly there were cooked eggs. That box is nailed tightly shut about 15 feet atop a fence trellis, and not easily accessible. There were a few late summer fires in the western regions, but not of the magnitude of the previous year.
Wineries have been learning to cope with “smoke effects” on grape harvests and eventual wine production, and with research help from Oregon State University, they have been able to be creative with the “flavors”. Also, there is new technology being developed to spray grapes with on a protective polymer should fire/smoke become imminent.
Oh, somewhere in there I managed to retire from the USDA plant disease research career. Finally, to do what I want, when I feel like it! And time slips away faster…
2022: The year that winter and spring weather were reversed. A warm February, which got lots of us into an early gardening mode, reminiscent of 2021. Many flowers ready to be placed out by early April, and then temperatures switched around, so that spring felt more like winter, and this extended into mid-June. So many cold, cloudy/rainy days. Everything except lettuce and kale needed to be covered, and it took several attempts for summer squash to successfully germinate in the soil. Basil was not put out until late June, which isn’t always that unusual. Following the endless winterish spring, essentially all the way till July 4th, came an extended summer, well into late October, longer than any year I remember. The trees weren’t turning colors as early as typical. This was flanked by about 2 weeks of average fall weather cooling, and then a brief heavy snow on November 9th (a rarity). Fall and winter kind of danced around each other for the rest of the year, staying on the milder side.
Which brings us into 2023, again with no observance of predictable normality in weather. Winter was overall mild and rainy, but just wouldn’t quit, come April. Except for once there were no little 1-2 day blips of warmer 60+ degrees; mainly the monotonous low 50’s and rain. Everything has been late-blooming, starting with daffodils, and including blueberries. Strawberries seem to be on schedule, but lavender bushes look especially ratty this spring, and several Spanish types just couldn’t hack the early snow and continual rain.
We lost our beloved manx kitty Mr. Aspen in February (aged 13ish years) to cancer, which wasn’t distinguishable enough in late December when he was having some low level kidney failure, but he just couldn’t eat properly in any consistent manner, and declined rapidly. I miss his physical presence in the garden, as he was typically keeping an eye on me while working outside. I lost incentive to start indoor seedlings until about March 16th, but that still afforded me enough time for later May transplanting.
Speaking of kitties, we do still have Ms. Juniper with us, now 18 years old (born in June)! Over the last couple of years she has slowed her activities and wanderings down immensely, and especially now, she sleeps 23 hours a day, rarely venturing outside, except on a sunny day to briefly cruise the backyard and find a sunny spot to nap. She is nearly deaf now, and rather weak/wobbly in the back legs, so it’s just as well she doesn’t wander much, as she used to. She really misses Aspen, even though he often “harassed” her, wanting me to himself. I believe he served as a stable reference point for Juniper to keep her bearings as she became more hard of hearing. Now, she gets a bit disoriented at times if she doesn’t hear or see one of us around, and starts crying.
Aspen & Juni in rare chummy mode
As I write this in May, we had a glimpse of summer weather near the end of April, with an 87°F day flanked by a couple of 75ish° days and then a step down into the 60’s again. Talk about “shock” to all sorts of bodies, and by the fourth day of warmth, some plants needed watering, so out came hoses from storage. Of course, some rainy 50° days can’t be escaped either, but that will provide some water for transplants and up-pottings already made.
This year brings some bigger changes too, in terms of preparing to sell my lovely property that inspired the whole blog for creating food spaces in lieu of big lawn spaces. Randall and I decided to dabble our fingers in the crazy housing market to see if we might be able to find the “larger” home we’ve wanted, as we still have rented storage unit of 6.5 years, and the kitchen still has its big lack-of-counterspace issue. In today’s market it requires us to sell both of our homes. On speaking with a lender or three, it became apparent that even with our decent monthly incomes, a bridge loan for a new home was not affordable without my home being sold first.
It’s hard to fathom this change, in a way, but in one sense it’s easier in that I haven’t lived on the property for 6.5 years, so I’m not quite as attached as I might have been. It makes it easier to sell. Although this has been a stable rental situation, thank you to my reliable tenant, I never relished the “emergency” repairs that needed prompt attention. It’s just a weird sensation to look back at the pictures of the property when it was first acquired, and then the evolution made over many years, mainly up to 2012, or 14 years in the making. And now I’ve owned it for 25 years!
Didn’t I just turn that front lawn into a community garden about 6 years ago?! No, it was created in 2009 (!), and disbanded once I left in 2016, and some of the neighbor-participants have since moved away.
I’ll make updates as I prepare the property for sale, just to remind ourselves of what’s possible.
The spirit of “High Vibe Bounty” still exists in every season of production, no matter where I live.
Beautiful male Monarch on my Asclepias! The spot, circled in yellow, is mirror-imaged on the other wing, and indicates this to be a male. Photo courtesy of neighbor, Jamie Simmons, who also watched this specimen flitting in his yard.
We’ve been blessed with the presence of an authentic Monarch butterfly in the garden this last week, following my sighting of 3 more out in some pasture lands on the outskirts of town. The Monarch is a relatively rare butterfly to see in this area, and I can’t remember the last time I saw one: with the overall decline in their populations over the last decade, I was surprised and delighted to see these, especially in a short amount of time! Almost didn’t trust my eyes! I grew up with them as very commonplace yard visitors, and missed their numbers up here in western Oregon. Even though I’ve grown a type of milkweed for many years (a non-invasive cultivar), it hasn’t hosted very many caterpillars in its lifetime, nor is it the favorite of the monarch. However, more people are planting various types of milkweed in the area, and perhaps it is paying off.
He is not always present on a daily basis, but one afternoon and evening he was a visitor for several hours, flitting about, around to neighbors, and back, and alighting on the butterfly bush, which is loves for nectar. The frequently visiting Swallowtail was also cruising through the yard, and there were some near collisions at the Buddleia bush. Jujubes have shown up, too, jumping and whirling themselves about in little frenzies, which didn’t phase Mr. Monarch. Such a delight and blessing to see them all active and energetic. I did have to remind little Juni-cat that she should not even think about trying to capture our visitor! She has caught a Swallowtail before…grrr.
Our first bounty of beautiful yellow crookneck squash was picked a couple of weeks ago, and a ripening tomato can be seen from certain viewpoints in the yard. However, most of the tomatoes are green; our intermittent pattern of 3-days cooler than average, then 3 days normal summer heat, is not conducive to speedy tomato ripening. There might be green tomatoes at season’s end this year, depending.
Spaghetti squash is being true to form and pumping out its fruit, (with bees’ help, of course), and at last count last weekend, I saw about twelve softball-sized squash. Five days later, some of them are now almost full-grown for this variety, like a good-sized canteloupe.
We’ve had very, very, very, very bad deer this year, in spite of extra netting. They have learned to walk on netting and bite through it for their highly-desired bean leaf sprouts, and then they won’t leave them alone. There will be absolutely no bean harvest this year; I leave the stems to torment them! Always one day (no, one night!) ahead of me, they demolished over half the lettuce crop. It appears we might get some lettuce re-growing though as summer cools off a bit. And they harass some of the melon and cucumber seedlings, too, when least expected, so we’ll see how those do. Tomatoes are protected enough now that they can’t do too much damage.
Early July deer damage. Forget any bean harvest this season, and only a bit of lettuce escaped sabatoge. The day after this photo shot, they munched the rest of the lettuce, and proceed to keep it mowed.
That’s what happens when you leave town for a few days…all of a sudden it is a massive crookneck jungle! May have to do some disciplining/removal so the hidden melon plant can see more sun!
Spaghetti squash interloping with tomatoes. At least deer don’t like the prickly leaves at this point.
June is still maneuvering its way through mercurial weather, with increasing hints of true summer, now that we’ve crossed the official June Solstice date. A far cry from last year, when temperatures were hot, long before summer, we have continual cycles of cool and warm, a few thunderstorms. Although we’ve had weather more reminiscent of the ’80s – 90’s, strong gusty breezes seem to be present more than usual, so plants and soil dry out more quickly than anticipated.
It has been a bit rough getting our row of lettuce to proliferate until this last week; a weekend of extreme heat after 7 days of rain seemed to confuse it. Then our local young bambi-deer came through to chomp down on the new seedlings that had been acquired to supplement the laggards. Finally, they’ve sturdied themselves. Meanwhile the mesclun mix and radishes have finished their acts, stretching themselves up in their time-to-bolt looks. Since we got too busy to properly thin the radishes and greens early on, there was a bumper crop, with plenty to give away!
Changes are afoot for this bountiful garden and homesite, as life evolves, and it appears that I will be moving away to another residence, still local. The heart calls to co-habitate with my significant other! His place is a bit larger than mine, but it will be a tight squeeze. He has a very large back yard that has been minimally attended to until my presence in his life 😉 But, we won’t be attempting to rehabilitate or redesign it too much at this point; this may be a transition move, as we look for a different house that will be a bit larger. The blueberry devas have definitely been busy improving the bounty over the last couple of years of my working with them. Large, luscious berries this year!
Hence, this year our CG is smaller, maybe 55% of its usual size, with part of it tarped over for weed control. Once some squash and melons are established, they can meander over the top of it. Our usual participants are also either leading busier lives, or less inclined to participate for various reasons, so it is an appropriate time to scale down, and let part of the garden soil rest. This has been another concept I’ve known needed to be implemented at some point, and this is the perfect opportunity! Ideally, the planted portion this year could be left to rest next year, and the fallowed side this year can be planted.
A misty day progressing, although Solstice was pleasantly sunny. Still in spring/summer transition, the familiar tomato red jackets, and jug covers for emerging melons and squash are present and keeping the youngsters warm and protected.
Then, to find a renter for my place, who loves to garden!
…rather than tulips. Perhaps slogging is a better term; definitely rubber boots weather!
Thank goodness for an assortment of blooming tulips and daffodiles to welcome the onset of Spring in western Oregon, which greeted us with more strong rains.
Tulips to the rescue to welcome Spring, while puddles prevail!
Three days of no rain let the previous puddles drain away, and provided us with a chance to dash into the garden to do more pruning, throw on some fertilizers, weed, and minor transplanting. Even a hike into the forest as we felt an energizing rise in temperature.
Equinox today bestows us with more puddles. It has been a day for inside work, cleaning and refilling the bird feeders, reading, cooking, and contemplating future strategy for garden projects (like re-establishing medicinal plants I used to have).
Kind of a “retro-spring” in my mind; reminiscent of winter/springs a couple of decades ago, before the warmer, drier shifts of the last few years. In that sense many of us locals don’t mind “global warming”.
Not even thinking about the CG yet! But weeds are easy to pull!
Welcoming more noticeable light to our northern hemisphere days, while knowing it is harvest-season in the southern hemisphere! May we/you be bountiful in all areas!
Hyacinths and primroses deal with all four seasons of spring weather!
Just realizing the last post requested some real rain; wow, four months ago! We moved into most of fall without substantial moisture, and then it started to be a little more serious in mid-November. It joined us in Hawaii, too; the Big Island having one of its wettest years. Weather shifts everywhere!
Frosty and frigid temperatures came by during early December, making the lettuce and chard stress; frost wilt has an interesting look. A move into the December deluges we have going now, is balancing out the summer drought, but required a harvest of the lettuce, which was giving up due to a bit of rot and slug problems. The beets are surviving the fluctuating surface ponds, and the chard is in some sort of stasis…
It is, after all, the season of rest now that we have reached Winter Solstice in our part of the world.
Wishing everyone a bountiful, healthy, peaceful, and enjoyable holiday season!
Mature, harvested spaghetti and delicata squash (background) giving more room for other squash and melons to roam. Deer deterrent that has worked best is the upside down chair, preventing his landing attempt! Basil is growing lushly, immune to browsing.
Early to bloom, early to ripen, early demise. On the calendar that is! Our “endless summer” has mitigated its heat wave temporarily, so plants look a bit more refreshed. As observed over the last couple of weeks, some squash leaves signaled their fatigue and resignation to powdery mildew, as the fruits of their efforts came into maturity. Spaghetti squash and delicata bushes were harvested and removed, providing some more freed crawling space for the little margarita and chanterai-type melons. It seems so early for all this, but then again summer weather started very early. Our first tomato pickings, too, and now they are moving into more continual ripening. Zucchinis and yellow summer squash are still very active, and the cucumbers come in little waves. I haven’t dared to peek under the acorn squash yet; and it is still quite mildew-free, so there’s a bit of time to catch the breath before doing more work.
The hidden gems of mini-canteloupes and other melons coming into maturity. Mildew helping move along the bush lifespan more quickly than usual!
As much as I’d like to start planting more lettuce, it is still too early, given the soil and air temperatures are too warm; must be patient till at least mid-to-late August. It is amazing how well beets will hold up if they can keep their roots shaded from too much light. And, it is always amazing how beans will recuperate from moderate deer browsing, to push forth more flowers again. Seems like we might have the deer stymied for the time being, although he does come by to see what vines he can possibly nibble on that might escape the protection of netting.
I have been watching for the signs of summer fatigue in the landscape and forest trees this last week, after another 4-day marathon of 100-degree heat. Whereas the subtle shift of green to green-gold comes in mid-late August, there are some trees that have flat-out protested the whole summer, with leaves turning brown, curling up, and are blowing off this week. I had a brief glimpse of fall there, then realized these were severely heat-stressed! Lavenders have recuperated a bit, and providing plenty of nectar for the bees and butterflies. Life is good!
While it is the start to “official” summer, with the continuation of mainly dry, warm weather since February, it feels like we’ve been into summer for almost 2 months, and now it should be mid-summer. I am smiling as I think about June 21, 2011, when most of us were either staying indoors, or braving wet weather as a cold front moved in for a few days. Opposite spectrum. With the forecast of another heat-wave presenting itself a few days after the solstice, it is going to be interesting to witness how the regions’ plants endure a long summer “drought”.
While we have had the occasional hot days without an evening westerly breezed to cool us off, the more typical afternoon winds have been coming around daily this last week, making for frequent watering needs everywhere in the garden. It is hard to keep everybody hydrated very long!
Cherries are at prime right now, rather than closer to July 4th, strawberry season long gone, and blueberries coming on 2 to 3 weeks early! Since early May, the local forests have given off their fir- and cedar- aromas normally detected only in later summer.
The CG is holding up in a more typical manner. Squash and melons just take their time finally kicking in and growing, and they love the warmer weather. Radishes and arugula have decided it’s time to bolt and flower, and beans are growing magnificently. Earlier than anticipated, there are some green roma tomatoes, just found this morning while watering. Maybe it will be the earliest tomato season I’ve witnessed! And there are even some chile peppers. The local four-legged browsers are leaving evidence of lurking nearby, munching on succulent apple leaf, and dogwood tips, but have not breached the deer fence.
The fence is restretched and reinforced with another layer of netting in one area, while I contemplate a different method of using “smoke and mirrors” to visually fool the browsers as to the actual height of the fence.
The longest days of the year in the northern hemisphere are here, providing exqusite summer evenings, and there is potent light energy coming through right now. Enjoy summer in your yard or out in a local park or forest, or in any way you are able, that lifts your spirits!
It’s always a great feeling when all the seeding and planting is finished, and can announce that the CG is “open as usual.” This year it has been hard to assign the right time to put everything in, given the incredibly warm and dry spring we’ve had. March, April, and May have seemed to be intertwining months, with no real differentiation in their feel of time. In April it felt like it was almost time to plant, but the calendar reminded me that tomatoes are best not put in before mid-May. And so it is, and the tomatoes have their red spring jackets on. Because, inevitably it may be warm for weeks, but when you get ready to plant tomatoes, the temperatures cool down a bit. Variability is the name of the game.
Finally underway!
As of today, the spaghetti squash once again wins the race for first emergence of all the squash, melons, and cukes!
Since our precipitation has come primarily in the form of spitting drizzle, it was necessary to wet down the soil with an oscillating sprinkler a few days ahead of planting. We were rewarded with more ease of fertilizaer and soil preparation, and the emergence of tiny lettuce, beet, and radish seedlings in record time. The cooler weather has actually been a boon for transplanting, but is deceiving in that the breezy, dry conditions require more watering than thought.
Neighbor’s artistic use of bamboo at back of our property to confuse and deter the deer; at over 8 feet high, we are hoping it works!
While awaiting the sprouting of squash, cucumber, and melon seeds, it’s time to contemplate the next phase of deer defense, as they have found their way into the house yard through the few open spots of the back area.
In spite of our overcast, cool, yet very dry weather, the bees are actively buzzing amidst the Spanish lavender!
Hope your gardens are emerging and growing well, wherever you are!
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