Grandma Joan just sent this photo to me. Taken on a trip to France at a local market, living walls reflect a living culture. Perhaps this is the right idea for the big South facing wall of our building!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Vertical Gardening
Grandma Joan just sent this photo to me. Taken on a trip to France at a local market, living walls reflect a living culture. Perhaps this is the right idea for the big South facing wall of our building!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Josiane Keller's photos
"Sunflower and seeds," 2012
Our mammoth sunflower head
captured in process of taking the seeds out.
"Squash at night" 2012
as she walked out to her car through the garden after a night of chatting,
she spied a squash in the street light.
Photos taken by Josiane Keller
josianekeller.com
And the blueberries finally find a home.
Now in the second year of the garden, there has been a convergence of blueberry bushes amongst the land! They came from all over and have now found a home!
When we first moved here, we planted two dwarf blueberry bushes, and another two "pink lemonade" blueberry bushes. Two in the backyard garden, and two in the side lot, along the fence under the crabapple tree. The city came in the first year, and since there wasn't much happening on the lot that season- they paid no mind when they came in and weed wacked both "pink lemonade" varieties down to short plants. I looked at it as an opportunity to give them a good pruning, and give them a good boost of energy to pop up more vigorously (this was also the case for the serviceberry planted nearby).
In this second year, the black walnut tree has expanded, as we have into more of the side lot. That being said, the black walnut now has been hanging too close to the blueberries for comfort, and since blueberries are sensitive to juglone, I knew it was time for us to expand like the black walnut canopy into the side lot.
To add to this, a friend in Food Not Lawns Cleveland, was able to bargain a great deal for blueberry bushes that were near to being trashed by Whole Foods- and so she sold them to me real cheap- so how could I resist getting four more very healthy, already fruit-bearing bushes?! I brought them home without a place yet set for them, and they have sat for several weeks, just waiting for the convergence.
And as you may have it, cleaning up the garden- readying things for winter, the blueberry bed revealed itself. Where I had put the Garden Soxx that had been given to us from the Buckeye CDC through the Family Garden Initiative- there was a bare patch of soil underneath. They are also at the end of a bench, which makes a quaint place for sitting, and hopefully, in the future, a convenient place to put your basket for picking a quarts of berries!
There we had it- revealed to us. So, with the soil being still fairly clay and rocky in the lot (still in the area where a house had stood only a few years back), I sheet-mulched several layers, including compost, cardboard, very broken down wood chips, wet paper lawn bags, leaves, wood chips, grass clippings, straw, leaves mixed with pine needles, coffee grounds, soil, compost, more leaves. And in they went, all tucked in for winter. It's exciting to see them there and anticipate them in the future. They are planted nearby where I recently transplanted the rhubarb and more strawberries (making a pie section of the garden). As for the bigger picture, they are near the center of the center lot, crossing to the center of the greenhouse, and I feel they will work as creating a living barrier for the public-private gradient of the garden. This process will continue to evolve, in its hodge-podge fashion.
For now, the blueberries are transitioning into their new home- hopefully one that they will thrive in for a long time.
Mulch, Mulch, Mulch & More Mulch!
is to mulch in the Fall!
And OH! is there an abundance! This time of year, everyone is racking their leaves, or leaf-blowing them away (oh, how noisy those things are- this is one invention that I will grateful for peak oil to make null & void!), stuffing them into big brown paper bags and asking the city to take them away. Of course, if you live in Cleveland, the story is different- maybe those leaves end up in the landfill (*Did you know that it is actually illegal in the state of Ohio for yard waste to go in the landfill?). For the moment, though, I focus on all the bags of leaves lining the streets metaphorically and in actuality: the bags of gold.
Free nitrogen fertilizing mulch laying around in convenient take-away bags! I have started a policy that you are only allowed to take the car out for errands, if you also pick-up a few bags on your way home. Heck, we live in the age of cheap fossil fuel fed energy- and it may not always be here- and well, we got to take full advantage of it while we can to rebuild our soils ASAP! So bring on the biomass!
Here's to being like a tree- and MULCHING!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
The Greenhouse Winter & Beyond
With the heavy, puffy gray clouds rolling along the horizon, we meet spitting rain and gusty winds. Fall is upon us and whispering away about Winter. I wonder if it will be one filled with snow. We shall see. But for now, we are readying things for Winter. With that we turn to the aquaponics greenhouse.
The greenhouse just got a new coat- a plastic sheet covering coat, that is, and is fully weatherized (save one crack). We cleaned out extra grow bed pebbles, and some plants that were about done, and are making plans for next year. This Winter in the greenhouse will be the inaugural year of outdoor aquaponics for us, and we plan to observe accordingly. Currently, we have the fish tank filled with goldfish, and we will be monitoring the water temperature, and also the temperature inside the greenhouse. We plan to put some black plastic over the tank, as well, to help hold thermal heat and keep the water warm. As it stands now, with one water tank nested underground, the water should be able to stay above freezing (or at least, it has a longer and better chance at it). Since it is running water- every 15 minutes it is pumped from the fish tank through the grow beds- it will also increase less freezing possibilities. We can also up the pumping frequency, to keep the water from freezing, if it gets so cold that it starts to freeze in between pumping sessions. There is only one real pump that is a freezing concern- as if the water does freeze, that pipe will bust and water will spill out onto the ground and flood the grow beds. There are worse things- but another to watch for. The goldfish very well will go dormant, and so would the bacteria if things get too cold- which means also that the plants will stop growing, and potentially die. At last resort, we may heat the greenhouse if we commit to growing all our fresh winter greens out there. We are playing it by ear.
The plan for the Spring, though is to start with Tilapia. Because the fish tank takes up such a large space in the greenhouse- it seems quite silly to be using that space just for pet goldfish. So, that will begin that process! I may add in another grow bed, perhaps even a raised bed with soil that I can plant some heat loving plants in and just water with water from the fish tank (they will like this, as well)! Just trying out lots of different techniques- mix and match- see what works best.
Noah had set up two systems initially in the greenhouse- one with four grow beds connected through the fish tank and the tank underground- and a second made out of three fence posts with holes in them ideal for strawberries or lettuce patches. The latter went through the bottom tank, and worked on a syphoning system & gravity (I look to Noah to explain the mechanics the best here). This system, however, we've deemed to abandoned in this set-up, as it doesn't seem to optimally use the space, it was aesthetically pleasing, and seemed to be lacking- perhaps in proper function? So, onto the next phase of experimentation!
Another addition that I am extremely excited about- is our new worm bin! I feel this worm bin will be the key ingredient to making the aquaponic system complete! As things grew this past season, it became clear that the system lacked certain nutrients (granted, this was the first season of it up and running and it takes time for all the bacteria and system to get fully-established). We could observe this with chlorosis (yellowing of the leaves), and also some of the vegetables that came out didn't taste like much (lacking nutrients). SO! A great and quick way to remedy this is to sprinkle some of the magic substance of WORM CASTINGS!! Hurray for worms! The worm bin is just getting established, and once it is really kicking, we will be sending castings on their way to the greenhouse. Also, the beautiful thing about the worm bin is that worm eat, poop and reproduce- which means more worms! And these worms are also incredibly valuable to the aquaponic system with grow beds. We will just place some of these worms into the beds, and watch them do help to create a living food web inside the grow beds.
So many plans for the greenhouse! More fish-and edible ones at that, more nutrients which means more tasty and healthy plants, a worm party, more fully used space, and continued experimentation and observation. Also, for next summer, thinking about the potentially to really cook in there if we keep the plastic on the top, we are talking about the possibility of growing a living, edible shade cover- like hops, or groundnut, or grapevines, or hardy kiwi, or maypop (though I think I'm inclined to leave maypop's territory in the front of the house, since it likes to spread so vigorously). So many exciting things to look forward to! Hurray hurray hurray for feedback from this living system! When you listen, it is always a conversation!
 |
| The greenhouse at the end of the summer, prior to winterization. |
The greenhouse just got a new coat- a plastic sheet covering coat, that is, and is fully weatherized (save one crack). We cleaned out extra grow bed pebbles, and some plants that were about done, and are making plans for next year. This Winter in the greenhouse will be the inaugural year of outdoor aquaponics for us, and we plan to observe accordingly. Currently, we have the fish tank filled with goldfish, and we will be monitoring the water temperature, and also the temperature inside the greenhouse. We plan to put some black plastic over the tank, as well, to help hold thermal heat and keep the water warm. As it stands now, with one water tank nested underground, the water should be able to stay above freezing (or at least, it has a longer and better chance at it). Since it is running water- every 15 minutes it is pumped from the fish tank through the grow beds- it will also increase less freezing possibilities. We can also up the pumping frequency, to keep the water from freezing, if it gets so cold that it starts to freeze in between pumping sessions. There is only one real pump that is a freezing concern- as if the water does freeze, that pipe will bust and water will spill out onto the ground and flood the grow beds. There are worse things- but another to watch for. The goldfish very well will go dormant, and so would the bacteria if things get too cold- which means also that the plants will stop growing, and potentially die. At last resort, we may heat the greenhouse if we commit to growing all our fresh winter greens out there. We are playing it by ear.
The plan for the Spring, though is to start with Tilapia. Because the fish tank takes up such a large space in the greenhouse- it seems quite silly to be using that space just for pet goldfish. So, that will begin that process! I may add in another grow bed, perhaps even a raised bed with soil that I can plant some heat loving plants in and just water with water from the fish tank (they will like this, as well)! Just trying out lots of different techniques- mix and match- see what works best.
Noah had set up two systems initially in the greenhouse- one with four grow beds connected through the fish tank and the tank underground- and a second made out of three fence posts with holes in them ideal for strawberries or lettuce patches. The latter went through the bottom tank, and worked on a syphoning system & gravity (I look to Noah to explain the mechanics the best here). This system, however, we've deemed to abandoned in this set-up, as it doesn't seem to optimally use the space, it was aesthetically pleasing, and seemed to be lacking- perhaps in proper function? So, onto the next phase of experimentation!
 |
| Some discoloration in the calendula petals & lettuce made it clear the system is lacking in nutrients. |
So many plans for the greenhouse! More fish-and edible ones at that, more nutrients which means more tasty and healthy plants, a worm party, more fully used space, and continued experimentation and observation. Also, for next summer, thinking about the potentially to really cook in there if we keep the plastic on the top, we are talking about the possibility of growing a living, edible shade cover- like hops, or groundnut, or grapevines, or hardy kiwi, or maypop (though I think I'm inclined to leave maypop's territory in the front of the house, since it likes to spread so vigorously). So many exciting things to look forward to! Hurray hurray hurray for feedback from this living system! When you listen, it is always a conversation!
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Get a Yield & Redundancy
Peter Bane in his new book, The Permaculture Handbook, includes "redundancy" as an element of "getting a yield." I found this to be particularly pertinent when I noticed some of my collard plants this past week completely infested with aphids. One grouping of plants were pretty much all eaten up by them- or at least, about to be eaten up by them, seeing as the leaves looked fuzzy with their little powdery bodies piled upon one another.
So, to get a yield, I harvested the collard plants, and brought them right over to the chicken coop, where the protein packed plants were quickly picked apart by very happy chickens. The chickens were so excited to have such a nice little protein snack, along side the dark leafy greens. And I was happy to clear out a large population of aphids.
That being said, the redundancy factor came into play for "get a yield" by the fact that the collard grouping I had harvested was not the only one out there. With two other groupings of collard plants, we still have a steady supply, and the aphid supply has been brought in check (at least for now!) much thanks to the chickens. In this case, "get a yield" and "redundancy" were too principles that were quite intertwined. {}
So, to get a yield, I harvested the collard plants, and brought them right over to the chicken coop, where the protein packed plants were quickly picked apart by very happy chickens. The chickens were so excited to have such a nice little protein snack, along side the dark leafy greens. And I was happy to clear out a large population of aphids.
That being said, the redundancy factor came into play for "get a yield" by the fact that the collard grouping I had harvested was not the only one out there. With two other groupings of collard plants, we still have a steady supply, and the aphid supply has been brought in check (at least for now!) much thanks to the chickens. In this case, "get a yield" and "redundancy" were too principles that were quite intertwined. {}
Friday, October 5, 2012
Skill Share
Hands-on Propagation Workshop
Free workshop
Saturday, October 6
1 - 2:30 pm
led by Garrett Ormiston of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
& Josh Koppen, Natural Builder & Permaculturalist
Learn how to create new native plants from seeds, cuttings and division
(Seed collection, storage, stratification, sowing, hard & soft wood cuttings, division)
Call (216) 281-6468 x 227 to register, as space is limited.
Workshop will be held at 2396 West 38th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
(off West 41st Street in Ohio City)
Local Food Festival
LOCAL FOOD FESTIVAL
10am-3pm, Grace Lutheran Church, 13001 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights
Free and open to all. Come for a presentation or two (or all!), meet the local food activists who are leading the local food revolution in our area, and sample local food. Help grow the local food movement in the Heights. Family friendly, handicap accessible, near public transportation.
DOOR PRIZES! FarmShare Gift Basket and a One Year Subscription to Edible Cleveland
I'll be there with FOOD NOT LAWNS CLEVELAND:
Make your own seed balls, and meet the Heights locals who are taking an active part in creating a thriving and healthy community through suburban permaculture, reducing waste, converting lawns to organic food, rainwater catchment and reuse, seed security, and reducing their carbon footprint.
Should be a good time!
10am-3pm, Grace Lutheran Church, 13001 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights
Free and open to all. Come for a presentation or two (or all!), meet the local food activists who are leading the local food revolution in our area, and sample local food. Help grow the local food movement in the Heights. Family friendly, handicap accessible, near public transportation.
DOOR PRIZES! FarmShare Gift Basket and a One Year Subscription to Edible Cleveland
TABLES, PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS Farm fresh food samples | Food preservation and composting workshops| Fun stuff for the kids | Urban agriculture | Make seed balls | Locally-sourced food | Network with your food-growing neighbors | Community gardening | Local Cook books | Homemade jams and jellies | Reserve a Farm Fresh Thanksgiving Turkey|Herbs
Visit these vendors throughout the day:
10:00: A Chef and His Farmer: Doug Katz/fire with Jay Szabo/Dunham Tavern Garden, Noelle Celeste/Edible Cleveland Join Noelle Celeste, publisher of Edible Cleveland as she hosts a conversation with Chef Douglas Katz of fire food and drink and Farmer Jay Szabo of Dunham Tavern Market Garden to explore the relationship between a chef dedicated to local food and the farmer who grows it
10:40: Neighborhoods, Food, and You Elle Adams/ City Rising Farm, Damien Forshe/Rid-All Green Partnership, Mansfield Frazier/The Vineyards of Chateau Hough. Inspriation and neighborhood transformation from the urban gardening and farming pioneers of Cleveland. Discover how we can build upon their efforts here in the Heights!
11:20: Hands On Food-Folk Music with Deborah Van Kleef Musical activities about food and where it comes from with rootsy rustbelt folkie Deborah Van Kleef. Fun for the whole family!
Noon: Rain Garden Dedication with David Ernat and NEOSWRD
Noon: Rain Garden Dedication with David Ernat and NEOSWRD
12:35: Preserve It with The Charmed Kitchen-Judi Strauss. Here’s the information you need to get the most out of your garden and summer produce specials. From canning basics to freezing you’ll learn how to safely store many fruits and vegetables for use throughout the year.
1:15: What Is Community Supported Agriculture? Michelle Bandy-Zalatoris/Geauga Family Farms and Sandy Kish Jordan/CityFresh/The New Agraian Center, will tell you all you need to know to about CSAs and how you can subscribe to these annual local farm services City Fresh is a program of the New Agrarian Center (NAC) that seeks to build a more just and sustainable local food system in Cuyahoga, Lorain &Erie counties.
1:55: Community Gardening in the Heights Nicole Wright, OSU Extension Service, Urban Agriculture Small grants, technical assistance, and the nuts and bolts of community gardening in the suburbs! cuyahoga.osu.edu
2:30: Composting Workshop and Bin Sale Kathleen Rocco, Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District . Learn about backyard composting, worm composting, types of compost bins, grasscycling, and other smart gardening techniques. cuyahogaswd.org. Compost bins will be available for sale.
Food, glorious food! Visit with these fine local foodies and practitioners throughout the day
Food, glorious food! Visit with these fine local foodies and practitioners throughout the day
I'll be there with FOOD NOT LAWNS CLEVELAND:
Make your own seed balls, and meet the Heights locals who are taking an active part in creating a thriving and healthy community through suburban permaculture, reducing waste, converting lawns to organic food, rainwater catchment and reuse, seed security, and reducing their carbon footprint.
Should be a good time!
Permaculture Principles & Ethics
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am currently in a Permaculture Design Course as run through Green Triangle based in Cleveland. There are many things I'm encountering in the course that are expanding the ways I think about space and growing in it. With intention to process the various ethics, I thought I'd use this space to share experiences with Possibilitarian Garden that demonstrate clearly these permaculture principles. For now, I simply present the principles and ethics, in case the reader is unfamiliar.
These are the Permaculture Principles:
1. Observe & interact
2. Catch & store energy
3. Obtain a yield
4. Apply self-regulation & accept feedback
5. Use & value renewable resources & services
6. Produce no waste
7. Design from patterns to details
8. Integrate rather than segregate
9. Use small & slow solutions
10. Use & value diversity
11. Use edges & value the marginal
12. Creatively use & respond to change
And the Permaculture Ethics are:
Care of the Earth
Care of People
Fair Share
These are the Permaculture Principles:
1. Observe & interact
2. Catch & store energy
3. Obtain a yield
4. Apply self-regulation & accept feedback
5. Use & value renewable resources & services
6. Produce no waste
7. Design from patterns to details
8. Integrate rather than segregate
9. Use small & slow solutions
10. Use & value diversity
11. Use edges & value the marginal
12. Creatively use & respond to change
And the Permaculture Ethics are:
Care of the Earth
Care of People
Fair Share
For a visual, see:
http://permacultureprinciples.com/downloads/pc_principles_poster.pdf
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