By fromskilledhands (
August 27, 2009 at 9:22 pm)
· Filed under Garden, Mandala garden
I spent some time in the garden yesterday, a welcome respite from the events of the past few weeks. What a wonderful place to be, feet planted firmly on the ground, feeling the energy of the earth. Here are some photos so you can see how my garden grows. As always, feel free to leave me a comment, or a stone (o) to let me know you have been here.
The weather has been good to the gardens in my valley, and Garden Henge has also enjoyed the blessings of Spring. The intense rains earlier this week and the warm temperatures have encouraged the plants and seeds to flourish. Each day is an adventure. I love going out there and seeing what has changed. I have brought a chair out to the garden, and I enjoy my morning cup of tea or coffee in the solitude of the space. Butterflies and insects abound and the majesty of Mother Nature is evident every way I look. Seedlings are emerging from the rich soil, reaching for the light.
We are already enjoying lettuce, peas and onions from the gardens. Here’s a look at what else is growing.
Travis Erwin, My Town Mondays intrepid host, will be glad to know that the rains have also brought out lots of slugs. I think that they would qualify as meat. Wander on over to Travis’ place, and you will find links to other folks’ towns all over this fine planet.
We’ve gardened for some time here in our valley, but this year we decided to expand our garden, and our minds. I’ve spent the last few years exploring permaculture. Dictionary.com defines it :
a system of cultivation intended to maintain permanent agriculture or horticulture by relying on renewable resources and a self-sustaining ecosystem.
We decided on a mandala shaped garden for the new bed for several reasons: there is certainly more square footage with this method but mainly it is beautiful. Nature does not grow things in straight rows. It is also a no-till method so the soil structure is maintained. We started by mowing the area and then put down a thick layer of newspapers to kill the sod. We layered different kinds or organic matter: leaves, straw, grass clippings, compost, and manure. Then we planted. The soil is amazingly friable! We never walk on it so it isn’t compacted. Weeds can be pulled out with ease. We planted a variety of vegetables an flowers to create a diverse environment. Our goal is to grow as much of out own food as possible, as well as food for my in-laws, and for a food pantry.
Here are some photos of the work in progress. I’ll keep you posted so you can see how it grows.
Cloudy and Winston were happy to join us in this beautiful place.
The weather has been good to the gardens in my valley, and Garden Henge has also enjoyed the blessings of Spring. The intense rains earlier this week and the warm temperatures have encouraged the plants and seeds to flourish. Each day is an adventure. I love going out there and seeing what has changed. I have brought a chair out to the garden, and I enjoy my morning cup of tea or coffee in the solitude of the space. Butterflies and insects abound and the majesty of Mother Nature is evident every way I look. Seedlings are emerging from the rich soil, reaching for the light.
We’ve gardened for some time here in our valley, but this year we decided to expand our garden, and our minds. I’ve spent the last few years exploring permaculture. Dictionary.com defines it :
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