Harvest time!

I can't believe it but July is nearly over. Summer has flown by and with the cold/rainy June we had, the growing season has been short. Still, the plants continue to produce. Picked 7 heads of garlic yesterday. each one grew from a single clove that I got through our CSA. Amazed again at how each plant carries in it, the ability to feed me and to produce additional plants. I find the cycle of life to be fascinating.


And so this begins the time of harvest, when the garden produces more than I can use and I have to start storing things for winter. Seattle has wonderfully mild winters so I can overwinter things like kale but as the tomatoes, garlic, potatoes, blackberries come in, I need to utilize the root cellar and canning to provide in the dark months.

Today's harvest: fennel, second growth broccoli, tomatoes, oh and BLACKBERRIES!



On a whim I made a fennel, broccoli, egg stir fry with no other flavors but a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Delicious!

Chickens!

Just a side note: if you're interested in my other projects you can see them here: House Remodel and New Kitchen and African Travel and Exploration.

Now, onward to the girls.
Meet Faith

Hope

Charity
and Frank (the hen).

And their little house:

Veggies

My eventual goal is to develop a subsistence farming operation on my little 1/10th acre plot in Southeast Seattle providing the vast bulk of our food needs. For now I'm just trying to learn all that I can, reconnect with the land and the growing seasons, and build up the infrastructure needed. We started with a grass front yard with an herb/flower garden. (Looking for a picture)


I turned it all under and, with the help of my father-in-law, put in a little gravel path. I was turning things under in April I think so my growing season was a bit short. The first year consisted of tomatoes, kale, and a bunch of kubota squash plants that seeded themselves from the compost pile.

This year I've developed the land a bit more. Rainwater barrels cover most of my watering needs; the tomatoes have moved to hanging pots to free up space. Veggies so far: Peas, jalepeno peppers, lemon cucumber, fennel, lettuce (red, green, barcarole, romaine, mesclun mix), chard, green onions, red onions, radishes, bell peppers, celeriac, leeks, kale, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, beets, zucchini, acorn squash, pumpkin, delicata squash, mustard, arugula, nasturtium, garlic, potatoes, rosemary, thyme, parsley, cilantro, oregano, lavender, sage.

So far it has been a very productive garden. Lots of radishes, Caesar salad, peas, broccoli, cabbage. But there are plenty of misfortunes as well. All of the cauliflower died, and I'm on planting #3 for the cucumber but I'm confident THIS time it will work. I tried carrots a number of times before they started to grow; and I have yet to harvest any so who knows if it will work.

Growth

Well, as usual I'm starting in the middle and working in both directions. We've just started the next phase of our tiny little farm: rabbits! And only now am I getting this blog up and running. I'll go back and put up some pictures of the development of our little plot of land from boring lawn to awesome veggie garden and even more about the chickens.

So come back often. You're always welcome here.