Tag Archives: propagation

Rapini and Other Flowers

Posted on April 27, 2012 by

A few days of warm weather, and most everything that can bloom is blooming.  Pictured here is rapini, and the rest of the October-planted fall/winter vegetables – broccoli, mustards, collards, cabbage – are throwing flowers like crazy as well.  They’re … Continue reading →

Posted in Food Forest, Propagation | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Always Be Propagating

Posted on March 22, 2012 by

Every weekday morning, before heading down the hill to work, I spend 15 or 20 minutes in the greenhouse, staring at the cuttings and seedlings. After this morning’s greenhouse session, I’m happy to report that the tomato seedlings are growing … Continue reading →

Posted in Food Forest, Fruit, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

DIY Plant Markers

Posted on March 15, 2012 by

I finally got around to a) purchasing some proper aluminum plant markers, and b) deciding that it’s silly to buy aluminum plant markers and proceeding to craft my own from a cheap aluminum pie pan.  Farewell, six dollars U.S.  Backing … Continue reading →

Posted in Food Forest, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Layering Blackcurrants

Posted on March 11, 2012 by

Spent the day propagating plants.  Back in fall, I tried my hand at ground layering, a technique that involves burying part of a plant stem to encourage the plant to root in place.  Specifically, I bent a long blackcurrant stem … Continue reading →

Posted in Food Forest, Fruit, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Signs of Spring

Posted on February 18, 2012 by

Plants seem uninterested in dates, instead using temperature and daylight hours and plant hormones to define “spring,” and many plants in my garden have decided that now’s the time.  Though there doesn’t seem to be consensus – the asparagus seems … Continue reading →

Posted in Food Forest, Fruit | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Planning for Spring – Seed Savers Exchange

Posted on February 9, 2012 by

Not a lot to do in the garden lately.  I’m holding out hope that the scarily dry winter will give way to a miracle March, filled with snow and rain.  In the meantime, the catalogs have arrived in force.  Along … Continue reading →

Posted in Vegetables | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Update – Elderberries on Acid

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

Not much going on in the garden, and no precip for months.  Strange weather… A couple of months ago, I wrote about scarifying elderberry seeds with strong acid.  I checked the seeds this morning – they’ve been sequestered in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Food Forest, Fruit, Native Plants | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Critical Mass

Posted on November 11, 2011 by

I have sort of come to the conclusion – inasmuch as I can come to a conclusion this early in the process – that where I garden, building a food forest is about critical mass.  It’s a very different aesthetic … Continue reading →

Posted in Food Forest | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Great Rhubarb Divide

Posted on October 27, 2011 by

I’m especially fond of plants that are easily propagated, either by seed or division or cuttings.  Rhubarb (Rheum x hybridum) is just such a plant, and one of my fall chores – not every fall, mind you, but every 3 … Continue reading →

Posted in Food Forest, Fruit, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Plum Gone Wild

Posted on October 20, 2011 by

This fruit is from either from a wild plum tree (Prunus americana), or else from an ordinary plum tree gone feral. More likely the latter, since California doesn’t appear to be in the natural range for wild plum. In any … Continue reading →

Posted in Food Forest, Fruit | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment