| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Slim |
Slim's GardenOk, so here's the garden I grow at my father's house. It doesn't really get as much sun as I'd like, I haven't fertilized anything in over a year, and I'm never there to weed or water it, but despite the low-inputs it still manages to give me some food (and a lot of enjoyment).P.S. I weeded everything after taking the photos 
Here's my three sisters guild with an Indonesian variety of popcorn, arm-long beans, some soldier beans, a blue hubbard squash of questionable paternity & some melons thrown in after I took the picture. 
Edit:Look how much the corn has grown in just a touch over a week!  Nothing like Vermont corn growin' weather
Here's a closeup 
More arm-long beans, squash, and some unidentified cole crops that didn't sell at the farm 
My bean bed. Two native bush varieties from the southwest U.S. that I'm trying to increase my seed supply of. (and a rogue brassica) 
My nightshade bed. Sprouting potatoes from the pantry, and rescued tomatoes from the farm (including striped romans) 
Bee balm, comfrey, some romaine, a rescued brandywine tomato, and some unknown rescued peppers. 
Rescued Cukes (joined shortly thereafter by a rescued melon plant in the middle of everything) 
Blueberries are ready! 
And raspberries 
And blackcaps 
And a sample of the year's Bartlett harvest to come 
Notice anything unusual about this tree peony blossom from the spring? 
A little closer... 
There seems to be a rule about frogs; the tinier they are, the cuter they are.  [/img]
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| Helen M |
A little closer...
There seems to be a rule about frogs; the tinier they are, the cuter they are. i agree 
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| judith |
If that is your idea of neglect, I'm not going to show you my garden
Are your blackberries really fruiting at the same time as your raspberries? |
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| Slim |
Blackcaps are black raspberries, not blackberries, so yes!
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| Bebo |
Fantastic garden. | ||||
| judith |
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| Slim |
No embarrassment necessary! I think that blackcaps are a North American native, and not likely to have found their way to your side of the pond. (we certainly didn't plant them  )
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| Jamanda |
I never realised that's how blueberries grew. I thought they were on smaller plants that grew close to the ground
Why don't we grow blueberries over here? Edited to add Cute frog BTW
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| Cathryn |
I like your rescue plants. 
Mochyn grows blueberries. So they do grow over here. Actually they were Gordon's not Mochyn's we were not allowed to touch let alone taste. |
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| Bebo |
We do. I've got two blueberry bushes in pots. They need ericacious (sp) soil so I haven't planted them into the ground. Made blueberry muffins yesterday with the first of this years pickings. |
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| Slim |
These are highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) many wild blueberries around here are lowbush blueberries (V. angustifolium) and they're harvested from just above ground level with big rakes. So you're right, just not about these blueberries! 
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| Jamanda |
OK - that's a project for next year then - or do I find some to plant in the Autumn? | ||||
| judith |
They look good whatever they are. I rather like the thought of a summer pudding made with red, yellow and black raspberries. Yum! |
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| Jamanda |
Vaccinium is the same genus as our little bilberries I think. | ||||
| Bebo |
I got mine in pots rather than bare rooted so you can probably start anytime. |
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| gil |
That looks great. Will you be there to eat / cook / preserve your veg and fruit ?
Your growing season is much further on than here. But then you are more than 10 degrees further south than me, and with a continental rather than a cool maritime climate. I have nowt ready apart from baby leaves of chard and mustard greens for salad, and a few wild strawbs. |
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| marigold |
Lovely garden - I like rescuing plants too .
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| Mrs Fiddlesticks |
great pictures. I'm intrigued with the idea of a nightshade family bed with toms and spuds all together. Do you get blight though? | ||||
| cab |
*wanders into front garden, spots twig that is arguably alive, and wonders where he's going wrong with blackcaps* |
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| cab |
You can get blackcap here: http://www.korewildfruitnursery.co.uk/ Might be forced to get another and plant it somewhere better than the last one. |
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| woodsprite |
Ohhh You!
I'm still in limbo waiting for my next garden but that doesn't stop me plotting and planning ( ask the MDS girls how sad I am ) and now I'm going to have to add black caps to my imaginary fruit patch!
Now where am I going to put them...................
Lovely to see how other folk do it, fascinating in fact I wish more of us would post piccies. Like Mrs F I'm intrigued by the idea of tatties and toms together, it seems perfectly sensible, legumes together, roots together, nightshade together but what about blight? Maybe you don't get as bad as we do over here? |
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| vanessa |
Certainly is
What a delightful garden If that's what your garden looks like having been neglected ... fancy a holiday in France? My veggie plot could do with some of your neglect
Oh, and what an adorable little frog
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| Slim |
I don't normally have much of a problem with blight at home. Sometimes early blight, but late blight is less common, as there aren't many other nearby gardeners.
blackcaps usually plant themselves around here (via wild birds) so I haven't got much advice on growing them....  I think they just act like the rest of the Rubus bunch, prefer to pop up in breaks in the woods, on margins, etc...
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| cab |
In my front garden, I've got white stemmed bramble, dewberry, silver stemmed bramble (just fruiting for the first time, delightful looking yellow berries, not THAT tasty, but pretty), loganberry and salmonberry. Out back I've got tayberry. Down at the plot I've got raspberry, another loganberry, another tayberry, and of course bramble ('cos who hasn't, somewhere, in a guilty unweeded corner?). The blackcap is out in the front garden, and its the only one yet to fruit (or, at least, flower). Hasn't even gained much height, its not a happy chap. Think I'll move it. The only other rubus I have is a mysore black raspberry in the garden (over winters in the back hall). Still hasn't given me any fruit, after I think two years now. So I'm sure that blackcaps will do well somewhere, I'll be blown if I can work out just what it is that they need to be happy
(I'm also eyeing up a couple of Japanese wineberry patches I know, for taking cuttings...) |
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| Quail By Mail |
Exactly how small was that frog in the peony? It looks thumbnail size!!!!! Amazing you spotted it. And adoreable. | ||||
| kevin.vinke |
Great photos! 
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| earthyvirgo |
Wonderful, that's just my idea of veg planting, mix and match, where there's any spare room, pop something in, even if it's just one plant.
(I'll try and dig out a pic or 2 of our garden - v small, so every inch of soil counts ... pics added) Rocket in foreground, more Swiss Chard and a few sprout plants lurking behind a Philadelphus. 
Purple sprouting broccoli, a couple of french marigolds, Swiss Chard and some tiny leeks in the forground, Summer cabbage in cold frame, more PSB and climbing french beans behind. Sorrel on lower level. 
I've never really done the 3 year rotation of crops to the letter and not really found any problems with disease or poor crops. I guess it's more important on a larger scale. Earthy V |
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| Soapnutter |
Very cute frog!
Love the rescued and shoved in a space stuff. Looks like neglect works for you! |