Planting and Growing Your Own -- 2021

[sixwings]

my radishes have sprouted!

[Rosy]

Thanks @Trifele! I'll look into the malabar spinach, have a fence where this could be perfect. Watching YouTube plant shows tonight :) Sweet potato greens are also getting started here, that's another staple during the warm months (raw or cooked).

@Rosy can I ask about your African blue basil? Do you cut this back or leave it alone? I've left it alone and it's looking sad/dried out. There's been practically no rain for the past two months which might be the issue or maybe need to cut back for new growth. Any tips are appreciated!

@Roots&Wings - about the African Blue Basil
 - usually, cutting does not work. It will not grow back or produce new branches. Apparently, it wants to be left alone and when it starts to get any bare twiggy areas, that's it. The other areas will continue to do just fine. I read somewhere that it does well for three to five years and that has been true for mine, it is as if it starts dying in sections.
Once it becomes bare and twiggy there is no rescue...

However,
the three that are in a different, wilder part of the garden simply spread on the ground, leaning over and growing new roots from one of the branches that leaned into the ground. I cut away all the bare parts and it has somehow refashioned itself into a round full bush again.
It isn't a water hog by any means, but it does appreciate water during the summer.
Those three basil bushes are now two years old and looking very happy - the bare branch thing happened on only one of them when several branches were damaged and broken accidentally. But once the new branch on the ground was well established the damaged part - which I had cut back severely also made a full comeback. This is the first time I've seen that this basil recuperated ...

One in the front that was in a well-composted, south-facing area looked like it was on steroids, it was a sight to see, but when it got too hot and I did not water it simply died within two weeks - just a bush of bare branches.

Edited to add: As I was looking at my oldest African blue basil this morning it occurred to me that this may be a walking variety, just like Egyptian Onions they bend over and grow new.
It is the only one remaining in a pot - seven years old now, it is the mama plant to all my basils. It has rooted through the pot which is what kept it alive during the hot summer months when I did not always water.
Ironically, I've taken many cuttings from it over the years but it never occurred to me to bend its branches to the ground and let it be so it could become nice and strong again. I just planted the newbie elsewhere, some dirt on top of the branch held down by a rock works fine. Takes almost three months then it grows rapidly into a nice bush.

Don't take any cuttings from the dead-looking part, nothing will grow from it (I tried) only from the young new shoots. Grows easily from a young stem placed into water and the end wrapped into a paper towel - takes a good two months to get some healthy roots so you can plant it out in the garden.

I noticed that while at this point there is only about one-fourth of a once fat bush left - it is actually trying to grow downward so it can root in the ground. Duh! Thanks to you - lightbulb moment:).
Rooting it this weekend since it is supposed to be rainy and overcast.

[Rosy]

After 2 years of trying, cape gooseberries are flowering and starting to fruit!! Surinam cherry is also flowering.
 
       

Surinam Cherry is now fruiting, cape gooseberries are going bonkers, still harvesting bananas with 3 more racks ripening.



6 of my 40 pineapples have decided to flower and fruit simultaneously despite being in the ground vastly different times (1.5 - 3 years), unsure what prompted this mass fruiting. They have lovely purple flower buds.


@Rosy, one edible that's gotten comments from neighbors for being especially pretty is Brazilian (sissoo) spinach. Amaranth and New Zealand spinach have been a fail here; moringa went completely dormant overwinter and is finally starting to grow again, been harvesting Okinawa, longevity and sissoo spinach instead. And love the garden silliness! I have some fairy lights (insect bait) and toad houses sprinkled around the garden that always make me smile.

What a lovely garden you must have @Roots&Wings !

I envy you all the pineapples - maybe one year I will try.

I'll have to look into sissoo spinach, I don't think I heard of it before. I recently saw a youtube video or ten:) about Malabar spinach, it is really very pretty and eventually I will try it in my garden.
It's just that I don't want to deal with another vine right now since I have the two passion fruit vines (edible) both stayed green all year long and one red passion vine just for the pretty flowers even though it is a garden thug:) and two jasmine vines for scent.
My next acquisition will be honeysuckle but I'm not having any luck finding the one I want.

My neighbor just gifted me a roll of chicken wire and a smaller version of a cattle panel incl the metal stakes/posts. Yay!:)

The Moringa just kept on blooming and producing - so I am definitely in the right zone for it. Two of the three dwarf Moringa trees I tried from seeds survived, I ended up giving each their own pot because I couldn't decide where to plant them. 

Love your Surinam cherries, ours are about fifty years old and still look good, I bet they would produce well if they weren't in full shade. Sometimes they still produce a handful, but they are the variety that has orange-red fruit and the taste is different from cherries, not sweet either.
You have the improved variety that is dark red and sweet(er). 
I didn't realize there were two varieties or I might have tried growing the dark red. Now I have Rio Grande cherries but it will be a while before I see fruit.

I'm planning a trip to the Tropical nursery - so far I chose for pick-up:
Valencia Orange - dwarf (10ft) 3 gal - $35
Ponkan Tangerine - dwarf (10-12ft) 3 gal - $35
Still debating
Peach - Dwarf Mango - Meyer Lemon

I found Rollinia on Etsy but until I know for sure exactly where I want to plant it I am holding off. 

I could keep the Meyer Lemon in a pot in the potager and the peach doesn't take up much room either. I'd love a dwarf Mango but I fear it may require more trimming and attention than I can give it. We'll see.

My only project so far, gluing the leather name tag back onto a pot which resulted in Gorilla Glue everywhere incl my fingers. I'm itching to paint a cool decorative garden trellis I found last year but I'm not done with my seedlings and planting yet.

Today and last night were the first full-on spring rains and thunderstorms we've had during this unseasonably hot and dry spring.
My to-do list is finally shrinking at least a little bit - thank goodness.
This morning I planted the Echinacea seedlings in the garden, keeping just one to try in a pot and checked off ten other things off my list with help from Mr. R. - not too bad.

Wishlist
I am ready for all the planting and seeding to be done but then again I find myself eyeing the e-mail that informs me the items on my wishlist are now available. Caving ... how many times do you say this was the last plant for this year?
I know it is time to stop not just because it is time to work on other things - but - I.am.a.plantaholic. somehow there is always room for just one more.
Really, this will be my last purchase, I think...

Wild Bluebells
We have wild bluebells in our lawn, they popped up a few years back and they are slowly multiplying. 
So this year for the first time I dug up a small patch (5 plants) - they are so tiny (six in or so tall) and lovely blue, hoping they might like it in the potager - we'll see.
Fingers crossed.

Happy Gardening everyone!

[Frugal Lizard]

What lovely updates.
I spent a great deal of the weekend in the garden.   The greenhouse is full.  But I started some more seeds just for fun.  The soil blocks worked great for some things.  But i had a whole whack of sugar snap peas rot.  For greens,  beautiful.   For tomatoes, mixed.  I am going to keep at it because transplanting out is so so much easier.  It is a matter of figuring out moisture and temperature.....as always.

We had a huge mixed salad and fresh herbs on our trout.  Pretty darn awesome for zone 5.

[RetiredAt63]

I have been planting peas in my garden plot. 

I didn't get the second half plot, the one that was beside my plot.  It went to a new person, I  met her last day at the garden. 

I'm not terribly sad about only having the one plot, I  can focus all my energy on it.  It did well last year given the late start.  It is good soil but low in organic material, so a main focus this year will be improving that.  More compost, plus green manure.  The most interesting will be the field Daikon radish, which send roots deep in the soil and subsoil for minerals and store them in the radish.  Since they are not cold hardy, late summer plantings will mean lots of organic material (rotted roots) and minerals next spring.

[Trifle]

Finally got all my tomatoes, cukes, broccoli, cabbage, and peppers planted indoors over the weekend.  A couple weeks late, but should be ok.

And what the heck was I thinking?  I bought WAYYYY too much seed this year.  Just got carried away.  Well, I'm set for a couple years at least. 

[the_hobbitish]

My new trellis is up for mini watermelons and acorn squash. All my seedlings are in the ground (yea zone 7).

[Rosy]

Finally got all my tomatoes, cukes, broccoli, cabbage, and peppers planted indoors over the weekend.  A couple weeks late, but should be ok.

And what the heck was I thinking?  I bought WAYYYY too much seed this year.  Just got carried away.  Well, I'm set for a couple years at least.

@Trifele - sounds like me:). Just wanted to share something I came across on companion planting:

Pineapple sage benefits cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale and kohlrabi by repelling a host of bothersome insects. It repels cabbage loopers, cabbage maggot, black flea beetles, cabbage moths and imported cabbageworms -- all insects that infest cabbage and related vegetables.

I didn't have any pests on my Savoy cabbage and still don't, although something is now lacing the Red Russian Kale. I'm a huge fan of pineapple sage and plant some every year for tea and for its beauty. It was hard to find this year, so I was thinking of planting some extras in the garden and found a variety that is supposed to smell like Honey Melon and stay smaller in height.
https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=5364

Not sure I want to try it, what if it smells musky? instead of the delightful fresh fruity scent the pineapple sage has.

Originally, this year, I only found a variety of pineapple sage with lime green leaves which I ordered online from the Celtic Herb Farm since I thought it would be a nice contrast to my dark blue sage which has black stems (black and blue sage).

Anyway, I'll make sure to plant some pineapple sage near the cabbage and kale. Maybe try the Honey Melon sage and get two more regular pineapple sage as soon as I find some locally.

Same source - https://homeguides.sfgate.com/pineapple-sage-companion-planting-34447.html

Tomatoes
Planting pineapple sage with tomatoes attracts beneficial insects and deters flea beetles. It is also thought to enhance growth in tomatoes. Try alternating tomato plants with pineapple sage in rows or grow several sage plants around tomato cages to add beauty to the garden while protecting your tomatoes from invading insects.

Pineapple sage - zone 7 to 10 - also great for companion planting with tomatoes.

[anni]

I am yard-less this year and we're still due for a frost or two so I decided to pick up a terra cotta pot and some italian basil seeds the other day. In a month or two maybe I'll have some indoor basil for summer cocktails!

[Aegishjalmur]

I had been adding coffee grounds to a section of the yard near the house(mostly sand) that I plan to put blueberry plants in and blueberries like acidic soil(4.5-5.5). Well, something I had heard on a gardening channel got me looking and it turns out that well coffee has a PH of 4.85 to 5.10, the used coffee grounds are pretty close to neutral at 6.5-6.8. Which means that well the coffee grounds are excellent for building up the soil, I'll also be grabbing a bag of peat moss (PH of 4.4) to add in as well.

[gaja]

Finally, we have a car that can be used to transport compost, manure, and all the other stuff we need in sufficient bulk. Bought 300 kg compost from the landfill yesterday, for $10. The same amount of peat free compost packed in bags and transported long distances would have cost us more than $200 at the garden center. We need ten times as much to finish the garden layout, so the total savings are quite large. The municipal compost is rather low in nitrogen, so I have to get hold of more manure or other nitrogen sources. I got some dirty wool from a local farmer, hopefully that will help with the nitrogen.

[Trifle]

Most of the seeds I planted last week are up.  They're in the grow cabinet, on the heat mat.  Just waiting on a few pokey peppers and tomatoes.

Two of my ten apple grafts are budding!  Eagerly watching the rest to see if they work.  I just love grafting -- it's the biggest thrill.  I'm very excited about the scion for these new grafts -- it's a great tree. 

One of the two apple trees I grafted onto is Bob.  Our big news here this week is that Bob is flowering!!!  (Up the trunk, away from the grafts).   Bob started almost 11 years ago from a seed in an apple that DH was eating.  (DH bit into the apple, saw the sprouting seed, and gave it to me.  I know seedling apples are often worthless because apples don't breed true, but I just planted the seed for the heck of it).  Bob grew for two years indoors in a pot, then went outside in our yard in Wisconsin.  His first two years in the ground were rough -- the rabbits ate him to the ground, bark and all, TWICE.  And twice (!) Bob found the will to go on, and grew back.   When we moved south to North Carolina we dug Bob up and took him with us; he was about two feet tall and we planted him here in the apple orchard.  For five more years Bob grew taller, but never flowered.  I figured we were too far south for him -- apples have a certain number of chilling hours below freezing they need before they can flower.  Last year when he passed 10 years old I was certain he would never flower, and this year I started grafting onto a few of his branches. 

Well lo and behold this week -- flowers!  DH jokes that Bob kicked his act into gear when I started grafting.  He figured he'd better start producing or next I would cut him down.  :)  Now we just need to check out his fruit and see if it is any good.   (Just like non-open-pollinated tomatoes, fruit from apple seedling trees can be anything -- it's a grab bag.)  It would be ironic if we waited 11 years and his fruit is lousy.  But we would still love him.  And if his fruit is good, I can propagate it and come up with a good name for the new variety.

So happy! 

[the_hobbitish]

Yay Bob! That's so exciting. I can't wait to hear about the apples.

[Roots&Wings]

Fantastic Bob update @Trifele , that is one persistent plant! Should be an interesting harvest. 

That's a lovely trellis @the_hobbitish, great seeing the pictures.

How cool @Sun Hat about the local cidery, sounds like a lot of fun!

@gaja I had no idea about wool being a nitrogen source, that's great you can reuse it from a local farmer. A readily available nitrogen source (that may have a "gross" factor for some) is urine, e.g. http://nwedible.com/how-to-use-pee-in-your-garden/. There's several scientific studies on this.

@Rosy thanks so much for the African blue basil info, it's looking decidedly twiggy. Thinking of trying the Malabar spinach as a groundcover (YouTube idea). Enjoy the tropical nursery! You never know what you might find :)

[Frugal Lizard]

Way to go Bob.

Keeping the greenhouse wrapped in floating row covers to get through this chilly spell without any supplemental heat.

Grow tables are full - more plants need to get into the greenhouse for hardening off and then into the ground. 

One of the tomatillo seedlings is in flower.  The thing has 8 leaves, is 6 inches tall and has set bloom.

[RetiredAt63]

Way to go Bob.

Keeping the greenhouse wrapped in floating row covers to get through this chilly spell without any supplemental heat.

Grow tables are full - more plants need to get into the greenhouse for hardening off and then into the ground. 

One of the tomatillo seedlings is in flower.  The thing has 8 leaves, is 6 inches tall and has set bloom.

I envy you the greenhouse.   ;-)  It was so warm here too, and now it is back to chilly.  But finally some rain for my peas.

My plant stand is stuffed.  The onions and broccoli are on the balcony getting hardened off, but it is too cold for everything else.  My dwarf tomatoes for the balcony (planted earlier than the others) have started flowering - time to pot them up.  And then where do I put them?!?!?  But definitely a better problem than having everything not sprout or die young.

[Rosy]

1. Well, I got a Meyer Lemon - everbearing from HD which came in a hanging basket and has blossoms.
2. We decided to get a Murcott (honey) Tangerine tree instead of a Valencia Orange, since we prefer eating them fresh off the tree, rather than juicing.
3. I'm planning on stealthily sneaking in a dwarf Ponkan Tangerine tree and a peach tree from the tropical nursery since they have three-gallon pots and decent prices.

This means our tropical fruit tree orchard is now officially complete!
3 bananas
1 plantain
2 papaya
2 cherries
2 tangerines
1 Meyer lemon
1 Persian lime
1 peach
*********************************************************
3 coffee bushes- doing fine in the ground, thank goodness,
1 tea bush - thinking of picking one up today as an experiment
1 hibiscus - tea - juice bush - still on my wishlist since I killed the one I had. I still have seeds.
2 passion fruit vines
1 Moringa tree
**********************************************************
Lots of herbs for cooking, tea and medicine - love them all:).
***********************************************************

The veggies are what I am still struggling with since I am trying to weave an integrated,
companion planting - permaculture (ish), all perennial bed(s) of flowers, herbs, veggies and trees.

I'm on year 1.5 of creating this new vision - we'll see how it goes.
This spring I scrapped parts of it and changed my plans to accommodate reality. That was the hardest part.
Looking forward to see how it all comes together in year three.

This fall will be crucial for the veggies both in the window boxes and the ones in the ground in the new bed.
Next spring will be crucial for the herbs in the ground.

Then it is all about fine-tuning and optimizing for less time spent on intense gardening work.
By then, the plants should be in sync with each other.

Fragrance in the garden 
I picked up two Arabian Jasmine bushes yesterday - intensely fragrant, which made them irresistible.
Happiness - the old spice sweet peas are starting to climb up - hoping for fragrant blooms soon.

Yesterday as I sat in the garden
I noticed how alive it is - literally vibrating with energy - buzzing bees, fuzzy blonde and black bumblebees, dragonflies and other winged iridescent insects like metallic green bees, I could hear the frogs - noisy buggers, so many birds and squirrels everywhere...
No less than six different butterflies in two minutes.

The lizards are having a field day in my garden and even the colorful big grasshoppers that have hatched in abundance have enough to snack on they are not doing any major damage except for one herb which is already sprouting new leaves.

Wolfie, the resident garden cat keeps the rats and mice in check and now that it is spring two black (racer) snakes are winding their way through the garden.
Sometimes I come upon them sunning themselves.
Life is good in the garden:).

Happy spring gardening everyone! 

[Rosy]

Yay for Bob - success is sweet!:)

Jasmine Tea - Jasmine Rice
I just found out that the flowers of my two new Arabian Jasmine bushes are Sambac Jasmine which are authentic for making Jasmine tea and Jasmine rice.
Who knew? I love Jasmine tea:) and Jasmine Rice.
Asian cuisine - you just add the flowers to the tea or the rice.

It is already in flower - wow, I'm so excited to cook with this and make fresh jasmine tea.
A triple win - a perennial green bush - flowers all year long - fragrance - free spice for food and flavor for tea.

[gaja]

@gaja I had no idea about wool being a nitrogen source, that's great you can reuse it from a local farmer. A readily available nitrogen source (that may have a "gross" factor for some) is urine, e.g. http://nwedible.com/how-to-use-pee-in-your-garden/. There's several scientific studies on this.

I tried convincing the family about the "gold water" way of gardening, but they refuse. Part of the reason this wool is very good is that it is quite dirty, so it contains both sheep urine and manure. We've spread it out in the garden now, and I'm sure all the neighbours appreciate the "farm smell" spreading along the street in this beautiful weather. Some of it will be covered by compost within the next few hours, but we don't have enough to cover everything. Will have to pull out the wood chipper and cut down some dead branches tomorrow so we can cover more of the wool. Or maybe go for some well rotted horse manure? I found a place where I can get a truck load for $20 - will go there tomorrow.

While transplanting some onions and garlic today (their old home was covered in a foot of compost), I found out that the ground is still frozen when you get a few inches down. The average last frost night is next week, but I think I need to wait at least a week into May before I start planting stuff out. Although I'm testing the weather a bit by planting out a few celery and leek under cover. They should be fine even with a light frost.

The house is currently full of dying tomatoes. I would prefer to pot them up in square pots, but all the shops are closed due to covid. Will have to look through the old round pots I saved from the plants I bought last year. Some of those should fit well enough. The chilis are doing well, and some of the peppers bounced back after getting too much water for a while.

[sixwings]

More veggies i direct sowed are up! This is my first time growing veggies so it's very exciting for us. I'm just having to keep on top of the watering, it's not raining at all. I live in Victoria BC, usually in April it's raining most days, but we've had maybe 2 days of rain in april and none forecasted until the end of the month. I havent set up the irrigation for the raised beds yet, guess I need to make that more of a priority.

[Linea_Norway]

First picture:
The biggest plants in the back are chilipeppers. Some medium big two leaved plants are squash.
The big pit tonthe right are 3 or 4 lovage plants.
The small pots in the front should be parsly, but I am not sure it is not weed.
And there should be colander as well.

Second picture:
DH's grapes that he cut off from other grape plants.

Sorry, I can't help they end up side down.

[Frugal Lizard]

I have been preparing a second bed for asparagus.   Got it dug.  Loose soil down the middle.  Generous pile of manure down the middle.   Now to screen topsoil to cover the manure.  Crowns come in three weeks.  Today us raspberry cane wrestling.   

[RetiredAt63]

I have been preparing a second bed for asparagus.   Got it dug.  Loose soil down the middle.  Generous pile of manure down the middle.   Now to screen topsoil to cover the manure.  Crowns come in three weeks.  Today us raspberry cane wrestling.

Your asparagus should be so happy.

Mine are starting to come up, but I  won't harvest any this year.  I want them to be well established.

[Weisass]

Our garden is officially in business. Heat lovers will stay potted indoors under our grow lamps until may, but all good greens, onions, leeks, beans (yay) are planted out. We have been noshing on broccoli raab and chard that overwintered, and occasional asparagus from the bed. Even enjoyed some sautéed hosta shoots last night, and fresh chives on everything.

[Rosy]

First picture:
The biggest plants in the back are chilipeppers. Some medium big two leaved plants are squash.
The big pit tonthe right are 3 or 4 lovage plants.
The small pots in the front should be parsly, but I am not sure it is not weed.
And there should be colander as well.

Second picture:
DH's grapes that he cut off from other grape plants.

Sorry, I can't help they end up side down.

Love everyone's updates.

@Linea_Norway - I envy you the lovage, that was always a staple in my grandmother's kitchen garden, but it is too hot here. We used to call it the Maggi plant:).
I'm always impressed with everyone who manages to grow things on their window sill.

We spent a good hour yesterday evening planting the Tangerine tree - that thing was in a humongous pot and needed a hole big enough to travel to China.
Gave it a generous amount of compost and citrus garden soil along with kelp and it looked very happy this morning.

This morning I repotted the Meyer Lemon into my prettiest ceramic pot - it looks so pretty, lovely blooms. Today was clean-up day, organized my pots and moved what seemed like half the garden. Mr. R. was busy leveling and re-positioning several pavers.
Took all morning, so no other planting today.

It feels weird to actually have pots remaining that are not planted that has never happened before.
All due to having the new garden beds.
Spring planting is over ... at least here in my little corner of Florida.

I'm about to launch into full project mode, my own as well as contractor jobs - ugh!
We are bracing for two days of heavy rains and thunderstorms maybe now the house will actually get some much-needed attention.

Happy Spring Gardening to everyone!

[Frugal Lizard]

I had a great day in the Garden today. Of course I didn't get as much as I wanted done. DD helped me in the raspberries this morning. We dug out a ton of plants and got the row nice and narrow. We laid down some cardboard. We are holding that in place with some well rotted manure.

This afternoon I worked in town at my kitchen Garden.  all the beds are now ready for planting except for the new asparagus trench.  Still need to get the rocks out of the soil.

The existing asparagus row is going to be super this year, as us the rhubarb.

My stepmom said today that she is paying for all the plants that i have ordered for the farm.  Whoot whoot.

[Linea_Norway]

First picture:
The biggest plants in the back are chilipeppers. Some medium big two leaved plants are squash.
The big pit tonthe right are 3 or 4 lovage plants.
The small pots in the front should be parsly, but I am not sure it is not weed.
And there should be colander as well.

Second picture:
DH's grapes that he cut off from other grape plants.

Sorry, I can't help they end up side down.

Love everyone's updates.

@Linea_Norway - I envy you the lovage, that was always a staple in my grandmother's kitchen garden, but it is too hot here. We used to call it the Maggi plant:).
I'm always impressed with everyone who manages to grow things on their window sill.

We used to call lovage maggi plant as well, where I grew up (The Netherlands). I looked it up on wiki to find an English name.

My stuff is growing inside for the moment, because it is too cold outside at night. Nowadays we have about 14C on daytime, but close to 0C at night. I hope it will soon be convincingly warm outside so that some plants can be moved outside.

The garlic that DH put in the ground in the fall does not seem to be growing or be alive at all. So I hope I can use the flower pot again for the zuccini.

[the_hobbitish]

No harvesting happening yet. I feel like I have a lot of baby plants and still a lot of dirt showing. It's the spring holding pattern.

I planted 4 hazelnut whips in the shady corner of the yard. I'm hoping to keep them bushlike to make a coppice. I also planted a lovely Lark Ascending rose in the back borders.

My deer fence is still in outline stages. So far they're not eating anything, but they keep walking through my boxes and crushing some of the tender shoots.

Two of my watermelon transplants died. I'm going to try to restart them from seed. I'm also hoping to salvage a blackberry cane with no roots from voles. I'm going to cut the whole cane into 4 inch pieces and try some in water and some in pots. Fingers crossed.

[Frugal Lizard]

I am having a crappy day - between work stupidity and snow on the ground....but had to share some good news.  The food charity I donate surplus harvests to just send me an email saying that last year I donated 166pounds of fresh produce.  Holy Hannah!  I knew it was a lot but 166 POUNDS.  Made my day.

I think I have to plant more squash......

[RetiredAt63]

I am having a crappy day - between work stupidity and snow on the ground....but had to share some good news.  The food charity I donate surplus harvests to just send me an email saying that last year I donated 166pounds of fresh produce.  Holy Hannah!  I knew it was a lot but 166 POUNDS.  Made my day.

I think I have to plant more squash......

Wow.  That was impressive.  How many potatoes was that?  And squash?

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I am a terrible gardener, and my husband is fantastic, so we balance each other out. Only a few of my seeds sprouted, but he brought in a few starters, and our gardener is going. We have five raised beds, & then a bunch of pots. The radishes look particularly fabulous, and we've already been able to pick some grown from seed. (I'm in zone 9, apparently)

Our herbs & tomato plants also look good, but I'm particularly excited about the blueberry bushes (lots of blueberries starting to develop) & the avocado tree my teen grew from a seed. It's looking really healthy, and handled the move from a pot to the ground well.

[CodingHare]

So happy to catch up on this thread!  Springtime is my favorite season, there's just so much to enjoy outside.

Our apple trees are in the ground, and we just need to finish wrapping the deer fence around them.  I think I'm seeing buds on the branches, so fingers crossed!

We planted one of our 4x8 planter boxes last weekend:

2 rows of basil
2 rows of lettuce
1 row of spinach
1 row of Redbor Kale
1 row of Winterbor Kale
1 row of Swiss chard
1 row of volunteer onions that survived the winter
1 row of leeks
1 row of Yin Yang shelling beans
1 row of green beans
1 row of peas

So far no signs of life from the seeds other than the peas and the beans, which are popping up early.

We built a second 4x8 planter box last weekend that is going to have tomatoes, zucchini, and delicota squash.  All of which are big enough that they will easily take up all of the space.  :)

And we are attempting to weed the beds around the house next to the garden.  I want to plant wildflowers there to encourage the bees to pollinate everything.  And for the sheer prettiness.  :)

[Trifle]

Welcome @CodingHare !  That sounds like a nice variety of food you have going there.

I checked on the apple field grafts this morning, and 4 of the 10 so far are budding.  Very pleased!  I have high hopes some more of them will take as well.

[Rosy]

@Trifele - impressive and so satisfying to see:).

Passion Fruit
Today we set up a trellis contraption for one of the passion fruit vines that is ready for take-off.
The other passion fruit vine is climbing on the fence and just produced its first flowers - the first fruit is already tennis ball size. We gave it a layer of compost and I'll add some Kelp later in the week.
They are two different varieties with different color flowers and different shaped fruits.

Planting/transplanting/division - slowly getting there. Also, finished with the prep and most of the planting in the last bed - yay!
The weather got hot and humid and I had a few days when I was not feeling so well and truth be told not particularly motivated, I barely managed the daily watering.
So yeah, I got a bit derailed.

CATS ..... LOL
Catnip/Catmint - Oh my!:)
Wolfie, the resident garden cat has made the wild catnip I seeded back in February his new favorite spot for a nap.
He is curled up inside the pot - right on top of the catnip plant - in the middle of my huge terracotta pot - smiling like the cat that ate the canary.
ROFL - Pandabear - our black and white kitty - is right below him (the planter is elevated on a pedestal) - meowing and swishing her tail.
Green with envy and not as agile (due to age and weight) she's clearly put out with him.
He's just grinning - eyes crossed from eating the leaves.

I actually bought one catnip plant from Lowes about a week ago thinking my seeds had not sprouted because I didn't recognize the plant until Wolfie found it. So today I found a nice shady spot underneath the huge Alocasia leaves and planted the new Catnip so Pandabear has her own.
I'll try to get a pic of Wolfie - too funny not to share.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

From our side:
-The radishes are continuing to grow well
-We have a few tomatoes on our plants
-The jalapenos from last season appear to be making a comeback, with some trimming & watering.
-Meyer lemon tree produces year round, with minimal effort, so I'm not sure I can take any credit
-And, the spinach has totally come out strong in the planter box & some is ready to harvest. I grew this from seed & am not at all a gardener, so I'm thrilled about this

[Trifle]

@MaybeBabyMustache -- congrats on the spinach!  It really is thrilling.  :)

My garden update:

 * I've been busy with other things and haven't direct-sown anything yet, so I really need to do that.  I'm planning to put in carrots, lettuce and sugar snap peas.  All of those did really well last year so we're going for it again.  Turnips did really well last year too, but we don't really eat many of those so I think I'll skip them this year.

* Tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, cukes, and basella are in the grow cabinet.  We're about a week away from our historic last freeze, so I'll be planting those guys out fairly soon.  I have to get the trellises ready for the cukes, peas, and basella.  I've got 10 foot t-posts and woven wire fencing ready to go.

* I checked on my apple grafts yesterday and now 7 of the 10 are budding!  So awesome.  It was my first time doing field grafts, and if I can do it -- beginner, no special tools, just a pocket knife and a roll of grafting tape -- anyone can. 

* I have to go to the garden center today for some soil amendment.  My challenge is to not come out of there with $100 worth of plants I don''t need.  I usually have a lot of willpower, but I'm a defenseless noodle when faced with gorgeous little plants.  Please send help.

 

[RetiredAt63]

* I have to go to the garden center today for some soil amendment.  My challenge is to not come out of there with $100 worth of plants I don''t need.  I usually have a lot of willpower, but I'm a defenseless noodle when faced with gorgeous little plants.  Please send help.

 

Can you order online and do curb-side pickup?  I find that my grocery shopping has no extras now that I order online and pick up.  No cruising the aisles.   ;-)

[Trifle]

* I have to go to the garden center today for some soil amendment.  My challenge is to not come out of there with $100 worth of plants I don''t need.  I usually have a lot of willpower, but I'm a defenseless noodle when faced with gorgeous little plants.  Please send help.

 

Can you order online and do curb-side pickup?  I find that my grocery shopping has no extras now that I order online and pick up.  No cruising the aisles.   ;-)

Such a great idea!  Thank you!

[Rosy]

* I have to go to the garden center today for some soil amendment.  My challenge is to not come out of there with $100 worth of plants I don''t need.

I usually have a lot of willpower, but I'm a defenseless noodle when faced with gorgeous little plants.  Please send help.

LOL:) - I only bought seven unplanned plants on my last trip to Lowes - that has to be a new record.
But, you know they have this 'clearance' section which had four of the white blooming euphorbia I love in amazingly good condition for like 50 cents apiece. It will look good with my pink rose "grandmother's hat".
Then there was a beautiful 'flower arrangement' of full-sized plants in luscious complementary colors at a good price - I can take it apart or create a showpiece by using it as an underplanting beneath my tall spiky plant by the entrance to the 'party central' area.

... and they had their herbs on sale - good size, healthy - three for nine bucks - two of them were on my list:). An excellent decision since the oregano tripled in size already and I am very happy to have a 'regular' Rosemary plant again (I have a foxtail rosemary which has the strongest rosemary flavor/scent I've ever encountered, but it is low growing, a spreading variety) - it was just the plant I needed to complete one of my new beds for the season.
The sweet mint - Yerba Bueno, is one of my favorites which usually doesn't make it through the summer, but I'm hoping I've found a good spot for it in my new garden bed that gets good afternoon shade.
So for once - no regrets about buying extra this time around. 

I know you guys in the north are probably laughing at me since you might consider mints an invasive nuisance but even in the shade it is difficult to grow mint where I live. There is nothing more refreshing than iced mint tea when it is hundred degrees outside.

SHADE
is so hard to come by in a Florida garden, permaculture type designs are the only 'weapon' I've found as I'm not willing to put up shade cloth.
I'm trying to create a natural habitat where the plants can interact and protect each other - perennially.
Shade in the veggie garden:
One brilliant stroke was to plant a light shade tree - a white flowering Crape Myrtle that leaves out in May when the heat starts and thus protects the plants which are mostly in pots/window boxes from the worst of the heat - naturally.
My crape myrtle is an old variety that gets tall (it is about 20 feet even in the shade of the old 40ftAvocado) and has an interesting peeling bark which makes a really nice background for the veggie garden.

The Moringa tree in the new garden bed is providing even lighter shade - just enough to make a difference during the worst of the heat in summer and since I'm in year 1.5 of my new tropical garden area creation - there is already a bit more shade here and there as the inground plantings slowly grow to maturity.

All in all, I'm happy with how the new tropical garden addition is coming together. Can't wait to see how the summer goes and looking forward to more experiments this fall.

Our temps are already between 85 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit during the day - we still get a bit of relief overnight into the seventies and the occasional high sixties - early summer is here.
This week
I plan to seed a few cosmos varieties for fun and color and transplant the Zinnias that are six to eight inches from pots into the garden.
Dividing a rare orchid and collecting some seeds.
Happy to report that all my Echinacea seedlings are looking well and hardy - so exciting!:). 
Hoping to tackle at least one more project from my long list of 'projects' leftover from last season.

Going forward it is primarily projects, some fun some not so fun.

Happy Spring Gardening everyone!:)

[Rosy]

Have you heard of Syntropic farming methods?
Posted on youtube five days ago ... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBPLrr9Hph0 - Just WOW
... lots more links to interview footage in the 'show more' section below.

I particularly liked his philosophy:
"I don't consider myself a steward of the land, more of a partner in the development of the highest expression of life".

[Weisass]

Have you heard of Syntropic farming methods?
Posted on youtube five days ago ... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBPLrr9Hph0 - Just WOW
... lots more links to interview footage in the 'show more' section below.

I particularly liked his philosophy:
"I don't consider myself a steward of the land, more of a partner in the development of the highest expression of life".

I find this kind of land management fascinating and compelling... but I also struggle to find examples of it in the northern hemisphere. I mean, they are out there, but so many of the examples seem to be in NZ/AUS.

[Rosy]

Have you heard of Syntropic farming methods?
Posted on youtube five days ago ... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBPLrr9Hph0 - Just WOW
... lots more links to interview footage in the 'show more' section below.

I particularly liked his philosophy:
"I don't consider myself a steward of the land, more of a partner in the development of the highest expression of life".

I find this kind of land management fascinating and compelling... but I also struggle to find examples of it in the northern hemisphere. I mean, they are out there, but so many of the examples seem to be in NZ/AUS.

Yes, I totally agree, I have the opposite problem, I'm in Tampa Bay which has a unique climate - so many things that grow in northern or southern Florida don't survive in our quirky zone.

The challenge lies in educating yourself or finding guidance. I can't tell you how frustrated I get with useless (to me) plant recommendations or the total disregard of what is possible on a small property.

In the process, I have changed my mind.
Ever since I found out what is possible to do with permaculture, even in the desert, I am no longer a fan of xeriscape.
Instead, I lust for a thriving, lush green environment - an oasis with the sound of water and no matter how small a mini habitat (it seems like we owe that to mother earth:). A garden planted with a mix of edibles, trees, flowers, herbs is my idea of paradise.
I am no longer on the native plant's only bandwagon either. Instead, I now grow what works best which happens to include plenty of natives as well as plants from around the world.

In the end, it doesn't matter what method you use as long as it is beneficial to the earth, to the critters and gives you pleasure and food/medicine/tea/drinks/spices.
I've never wavered from gardening organic because I had a grandfather (born in 1892) who was green before that was a thing who instilled a love for a 'wild' garden in me. Organic gardening simply makes sense - poisoning the earth does not.
Do we really need more proof that chemicals kill bees and that this one action alone creates havoc in nature and therefore eventually for us?
Or that a bombardment with poison chemicals literally makes the soil lifeless - as in we killed all the natural organisms and disrupted the cycle of life?

GMO? Really? I'll spare you my diatribe since I am now too far off-topic.

I just wanted to say that in thirty years of gardening
I've never been so excited about the possibilities or the enthusiasm around the world to go back to food forests, permaculture, syntropics and no-dig methods that we have rediscovered.
Humanity may have become the scourge of the earth but finally, there are huge movements and fantastic individual efforts and examples that will save the earth.

Just look at how the momentum grew about saving one silly butterfly species, the Monarch. I doubt there is a gardener anywhere who doesn't grow something for the butterflies or the bees - even if it is only because they want their fruit trees to produce well.

Humans need nature to flourish and survive it is a symbiosis we have forgotten about.
Happiness is a garden that is buzzing and bursting with life.

As far as syntropic I'll dig further into the idea and adapt whatever works for our one-acre property - which may be nothing but philosophy, but I found the dense companion planting to be comprised of different plants than the usual, so that alone makes it interesting and helpful.   

[Weisass]

Have you heard of Syntropic farming methods?
Posted on youtube five days ago ... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBPLrr9Hph0 - Just WOW
... lots more links to interview footage in the 'show more' section below.

I particularly liked his philosophy:
"I don't consider myself a steward of the land, more of a partner in the development of the highest expression of life".

I find this kind of land management fascinating and compelling... but I also struggle to find examples of it in the northern hemisphere. I mean, they are out there, but so many of the examples seem to be in NZ/AUS.

Yes, I totally agree, I have the opposite problem, I'm in Tampa Bay which has a unique climate - so many things that grow in northern or southern Florida don't survive in our quirky zone.

The challenge lies in educating yourself or finding guidance. I can't tell you how frustrated I get with useless (to me) plant recommendations or the total disregard of what is possible on a small property.

In the process, I have changed my mind.
Ever since I found out what is possible to do with permaculture, even in the desert, I am no longer a fan of xeriscape.
Instead, I lust for a thriving, lush green environment - an oasis with the sound of water and no matter how small a mini habitat (it seems like we owe that to mother earth:). A garden planted with a mix of edibles, trees, flowers, herbs is my idea of paradise.
I am no longer on the native plant's only bandwagon either. Instead, I now grow what works best which happens to include plenty of natives as well as plants from around the world.

In the end, it doesn't matter what method you use as long as it is beneficial to the earth, to the critters and gives you pleasure and food/medicine/tea/drinks/spices.
I've never wavered from gardening organic because I had a grandfather (born in 1892) who was green before that was a thing who instilled a love for a 'wild' garden in me. Organic gardening simply makes sense - poisoning the earth does not.
Do we really need more proof that chemicals kill bees and that this one action alone creates havoc in nature and therefore eventually for us?
Or that a bombardment with poison chemicals literally makes the soil lifeless - as in we killed all the natural organisms and disrupted the cycle of life?

GMO? Really? I'll spare you my diatribe since I am now too far off-topic.

I just wanted to say that in thirty years of gardening
I've never been so excited about the possibilities or the enthusiasm around the world to go back to food forests, permaculture, syntropics and no-dig methods that we have rediscovered.
Humanity may have become the scourge of the earth but finally, there are huge movements and fantastic individual efforts and examples that will save the earth.

Just look at how the momentum grew about saving one silly butterfly species, the Monarch. I doubt there is a gardener anywhere who doesn't grow something for the butterflies or the bees - even if it is only because they want their fruit trees to produce well.

Humans need nature to flourish and survive it is a symbiosis we have forgotten about.
Happiness is a garden that is buzzing and bursting with life.

As far as syntropic I'll dig further into the idea and adapt whatever works for our one-acre property - which may be nothing but philosophy, but I found the dense companion planting to be comprised of different plants than the usual, so that alone makes it interesting and helpful.

Totally agree about most of what you are saying. I’m definitely in a place at this point where I  feel kinship with the principles of permaculture. I have experimented in various ways with it over the last decade and I now have a couple gardens that are about 5 years old designed with succession principles in mind. I have also ditched the native only mindset, but when I can, if there is a good native option, I pick it.

What has been fascinating has been unlearning the temptation to buy everything I think I need, and instead focus on what I already have and how to use it better. I’ve gotten to the point now where I don’t bring in new soil, and I have (hopefully) ditched buying mulch in favor of crushed leaves from my property and occasional wood chips from local tree companies.

I’m still figuring out some of the long term plans, I just wish I saw more examples of thriving permaculture food forests in zones 6 through 7.

[Roots&Wings]

Great discussion @Rosy and @Weisass ! The networks and systems behind permaculture are pretty fascinating, thinking of creative ways to reuse and produce and source things on-site or in your community.

Whether it's sourcing plants free from neighbors, trading with a local nursery, growing your own mulch and fertilizer and food, both at home and integrating with your neighborhood (like SunHat's apple project, Rosy in your area I think there's a moringa growing coop, there's a guy nearby too doing the syntropic farming, etc) there's endless creative options.

Seeing examples of what's possible in your growing zone is so helpful! It's easy to go down the permaculture rabbit hole on YouTube, isn't zone 6 and 7 the land of permaculture legends like Eric Toensmeier?

There's some European examples too that might be similar to zone 6 and 7, e.g. Martin Crawford in UK (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_m_0UPOzuI) or Maddie Harland (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtbMIImmtN8), Bec Hellouin Farm in France (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-dOX4RAcHA). Sometimes it's overwhelming how much information is out there...

[Trifle]

Great permaculture discussion!  Thanks for the links @Roots&Wings.

I checked on my apple field grafts again and some of them are not only leafing, but flowering!  I didn't know they could do that!  How awesome.  How does it work though?  A few years ago I grafted one year old scion wood onto two year old rootstock, and the resulting tree didn't flower for another three years.  Hmmmmm?   

I think it must be a 'conversation' that's happening between the scion graft and the host?  Like the scion can tell whether the host is mature/old enough to flower?  And the host tree is sending the message "Go ahead!  Flower away!"

This is really fascinating.  I'm going to email the guys at the orchard where I bought my rootstock several years ago.  I'm sure they also know about field grafting and will know the answer.   

So happy!

[Rosy]

Great discussion @Rosy and @Weisass ! The networks and systems behind permaculture are pretty fascinating, thinking of creative ways to reuse and produce and source things on-site or in your community.

Whether it's sourcing plants free from neighbors, trading with a local nursery, growing your own mulch and fertilizer and food, both at home and integrating with your neighborhood (like SunHat's apple project, Rosy in your area I think there's a moringa growing coop, there's a guy nearby too doing the syntropic farming, etc) there's endless creative options.

Seeing examples of what's possible in your growing zone is so helpful! It's easy to go down the permaculture rabbit hole on YouTube, isn't zone 6 and 7 the land of permaculture legends like Eric Toensmeier?

There's some European examples too that might be similar to zone 6 and 7, e.g. Martin Crawford in UK (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_m_0UPOzuI) or Maddie Harland (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtbMIImmtN8), Bec Hellouin Farm in France (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-dOX4RAcHA). Sometimes it's overwhelming how much information is out there...

@Weisass  to add to @Roots&Wings recommendations

These two books are the 'Jackpot' of good solid information on permaculture

1. mostly zone 6 and 7
- author: Toby Hemenway - Gaia's Garden - A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture - highly recommend. Make sure you get the newest edition.
2. all zones
- author: Eric Toensmaier - Perennial Vegetables - it is rare to find a book that is so in-depth. Not only does it give detailed information but the wonder of wonders, design ideas. There is such a wealth of information and specifics on plant families and techniques for anything incl. planting and mulching to reference books, pests and treatments.

Both books contain good pics and helpful sketches.

I will mention one other written by Mary Reynolds, an Irish garden designer who won a gold medal at the British Chelsea Flower Show.
- I'm guessing she is in zone 7.
The Garden Awakening - Designs to Nurture Our Land & Ourselves

This is a most unusual book but @Roots&Wings it has some fine labyrinth ideas and truly intriguing garden designs (like a tree of life garden)
and if you are into beekeeping there is an interesting chapter on Sun Hives.

It is all about nature and a love for the land - in 70% of the book, she discusses her garden designs and the seven layers of forest gardening, shelter belts, plant lists and charts for designing canopy layers - mostly zone 6 and 7. 
Great chapter on natural fungicides, natural insecticides, tree protection, tonics, potting mixtures, fertilizers.
Sadly it uses no photographs only sketches.

What makes it unusual is her approach to design, she relies on ancient symbols, biodynamic and the power (magic:) of intention which are the basis for the five elements for designing gardens in partnership with nature. Holistic yet scientific, a modern druid:) if you will.
This is one of those books that make you think and reevaluate.
I keep coming back to it as much as I re-consult the other two books because they all mesh beautifully and have become the framework for how I garden.

[Roots&Wings]

So excited to check out the Mary Reynolds book @Rosy! I love her quote about "People travel the world over to visit untouched places of natural beauty, yet modern gardens pay little heed to the simplicity and beauty of these environments." Learned about her in that Netflix movie "Dare to be Wild".

Anyone can create that magic in a garden at home :)

Trifele congrats on the flowering grafts! I didn't know it's unusual for them to flower right away...3 years sounds a lot stranger than first year flowering. Cuttings are probably different, but I just got a Thai mulberry cutting that is loaded with fruit on the new growth, no willpower at all, I couldn't pass at the garden center.

[Trifle]

Trifele congrats on the flowering grafts! I didn't know it's unusual for them to flower right away...3 years sounds a lot stranger than first year flowering. Cuttings are probably different, but I just got a Thai mulberry cutting that is loaded with fruit on the new growth, no willpower at all, I couldn't pass at the garden center.

Right!?  I don’t know much, just that the 10 graftlings I made several years ago ALL waited three years to flower.  But this time around I put that same one year old scion wood (from the exact same tree no less!) onto these two host trees and it’s flowering right away.  Now I’m thinking it’s a cooperative decision between the scion and the host(?).  Or the scion can somehow tell how old its host is?   That’s what’s so dang interesting!  :)

[Weisass]

Great discussion @Rosy and @Weisass ! The networks and systems behind permaculture are pretty fascinating, thinking of creative ways to reuse and produce and source things on-site or in your community.

Whether it's sourcing plants free from neighbors, trading with a local nursery, growing your own mulch and fertilizer and food, both at home and integrating with your neighborhood (like SunHat's apple project, Rosy in your area I think there's a moringa growing coop, there's a guy nearby too doing the syntropic farming, etc) there's endless creative options.

Seeing examples of what's possible in your growing zone is so helpful! It's easy to go down the permaculture rabbit hole on YouTube, isn't zone 6 and 7 the land of permaculture legends like Eric Toensmeier?

There's some European examples too that might be similar to zone 6 and 7, e.g. Martin Crawford in UK (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_m_0UPOzuI) or Maddie Harland (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtbMIImmtN8), Bec Hellouin Farm in France (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-dOX4RAcHA). Sometimes it's overwhelming how much information is out there...

Thanks for the suggestions, @Roots&Wings . I will definitely take a look! This conversation has inspired me to look a little more earnestly for examples that i might cull advice from.

[Weisass]

Great discussion @Rosy and @Weisass ! The networks and systems behind permaculture are pretty fascinating, thinking of creative ways to reuse and produce and source things on-site or in your community.

Whether it's sourcing plants free from neighbors, trading with a local nursery, growing your own mulch and fertilizer and food, both at home and integrating with your neighborhood (like SunHat's apple project, Rosy in your area I think there's a moringa growing coop, there's a guy nearby too doing the syntropic farming, etc) there's endless creative options.

Seeing examples of what's possible in your growing zone is so helpful! It's easy to go down the permaculture rabbit hole on YouTube, isn't zone 6 and 7 the land of permaculture legends like Eric Toensmeier?

There's some European examples too that might be similar to zone 6 and 7, e.g. Martin Crawford in UK (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_m_0UPOzuI) or Maddie Harland (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtbMIImmtN8), Bec Hellouin Farm in France (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-dOX4RAcHA). Sometimes it's overwhelming how much information is out there...

@Weisass  to add to @Roots&Wings recommendations

These two books are the 'Jackpot' of good solid information on permaculture

1. mostly zone 6 and 7
- author: Toby Hemenway - Gaia's Garden - A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture - highly recommend. Make sure you get the newest edition.
2. all zones
- author: Eric Toensmaier - Perennial Vegetables - it is rare to find a book that is so in-depth. Not only does it give detailed information but the wonder of wonders, design ideas. There is such a wealth of information and specifics on plant families and techniques for anything incl. planting and mulching to reference books, pests and treatments.

Both books contain good pics and helpful sketches.

I will mention one other written by Mary Reynolds, an Irish garden designer who won a gold medal at the British Chelsea Flower Show.
- I'm guessing she is in zone 7.
The Garden Awakening - Designs to Nurture Our Land & Ourselves

This is a most unusual book but @Roots&Wings it has some fine labyrinth ideas and truly intriguing garden designs (like a tree of life garden)
and if you are into beekeeping there is an interesting chapter on Sun Hives.

It is all about nature and a love for the land - in 70% of the book, she discusses her garden designs and the seven layers of forest gardening, shelter belts, plant lists and charts for designing canopy layers - mostly zone 6 and 7. 
Great chapter on natural fungicides, natural insecticides, tree protection, tonics, potting mixtures, fertilizers.
Sadly it uses no photographs only sketches.

What makes it unusual is her approach to design, she relies on ancient symbols, biodynamic and the power (magic:) of intention which are the basis for the five elements for designing gardens in partnership with nature. Holistic yet scientific, a modern druid:) if you will.
This is one of those books that make you think and reevaluate.
I keep coming back to it as much as I re-consult the other two books because they all mesh beautifully and have become the framework for how I garden.

Thanks @Rosy ! Gaia’s garden is sitting on my side table, actually. I read through “practical permaculture” by jessi bloom in the PNW and appreciated her approach, too.