Sweet Local Farm

This little guy welcomes you to the garden.

The Jerusalem Artichokes are growing tall. I can’t wait till they bloom.

The Nasturtiums are starting to bloom.

The edible leaves make a great addition to salads and sandwiches.

The brussel sprouts were nearly eaten away to nothing by the two rabbits that hang out shamelessly in the garden. Luke fenced them in and they are finally coming back.

The pole beans are still climbing away, while the bush beans that were planted at the same time have already flowered and are producing.

Bush beans:

The herb spiral is the most useful spot in the garden. I use herbs in pretty much every meal.

All of the asparagus crowns we planted this spring are growing.

I haven’t counted, but we already have a ton of pumpkins growing. Some of the pumpkins came up in their own from the compost.

Another pumpkin growing on a piece of slate.

Broccoli was another favorite of the rabbits until we fenced it off with bird netting. We haven’t harvested any broccoli yet, but it seems to be growing well now.

The three sisters bed. The pink corn silk is so festive.

A neighbor gave us clippings from his grape vines to root. They are starting to grow leaves and will be transplanted to our new mini vineyard next year.

The eggplant had such a slow start but finally seem to be growing.

The cucumber trellis is working out great! The vines are safely up off the ground and the cucumbers are easy to harvest.

Little pickle:

Kale is prolific. It feeds us from spring till winter and is so good raw, cooked, and thrown in with just about any meal.

Like kale, the swiss chard is another green that feeds us from early spring to late fall. It is so glossy and pretty.

I’d like to stuff and fry this little guy.

Zucchini overload is upon us.

Egyptian onions are a favorite from my childhood. My mother’s garden was filled with them. She brought us some this spring.

Our first attempt at growing cabbage:

Spaghetti squash about ready to be harvested:

This is what we picked for dinner tonight:

cilantro, kale, cucumber, spaghetti squash, green beans, yellow beans, and zucchini

Here is what the garden is looking like these days:

Kale and squash:

Heavily mulched cucumber plants:

Cabbage:

Luke checking the mounds of corn we just planted between the squash and gourds:

The corn are transplants. Most of the corn we started in the field was eaten by critters.

Fern like asparagus behind some squash:

Green tomatoes:

Slicer and plum tomatoes:

Pretty pole beans:

Herb spiral:

A new row of carrots:

The cucumber trellis doing its job:

Zucchini and yellow squash:

Staggered plantings of swiss chard:

Three sisters- corn, beans, and squash:

Eggplant:

Yellow and red onion:

Our herb spiral did its job over the winter. The mint, chives, parsley, and catnip all overwintered very well. In a few weeks we will reseed it with basil, dill, cilantro, and sage. Mmm. The rosemary did not make it over the winter. I’ll buy a potted plant from the nursery this spring as rosemary is very slow growing.

Here is the herb spiral now, all cleaned out and fixed up:

See how the spiral looked last summer here.

And click here to learn how to build an herb spiral.

Who needs a grocery store when you’ve got a winter garden! The snow melted a bit so I was able to pull some veggies from the garden. Here is what I harvested today:

Carrots in the snow:

Baby spinach from the greenhouse:

Arugula from the greenhouse:

Kale from outside:

Parsley from the herb spiral:

A couple beets:

A few fat carrots:

A handful of broccoli:

A spring of rosemary and mint also from the herb spiral:

In other news on the farm, the winter birds are here! I’ve counted 7 cardinals, a few bluejays, chickadees, and other birds visiting the feeders. Here is a cardinal:

They gather under the feeder:

It is the end of November and I am amazed at how much greenery we still have in the garden.
The swiss chard is crisp. I like to use it in soups and stir frys.

The plants are glossy and the stalks are almost like celery. This was one of my first edible plants in the spring and has proved to be one of the last. I will surely grow swiss chard every year.

The kale leaves are like green lace:

The parsley is vibrant and hardy. It is doing really well in the herb spiral I built this past spring.

The mint has exploded to the point of invasive. I’ll have to make a bunch of mojitos!

We save all of our cardboard and use it as sheet mulch in the garden:

Luke lined the paths of the mandala garden with cardboard:

And finally, the garlic we planted about 6 weeks ago has sprouted:

Does anyone know how to protect these scapes over the winter so I’ll have garlic next year?

I built and planted my herb spiral about a month ago. I started most of the herbs from seed including cilantro, basil, chives, dill, and parsley. They all sprouted and are thriving! It is amazing to touch the stones and feel the heat they collect and store from the sun. It really makes for a unique microclimate.

Click here to learn how to build a herb spiral.

So many herbs in such a compact space:

The apple balm has grown so fast and lush. We have been enjoying it in our fruity cocktails:

We chop up the herbs and eat them on everything:

There is even cat nip for Tofu:

Pretty soon I’ll be drinking fresh mojitos by the pool with muddled mint from….my new herb spiral!

“Herb spirals apply a pattern evolved in 1970 by Bill Mollison. The 6-8 foot diameter spiral at the heart of the herb spiral creates a diverse mini-ecosystem intended for planting commonly used herbs just outside one’s back door. Its three-dimensional nature creates drainage, sunny dry spots for oil-rich herbs such as thyme, sage, and rosemary, and moist partially-shaded spots for green foliage such as parsley, chives and coriander. In permaculture, the spiral bed is a favorite method to combine beauty, productivity, and variety in a small space.” from Center for Sustainable Community

Here is how I made the spiral:

I used rocks we pulled out of the field.

I filled the layers with loam and well composted leaves.

Here is the completed spiral!

I planted chives, mint, dill, basil, parsley, cilantro, catnip. I’m saving the top of the spiral for a rosemary bush.

For more information on herb spirals and the nutritional benefits of herbs, visit theherbspiral.com
eHow.com
GardeningTipsandIdeas.com

Update***- Check out the herb spiral now!