Of Dogwoods and Black Widows

A dynamic time of year. Is anyone else feeling it? A little coarse, rude, and hard to navigate at times. First sweet intoxication, smelly sensations everywhere, blossoms soliciting their nectar and jubilant demand for attention. We wanna be outdoors. All the time.

Bloom Report says quince, buck eye, strawberry, redbud, dogwood, lilac, sweet cicily, azalea, now iris. Being in the Spring now for 2 months. The soil has worn off our hands now for weeks. And now is about the time where the rubber meets the road and gardening.

I woke today tired. And brittle. My body has been working it for 2 months and is needing TLC and I can't find the reserve to make it so. Gardening activity is tiring. The projects around here are big (and inspiring) and require water and a song to set up a thriving situation.

And that's okay.

In my melancholy morning, I thought to take a seat and try breaking a many month meditation fast. That helped. And smiling to my heart. During the exercise, Mother Earth said to me, "the seeds you sow take time to ripen. You know that. You also know baby steps can be hard to see the progress. The dandelion trusts that at least a few brilliant ideas will find their fertile ground in time".

The newly transplanted elderberry, hops, rosa rugosa, peaches, etc. are needing mulching and our shipment of hay hasn't come in yet. This commitment and devotion to the plant world comes on strong. The obligation can feel overwhelming as a farmer.

"It's an incremental thing", she says. "These activities remind yourself to bend, to fortify yourself, practice self-care for you body mind and spirit. That might not be such a bad thing to be reminded of every once in awhile."

I laid in the hammock for my first visit this year. Before the dreamworld overtook me completely, I stirred to a black widow walking down my arm. I watched her and asked her to be on her way peacefully. Last week in the garden, I had intuitions of asking for protection from the spider kingdom. Sure enough, a black widow was on the bottom of my bucket where I was to place my finger. I'm still sorting out what 2 encounters in one with with black widows means to me.

I ate my first strawberries from the ground after the sow bugs dug a few dents. I asked them to step aside. Bringing the strawberry to my lips, they were perfectly rosey and deep and succulent. Right. I remember. A reminder to tend the joy inside.

~ Keri

Musings of the last month

Hi Yaw'l. Welcome to Springtime! North Asheville Urban Farmers have been busy sourcing cardboard, getting overly patient plants into the ground, tending fruit trees in urban parks, fortifying rabbit cages, designing and scheming and playing general catchup. The work or farming and sincere cultivation takes a certain temperament: One not too harsh on oneself - there is more to do, more inspirations to catch, plants to tend. Sunsets come fast and deserve savoring, as with the friendships in ourselves, each-other and Momma Earth. Cultivate the happiness of the moment the lest we miss the lessons of life.
Here are photos on my camera of our springtime gatherings. The early season starts of seedlings proved a bit volatile for our seedlings: our starts hung out in an aphid infested greenhouse so the little guys have been through a lot of cayenne, onion, and garlic insecticidal soap and daily bug squashing. They are re-cooperating and a desperate to make it to their official home for the growing season.
The labels are for the Highland Street garden. Over the last few years, we have started a micro nursery of accumulated species and experiments, graftings from Whipple's workshops, and herbal stowaways from Keri's herbal medicine classes. They have been kept in pots produced little, and (honestly)deprived of a just life. Being that we all are temporary here (landowners and renters unite), this year they'll receive a rightful home once we make it. The design has been created (Yes! One step closer). Now we need to source and spread compost and mulch.
Yesterday 4 peaches went into the ground! That's a start.
Enjoy the photos!

Site Feature - West

Hey y'all!

We're planning a big weekend here. Garden planning - log moving - clearing land - ACTION ACTION ACTION!

I thought I would give a little highlight on how things are looking right now at West and where we're thinking we might head as of now.

As I mentioned before West has some different kinds of challenges than our other sites. Once the trees leaf out we will loose most of the sunlight that falls on our wet soil. Two of these shade trees also happen to be Black Walnut's. Walnut trees -those of the genus Juglans- contain juglone, which is an herbicidal organic compound contained in all parts of the tree - especially the feeder roots. Some plants, particularly natives, are resistant to the compound, but many common garden vegetables suffer when exposed to juglone.

So what are we going to do about this?! Well - in the forest only the trees get premium sunlight and everything else has to deal. Among many other things, forest floors support animals, fruiting perennials, mushrooms, and compost all the waste material into nutrients. So I figure-lets do that.

Rabbit Shed -

We have put together a rabbit shed for a small backyard Rabbitry. The rabbits will provide meat, pelts, and high grade fertilizer. I chose the most removed and shady part of our yard for this shed. The footprint is 9 x 12 - a comfortable fit for an 8 cage set up. Below are pictures of our progress.

We still have to put up 4 more cages and finish the walls to call it done. If anyone comes across a cheap/free roofing material let us know!

The rabbit breeds we are starting with are Rex and Satins. We currently have two Rex's a buck and doe, as well as 4 Satin's; 1 buck and 4 does. The Satins are still a little immature but the Rex's should be just about settled enough to start breeding.

Mushrooms -

West will also be mushroom central for the North Asheville Urban Farmers. This weekend ~50 inoculated logs will be brought to rest here and act as a more "mature" batch of logs. Soon we will also be inoculating a whole new batch of recently felled wood into mushroom production. All of the first batch are Shiitake mushrooms on Oak logs. The new batches will include Oyster, Shiitake and Maitake mushrooms on Hickory, Maple, and Oak wood. We will also be working with Blewit mushrooms which will help break down our compost and provide wood. And finally as an experimental project we will be trying to produce oyster mushrooms on waste coffee grounds.

Compost -

Yet still in its early stages, West is on a mission to produce as much compost as possible this year. We have a great connection for coffee grounds and we are trying to make the most of it. For the cost of a short bike ride I get ~ 5 gallons of grounds a day and into the pile it goes! I'm also adding ground wood on the cheap (thanks to Sunrise Sawmill) and pretty much anything else we can get our hands on. If you want to keep your organic waste out of the dump feel free to drop it in our piles :)

Growing -
We're still trying to grow some plants this year and we are definitely expecting it to be a learning process. There is now a bed of brambles including Black Raspberries (Black Cap and Wine berry) Raspberries (Heritage) and Blackberries. Soon we will also be putting in a bed of Jerusalem Artichokes, and from there - I don't know what else. I'm definitely open to suggestions. Let me have it.

Thats our update for now. More to come as things progress.

Lots of love.

Tom C