Greetings Everyone on this Solstice!
Almost the end of the year! In this last newsletter of the year, I wish you all a Happy Solstice, a very Merry Christmas, and much happiness throughout the holidays, however you choose to celebrate them!
And also - I want to share with you my latest contraption - the Secret Decoder Ring I've been talking about for ages! But First....
Thank Yous!
Thank you all for yet another year of your support of our little backyard horticultural experiment I call Barbolian Fields. It’s encouraging that “
ecosystem gardening” is becoming a bit trendy these days.
[That’s where a somewhat messy garden turns into a tangled jungle despite your best intentions and the next thing you know, there are all kinds of plants and animals out there carrying on, and you (meaning, me) happen to notice one particular willow is covered with a thick layer of aphids, and you don’t get out there to do anything about it, but when you go back, you notice every single aphid is gone (!), and there is also a football-sized bald-faced hornet nest not too far away and another interesting bee hive (smaller than the hornets’) in another direction, while the quail are taking dust baths in the mole hills, cedar waxwings are snatching up the not-quite-ripe autumn olives and telling all the other birds about it from the treetops, bumblebees are all over the blooming oregano, and you almost stepped on a snake while trying to spot a frog croaking out from somewhere under a shrub. Note to self: create another little water pond for more frogs and friends.]
(And that pretty much summarizes our 2021 garden!)
Year in Review – New Plans
This last year was full of a lot of ups and downs; I did not write many blogposts or get out many newsletters. But I’m looking forward to doing more “useful plants” and “things handmade” features in the months to come and have made a few revisions on the website to make it easier. (
Check it out.) I have been growing quite a few more dye plants and playing with making prints and colors, so I will be sharing some notes on those projects. I always enjoy hearing from my readers, too, about all the different things you have growing and going on.
Please do write.
Solexx News
I’d also like to give a shout out to all those who purchased
Solexx materials and are building greenhouses or using it for other structures. It is wonderful to see so many more people growing their own food. A greenhouse might seem like a luxury, but it sure can make a difference in extending the seasons.
Like almost everything – there were supply chain issues on the raw materials for making the polyethylene and forming it into the twin-walled panels. Prices, as you might suspect, are going up the first of the year. I am hoping someone sometime will say, “Gee, we are all caught up now and so we are going to drop all the prices – not put them on a temporary sale – but just lower them across the board because we can.” I am not holding my breath. I will say, though, our greenhouse has held up really well over 6 years now. We have a nice crop of wasabi wintering over in there at the moment, and also some turmeric, along with a whole lot of tender things in pots.
Exciting News
I have saved the most exciting news for last. If you have read this far, you are a true Barbolian Fan. Thank you. Even if you skipped across the headings. No confessions needed.
I have been promising Fan Club members something for a very long time and I have finally come up with it:
A Fancy Secret Decoder Ring.
Yes, my friends, at long last, I present to you the Earth and Sky Phenology Wheel Calendar.
It begins on the Winter Solstice (today!) – because that is when we once again turn toward the light.
(I mean, seriously, doesn’t January 1st seem rather random as the beginning of a new year in a swirl of 365 days, sometimes more?)
Which is why I set out to design a calendar more in tune with the way we live our lives, from one season to the next.
It features phases of the moon, celestial events, such as meteor showers, eclipses, and times when planets are most visible, cultural traditions, such as Native American moon names and Celtic holidays, and artwork to illustrate plants and animals over the changing seasons.
Admittedly, there is a lot on there. It is a whole year compressed onto one page, after all.
But I consider it a beginning. It is designed to help us slow down and observe the world around us. Some may want to take it a step further and keep daily and monthly records of observations, such as storm events, rainfall, changing light and temperatures, when the first dandelions bloom, date of the last frost, when the snow geese or other migrating birds are seen in the nearby fields, when you start hearing the coyote pups yelp at twilight… you get the idea… the kinds of details that can be fun to read again later on – and maybe in the process, we start noticing some trends that can help us anticipate or prepare for other changes. We live in interesting times.
You can read more about the calendar on my most recent blogpost: The 2022 Earth and Sky Phenology Wheel Calendar Revolution
In closing, at this darkest time of year, I like to think of each of us as a candle with an inner light. With that candle, we each light another candle, thereby sharing our fire without diminishing our own, and soon the world is filled with light.
May your new year be bright. Best wishes and happy gardening to one and all. Be safe.
~*~
~Blythe
P.S. - That is an Arbutus unedo, aka Strawberry Tree. It flowers and fruits at the same time in November/December! Are you familiar with it? Such a festive plant at this time of year!
