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February 7, 2021
Greetings, Friends!
Happy February! Happy Groundhog Day! Happy Imbolc! Happy Valentine's Day!
We are now half way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox – a time of betwixt and between. Very much worth celebrating!
Longer Days & New Sprouts:
All of which means the days are getting longer! Yay! which means things are waking up. I am noticing swelling buds on most of the native plants, particularly the Red Flowering Currants, Mahonia / Oregon Grape, and the willows; catkins are on the Hazelnut trees; buds are on the verge of opening in the Cornelian cherries, Pieris, and Viburnums. Daffodils and Day Lilies are poking up their shoots. In town, which is warmer than where we are, I notice the heathers are in bloom already.
Time to Plant?
According to Eliot Coleman, plants stop growing when we get less than 10 hours of daylight, which for us along the 48th parallel is from around October 31 to mid-February. Since we are now emerging from these "Persephone Days," it stands to reason we can start planting, right? (The story is, Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, was the daughter of Zeus and queen of the underworld. She spent winters in Hades, during which time, nothing would grow in the above world.)
I am holding off (planting, that is). The ground is just SO wet right now. BUT - it might be ok to poke in a few favas and toss out a few poppy seeds, right? According to phenology calendars, plant peas, beets, chard, spinach, and onions when the daffodils, crocus, and forsythia are in bloom. We don't heat our greenhouse, so I am delaying early starts. My plants seems to do better if I don't let them get too spindly before transplanting.
How to Harvest the Rain
It is definitely our rainy season! More than two thirds of what we usually get in an entire year fell in the last 4 months. On a particularly rainy afternoon, I watched it puddling in the driveway and thought, "Why am I not collecting and using this?" And so I wrote a blogpost about it, which I soon realized I needed to divide into two if not three blogposts. So - first installment went live on Groundhog Day, when the visionary rodent most definitely did NOT see his shadow in the PNW.
Check out Rainwater Harvesting - Part I, and tell me what you think. I even figured out how to download photos from Google Earth and draw on them with Procreate to illustrate this fancy version of the hydrological cycle.
We can't stop the rain, but we CAN still get our Garden fix!
What to Garden in February
Stratify Seeds: If you didn't put seeds out in the fall, you can still cold stratify seeds by the refrigerator method. Here is my list of Seeds that Like Cold Stratification. I have tried to make it as comprehensive as possible, consider it a beginning. I find a lot of conflicting information on the Internet. Also, some seeds require light (or very light soil covering) when you bring them out; others do not. Some like oscillating cold-warm-cold-warm -- you get the idea. It pays to do your own research - and if you find errors or something I've missed, please let me know!
I have learned to keep it simple: put the seeds in baggies with a little soil & water and then refrigerate for a month or two. I then plant them in the greenhouse where I can keep an eye on them. Some of these are very slow germinators and they would get lost in our outdoor jungle. I was surprised to see my ramps germinate over a year after I had taken them out, so don't give up on the seeds! I no longer start seeds in damp paper towels; they tend to sprout and grow through the towling; the roots are often brittle and can break when removed. I also experimented a couple of years with GA-3 plant hormones, with varying levels of success.
Cuttings: Now that buds are swelling, I am taking cuttings of honeyberries, currants, seaberries, and other shrubs to get a few new ones started - and also some groundcovers, like kinnickinnick and mock strawberries, to fill in the blanks. The greenhouse is great for getting these going.
Pruning, Mulching, and Weeding: Pruning in the orchard, the willows, and berry patches have definitely kept us busy this last month. I don't do a lot of clean-up, though. I leave debris and large stems, like those of hollyhock, artichokes, and sweet cicely, for insects. I'm not sure who all is hiding under piles of brush. I keep heaping on the leaves and woodchips. We still have cold weather ahead.
Harvesting & Foraging:
The kale is particularly sweet right now. Mustard greens are also abundant. Herbs have been available all winter: rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, bay, mint, lemon balm. A bit of purple henbit, peppery cress (Barbarea verna?), seeds of curly dock. The trick is to seek out the microclimates. My cardoon and artichokes are up, but I don't want to take their leaves just yet. It's a good time to harvest sticky cottonwood buds and soak them in oil for salves.
Garden Planning and New Goals:
It is currently blowing 50 mph outside - I kid you not - and so at the moment, most of my gardening is on spreadsheets and scribbled in drawings on paper.
What are you all planning this year? What are your goals?
Personally, we are going to focus on:
- Taking care of what we have (try to get a handle on that bindweed!)
- Growing more perennials: Perennial vegetables, herbs, berries, shrubs, and native plants.
- Growing more dye plants: Experimenting on linen and other fibers. So fun!
- Ecological gardening: growing more plants for pollinators and wildlife and creating habitat.
Apparently, this young buck found out we have grain on tap at the birdfeeder. He is just outside my window! I gotta say, this guy is bold! Not quite what I envisioned in planning my "wildlife garden."
Check out the front page of the website at Barbolian Fields where I try to post regular brief updates on what we have going on. Looking forward to brighter and greener days ahead!
Thanks for visiting! Be safe out there, and let's all keep on helping one another.
I wish you much abundance!
~Blythe
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We collected a lot of seeds & roots last year! I don't have much in the way of lettuce or tomatoes, but if you are looking for Ashwaghanda, Marshmallow, Good King Henry, Skirret, Mullein, or American Groundnut, I might be able to help you out. Check out our list. Pay is on a "Gift Economy" basis, meaning, pay what you can and pay it forward. Spread plants around the world!
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Willows!
We are in the process of coppicing the willows. There are lots! Plenty for turning into baskets, balls, hearts, sculptures, wattle fences, trellises, and planting! Contact me if you are interested.
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Solexx
I am getting quite a few inquiries lately about Solexx material and greenhouse kits. You might know that I am a Solexx distributor. I think this year is going to be a bit like last, but with an even greater surge in people wanting to grow their own food and extend the seasons with a greenhouse. So far, the manufacturer, Adapt 8, has been able to meet demand. I have to admit, our DIY version has been a game-changer. Check out our Solexx page if this is something you are interested in. I will give a discount to subscribers. Just let me know.
I took the above photo of the west side just the other day. It was 75 degrees in there. A chilly, windy 43 outside. |
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