How I did it: I got my hands dirty, and worked really hard. Pay attention the seasons and the times to plant, and the times to harvest. We planted herbs and vegetables that we knew we would use and love. All total, we have four raised beds that help us keep the weeds out. We covered half of our backyard with dead leaves, to kill the grass/fertilize the earth below, and then installed our most recent raised beds, and then we purchased dirt to top it off and planted more vegetables.

Herb Bed includes: Regular Mint, Chocolate Mint, Lemon Balm, Catnip, Valerian, Chamomile, Basil, Dill, Oregono, Thyme, St John's Wort, Purple Sage, Yellow Sage, Clary Sage, Culinary Lavender, Bergamot, Skullcap, Wormwood, Mugwort, Feverfew, and I'm sure others that I can't think of at the moment. In another bed, we have also planted Motherwort, and she seems to be mighty happy at the moment. We hear she'll be huge next year. Yay to that.

The vegetable/fruit beds include: Marianne the Sunflower, Strawberries, three kinds of peppers, four or five kinds of tomatoes, four squash plants, (Green and Yellow Zucchini, striped green and Delicata), and green bush beans.

We also have a rosemary plant that is very healthy.

On top of that, we have gotten two random volunteers: A genuine Nightshade and Datura plant. YAHARR! Flying Ointment, here we come!

Lessons & tips: Remember to weed as much as you can, and raised beds are helpful when it comes to weeding. Try to keep odd clumps of grass out of it. Water, give it love, plant things that make you happy. Plant things that feed you, inside and out. Plant medicinal herbs so that you are making the most of your space.

Resources: Water, sunlight, healthy Oregon Earth. Herbs and Vegetable plant starts acquired from our beautiful Saturday Market, and seeds from random stores.

Sep 20, 2009, 02:42PM PDT | 0 comments | 1 cheer