Bobbi Junod's Blog

flaming

 Ending again like so many beginnings and endings.  

Shedding skin can be as easy as the castings of the sacred serpent.  

Letting go…. accepting like the sunrise and sunset, bud swell to bloom.  The leaves fluttered to the ground today.

The plants are tired.  They have funneled their energy into growth and beauty all summer long.  Now it's time to start resting.  The golden days of October, the grand finale!  I love this time of the year.  I tried to slow down today like the plants.

SunflowerSeedhead

OK, I said that I would report the progress of growing potatoes in a box.  (There are pictures of the potato box in earlier posts.)  And I gallantly said "I graciously allow failure in my garden because some times you just have to try and see what happens.  Well, this was not the season for this experiment.  We had tons of rain in the spring and summer and the stems that we continued to bury rotted.  I'm still not done with this experiment.  Next year I'll try again.  Beannie helped us look for potatoes.  We were disappointed and he was disappointed.

Here are some photos of where the garden is at this time.

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The garden is an extension of our home, window within, windows without.

This is my first year growing figs.  I had never tasted a fresh raw fig, OH wow what a special fruit.

I love sunflowers.  This sunflower is giant.  She has smiled over our garden all summer and now at this time of harvest, she is burdened by the weight of her head.  The birds have been feeding from her seeds.  She has gifted us all season long.

Pay attention to the seasons.  August 9.  
The seasons are part of you, part of all of us.  
What is happening now, at this time of year, Lughnassadh?

A hint of fall, very subtle.
Flowers are losing their vibrancy.
Foliage is looking a little tired.
Fruit and seeds are growing.
You get itchy, restless.
The yard needs attention.
Growth is slowing.
Days are shorter.

What is this a good time for?



Vacations.
Cleaning up.
Rest and patience.
Reseeding for the fall.

Be patient Dear one.  
Be subtle like the season's change.  
All is well.
 Can you doubt that August, the dog days of summer,
brings the glorious autumn.
Honor this time
Honor every part of the seasons, every part of the cycles of life.

5 Gardening/Life Tips

1.  Don't' fight the sight

rebecca & the dream lodge

Accept the limitations and gifts of your site and work with it.  Plant sun-loving plants in the sun and shade-loving plants in the shade.  If your soil is clay, think about raised beds.  Plant water loving plants in moist areas and drought resistant plants where you will not water very often.

2.  Experiment

I love working in the garden because I can be as creative as I want or I can be the mad scientist.  I graciously allow failure in my garden because some times you just have to try and see what happens.

3.  Communicate with the plants

The plant kingdom is here to assist us.  We work in collaboration so communication is the key.  Listen with ears and imagination.  Talk to the plants to let them know what your ideas are.  The communication often comes in a hunch or knack.  Pay attention to the subtleties.

4.  Create a sacred garden

daylily

To consciously enter the garden as sacred is a work of the divine.  Awareness, being present, gratitude, and reverence create an energy of love.

 5.  Share the bounty

Give what you reap, reap what you sow, sow what you

Time to check in on the potato box, four boards high, plants growing.  Red potatoes are blooming!

Potato blossoms

potato box in June

broccoli

Because it's never a good idea to plant sun-loving plants in the shade, the garden is in the front yard.  What a conversation "peace".  Neighbors walk by and stop to talk or gawk, always lots of questions and thoughts.  And as they walk away, they have visions of gardens dancing around in their heads like sugar plums.

hoop house

yard art

So much is happening in the garden.  A “tour of the estate” is a must every morning to see the changes.  Garden life in spring is so dynamic!  The initiatory process is in full swing, birthing.

rhody

This blog is birthing in the same rhythm.  I seem to be in a perpetual state of restless excitement.  I wonder – of all the starts I’ve made this spring – which ones will take root.  Probably the ones I nurture, water, feed, and cultivate.  Ahhh… life makes more sense to me through Garden’s eyes.

yard art

So much is happening in the garden.  A "tour of the estate" is a must every morning to see the changes.  Garden life in spring is so dynamic!  The initiatory process is in full swing, birthing.

rhody

This blog is birthing in the same rhythm.  I seem to be in a perpetual state of restless excitement.  I wonder – of all the starts I've made this spring – which ones will take root.  Probably the ones I nurture, water, feed, and cultivate.  Ahhh… life makes more sense to me through Garden's eyes.

Potato Box

Have you ever grown potatoes in a potato box?  This box is 4′ x 4′ with four foot 2″ x 2″s in the corners.  We've put one board on each side, filled the box with a soil compost mix, planted 5 small potatoes about 4" deep and waited for them to come up.  As the plants grow we will continue to put straw and soil in the box half way up on the stems and add other boards when needed. 

Straw in tater box

I'll take pictures as the season goes by so you can watch this experiment too.  We expect at least 25 pounds of potatoes from one pound of seed potatoes.  I'm looking for ways to grow crops in smaller areas because the yard has limited sun.  Another big factor is finding easy ways to grow food.  This is a very easy way to grow potatoes.  Long growing potatoes work best like Pontiac Reds and Kennibec potatoes.  The plant kingdom seems so happy to participate in experiments.  We run out in the morning to see how much they have grown or to see new blooms to ooh and ah over and they smile back and give and give.