Evolving Sweetie

Deck Shape Up 2012

Decided last weekend to spend the beautiful spring days sprucing up my deck and my friend Sara's backyard instead of getting the P-Patch setup. We both needed a little boost and our relaxation spaces refreshed.  Plus, my P-Patch plot is getting a makeover this year with raised beds. I'm so excited! Another weekend's project.

Overwintering your deck? Who has the time! So, three lawn bags of dirt and dried out plants later, I was able to see the possibilities.  My little deck will turn into a shady oasis as the oaks start filling in this month.  Concentrated on the tried and true ferns, hostas and bleeding hearts. Decided to accent with my fav's blue pansies and violas. And added lovely burst of hot pink with a full bloom azalea. 

My little herb garden is filled with the staples - thyme, oregano, tarragon, sage and a whole box of mint. Love my spearmint! And a larger rosemary plant, of course. Joy is running my hand through an herb on my deck and scenting the air.  To round out the herbs, I found a lovely spanish lavendar with purple nubs and white flags. A small note of tribute to Chuck.

Tug on the heart strings to not have Ross around to enjoy the catmint I picked up for him last month. It'll be nurtured for a future furball. Maybe I'll be ready for the pitter patter of little cat paws later this summer.

2 hours of hard work and $200 later, my little patio retreat is rejuvenated.

 

Postcards from the my revitalized deck:

Yikes, that's alot of work!

Mid-way - out with the old.

Finished - in with the new!

Thistledown

Splendid contrast - spiky sharp edges topped with feather soft plumbs. Thistles are in bloom. Small wonders to behold.

POSTCARDS from Magnuson Park P-Patch

 

This is actually my artichoke

aerial shot of my artichoke

 

 

Strawberry Kisses

Summer is here!!! And the berries are bursting with juicy goodness. Makes a gardener's heart sing. 

Artichokes, lettuce, kale, swiss chard and snap peas are days away from harvesting. 

Bounty.

 

POSTCARD ~ a bowlful of goodness from my garden

Outdoor Seating is Now Available

In the warmer months, my favorite part of my condo is the deck. There are 2 large oak trees sheltering my condo. Sitting in my living room and deck feels like you are living in a tree house. A grown-up tree house with cocktails that is. 

With getting the P-Patch garden in order this spring, the deck was dormant longer than usual. Surprising what 3-4 hours of work, 2 large lawn bags of waste, trips to 2 nurseries and 2 bags of potting soil can accomplish. Unfortunately, the Japanese Maple didn't weather well over the winter. Nursing it this season in hopes it will be enough to revive it for next year. Fingers crossed.

The kitties and I have been loving having breakfast and dinner out on the veranda. It's a soothing and relaxing space.

POSTCARDS from my deck

Starting Mess 1

Starting Mess 2

Chandler found the catnip

Look at these beauties

Out with the old, time to put in the new

 

Finished view from the door

Finished view from the table

Current view from the Street Level        

How Does Your Garden Grows

The amount of peace and joy I've received from my first few months of P-Patch gardening is immeasurable. Connection to the earth and my neighbors. Marveling in the blooms and cycles of the plants. Hearing the early morn calls of the birds and the evening groans of the frogs. It's been a soul nurturing project.

So far, I've gotten weeks of lettuce, kale and swiss chard harvests. And in the last week started pulling lots of sugar and snap peas. Harvested about 15 gallon bags full of produce thus far. More than enough to share with some interested friends.

Last weekend I planted the tomato, zucchini and pepper starts - it's too cold here to start from seed. 6 hours of weeding, harvesting and planting was grueling, but well worth it. This week's project is to clean out the last 3 feet of space, sow some herbs, carrots and parsnips in, and start thinking about the garden's needs for fall and overwintering vegetables. 

One of these days I need to wander over and photograph the whole garden with my good camera. For working days, the little point and shoot works just fine.

Enjoy!

POSTCARDS from early June in my Garden P-Patch 

 

    

 

   POSTCARDS from my fellow P-Patchers bounty

Happy Gardening!    

P-Patch: the Beginning

Welcome to my latest project! A big reason why I haven't been hanging out here much in the last few weeks. A little over 2 weekends ago I was introduced to my little patch of land for gardening. A lovely 10' by 20' plot.

The shape I inherited it in:

 

A bit daunting to say the least! But a healthy raspberry patch (the tall shrub in the back) was part of the mix. Little did I know what I was getting myself in for. Gardening is not for the weak of body or spirit. It's taken 20+ wheel barrel trips filled with weeds, hours of shoveling, lots of muscle tilling the ground, 2 trips to the nursery and 16 hours of manual labor to complete the initial spring planting.

Looking a little sparse and still needs a rock pathway, but I've planted an ambitious variety:

• Lettuce - Salad Mix, Romaine, Bib 
• Kale & Rainbow Swiss Chard
• Spinach
• Strawberries & thinned the Raspberries
• Onions - Walla Wallas, Italian Torpedos and scallions
• Garlic & Shallots
• Artichokes
• Brussel Sprouts
• Broccoli Rabe
• Snap Peas, Snow Peas and Shelling Peas
• Fennel & Dill
• Rosemary, Thyme, Italian Parsley, Oregano, Chives, Cilantro, Tarragon & Sage
• Lavenders - English and Spanish varieties
• Pansies and Dahlia bulbs

And slowly starting to meet my fellow gardeners. I've been missing attachment and involvement in my community. Hoping to make deeper roots in my neighborhood. 

The spring version of my garden: 

 

 

 

May you prosper and grow!

  

   

  

P-Patch Wait Is Over

Excited to report that my almost 3 year wait for a  P.Patch garden spot is finally coming to an end. Received an email this week that spots are available. There are over 68 area in Seattle that are designated as public gardening spaces that can be rented out on an annual basis. I could have had a garden probably 2+ years ago, except that I was waiting for the P Patch in the park complex across the street from my condo to open up. If I'm going to invest so much of my free spring/summer time, I wanted to be in walking distance from home.

Saturday morning, I walked over to check the gardens out. A large portion of the garden raises food for local food banks that I'm sure I'll be lending a hand with. I'm thrilled to tackle a true garden and have the opportunity to turn my thumb a shade greener. Been missing the lack of yard, and this will give me my own little patch of dirt to play and create in. 

Right now, I'm pondering what portion of the space I want to utilize for an herb garden, cut flower bed and vegetables. This weekend I've done lot of reading up on our growing season, crop rotations, garden design ideas and plant's preferences. Head is spinning with the possibilities. But it's invigorating.

Keep you posted along the way as project garden gets underway.

Deck Before & After

Whipped the deck into shape yesterday. Happy to have breakfast Al Fresco. And photographic proof that the sun does eventually shine in Seattle.

BEFORE - Fall/Winter wreckage

AFTER - Spring, bountiful & gorgeous

Gardening @ Night

Spring weather has finally arrived in Seattle. Time to whip the deck in shape. Once I do the initial planning, purchasing and planting - the deck becomes pretty easy to maintain throughout the warm weather. Spent the majority of yesterday & this morning at the nurseries and Home Depot/Fred Meyer. Very disappointed in the plants I acquired from Fred Meyer. They did not hold up well overnight. Doesn't save money if the plant dies right away.

Don't ask me why, but my favorite time to plant is at night. Love the peace. I get into an almost meditative rhythm. It's cathartic to me and inspiring. Rarely do I question my placements by the light of day.

Winter was harsh to my plants. The Japanese Maple that Chuck & I got our first summer together is budding - luckily as its the one plant I'd be devastated to lose. The large lavender plant from the house wasn't as fortunate. All in all my list of survivors included the Jap Maple, 3 of the 5 Hostas, and a handful of herbs. Lots of pots stripped bare.

Normally, my palette is pinks, blues & purples dictated by azaleas and hydrangeas.  Starting from scratch, I decided to go with more yellows, white & reds. And the flowers are pretty delicate and subtle aside from the pansies. The bleeding hearts will add in some pink and of course the lavender plants sprinkle in shades of purple. Playing more with greens in shaping and tones. Without as many large plants I had more pots to do arrangements in. Looking forward to seeing how they grow out. 

So after lots of scrubbing, 5 total trips to gather plants, 6 bags of yard waste, 17 pots and 2 window boxes replanted - my deck ready for use. My own little paradise. 

Side effect of gardening at night - no photos until the light of day. I'll post before & after pics tomorrow. Happy Gardening.