Mulch it good



When I first got into veggie gardening we talked about buying a tiller and working the land that way. Since permie school/hippie camp, I've come to know, love, and totally rely on building mulch beds. Remember how I do it? Start by suppressing grass and weed growth with cardboard.


Pile on layers of mulch in a variety of forms. We have a hill of decaying shredded woody material so I use that, grass clippings, leaves, chicken litter....whatever is free and handy.


Water well, add soil/finished compost in pockets throughout the deep mulch and plant directly into the soil.The next season that whole mound you made will be beautiful, dark, rich compost, full of worms and ready for growing.




New product shots




When there's work to be done and 2 kids who both want attention, you have to figure out the simplest (yet somewhat elegant) solution. This is what I came up with:


Product shots using our neighbor's aged wood siding for a rustic back drop.


Feeling the farmhouse vibe? When things (if things?) calm down again, I can do some styled shots, but in the meantime, I'm diggin' these. A big ol' thanks to the Hubs for taking such pretty photos!



Keyhole Bed: A recap



April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
2012

Then in 2013 I didn't do much gardening...
I was pregnant with Fox. I did
get some onions in the ground in the fall.
Late 2012 the plum tree had bad blight so we chopped it down.

Sometime in early 2014 I put bricks we had on hand
for another project around the bed. This is April 2014.

Here it is now, taken over mostly with perennials, a few annual veggies
tucked here and there, and some flower seeds yet to sprout.

Sitting on a Stool Decision


I've added the Basil poster to the shop alongside the tomato one. Today I pick up a framed humongo print of Desert Scene...all gorgeous 2'x 3' of it, framed in a basic walnut frame. It will be the first time I've had a print that large in my grubby little paws. To say I'm excited...well, it's an understatement and I can't wait to take pictures!


In the meantime, we're still working hard on the kitchen (sloooowly). Plans keep changing based on affordability factors: with the wall one flat level, the back of the stove would show, so we opted in stair stepping it down. Also, Ikea no longer offers the oak butcher block counter tops that we have! They have a butcher-block-look-alike that is laminate over MDF, but it's just not the same. We mulled over a couple solutions, and I think what we decided on is going to be pretty cool in a Bauhaus sort of way. We made the decision through a series of text messages between C, who was working at home mudding and painting the walls, and me, supervising the young 'uns at birthday parties all weekend.



The stools in the mock up above are a possible Craigslist score (checking them out this afternoon). They are a mid-century Arthur Umanoff design for Raymor, but I don't know much else about them or him. I wasn't sure about even going to check them out, but kept thinking about them. Looking through my inspiration pictures (and then doing a mock up) I realized I'd better jump on the chance! The natural seat and airy legs will be perfect for an already busy area, keeping them functional and not as much of a focal point. We'll see!