Summer Solstice

Happy Solstice to you, dear reader. I thought I would share a photograph of my organic garden beds today.



I made them using a variation on the lasagna method (layering of various natural materials and composts, I added fish guts, fireplace ash and seaweed) in above-ground Western Red Cedar frames, custom made to my specs by the fabulous Larry Rose. The cedar acts as a natural pest repellent, smells divine, and looks gorgeous, too. The wood will eventually fade to a silvery gray and last for many years.

I designed the layout so that the plants will get the maximum amount of sun during its arc across the sky, and wide enough apart so that my wheel barrow will pass in between the beds with ease. A small collection of succulents and perennial medicinal and edible herbs went in the center bed, and everything else will rotate from bed to bed around it once a year, to keep the soil healthy.

How I adore my garden, it gives me so much contentment, and serves as an artistic muse. It keeps me in shape, especially turning all that compost and hauling all that soil. And it produces such wonderful things to paint and eat!