Author Archives: zack

Spring is Springing: Asian Pears and Asparagus

Posted on March 29, 2012 by

Despite recent snows and heavy rains, signs of spring continue to appear in the garden.  The 4-in-1 Asian pear I planted a few weeks back is leafing out and breaking bud.  It’s an interesting one, as each of the four … Continue reading →

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Always Be Propagating

Posted on March 22, 2012 by

Every weekday morning, before heading down the hill to work, I spend 15 or 20 minutes in the greenhouse, staring at the cuttings and seedlings. After this morning’s greenhouse session, I’m happy to report that the tomato seedlings are growing … Continue reading →

Posted in Food Forest, Fruit, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Adventures in Forest Gardening – Giulia Forsythe’s Visual Notes

Posted on March 15, 2012 by

The other day, I visited the El Dorado Center of Folsom Lake College and presented on the topic of food forests.  I streamed the talk to DS106 Radio, an open, public Internet radio station that I’m involved with, and my … Continue reading →

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DIY Plant Markers

Posted on March 15, 2012 by

I finally got around to a) purchasing some proper aluminum plant markers, and b) deciding that it’s silly to buy aluminum plant markers and proceeding to craft my own from a cheap aluminum pie pan.  Farewell, six dollars U.S.  Backing … Continue reading →

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Of Giant Moths, Nanking Cherries and Sea Side Plums

Posted on March 14, 2012 by

Just look at this huge and handsome character!   It arrived last night, drawn to the greenhouse lights. In other news, the Nanking Cherry (Prunus tomentosa) and Beach Plum (Prunus maratima) trees arrived yesterday from Raintree Nursery (purveyors of rare and … Continue reading →

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Layering Blackcurrants

Posted on March 11, 2012 by

Spent the day propagating plants.  Back in fall, I tried my hand at ground layering, a technique that involves burying part of a plant stem to encourage the plant to root in place.  Specifically, I bent a long blackcurrant stem … Continue reading →

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Signs of Spring

Posted on February 18, 2012 by

Plants seem uninterested in dates, instead using temperature and daylight hours and plant hormones to define “spring,” and many plants in my garden have decided that now’s the time.  Though there doesn’t seem to be consensus – the asparagus seems … Continue reading →

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Planning for Spring – Seed Savers Exchange

Posted on February 9, 2012 by

Not a lot to do in the garden lately.  I’m holding out hope that the scarily dry winter will give way to a miracle March, filled with snow and rain.  In the meantime, the catalogs have arrived in force.  Along … Continue reading →

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Update – Elderberries on Acid

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

Not much going on in the garden, and no precip for months.  Strange weather… A couple of months ago, I wrote about scarifying elderberry seeds with strong acid.  I checked the seeds this morning – they’ve been sequestered in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Food Forest, Fruit, Native Plants | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Alaskan Mill, Dreams of Spring, and Seeds With Character

Posted on December 8, 2011 by

It’s shaping up to be a cold, dry winter (so far).  The garden has essentially been put to bed, and so attention turns to infrastructure. These three trees – two very tall pines (Pinus sabiniana) and a cedar – were … Continue reading →

Posted in Food Forest, Fruit, Vegetables | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments