Healthy Homestead Design
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The candy plant 🌼 Jerusalem Sage 🌼 Phlomis fruticosa
This one is a favorite for the kids. We like to plant them along pathways for easy access.
01/03/2024
This past growing season we dove into the beautiful world of edible flowers. Many of the 50+ edible flowers are medicinal and nutritious.
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I’ve challenged people to name something in this world as purely good as edible flowers and the only close answers I've heard are clean air and water.
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delicious symbols of food security, resilience, and beauty.
Now is the time for perennial plant propagation via the division method. Here is an example with one of our favorite perennial vegetables - Autumn Joy Stonecrop.
25/02/2024
Wintergreen - A small spreading groundcover from which wintergreen gum is made.
Nearly everyone I’ve seen try them are surprised by how it tastes exactly like the gum.
Free mints through the winter from this unique little plant.
04/02/2024
One of our favorite new crops this last growing season was Cucamelons, or Mexican Sour Gerkins. This unique relative of cucumbers vigorously vines up to 10' and produces delicious bite-sized fruits that can be eaten raw, on salads, or pickled. This cute little fruit was a favorite for the kids.
29/05/2023
A constant supply of floral arrangements is one of the greatest rewards of gardening. Flowers have a unique ability to infuse spaces with joy and happiness.
Our maintenance clients are always excited when we cut them a bouquet at the end of each visit.
28/05/2023
That feeling when the flower color combos hit just right...🌸
16/02/2023
And so the pollinating season begins 🌼
Bloom sequencing throughout the growing season is an essential strategy we utilize in our plant system designs.
Tall Oregon Grape is one of the first native bloomers here in the PNW.
Ants making the long upward climb to pollinate our jostaberry flowers. We love to see nature at play. So far we look like we are in for an abundant crop of these juicy berries.
Our mason bees are out of hibernation and working hard! Mason bees are highly effective pollinators. Creating habitat for them can help increase yields in your garden.
15/04/2022
Does this situation look familiar to any of you gardeners at this time of year??
Our new site has more slugs than we’ve ever seen, and we’re exploring all possible remedies to reduce the gastropods population and give our young plants a fighting chance at survival. Some of these techniques include:
🐌 Introducing Ducks aka slug predators
🐌 Setting small bowls of beer out at night
🐌Removing slug habitat near the gardens (wet/dark areas)
🐌Biodynamic spray using pine nuts
🐌Applying the biodynamic horn silica preparation to add more light forces to the space
Are there any other techniques that you would add to this list?
Which strategies have been the most helpful for managing your garden’s slug population?
Let us know below 👇
14/04/2022
Don't you just love the way Lupines hold water droplets in their leaves? 💧
These ornamental, nitrogen-fixing, super pollinators are a staple in most of our temperate climate designs.
Our ducks are enjoying their first time out of their tub and swimming in a real pond! These are Indian runner ducks; expert slug hunters, high-quality egg layers and fantastic entertainers!
Did you know that Oregano is an amazing pollinator as well as a delicious & medicinal herb?
In an Oregon State University Study, Oregano was a Top 5 total bee attractor for multiple years, often outcompeting lavender. It's easy to grow, attractive and highly functional, a must have species in the edible garden.
08/12/2021
and I recently completed a concept design for an ecovillage in India. In order to prevent erosion, many check dams and other systems intended to slow and spread water will be added. Perennial agricultural systems are being designed to feed the whole community.
Seeing land restoration and community involvement at this size is always exciting.
21/10/2021
We recently purchased some plants at the unique in Ferndale, WA. The owners are walking the walk in pursuit of ethnobotanical mastery and food independence. They are pragmatic about the most useful and resilient plants and often have many plants which I can't find anywhere else. If you are interested in permaculture, ethnobotany, natural and chinese medicine, I highly recommend checking them out.
If you're wanting to learn how to use these plants, they also offer naturalist and ethnobotany immersion classes at
7layersnursery.com
Ravensroots.com
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