Procedural Note:

In order to accommodate the passage of the tractor until another path is created, I have made the following modifications to my blueprint...

A break in the rain...

   

 (click images for slightly larger view)

 

This is what the site looked like when I proposed my project.

The clean up began...

Here it is after today. I worked on it for hours today, mostly cleaning out invasive species and hauling a bunch of wheelbarrow loads of most excellent vermacompost!!

 

Pictured is "Area One" from the plan (below)...

Cleaning the tools (note to Field Ecology Program :-)

Setbacks!

I am making slow progress with 

the site preparation. 

Yesterday I started building up 

"Area One" 

with compost after creating a bed using 

some of these logs. 

That was a lot of work because I was using a wheelbarrow through mud. Good exercise!

Unfortunately, I discovered the probable reason why this area had been tarped and abandoned. Japanese Morning Glory and Himalayan Blackberry, two of the most invasive exotic species in the Pacific Northwest. The bed is riddled with rhizomes and root runners. I will have to sift every inch of soil and try to eliminate as much of it as possible...one shovel full at a time. That is a major setback. Setback number two is that my seed order was delayed. This is not a major setback since I still have time to start germinating seeds and I also picked up four packages of organic seed from Uprising Farm in Bellingham.

First Planting! The Valentine's Day Flats.

This Valentine's Day  my valentine 

for friends was to plant seven 

plants in their name as a gift 

to the Earth. Rather than 

cutting hothouse flowers 

as a gift, I thought it would be nice

to plant some. These plants will 

go into the permaculture area I am putting together and hopefully will be around for years to come. 

I planted Calendula, Chamomile, Anise Hyssop, and Lavender so the bees will be thrilled.

Augury of Spring!

Sure, it clouded up later and got cold but the first half of the day felt like Spring. It wasn't just me who thought so. The bees agreed! Here they are at 12:30 pm, February 13, 2011.

Beeees!!

One important note. I am sharing this space with the Bee Queens, Jeannette and Shannon. In the pictures (below) you can see a honey bee hive. They are working to expand the honey bee population. My permiculture plan is oriented around providing more resources to their expanded hives. In addition to the garden updates I will post 
updates on their progress with hive expansion.

Phase Two: Cleaning up the Site. (See also: Phase One posted below)

 

So, after selecting the site my next step is to clean up the stuff "stored" there. This was kind of a "two-steps-forward,-one-step-back" process and I am far from finished. 

Bearing in mind that the site I want cleared is the actual ground, my first step was to haul all the lumber out of the pole barn and stack it outside.

 Then I began work on a lumber rack. I am no carpenter, but I was able to cobble something together. I also managed to hang the door so it actually opens and closes.




 






At that point some of the PSA team helped bring the lumber back in. It is a little better organized which leaves more space for the outside items.

Now I could begin clearing the actual site of the future garden.

Slowly I can begin to see the ground and get an idea of what I need to do to prepare the soil. 

This is as far as I have gone so far. Also, I did put together a seed order for a few dozen perennials. This week I am going to try to propagate other perennials already growing so they can get a jump start in the greenhouse.

Phase One: Site selection.

 I tried to find a small area that would most likely never be considered for crops and that was in proximity to existing or potential pollinator habitat. Naturally, the best spot I could find was the south side of our pole barn. This is what is looks like now.










This door has never been hung


I would consider just cramming all this stuff into the barn so I could start right away preparing the ground for my long list of flowering perennials, self-seeding annuals and temporary plants, but that idea was not an option since this is what the inside looked like when I started...(can you see the broken door? No? That's the problem.)


So, first things first. The next several weeks will be spent organizing the barn so there is room to store the outside stuff .