Ack, February is already over. What did I do, what did I do? I know, I pulled weeds. Well to say I pulled weeds undervalues the rejuvenative effects of bringing an abandoned garden back from the brink. As our garden plots are in stasis, my attention has focused on the overgrown herbs adjacent to the Pea Patch. This month, I discovered two established rhubarb plants. Two! This brings our rhubarb patch up to seven big glorious plants. With less weed competition and more mulch, all are expected to thrive.
Speaking of fruit, we got raspberries! We had a couple little canes from back in the day and their fruit was much cherished, though 3 berries a day isn’t going to make a pie for anyone. One afternoon, our Food VISTA, mentioned seeing raspberries on FreeCycle, so I tracked them down. After an initial disappointment, (showing up at the garden on bicycle only to find an empty yellow bucket) I got a call back for the second round of plants. The raspberries at the Christian Science Church Community Garden in Port Townsend did very well, and they donated their extras. We now have 40 plants, both everbearing and summer bearing. I dug out the sod on the hill beside our herbs to create the raspberry patch. This spot gets good morning sun, as well as makes use of a slope that would otherwise not be utilized. I also created steppes between the canes to reduce run-off and make harvest easier. These canes were fertilized with worm castings from the worm bins that were donated to the garden last year.
