I promised more pictures from my tour of Reg and Kellys excellent example of west coast food production in Millstream and I hope you enjoy! In early September the gardens are in full swing with some beds are being prepped for winter crops. This wonderful operation is more than enough to supply their needs year round - the rabbits and chickens also eat well and in turn provide eggs and protein. There are two greenhouses which house tomatoes and peppers. The tomato greenhouse is rotated around the garden annually to keep the soil fresh. Beside the house there are mounded rows with greens, artichokes and other assorted veggies. The pumpkin caught my eye - it was one of the smaller ones - growing in the front bed with purple spinach and a lovely variety of summer squash. Reg says he takes an experimental approach to planting and rotating plants, not necessarily making or following detailed plans but observing what works and adjusting as things develop. No pesticides are used but he did have a great tip for keeping mold off squash by spraying a cat tail mixture on the produce. By keeping the soil and plants healthy through compost and plant rotation he looses very little to pests. If you ever have an opportunity to go by definitely take them up on it, the gardens are wonderful. While garden maintenance is time consuming this approach is accessible and inspiring, especially to former black thumbs like me - I did actually kill everything in the most caring organic way, up until 5 years ago!
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 21:17:20 +0000
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