Polyculture 7-11 Garden

Posted on by Jean Campbell

My girlfriend Leanna sent me a link to a YouTube video about a gardening technique called Polyculture. It's a broad term, but this particular rendition of the theory never occurred to me, and it's brilliant. In a small area, thickly sow seeds that leverage different soil depths and come into fruit at a different speed. After just a few weeks, you begin to harvest. And you continue to do so. I took the idea and compacted it into what I call the 7-11, a nod to the old convenience stores... Continue reading

Forest Bathing with Anne Bailey

Posted on by Jean Campbell

As I dug through my purse for my car keys, the smell of mint inspired an immediate, good-feeling response. I'd hurriedly stashed the sprig there after the service at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham. Anne had given a presentation on the practice of Forest Bathing that morning and had passed a supply around to the congregation. The plan for an outdoor experience after the service was in jeopardy with extreme heat and wet weather in the forecast. The mint was a nature... Continue reading

Bird patrol at your service

Posted on by Jean Campbell

"You don't have a snail problem. You have a duck deficiency". That was Bill Mollison's reply to a gardener struggling with gastropods. I am a bird watcher. I keep a supply of birdseed around my deck, and there is always a good show provided. I even enjoy the thieving squirrels who don't seem to know these seeds are for the birds. I was thinking about how close my bird feeder is to the Kitchen Garden, and I recalled the above passage. When spring began last year, the Kitchen Garden where... Continue reading

Top ten reasons to love Dandelions

Posted on by Jean Campbell

10. Dandelions are cute and fun First of all, they are freakin' adorable. I love to walk out in my yard and see all the shiny, yellow faces. For me, the sight of them is one of those things like hearing a baby laugh, cuddling a puppy, or watching panda bear cubs at play; all so delightful you just can't be in a bad mood and experience them at the same time. 9. Dandelions provide food for pollinators and birds Dandelions provide pollen and nectar and are a great early spring... Continue reading