Mindful Living

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

Woods Dirt

Posted on by Jean Campbell

My mother was an avid gardener. She insisted my little sister and I help with pulling weeds and feeding the veg patch. Little sister and I in the garden As a surly teenager, I complained a lot, totally missing the point. Gardening would not take hold with me until after the birth of my second daughter. When I asked my mother's advice on a fruitful garden, she replied, "Woods dirt makes the best soil." I didn't really know what she meant, but if she said it, then it was so. In my... Continue reading

The Herb Spiral – Tips and tricks from a new user!

Posted on by Jean Campbell

On the heels of completing the initial sheet mulching steps of The kitchen Garden (formerly known as The Secret Garden), we began our herb spiral. The process is similar in that materials are layered to magically build soil. We began by placing rocks, all resourced from our property, in a spiral formation, and stacked them upwards as we went round. We filled the bottom with sticks and topped them with good old wheat straw. Tip # 1 - Reuse garden waste! Melvin tops the... Continue reading