Blog
April 24, 2024 “I can do this. I’ll take a seed tray of Western Columbine (Aquilegia formosa) home and watch over it,” I announced to the native plant nursery co-chair at Magnuson Park. It was late November, when we propagate native plants by seed. The nursery leader makes a delicate, moist seed-potting medium. You push […]
Water Conservation – Ideas are still percolating in …
June 21, 2018 Yesterday I set out to water the fruit and nut trees for the first time this year. I thought it would be a lot of work because 1) it has been hot and, 2) because May precipitation was a record low .3 inches and June is just average at 1.29 inches so […]
Soil Camp
May 27, 2018 Last week I attended a five-day soil science class with research scientist Dr. Elaine Ingham, just outside of Oroville, CA, where they say Ahmonds when referring to Almonds. Seven of us hovered over microscopes much of the time, counting nematodes, protozoa, and bacteria. Near the end of each day, it was hard […]
Let ‘er Drip
April 17, 2018 Last summer, as most of you know, we carried water around in buckets to water the plants. A few times each summer, we got help from a dozen 5-8 year olds. One hot August day, we gave each of the kids a yogurt container, showed them where the drip line was and […]
FECO Water Conservation Grant – Step Three – Ollas and Perforated Pipe
March 19, 2018 Our efforts this year center on water conservation and we are attempting three different methods to deliver water to plants: gravity fed drip irrigation (coming soon), ollas, and deep perforated pipe. All of these methods will save water but they all will also minimize the time and physical effort it takes to […]
FECO Water Conservation Grant – Step Two – Treadle Pump
February 7, 2018 For three summers we have filled and lifted 5 gallon buckets to water the plants. That’s fine if you have a strong back and a lot of time. Currently, we are working on a setup to move the water from the cisterns around the orchard using less effort and time. Last week, […]
FECO Water Conservation Grant – Step One
January 21, 2018 Our newest cistern is in place, poised to capture 1,000 gallons of water every winter. A volunteer found it used on Craig’s List and donated it to FECO. On the last day of 2017, nine volunteers worked 2.5 hours to set a bamboo structure in place and to build and attach a […]
Good Soil Biology – The Perfect Recipe For Plants
December 19, 2017 It’s time to honor our important volunteers who live in the soil – the nematodes, protozoa, microarthropods, fungi and bacteria. All these fellows work tirelessly underground, decomposing organic matter and pooping out the nutrients in the form that plants can use. In fact, organic matter is the only food we have supplied […]
Hot! Hot! Hot!
November 6, 2017 Last week, three of us poured our energy into designing a proper thermal compost pile. Today was the critical third day after the initial turning of the pile. Did the center stay above 131 degrees F? Drum roll. Both thermometers read 155. We did it! A proper thermal compost includes the following […]
A Nod For Natives
October 16, 2017 These days I hang out with volunteers of the Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS). I don’t tend to say much. I know my place (right field). These are pleasant knowledgeable folks and I am learning a lot. One member coaxed me to sign up for a native plant propagation class at Oxbox […]
New Watering System Is On Tap
October 1, 2017 It’s fascinating how one mulberry or one thornless blackberry can sustain me while I work in the orchard. Just that brief sweet juicy explosion can satisfy, nourish and make me smile. These two fruits are new to the orchard and they have proved their worth. It will be several weeks before we […]