Friday, May 16, 2014

green manures, grapes, and corn ancestors all in my back yard

i had planted a stand of green manures and a cover crop in the old community garden which was unfortunately obliterated when the powers that be at the university decided it would better serve them as a parking lot...( to be fair they did give us a bigger site to work with ...and we have been [and continue] working there...but that didn't help the green manures )...the community garden wasn't the only place i planted them however ( always plant redundantly when possible ) and the clover in my back yard ( top photo )is just coming into bloom...so there will be another source of seed for that nitrogen setting legume for the autumn...the seed heads on the winter rye ( second photo )i used as a reservoir for the nitrogen ( except i haven't turned it under so it is using the nitrogen ) are just emerging and at least some of those will grow to fruition and serve as another local seed source for autumn planting in any number of places including the community garden...if you disregard my foot in the background and concentrate on the center of the third photo you will see what can only be northern tepehuan teosinte emerging...the zea family resemblance is just impossible to miss ( and i will elaborate on that when some apache red, hopi blue or dakota black pop up in the three sisters' guild )...this is one of half a dozen so far and even thought it is a bit late i am hoping for ears again this season...finally the grape vines in the elm tree at the end of the patio are filling in..there was over twenty pounds of grapes in that tree last september...which rendered six gallons or so of juice...hoping to keep the jelly dynasty going this year...there's more out there...spuds and sunchokes are up and thriving despite the coolish temperatures...and i found an asparagus plant growing from seed naturalized last autumn...more to come as i battle the birds over the rye and doubtlessly the wheat as well.

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