This Garden Column in the Siskiyou News, follows an 18 year writing hiatus

For nearly 10 years I wrote a garden column that was published in the three South County papers, Weed, Dunsmuir and Mt Shasta. At the time I was the (original) chief cook and bottle-washer for the Brown Trout Gallery in Dunsmuir.

This renewed “garden” column will be a bit different with the inclusion of Permaculture principles. I will still share moon phases and some musings on the brilliance of the natural world.

     Now, just a moment to catch up for those former readers in the South County.

After 13 years, Michael and I sold the Brown Trout (2004). I took a Yoga teacher’s training course and taught Yoga for a minute. Eighteen months later I was certified as a Permaculture Designer.

Here’s a brief bio for new readers. After building our first home in Mt Shasta and living there for about 14 years, Michael and I moved closer to the Brown Trout in Dunsmuir, where we lived for about 22 years. We’ve been outside of McCloud for nearly nine years.

These 40-some years have been composed of many “incarnations” for me: Registered Nurse, entrepreneur, publisher (quarterly newsletters), community organizer, writer, caregiver, Yoga teacher, Permaculture Designer and, farmer (for a minute).

Michael and I are now in our seventies living off-grid outside of McCloud on 2+ acres of Earth. We are living our dream and have designed our little homestead around Permaculture principles. I’ll be sharing these principles in subsequent columns.

Let’s talk about spring! The Moon was new on April 27th, in Taurus. We are now in a waxing Moon, approaching the full Moon on May 12th.

If you choose to plant by the Moon, a waxing moon is a good time to start seeds or plant above ground crops. It’s also the best time to transplant seedlings and established plants.

A waning moon is time to start root crops, prune and do general maintenance.

We live at 4,300 feet. I started my first seeds mid-March in my Walapini (sunken greenhouse). I followed the Moon phases and astrological signs (earth and water) as a guide. That’s just how I roll.

I transplanted my root crops (onions, scallions, leeks and potatoes) during the April waning Moon. Some root crops (carrots, parsnips, turnips) don’t transplant well and need to be started in the ground.

My “hot crops” will go into the ground during the waxing Moon in early June. These include tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, winter and summer squash, cucumbers and other frost tender crops.

For newcomers it’s best to wait until early June to put your hot crops in the ground. After years of jumping the gun and losing tomatoes to May frosts, I now wait until June.

The nurseries are open and it’s Spring! Hooray! So, go out and begin the creative process of gardening.

In the meantime remember, time spent by a creek or in the woods helps you feel lighter and makes the world look brighter.

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