The Witches Kitchen Garden
I can’t imagine not having a garden. From time to time, my life gets so busy that my garden gets neglected, or lack of water makes me scale right back. But I always go back to it. Life is such a miracle, such a lucky nexus of so many necessary conditions, and food is so much at the centre of it.
Food is the basis for our own life – the pleasure of it and the keeping of it. It is also the basis of our relationship with every other species on the planet, either directly in a forage or predator relationship, or indirectly as competitors for the finite planetary resources.
Honouring, respecting, enjoying, being responsible about food seems to me to be basic to loving life. Every witch’s kitchen needs a kitchen garden!
It does not, however, have to be a full permaculture system (fun though that is!) Herbs in pots make a huge difference to culinary style. Growing sprouts and salad greens in boxes and little doorstep beds is small effort for large reward. In season vegetables, once you are into the rhythm of it, don’t take a huge amount of time or space. Backyard fruit trees, well chosen, can earn their keep with side benefits before you even get to the gluttonous yields. Chooks make wonderful pets.
I have written about permaculture, on and off, for years. Here are some articles about the basics, and (more fun for me) my new blog diary of garden adventures.
Summer 2010
Autumn 2010
- Leafy Green Planting Days in Very Early Autumn
- Fruiting Planting Days in Very Early Autumn
- A Garden With Stamina
- Happy Autumn Equinox!
- Planting in Mid-Autumn
- Making Compost with Azolla
- Leafy Planting Days in Mid-Autumn
- Fruiting Planting Days in Mid Autumn - Peas in Paper Pots
- Roots and Perennials Planting Days in Mid Autumn - Self Sown Garlic
- Leafy Planting Days in Late Autumn
- Fruiting Planting Days in Late Autumn - Peas and Broad Beans
- Roots and Perennials Planting Days in Late Autumn - Planting Carrots
Winter 2010
- Leafy Planting in Early Winter - Thinking Forward
- Fruiting Planting Days in Early Winter - Celebrating the Solstice
- Roots and Perennials Planting Days in Mid-Winter - Planting Shallots
- Jonquils
- Leafy planting days in mid-winter - Staggering the Planting
- Fruiting Planting Mid Winter
- Roots and Perennials Planting in Mid-Winter - Getting Ready for Spuds
- Hubble Bubble
- Leafy Planting in Late Winter - Making Leaf Pots
- Fruiting Planting in Late Winter
- Roots and Perennials Planting in Late Winter - Turmeric
Spring 2010
- Homegrown Coffee
- Hilling Up the Spuds
- Leafy Planting in Early Spring - Advanced Seedlings
- Fruiting Planting Days in Early Spring
- One of the Nicest Things About Gardening
- Roots and Perennials Planting Days in Early Spring - Planting Asparagus
- Chickweed
- We Have Fish
- Paw Paw and Citrus Fruit Salad
- Fruiting Planting Days in Mid Spring - Catching Up
- We Have Geese
- Roots and Perennials Days in Mid Spring - Avoiding the Bolters
- Planting Leafy Greens in Late Spring - If You Must
- Fruiting Planting Days in Late Spring - Cramming a Bit More into A Garden That Is Full!
Summer 2010-2011
- True Love is a Pile of Compost
- Fruit Tree Shopping
- Leafy and Fruiting Planting Days in a very Wet Mid-Summer
- Roots and Perennials Planting in MidSummer – Next Year’s Strawberries
- Home From The Beach
- Leafy Planting Days in Late Summer Frizzle Weather
- Fruiting Planting Days in Late Summer
- Roots and Perennials Planting in Very Late Summer - Planting Spuds
- Bean Basics
- We Have Chooks Again!
Autumn 2011
- A One Pot Autumn Garden
- Fruiting Planting Days in Early Autumn - A Risky Planting
- Roots and Perennials Planting Days in early Autumn - Garlic Planting Time
- The Garlic Agrees
- Saving Seed
- Leafy Planting in Mid Autumn - The Winter Greens Go In
- Fruiting Planting in Mid Autumn - Peas, Snow Peas and Broad Beans
- Roots and Perennials Planting Days in Mid Autumn - Onions and Garlic Go In
- Leafy and Fruiting Planting in Late Autumn
- Roots and Perennials Planting Days in Late Autumn
- Oceans Eleven in the Garden
Winter 2011
- Leafy Planting Days in Early Winter
- Fruiting Planting in Early Winter
- Roots and Perennials Planting Days in Mid-Winter - The Last of the Onions
- Leafy Planting Days in Mid-winter - Finding the Gaps
- Fruiting Planting in Mid-Winter - The Last Of The Peas Go In
- Roots and Perennials Planting Days in Mid-Winter - Globe Artichokes From Seed
- Imbolc in the Garden
- Leafy Planting Days in Late Winter - Basil Time
- Fruiting Planting in Late Winter
- Roots and Perennials Planting in Late Winter - Planting Spuds
- Planting Mulberries from Cuttings
- Some for Us and Some for the Chooks
Spring 2011
- Leafy Planting Days in Early Spring and Teenage Mums
- Fruiting Planting Days in Early Spring - The Summer Crops Go Out
- Roots and Perennials Planting in Early Spring - Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
- Roast Goose: Step One
- Leafy Planting Days in Mid Spring - Heat and Bolt Resistant Varieties, and Low Expectations
- The Mulch Mountain
- Fruiting Planting Days in Mid Spring - A Big Planting Day
- Azolla for the Chooks
- Roots and Perennials Planting in Mid Spring - Getting Ready for Frizzle Weather
- Compost Gold
- Leafy Planting Days in Late Spring - Don't be Afraid of Shade
- Fruiting Planting in Late Spring - Practicing Restraint
- Roots and Perennials Planting in Late Spring - Trying Sweet Potatoes Yet Again
- Eat It or Plant It?
- Bringing in the Garlic
Summer 2011-12
- Leafy Planting Days in Early Summer
- Fruiting Planting Days in Early Summer
- Roots and Perennials Planting Days in Early Summer
- 28 Spotted Ladybeetle
- Leafy Planting Days in Mid-Summer
- Tomatoes as Themselves
- Fruiting Planting Days in Mid Summer - Don't Be Afraid of Shade
- Roots and Perennials Planting in Mid Summer - The Mulberry Trees Go In
- Trombochino Genealogy
- Leafy Planting Days in Late Summer
- Fruiting Planting Days in Late Summer - Beating the Mouse Plague
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