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Garden in the Forest
Cultivating and tending to relationship
Merging practices of regenerative farming, agroforestry, folk medicine and ancestral landworking, all into one.
Rhythms Microclimates Relationship
Observing the rhythms of the land, the microseasons that bring about the ebb and flow of relationships. Life that grows from the decaying parts of past, to birth, how each individual effects the whole.
Prairies, pastures, forests, wetlands—the different relationships that create whole ecosystems.
We are all a part of these systems, from dirt to concrete, we are all from the here, and to the here we will return.
With this time, we have here to connect to where we are from.
By engaging with these rhythms, we can find ways to connect back to ourselves, to tend to the parts that have wilted, or overgrown, to plant the seeds, to bear the fruits, to harvest to nourish, and decompose what no longer serves.
These cycles, the rhythms, of nature, are us. The body, the mind, all climate, people are climate, we are climate.
The tree people, the plant people, the fungi people, the insect people, the bird people, and many more.
Such teachers, and in turn, such students.
All one, one climate.
Timeline
2020:

As Above So Below - 2020 - First plans before new move-in, three arches of past-present-future crossed between four garden beds (4 directions, 4 seasons, 4 elements)
Hugulkultur Bed Install Early June 2020 - Digging out sod, 6-8 inches deep, saving sod for later

Hugulkultur Bed Install June 2020 - filling fresh dig with salvaged freshly cut hardwood logs, sticks and twigs, charcoal + wood ash, fresh compost, and fungal inoculated straw.

Hugulkultur Bed Install Early July 2020 - adding another layer of straw then layer of compost, then layer of topsoil

Hugulkultur Bed Early August 2020 - mulched finished mounds with straw, perennial herbs added

Straw mulching - End of July 2020

Finished Constructing of Hugulkultur Beds End of July 2020

Hugulkultur beds Early August 2020 - Tomato starts, basil, peppers

End of August 2020 - Squash leaves, peppers, cucumbers, basil and tomatos in the far left

Hugulkultur Bed Early September 2020 - mulched finished mounds with straw, perennial herbs and leafy greens growing, to the left squash cucumber greens growing tall

Early September - staked tomatoes growing, squash curcubits and herbs

Early September 2020 - First Duck friend, Gibby, hatched on the Gibbous Moon

Mid September 2020 - Large zucchini amidst cucumber, squash and further back tomato bed in full swing

Garden friends hanging in the herb bed

Hugulkultur Bed End September 2020 - Pictured: Mustard Greens, Bok Choy, Amaranth, Red Cabbage, Purple Pak Choy

Early October 2020 - Beds in full swing, mustard greens, brassicas, herbs, curcubits, squash, wild greens, amaranths

Mid October 2020- New young flock of ducks in marigold patch

October 2020 - Garden growth

Ducks by the beds

Gathering by the holy basil

Exploring on cabbage leaves

Cabbage Leaves make for a good rest spot

Bathtime with flowers and herbs for munching

Drying off in herb basket part 1

Drying off in herb basket part 2

First Snow 2020 End of October

November 2020

End of November 2020
Seasonal Pond December 2020
Seasonal Pond 2020

Winter Bathing 2020
Winter 2020
2021:

Early 2021 Season - Growing plot #2 - New Garden bed established

Growing plot #3 establishment - compost over sheet cardboard for a no-till established growing plot

Early growing season 2021- Growing plot #4 established

Cardboard Sheet over grass to establish new growing beds for Growing plot #4

Continuation of Growing plot #4

Black Kali Turmeric Rhizome to be planted

End of June 2021 - Growing plot #2 - Peas and Red Clover cover crops, Turmeric rhizomes, Ginger and Taro established

Growing plot #4 herb starts

Growth from Plot #4

Wild tobacco start

Growing Plot #2 (Established May 2021) Pictured: September 2021 - Sumac, Sunflower, Zinnia, Blue + Orange Turmeric, Ginger, Taro Root, Heirloom Tomato, Catnip, Comfrey, Calendula, Marigold, Bee Balm, Daylily, Wild Grape, Red Raspberry Leaf, Stinging Nettle, Red Clover, and more.


Edible Bolete Mushroom Harvest

Edible Boletes

Peak Summer 2021 - Pictured: Wild Tobacco, Marigolds, Fennel, Mugwort, Catnip, Cilantro and Stinging Nettles

Peak Summer 2021 - Pictured: Marigolds, Stinging Nettles, Catnip, Mugwort, Elecampane, Cilantro, Fennel, Russian Sage, Wild Tobacco

Garden Through Peak 2021 Season - Pictured: Sunflower, Zinnia, Blue + Orange Turmeric, Ginger, Taro Root, Heirloom Tomato, Catnip

Garden Through Peak 2021 Season - Pictured: Sumac, Zinnia, Catnip, Comfrey, Marigold, Calendula, Bee Balm

Garden Through Peak 2021 Season - Pictured: Zinnia, Catnip, Comfrey, Marigold, Calendula, Bee Balm

Garden Through Peak 2021 Season - Pictured: Zinnia

Autumn 2021

Autumn 2021

Start of Winter 2021 - Sharing herb offerings with Porcupine
2022:

Start of 2022 Spring - Turkey Visitation

Wild Leek Ramp patch successfully established in forest understory from prior season transplant from rhizome and seed plantings

New set of Ramp Rhizomes to establish future growing patches

Salvaged Dried Sea kelp from the coast, Rehydrated, liquid strained for garden amendment, kelp mass composted for future garden nourishment

Using pump to funnel kelp amendment through hose for easy application to beds, aerial exposure as well as ground absorption

Untarping composted leaves and soil for garden use

New Garden plot cleared and sheet mulched for future use

New growth Perennials and seeds planted Autumn prior

New perennial growth

German Chamomile makes a Spring appearance

New perennial growth

Late Spring Early Summer garden tending, chop and dropping on bare patches

Early Summer growth

New Comfrey Growth

Dyer's Chamomile and past seasons strawberry patches

Calendula, Mustards, Catnip, Dyer's Chamomile

Dyer's Chamomile Bloom

Dyer's Chamomile Full Bloom

Peak Summer 2022 Growth

Orbweaver by the Mint patch

Autumn Tending with Hand Scythe/Sickle

Autumn 2022

Autumn 2022

Hazelnut treelings

10 Hazelnut trees planted in the forest, as an understory tree, with mixed dappled lighting

Hazelnut tree - truffle mushrooms have a mycorrhizal relationship with hazels, future plans to experiment by inoculating truffle spawn - Dual cropping

Late Autumn 2022 - Barred Owl visitation above the compost

Winter 2022
Winter 2022
2023:

Winter 2023 - Barred Owl Visitation

Spring 2023 - New dandelion patch growth

Spring growth

Spring 2023 - Pictured: Spring Onions, Mugwort, Stinging Nettle, Thyme, Dandelion, Sheeps Sorrell, Red Clover

Spring 2023 - New Ramp patches coming through, total of 12 patches established in the forest understory

More Ramp patches established, Ginseng seeds and Goldenseal roots planted around the forest understory,

More Late Spring Growth

New compost patch put in to sow Avena Sativa for Milky Oat Extract


Summer 2023 growth

Perennial Herb new growth

Summer 2023 - Luna Moth visitation

Mid Summer growth

Summer 2023 - Palette wall compost altar feeding the plants surrounding, abundant growth

Peak Summer 2023 growth

Peak Summer Milky Oats


Trametes Versicolor - Turkey Tail Mushroom

Salvaged fresh cut logs were originally inoculated with shiitake mushroom spores but never took, turkey tail mushrooms came instead!

More Turkey tails

Summer Growth



Chestnut Tree Planted

Peach Tree Planted

Hazelnut Tree planted, roots inoculated in Pecan Truffle Spores

Peach tree

Another inoculated hazel tree

Thank you!