Spring has come to Fairytale Farm. The borage is  blooming.  The cherry tree is plump with  blossoms.  Flowers, everywhere.

Look how the strawberry spiral has changed from mid February to April :

The lupine is doing well. The giant red mustard and nasturtiums are doing better…

Last spring, we were blessed by a swarm of bees that moved into our empty hive. The sky was filled with bees, 1000’s of them covering the entire garden.  Over an hour, they slowly moved into the hive.  We all happened to be outside, the neighbors, the kids, in awe.

Meanwhile, the yellow and purple peas are ripe.  The purple ones are” Blauwschokker” soup peas, though I eat them when small and flat.

The yellow peas have a fruity, sweet flavor.  They are stunning when served together.   We eat the “flashy trout” lettuce everyday.

The blueberries are in blossom:

I cleared out a large part of the garden to install a pond in 2012.  Here it is before:

Sweet spring to all.  May your garden be filled with flowers too.

There is a lot growing in the winter garden, despite my not planting most of it.  The giant red mustard has self-seeded everywhere! And it is giant. We found if you just dunk it in boiling water for a minute or two, then plunge it in an ice bath, it’s glowing green and loses its mustard pungency.  I’ve got baby mache growing in between the mustards, another prolific self-seeder, but with a mild flavor.

Giant red mustard in the sunlight.

Aren't they just so purple and georgious?

My current favorite beauties are the purple peas.  Their fuscia and lavendar flowers are as lovely as sweet peas, but edible.  The peas themselves are too fibrous as snow peas, but if you wait until they are plump, there are tasty (but disappointingly, green) peas inside. I also have yellow peas growing. Green peas are boring!

Purple pea blossoms.

Last week’s project was to separate the strawberries and move them to the borders of the garden. First, I decided to create a “strawberry spiral”.  I planted tall yellow lupine, 3 different poppies, and some dahlias.  If they all grow to their reported 4 feet, you will be invisible as you sit on the wooly thyme in the center of the circle. 

I built this for the little children. I thought they'd enjoy walking in a spiral, snacking on strawberries along the way.

And then it became time to prune the grapevine.  Note we skipped pruning it last year, due to sickness and neglect.  Which meant that there was an amazing amount of grape wood that is now littering half the yard.

Grapevines, grapevines, everywhere!

We turned most of the vines into wreaths.

Since I now have over 40 grapevine wreaths, I’ve been experimenting with adding flowering branches, such as quince blossoms.

Isn't the quince bush so pretty?

So I cut some quince branches… and tucked them into the grapevines…and the result is lovely!  Doesn’t last long, though.

A grapevine, twisted into a wreath shape, with some flowering quince cuttings....

I just twisted the grape vines around and around until I had enough bulk to make a wreath. Then, you need clippers and  a few flowering spring branches.  I tucked these in one at a time, using no twine or wire, the grape vines held them into place.

I think the wreath could use even more quince branches, but I was being stingy.  I especially like the pink blossoms against my pink livingroom walls.  Nice!

I also planted 4 new trees : a chocolate persimmon, a black mulberry tree, another cherry, a wolfberry bush (goji berry).  I’ve never tasted a fresh goji berry…I hope it’s good!  And I added a few more yellow raspberries, 4 “pink lemonade” blueberries – yes, they’re pink!  Now I just have to wait several years to see if the varieties are tasty enough to keep.

We’re starting up Fairy-Tale Farm events in May, so stay tuned! The greenhouse is packed right now with tomato seedlings, peppers, sweet peas and edible peas galore, and other herbs and vegetables.  Now if everything escapes the wrath of gophers, birds, the one chicken who flies out everyday, and assorted insects, then in a few months, the garden will look like paradise!   Come back and see…

Oh, the possibilities!

2011 at Fairy-Tale Farm was hard.  In Spring, I had to take some time off of hosting events in order to tend to my health.  Here I contemplate what to plant next.

Spring Diva

Months later, the fava beans behind the rocking chair grow into 6 foot towers.  The triple compost system that Karsten built out of old wood pallets against the back fence slowly rots.  Sweet peas bloom on the left next to the chicken coop.  Giant red mustard continues to grow, and red lettuces snuggle in with baby carrots.

The migrating birds don't eat the red lettuces and they look pretty with the slowly growing carrots.

By early summer, sweet peas blossom on the left while red mustards bolt and shoot up yellow flowers in the background. Poppies line the path. The garden is glorious.

I grew some exotic poppies this year.    I call the red and white one “poppy from outerspace”.  The pink peony-like one was a volunteer.  Red pom-pom type from Annie’s Annuals.  Can’t wait to see what combo I get wildly this year.

I had so many sweet peas and fava beans I sold them at the Corralitos Farmer’s Market:

Fava beans and sweet pea flowers. The scent of the sweet peas is so delicious.

We also sold edible flowers. Nasturtium, borage, calendula, pansies, oxalis.

Then, I unfortunately ended up in the hospital with my sweet peas.

Trying to make the best of it at UCSF as I am here for 3 long weeks.

But in the summer I am free, and I spend hours sleeping on the porch as the garden slowly grows around me.

Fairy-Tale Farm is quiet with only the cat for company.

We get a farm dog named “Kia”.  The purple, yellow, and red potatoes are dug up.  Rainbow tomatoes are harvested. Pears.

The winter comes to a close and we harvest pumpkins and peas.  I slowly mend, and contemplate what to do for 2012.  Happy gardening, all. Stay tuned for upcoming events.

Sometimes you have to get out of the urban farm and visit cornfields up the coast for inspiration.

From the Santa Cruz Sentinel article found at: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_16109132

Living a Fairy-Tale: Santa Cruz family ‘grows’ community at their downtown area farm