Sometimes when life becomes more work than play and the balance is out of whack, we need to escape somewhere beautiful for inspiration.  My recent destination of choice was the Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas.

A day trip up the coast to visit this 17 acre permaculture farm was a perfect afternoon getaway.  I participated in a three hour tour of the grounds and gardens.  From orchards to medicinal food forest there was much to see. My overall impression - quiet, peaceful, wild, weedy and everywhere I turned I saw an overwhelming abundance of food growing and thriving.

A cottage house tucked away in the garden, artful signs waiting to be hung, comfrey growing EVERYWHERE!  There was the largest comfrey plant I have ever seen-probably eight feet tall.  A straw bale house, an interesting chicken coop set-up, and a beautiful herd of dairy goats roaming the hillside.

I sat on a warm cob bench in the sun by this tranquil pond after the tour to do some journaling and a thoughtful host brought this beautiful cup of tea with fresh borage leaves and lemon.  A perfect ending to a lovely afternoon.  Gratitude and blessings abound.  

What we see and what we dont see

What we know and what we cant know

The mighty and the small, The Father and the Mother

The creatures that prowl the forests

and the growing things in the fields

The young ones that tread the ground

and the old ones that sleep under it

The birthing and the dying

The laughing and the crying and the bearing up

All creation breathes with one breath.

-Johnathon Odell, The Healing

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Even though it has been a while since the last post a bit has been going on out the back...
But first, a quick update on the Rust & pest problem from the last Blog post... The beans were removed & disposed of in the garbage in an attempt to get rid of as much infected matter as possible... The garden was then sprayed on the 17th of September with Neem... The White Cabbage Butterfly caterpillar & Colorado Potato beetle populations have nearly disappeared completely so I am very chuffed with that.. I was contemplating purchasing some Dipel powder for the caterpillars as it will be needed for the Aquaponic system as it is Fish friendly but that can wait until the beds are all set up..


Spring sowings...
Seeds...
Since the last post a few seeds & a couple of seedlings have gone in...
Bean, Black seeded Snake, Madagascar/tropical Lima
Purple Vienna Kohlrabi
Mangelwurzel 
Beetroot Early Wonder
Cucumber, Muncher Burpless, Lebanese, Mini White
Corn, Baby Pop
Rainbow Chard
Eggplant, Thai, Udumalapet, Large White 
Cumin
Tomato, Black Russian, Brandywine Pink
Rockmelon, Minnesota Midget
Cos lettuce & Unidentified Lettuce seedlings from mum
Seedlings
Mixed Capsicum
Transplanted unidentified volunteer Brassicas  x 2 Bed #2
Transplanted Red salad & Brown onions into Beds # 1 & 2 form various beds in the patch...
Transplanted the Broad Ripple Yellow currant & Wapsipinicon Peach Tomato seedlings from the Lime Bed into newly prepared Wicking Barrels with cages...

Still waiting for most to sprout & most from the previous batch are yet to sprout but here is a quick look anyway...

Strawberry wall...

As the remaining Strawberry barrel was cleared out to make way for some Tomatoes so what was left was put into the Strawberry wall... Was a bit of a squeeze to get them in but theyre all in there now... What surprised us the most was finding 2 small plants that look like they have sprouted from seed...
 Left is a shot before the other plants from the barrel went in... There is a quick look at what they look like now in the clip above..



 
Happy Harvests... 

We are still harvesting the last of the Carrots from the Bath tub bed along with Kohlrabi & Spring onions for coleslaw a few times a week... The last of the Beetroot& Purple Caulis were harvested for a nice Roast Lamb lunch with guests on Sunday... They all went down a treat...
Still getting heaps of tomatoes from the volunteer plants around the yard & the Mangles that had all their sick looking leaves trimmed off are now providing us with some lovely fresh greens...
Most of the tomatoes on the Right are now a very tasty tomato paste in  the Freezer...


Have a great one all....
: )»

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Blatant Plug! 

ODD Wear has 5 new T-Shirts in our Store!!!

Come visit our Shop!

http://oddwear.spreadshirt.com/

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 Have had about 10-15 mm of rain in the last 24 hours.... Glad I didnt fill up the beds as I was counting on the rain doing it for us....

Didnt get much done yesterday except a bit of paving but I can see the end in sight....
Have been waiting to do this bed as the paving around it was a bit rushed & needed a touch up.

I have the tin & organised the angle so will only need to buy some sand for the reservoir then last bed can go in... Will need to lay some pavers at the other end & all the beds will be finished for this Year..
            **Does happy Dance**


We have had a few visitors in the garden this week, a pair of crows..... Thought they were harmless enough to begin with but have discovered that they are nicking the eggs from out of the chook house.. Will have to wait for the Chooks to lay before we let them out from now on Me thinks..

Have found a few other more welcome guests in the garden.. Have come across 10 or so of these little fellows as well as some rather large skinks that are just to quick for the camera...







Just a few update shots from around the garden....

Left : Rainbow Silverbeet, Sugarloaf, Wombok, Bush beans, Strawberry Barrel..

Right : Honey Pod Peas, Thai Egg Plant, Bush Beans..

Left : Russian Kale, Zucchini..

Right :Carrots, Beetroot, Lettuce & a feral Sweet Potato..

Left : Chillis, Leeks & shallots..


Right Front Bed : Mini Roma Tomatoes, Capsicum,Zucchini..

Right Rear Bed : Golden Nugget & Butternut Pumpkins..

This weeks harvest....
Kale, Beans, Snow Peas, Silverbeet, Chillis, Shallots, Lettuce & Zucchini....
We got 3 eggs most days until our guests moved in....


Have a Great one All....

: )»

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Last week ## edit  now already 3 weeks ago## of the project with the Bronx Writing Academy and Citizen Schools was quite eventful!

A student taking interest in her schoolmates accomplishments

This last week was the WOW! The WOW! Is the culmination of the programs that Citizen Schools offers, and plays out in a unique show, product or showcase by the students. For the Hydroponic apprenticeship, the WOW! was planned to be a public showcase, right in front of the school, to show the community what the students had accomplished.

We started by taking the last measurement for the plants, and finishing the graphs showing the growth of the lettuce and the cilantro. Then the "fun" began, moving the systems from the 3rd floor classroom, down to the street. By fun, I mean the kids had fun spilling the water from the system, and Amrita, the schoolteacher, and I had the fun of apologizing to the janitor. It was a bit of commotion but at the end, everything -the 2 systems, the posters crafted by the students, a couple of tables, and flyers- was taken down to the front of the school, reassembled, and ready to showcase!

Student explains how they recorded the plant growth

A local taking time to ask questions of the students work

The system was positioned right in from of the school, in the triangular section of grass where the flag post is (and a couple of raised bed that were planted last week or so). We asked the kids to try to talks to the passer by, and get their interest up, to bring them by the system. After a few shy attempts, a few of the students became bolder and started to bring people over, and zealously presented their work, the system, the plants growing in it, the nitrogen cycle and etc...
We had planned a quick conversation with JT Bear so give him an update and show our set up, the kids where happy to show their work (again) they have accomplished. They showed around the plants, called the basil lettuce (;-) and commented on the posters they had made. MANY THANKS AGAIN TO JT BEAR!

To be honest I was a bit weary on how it would turn-up, the week en before, I went to the few community gardens I knew about in the neighborhood, and "advertised" the WOW! To try to get some of the community garden member to come up. I was not sure if that was the right strategy, as they first responded by saying how they would be happy to show their garden around. To be fair though, these community gardeners have jobs, and therefore my not be able to show up. So I was happily surprised when I recognized a member of these community gardens. I was even happier to see that not only middle schooler leaving the school took an interest in their schoolmates work, but also members of the community from all ages. It was quite nice also (personally) to have a few people walking up to the kids and shaking their hands congratulating them on their work.

We finally brought everything back up, for a "end of project" wrap-up, including some awards for the students that did the most progress, and showed the most interest.

This was a great experience, and I hope it can keep going in the fall, but at this point I do not know yet if it will be possible. In the mean time, I found a restaurant owner that agreed to allow me to put the system in his patio area, so plants can keep growing over the summer. So I will keep recording what is going on in the comparison fertilizer vs compost tea over the summer. Also the herbs produced will be shared with the restaurant.

Finally, Many thanks to (not in order):Agnieszka Tuszynska (my lovely partner who was supporting the idea from day one), Amrita Kalsa (BWA teacher) , Alex Black, Maddie Oliver,Morayo Faleyimu, Molly Cohen and Katerine Mott (Citizen schools) , JT Bear, Bronx Writing Academy and his director Kasmar Samuels , Greening Forward and Margarita Vigodner (My boss). 

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July marks four years of our lives spent creating Soul Flower Farm. We have gone through many changes learning so much in a short amount of time. On good days there is no where we would rather be. We are certainly blessed to be surrounded by overwhelming serenity, beauty and an amazing view. Most of the time the sun is shining and the weather is sweet!  Of course we have our fair share of challenging days where we are questioning what the heck*#*!!, this is really hard work! But as in any aspect of life, hardship and ease come hand in hand. We wouldnt be strong  (or alive for that matter) if it were any different.  

So now that we know we can grow our own food, raise some livestock, put up stores for winter, and all the good stuff that comes with this lifestyle, it seems only logical the next step would be expansion.  With reflection on these last four years of exertion, production and growth, we stand with complete openness and readiness.  Readiness to give back, to be of service in a way that really matters, in a way that is tangible.  We dont know yet what it will look like but our intentions and the dreams in our hearts are waiting for the opportunity to manifest.  

"The best way to find yourself is to loose yourself in the service of others."

Mahatma Ghandi

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Further to yesterdays data dump about the ISO amendments, here is the archive video of the One People Roundtable Discussion from this Monday night.


love d






XXX

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Broccoli harvested from the garden in our sons handmade basket

Many beds still bursting with different varieties of kale

Snap peas make perfect garden nibbles

Food Forest beginnings: Artichokes, kale, chard, sunflowers, banana, and a young hawthorn tree

Cylindra beets

Dehydrated beet chips

Strawberry beet fruit leather- try it its amazing!

Lots of fresh cheese

Ginger!

Turkeys poults are growing up

Young hands jarring up honey- a sweet chore!

Drying the garlic harvest before braiding

So much to fit into these long, hot days.  Spring is feeling more like summer as we put extra mulch on the beds and get all the tomatoes, corn, squash, peppers and eggplant into the ground.  Ive been feeling way behind as there are a ton of vegis to harvest and process with very little time and only a few hands keeping up all the work.  Our trio of goats are fat and due to kid in less than a month.  The stalls need to be cleaned out and bedded with thick fresh straw in anticipation of the babies we so adore.  The chickens are steadily laying away and the turkeys are growing large before our eyes.  I think those seven funny poults may have imprinted on me because they follow me everywhere squawking, "Mammma!" in turkey language.  I have become quite attached to them which is going to be problematic come Thanksgiving.  We harvested a good portion of garlic yesterday.  Im excited to experiment with braiding both the soft and hard neck varieties later this week.  We harvested it still a bit green so the stems will be flexible instead of brittle.  Weve been eating mostly out of the garden these days and cant wait for the fruit in the orchard to ripen: citrus and apricots first, then plums, apples, pears, grapes, persimmons and more...We are really praying and planning for a big harvest this year so we can put up the summer goodness for winter.  Much depends on the drought/water supply and how much our grey water can keep the soil moist.  For now, were feeling optimistic and always filled with gratitude!

God never sends us more than we can handle. -Mother Theresa

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Getting started on this post much later than usual, so it will be just a few comments about what happened at tonights meeting of the Humboldt Microcontrollers Group.

Due to people being out of town and having prior commitments, there were only four participants in tonights meeting. We still had good discussions about microcontrollers and electronics, and I, at least, learned a few things about controlling motors with microcontrollers (MCUs).

TI Tiva C LaunchPad board

Ed started out the night by showing us the powerful $20 Texas Instruments (TI) Tiva C LaunchPad board he received recently from TI. He hasnt a chance to hook up any fancy demonstrations with it for the group yet, but he did seem pretty happy with it. Well likely have a blog post about it from him in the next few weeks after hes had a chance to work with it.

Ed also brought his less expensive TI LaunchPad board which he is using for some capsense proximity sensing. He talked about that at the previous Humboldt Microcontrollers Group meeting, and brought the small LaunchPad to demonstrate some capsense work hed done since that previous meeting.

The third item Ed brought were some nice oscilloscope screenshots of the PWM (pulse width modulation) control of the DC motor, since part of tonights meeting was planned to be discussion of Jeremy Blums Arduino Basics #5 video tutorial about motors and transistors. Youll see those oscilloscope screenshots in an upcoming blog post. Ed explained what the screenshots showed and the difference between the various trace patterns.

Nick explains how the chicken coop door opener will work.

Nick brought the work-in-progress door opening mechanism for his new chicken coop. Im trying to talk him into writing one or several blog posts about the project, but so far his time has been focused on finishing the design and getting it built. He powered the circuitry for opening and closing the door and showed us how it works. One of the door automation components is a part off an old Willys Jeep, which makes his chicken coop door more interesting and a bit unique. Its unlikely many other chicken coop doors in the USA have parts from a Willys Jeep. We just hope the chickens appreciate the history and character of their coop door!

After Nick demoed the chicken door opener, he talked briefly about the microcontroller educational kit he received from TI. Were looking forward to him bringing that to an upcoming meeting and maybe writing a blog post about the kit.

First circuit in #5 video tutorial

Next we spent some time talking about microcontrollers and motors, with the discussions being primarily to help me understand how circuits should be designed for controlling motors with an MCU and how the components for the circuits should be selected or sized. After we got most of my no load current, voltage operating range, stall current and collector current questions answered about motors and transistors, the group helped me finish breadboarding the first exercise in the #5 video, Nick typed up the sketch for the Arduino to operate the motor, we plugged it into power -- and the setup worked perfectly. Voila!

This weekend, Ill go through that exercise again by myself to make sure I understand it, polish up the code in the sketch a bit so it has comments in it and so I understand what each part of the code is doing. Then Im hoping to work on the rest of the #5 video (although I still need to work on a couple previous videos in the series...).

One last thing discussed was the Humboldt Microcontrollers Group wiki. We started out with a Wikispaces wiki, but have decided to move away from that wiki service because they require everyone who wants to view their wikis to sign up for an account. Thats just annoying for how we want to use the microcontroller wiki. So Ed is hosting a MediaWiki site, and we hope to have that operational in the next week or two. Well put a link to the wiki on this blog once the site is up and running.

See you in two weeks (thats Thursday, June 26) for the next Humboldt Microcontrollers Group meeting.

**********

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