Comments on: Garden Rambo in “Last Frost”

By: williaum

williaum — Fri, 22 May 2009 23:38:50 +0000

@Pondo: wow, that was…funny! but while urban scout speaks out passionately against agriculture and monoculture, i can say with certainty his green thumb celebrates more than just a first birthday this year. man knows how to get some guerrilla horticulture on!

i remember when we lived off Belmont this hidden patch of nettles he had transplanted from some urban green space (Oak’s Bottom perhaps, Powell Butte maybe). for real, this little alley between duplexes had a tiny patch of soil announcing a grimy basement window and planted there he had a thriving semi-wild stand of nettles. i don’t remember us ever eating this nettle (probably would taste something like green, tonifying cigarette butts, pbr and piss); he mostly wanted to dry the stalks to process into cordage â€” a favored activity of another friend while scout plucked away on his banjo or came up with his next hit short film idea.

ah, memories.

By: Pondo

Pondo — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:15:30 +0000

Gardening!? Gardening!? Urban Scout, you permaculturalist sellout! Where do you get off, consciously managing your environment? I just can’t believe it dude. You’d just as well turn Seqouia National Park into a corn field/mine/landfill/highway/nuclear testing site. Who will the young rewilders look up to now? The messiah has failed us. The world will plunge into a hell of neat little rows of salmonberries. I’m going to go burn my hair off.

(If you want it, I’ve got a list of about 200 species of food trees and shrubs for the Northwest, hardy to zone 6. Write me.)

-Pondo

By: FeralKevin

FeralKevin — Mon, 04 May 2009 04:27:18 +0000

Garden’s looking good. What’s your plan with the cattails?
Do you have any nettles growing? I just got CRAZY for them again. Guess they call that spring.

By: Mark Fisher

Mark Fisher — Fri, 01 May 2009 10:48:47 +0000

The camas in my semi-upland West Yorkshire garden is flowering at the moment. Beautiful. Not a big enough clump yet to spoil by harvesting (four years old) but its our native plants, especially woodland, that are giving a harvest. I would back you in planting the wild onion family. We are eating wild garlic (Allium ursinum) at the moment, leaves, flowers and bulbs, and they spread well in our damp clay shade. We are also eating corn salad (Valerianella locusta) leaving a few plants to seed so that it keeps going. Same for garlic mustard (Alliara petiola – not onion family, the leaves just taste of garlic). We also have leaves of cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis) but we lose that some years, and of wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella). I’m going to bring in one of your native’s again, winter purslane/miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) to add some variety.
Do I see some brooklime (Veronica spp.) in your marshland? We have some in our pond, and the odd leaf is welcome. The pond is too small for bulrush (what you call cattails) but there are wetlands out in the landscape near us where can grab a few roots.

By: martha

martha — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:27:13 +0000

I’m surprised that the salmon berry grows so well in the direct sun. Our salmon berries growing up in corbett were always deep in the shady forest. Thanks for this blog I really like looking at all the interesting plants you’ve been working with. Two questions: are cattails “invasive”? And what are rhizomes exactly?

By: esmeh

esmeh — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 23:55:20 +0000

the yarrow can be cut back all the dead/fry growth to the bottom during the winter when it is no flowering. it will come back year after year if you do that.

By: RaVen

RaVen — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 05:03:29 +0000

Thanks for showing the lovely photos. I had a great laugh over the pine tree growth… darling!

I hope to move most of my plants west as the building blocks my side and rear porch. Most of my herbs thrived, what a relief. One poor lavender drowned.

Have a fruitful gardening season this year everyone!

By: Christine

Christine — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:50:44 +0000

Fantastic returns for you Scout!

Can hardly wait to see what pops out here in the E Coast!

Have experienced all seasons out here save Spring. Well, have discovered one dandelion, and was absolutely delighted… dandelion fritters? Don’t touch my dandelions!

Wish to plant for those forest beings, as well as for … well me

Thanks for sharing,

Cheers!

By: kyle

kyle — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 02:50:37 +0000

Yay fruit! I’ve never had camas, i’m curious what it tastes like. My cherries and apples are finally coming around to waking up. Although spring comes much earlier down here in San Francisco than up where you are, I live on the coast in the fog, so I don’t get the benefit of the lower latitude since it’s usually cold and salty around here. Sigh.