Real rain

Here in California we finally seem to have moved on from the perpetual springtime we have had all winter and have entered a more seasonal weather pattern. In the past couple of days we have had 5” of rain with more forecast for tonight. We are in the middle of what is called a pineapple express storm, which according to wikipedia is an example of an atmospheric river. Apparently these are essentially rivers in the sky, thousands of kilometers long and several hundred kilometers wide and amazingly they may carry more water than the Amazon (that’s what it says anyway!)

 Two days rain

Rain is something most people don’t give a second thought to, except as an inconvenience. It is only when it stops raining for a long period do you start to realize its importance. Having grown up in rainy England  (actually not that rainy – I get more rain in my garden here than I ever saw when growing up) I have always a hard time really appreciating the rain. It is only recently, after 10 months of almost no rain, for the first time in my life I can understand how wonderful it is, as it changes the color of the landscape from brown to green. Water falling from the sky and landing right where you want it (instead of coming from a tank through a pipe with a pump) is a near miracle. The fact that it then sits in the soil until needed by plants is equally amazing. Yet another miracle is when it falls as snow in the mountains and sits there for months before it melts and gradually runs down to us.

As gardeners we should think about the rainwater that falls on our property and where it goes. We should make sure that any rainfall that lands in our garden has a chance to soak into the soil and doesn’t run away down storm drains. Incidentally an inch of rain adds up to around 27000 gallons per acre, which at 1.5 cents per gallon adds up to around $400. I hate to quantify and put a price on nature, but I mention it to show how much she gives that we take for granted.

Stinging nettle time

Winter is the season for stinging nettles in my garden. Urtica dioica is considered to be the best species for food, but all native species can be used in the same ways and that includes Urtica holosericea which grows wild in my garden.

At first glance stinging nettle would appear to be an unlikely food, but to the initiated it is one of the most useful common wild foods. It is very nutritious, widely available, easy to identify, often available in abundance and it tastes good enough that it has been cultivated as a food crop. Of special importance is that it appears very early in the year (from mid winter to late spring), when few other foods are available. In fact it is only useful at this time of year, while the plants are young and up to 8 or 10” high. Not only does the plant get tough as it gets bigger and summer progresses, but inedible crystal deposits form in the leaves.  

You sometimes hear stories of people reduced to eating nettles during wartime, but this gives a false idea of them as purely a famine food. Nettles are actually extremely nutritious and in such circumstances you couldn’t eat anything better. They contain more protein than almost any other green leaf, large amounts of chlorophyll, vitamin A, several B's, lots of C and D and an abundance of minerals including calcium, iron (one of the richest plant sources), manganese, phosphorus, potassium, silicon and sulfur. All of these nutrients would be tempting to any self-respecting herbivore, which is why it has to protect itself as it does.

If you are familiar with this plant and its propensity to sting anything that touches it, you will already know that it can’t be eaten raw. In fact you will have to protect your hands with gloves (or anything that comes to hand) while gathering the young shoots and leaves. Only a few minutes cooking are enough to wilt the tiny needle like hairs that inject their poison and make it perfectly edible. A few minutes of boiling, steaming or stir-frying are necessary to produce an excellent potherb and they can be used in any recipe that calls for spinach (I like to use it in sag aloo, an Indian spinach and potato curry). They are probably the greenest thing you are ever likely to eat and will make anything a deep green color.

If you really get into nettles they can be dried and powdered for adding to bread, soups and other dishes to increase their nutritional value (and turn them bright green too).

Though you can’t eat older plants, they have been used as a source of fiber for cordage, rope, netting, paper, sail cloth, sack cloth and even fine fabrics (it was said to be better than flax).

Coppicing chestnut

A lot of people seem to find this site when looking for information on coppicing, so I thought I would post a few pictures I've taken of the process of coppicing some chestnut trees in my garden (and a couple of making fence posts).

Hugelkultur variation

I am still developing my new vegetable garden site (which was previously a poison oak patch). The soil there is already pretty good, but I recently started a major project to improve it. This was inspired by a huge pile of half rotten wood that is taking up far too much space around a walnut tree. I have decided the best way to get rid of it, is by using it to make some hugelkultur inspired beds. I wouldn’t exactly call them hugelkultur beds because I am keeping them low (I am afraid they would lose too much water in summer if they were taller). 

Wood is actually a very good source of nutrients and energy for the soil, but is very high in carbon when new, which means it can take nitrogen from the soil during decomposition. Half rotten wood is already well on the way to being broken down, so doesn’t have this problem.

I am taking a fairly quick and easy approach to making the beds. I have been digging out 6” of soil, filling the excavation with old wood, covering it with a layer of horse manure (some fresh, some aged) and replacing the soil. This raises the bed somewhat, but I’m expecting (wanting) it to sink significantly, to leave a very slightly raised bed. I will keep doing this until I run out of wood or energy, whichever comes first.