Microclimates come in many shapes and sizes.  A comfy chair hidden under a tall canopy of flowery shrubs, or a black plastic pot in which to grow strawberries!  You probably have many of them in your yard. So, why do you need them AND how do you find them?

For a home landscape, microclimates can range from small, planter-sized areas to large buildings or long rows of tall trees. They can be a specifically designed environment or a naturally occurring buffer.  Microclimates can create shade, heat, cooling, wildlife nesting areas, protection, moisture, beauty, and other benefits. Some common features to look for in your yard are:

• Topography. The shape of the land is a significant influence on microclimates. 
• Soil. The composition of the soil affects microclimates primarily through how much water it retains or releases.
• Water.
• Vegetation.
• Artificial Structures.
• Directional orientation.  Determines which plants will thrive in which location.  South-facing slopes receive more light and heat from the sun, & North-facing slopes have less sunshine and more lush vegetation.​

​When microclimates are used on a property, they are uniquely specific to the surroundings, and limited only by the imagination of the designer! If you are not familiar with the use of microclimates, and want to reap the plethora of benefits, you'll definitely want to get some guidance from a professional!
 Have Fun!

Seed Options 
Three main types of seeds are available to gardeners.

• Open-pollinated 
• Heirloom 
• Hybrid -  plant breeding in a lab to combine 2  varieties, & GMO, which is altering seed DNA

For this post, I will discuss open-pollinated and heirloom seeds, as I feel these two types promote biodiverse and adaptable seed stock ongoing. This also enables private gardeners to save money, and collect their own seed to use and share with others.
Open-pollinated means that the plant flowers are fertilized by bees, moths, birds , bats, and even by the wind and rain. The seed harvested from these plants produce the same plant the next year. Some variances can occur if the plant is cross-pollinated by a different variety nearby, but this also adds to genetic diversity.  More diverse plant populations can adapt to local growing conditions and changes in climate year-to-year.
Heirloom seeds have a documented history of being passed down from generation to generation in a family, community or tribe, that have not been cross-pollinated. The plants grown may need a little extra care, but are said to produce more flavorful and more nutritious food. Heirloom tomatoes are especially popular because of their deep rich flavor, and the seeds can also be saved to plant more of the same for the next season! 

Why Organic?? 
The simple answer is that synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, that are used on crops, including crops for seed, are unhealthy to consume. These chemicals cause illness, and are linked to many illnesses, cognitive degeneration, learning disabilities, memory loss and cancers.  When crops are treated with these toxins, the food we eat also contains them. 
So, I vote Organic.
The "Organic" designation requires more government oversight relating to certification and growing standards, transportation, and production facilities. The increase in the cost of this "cleaner" produce is a small price to pay for the commitment by smaller farms and farmers, who believe that food grown in it's natural form and habitat provide our bodies and our families the best possible nutrition. 
And I stand for these practices. 

Becoming a seasoned & intuitive gardener takes years of experience....True. 
​However, anyone can be a successful gardener, if you are committed to it. In the beginning, you can gain experience and success by keeping your vision small. TRUST ME ON THIS!! 
Start with a 3x3x3 method. Plant 3 hearty vegetables that you like, 3 perennial flowers, and 3 ground covers. This is everything you will need to start building a sustainable and resilient landscape.

• When you select 3 hearty Vegetables that you like, then you will want to care for them, and they will respond to your attention by producing abundantly!
• Flowers will bring in the pollinators that are necessary to grow everything - plus you'll get the bonus of continuing seasonal beauty!
• Ground Covers are frequently overlooked by new gardeners. This necessary element helps to keep weeds down. They also serve as a "blanket" that keeps moisture IN the ground instead of it evaporating away.  It is amazing how much watering is reduced when implementation of groundcovers is perfected! 

   Do I make my own compost? YES
But if you're just beginning, skip it. What you're looking for is well draining, rich in nutrients, and fluffy. I suggest a triple mix - and here's how I make it.
1/3 - Your regular ground soil, whatever it is. It's best to screen it to remove all weeds.
1/3 - Organic potting soil. This usually contains a small amount of slow-release fertilizer. 
1/3 - Organic compost. I find the bagged version is cleaner than in bulk, but I'll let you decide. 
I mix this altogether in a wheelbarrow (in batches) and use it as I plant.  
If you decide to get bulk "garden soil" for your beds, BEWARE.
As you look at the choices, make sure to scoop some up to make sure it has the feel you want, plus the right combination of the 3 elements from above!         ​Happy Gardening!  

Blackberries, Strawberries, & Raspberries........... Ahhhh, the taste of summer! 
These delicious berries are prolific in the Northwest, and the many varieties and cultivars make harvesting them a summer-long treat. It's almost hard to believe that these wild brambles and creeping vines can produce such luscious fruit. We look forward to this so much, and don't have to do much planning to get them. And why should we? They take little effort to grow and come back year after year!  The downside is their growing habit. They can quickly take over vast areas of bare ground, and can be somewhat difficult to tame.  
Here are a few ways I handle them, to increase harvest, and minimize effort.  ​

TIP  You can shape the area as they grow, or just let them form into a mound where the berries will be abundant and easy to get to when they ripen in the fall. 

I like to grow strawberries in pots with the Tier Method.  The black pots serve as a heat-sink, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it slowly overnight, keeping the soil warmer longer. The berries ripen faster, PLUS it's a great way to minimize slugs & keep other predators at bay.  When the runners start to spread, I put them into one of the adjoining pots, thereby creating an above-ground network of strawberry plants, that produce wonderfully and consistently for the summer. The "mother" plants are viable for 3 years, so to keep your patch going you'll want to separate some of the "runners"  which will become the "mother" plants. 
​TIP  Pots get warm & dry, so keeping them watered will ensure the red berries keep coming!!​

Ideally, water that falls from the sky would go into the ground and nourish the plant life. The perfect balance. However, this is increasingly rare, especially in cities. As populations grow, construction methods are such that ground clearing removes the porous layers that would absorb surface water. Piping and ditch systems are created that “collect and send” water to another location. In storms, these systems become over-taxed and cannot handle the volume and flow of water. Flooding can, and frequently does, occur. Rural areas are better, but compact ground, hilly terrain, clay layers and subsurface hardpan keep water from infiltrating into that ground too, the result being mucky muck in the winter and hard-as-a-rock clay in the summer. Neither allow water to infiltrate. To get the water into the ground is to make the ground more absorbable. A very popular, inexpensive and relatively easy way to do this is with recycled cardboard. Cardboard works because it prevents photosynthesis so weeds don’t grow, it helps absorb & retain moisture, and the cardboard decomposes and adds ‘fluff’ to the hard ground, making space for water to ‘go in.’  I have used this method for more than a decade, in muck and clay, with great success. Here’s a really good example of how to do it. 

But I was sick, and I had no idea it was dehydration, or what that even was.

I was 30 years old, and it was late July. I had been gardening and running around planning for a large family picnic. I had two very active little kids that liked to play outside in the dirt
(haha - go figure!!) 
It was hot outside, and I had been feeling a little dizzy for the last few days. Whenever I ate I felt sick, and I had stomach cramps that wouldn't go away. I felt nauseous and hungry, but all I could do was lay around and try to sleep. My husband looked at me and said he was going to take me to the hospital.  SHOCK!  What? Why? I was just tired, overworked and stressed out, I thought. 

As a last resort I grabbed a medical book and started looking up my symptoms. I found this formula and wanted to try it before going to the hospital. My husband said I had one hour.
I made this recipe and, since I was desperate, I drank 1/2 cup every half hour. I was in disbelief that after an hour I felt much better. In three hours I felt good, and after another recipe, I ended up eating later that evening and didn't have to go to the hospital. I though it was strange - but I found out it was dehydration. Don't let it get this far - it's dangerous. The stomach cramps is a clue for me every time. The drink doesn't taste very good, but if you drink it hot, it's better.
I have used this recipe for years and years because it works!! AND, it won't hurt you if you're not dehydrated!  

Are you washing your food? 

I used to eat leafy greens right out of the garden. Carrots too, after I washed them off with the hose. But in the last few years, since I have been working with, and in, a lot more gardens, I've started looking at the plants a lot more closely - as I teach others to do. After all, observation is the first thing to do when working with any landscape. 

When labels say "Organic" I believe there is an assumption that the produce is clean because, after all, it's grown without chemicals, right?  The arguments here can vary greatly, but the bottom line is that we all want the fruit and vegetables we eat to be free of bugs, dirt, chemicals and bacteria, period.  ​

Succulents DO NOT like to be separated, or planted as individuals. They like to be clumped together! This is how they propagate the best. Most prolific growing is in the early spring, where you will see explosions of new "chicks," while at the same time seeing a bit of the "mother" plant dying off.