starts for amanda

Today I visited the adorable Southpark cottage my friend Amanda has just moved into with her husband Seth, to help decide where her new vegetable bed will go. I've potted up some starts for her: heirloom tomato, japanese eggplant, and some herbs and flowers. It's an immense joy to be supporting Mother Earth in this way! My inspiration is coming from San Diego Roots and their Victory Gardens branch. Once the prep work is done, we'll gather the Sophia Circle to install and bless the vegetable garden.

Right outside the front door is a beautiful spot for a south-facing raised bed. There is at least one active gopher in the area, so wire mesh under the bed would be a good idea. We talked about sheet mulching the area including the pathway surrounding the bed. It's easy to reach across two feet of plantings, not so easy to reach in four feet, so we're thinking a nice pathway all the way around the bed makes sense. Being so close to the beach, we can gather kelp to add potash, and we'll layer in some slow-release rock phosphate. She'll be getting plenty of nitrogen from her kitchen compost. Amanda is recycling household water and hanging her clothes on the line, already doing wonderful stewardship for the planet!

Lovely Amanda sent us home with some agapanthus starts. This Lily of the Nile looks like "Peter Pan" and I can't wait to find a perfect spot for him, to enjoy those gorgeous blue globe blooms.