Herb Spiral Mandala

Finished Product

Before Shot





MAKING AN HERB SPIRAL
This video is a great example on building herb spirals.

Seed Saving Mandala

Saving seeds from your garden is becoming vital as GMO's invade our food system. Some seeds are easier to save than others, like squash, legumes, grains etc. When you cut open squash, peppers, cucumbers you can let the seeds dry or even plant them immediately and you can do this from even store bought organic foods. For legumes and grains, let some plants (choose strongest in variety) develop completely and die off before harvesting the pods and saving the seed. Here are a few pictures of seed life mandalas.

Here are the seed pods from Kale (brassica)
Most Brassicas will form pods after flowering stage. Let them fully develop and die (in a sense) before harvesting seeds


The Kale flowering




Kale with Garlic


Quinoa starters grown from seeds saved from prior Summer


Saved quinoa seeds saved from summer harvest


Quinoa

Greenhouse Mandala

Purchased recycled wood to build greenhouse. Surrounded greenhouse with barrels and set up water collection system. Use gravity to create less work, there is so much area on a roof to harvest water easily and efficiently. The barrels are used for potatoes and oca (peruvian potato). The greenhouse protects plants in barrels from wind and offers extra warmth even from the outside.

A greenhouse is an asset in any garden. Whether it's a hoop house, glass or what we've created, the warmth and weather protection for new starters will ensure plants to grow strong throughout all seasons. I start my seeds in here and come spring I transplant to the outdoor beds. Greenhouses are great in climates that have short growing periods, so you can transplant outdoors the first sign of spring to enjoy the harvests through to the first frost.

Earth Mandala

(picture of compost at OAEC gardens)





In Sanskrit, Mandala means "circle". Following the spiritual significance of mandala, and the love for the cycles of Gaia, I will continue to use that term. Posting my Garden Mandalas along with tips and tribulations of the seasons.

I begin with the EARTH MANDALA...Compost!

Here are a few beautiful shots of compost from Peaks Pike Farm (my first design project started April 2011).

There are many ways to grow your own dirt. But no matter which you choose, moderation of all ingredients is key. Carbon and Nitrogen ratios as equal as you can get without thinking too hard is just fine, let nature run its course. If you have an open compost, keep it tightly packed and water if needed. Flip every 3 months or so, to aerate.

When it's time to harvest, you may find pieces that need more time in the compost. I built a box with chicken wire to fit over wheelbarrow to filter out the bigger woody chunks. Throw them on the new compost to continue to break down and you are left with nutrient filled soil.