Impressions from 2024

WE STARTED THE NEW YEAR WITH A COLLECTIVE NEW YEAR’S PLANTING INITIATIVE in the syntropic area.
A morning in January after a freezing night
Not as cold for meetings is the grow house end of January
PERMACULTURE DETAIL: THE THICK TEMPORARY CORNER FENCE POSTS in the syntropic area WERE INOCULATED WITH OYSTER MUSHROOMS in Spring.
In Fall 2024 THE FIRST MUSHROOMS were ALREADY GROWING. But UNFORTUNATELY, THE Slugs HAd ALREADY DISCOVERED THE TASTY OYSTER MUSHROOMS FOR THEMSELVES.

WE ALSO LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES! HERE’S A CLASSIC: UNFORTUNATELY, THE PLUM WAS TIED UP WITH PLASTIC CORD WHEN IT WAS PLANTED AND THEN FORGOTTEN FOR TWO YEARS, SO THAT IT WAS SEVERELY STRANGLED AS IT CONTINUED TO GROW.
SEED EXCHANGE AT THE EXPERIMENTAL GARDENERS’ MEETING AT THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY
HOARFROST ON AN OLD STEM CAUSES THESE BEAUTIFUL ICE FLOWERS.
THE FIRST SPRING BLOOMERS APPEAR IN MID FEBRUARY.
THE BEGINNING OF APRIL IS ALREADY HIGH SEASON FOR THE BEES…
…BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS IN FULL BLOOM. HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE FOREST GARDEN ALSO NATIVE BLUEBERRIES IN THE “SAUERLAND”.
THE APPLE TREES ALSO OPEN THEIR BLOSSOMS IN MID APRIL, LONG AFTER THE PEARS, PLUMS AND CHERRIES HAVE BLOOMED.
MID APRIL: THE ASPARAGUS SPROUTS; PHOTO BY KARIN
WHO CAN FIND THE HUNGRY CATERPILLAR? ITS DROPPINGS GIVE IT AWAY.
IF THE CATERPILLARS ARE NOT COLLECTED, ALL GOOSEBERRY PLANTS WILL SOON LOOK AS BARE AS THESE.
GIVEN THE SIZE OF THE beetle larva, IT WILL PROBABLY BECOME A RHINOCEROS BEETLE
FROZEN MULBERRY SHOOTS. THE COLD FROSTY NIGHTS TOWARDS THE END OF APRIL CAUSED A LOT OF DAMAGE AFTER THE VERY WARM DAYS BEFORE HAD CAUSED THE LAST TREES TO SPROUT.
Our freshwater biotope was submerged for the first time in years
HERE YOU CAN SEE VERY CLEARLY WHY SOME expansive WEEDS ARE NOT WELCOME IN THE GARDEN.
BY MID MAY THE FIRST PEPPERS ARE ALREADY GROWING IN THE GREENHOUSE.
Mid-May. A COZY BBQ AFTER PLANTING TOGETHER IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN.
THE RE-GRAFTING HAS WORKED AND WHERE PREVIOUSLY ONLY PLUMS GREW IN THE FIELD, THERE ARE NOW PEACHES TOO. YAY!
Amelanchier ovalis, aka snowy mespilus ripens in June
MANY OF THE CLASSIC BERRY BUSHES AND FRUIT TREES ARE NOT BEARING FRUIT THIS YEAR DUE TO THE LATE FROST. FORTUNATELY THE BLUEBERRIES WERE SPARED.
THIS OLD VINE WAS PLANTED OVER 70 YEARS AGO BY PAUL MARTENS IN REHFELDE AND RELOCATED TO OUR SITE BECAUSE OF A BUILDING SITE. THIS YEAR IT IS BEARING FRUIT AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME. THANK YOU SUSANNE!
A RICH SAGE BLOSSOM
AS LONG AS THE TREES ALONG THE FENCE ARE STILL IN THEIR NURSERY STAGE, WILDFLOWERS CAN DEVELOP.
A LOVE NEST FOR SLOWWORMS (Anguis)
NATURE KEEPS CREATING GREAT SHAPES AND PATTERNS.
A VERY RARE WASP is SCOLIA HIRTA
THANKS TO THE WELL-FILLED POND, THERE ARE SMALL TOADS THIS YEAR, WHICH WILL HELP US WITH SLUG CONTROL NEXT YEAR.
IN THE HERB BED, ST. JOHN’S WORT AND LAVENDER BLOOM IN JUNE, WITH RIBWORT PLANTAIN AND CORN POPPY IN THE FOREGROUND.
OUR ONE AND ONLY GOOSEBERRY WHOSE BLOSSOM SURVIVED THE APRIL FROST.
COMPARING TWO POTATO BEDS: THE REAR HAY BED WAS HEAVILY COMPOSTED, THE FRONT STRAW BED WAS NOT. A DIFFERENCE LIKE NIGHT AND DAY!
THE FIRST ZUCCHINIS APPEAR AT THE END OF JUNE. HERE IS A SMALL OIL PUMPKIN, WHICH IS ALSO A ZUCCHINI FROM A BOTANICAL POINT OF VIEW.
In Autum it looked like this. IN ORDER TO AVOID cross-pollination, the oil pumpkin GROWS AWAY FROM ALL RELATED VEGETABLES IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN AS A FUTURE SOURCE OF SEED.
THE FIRST MELON APPEARS AT THE BEGINNING OF JULY. HERE IS A SECOND GENERATION ORGANIC WATERMELON FROM our garden in REHFELDe-Dorf.
Like this Melon They are only really ripe in the fall. VIOLA EXPLAINS: WHEN IT IS RIPE, THE UNDERSIDE OF THE WATERMELON MUST LOOK JUST AS INTENSELY YELLOW AND HAVE A HOLLOW SOUND WHEN TAPPED.
the first potatoes can already be harvested at the beginning of July.
michael’s new multi-chamber composting station, which he built out of scrap timber from larch, has gotten great approval by everybody.
OUR YARD SALE ALSO STARTed IN JULY EVERY FIRST AND THIRD SUNDAY AFTERNOON OF THE MONTH. WHERE ELSE CAN YOU GO INTO THE BEDS WITH A GARDENER AND PICK YOUR OWN VEGETABLES FROM THE ROWS?
The blackberries were bearing like crazy.
And who are you?
ONCE AGAIN THIS YEAR, BEAUTIFUL AND RARE Musk BEETLES (Aromia moschata) ARE ENJOYING THEMSELVES ON OUR GROUNDS.
THIS IS HOW A BLUEBERRY SHOULD DEVELOP: LARGE FRUITS AND PLENTY OF GROWTH! NETTLE WATER HELPS.
THEORETICALLY EDIBLE, BUT THORNY! THE creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense) SPREADS VERY STRONGLY AND QUICKLY IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL.
ACTUALLY QUITE PRETTY: BUT THE daisy fleabane (Erigeron annuus) SHOULD BE UPROOTED QUICKLY! UNFORTUNATELY, THIS SELF-POLLINATING FLOWER FROM NORTH AMERICA, WHICH IS COMPLETELY UNINTERESTING TO INSECTS, IS ONE OF THE MOST INVASIVE PLANTS IN EUROPE.
AT THE END OF AUGUST THE FIRST PEPPERS FINALLY TURN RED, HERE IN THE FOREGROUND red aptenia (Mesembryanthemum cordifolium) AS AN EDIBLE UNDERPLANTING.
THE AUTUMN RASPBERRIES ALSO START TO RIPEN AT THE END OF AUGUST.
BY THE WAY, TAGETES FLOWERS ARE EDIBLE! THESE FLOWERS ALSO HAVE AN EXCELLENT EFFECT AGAINST NEMATODES AND CAN BE USED AS GREEN MANURE.
CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES: WITH WOOD FROM THE LOCAL SAWMILL, A NEW COMPOSTING AREA WILL SOON BE BUILT, WHICH WILL ALSO BE A HOME FOR HOLGER’S BEES.
From the garden straight to the BBQ.
This ORIGINALLY PERUVIAN red MAIZE, grows ALREADY IN THE FOURTH GENERATION in our garden.
WITH THE FALL COME THE MUSHROOMS! HERE SHIITAKE ON AN OAK TRUNK IN THE MUSHROOM GARDEN.
THE FALL RASPBERRIES REALLY GET GOING IN SEPTEMBER.
MANY BUTTERFLIES ENJOY KARIN’S FLOWER BED.
THE FIRST SAPLINGS IN THE SEEDLING FOREST reach THE 1-METER MARK. HERE IS A PEACH.
A CHESTNUT SEEDLING IN THE SAUERLAND ON THE SOUTHERN MEADOW WITH UNDERPLANTING.
MATTHIAS HAS GROWN AN IMPRESSIVE WINTER SUPPLY on the side, WHICH IS DISTRIBUTED AS A THANK-YOU TO ALL THE HARD-WORKING HELPERS IN THE VEGETABLE GARDENING TEAM.
AT THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER, A THREE-DAY WORKSHOP ON THE SUBJECT OF SYNTROPIC AGROFORESTRY WAS HELD ON THE SITE.
AFTER OUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE FIRST ROW (our “Mothership”), WE PLANTED MUCH MORE DENSELY.
BETWEEN THE PRACTICAL BLOCKS, JENS AND KRISTIN GAVE THEORETICAL SESSIONS ON THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF SYNTROPIC AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS.
THE EVENINGS OF THE WORKSHOP WEEKEND ENDED COZILY AROUND THE CAMPFIRE.
IN THE FALL, WE OFFER A PARTICULARLY WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS AT OUR YARD SALE.
A GIANT OYSTER MUSHROOM GROWING NEXT TO HONEY MUSHROOMS IN THE MUSHROOM GARDEN
MUSHROOMS ALSO SHOW THEIR MOST BEAUTIFUL COLORS IN THE GRASSLAND.
An ink cap IN the SYNTROPIC AGROFORESTRY.
TOMATOES AND PEPPERS KEEP GROWING IN THE GREENHOUSE UNTIL LATE FALL.
AT THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER PROBABLY THE LAST GARDENERS’ MEETING UNDER THE OPEN SKY FOR THE TIME BEING.