Hello Everyone!
The Gardens at Bassetti’s have been very nice this summer. I have included some photos for you. In this pandemic we have had friends and relatives visit us in the gardens. We are thankful for their visits. We have had a small group of plein air watercolor painters in the gardens. Myself included! It is a first time for me to tryout watercolors.

Vegetable garden improvements

I did plant a vegetable garden, bigger than I had made in years. I had help (Vicki, Benny, Meeka) getting the plots ready and making nice paths through and around the banana tree (bigger than ever this year). I ordered five kinds of beans, four kinds of squash, peas, carrots, corn, radishes, lettuce, cabbage, onions, beets, and parsnips. We built a wattle fence around the Veggie garden to protect it from the deer and rabbits. I also planted five raspberry bushes, gooseberries and sunflowers.

Well, the deer have enjoyed the gooseberry and raspberry bushes. My next plan is to build a hedgerow around the berries. I have barely started, but it will include wild rosehips, loganberries, blackberries, gooseberries, hazelnut, possibly a dwarf apple… it’s fun to plan. (There’s a great article in the magazine “Gardens Illustrated,” December 2019, ‘Edible Hedgerow’, pp.44-51.)

Upcoming classes

We did have a lot of great classes listed this summer, but we did not get the opportunity to present them due to the COVID-19. We will look at the possibility of the same classes including some new classes next year limiting attendance and presenting the classes all outside. This winter we still plan on providing wreath classes in November/December as we have done in the past. We will list the dates the end of October.

Even though we are just into Fall, I do want to let you know through the end of October we are open by appointment only. Masks are required. Please call at 206-465-6868 if you would like to come out.

Till then, stay well.
Leanette

Hello Everyone,

It’s been awhile! Bill and I are still sheltering in place following King County’s guidelines for COVID-19. I have not set any dates for opening the gardens or rescheduled the classes. We have complete descriptions of our classes and the instructors bios and you will be the first to know when we have set the dates for the classes!

Lots of new seeds and plants

I’ve received three different deliveries from Territorial Seeds and the Zinnia State Fair plants arrived from Cascade Cuts. Yeah!  I also ordered some other annuals.

Most of the plants are being used in the Annual Zinnia bed or in large pots around the property.  I will be ordering a few more plants from T and L Nursery.  Hopefully they will have some plants left to buy! I hear that most of the nurseries around here are very busy.  I am pleased that in this time of the Covid 19 pandemic people are working in their gardens.

Planting has started! First peas (last month), then raspberries, some seeds and the onions. Soon it will be time to plant the Zinnias. Lots of work in the garden coming up.  

An Exciting Day! 

We have a robin sitting on her nest above a head sculpture on wall of the house. A raven, who Bill had been watching, was sitting on the blue sculpture near by and closely watching the Momma Robin. All of a sudden the raven swooped up to the nest and scared the robin away. Did the raven get anything? Bill saw the raven fly away from the nest with something in his mouth! Mr. and Ms. Robin called to each other, sitting below the nest on the grass, and then flew back and forth between the trees nearby and the nest several times. But, alas, after about an hour they both left. 

Later that same day I looked out the bedroom window towards the day lily bed and Milk Barn and sighted a Bobcat (Lynx rufus)! She was playing with and then catching a small bird. She was beautiful with her fur glissening in the sun, black stripes and spots and a short tail with a black tip.  She sauntered off towards the old farm house and 165th  Street. I was too excited to capture the sighting on camera. This is the third sighting of the Lynx rufus since June 3, 2012. 

63 year old cedar stump

I mentioned last time about cutting down several big trees on the farm property. In the deep snowstorm last year in February 2019, one of these Cedar trees fell and just missed the Western edge of the milk barn and landed across the front of the milk barn, blocked passage between Barns and the top of tree ended up on westside of Large Barn with green roof. We did have some sections cut so Bob and Tim (friends) could make some furniture. I counted 63 rings on one of them! Sixty three years ago was about the time my Dad planted the trees when he first purchased the Farm property.   

Next time I’ll be sharing photos of refining walks and planting the veggie garden!

Warmest regards,
Leanette