The usual motions.

The garden is coming along. More tilling of the ground, but I'm finally getting close enough to buy my starts and get most of the seeds sprouting.
I purchased starts of broccoli, brussel sprouts, garlic, onions, potatoes, and a few flowers.
The plan is to have the garden finished and the starts planted by the time mom comes home from her hip surgery. She is doing well so my time might be cut short, though I can't complain about that. I know she hates being away from home and in a hospital instead.
Being started right now I have Sweet Corn and Popcorn, Beefsteak tomatoes as well as yellow pear and super sweet 100s. Golden sweet peppers, Serrano, Habanero, Ghost peppers and Jalapenos are also coming along.
I just seen to finish up the actual garden beds then I'll be able to plant the rest. I'm going to grow pumpkins in large containers again because it seemed to work very well for us at our old house.

Slow Progress

John and I worked on the garden yesterday. It was nice, one of the warmer days so far and it was actually sunny! About half of the garden has been tilled and weeds removed. Guess it'll be a while before I have another day off to make more progress, though.

There are a few projects we've been brainstorming. There are a lot of old unused tires in the yard from my dad so my mom suggested we line the fence with them and use them as planters. There are plenty of them so that adds some garden space. We are also going to grow some potatoes using the tires as well.

I'm so antsy to get the garden growing, I hate that other things keep getting in my way. Like work! hah. At least I have a few tomato seedlings to keep me somewhat satisfied.

It's just the natural process.

It feels odd, planning a garden and a funeral service at the same time.
I don't mean to sound depressing, but I think it's a good way to help my mom and myself grieve.
I brought her my big box of seeds and she seemed very enthusiastic about a lot of the choices I had.

So we're adding Lemon Cucumbers and Beets to the list of things to grow. Also, asparagus. I've always wanted to try my hand at it.

My mother is also very fond of Raspberries so no doubt John and I will buy a few bushes. He really loved them too. The leaves were such a pleasant shape.. I am so happy that we are being let loose to grow as many plants as we want with the yard. It's so therapeutic.

It's like coming back to an Old Friend

Hello blog,

It's been a while. A lot has happened.
I've moved a few times, changed jobs, and just a few days ago my father passed away.
It was a big shock to me even though his health has suffered through the years. I was always convinced that he'd be too stubborn to go.

Life is changing once again. My boyfriend of 4 1/2 years and I are moving in with my mom. She is in the process of getting hip and knee surgeries so I feel better knowing we're around. She said she wanted a garden this year. I tried to do some work there last summer but I didn't plan well enough and it was too late in the season for anything to really grow. This time John and I are already planning what to do. My mom has a few specific requests, but aside from that she has no issue with us doing as we please with the large amount of yard space at hand.

Gardens were always around while I was growing up, my mom loves to grow things. She really wants to grow enough vegetables to freeze and eat for a while so it's going to take a bit of planning in order to grow the amount of food she has in mind.
I just ordered a few seeds so this is what we are thinking. All ordered from Annie's Heirloom Seeds which I have never purchased from before.

Catnip
Catskill Brussels Sprouts
Danver's Half Long Carrot
Early Snowball Cauliflower
Golden Bantam Sweet Corn
Habanero Pepper
Lavender - Common English
Paris Island Cos Lettuce
Serrano Pepper
Tom Thumb Popcorn
Pumpkins
Sugar Snap Peas
Kentucky Blue Pole Bean
Broccoli
Sweet 100 Tomatoes
Red Onion

There will probably be more, and there will definitely be flowers as well.
I'm excited for the garden, and I'm just happy my boyfriend and I are able to be there for my mom.

Landreth Seed Co may vanish before our eyes

America's oldest seed company, Landreth Seed Co, could very possibly go out of business at the end of this month. It seems a bit dramatic, right? But it is true. Apparently there have been errors in paperwork and their loan is not able to be extended. This means that they now are in need of $1 million to continue business and pay off this debt.

On days like today, I literally love being a member of such a caring community. I discovered this via Twitter earlier in the morning. Dozens of posts on my page were about a company that I knew very little about giving a description of what is actually happening to them. It is so amazing how many gardeners are banding together to get the word out as far as they can yell it or tweet it. They are trying to sell as many seed catalogs as they can for 2012 in order to attain the funds that they need.
On twitter, you can find many posts by using the #SaveLandreth tag. You can go to the Landreth website and order a Catalog or Seeds. You can also help out by spreading the word via Facebook. Simply invite your friends to the event and they can check it out or ignore if they so choose.

Landreth Seed Company is responsible for introducing many different seeds to the United States. Many varieties of flowers, heirloom tomatoes, and even spinach have been released to the home gardeners thanks to this innovative company. It is a shame we're losing such an important asset in a day and age where it is difficult to find natural, organic vegetable seeds to keep the gardening tradition alive.

Project BDLS: Feeding a local community 1 step at a time

Previously I talked about a project that I've been thinking of lately. The project did not have a name at the time but I think I have since dubbed it Project Big Dreams Little Shoots (or BDLS for short).

The goal is to build a small greenhouse that is affordable and easy to assemble. It has to be easily taken down if needed as I do not own my home. The greenhouse has to effectively use the space I have as well as keep the plants sufficiently warm enough through colder climate.
My options are to use reclaimed items or to purchase cheap affordable building materials.
Seeing as the availability of used building materials is not something that I can easily predict, I think that the smartest approach would be to plan for and budget having to buy 95% new items. In that case, I will not shortchange or doom my own project by assuming I will easily be able to find things that I need. Glass isn't exactly a great choice for something that needs to be temporary, unless I have an easy way to attach that can be easily unattached.

My favorite plan so far that seems to be stable while using inexpensive and few items for construction belongs to West Side Gardener. The site features a hoop house style greenhouse plan along with a list of construction supplies you need to get going. They even state that it can be constructed quickly as well.
Now all that is left is to figure out the total cost of supplies, soil, covering for the greenhouse, perhaps something to ensure it stays warm with insulation of some kind, and then of course fees associated with kickstarted etc.
If anyone has anything they would like to provide in helping with this project, I would absolutely love to have people to work with.  The more the merrier!

For now, my boyfriend found a bag filled with garden stakes that I will use to construct miniature cold-frames. My mother found a roll of clear plastic and I am going to use it to wrap around the stakes so that they will stay warmer now that the weather seems to be cooling down toward fall. I have about ten tomato seedlings and hopefully I can build a suitable environment for them to continue growing happily. These will also be planted with the colder climate loving plants that I have received from friends. The Purple Caped Cauliflower and kale will hopefully like these as their growing environments.
Ultimately my goal is to achieve a suitable area where I will cultivate, grow, and harvesting vegetables mostly of an heirloom variety. These are types that have maintained the same featured throughout history. Usually, they are not grown and sold in typical groceries and many people have never witnessed a purple tomato or a white carrot. I am hoping to feed people while teaching them about vegetable species, different varieties, and if I am lucky and anyone will listen I would love to teach other on how to save seeds from these vegetables to plant their own. My kickstarter project will end when I have finished building the greenhouse (this includes the soil within, however does not include any planting of seeds or growing afterward. Just the construction of the area.)

I hope more people support this independent project. If you think this is of interest to you, please take the 10 seconds it takes to simply tweet this to your followers. If not, thank you so much for reading the inner workings of my brain, and the silly things I convince myself I can do. :P

Word of the Day.. ouch! & Greenhouse Brainstorm

My hand is still very sore, but life will go on!

I've been a bit busy lately, and slow. I smashed my hand in a door about a week ago and have been trying to continue on as if it's okay, but it's not!! I'm sorry for my absence!

I don't want to make this off topic, as it is a Word of the Day.. but it's a bit lackluster I do admit.
I am planning a project! It is pretty ambitious but I am soo pumped to give it a try. My plan is to build a small greenhouse out of hopefully re-purposed items. It needs to be adequate in size however I want to be able to take it apart and move it when the time comes to leave this rental house. I hope to use PVC pipes as the structure, as it is easy to stick together and take apart as long as you have proper connectors.
My intention with this project is to grow enough food to provide for my parents, as well as plenty of surplus to donate to the local Food Bank. There is also a church in my town that does a a weekly lunch for anyone, free of charge and it would be fantastic if I could provide healthy, nutritious food to the people in my community. The food bank currently has a greenhouse that they grow food in, but it doesn't seem like a sufficient amount to help everyone in need. There is always a need for food and there always will be.
I myself have had to pick up things at the local food bank and I'm not embarrassed by it. I am a 22 year old and I don't make much more than minimum wage so I understand how important it is to eat healthy and have good food but maybe not always having money to buy it. As a child, my parents understood this and reached out for help when they were in need from the food bank. While there are fresh veggies included in the food you receive, it is very limited and seems as if there are excesses of some items and not enough of others. I hope to try and grow a healthy and colorful variety throughout the year to offer as many vitamins and nutrients as possible.

The problem with this is I am still a very poor young adult. I do not have money to spend on supplies, nor the gas to find things for free from craigslist. My passion for gardening and for helping others won't let this die. I will come up with a solution, it will just take time.

Sustainability Starts At Home: Steps YOU Can Take

These days, there are a huge number of reasons why people are choosing to try and switch over to a more suitable or sustainable way of life. To get a better idea of what this means, I'd like to first introduce the definition of sustainable.

1 : capable of being sustained

2 a : of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged <sustainable techniques> <sustainable agriculture> b : of or relating to a lifestyle involving the use of sustainable methods <sustainable society>

 

By this definition, sustainable living would be living in a way that relates to using and harvesting resources so that they will continue to be here for many lifetimes to come. Just a few of these examples include food, water, fiber, fuel and energy. 

It seems a lot more people are concerned with this topic especially because of many recent events featured in the news and media. Many issues are coming to light in the world, and individuals are wondering what they can do in their own homes to try and make a difference. While the planet will NOT be saved purely by doing these few simple things, it can be very helpful in the long run if we all try to practice some of them diligently.  

 

To Avoid GMO foods, Grow at Home! 

This is simply the easiest way to avoid foods that have the added gene to resist roundup weed killer. 

There are many many resources for growing gardens indoors (Such as the BathroomFarmer) 

It can also be fairly inexpensive to get started at home. Recycle food containers to make mini-greenhouses, and plastic bottles to grow plants in. They can also but used as a drip irrigation watering system for potted plants as well as those in the ground. 

Simple fill a plastic bottle with water and either poke small holes in the bottom and place it on the ground, or push the opening of the bottle deep into the soil so it will slowly drain. Both work well, but some soil conditions may not work with one or the other so test out both methods!

Avoid Plastics as much as possible!

It is much easier these days to avoid plastic than you may think. There are now reusable water bottles that include a filter for water INSIDE. While you do have to change the filter, this is much less waste than if you were to simple drink bottled water.

When you go to the store, ask to use your own bags for your items. Most of the time people don't even buy a considerable amount of groceries yet they still get a plastic bag. If you have a purse on you, why bother getting a bag for your drink and candy bar?! All you need is a recipe that shows you paid. Actually, if it's possible, see if they can keep that, TOO! Some will just give you sticker to say you're good to go. I'd rather have a sticker than a yucky chemical soaked recipe any day of the week. 

Tying in gardening, when you grow your own lettuce mix it tastes SO MUCH better, and you save the plastic bag it comes in! Many vegetables are packaged in plastic, and it wastes fuel to make as well as to drive the produce to the store. Reuse those plastic bottles & food containers!!

Share Books, Newspapers, and Magazines!

This will cut down on the number of paper products being purchased. There is also the option of viewing many of these syndication type papers on the net for either free or a small monthly fee. Usually less than getting an actual paper! Magazines tend to be a waste of paper for vain and selfish reasons. Many would love to see what you have to pass on, sometimes when it's even out of date. There are also doctor's offices, libraries, school libraries, and other resources that would love to read what you no longer have an interest in. Why support constant destruction? 

And OBVIOUSLY, Don't use Energy you don't NEED

When you are at home, do not use lights that are not necessary. If you enjoy lights outside your home, purchase small solar panel outdoor lights. There are tons of options (that are visually appealing, even!) that don't cost a lot of money. Most times, you don't even see the solar pad in the light. 

When you are home alone, only leave the light on in the room you are occupying. No one needs a fully lit home. Don't leave the outdoor porch light on unless you absolutely have to, but you probably won't after you get solar outdoor lights. :)

I know these aren't much, but it can add up. If everyone stopped and just thought about their personal impact on the world I think this would be a much better place. Think about how your actions effect other people, and consider how you would feel if it effected your own self or family.

Zone 8 Gardening.. AKA "Dude, Where's my Summer?"

Amusing title, isn't it? Sad thing is, it is absolutely true. This summer in my lovely zone 8 area, we've had virtually zero days above 80 Fahrenheit, which is also 26.7 Celsius for all my Marvelous Metric friends. Shout out to the UK, and the western park of Canada! You my friends, may also be in a zone 8 area.
Anyway, this is AUGUST for crying out loud. Where is my summer? It was cloudy and blag on the 9th, my birthday. I am prepared for at least a few days of heat, whereas my tomatoes on the other hand seem to really love this weather.

As the lackluster summer starts to come to an end, and I hear more and more reports that we will have a cold and all together tough La Nina winter again.. I wish for a green house and some crops that will grow beautifully during the chilly season. The few very cold months we have can sometimes be a bit brutal and I am really thankful that the Pacific Northwest does not drop in temperature more than it does. It could be much worse! Wind is more often than not the worst enemy around these parts with the vast number of trees known to grow here.The heat lovers that are not annual will be coming inside soon, my peppers and honestly unsure of my artichoke still. It could easily be potted up but I worry about hurting it.
My Brussels sprouts are getting heavy mulching even though they sweeten up with frost. I'm also searching for seeds for frost hardy vegetables, including the purple sprouting broccoli I hear is a wonderful crop to grow here. I'm not sure if I could get over the purple heads though.. there is also purple cauliflower, which I read turns green when cooked. SO weird!! I'm searching for some cold hardy cabbage as well.
Brassica family seems to really thrive in this area is cared for right.
Winter Squash is next on my list, with Spaghetti Squash in the lead!! I am so so excited for this plant. I only obtained 4 seeds and sadly one singly little guy sprouted. This one will be treated like my baby, that is for sure. I absolutely need to research a bit more about the care of these but it is called a winter squash, hopefully it's for a good reason. Butternut squash is another I am interested in trying as it is also a winter squash variety.
Not all members of the Cucurbita family are hardy in the winter so it is very important to check what kind you are planting and when.
Many of the Allium family can be sown in this season, late summer and successfully grow through the winter.

Most of this I have not tried. This is my first winter season trying to garden, and I will most definitely report my successes as well as absolutely failures. I'm not sure which way it'll go, though. Might be more failures than successes ;)

The Great Tomato Race

If only that description were more accurate.. I would be overjoyed to have perfectly plump tomatoes racing off to ripeness.. But alas! My tomatoes are all very small and very VERY green.

I don't understand what it is about tomatoes that gets every gardener going. Just about everyone one you will encounter will tell you they love home grown tomatoes, because honestly who doesn't. Juicy, flavorful and delicious, tomatoes are really great for you. They have all kinds of vitamins and great stuff in them, ( love my technical terms? I like how this site sums it up ) and if you can grow them successfully I have to tell you they bring a lot of wonderful feel good feelings. It's true! Seeing that big ol' bush of tomatoes growing outside.. there is nothing sweeter. It reminds me of my mother's garden and being a child again.

BUT WHY, I must ask, is it often times so difficult to get that beautiful lush bush of tomato vines?! If it isn't blight, it is rot. It it's not rot, it's bacterial wilt or fungus or a strong wind blows them over OR THE DOG ROLLS OVER ON THEM. Something about tomatoes.. gardeners have a real tough time with them. My mother, on the other hand... she had the bushes and bushes.

My own glorious red orbs of tastiness are having problems all their own this season. First, they were very sad looking when purchased as starts. Next, they got a bit crowded in their spot and needed separating. THEN, they got too tall and willowy and absolutely needed to be staked.
This is of course when the fun really started. The stems got black spots, leaves developed spots and so did the tips of flowers. Not many fruit set. Many branches were pruned because of spotting. 
Neem oil (the product used is shown on the left for reference) and water mixture was applied, it was mulched, and lots of care has been taken with it. Eventually with all the maintenance fruit began to form. My largest is the size of a golf ball, and greener then the grass that grows here. Many cute little grape tomatoes are set, and I'm excited for those to ripen as well. I THINK I saw the glimpse of orange on one, but really would not like to get my hopes up. I'm sure you all understand.

Since banning my boyfriend from smoking in the garden area, and the neem treatment, things are looking so much better. I am a fan of learning as I go, so if anyone has any suggestions or helpful comments about growing tomatoes I would love to hear! I am in the Pacific Northwest, and the growing season is now as long as most others. Our summers are not as hot, and are often rather damp. I hear many people have issues with ripening their tomatoes. Comments will happily be passed along, and great solid advice will be quoted and reposted with credit on blog posts.