Author: hwalksintoabar

The grow room at the end of February

Left to right, front to back: Sweet William, Snapdragon, Lobelia, Foxglove, Lisianthus galore.

Asters, Ageratum, Heliotrope, Coneflower, Foxglove, Yarrow, Clarey Sage.

I’ve been having issues with grey mold this year, and sprinkling cinnamon has definitely been helping.

Canterbury Bells, grocery-store garlic that sprouted, Lisianthus, Foxglove, Artichoke (peat pots), Blue Daisy (Felicia Heterophylla), Craspedia. Out of view: Peached-leaved Bellflower, Asters, Coleus

Mahogany Hibiscus, Strawflower, Stock, Alla‘s Wisteria, Salvia, Milkweed, Gomphrena, Amaranth, Baby’s Breath.

Cuttings from last year: Coleus, Aucuba, and Sage Amistad.

Seed Science

I am excited to be participating in an APADT seed study this year, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving biodiversity and heirloom varieties, as well as educating growers. They are celebrating their 50th year of doing this work. I started the Amaranth seeds last night.

As a physicist, grower, mountain biker, and citizen, I deeply appreciate the need for good data to inform good decision-making. Whether it’s what to wear on a hilly ride in the winter (I have a spreadsheet for that) or when I started the tomato seeds last year (yup, spreadsheet) or something far more serious, it is important to gather and share good data. I am happy to be a part of this work for Seedsavers.

This is yet another reason why I worry about rampant access to our nation’s data by an unelected, lie-to-your-face, grifting, break-first-and-ask-questions-later creep. As if we didn’t have enough to worry about.

Plant labels

I was finding that I kept having to buy more plant labels. I had tried removing the ink on them with alcohol for reuse, but it took too long and really didn’t work well. I finally got around to making a file for them — with a set of letter-size envelopes and a shoebox.

Today, I had labels at the ready for each kind of flower seed that I started, and they were easy to find!

The Grow Room in December

Sweet peas, Digitalis, Campanula, Lisianuthus, and Artichokes, which I’ve never grown before

I accidentally started so much Campanula; I had misidentified the seeds. Doh. More Lisianthus (mostly wishful thinking) and Digitalis under the hats.

Some cuttings from the yard… Aucuba, Salvia ‘Amistad’, Coleus, and some purple sage

Leaf Mold, Part 2

Lucky me! We had another delivery of leaves that were raked up by students on the Civil Rights Trip as a fundraiser. Soooo many paper bags full of leaves. I feel rich.

We looked at the paper bags full of leaves. We looked at the roll of contractor bags we planned to put them in. We looked back at all of those leaves.

And all of the sudden we were totally grossed out by all that potential single-use plastic. So I cleaned out one of the compost bins and started emptying bags. (And our Resident Expert folded up the paper bags to return for reuse.)

  1. Dump out a bag of leaves.
  2. Climb into the bin and stomp them down.
  3. Water liberally.
  4. Repeat.

I am so pleased that they all fit! It will take a little longer to decompose than they would in those plastic bags, but I can wait. Gardeners play the long game.

Rain is coming —

Funds raised in 2024

Latest update: 11/19/24

This year’s breakdown:

Bouquets are $12, where 10.50 goes directly to the Civil Rights Trip, and 1.50 goes to the grower. When there is produce available, all of the pay-as-you-are-able funds are donated, and the same goes for “tips” or keeping-the-change. Financial documentation is available upon request.

Final amounts for 2024:

  • Gross Sales: $2,048.00
  • Donation to the Civil Rights Trip: $1,847.90
  • Seed money (literally!): $200.10 (a fraction of the seed bill alone)

Past years:

  • 2023: $2485 (Last sale 11/3; our first frost came wonderfully late)
  • 2022: $1680
  • 2021: $1150
  • 2020: No sales due to COVID, but my neighbors sure saw a lot of flowers on their doorsteps 😉
  • 2019: $800
  • 2018: $400+

Leaf mold

Student who go on the Civil Rights Trip do a lot of fund-raising, and one of those activities is to rake leaves. Yesterday, the adult leaders dropped off the spoils!

I should really move them into the sun… but the process is so easy and low-maintenance.

Bag the leaves, poke some holes in the bag, and add water. It’s best to water as you fill the bags to get the moisture throughout (and even faster if you chop up the leaves with a mower; I do not).

Decomposition happens.

Update: Leaf Mold, Part 2

The kindness of strangers: Euonymus

Someone had posted on our school’s listserv that they had a Euonymus to give away. (Thank you!! =) Turns out it was in a GIANT pot and composed of many stems that had been stuck in the dirt over time. My Resident Expert and I were thrilled to have wallowed that puppy out of the pot, into another, through the yard, and up up up on the truck. *Phew!*

I finally ripped out the last of the Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) hedge that had surrounded much of our property when we move in, and fill in with the Euonymus, which I often use for greens in bouquets.

Funds raised in 2023

Latest update: 11/3/2023… (On 9/8, We raised our goal from $1000 to $1500!)

I put in more beds for more flowers this year, and it’s paying off. Last year, we had flowers through to the middle of November (!) and raised $1678. Finger crossed for a late frost and no damaging storms…

Past years:

2022: $1680

2021: $1150

2020: No sales due to COVID

2019: $800

2018: $400+

Seeds

Most seeds are viable for a couple of years. (Seed viability chart from Johnny’s Seeds.) Finding the dates on the packets from many sources can be an annoyance, and some don’t even have them. (What’s up with that, Park Seed?) My new color-coding system makes it easy to see which seeds are less fresh and allows for a quick thinning of older seed at the end of the season.