Saturday, February 28, 2015

garden goodness: the need for seeds

Seeds have arrived!

 Lots of seeds.  Heirloom, open-pollinated, non-GMO seeds.


A shining foil packet called a Survival Seed Bank, containing 30 different seed packs of healthy and nutritious vegetables and legumes.  It's packaged in such a way that the seeds will keep for years, if need be. 


I want to give my new seeds a try, so I'll be opening up the packets and planting a few of each this year.  If they grow well and I like them, I will order up another pack to squirrel away somewhere. 

Why heirloom seeds?  

Because genetic diversity = a healthy food bank for the planet.  Other reasons cited by Mother Earth News:
  1. Better flavor
  2. Better nutrition
  3. Open-pollinated (will stay "true" for generations)
  4. Less uniform; they don't all ripen at once
  5. Less expensive (free, if you save your own seeds!)
  6. They have colorful histories
With any luck, my kitchen counter will look like this again by August 2015.

For more information on heirlooms and seed-saving and why they are so important, visit Seed Savers Exchange, a nonprofit organization whose goal is "to conserve and promote America's culturally diverse but endangered garden and food crop heritage for future generations by collecting, growing, and sharing heirloom seeds and plants."
 
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Sunday, February 22, 2015

the perspicacious pollinator

per·spi·ca·cious/ pərspəˈkāSHəs/ adjective:
Having a ready insight into and understanding of things; having or showing an ability to notice and understand things that are difficult or not obvious.

The perspicacious pollinator says:
© 2015 Susan Faye

To help you on your quest for happiness, here is a free downloadable to print... 
a "bee happy" list in pdf form:
(click here --> Bee Happy Printable List )


It will print up as an 8.5" x 11" page that has two lists... one for you and one for a friend.
[printable is for personal use only; please do not use or reproduce for any commercial purpose... thanks!] 

There are 7 spaces, one for each day of the week. Write down the little (or big) things that brought happiness to you each day... anything that put a smile on your face or a spring in your step. You might be surprised!

Please share in the comments what you do each day to "bee happy"...


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Thursday, February 19, 2015

garden goodness: make a moss garden

Is it spring yet? 

It can be, somewhere inside your home.
Even if there is still 5 feet of snow outside.

All you need is a moss garden

Here's what to do:

1. Gather up your supplies
  • Moss:: I collected my own out in the woods, but there are a number of Etsy sellers that will sell you some.  Look for clean, bright green, healthy stuff.
  • A container:: I upcycled a glass fishbowl for the container, plus a pretty glass plate to use as a lid, both found at a thrift store.
  • Gravel and pretty rocks::  Can be found in a riverbed or try using aquarium gravel from the pet store.
  • Potting soil:: No special requirements. The moss does not need soil to grow. It's more for looks and sculpting hills.
  • A sweet ceramic bunny figurine:: I upcycled mine from a thrift store.

2. Add about 1 inch of gravel to the container.

3. Cut out a small circle of upcycled netting 
or wire mesh to fit on top of gravel. 
 This keeps potting soil from seeping down into the gravel
 



 4. Add about an inch of potting soil and pat it down.  
You can make little hills and valleys if you want.

5. Add clumps of moss. 
Just set them on top of the soil. 
Leave a space in the middle for your figurine.

 6. Add a few pretty stones around and about.

7. Give the moss of gentle mist of water. 
 Saturate the moss, but don't make the soil sopping wet.

8.Then introduce Mr. Bunny to his new home.

[ He likes it! ]

I found a little pretend ladybug to add.
[He likes it even better!]

9. Add your lid and place your container where it will not be in direct sunlight.

10. Enjoy your little slice of Spring Heaven!

[Notes::  Moss needs air circulation to thrive, so remove the lid for a little while every few days.  Also, if too much condensation appears on the inside of the container at any time, remove the lid to let the environment dry out a bit.  Mist the moss about once a week, more or less depending on how warm your home might be. Moss does have a life span and will not live forever.  Remove any browning or mildewy looking moss immediately and replace with fresh moss]  

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Monday, February 16, 2015

destination: fernhill wetlands, oregon

Fernhill Wetlands
1399 SW Fern Hill Road
Forest Grove/ Oregon/ USA
Ramblers: Susan and Dave
Season: Winter
Earthlings spotted: 
Brewer's Blackbirds, A Flock of about 25
Canada Geese, mostly in pairs
A Great Blue Heron
Other earthlings spotted:  Dusky Canada Geese, coots, and many assorted ducks.


About the wetlands: Fernhill Wetlands is an innovative conservation and restoration project exploring new ways to reclaim water using a Natural Treatment System. It involves more than 700 acres owned by Clean Water Services and managed in partnership with the City of Forest Grove and Fernhill Wetlands Council. The wetlands include Fernhill Lake, Cattail Marsh, Eagle Perch Pond and Dabbler's Marsh, accessible to the public by trails, where more than 200 species of birds have been spotted, including bald eagles. Canine earthlings are not allowed on the trails.

For more information, click here:
Mount Hood, magestic as always, can be seen to the east of the wetlands
 
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Sunday, February 15, 2015

today I went for a walk...

...in the woods.
And this is what I saw:
...a perfect tiny forest treeline 
painted by moss as it crawled up a weathered board, in verdant homage to the forest of gentle giant douglas fir trees that towered above.


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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Feathered Friends: Countdown to Counting

It's almost time for the Great Backyard Bird Count
 Are your feeders ready?
American Robin
The 18th annual GBBC will be held Friday, February 13, through Monday, February 16, 2015.
Black Headed Grosbeak
Sponsored each year by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and The National Audubon Society, it's a great opportunity to participate in Citizen Science.  Anyone of any age can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you only count birds that you are familiar with and can positively identify. 
House Finch
It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or all day long if you wish!) on one or more days of the four-day event, then report your findings online each day.
Evening Grosbeaks
  Click here to find out:


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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

garden goodness: seed pods

The secret to homemade salsa verde bliss begins with this magical pod.

Each autumn I leave a few dozen of my backyard tomatillos to wither on their vines. The fruits drop, then they begin a transformation. 

By the end of winter, this is what remains: feather-light, intricate and lacy pods...

...each with as many as 50 tiny seeds inside.

Brilliantly engineered, pods on the ground will dry out when the days are warm enough for germination, and each will roll like a tumbleweed with the slightest breeze, distributing the seeds far and wide to ensure the next season's generation of tomatillos.
As for me, I will collect my pods and plant the seeds in containers in early May after any danger of frost has passed here in the Willamette Valley. By late July I should be harvesting my first batch of bright green tomatillos in their charming "paper lantern" husks and will be well on my way to homemade salsa verde bliss.

For more information on growing tomatillos, visit How to Grow Tomatillos on the Backyard Gardening Blog.



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