Seed Starts

Seeded bell, banana, and jalepeno peppers, basil, thyme, and 3 different types of tomatoes. Using aluminum roasting pans, I put Christmas lights in the bottoms, cover the lights with a piece of fabric then filled the container with soilless mix. After planting the seeds and watering the mix I fit the clear plastic lids on the trays. Unfortunately, half the strand went out; the half that stayed on helped those seed germinate quickly. Jeff hung some florescent lights low over the newly germinated seeds from which I'd removed the lids. Jesse then helped me put a new strand of lights under the trays of the un-germinated seeds. After about a week all but one tray has germinated, so today (03/31/11) I re-seeded that tray today so...we'll see in about a week....

Seeds

Pea~Oregon Sugar Pod
~Karina (English)
Cantaloupe~Hearts of Gold
Cucumber~Straight Eight
Onion~Evergreen Long White Bunching
Carrot~Scarlet Nantes
Sweet Pepper~Carnival Mix
Dill~Hera
Hot Pepper~Jalapeno Early
Thyme, Common~Thymus vulgaris
Sweet Basil~Ocimum basilicum
Chives, Garlic~Allium tuberosum
Tomato~Roma
Sunflower~Mammoth
Summer Suash~Black Beauty

Total spent to date $28.37

March 1st~start tomatoes, sweet peppers, and hot pepers
March 16th~start thyme, sweet basil, chives, and dill
To be set out during the first week of May.

Garden 2011

Couldn't wait 'till Spring so I bought lots of vegetable seeds today at Lowe's. was glad to see that they carry the Burpee organic line of seeds. I'll start several of these in seed flats down in the basement. I need to find a twin size electric blanket..anyone have one they want to get rid of let me know...for bottom heat for the seedlings. Can't wait to get started:)

Garden 2010

Garden 2010: Used the Mittleider Method for the layout of the rows. This involved making "u" shaped rows about 2 feet apart; think I'll increase the initial space between rows this next year. Ended up with 6 rows in a 25' x 16' space. This type of row worked well for watering as the row slopes from top to bottom by about an inch.
Row 1: tried growing runner beans...beautiful vines~no fruit!
Row 2: 3 types of tomatoes~Sweet 100's~very prolific for just 3 plants
~Roma's~ended up with several of these; bought 3 plants,
but snapped off the suckers and just stuck them
in the ground~they ALL survived so ended up
with 8 plants!
~Cherokee Purples~very good tomato; will plant more
~Better or big Boy~WILL NOT PLANT ANOTHER OF THIS
KIND! Never get any fruit!
Row 3: Cucumbers! galore!~Vanessa West gave me a great pickle receipe (she doesn't even
like pickles!).
Also tried cantelope on this row....will probably try again, but offer more support for
the fruit.
Row 4: 3 kinds of squash~Butternut~got about eight fruits from 2 plants.
~Zucchini~not very prolific~will try again
~Yellow straight neck~again, not very prolific, of course, more
than a couple plants are probably needed.
Row 5: 3 kinds of peppers~jalepeno~good~will try canning these next time
~bananna~good~tried canning some~will grow again
~bells; 2 or 3 colors~did okay and will grow again
Row 6: potatoes~didn't work! May try growing in barrels this next year....

This was a "natural" garden. I tried to use only products in their most God-given form. For pest control I tried to keep a clean garden and used NEEM tree oil. This worked very well. I ended up with one squash vine borer, but caught him early; smushed him then buried the part of the stem it had damaged.

I really enjoyed canning the things I tried...everything was pretty much successful....this was my "learning" year. I asked lots of questions and read an Extension office booklet about canning.

Ashley's suprise!

Just some thoughts.....have I been prejudice in my view of the election this year based on race? I don't think so. Have I been persuaded by those saying Sen. Obama was of the Muslim faith? Yes, I truly thought he was Muslim in his belief, yet to my understanding now, he is and has been a member of the UCC for at least the last 20 years. Would this have changed how I voted? No. One reason I didn't vote for the Senator was because I didn't like his plans for taxes, (Jeff and I are small business owners and to my understanding we're going to be taxed even more than we are now, I hope my understanding of the Senators tax plans are wrong). This is the reason many people voted for him; they like his tax plans. Does this mean Sen. Obama is their President and not mine? No, this means the democratic process is alive and well in our country and I will pray for OUR President like I have the others before him.

I have told my children how interesting this is from a historical view point! Electing the first black President is living history. It will be interesting to watch history unfold before our very eyes! (This coming from someone who doesn't even like history! Will wonders never cease?!)

I don't know if you'll be able to see it in this picture, but the snow capped mountain in the back ground is Mount Hood. I took this picture as I was driving to Bingen, Washington. Just after taking this we had a herd of about a dozen horses run out in front of us.

Brush fire somewhere in Washington. Several acres were burning...the wind was not helping as it was gusting quiet hard. Thankfully this was in an unpopulated area so it didn't look like homes were in danger.

Granite Lake RV Park in Clarkston, Washington was a neat experience. It is the only campground I've stayed in where they offered a continental breakfast in the club house, the daily paper on your stoop every morning, and an ice machine in the laundry room! The grounds were beautifully landscaped, it's located right at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers, and the city bike path ran along the river.

Mammoth Springs, Yellowstone National Park. Smelled like rotten eggs due to the sulfur content. Did not know that Yellowstone is an active volcano! They believe the rim is 35 by 45 miles!! After seeing all the thermals and fumaroles I'm a believer. In one section of the park the river was literally boiling due to the thermals in the river bed. Pretty neat.

My precious family playing around at our campsite in Olympic National Park. This is the view from directly behind our camper. The lake is Crescent Lake and is crystal clear and freezing cold! This is located at The Lost Resort; they had a campground, cabins, and a lodge. Would be a great "romantic weekend" get-a-way for someone in the northwest. Not seen in this shot is the snow on top of the mountain behind Jeff and the kids.

My girl has a very artistic eye. She took this shot in Victoria, BC. This is located in Bastion Square. We found a little art gallery there where we picked up a giclee of a Pino painting Jeff and I like.

We had to take a ferry across the Juan de Fuca Strait from Port Angeles, Wa., to Victoria. The sky was overcast and it was drizzling when we left Port Angeles. As we got about half-way across the strait the sky begin to clear to a gorgeous blue and we had perfect weather the whole day...until we headed back across the strait then the sky became overcast and rainy again. It was a nice day.

Seattle, Washington is the home of the original Starbucks. It's located downtown at Pike Place Market. Neat area with handmade jewelry, art, and food. They sell just about everything here from seafood to vintage clothing to fresh vegetables and flowers. We found a 1950's silk dress that fits Ashley like a glove. She plans on wearing it to the semi-formal this fall.

My "Sassy-baby," Ashley, at the western most point of the contiguous US.

My Jesse at the western most point of the contiguous US. This is Cape Alva, Washington.

Northwest Passage-Phillips' Style is well underway. We are currently in Clarkston, WA. Yesterday we came through Lolo Pass. WOW! At the highest point the snow was still four to six FEET! Yes, yesterday was May 19th. We had 200 miles of twisting, winding, curving roads. We were all a little bit sway-sick by the time we stopped!

Pointed Blue-eyed Grass

Pointed Blue-eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium angustifolium, a member of the Iris family, is one of my favorites. This grass is a native wild flower. It grows in clumps and has mulitple flowers that can look like a blue cloud in the larger clumps.

Money Plant

Money Plant Lunaria is a biennial. This plant is in it's second season. In Spring, after the seed from the previous year germinates, you'll see the distinct green leaves. These will send up a bloom stalk next Spring. The purple flowers will turn into the round, flat green pieces sticking out from under the flowers. These will continue to enlarge and eventually turn translucent, which is where the plant derives its name. The "money" holds the seeds for the next set of plants. I like that you never know where it will appear next as the seeds are very light and easily scattered.

There is also a white blooming cultivar.

Solomon's Seal

Solomon's Seal Polygonatum is a deciduous woodland native. I like the varigated leaves and the way the small white flowers dangle underneath. I have this in a bed with 'Silver Dragon' Persicaria, Cast Iron Plant Aspidistra elatior, Holly Fern Cyrtomium falcatum, various Heucheras, and Heleborous.