King's Mountain Military Park

Sometimes, a good stiff hike is just the thing to do... especially when boys are running around screaming so loud that you are either going to go deaf or deck someone out of self-defense.  I chose my usual favorite: burn, energy, burn!
I've been wanting to go to King's Mountain Military Park for awhile.  The park part isn't really on King's Mountain - it's more of a foothill to the mountain.  I knew I could take the boys and not end up carrying them most of the time. 

This weekend presented the perfect opportunity.  It is Memorial Day weekend, so they had an event where re-enactors dressed up as soldiers from time periods from the French & Indian War and Revolutionary War (whose King's Mountain Battle the park commemorates) all the way to the current Iraqi & Afghanistan wars.

The best part?  The weapons demonstrations.  Watching how cumbersome Revolutionary War weapons were to load and unload was very interesting.  So was seeing the evolution of weapons over the years.  Quinn, however, had a near panic attatck from the noise of the weapons (especially the cannon) so he and I ended up taking a hike by ourselves towards the end.  1.5 miles up a minor minor mountain and down again?  My back is still a little sore from the parts when I had to carry him! 

Also very fun was the fact that the re-enactor the boys hit it off with - the hunter from the Revolutionary War period - was a teacher from Rockford!  Talk about a small world!

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Pesto in Pictures

BASIL!!!

Taking off the leaves.

Adding the Parmesan.

Finishing touches.

Holy cow that's violent!

Oooh... the power.

The less than attractive but oh-so-tasty final result.

Quinn approved!

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Another Day, Another Dollar

Today, after I came back from work and got Torin all registered for 1st grade (gulp, anyone?), I just couldn't be in my house. This was partially because I sometimes venomously hate my house, and partially because it was 69 and sunny and that's just my kind of weather. 

So, off to Blanford Nature Center the boys and I went.  We've been spending a lot of time on bikes lately, so I though "Why not, lets trek on down?"  Yeah, that's a mile and a half, baby.  With Torin on a Transformer's bike with training wheels.  He's a very tall six year old, so the knobby knees sticking out to form acute triangles was an image to cherish.  But by mile marker 1 he was whining about exhaustion, and it became less like escapism and more like work.  (Fun fact of the day: Blandford is decidedly all uphill from my house, which made toting Quinny in a trailer on my shitty bent-up Huffy less fun.)  But we made in tact, secured the bikes with my chain, and started stomping.

It was splendid and muddy and gloriously mosquito free. We spent time hanging out on the boardwalk through the "wetlands" (a stinky Michigan swamp if ever there was one, but we're in the city, after all) and sitting at the edge of the minor precipice behind the Center.  Oh, and did you know there is such a thing as neon orange fungus?  If you don't believe me, take the Blue Heron Highway trail out to the Interpretive Center.  It's pretty nifty stuff.

So, what have I done the garden this past week?  Nuthin.  Nadda.  Zilp, zitch, zero.  I have glanced at the sunflowers and morning glories and other splendid morning risers on my way out the door, but I haven't actually stepped foot past the purple garden gate.  Shame on me, I know, but I just haven't had the "umph".

I went on a trip to St. Louis with the boys, my sister-in-law, and two nephews last weekend, and it was decidedly taxing.  I had the beginnings of a wicked cold, and all the flying around in puddle jumpers obviously didn't help the recovery process.  It was only a few days ago that my head didn't feel on the verge of spontaneous combustion.  So I take it on faith that the giant pumpkins are still turning orange, the sweet potatoes are getting big enough to eat, and the weeds still haven't completely snuffed out the marigolds that once so gloriously lined the charming garden pathways.

Erroneous assumptions?  Lets hope not.  I'm still just too damned tired to duck under the wicked grape vines that seem intent on barring passage out back.  I'll check in later with some photos of lush moonvine flowers (that I don't let the boys touch) and maybe a shot of the buttery yellow butternut that is doomed to be soup some crisp Autumn afternoon soon.

Autumn.  Damn.

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What a Difference a Week Can Make

This is what we were up to a mere week ago.

Lots of ice.  Lots of snow. 

 Lots of clothing required.

 But there was reason to smile.  It was warming up!

The walnut trees were budding...

Velvety red blooms waiting to burst into glorious green.

And finally, a long handful of days above freezing, complete with sunshine.  Hello, wonderful mud!

Orange mint is coming out to play.

Day lilies are peeking through the half-frozen muck and clay.

The winter savory is revealing itself.

And it looks like my rhododendrons, which haven't bloomed since I planted them two summers ago, might even come out and play.

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Seedling Sunday: The Delicate Art of Seedling Transfer Part 1 - Paper Towel Seedlings

One of my favorite forms of germination is sprinkling the seeds on a damp paper towel, covering it with a plastic bag, and leaving it alone for a few  days.  It's almost insta-growth.  Even the most hard-to-germinate plants will start out quickly this way.  It only takes a few days to a week.

Take your base (I use meat trays that have been thoroughly washed) and lay two or three sheets of paper towel down.  You want enough ply so that the cloth will stay damp, but not too few so that the seeds are in water.  Sprinkle your seeds on top, spray gently with water, and seal in a ziploc baggie.  Don't forget to label.  A few days later, you'll see growth.

You don't want to leave them in the paper towel for very long.  Once you see a couple tiny leaves, you'll need to transplant.  Too much longer past that, and you'll damage the roots when you start manipulating the paper towel.

This is what you'll need:  Water, seed starter mix, potting soil mix, a place to transplant, and a spray bottle full of water.

 Now, a lot of people just use seed starter, but I'm a creative cheapskate.  Comes from growing up poor.  Seed started is expensive, and I don't like the way it holds water.  So, I fill y pot 3/4 with good old fashioned cheapy potting soil. 

Then I top it off with seed starter, and drench with water.

Now, the delicate part.  You can try to pull individual seedlings out, but I find that to be way too time consuming, with low returns if you damage the fragile root.  So I cut swatches out at a time.

Pull off the bottom layers of paper towel, leaving only the topmost layer.

If you turn it sideways, you'll get a really cool visualization.

Now lay the sheets on top of the pot.

Add a handful of more seed starter on top.  You can either leave the soil covering the plants, or gently blow on it to expose them to light.

Spray the whole lot with enough water to dampen the seed starter.  If you missed the pre-plant watering of the dirt, ever so carefully do it now.

Now revel in the new growth!

Well, I guess not all of are so easily pleased. 

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A Sunshiney Day!

I got home from work, turned the faucet on to get a drink of water, only to look up and notice a strange, rarely-seen phenomena.

 

Sunshine!!!!!  ( Seen here through the Mullberry tree row between my yard and a neighbor's.)  I, of course, immediately grabbed my camera and ran outside to record the moment.  Did I mention sunshine?  In February?  It was a moment to revel in!

It was also above freezing, so I got to check out some plants that had until recently been completely snow covered.  Like this branch of my sage bush.

And this lemon balm bush.  (Which, when mixed with chamomile flowers, makes my absolute favorite summertime tea.)

The sky was an amazing azure blue barely marred by only a few clouds, seen here through the lovely (though problematic) walnut trees.  I didn't edit this photo at all except to crop it.  The sky really was that exact color!

I also took the opportunity to take my boys out for some fun in the sun.  We raced around a local church parking lot with our two Traxxas RC cars, the Slash and the Stampede.  We even invited out our favorite neighbors, Ela and Kristian.  For the first time in months, they didn't need snowpants!

It's supposed to be more or less sunny for the rest of the weekend, but we'll see.  I hope so!  The cars aren't the only things that need to recharge their batteries;)  And, I'm in desperate need of a tan.

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The Who-What-When of Starting Seedlings

Spring is in the air!

OK, maybe that's an exaggeration. I mean, I’m currently sitting cozy in my house watching Farscape while a snowstorm dumps almost a foot of snow on my back porch.  However, looks what’s growing in my windowsill!



It’s lettuce and eggplant, in case you’re wondering.

Two Saturdays ago, I was in dire need of some quality play-in-the-dirt time.  Luckily, I have an awesome boss who has not only an indoor greenhouse (a glorious tiny glass room accessible through a sliding glass door behind the kitchen), but is generous enough to invite desperately cabin-feverish moms and their boys over for some planting!

I didn’t purposely plant lettuce (which won’t be transplanted, merely eaten when it gets large enough) and eggplant (which will eventually be transplanted) together.  They came home from Jean’s in separate pots.  But a certain little puckish boy decided he wanted to play chef with plastic spoons and dirt.



Yep, that’s him.  I’m just grateful anything came up at all!

I’ve ordered buckets of seeds from catalogs and while I’m waiting for them to get here, I started cleaning and organizing the containers I’ve been saving all winter for seed starters.



Oh yes, it’s recycling at it’s finest!  The plastic carryout container is an ideal starter because, while closed, it retains heat and moisture.  The bottom of a milk jug is perfect for shallow-rooting seeds.  Don’t throw the top away, though!  You’ll be using it as a heat cover for tender tomatoes or other heat-loving plants.  I like the cardboard soup bowls and OJ boxes because you can easily remove the paper without damaging the roots or plants when it’s time to transplant.  Also pictured are yogurt, fruit, and pudding cups and the bottom of a plastic water bottle.

Why use these?  Because they’re free.  Because they’re small, so you don’t waste lots of expensive seed starter or dirt and vermiculite.  (For some great recipes for potting soil mixes, check out The Artistic Garden’s page on the subject.)  Because it’s irresponsible to buy new containers when you’ve got lots of usable stuff lying around already.

Next comes the question of what to plant when.

First, figure out your zone.  You can find zone maps on the web, but in my experience, most of Michigan is roughly Zone 4b/5a.  The Detroit area is Zone 6.  Southern Delta/Schoolcraft area is, oddly enough, Zone 3.  But from Copper Harbor down through southern Michigan, you can be sure to grow plants rated for zone 4.  And even though many zone 5 plants will make it, some of them don’t when the winter is particularly hard or when there isn’t enough snow to keep the plants insulated.

(Note: You can also plant tender perennials for zone 6 or 7 in sunken pots, and pull them and keep them a Michigan basement to over-winter.  Rosemary is a good example of a tender perennial you can grow this way.)

Now you can figure out your last date of frost.  Though you can find them here, in my experience, you’re usually safe to get the hardy stuff (peas, cabbage, lettuce, etc.) by Mother’s Day.  You can also put tomatoes and such out as long as you provide some cover, such as the tops of milk jugs, or if you want to get really fancy, heat tunnels made of polythene film draped over wire hoops (made of coat hangers or bent fencing).

Now time for some simple math.  Counting backwards from that date, create a calendar that looks something like this:

Last Date of Frost  in Grand Rapids, MI (90% certainty): May 19^th

10 weeks from LDF: March 24th
8 weeks from LDF: April 1st
6 weeks from LDF: April 7th
4 weeks from LDF: April 21st
2 weeks from LDF: May 5th

Now, check the back of seed packets.  For example, my gourd seeds tell me they can be started indoors 4 weeks before the date of last frost.  April 21st it is!



There are, of course, some variations.  I have a couple home-made coldframes out back, so I can plant stuff really, really early.  I’ll have started radishes, carrots, lettuce, and other crops out in my coldframe in March.  Some I will transplant when the ground is ready.  Some will stay there until maturation.

I also use my coldframes to harden off crops.  Most of the plants you start indoors can’t be planted outside as soon as it’s safe.  You’ll have to spend a week or so taking them out and leaving them in the cold for progressively longer periods of time so they don’t die of shock.  Read more here.

Finally, with some plants, bigger is better.  I’m starting some perennial plants (columbine and hollyhocks) right now.  The bigger they are, the longer the growing season, the better chance they have of surviving.  Their flowering cycles will be messed up for a season, but after a winter they’ll be fine, perfectly in sync with the seasons.

My seed order should be here any day now.  I’m so excited!  Among the plants are some old friends of mine that I’ve haven’t grown in a decade, like woad and rue.  You can be sure that I’m gonna be playing in the dirt again as soon as the seeds get here!

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