Refinishing A Wooden Box. 24 Jan 2024

In the process of some downsizing, I got rid of a very large, heavy oak desk.  I replaced it with a table for computer and sewing, with much more legroom and which I already owned.  The oak desk had narrow drawers that were handy, and I'd like a place for wallet, glasses, and keys so I don't lose them.

I bought this wooden box on Amazon.  It's 100% wood, but I didn't like how it looked.

I don't like the holes for drawer pulls.  The stain looks dull and dirty.  There is no protective top coat over the stain.  With time, I imagine it will look even more dull and dirty.

I'd like to add some drawer pulls, and ordered them.  But on close inspection, they will look oddly placed if they cover those holes.  And they might not cover them.  Hmmm.  

What if I turn the drawers around, so the fronts are the backs and vice versa?

That actually looks better. I like the contrasting of the two colors of wood. I don't know what kind of wood this is.  It feels soft.  Maybe pine? Eucalyptus?  I don't know.

I decided to go with a darker stain for the box, something light for the drawers.  I sanded it inside and out with 220 grit sandpaper.  Then I brushed with a pre-staining wood conditioner, waited a bit, and wiped it all off, rubbing it into the wood.  Then I stained the outside box with ebony black stain.

 So far, I think this is a much nicer look.  Even though the black stain is darker than the original, the grain shows more clearly.  I debated staining the drawer fronts red (it's an option the stain rack), I couldn't find any.  I have some old "golden oak" stain, but on experimenting on some stirring sticks, it just looked murky.

The next step, after  couple of days, will be a few coats of polyurethane.  Polyurethane tends to darken wood a bit, bring out grain some more, and can develop a golden hue, so I think I won't stain the drawer fronts at all.

Starting Alstroemeria Seeds. 22 Jan 2024.

 These seeds are for the Astroemeria "Ligtu Hybrids".  (Peruvian "lily" that's not really a lily).  I hope they will be a diverse variety of nice colors.

They have  complicated stratification.  First, soak the seeds 24 hours.  Then plant them 1/4 inch deep, and keep warm for three weeks.  Then refrigerate for three weeks.  Then keep them warm again, and hope for germination.

Edit:  I forgot the seeds and wound up soaking them an extra day.  I planted them in seed starting mux, and wrote the planting date and chill date on the container.

Now they are on the warming mat until the chill date.

Planting Onion Seeds. 22 Jan 2024

 Now is about the time I start onion seeds.  I can get them to garden size and in the raised bed, before starting more tender garden seeds.

I decided not to bother with the Red Wethersfield Onion seeds from 2022, but kept them just in case.  Onion seeds are considered short lived, only a year or two, so those might not be viable.  

I'm curious to see how the saved seeds do.   I am also planting a packet of bought seeds, just in case.

Germinating Eucalyptus Seeds. 22 Jan 2023

 The lemon Eucalyptus have begun germinating.  Actually, some have been visible for a few days, which makes the earliest germination time under a week.

The seedlings are difficult to see until the green cotyledons spread out.  There are about eight seedlings emerging so far, out of eighteen seeds planted.

So far, so good.

Accessible Gardening. 15 Jan 2024.

This is  work in progress.  My thoughts change all the time.  This is the first of what might be a number of posts.

Time takes its toll, and stuff happens.  Gardening is still one of life's great joys, with innumerable benefits.  But you can't garden if you are too limited in function, and don't have an accessible garden, and don't have ways to accommodate those limitations .  There are lots of ways to make it much, much easier to garden, without sacrificing quantity, quality, flavor, beauty, or variety.  It just takes a different way of thinking.

First - what are the major limitations?

Physical - hard work, height - high or low, energy required, strength required.  There are lots of ways to put the plants at a height that works best for the gardener. There are lots of ways to make a garden less physically difficult, while helping plants grow better.

Financial - if something is not affordable, it's out of range.  If every plant is pre-grown and sold potted, it gets expensive.  Seeds can be expensive.  There are many ways to save costs, while having better suited plants, a healthier garden, and a lot of fun.

Saboteurs  - People, small pests, big pests. Deer, slugs, feral cats, moles, birds, insects.  There are lots.  There are ways of dealing with some, but sometimes choices have to be made.

Climate and weather   - watering plants can require a lot of effort, especially during the hottest, sunniest months when the most growth happens and the effects of missing a watering can ruin months of effort.  Overwintering plants requires a different kind of effort.

Time - You can only do what you can do.  Using time in a thoughtful manner can make a big difference.

Information - If you don't know how to do it, then it may not grow.  There is a lot of false information out there.   A lot of garden lore is lost now, as older generations die off.  Some old methods can be so empowering, save money, bring the most suitable plants into the garden, and bring a lot of joy.

What else? -  I'll add  more as I think of it.

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Physical Challenges.

Addressing physical challenges is the most obvious  way to make gardening more accessible.

The best position for garden tasks is within a foot or two or three, of the hands.   For gardening in the soil (vegetables, flowers) that can be accomplished using raised beds or containers.  Not just the six-inch high raised beds, but two or three feet high.  That's why I built some of mine using cement blocks - inexpensive, can be built a few blocks a day, can fill a bucket at a time.  As time passes, the bed reaches the desired size.  It doesn't have to be done in a week, or two weeks, or three.

(more to follow, and probably some edits.  This is very much a work in progress, and I don't know where it's headed).

Starting Eucalyptus Seeds. 15 Jan 2024.

 I wanted to try something different.  These Eucalyptus citriodora can be grown as an annual.  The trees in Australia are beautiful and truly massive, but the goal here is an annual, sort of similar to a mint or lemon balm, that will tolerate what has been a trend to hotter and drier summers.  If they grow, I'll try growing them in containers.  Of there are extras, I can see if they survive a border accesible to deer.  I bet the deer don't bother them.

I surface planted the seeds in a six pack on moistened peat and perlite seed starting medium. I dusted them with a bit more medium, then spritzed with water.

Again with avoiding unnecessary plastic, I covered with a glass baking dish lid.

I read they require warmth and light, so they are sharing an LED desk lamp with the Schlumbergera seedlings.

From the previous post, these are the seeds.

Stratifying Rudbeckia Seeds. 15 Jan 2024

 I like to start Rudbeckias early.  They usually need cold stratification.  

(The Eucalyptus will be in the next post.)

I label paper towels, using a sharpie.  Let it dry.  Then run water over the paper towel, squeeze it out so they are fairly damp but not dripping.  Sprinkle on the seeds.  This is a lot more than I'll know what to do with, if they all grow.

Fold it over twice, so seeds don't fall out.

Then place into labeled zipper sandwich bag.

I label the paper towel so I can place more than one variety into the bag, to reduce plastic use.

Schlumbergera Seedling Update. 15 Jan 2024.

 So far, so good.  I'm just keeping them under an LED desk lamp, very close.  Light is on about 12 hours daily.  At night they are covered with plastic.  I water them when dry, with a very dilute bloom food.

A few are growing their first true (tiny) cactus pads.