Mushroom Log Hashtag. 3.11.22

Somewhere between Delta and Omicron I included an order for mushroom spawn with an early seed order. I've never grown mushrooms so it will be an experiment. I bought two types, "Chicken of the Woods" and "Shiitake". According to the instructions, the spawn can be kept in the fridge for up to a year. I had them there for about three months. Mushrooms grow from fungal filamemts that are grown in labs on wooden dowels. To make a mushroom log, drill about 5 holes into a fresh tree log, use a hammer to drive the dowels into the holes, and seal it all with paraffin. Then the log needs to be kept cool and damp for nine months to a year, while the filaments permeate the log, then it will grow mushrooms. Supposedly. According to the instructions, once the logs start bearing mushrooms, they continue producing crops for three to five years. Here is what the mushroom filament saturated dowels look like.

Here is what the logs look like after the dowels have been pounded in and holes and ends sealed with wax.

That took me about two hours. Now I just need to keep them in the dark and moist for 9 to 12 mo ths.

Comparing Dwarf and Nondwarf Tomato Seedlings. 3.10.22

I planted all of these tomato varieties at the same time. Most germinated at the same time, although Reisentraube was a day or two behind the others.

Of the varieties I planted, Non-Dwarf were Sungold, Early Girl Bush, Bush Early Boy, Honey Bee, Ukraine Purple, and Reisentraube. The Early Girl Bush and Bush Early Boy are not "Dwarf", they are determinate, which means they reach a certain size then the stems end in flower clusters. Dwarf varieties were Dwarf Johnson Cherry, Dwarf CC McGee, Dwarf BrandyFred, Dwarf Livingston Stone, Dwarf Champion Improved, New Big Dwarf, and Extreme Bush. I think Extreme Bush is both determinate and dwarf. It seems pretty apparent to me that, with one exception, all of the nondwarf seedlings show more vigor at this stage, only a couple of days after germination. Only Reisentraube is small. I wonder if it will get a growth spurt and pass the dwarf types in size soon - it may just be small because it was behind the others in germinating. In the photographs, a couple that are labeled dwarf seem to have larger seedlings too, but those are the nondwarf varieties in the cells behind them.

Cedar Planter Box Is Built. 3.10.22

That went pretty fast. I did spend the day working on it. Here is the completed planter box.

Inside the box, I'll have ten extra large "Grow Bags".

My original thought was to just have the "Grow Bags" sitting out without support. Then I thought about it, and they look kind of junky. Plus I was concerned they might get floppy, so I wanted them contained. Then I had the pallets to get rid of - the cement blocks for the earlier beds were delivered on them. So I sat the bags on those, which wasn't any better but I liked raising the bags higher. So I built the planter to hold the bags. Each bag will hold about the same number of plants as a 4 foot row in a 4 x 8 foot raised bed. Maybe a little less since I space most rows a foot apart so 8 rows per bed, whereas this is ten "Grow Bags" in a similar space. If I can, I'll build platform about four to six inches higher, to bring the bags up nearer to the edge of the sides. I think I'll scrub the wood and stain it, this summer. The wood is very nice. Here is a cut through one of the boards.

Progress on Weathered Cedar Planter Box. 3.9.22

Here is the planter box so far. It's turning out pretty much exactly what I envisioned.

There is still a lot more to be done. I can see what it will be like now, which is nice. This location was sort of wasted, growing things at ground level here was challenging because of the cramped space. Being much higher will make it easier. I still need to do the remaining three sides. I may stain this planter box in the summer when it's dry. Something that looks like cedar or redwood and not too expensive. The reason is to preserve the wood longer. Or I may leave it as weathered cedar, which is a lot of things around here. The frame is pressure treated. None of that will come into contact with plants. Not on title- I planted seeds today, the sunroom got too hot (86F) but I think it's all OK. When that happens,he seed mat gets up to almost 100. I'm not going to use the sunroom for seed germination after this. A hard freeze is expected tonight. I covered the snow peas and snap peas but not anything else. I cut down two 50-foot cascara trees. They were leaning more and more. When that happens, fhey usually fall over. I thought it would be safer to take them out now. I will cut logs later. i set aside two logs to use for growing mushrooms. More on that tomorrow.rm

Tomato and Herb Seedlings Emerging. 3.8.22

It's three days now. So far, about half of the tomato varieties emerged overnight. The oregano and thyme seedlings are up. I need to be more careful to plant them more thinly. They are like dust, so tiny, but they grow fast. Basil seeds have germinated. Ratibida seedlings are up. I see signs of life in the carnation and chive six-packs too.

Off from this topic heading, yesterday I completed one long side of the container raised bed made from weathered cedar planks. It's a lot of work but coming along OK. I'd say it's about 1/3 completed. Thursday's weather prediction is for freeze down to 26F. It will be interesting to see if that affects the snap pea and other seedlings.

The First Snap Pea Seedlings Have Emerged. 3.6.22

These are snap peas I planted Feb 10, so it's nearly a month. The ground is cold and there has been snow and freeziing so they are much slower. Still it's encouraging to see a few emerge. Will more follow? Time will tell.

Planting Some Wildflower Perennial Seedlings Outside. 3.6.22

These are still small, so they need protecting. Still, getting them into the soil frees up room on my plant stand for tomato seedlings or whatever, and they are less likely to get neglected and dry out because I moved them to a less intense spot. These were outside during a recent freeze. The six-packs froze solid, but on thawing out, the plants were unfazed. Also the Rudbeckia that I planted in a raised bed a week or so ago endured fhw same freeze, amd actually look a bit more vigorous than the ones that are still in their six packs. Some Coreposis and Echinacea seedlings. I also stuck a lone Gallardia into a spot into the raised bed.

These are small, so they need protection similar tomthe onion seedlings. It's nice to have them in the ground. If I'm up to it, more will follow tomorrow.

Planting Red Wethersfield Onion Seedlings. 3.6.22

This is the first pot of the Red Wethersfield onion seedlings, started in early January. They look healthy but small. Onions are a reasonably cold weather plant, and I've planted them this early before with good success. A frost is predicted in three days. This container was outside diring a hard freeze and not a single plant was damaged.

Onion roots don't wind around a lot, and they come apart easily for planting outside. I planted them about four inches apart. Being close together, the final onions may be a bit smaller. That's fine with me, giant onions don't keep as well and it's hard to use a whole giant onion at one time. Smaller ones mean less waste. Before planting, I mixed about a third of a bag of biochar, and half a bag of steer manure compost into the raised bed soil. So it should be pretty rich.

Onions need to grow healthy tops somthey can grow healthy onions. Planting them early in rich soil gives them a nice boost. Slugs and birds like onion plants. I gave a preventive dose of organic slug bait, and covered with a birdie fence.

Clivia. 3.5.22

This is Ning's Clivia. About twentyone years ago, I pollinated a Dutch Clivia, deep orange / red petals with yellow center, with a yellow clivia. This was the result. They are dramatic and beautiful, not a lot of trouble, but a bit large for a house plant.

Starting Summer Vegetable, Herbs, Flower Seeds. 3.5.22

It's a little early but not as early as last year. I decided to start the tomatoes, mostly dwarf types. Plus some thyme, Ratibida (this is called "Mexican Hat Flower"), some chive seeds saved in 2020, cilantro seeds saved last summer, basil, and replacements for carnations. When I up-potted the carnations, they all died. I think that was fungal rot. I don't know if that was carried by the soil, or I didn't sterilize the used pots. Disappointing. So I sterilized containers, used new containers for planting the new seeds, threw the diseased plants/containers/soil into the trash, and have learned a lesson. I also sterilized the plant stand. The same thing happened to the micro tomatoes.

I don't know why I bought those basil seeds. I have plenty that I saved myself. Oh well. This year I'm changing over all but a few tomatoes to dwarf types and of those, open pollinated rgat I can save seeds. I will also do a pruning experiment with the indeterminates to see if I can prune them into bush types - the exact opposite of the usual pruning. That is to try to raise them without tall poles. I'm hoping I can raise about a dozen in one large raised bed, plus two in large containers (Bush Early Girl and Early Boy Bush). The hand-written packets were seeds I saved last year. So was the cilantro (not shown).

Benville, Illinois Schoolhouse. 3.4.22

Benville, Illinois. Possibly eatly 1900s to 1910s. Here is the one room schoolhouse where some of my family went to school, including my grandfather, his siblings, and possibly his parents and their siblings. I don't know what grade he reached. Probably not high school grades but I'm not certain. Looking at the images, I don't recognize anyone. I probably would not have the photo if my grandfather or his parent's generation wasn't in it.

A different image, same schoolhouse.

There isn't much of a Benville any more. There is a cemetary where some of my ancestors are buried. I don't know if any buildings remain now. It's interesting, New Philadelphia was only a few miles away from Benville. You could almost walk from one to the other. I never heard about that until many years later.

With Rufus In Sunroon. 2.28.22

An atmospheric river came through today. Rufus is a bit big for a lap dog, but I'm fine with that.

Assembling a Quilt. 2.28.22

This is the batik disappearing nine patch that I started March 2021. I want to complete it this month. Then I can move on to other planned projects. With the last quilt, I discovered that safety pinning the layers together works a LOT better for me, compared to washable spray adhesive. Plus, that stuff makes the house smell like an auto body shop, andcis expensive. So this time I'm doing the safety pins again. Plus, using the kitchen island is more convenient and managable and a lot less painful than working on the floor. Layers sitting together.

Safety pinned together.

I will quilt this one diagonally. I think.

I Set January Perennial and Onion Seedlings Outside. 2.28.22.

I think it's mild enough, and overcast enough, these can sit outside now. Temp was in 50s all day, and that is what is predicted tonight and tomorrow. Plus constant rain, so no likely sunburn to tender leaves. This will help them harden off for transplanting outdoors. Plus, that clears spaces in the seedling stand for the next batch of seedlings.

Repotted Pepper Seedlings. 2.27.22

I didn't post on them, but the first group of pepper plants started to look puny, with curling leaves and pale color. As I described for tomato seedlings, I think it's the seedling starting medium. It seems fine for onions, perennial flowers, and others but not for long term growing of pepper and tomato seedlings. So I repotted them into regular potting soil. They also seem to have some tiny flues, so I sprayed today with some "Safer" organic spray. I think they are starting to perk up.

Repotting Carnation Seedlings. 2.27.22

Of the early started seedlings, the carnations look the most vigorous and sturdy so far. I repotted into slightly larger plant tray. They're not rootbound yet, but it's definitely time for larger containers.

After repotting. I think they'll be ready to plant outside in a month. That means the extra raised bed will need to be ready by then too :-)

Repotting Miniature Tomato Seedlings. 2.27.22

Red Robin and MicroTom. They look a little sickly. I think it's the seedling medium - that happened last year with peppers, and completely resolved when I potted into regular potting soil.

It's interesting the MicroToms have flower buds even though they are only two inches tall. I will remove those. I potted them all into four inch pots in regular potting soil.

I think they will green up and perk up. Even if they don't, I want to try again as a window sill plant, when Spring comes.

An Extra "Raised Bed" Project. 2.26.22

There is some extra space for a few more vegetables or flowers. I don't want the expense and work of constructing an actual, durable, raised bed, but I'd like something there. I found fabric grow-bags on Amazon, shaped like bushel baskets, very affordable. A small fraction of the cost of raised bed construction materials. I also have a couple of plastic "half barrels" the same size. However, arranged together, they look kind of messsy. I decided to build an open bottom "box" for them, approximate dimensions of the other raised beds. They will sit on pallets, 3 1/2 feet by 4 feet square, 4 inches tall so they are slightly up from the ground. From a distance, this should just look like an ordinary raised bed. The containers will be a nice size for smaller clusters of plants, such as shallots, or Thai peppers, or beans, or cucumbers, or lettuce, or carnations. So there, I've just reserved them all even though it's not built. We have aged cedar picket fencing that was removed to build a new privacy / deer fence. It's been laying around. There are multiple sections. They don't look like much at all, but when they are cut, the wood is tan and pink and still fragrant with cedar oils,

It's difficult to picture, but I think I can convert these into a nice, weathered cedar box. The 2 x 4's are pressure treated and also in excellent shape. There are 4 x 4 fence posts, also pressure treated, for the corners and I think I can remove the old brackets to re-use them too.
So today I took apart several sections of the fencing, cut four of the 2 x 4's into eight foot lengths with clean ends, cut the tops and bottoms from the pickets, into 22" tall boards that will constitute the sides of the box. I think I'm about half way through what is needed. If it doesn't work out, those will all fit in the wood stove next winter. :-) I estimate this box can be completed in about a non-rainy week. First is recovery of good wood and cutting it, to make a sort of kit to assemble. Thinking ahead, once the wood is cleaned up and the box is built, and dried by summer sun, I can stain it so it will look like new. Or not.

Winter Garden Update. 2.26.22

Some of the chill garden seeds have started to germinate. Here are some radishes.

And some spinach.

Egyptian Walking Onions are looking pretty good. I gave them a bit of Miracle Grow. I know that's not organic, but it's not Deisel Oil, either. I think the plant food will boost them a bit for super early scallions. I also gave them some slug bait. Slugs love onions.

I try to keep the garlic bed weeded. That's why it is so helpful to grow garlic in raised beds or large containers. It's much easier to maintain them even though the ground is too muddy to walk on in a normal, ground level garden. The garlic plants look pretty nice so far.

Snow and Freezing. 2.24.22

Delayed entry. We had lots of freezing and snow for a few days. I didn't see any damage yet to fruit tree buds.

Some of the peach buds show a little pink. It will be interesting to see if they set fruit despite getting frosted now.

A Quilt Is Completed :-) 2.21.22

I started this one last summer. Today I finished the binding.

The nine-patches and binding are all men's shirt fabric, so you can call this a "ten shirt quilt". I'm quite happy with the color theme and how it came together. Completed size is about 6 1/2 feet each side although I havent measured it. It's a nice feeling to finish a quilt. Next, that batiq fabric quilt I started a year ago. The top is assembled, the backing and batting are cut to fit.

Seedling Update. 2.20.22

Seedlings are mostly doing pretty well. I scattered the rest of the New York Early heirloom onion seeds on a container. Prior germination was so poor. I did these off the warming mat. Not sure if that was better but looks like at least 20 additional plants. That should give a few for saving seeds next fall, and a few weeks worth of eating onions too.

Peppers, thyme, carnations, tiny tomato varieties.

Carnations, Rudbeckia, Echinacea

Mostly oregano, and one gallardia.

Celery, Echinacea, Rudbeckia.

The onions, scallions, shallots are on the top shelf now, no artificial light. They will be fine until I plant them outdoors after the current cold spell.