Grafting A Sentinental Gingko Tree. 28 Mar 24.

Thirty years ago, I planted some gingko seeds that my Dad had collected.  He died about ten years ago.   One of the trees stands grandly, maybe feet tall, in my old back yard in Vancouver.   It's a male, so no stinky seed pods.  Just majesty.   The other, much smaller, is in my front yard now in Battle Ground.

I wanted to preserve the beautiful tree in Vancouver.  Obviously it's way too big to think about moving.  Maybe ten years ago, I grafted some scion from that tree onto seedlings that I grew, from seeds I collected in Vancouver.   One didn't take, and one did.  The one that took, doesn't grow vertically.  It grows flat horizontally, no matter how often I try to straighten it.

I don't know why it does that.  It's weird.  Could it be that I grafted it upside down?  Would that take?  Would it grow like that?  Or is it some kind of weird bud sport?

Last fall, I  collected some scion from this tree.  There are several suckers growing from under the ground.  The plan was to graft freshly onto some of those suckers.  If one takes, and if it grows vertically, I can cut the others off and let it take over.

I decided to use my favorite graft, a whip and tongue graft.  I used a single edge razor blade for cutting, and a piece of wood as a cutting board.  I don't recommend this, for safety reasons, but it is what I did.

First, here's how it looks when out together.

Here's how the cutting looks, slicing into the wood to make the tongue.  This is before putting it together as above.

Here's how I protect myself.   The glove is a mandolin glove.

While grafting last year, I sliced into my thumb.  That's why I don't recommend this.  Buy a specialized, safe, tool instead.  It's better than a potentially serious i jury, such as a sliced tendon or nerve, or lost finger.  I was not wearing a glove last year when this happened.

Wood resists cutting, then has a "give" point where it rapidly decompensates.  Thats where my injury happened.  It cut a nerve, and took a year to resume about 90% normal sensation on the back of my thumb.

All I can say is that today I was extra extra careful.  I think the mandolin glove helped avoid an injury, and as much as possible I cut towards the cutting board, away from me.

It will be fun if one of the three that I did today grows.  If none take, I'll  cut the tree back to one sucker and let that take over as a straight upright tree.

Hunter's Star / Christmas Quilt Pieces Cut. 27 Mar 24.

 Here are the piles of quilt pieces.  There are 8 fabrics for the 9 inch squares.  They will be cut cirner to corner to make two triangles each.  There should be one trapezoid per triangle.  don't know how many strips.  If I counted correctly, there are 128 trapezoids to go with what will be 128 triangles.  The strips turn into smaller diamonds to make star points.  I'm not certain if I have enough strips.

The trapezois is usually the same fabric as the triangle.  Mine are chosen to be somewhat similar in weight or color saturation, but not identical.

The trapezoids will be sewn to diamonds to make larger trapezoids.  Those are sewn to the triangles to make larger triangles.  Something like this.

Then two are joined to make squares, then four squares with the diamonds in the center to make eight-pointed stars.  

Hunter's Star is a traditional quilt block, I think dating to mid 19th century.  The method I am using was created by Deb Tucker of 180 design, although I have taken so many liberties with the pattern and layout, she might not want to claim me LOL.

Gloomy Rainy Day. 27 March 24.

 Just gloomy, chilly, and rainy.  Mostly low 50s.  There was lightening and thunder, rare for here.

Topping Pepper Plant Seedlings to Encourage Branching. 27 Mar 24.

 Today I cut off the top tuft of leaves from the pepper plants.

After

Before

The top leaf tuft produces hormones that inhibit branching.  When you remove that tuft, then the lower buds leave dormancy and make branches.   Bushy, well branched plants, make for higher productivity.

Some people call it "pinching".  I use a sharp small scissors which I think is less traumatic to the cut tissues.

Planting Onion Seedlings. 25 Mar 24.

 I planted the rest of the Patterson hybrid onion seedlings.

Also planted the first of the Wethersfield onion seedlings.

The process is the same as before.  Dig a shallow trench.  Lay the seedlings in the trench.  Then move soil inwards to cover roots.

Every scoop of soil seems to bring up earthworms.  This soil is becoming more rich each year,

I think I will run out of space in this bed.  It's difficult to judge how many, when planting seeds.  I also planted some in one of the raised planters.

I wanted to get rid of the last batch of saved coffee grounds.  I don't like leaving stuff sitting around.  I sprinkled them generously between rows.  I saw possible evidence of slugs, so I scattered slug bait.  With the rains, I opened the coffee filters to cover the slug bait, then covered with leaves.

I just want to slow down the slug bait washing away.  I expect those filters to decompose in a few months.  I covered them with tree leaves that I still have in a pile.  Then replaced the anti-bird fencing tunnels.

This is all sitting-down work.  The height of the raised bed is a good match to the height of the gardener's stool.  The 2x4 flat laid side tops of the bed are good fir support, too.