Sweet Sixteen and Fabulous Four

They are alike enough in their personality to be twins in my book. Except that they were born only 12 years apart.

By the way they both say thank you to their Grampa for the lovely cards and contents therein.

Friends and family on Saturday night with the ice cream cake....

And just the immediate family today with homemade cupcakes....yes the little one helped me make them....she left her own personalization on most of them.

Well, that's it for (immediate family) birthdays until July. Good because now just the sight of any kind of cake makes me want to hurl.

Stupice Rhymes with "My Pizza"

So why is it spelled like that?

I potted up a Stupice seedling 10 days ago and man it must have grown a cm per day. Apparently they're not lying when they say 60 days to harvest, because look what I just found~ a teeny tiny flower bud! People talk about getting a ripe tomato by June 1, I may just beat that. This little guy and his tree brothers and sisters are now too tall or my grow light shelf. I hadn't bargained for this. I just repotted them 2 weeks ago and they took off like gangbusters. I need a taller shelf and more grow lights. Should I repot again or wait another week? I don't know! I wish I had a hoop house. No, I wish I had a greenhouse. I wish I lived in Arizona. Wait, no I dont, too hot and dusty, I don't care if its a dry heat, I like it right here. I wonder if it will bloom before May 1. I think I'll pick up some liquid kelp and worm castings next week. Couldn't hurt. In other news, I have revised my garden layout for the umpteenth time. That does it. I'm buying the wood for the raised beds next week.

Well-Groomed Onions

Gave the onion sprouts their first haircut the other day....don't they look just all spiffy with their new do? It's been a week of scrapbook milestones hasn't it. They were growing all crazy falling over each other and up into the growlight, so I must have read once upon a time that you're supposed to snip them down to get them to grow straight and bulk up. So I did. And if I were really frugal and resourceful I would have made a lovely pesto with the trimmings...but I just composted them instead. I know, how original. Oh, and by the way, my Baker Creek order came today, and guess what? They sent me an Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge, just exactly like I ordered! Except that instead of the 10 seeds per pack listed on the site, there must be about 30 in there! The seed envelope was just plain white, instead of sporting the typical Baker Creek artwork, so they must have scrambled and found an outside source. Two thumbs up Baker Creek! Plus, my free bonus seeds are yellow marconi peppers-something I don't already have and will definitely enjoy growing.

Graduation Day

These occasions are so bittersweet, aren't they... I mean, you spend your whole life preparing for this day, so you'd think when it finally happens you'd be ready for it, but no...The emotion is so....raw......The first of my seedling six-packs graduated to empty frosting tubs, foam can cozee's, and old slurpee cups today and I'm beside myself! One six pack of mixed sweet bell peppers planted way back in January, and one six pack of "tree-type" tomatoes, from Val and Dan. Actually got seven tomato plants, because one was sharing. I never grew tree-type tomatoes before. They are not really "tree-like", but they're supposed to have a compact growth habit like a determinate variety, but instead of bearing all fruit at once like the determinates, they bear fruit continuously throughout the season like the indeterminates. Sounds perfect for patio containers, perhaps to give to friends and/or relatives. That's why I started them so early. By the way, I sowed the rest of my garden tomatoes yesterday, 40 cells worth. That's 20 different varieties, NOT including the 4 trial varieties I have promised for Dave, or the elusive Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge that I ordered from Baker Creek last week but when I checked the website the next day a "out of stock" message appeared. OUT OF STOCK! crap. Maybe I'll have to shell out $9 for 5 seeds on ebay after all. Because 20 varieties is not nearly enough tomatoes is it?

Been Busy...

It's been awhile since my last post....sometimes life is like that, you know, taking up ALL your time and everything....The kids had the whole week (23 thru 27) off, something called "midwinter break"--how inconvenient. Having them all home, all day, every day... was draining physically, mentally and emotionally. Anyways, I had a birthday on the 26th . The same day Pakman got me (2) brand new trash cans (not for my birthday, just on my birthday, mind you) which I made short work of thanks to these instructions for a home made compost tumbler, complete with a Youtube video demo. I just couldn't bear the thought of spending hundreds of $$'s for basically a plastic holding bin for organic waste, so this fit the bill nicely. I knew it was time to do something about my previous compost pile situation when a trail of eggshells and old bread suddenly appeared from the torn out corner of the badly weathered cardboard box I had been using since November. Here is the new compost bin collecting rainwater for the past 3 days. I just hope the chipmunks that left that trail o'refuse across the yard don't figure how to gnaw through the fiberglass screens covering the holes. Well, I'm pretty sure it's chipmunks because one of the kids told me they saw one running out of the box with a chunk of something the other day, and plus if it were something like a raccoon or possum or skunk the mess would have been a whole lot bigger and the box would have been more destroyed, that is my scientific opinion.

Since the kids were off school, we invited ourselves to my Dad's and then to my brother's Friday and Saturday. Grampa volunteers at the Michigan Historical Museum so I thought it was a good opportunity to indoctrinate the young'uns with some culture (plus they'd have something of substance to write about the following Monday in the requisite "What I did during my Vacation" essay, besides the usual "slept alot and watched TV"). There was pizza and another cake at my brother's house, after which we all totally embarrased ourselves playing the Wii American Idol Rewind. But the best was yet to come because Saturday they showed us Lansing's premier pet supply emporium where the kids got to touch a real live tortise and I saw an exact replica of my future backyard koi-pond.

But the fun just keeps comin' because March 2 was another important birthday at our house (No NOT Dr. Seuss), but the one I call Junior Gardener turned eleven. And I had to go to 3 different stores to find the DS game she wanted. Whew. But wait--Two more birthdays are coming at the end of March...hope I won't be too sick of cake....I sure didn't plan this right.

More stuff...that single shelf in the laundry room, of which I am immensely proud, is not nearly enough seedling space, so I dragged in the plastic shelf from the garage which was storing mainly empty pop cans and ancient half-empty jugs of (automotive?) mystery liquids, to it's new temporary home in the dining room, and purchased 4 more shoplites. I just got done yesterday sowing another flat of brassicas and herbs, and a few flowers. Main crop tomatoes will be sown next week...can hardly wait!! In case anyone is wondering, this is what damping-off looks like in a flat of celery (notice the bare patches; they were covered with green just days ago)

and this is what an extremely low germination rate looks like in a flat of long red Florence Onions: (there were 60+ seeds in each of those containers!!! bummer.)

Seed Starting Frenzy

YAY! We're officially in Countdown Mode...It is now 12 weeks BLF (Before Last Frost) 'round these parts, so according to several different and sometimes conflicting recommended planting time-lines, it is now time to sow the onions, celery, celeriac, selected brassicas, peppers and eggplants, and possibly early tomatoes indoors. Which is exactly what I did this weekend. Well, actually, the pepper and eggplant seeds were put in ziploc baggies and left to simmer in my fancy high-tech seed-germinating cabinet, shown below. I checked them this morning, and after only 3 days I am ecstatic to report that some of the peppers are showing signs of life! Which means I'm going to have to move them to cells pretty quick, which in turn means a trip to Lowe's in the near future to buy a couple more shoplites and a laser level, because God knows nobody in their right mind would attempt to hang a temporary grow-light shelf without a laser level (at least that is what I have lead Pakman to believe.) In my house, the colder it is outside, the faster seeds in the fancy high-tech seed-germinating cabinet sprout. I believe it is because during frigid weather the furnace kicks on more often and for longer periods of time, which provides the nice constant warmth to the underside of that cabinet where the air vent is located.

In all, I have planted approximately 800 onion seeds into saved freezer-entree containers. There were about 600 Yellow Valencia seeds in a pack for $1.35 from Peters Seed and Research, and about 200 Long Red Florence in a pack for $1.75 from Tradewinds Fruit. Also I planted 3 flats each (actually cut off gallon plastic milk jug bottoms) of Redventure Celery and an unnamed Celeriac variety, also from Peters Seed. I have never planted onions or celery/celeriac from seed, so we'll keep our fingers crossed. Believe it or not, I did not broadcast-sow the onions, I actually sat there and poked 600 holes in the soil and meticulously placed a single seed in each. I hate waste. For the celery/celeriac, I sprinkled a pinch or 2 of the microscopic seed over the soil and pressed them in with the back of a spoon. Keeping the soil moist with a mister and whispering sweet nothings to them at regular intervals is the recommended procedure, which I am so far following without fail.

Some of the peppers, eggplants, lettuce and brassicas are from seed I obtained for seed trials for this guy who I became aware of through the miracle of internet forums. I'll be posting with regular updates on the Seed Trials, as this was part of the deal—in exchange for free seeds and the resulting veggies, I'm supposed to keep records, notes and impressions and pics of what grows, all raw data for his new seed company venture. I'm glad to be a part of this interesting project. Also I plan to save lots and lots of seed. Stay tuned for plenty more on that.

And finally, the first round of tomatoes are: An old early variety, Wayahead Red, obtained for free from wintersown.org's SASE tomato offer, and Stupice, another early variety that sets fruit in colder weather, as well as three “dwarf” or “rugose” tomatoes destined for porch containers named Matchless (red), Coastal Pride (orange) and Bushy Charbarovsky (fuzzy red), with seed obtained from these fine folks. Val and Dan have an amazing garden with many rare and unusual tomato varieties, some developed from their own breeding operation and available nowhere else! Their garden is also featured on page 196 in the 2009 Farmers' Almanac. Besides all that they are also the nicest people you'd ever care to know. I also santitzed the starting mix using hydrogen peroxide per their instructions, so hopefully this will greatly reduce damping-off, a fungal disease that can plague seedlings, especially slow-germinating ones like celery. I'm so excited that the countdown has begun! Bring on spring!

Haiku Friday

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She's just beautiful

She handles just like a dream

A young boy's first love

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A whole new world

Freedom of the open road

Have it home by 10

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No longer a child

Not an adult yet either

Fasten your seat belt

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Wordless Wednesday

Why I Love Thrift Stores

I have been a regular shopper at this chain for about two decades now (gawd that just sounds so wrong). My latest score was under $20. Rear Left: This cute little 2-1/2 qt. ceramic soup tureen has a lid with a little cut-out for your ladle of choice (not included). No maker's mark but it's octagonal design makes it look like the little brother of the Pfaltzgraff 4-qt. one I already have which lives in the back of the cabinet (because it is just too awkwardly massive to haul out for regular family meals). The mixing bowl in the front is not ceramic but some sort of glass, perhaps milk glass, (not pyrex, it appears older, maybe 1950's?) It is nice and heavy, sufficiently deep, has a glossy-smooth finish and rings like a bell when you flick the side. Again no maker's mark. In the above pic I am currently soaking beans in it for tonight's 15 bean soup (which will be served in the cute little soup tureen) and I must say I feel cheated because in the entire 20 oz. package of mixed legumes I found only two, count em, two individual black turtle beans among the zillions of mixed limas, split peas and various colored beans and lentils. Whats up with that? Anyway, next I got a really neat covered ceramic roaster with embossed roosters on the lid that looks just big enough for a good size chicken, made by a company called Sassafras out of a mystery trademarked substance dubbed "Superstone" (not to be confused with "Silverstone" or "Superglue"). Sassafras website does not list this particular model one anymore, maybe they stopped making it?
The inside of the bottom is glazed but the rest is unglazed. I tried scrubbing the drip marks off the top with Comet, but with unglazed ceramics I guess it's just not possible. Oh well, if you're like me, a confirmed non-germophobe who doesn't have qualms cooking with somebody else's cast-off drip-stained roaster lid, I am satisfied to say that at least now I got my very own unglazed stoneware roaster like a proper gourmet. I hear french bread baked in one of these is supposed to be pretty darn good too. No chips or cracks anywhere, each item retailed at $5.95 apiece (plus Michigan 6% sales tax).

Value World is also my favorite place to shop for clothes, expecially for 2-to-10 year-olds, because playclothes are basically disposable in that age range, they grow so darn fast, and trying to keep them "nice" is an exercise in futility anyway. So every 8 to 10 weeks, after saving up about $25 per head, I buy each pre-teen living at my house at the time a whole "new" (to us) casual wardrobe of jeans/sweats/tees. There. Now you know the truth. I'm cheap. And proud of it.