Worm harvesting

Oh my, oh my. The summer has passed by without a single post. Yikes!

I have been trying to find a good description of how to harvest my worms from the composting bin, and finally found one. I am not interested in the more prevalent ideas out there, about forming little piles, brushing the soil off by hand, waiting, etc. This method uses a second bin or screen and the worms do all the work. Ta da!

Garden update

Kombucha

Yum yum! (Thanks to Annabelle Ho from Kombucha Fuel for the baby and instructions).

Mt. Mousilake

Clear, clear skies for our hike up Mt. Mousilake on Sunday. Amazing view of a snow-capped Mt. Washington. The top was so windy I was literally being blown over. On our way down we could jump and be pushed forward by the wind, really fun! Then as soon as we were back below tree line the sun was warm and still. We took a little nap after lunch on the side of the carriage road trail and just listened to the quietness.

PS. Kudos to the dude that took our picture up here. It wasn't easy balancing on the rocks, being thrown around by the crazy wind. He was a trooper, even though he did lose his hat :-(

Sowing update, day 2

I was finally able to get up with enough time this morning to hang out in the garden a bit. Half an hour was enough to sow the following:
nasturtium, alaska mix (again)
butternut squash
acorn squash, mesa queen hybrid
lemon cukes
watermelon

Morels!

Sowing update

This evening I had a lovely time chatting with neighbor Dana and planting seeds at dusk. It got a little hard to see towards the end, but I love that it is still warm outside! Some have been complaining about the cold nights, but I love it when it is chilling in the morning, everything is so fresh. And by noon time you can bask in the heat.
Anyways, today I planted:
nasturtium, Alaska mix to fill in the areas where seeds did not germinate
radishes, french breakfast to fill in where we have already harvested
beets, flats of egypt (from friend sarah b) and pronto
forget -me-nots
zinnias
fingerling potatoes, not sure what kind but they are blue!

Chocolate mint update

This chocolate peppermint root came from the trading post (some time in March, I think). It is not just your ordinary mint: it has a hint of chocolate flavor in there, too! Should be great for tea. I put the root in a pot and didn't do much else beside water it every now and then. Barely two months later and it is going crazy! I love plants that grow quickly, as I am too impatient for the slower ones. Come on, already!! This plant definitely fits in the fast-growing category, along with the wheat grass plant I also just started indoors. (It is the cat's plant, really. It is the one plant he is allowed to eat, the one veggie-oasis for him in the house. He is constantly being shooed away from the other house plants that he SO BADLY wants to munch on. Having just one pot around has seemed to help minimize his house plant-snacking, and he LOVES munching on the wheat grass. Success!)




PS. This is one of the few plants in the house that seems to have tolerated our horrible aphid population. Maybe the strong mint smell keeps them away?

May day Trading Post

Once again, we have beautiful weather for the Laurel Street Trading Post yesterday. Temperatures were in the eighties, and sun hats and flip flops abounded. I failed in my attempt to have a May pole celebration, and while I feel really bad about false promises, it didn't seem to be missed. The warm weather encouraged more lazing about, rather than active dancing. I really enjoyed spending time chatting with traders, both old timers and new timers, which I often don't get a chance to do. I also thoroughly enjoyed spending most of my time camped out under the arbor, in the SHADE, just watching others exchanging goods. Another highlight was helping Julia D plant her first seeds. She acquired pots, soil and purple pole runner and nasturtium seeds at the post, and walked away with them all potted up and watered and ready to go. It made me think that we should have activities and supplies available for future trading posts. Maybe a potting table, or some other sort of craft/building station. Any ideas?

Carolyn suggested adding a message board to the TP website. I couldn't agree more, I think this is a fantastic idea and could make our trading hours more successful. Currently folks show up with their items, hoping that someone present will be interested in what they brought that month. You never know what will be there. But with a message board, folks could post the things they will be bringing, or that they are looking for. That way your items are not just a shot in the dark, and it is less likely you would haul that awesome push lawn mower all the way to Somerville, find that no one there that month evens owns a lawn, and have to bring it back home again. I am positive someone out there would kill for that lawn mower, but they weren't there that day. I would love to set this up, but am limited now by the IT part. Does anyone know how to set something like this up?


Free seeds for everyone!


James and I scored a ton of awesome stuff: seitan, wicker basket, nut butter bread (made by Devon with the nut butter and bread machine that she acquired at last month's trading post, it's coming full circle!), pickled garlic, sweet potatoes, peach jam, and some clothes. I felt like royalty bringing my bounty back upstairs.

Strawberry girls

Images from my kinder & first grade after school art class at BB&N in Cambridge. I have a group of 6 lovely girls who don't seem to mind when "art class" merges with gardening and nature education. This week we cut off the bottom of soda bottles, punched holes and covered with sticks and fabric strips. Then I brought in strawberry seedlings for them to plant in their new pots. (Ricky's Flower Market in Union Square has some great plants right now: strawberries, blueberries, blackberry/raspberry canes, etc. I want them all!)


The kids were obsessed with how water flowed out the bottom. We emphasized the importance having holes in your containers so the plants don't drown. But really they just liked it because "it looks like the plant is peeing!"