tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-253229562024-03-07T19:33:42.136-05:00OtterwiseDiana Troldahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04995861214213617151noreply@blogger.comBlogger1316125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-50822861989143969752018-05-28T08:06:00.000-04:002018-05-28T08:06:45.443-04:00Potatoes - And a Ton of Dirt.,,<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I decided to try growing potatoes. Decided to do it in burlap sacks. Over the last few months I ended up with too many potatoes that started sprouting before I got them cooked, so mostly the seed potatoes were just potatoes saved from the compost pile, although I did get some seed potatoes from the Resource Center over at the Garden Project <a href="https://greaterlansingfoodbank.org/programs/programs-home/the-garden-project/">https://greaterlansingfoodbank.org/programs/programs-home/the-garden-project/</a> as well. I had total of 4 types of tatties, and I also got the burlap sacks from the Garden Project (leftovers from Coffee roasters. <br />
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So, I pulled the trailer full of dirt up to the area of the driveway nearest the spot I was planning to use, put down some landscape fabric, and tucked in. As you can see in the pictures I used a cardboard box with the bottom flaps cut open to keep the burlap bags standing up while shoveling dirt into them. I put in about 4 inches of dirt in each of the 12 bags, planted potatoes about 8 to 10 inches apart in the bags (4 in each bag, the bags are 24x36 inches when flat so about 1.5 feet across when full), then covered with another 4-5 inches of dirt. And as I was getting to the end I was hoping I had enough dirt. Eventually poured the last dirt off the tarp into a bucket to finish filling the last bag, and had to steal a little dirt from a couple of the more full bags to make sure the least filled bag was full enough, but that did it. So I have used the first trailer full of dirt. My trailer can only officially handle 900 pounds, but I had bought a half-yard of dirt, which depending on moisture content can weigh half a ton plus or minus a bit of water. Luckily it was pretty dry when I bought it, but I have now shoveled over a half ton of dirt this year, as this isn't the only shoveling I've done. I was just saying this winter that I needed to add Strength Training to my walking workouts, and I think Gardening is adding that strength training in the form of shoveling and, well, I've also poured a full bag of Perlite and fifteen 2 cubic foot bags of Potting Soil. Well, 30 cubic feet is more than a cubic yard, so I guess I've moved 1.5 tons of dirt this year, some of it more than once (container gardening means you can change your mind on what goes where).Oscarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131573199240213496noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-11018687800312544692018-05-27T12:00:00.003-04:002018-05-27T12:00:43.857-04:00Successes and Less Successful stuffs.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today's conundrum: <br />
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My first strawberry is blooming. The gardening wisdom is that if you plant in springtime you should remove all of the flowers the first year so that you get much healthier plants and much more and bigger and healthier berries in following years. I did not, however, realize how hard it would be emotionally to actually cut the flowers. I went back and researched, and apparently everyone from gardening web sites to University Extension services to people who sell strawberries say that yep, you need to snip the flowers. They say that maybe day-neutral or everbearing plants you could stop snipping after June. I knew that going in, and I planted June-Bearing berries in this planter. So... I decided that I will let them bloom, but snip the flowers when they start to wilt so they don't put a lot of energy into the berry/seed production.<br />
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If the strawberry seeds I sowed in the other two planters don't germinate and grow, I will get more seed and try germinating in a controlled environment, then planting this fall, since they say that you don't have to snip fall-planted strawberries.<br />
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I knew going in that not everything in the garden would be a resounding success... and so far the greatest failures have been garlic chives not growing yet, one of the lettuce varieties not surviving the frost/freeze cycles we had, a parsley plant that the squirrels stole, and spinach that started bolting before we got a real good harvest. As far as the spinach goes, we will replant that for fall and hope it doesn't bolt, then try different varieties next year. We have new parsley plants that have real root systems (the missing plant was an accidental "grew some small roots while we were keeping it alive in a bowl" plant, so didn't have the ability to stay planted when they tugged on it). We can replant garlic chives and if that variety doesn't take get some other seeds... and the regular chives are taking off.Oscarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131573199240213496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-82442817450180728172018-05-19T12:23:00.002-04:002018-05-19T12:24:18.023-04:00A Cornucopia of Greens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This morning we HAD to thin the lettuce towers, along with some radishes, turnips, peppercress, and possibly other items. The Spinach in the towers had finally fully Bolted so it was weeded out. We may have a little spinach from the second container before it bolts, as I read on one article that the later you plant it the longer it takes to bolt.<br />
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Anyway, we didn't actually harvest any full plants... well, there were maybe a half dozen that were growing in the wrong place, like a Tango growing in the Bronze Beauty section or something, and there were a few places where the plants were so thick that a couple got pulled entirely to leave room for the others, but overall this was just thinning a few leaves off of each lettuce plant, cutting some peppercress, and thinning some radish and turnip beds. I put the gallon jug there for size context. We will be sharing with family and friends, as we already got a head of lettuce from our CSA on Thursday, so we currently have a bounty!<br />
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We were somewhat disappointed in the spinach. If anyone in the north here has suggestions for a spinach variety that produces greens for a month or more instead of a few weeks we would be interested to hear about it.<br />
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Oscar<br />
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<br />Oscarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131573199240213496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-47684678578499886922018-05-16T15:05:00.001-04:002018-05-16T15:05:18.432-04:00What I've Been Doing This Year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Oscar has done a wonderful job keeping the blog updated on our gardening adventures. What I've been up to mostly takes place indoors. I've started painting professionally. My favorite medium is Alcohol Inks, and I paint almost every day (or I get grumpy about it LOL) I've included just a few photos of my 8 x 10 paintings in this post, but today I finished uploading 87 (eighty-seven) images of my 5 x 7 inch paintings to my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/otterwisedesigns/photos/?tab=album&album_id=191823441441126" target="_blank">Otterwise Designs Facebook</a> page.<br />
I struggled with depression the past few years, and it was much worse than I thought. In January, I turned to making art after a friend introduced me to Alcohol Inks. That lessened the darkness enough that I sought help, and now am doing very well. I never thought I would be an artist, but I feel very much at home in my niche :-}.<br />
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To celebrate officially opening my Otterwise Designs Facebook page, I am having a sale on those 5 x 7 paintings. If you wish to purchase 3 paintings, email me at otterwise@gmail.com with the painting numbers (at the bottom of the description) and mention the code HEREATLAST and you will get $10 off. :-} <br />
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I will also be creating an Otterwise Designs web page, but that will happen later on this summer.<br />
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In the mean time, I hope you browse the paintings I put up today. I have loads of 8 x 10s to upload later this week!<br />
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Diana Troldahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04995861214213617151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-21220278040512107192018-05-14T14:45:00.001-04:002018-05-14T15:00:33.847-04:00Forsythia, Ajuga, and realizing I can't do it all<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Diana bought us two Forsythia shrubs. Forsythia is a bush that my father grew, and in fact he planted two of them, telling my sister and I that the second bush was "Firesythia", because Fire (pronounced Feer-Ah) is the number 4 in Norwegian. As a kid I heard it as "Feedasythia" but whatever the pronunciation the point is that he made up a name for it and so the bush took on a special meaning for me after we lost Daddy.<br />
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Because we have such a small yard Diana bought a dwarf variety, and to keep it affordable she bought small plants, but the shrub, over time, will get to be nearly 3 feet across. I don't want to crowd my neighbor, and his driveway runs exactly down the property line, so I cleared a little plot that is along the driveway, sidewalk, and the arc that is 4 feet from the corner of the sidewalk/driveway. Planting the shrub 2 feet from the sidewalk and 2 feet from the driveway should keep it from sticking out over either. To keep the slope from eroding, help with the pollinator factor, and also a nod to Daddy I will also be planting Bronze Leaf Ajuga (Bronze Beauty Carpet Bugle).<br />
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It took me 2 days to dig out the sod/weeds/roots/stones and bricks for ONE side. Yep, 10 bricks were buried in that little plot! Also, the ground was quite wet from the weekend rain, so the clay in the soil stuck to the roots of the sod... I don't want to give the weeds dirt to grow in, and I don't want all of the good soil to go away (there is clay, sand, and humus/compost in the soil, not just clay).<br />
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We have so much to do and these new garden beds are taking me so long that I decided to hire some local college students (<a href="https://www.msucrewclub.com/rent-a-rower.html">"Rent-a-Rower"</a> from the Michigan State University Crew team) to help with some of the additional garden digging - they should be here next week. Meanwhile, I can move on to other gardening tasks!<br />
<br />Oscarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131573199240213496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-39315565790541417362018-05-11T23:40:00.000-04:002018-05-11T23:40:24.845-04:00Monarch Garden<br />
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Even though it was raining a lot today, I had decided that I needed to make today the day I got the Monarch garden in, or at least the Milkweed plants that were so kindly given to me. Last night I finished digging out the sod and roots and bits of metal and rocks that were in the spot.<br />
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Once I had the garden ready, I put some stakes in to give me a rough guide for where to plant which flowers. I started with a row of Cypress Vine (think Scarlet Morning Glories) against the fence, then planned for a staggered row of milkweed (two of the stakes in each set), then Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia), Daisies, and Dwarf Blue Sage. <br />
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In order to make the plants even, I made myself a measuring stick. Using a measuring tape when actually crawling around on the ground has too many issues, so I made one out of scrap wood. I made a full line every 12 inches, and along one edge I made half-lines every 4 inches, while on the other edge I made half-lines every 6 inches. I can use this to plant at any multiple of 4 or 6 inches (some of my plans were for 8 inches, for example). Since the stick is heavy and rigid I don't have to worry about wind.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOatPuMGmbTO34lGyR1kAAuqs6_jeHLa2LYRqfqFd-HMABIz37U1smqUVGpdfpzbChxGFuepGamW_YFrxf5j5yHjoLo7oYzLbANWwyCFnuYxfyr3BILwg8YYG1fzoJycaQi_h/s1600/20180511_161946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOatPuMGmbTO34lGyR1kAAuqs6_jeHLa2LYRqfqFd-HMABIz37U1smqUVGpdfpzbChxGFuepGamW_YFrxf5j5yHjoLo7oYzLbANWwyCFnuYxfyr3BILwg8YYG1fzoJycaQi_h/s320/20180511_161946.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><br />
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So, I used the stakes and the stick, and to make sure I didn't sink too far into the fresh dirt I used a scrap piece of plywood shelving to kneel on, and planted the Cypress Vine and the Milkweed. The Rudbeckia, Daisies, and Sage will have to wait, because the important thing for me this weekend is planting live plants (I did the Cypress Vine because it is behind the Milkweed), and I have Forsythia bushes and Ajuga plants, plus my Tomato and Pepper plants to get in the ground.Oscarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131573199240213496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-28201135874124239802018-05-10T22:25:00.004-04:002018-05-10T22:26:45.887-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So the squirrel(s) have visited the garden again. I don't think they even ate anything... the first picture shows that they dug a hole between the only two plants that are planted there (they already stole the parsley that had originally been the third plant - maybe they were looking for it again?), and the plants in the other two containers are small enough that the holes they dug wouldn't have been needed. Either they just like doing damage or they buried something of their own in my dirt because it was easier than digging in the yard.<br />
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Oh well, the lettuce is doing well enough that tomorrow will be another salad day!<br />
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And I finished digging the garden bed for the first section of pollinator garden - so in the morning I can plant my milkweed and a couple of other native (wild)flowers in an 8 foot wide bed.Oscarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131573199240213496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-62120588023275199252018-05-09T22:58:00.001-04:002018-05-09T22:58:13.696-04:00Backyard to Table Microgreens!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSUxQoREOF-i7l2bjwHfjmkzhg_CtyWIdgzH8VFJpkjC2ljcb8IeO-jv62W5V9qrtIdTpupRCT0CUp2qmU2pYFLclviiGUW11W-oVX4oaqv0lXmKnlrJ2T5lQ1-fwkgQSLif3/s1600/Salads2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="694" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSUxQoREOF-i7l2bjwHfjmkzhg_CtyWIdgzH8VFJpkjC2ljcb8IeO-jv62W5V9qrtIdTpupRCT0CUp2qmU2pYFLclviiGUW11W-oVX4oaqv0lXmKnlrJ2T5lQ1-fwkgQSLif3/s400/Salads2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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First garden meal - well, not a full meal, but Diana and I each got a full bowl of salad microgreens from thinning the spinach, lettuce, beets, turnips, radishes, and a little peppercress. Extremely tasty, and you can't get much fresher than picked less than an hour before eating. Even more important, since we grew it and picked it and washed it, we know EXACTLY how it made it from seed to table.<br />
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All from our container gardening, and we can go right back out tomorrow or Friday and do it again... just from thinning the plants. For example, below is a picture of the garden towers and all of their lettuce and spinach. You can see that the openings are crowded, so even with the leaf lettuces we can probably pick 50-75% of the and still have a reasonable batch growing to full maturity.<br />
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<br />Oscarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131573199240213496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-42378395804290533212018-05-07T23:02:00.001-04:002018-05-07T23:02:16.451-04:00Community Gardening<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So on Sunday I found out which plot of land I get at the Community Garden and met the garden leader. Because new gardeners often try to bite off more than they can chew, The Garden Project of the Greater Lansing Food Bank assigns first-year gardeners a 10x20 foot plot. Plenty to grow a lot of food, but not so much that it is likely to discourage a gardener from coming back year after year. If you come back the next year and want a larger plot, you can do that. The garden I selected a few blocks from home turns out to have been recently enlarged, and the plot I was assigned is luckily on one of the sunniest spots, and not down in the boggy end of the garden.<br />
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Now I just need to finish planting the living plants in the home garden... the ones that are not in the ground yet... so they don't die on me. I have two Forsythia bushes, 12 milkweed plants (4 each of 3 kinds), 2 tomato plants, a dill plant, a dozen ajuga plants, plus 2 cabbage plants for the community garden.<br />
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After that I can get to planting in the Community Garden plot... the melon, squash, cabbage, rutabaga, and other vegetables that we didn't have room for here at the house. I have another 3-day weekend planned, hoping to catch up on at least some of the tasks that I didn't finish last weekend.<br />
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Maybe tomorrow we can thin the lettuce, spinach, and peppercress enough for a small salad. If so, I will try to get some pictures of the containers we are harvesting from... It amazes us how well the garden is doing already!<br />
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OscarOscarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131573199240213496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-82114066083672292932018-05-05T22:45:00.000-04:002018-05-05T22:45:53.854-04:00Strawberries<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozY8_Yk5UCkeOyOVLZmC91F2GGEirBFAffD86OCHv-2-s7nokWLpDPsxh657v0x7XhWmH3k3fw4l_AM3Bzoj8EHIAZEuVAj9ixb1gjIGugH12b1q8E55FGe7va3zRRwrw6yAx/s1600/Straw1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1457" data-original-width="908" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozY8_Yk5UCkeOyOVLZmC91F2GGEirBFAffD86OCHv-2-s7nokWLpDPsxh657v0x7XhWmH3k3fw4l_AM3Bzoj8EHIAZEuVAj9ixb1gjIGugH12b1q8E55FGe7va3zRRwrw6yAx/s400/Straw1.jpg" width="248" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimczuk3Ld6bY41PVQm2A8AN8-Am7wFFmmPnqygo7mC60YjNgAKKXlupcKzVqCzt95GW1-524poqtUPTYXSthkY_lJ1VpT6QnIV3LY8h6sHVNsRdJiqhSjpJzO7icQRp8Gc8srJ/s1600/Straw2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimczuk3Ld6bY41PVQm2A8AN8-Am7wFFmmPnqygo7mC60YjNgAKKXlupcKzVqCzt95GW1-524poqtUPTYXSthkY_lJ1VpT6QnIV3LY8h6sHVNsRdJiqhSjpJzO7icQRp8Gc8srJ/s400/Straw2.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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It has been a busy and non-garden oriented day... So I am going to talk about my strawberry strategy. I heard from many people in my area that birds, squirrels, and possibly other animals tend to steal all of their strawberries, so I hope to grow mine in hanging baskets - then bring the hanging baskets into my screened in porch after the berries start to grow (after the flowers have been pollinated). The first of three varieties I am growing this year, "Old North Sea", are from a viking settlement - shipped as plants and so I got them in the planter early. I bought planters for my other two varieties today, so hopefully by the end of the week I will have the "Red Wonder Wild" strawberry (berries are supposed to be extra sweet and flavorful but wilt within an hour or two of picking so need to be eaten fresh immediately) and "Attila" alpine strawberry planted.Oscarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131573199240213496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-81287818132408515742018-05-03T15:25:00.000-04:002018-05-07T23:03:49.822-04:00Purple People Feeder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I mentioned the Purple People Feeder - here is a picture of it and the flowerpot that the Zinnias are in. The large bin is 22 inches by 24 inches, and over 18 inches deep - Food Grade plastic with four wheels. It was milky white, but because Purple is special to me I chose to spray paint it. Because it is deeper than any of the other containers we can grow different items in it - long carrots or long beets or anything else that can take advantage of either the width or depth of the larger bin.<br />
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For many of our containers we are hoping to succession plant - as in planting a second or sometimes even third or fourth crop after the current crop is harvested. Some of them we even companion planted, like putting early turnip or radish seeds in with carrots - the turnips and radishes will be picked and eaten before the carrots even poke their leaves out of the ground.<br />
<br />Oscarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131573199240213496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-5911309260664281442018-05-03T10:08:00.000-04:002018-05-07T23:04:17.765-04:00Garden Towers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last year we bought two Garden Tower 2 planters (Garden Tower Project). They look almost identical to this picture except that ours have casters (wheels) on the three legs, and ours have dirt (and plants).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We had decided to try these as an option for container gardening that Diana could reach from her chair. The total depth of soil is probably 4 feet, but they are designed such that there is a section in the middle where you feed compost into the center of the top, you put in Red Wiggler worms (the kind used in vermicomposting), and the worms and the compost is supposed to make them awesome. There are 6 layers, and at each of the lower 5 layers there are 9 openings (45 total), then the top is shaped the same around the edge (9 "bumps"), but there is more width of soil, probably at least 6 inches from the edge to the edge of the center tube (which has a cover).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These were actually the first containers we planted, and when the nights were getting down into the 20s we used 55 gallon clear plastic "drum liners" to cover them to keep in the warmth and moisture. The spinach on top of one even survived the ice storm when we ended up with two inches of ice over a five inch wide oval part of the soil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At this time I can say that the experiment is sort of working. We haven't started with the compost or worms yet, and the fact that we don't have anything working in the center means that we have to water these more than the other containers, but we have Spinach that is almost 2 inches high, and we have so many lettuce plants that we are going to have to thin some of the varieties soon. Also, watering these when the seeds were freshly planted ended up with some of the seeds washing down to the next level. I would say that next time we plant these we will want to soak the soil first so that we don't have to water the plants for a few days. Extra water collects in a drawer that pulls out of the bottom, and once you have compost and worms working the center, the water that falls through becomes worm-compost tea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We may not have them set up optimally, but as we progress I expect they will get better. The worms should be able to survive our winters if we pull these into the garage or at worst the back porch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oscar</span>Oscarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131573199240213496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-84670746175749379492018-05-01T22:10:00.000-04:002018-05-07T23:05:09.711-04:00Milkweed, Monarch Butterflies, and other Pollinators<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last night I went to a workshop on pollinators (bees, butterflies, wasps, birds, etc.) and how to make a home garden more hospitable to them. I found out that Monarch Butterflies need milkweed to hatch eggs, and that there is a shortage of milkweed in this area.<br />
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It turns out that one of the people there is a major advocate of Monarch butterflies, and he offered me a few plants. I was thinking plants like the 4-6" plants you usually see growing in flats that you can buy... but when I picked up the plants today to my surprise some of them are 20" tall.<br />
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Dave was kind enough to provide me with a few plants each of three varieties of native Michigan Milkweeds, the "Common Milkweed", "Swamp Milkweed" and "Butterfly Milkweed". I especially like the look of the Butterfly Milkweed, pictured above right.<br />
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We are very lucky to have found a source of such vigorous plants. I know he has uses for them elsewhere, so I am feeling very honored today.<br />
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OscarOscarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131573199240213496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-68384980937558418162018-04-30T23:16:00.001-04:002018-05-07T23:06:05.401-04:00Wastebasket Gardening, part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday's picture was an "in place" view of these stands. Basically, I found some free kitchen shelves at MSU Surplus (Michigan State University), and made these "stepped" boxes to allow our containers to be at the right height for Diana to tend from the wheelchair. Other than the screws and time, the boxes were made from 100% "upcycled" materials. The containers are 1960s vintage steel trash cans... After this picture was taken I drilled a number of 1/4" holes in each one for drainage. Then, I put down some rubber mulch nuggets to even out the ground between the rails of the two parts of the wheelchair ramp, put the boxes in place, put the containers on the boxes, put 3-4 inches of Perlite in the bottom then filled the rest with potting soil. There are a few containers along the outside of the ramp as well, and 4 more of the round ones for planting in the front yard near the front steps... so a total of 16 rectangle (about 8"x16") and 9 round (about 13" diameter), plus a large tub I call the Purple People Feeder (about 23" square and deeper than the wastebaskets) and a couple of plastic planters - and all but the four for in front are full of dirt and planted with seeds or plants.<br />
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Oscar<br />
<br />Oscarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131573199240213496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-28779403683388016112018-04-29T21:14:00.001-04:002018-05-07T23:07:01.750-04:00Lansing Wastebasket Gardening<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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About our Lansing Garden:<br />
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Oscar and Diana moved to Lansing in 2017 after purchasing a home on 1/10th of an acre. They each have food allergies, and prefer the intense flavors of organic and ultra-fresh produce.<br />
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Oscar did garden tasks as assigned while growing up in the 1960s and early 1970s but didn’t really value or learn about gardening in a useful manner. Since then he has attempted gardening twice with mixed results – the vegetable garden he tried one year was about 8x12 feet and the only crop he got was about half a dozen bell peppers. Later, the flower gardening from 3 homes ago went pretty well, but the only edibles were currants, gooseberries, and black raspberries. The black raspberries were very vigorous but produced for about 2 weeks a year and needed to be well watered during that season if they were to be good berries, and the currants and gooseberries did well for a year or two but eventually succumbed to an insect infestation.<br />
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Diana grew up in the country and her family always had a garden growing up. She has a degree in Resource Development which was part of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. She has gardened before, but this is the biggest gardening project for edibles she has ever attempted.<br />
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The Lansing Garden posts will be about our successes, failures, opinions, reviews of plant varieties, products and ideas, and in general about our attempts to improve our groceries. The first year will probably not be as cost effective as just buying everything organic from stores and local farmers, but we will be trying varieties of produce that are not typically available. For various reasons, a LOT of our gardening will be in containers, but in addition to the gardening at our home, Oscar is also signed up for a Community Garden plot about 6 blocks from home.Oscarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131573199240213496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-6810163145000108532017-06-29T10:47:00.001-04:002017-06-29T10:47:37.815-04:00We Close Tomorrow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Tomorrow, the house becomes our home, and there is SUCH rejoicing!<br />
It will be a long day for me, and the next three weeks will be long and difficult, too.<br />
Oscar and I plan to share a meal in our new home tomorrow evening, and trial some paint colors, then come back to the apartment. The kitchen seen in the photo will be pale blue and two light shades of yellow... I really hate beige, especially in a kitchen.<br />
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Oscar will be going back tomorrow through Tuesday to paint at least three rooms.<br />
In the following two weekends, he will be spending time at the house to be there for service installation, to remove three carpets, and oversee a team who will sand and seal two floors and buff two more. (the carpet pad was glued to the hardwood !!!) The third carpet is likely over concrete in the three-season room. That floor will be painted, I think.<br />
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Also in the meantime we need to get a hitch put on the car, buy a trailer with ramp (to transport my electrical power chair), and get ready for our official move day, July 21st!<br />
I can hardly wait to take my chair out by myself and explore our new neighborhood :-}<br />
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Other dreams that become possible include gardening, beer and mead brewing, grilling and smoking..... It's going to be a busy time getting settled into our new happier life :-}<br />
The pretty green form exploring under the sink is my Sis-In-Love, who lives just across the street and one house down from our new home. Happy, happy days ahead!<br />
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Diana Troldahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04995861214213617151noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-15750095215532977732017-06-10T12:49:00.000-04:002017-06-10T12:49:04.604-04:00INSPECTION passed :-}<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There are a number of small things to be fixed before move in can happen (we are getting an FHA loan) but there are no huge things wrong with the house! We will need to install some new windows, hopefully within the first year. Eventually we want to install an HVAC system instead of the 80/20 old furnace there now. Eventually we want to install a tankless hot water heater instead of the old water heater there now, and eventually, we want to install solar on the roof (our house is rated 75 for solar collection, awesome in Michigan) BUT everything as is would be move-in able, the furnace and water heater are good for a while yet, and the 88 year old structure is sound and level, with hard wood floors and airy spaces.<br />
We also will eventually replace the back porch 3-season room with a 4-season room, too.<br />
Only a few details left before we can set a closing date.<br />
:-}<br />
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Diana Troldahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04995861214213617151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-44974635663640307522017-06-08T18:42:00.002-04:002017-06-08T18:42:27.830-04:00Inspection Tomorrow!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Tomorrow is the inspection of our hoped-for new home! Photo is a glimpse of the garden. I'll have more photos tomorrow!<br />
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Diana Troldahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04995861214213617151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-20729170272475859772017-06-04T16:02:00.000-04:002017-06-04T16:02:28.350-04:00More exciting times!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Back in 2011, we lost our home due to an upside down mortgage, and Oscar getting let go from Comcast (though no fault of his own!)<br />
Fast forward 6 difficult years later, and we have had our offer accepted on a sweet little house built in 1929, just across the street from our beloved sister and sis-in-love, Lynnie.<br />
Oscar's career is going very well, his 35 years of varied experience in IT is valued by his company (he just got a very healthy raise!) and he enjoys his job which contains a lot of trouble-shooting. He works most days from home, which is also wonderful.<br />
I have had to give up knitting and much of my crocheting as my hands have worsened over the years, but I am still creating. I am getting serious about writing, and making small multi-media (paint and fiber, mostly) art pieces.<br />
The inspection for our new home will be this coming Friday. If all goes well, we hope to close on the house by the end of the month.<br />
This house. It is small, but perfect for my wheelchair, it has a studio space for me and a study for Oscar, a three season room looking out over a small back yard, perfect for me to have a few raised planting structures I can use from my wheelchair. Some work will need to be done (the addition of a wheelchair ramp, notably) but for the first time in 4 years, I will be able to use my powered electrical wheelchair to go on outings in our new neighborhood!<br />
Freedom, gardening for the first time since 2011, and space to create.. it is a dream. Oscar will even be able to brew beer and mead again! We are so very excited :-}<br />
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Diana Troldahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04995861214213617151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-27660010641908182152017-04-02T14:36:00.002-04:002017-04-02T14:57:43.385-04:00Bread Machine, How I Love Thee<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After making the decision to no longer have a weekly order from Door-to-Door Organics, we knew we'd want to be making bread at home. After much research, we decided on the <a href="http://www.panasonic.com/ca/consumer/home-appliances/kitchen-appliances/bread-makers/sd-rd250.html" target="_blank">Panasonic SD-RD250</a> (we got ours at Jet.com, with a few coupon codes and discounts, we paid $143). We used about 1.5 $5-6 loaves a week, so it should pay for itself before too much longer. Bonus, we can avoid any corn or citric acid or dairy allergies without worrying the bakery used cornmeal under its loaves (happens ALL THE TIME and is never included on the ingredients list, but don't get me started)<br />
Anyway, in conjunction with the purchase I started looking into whole grain bread recipes, and found a nice little book on Amazon: <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/No-Fuss-Bread-Machine-Cookbook-Hands-Off-ebook/dp/B01JAPMGHU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491158140&sr=8-1&keywords=no+fuss+bread+machine+cookbook" target="_blank">The No Fuss Bread Machine Cookbook</a>. Very informative, lots of detailed information about what ingredients work (or don't work) and why. I have a loaf of the 100% Whole Wheat loaf (suitably modified) working away right now. The best part? About 3 hours in the apartment smells A-MA-ZING!<br />
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Diana Troldahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04995861214213617151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-5527698253797181462017-03-29T16:03:00.001-04:002017-03-29T16:04:20.617-04:00Zoo-ing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Had a lovely short visit at the zoo today, Sunny, in the 50's, even the animals seemed to be celebrating, A young chimp and his mom, a lioness and lion, camels, wild horse, birds galore and daffodils. What's not to like? I particularly enjoyed the butterfly house, but what I really needed was the time outside. Thanks ot Oscar taking some time, I got it. He is hard at work this afternoon making up for it, too.<br />
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Diana Troldahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04995861214213617151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-40047586129571407782017-03-25T10:06:00.000-04:002017-03-25T10:06:52.927-04:00Small Purchase, Big Bonus <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Oscar and I make tea every morning. He doesn't like coffee and I can't drink it any more. We have found the least expensive tea is to buy it loose-leaf. (about half the cost of buying the equivalent amount of Lipton tea bags) It also happens to taste wonderful (we like Kenilworth). We used to use double walled steel carafes to make our tea each morning, but a few months ago we invested in a <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M4Q4K23/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">Gourmia</a>. Now one pot heats itself up, can be programmed to the best temperature for the type of tea and if we want to heat up tea after the pot has cooled, it only takes seconds. It also holds enough tea for both of us instead of having to use the two carafes. (the model we got is currently unavailable, but they have newer models)<br />
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Diana Troldahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04995861214213617151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-3636210065009605822015-03-27T15:58:00.003-04:002015-03-27T15:58:39.994-04:00Progress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Oscar and I unpacked several of our 'fragile' boxes, sorted out some art for the walls, and put things (mostly) at random on some shelves. Still untidy, but the living area is coming together.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqvXll6UObK5hh7CcG3FfzufURMX_cjHo_GaZSRmnX3kSOyXjuwDn0b6hSUWb-0VWkfMigWoILCc3CnVu4-uY5tqQXqSeLxlbj6xNeezdk6j6tu8ilujzzwh846ZbzOYtM8Pn_g/s1600/lftshelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxqvXll6UObK5hh7CcG3FfzufURMX_cjHo_GaZSRmnX3kSOyXjuwDn0b6hSUWb-0VWkfMigWoILCc3CnVu4-uY5tqQXqSeLxlbj6xNeezdk6j6tu8ilujzzwh846ZbzOYtM8Pn_g/s1600/lftshelf.jpg" height="320" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left of TV</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHw97yLnxBAmFZFn938O0PMlfTcaBwGZr0nhao16VAQgph8j5eu9dXsUPqCHm1ZLsV6AdbaLi_Fv72tqqXinweGXvzqLZDjpPvwlPtwVEfmvE0GUclbAEf96c7aqJucI7yrigW2w/s1600/lrback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHw97yLnxBAmFZFn938O0PMlfTcaBwGZr0nhao16VAQgph8j5eu9dXsUPqCHm1ZLsV6AdbaLi_Fv72tqqXinweGXvzqLZDjpPvwlPtwVEfmvE0GUclbAEf96c7aqJucI7yrigW2w/s1600/lrback.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back section of Living room</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjf2lWFUcTk50WCpZ3byt986F3O8IZW1xRphrAozq35FHCZyzK-xD97LC3WqMx07EoruS3meuO5OHkcTsAVYzp6nqQ8BUW3p-3tkq9M1koJJvBjkdg7Rpi9UZ7SvznBxxCG8rHQ/s1600/rghtshelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjf2lWFUcTk50WCpZ3byt986F3O8IZW1xRphrAozq35FHCZyzK-xD97LC3WqMx07EoruS3meuO5OHkcTsAVYzp6nqQ8BUW3p-3tkq9M1koJJvBjkdg7Rpi9UZ7SvznBxxCG8rHQ/s1600/rghtshelf.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right of TV</td></tr>
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Diana Troldahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04995861214213617151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-35093935593839487362015-03-12T07:38:00.001-04:002015-03-12T07:38:09.797-04:00New Book Review posted<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here at <a href="http://otterwisebooks.blogspot.com/2015/03/beyond-gadgetry-inspiralized-is.html" target="_blank">Otterwise Books</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.inspiralized.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/InspiralizedCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.inspiralized.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/InspiralizedCover.jpg" height="320" width="258" /></a></div>
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Diana Troldahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04995861214213617151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25322956.post-44919439745292367302015-03-02T06:07:00.003-05:002015-03-02T06:07:26.513-05:00New Review Posted<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwGi3s0EHAOIKMAVpAg5KhwDJbnOMgZM6qxb5iVQ-NSs6Jjza80G1XB8jMuyDPsMsSGTMGpxpu0JpXsS06EfiDQNPpWB8iDvyn4xGKbvXvq16jkUJZhU4IhhXdnym0pH9eHSXJg/s1600/healhty+mind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwGi3s0EHAOIKMAVpAg5KhwDJbnOMgZM6qxb5iVQ-NSs6Jjza80G1XB8jMuyDPsMsSGTMGpxpu0JpXsS06EfiDQNPpWB8iDvyn4xGKbvXvq16jkUJZhU4IhhXdnym0pH9eHSXJg/s1600/healhty+mind.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
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Just posted a new review on my Otterwise Books site. <a href="http://otterwisebooks.blogspot.com/2015/03/healthy-recipes-healthy-body-healthy.html" target="_blank">Healthy Food, Healthy Body, Healthy Mind</a>.<br />
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Diana Troldahlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04995861214213617151noreply@blogger.com0