Archive - Feb 2008 - Blog

Was a wonderful Oregon day today! Got fairly warm. Into the 60's. It was wonderful! I was stuck in the house working on homework... One of the curses of working on a master's degree. That did not mean that my new little seed starts couldn't enjoy it.

Elizabeth, Emma and Marley went out to enjoy the sun. Elizabeth set up our the new bubble machine we picked up on close-out. Marley loves to get the bubbles. He is so big and jumps so high to get them, it is very entertaining. I'll have to get some video. But it got both dog and daughter some good exercise and mom some good entertainment. I had to go outside to help set up the machine. Noticing the sun and the fact that I was warm without a coat, I ran back inside and came out a minute later carrying a tote full of dirt filled cups. Elizabeth is looking at me like I'm a mad man. Well, I may be, but the little guys seemed to like it.

I got them back in just after it started to rain. They got a little of natures juice, but not so much that they drowned in it. Just like Portland to change weather quickly. By the time we took Marley to the dog park, it was cold and wet. When I looked at them in the house, I noticed that one of the Amish Paste Tomatoes has two little leaves sticking out, giving thanks to God. Upon closer inspection, there is a Yellow Peach Tomato and a San Marizano Lampadina Tomato curled over, getting ready to give their thanks. Of the earlier starts, I am surprised to see that it is still just the two green tomatillos and one artichoke that are up. I see another green tomatillo started, but did not make it. I also have a sweetie tomato that tried, but isn't making it either. If I have to set some more seeds, I will.

I've been trading seeds with people for a month or two. I wanted some interesting tomatoes, so put out a call for tomato seeds, so I could have more than one or two varieties. I ended up with more than a dozen varieties. The funny part.... I don't like tomatoes! My wife does. So does my mother. And I make a good tomato sauce and an awesome BBQ. I can also make a pretty good salsa. So I like processed tomato, but not fresh.

Emma Helping with SeedsStarting the seeds is a good start, right? Well, if you know me, you know that I'm not about to go out and spend good money on those little peat pots, or some such. I'm the type who will use whatever is handy to put my little plants in. I had an egg carton, so I started there. We eat a lot of yogurt, so I had 10 empty containers. That was not near enough. Well, we had some little cups that someone had given us to use for Emma. Emma just wads them up, making a mess of the juice in them. They are now nice little pots. To fill out what is left, we had some left over birthday cups. 46 seeds started total. And I only got 2 seeds of most plants. I guess I need more space and more lights...

The seeds:
Eggplant - Twilight Hybrid x2
Habanero Pepper x2
Green Tomatillo x4
Sweetie Tomato x4
Bell Pepper x4
Jalape

So I saw a listing on Craigslist for some azaleas. I love azaleas and rhododendrons, so I called and picked up a couple of them, thinking I'll plant them in the empty spot in front of our house. I pulled them out of the car and placed them in their new home to see how they look. Well, could use some more stuff there. No problem, I'll keep looking for other things. Lets get the shovel and plant them...

Well, this is a north wall... azaleas don't need much light, but is no light enough? I read up a little, and everything says "diffuse light", or "limited direct light" but it looks like they need some light. I then checked with the people at Portland Nursery. "They need some light. If you plant them there, they will get spindly and not get very good blooms." Well, that is not what I want! What should I do?

I have this spot, between the driveway and the walkway that I was thinking about putting a butterfly garden. Do butterflies like azaleas? It turns out that azaleas are good nectar plants for adult butterflies, so this will be a good place for them. But it is not ready. There are lots of weeds there and more than just a little grass. Well, not much I can do about it today, as I spent most of my gardening time trying to find out where to plant them. The next time I get a moment, I'll clear an area in the butterfly garden and plant them there. I'll keep you informed!

So, I've decided to start my blogging experience here. I've tried to do blogs before, and I have trouble keeping up with them. That is what I like about articles: If I don't get one done this week, I can do it next week. I guess I can do that with blogs to, I just feel that with a blog you need to keep up more regularly.

I will try to make each blog entry about something I am doing in my garden, or to make my home more sustainable. I have several ideas for blog entries for things I am working on at the moment. I hope that some of these quick blog entries will spurn some good article ideas later. Feel free to comment, but you need to have an account to be able to comment.

Enjoy,

Jason