The Buzz About Springtime Planning

In preparation for spring's awakening gardeners relish the arrival of our seed orders and begin to plan for their sprouting and planting out into the garden.

Plans are a great way to not waste a single square foot of growing space, laying out the various crops and scheduling their replacements as they mature later in the season to be ready for the warmer weather crops.

I am big on planning, whatever the project, I like to have a clear sequence in mind when I begin a project as often times something must be changed, 
moved or created before one can begin.

A well planned garden is much more likely to produce abundantly!

Such is the case with preparing for the keeping of bees

Now that you have ordered all your supplies...what else is there to do?

As the sun's rays begin to penetrate the cloud layer and the soil warms, it is also shedding it's rejuvenating warmth onto our insect friends who slowly emerge from their winter sleep and begin to venture out into the garden. 

As with all of us on waking the first course of action is to Break Our Fast.

(For myself, that usually consists of a large cup of coffee with honey and cream, cinnamon toast on the side!) 

For our insect friends, honey bees in particular, though they will be looking for nectar sources, their more immediately concern will be a water source.

This may not be entirely apparent when dreaming of nurturing your new hive and the delight of honey to come, but skip this step and there will be trouble ahead! 

Let us consider how to create the the Best Bee Watering Hole!

Step#1; Place a water source near the hive

If this step is neglected you may find your bees in the neighbors hot tub!
We can only imagine the conflicts that would create and then the battle of trying to convince those dear little foragers to alter their courses, well, have I mentioned how indifferent they are to mankind's intrusions? 

 Step #2; How to!

There are a few things to consider when setting up the water source; Bees do not like to get their feet wet! So a low, shallow basin of any design with stones that will allow them to remain above the water level but have cracks and crevices enough for them to unfurl their tongues into the water level is great. Even better is to plant pots of moss and nestle them beside and between the stones for both beauty and comfort for their watering time.

A simple plastic tray to act as the water reservoir filled with 4" plastic pots with mosses growing in them is actually a very functional and beautiful option.
Or you can create a beautiful water pond like the one above just for them!

Step #3; Let them Bee!

Use your imagination but be sure to put it is a place that won't temp other household pets to visit regularly, stinging cause pain and sadly kills the bee!

With these simple preparations done we are off to a great start, this is just the beginning, there is still more we can do to ensure the hive will survive and thrive....More on that next time!

And you thought Y2K was scary? Let's consider Y2B

We remember all too well the panic caused by the Y2K scare:

Laughable as it may seem in retrospect!

Though I am not asking you all to cash in your 401Ks (if anything is left of them!)! 
Or go completely Prepper; that is if you aren't already there.  
I understand that many of you are working your way toward a greater level of self sufficiency.

The thing is...

If we lose our B's the disaster will radically eclipse the Y2K scare! 

I'm referring of course to the humble Honey Bee

Granted they are not the only pollinator and in truth they are not even a Native American species (bet you didn't know that!)  

The Honey bee was brought from Europe with the early colonists. The Indigenous People, the Native American tribes, referred to the honey bee as 'the white man's stinging fly.'

Since that time the humble honey bee has woven itself into the fabric of our food sources to such an extent that without them we would loose most if not all ability to feed ourselves.

Our food crop production even with all the industrialization relies heavily on the efforts of the transient bee. 'Transient' not by choice but because the commercial bee keepers are forced to travel thousands of miles annually to supply enough pollinators to the various seasonal crops, from cranberries in Maine to almonds in the Central Valley of California and everything in between. Hauling our busy friends from coast to coast, occasionally overseas as well! 

Our food export economy is dependent on the services of the honey bee; most especially the almond industry. The US is the worlds leading supplier of almonds, therefore it is crucial to our national financial stability. 
Due to 'mono cropping' the local bee population has to move elsewhere during the non blooming season of the trees or they simply starve. 
In a very real respect mono cropped farming areas are bee deserts, they cannot survive.

We see endless fields of golden wheat; we hear our National Anthem!

The bees see a land barren of nectar, their only food source.

An example of 'mono cropping'

All this traveling stresses the hives, resulting in weaker bees which are then more susceptible to disease. Since bee keepers from all over the country reach these pollination destinations at the same season their bees rub shoulders and share whatever mite or virus as if one great 'Super Colony' thereby further weakening the individual hives and their individual colonies.
As a result over the past decade globally there has been a dramatic loss within the honey bee population. Bee keepers from every continent are taking drastic steps to restore and sustain the bee population with new regulations on the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

Sadly the slowest to respond to this crisis is the United States of America.

Since there is no absolute answer as to the cause of this disaster known as 'Colony Collapse' I will not waste time pointing fingers, though systemic pesticides are a top contender in the lineup of evil doers, their manufacturers; Monsanto and Bayer are American based companies.

What I will say is that it is time to take action as individuals 

With the current fiscal climate in the US and globally the individual who seeks to extricate themselves from the industrialization of our food needs to give serious consideration to the plight of our pollinators.  

Consider keeping at the very least one hive for pollination and perhaps to sweeten the deal; a bit of honey.

Together we can make a difference! 

The answer is not for a few beekeepers to house hundreds or thousand of hives.

The answer is for hundreds of thousand individuals to house at least one hive.

Power is in the numbers.

Together we can avoid

Y2B

Beegin at the Beegining

Ever get an idea that just won't go away? One thought that keeps teasing at you?
I would venture to say that it's an inkling of your future, even perhaps a premonition of sorts.
There is always a choice to say yay or nay, but I believe it is a portent of what "may be" or "could be" seen as Your Mission "Should you choose to accept it!"
(Don't worry this blog will not self destruct in 10 seconds!)
For me there has been a constant buzzing in the back of my mind that has been drawing me forward into a new adventure; Bee Keeping.
It's a natural adjunct to garden keeping, as it were, though some apiarists would say it's more like 'Bee Having'! Since the little creatures are quite indifferent to the human being's intervention into their world, no matter how utterly dependent we are upon them for pollination.

Have you ever tried to contain a bee of any breed, brand or flavor?
They won't sit, roll over or beg! Within the bee keeping world it is said those who keep bees are 'chosen' to do so. You really must love caring for creatures who will sting if provoked, however it is amazing how truly gentle and intelligent is the Little Honey Bee!

Nearly as early as history was being recorded by man there was a noted fascination with the honey bee. Their unique and mysterious activity led to some rather bizarre misinterpretations of their activity, it wasn't until the late 16th Century that students of nature, professional or otherwise, arrived at an understanding of how the honey bee mated. The myths around this included some peculiar ideas such as the scented breath of the drone (male) bees inseminated the tiny eggs while at rest in their hexagonal waxen beds. However, the truth of the matter continues to fascinate until today.

One truly amazing belief which  persisted well into the early 19th Century was the idea that bees were able to be 'created' from the carcass of a dead oxen! Yep, a dead, decaying cow, if buried in just the right way, would give forth a swarm of bees.
(Uh, yeah, what you peeps been smokin'?)

There are many, and I may say, more reasonable ancient customs in which the ability to supply honey is equated with wealth and allowed the ancient Grecian legal society endless grief in attempting to resolve ownership of a hive. In India part of the wedding vows included a promise to supply honey!

Honey is equated with sensuality, pleasure and decadence!  The Biblical imagery of love depicted in King Solomon's song to his beloved often reference the sweetness of honey. Cupid's arrows were said to 'sting like a bee' in many traditional images cupid is shown with either a Bee Skep (hive) and/or suffering from bee stings himself.

Can you imagine if you'd never tasted anything sweeter then say an apple, to experience the wild pleasure of honey's thick golden ecstasy would be a life changing revelation. I feel certain it wouldn't take long for you to wish you too could own such a resource!

Well, here is the really crazy part; YOU CAN!

So the questions begs; Why don't you?

Is it that sense of mystique or possibly fear stopping you dead in your tracks?
Certainly access, lack of space, education or the that lack thereof, all can be asserted as reasonable arguments as to why bee keeping is so foreign to most citizens today, even those of us who are devoted to gardening and growing our own foods!
I am here to challenge each of you to stop and consider; Why don't I keep bees?

In my next few blog posts I will be sharing exactly Why you Should Keep Bees!

The good news is that there are a number of excellent resources available online and in a classroom format that can aid you in correcting this oversight. The libraries are chock full of books on the elusive and seductive bee, be it paperback or Kindle, Amazon can fill that void!

So let's get crackin'!

Because at this juncture in our history our Bee Friends really need a helping hand!

Every garden should include at least one hive; Who will join me?

 "As it goes with the bees so it goes with thee!"

 

 

Windowsil Herbs get you through til summer sunshine arrives!

Here is a simple sensory fix avaiable well before the warmth of summer sun seeps into our bones. Edible seedlings!

Though the soil may be too chilly outdoors, a pot of herbs on the window still satisfy. For those who groan at the memory of failed episodes of the past, take heart little ones, this is sure to please!

 

If you do nothing more then prepare a small favorite pot filled with sterile seed starting mix, cover the surface with seeds, I know Basil works well but your choice; Oregano or marjoram or dill would all work too, maybe tarragon or chives? But the point is to cover the entire soil surface with seeds, then lightly cover with additional seed starting mix.

I am selecting Arugula, love that tangy flavor!

I have one little trick; I keep two bags of sterile seed starting mix, one is dampened in the bag. I use the damp soil to fill the pot. The other is dry, which is much easier to sprinkle over tiny herb seeds.

Once covered, lightly, I then use a very gentle sprinkling of tepid water to hold them in place.

If you have a heat mat, or simply a sunny window, set your pot out and watch for sprouts.
Once the sprouts appear to have at least a few true leaves; just snip off as needed!
These trimmings won't kill your sprouts, consider it pruning! They will re grow within a few days to offer you a taste of sunshine before the true warm days of late spring and early summer are upon us! Of course this is a short term fix because seed starting mix has no nutrients, so you will only have a few weeks at the most to enjoy these indoor treats...but the sun is just around the corner, I promise!
PS>Broccolli sprouts, though not an herb, are incredibly healthful and delicious to add to salads or as a garnish on cooked dishes! Be creative and follow your own palette!
Bon apetite!

Starting it all..Indoors Seed Starts

This is what makes it all happen; the start of every good garden, the results of wintry months perusing seed catalogs,your selection have finally arrived in the mail~ Hooray! Time to plant!

There are a few things to consider; first and foremost timing. To insure that you have good healthy plants ready to set out into the garden at the appropriate date, rather then those that have been in their peat pots too long and gotten lanky and weak trying to reach for the limited sunlight available indoors. Leaving seedlings in their starter pots will leave them weak and unlikely to thrive, it is so important to give them every advantage when you do start seed indoors so that your investment will pay off too!

First, Check your dates; each individual packet will give estimated days to germination and recommendations for weeks until they are ready for planting outside.
For instance the Celery packet notes that direct planting is Not Recommended, therefore growing unusual strains such as this "Redventure Celery" starting seed indoors is your only option.
Celery takes from 10 -20 days just to germinate, that is 2-3 weeks! (Granted I am a bit early, they suggest starting seed in February, but I have a plan which I will share with you later. :)
However, taking these time frames into consideration are very important to your success when planting out into the garden. Referencing again the Celery it is recommended  that it not be planted out into the garden until soil temperatures reach 65 degrees, which we know here is Portland won't arrive until mid to late May or early June!
It follows then that potting up into larger containers over the coming weeks will be required, but to experience this delicious and rare vegetable it's worth the effort!

The great news is that it is not only simple but also fairly inexpensive! Costing only about $25 for a windowsill sized heating pad, for warming the soil to encourage germination, the 36 unit starter tray with water reservoir and 'green house' cover and enough potting soil to last you for many seasons to come.
Beside which, it takes only a few square inches of area within your home, approximately 6"x 21" and access to electricity is all that is required!

It is also important to use a potting mix which is made specifically for seed starting. One which is exceptionally light weight but contains no nutrients. This implies you have to been ready to move them into a larger temporary pot when the time comes, but we will cover that in a later post!

Here is what is required:

#1 The Heat Pad to assure warm soil temps around, 55-70 degrees are required for most seeds  (this will be noted on the seed packet too!)
I have a small home so I selected this window sill size, but there are a variety of larger units available to suit larger spaces.






#2 The planting tray, soil & a small trowel.

Next you simply set about filling the individual cells of the starter tray with dry potting soil, we will add water after the seeds are planted!
This tray holds 36 cells or 4 "Six Packs" like we are accustomed to buying at the garden centers.

Once the cells are filled to the brim, but before adding seed, use one of the neighboring six packs to tamp down the loose soil, as shown below,to prepare a firm bed for the seeds which we will add next!

A light touch is all that is required to firm the soil;

Now for our seeds; I am choosing to use just three type of seed as I want to start one dozen Kale plants but only six each of the Broccoli and Celery.

Seeds are very unique, you may enjoy learning to distinguish them, cruciferious vegetables all seem to have similar circular pellet like shape, here is a close up view of the Kale seed;

Which is much larger then the celery seed;

Starting vegetables from seed, if it is organic non hybridized seed, will also allow you to save seed from these plants at the end of the growing season to collect for use in your next year's crop, which is the ultimate goal for the sustainable urban homestead gardener.

With the cells filled and tamped into cozy beds ready to receive the seed, prepare to sprinkle only two or three tiny seeds into each cell of the cells of the four six packs.

With the Kale seed it is much easier to select just two seeds where as with the itsy bitsy celery seeds you may use more then intended and need to thin your seedlings later on when they are well up.

We will cover that at a later date in a separate blog post.

For now, we just want to get the seeds into their individual cells, cover them lightly with another dusting of potting soil and again tamp them down to secure the seed into the soil using the neighboring six packs.

If you run across any larger chunks within the planting mix, simply remove and discard them, we don't want the little seedlings to have to do any weight lifting in their first few days of life!

Now that we have all those seeds tucked away into their little beds all snugly tamped into place, it is time to give them a drink! But Never Ever water freshly planted seed trays from above, that is the job of the water reservoir!

As seen below, place the planted tray over the heat pad in it's (semi) permanent location, near a sunny window, this window is north facing where my orchids enjoy the indirect sunlight, it never gets too hot  but offers an adequate number of hours of sunlight per day.

Finally it is time to cover those little babies up and keep them warm! Placing the 'green house' plastic cover over the top once you have filled the water reservoir with retain all the warmth and become the nurturing womb the seeds will thrive in and grow!

Before we walk away, let's do a spot of Math, shall we?

Remember the info on the seed packets? One of those important items is the 'days to germination'. Making a small note on a bit of painters tape showing the estimated dates seedlings should appear will keep you on track! As I'd mentioned earlier, Celery takes from 10-20 days whereas Broccoli and Kale is only 5 - 10 days. Since these were planted on January 15th, 2011 I anticipate the celery sprouts between the 25th of January and the 5th of February as I have noted below.

Simply post the notes on the side of your tray as a simple reminder of when to hand out the cigars & balloons as celebration of your little darlings arrival!

We are not quite done here however, there is still a spot of clean up and storing to do!

As you probably noted we have used very little seed here! Another nice aspect of indoor starting is there is less seed waste and as these packets run as much as $2-$6 each depending upon the variety, rarity and limited quantity available we want to ensure that none goes to waste!

So I offer these simple tips to make sure that when these trays are free a few weeks from now you will still have plenty of viable, fresh seed to start the second crop thereby insuring you have continual supply of fresh quantities throughout the growing season!

Tip #1. Seal them in plastic zip lock bags to keep them dry!

Tip # 2 Choose a waterproof container

Finally, store them in an area out of the way of any direct sunlight or heat source but handy enough to have them easily available for the next planting session!

Now go on, pick up that seed catalog or garden magazine and dream a little. Planting out into the garden is only a few weeks off, again, the seed packets will give you a good indication of how many days from sprouting the seedlings will be ready to be set out into the garden, based upon soil temperature most often. Some potting up to larger pots and 'hardening off' may be required; that is simply leaving them out during the day uncovered when the air temperatures rise at least to the mid 50's.  My best guess is mid April to early May believe or not that is only 12-15 weeks away!

Those dozen weeks will fly by and in the mean time you will have dozens of beautiful organic healthy seedlings to keep your thumbs green and your gardening dreams flowing!

So go on give it a try and happy gardening!

Plot #8 UPdate Jan 10. 12

Not much to tell but this; the weeds are thriving and there a a few little Canoe Pea plants abd onions struggling to get growing.
My second row is now planted, albeit, two or three months late, with some Purple Gazer Garlic that should have been in by October...
but better late then never, eh?

Canoe Peas are getting off to a slow start

But any signs of life are a very welcome sight!

 A little peek under the row cover reveals a quiet place.

I see onions sprouting!

There is life and growth happening even now, and the worms are busy as Robins.
This one bit of vibrant growth is weedish in origin, not sure which however..?

~~~~

Can't say I am entirely happy with what I found today, especially since it appears someone poked a few holes in my row cover which was pristine and new when I laid it in October.
That is the unfortunate side of a shared garden where children are allowed to run, as they should, unaccompanied while their parents labor. A small concession indeed! That said, I offer these new photos for your review and edification!

"Onward and upwards, ever forward and faster!"

as The Famous Mr.Toad would say.

My Personal Plot

The sad fact is when I posted my first plot photos onto Facebook there were those who thought I'd join the ranks of the Undead or a character from GRIMM, haunting the grave yards of Portland, but alas it was only my well tilled garden plot #8 at the Senns Dairy Community Garden site in NE Portland. ..But I am getting ahead of myself, let's begin at the beginning....

SENNS DAIRY COMMUNITY PARK & GARDEN

Once upon a time there was a gardening princess who dreamed of a bigger garden, (what a shock?!) one where the sunlight was unimpeded by 75 foot tall Douglas Firs, fences and soggy soil, one that could literally feed a family or two or three...When along came a Big Bad Opportunity! 
She put her name on a list, it seemed a long shot, but gardeners are patient and know how to play the odds! 
To her delight within weeks she was contacted by the Portland Community Garden staff who offered her the 'opportunity of a life style'!
Needless to say, she jumped at it and before long was granted the privilege of possessing 400 Square Feet of sunny garden space, smack dab in the center of a garden just blocks from her castle!
Oh visions of greens did dance in her head!

With a wistful smile flickering over her lips, she pondered;
What to plant?
Where to begin?
I need new garden slippers!
And so the story began and now continues...
For simplicity's sake yours truly will play the part of the Gardening Princess!

First things first I had to see the place! So I hopped onto the #71 bus heading east and before long I was standing in awe of what was spread out before me in all it's potential glory; Buttercups & Dandelions & Dock, Oh My!!
All I could see was WEEDS, WEEDS, WEEDS! Masses of them! Thick healthy...

and nothing but... weeds(!!!)and they were EVERYWHERE!

"Holy Cow!" I cried "Are you kidding me?"

With a quick assessment I sighed deeply and doing what any good gardener would do next I took up my weeding hoe and began the slow and laborious task of resurrecting what, I have been told, was once the most beautiful plot in the Senns Dairy Garden.

I must admit that gave me added impetus and zeal!

Since it was mid September at the time the ground was hard and dry so there was more then a little difficulty in breaking the surface what more eliminating the luxurious growth of the uninvited guests who had begun their own occupy movement right here in my beautiful Plot #8.

It didn't take me long to figure out that my 58 year old carcass was not up to this task as it stood, but I have one advantage over them; Brains!

So I used them!

Giving the entire 400s/f a good soaking with the conveniently located water hose I then retrieved a number of sheets of the cardboard which is supplied so generously to us by the staff and covered everything as best I could over the couple feet of growth and went home to take a nap... And dream!

 

The plan worked and within a couple of days I was seeing actual soil! In the process I uncovered some long lost limbs from one of the surrounding fruit trees and set those up as a little testament to what 'will be'!

Symbols can make a strong impact and strangely this little vertical accent in the midst came to mean so much to me, I was sorry to have to remove it when the time came...but it did, through sore muscles and determination, a large dose of patience and a little planning I began to see real change!

I feel it's important to not only remove the weed greens but the roots and seeds too! The easiest way is to simply let them sprout! With another good soaking and covering with the cardboard sheeting they were up within days!

Some may choose to mulch over the roots and leave them, but I wanted to be done once and for all so not to encounter these visitors again in the spring. So I laboriously removed them row by row piling then composting. In the process aerating the long neglected and compacted soil.

Above is a close up of what sprouted, at this size they are a whole lot easier to deal with! And so they were quickly turned under into the now moist soil! Little by little square foot by square foot I turned and tilled the southern most section of the plot until I had a good 8 feet of cleaned, turned soil ready to be amended.



At this point these lovely variegated nasturtiums were the promise of life & hope! With that inspiration, I began to move into forming my beds, approximately 8 foot wide by 20 foot long for the first one; Beautiful isn't she? :)

I continued on to prepare the second row and ordered my seed from Territorial;

I selected only those vegetables that can withstand some degree of chill factor, because believe or not I wanted to plant immediately!

For more information on cold weather selections I suggest reading The Winter Harvest Handbook by Eliot Coleman, it's invaluable! Available from the Multnomah County Library as well as his DVD which is phenomenal!

Though I had hoped to get them into the ground, in seed form, by early October, it was late October by the time they were actually planted.

Being the consummate recycler I decided to use the remnants of my gardening meditations as props for the soon to be applied row cover, also available from Territorial Seeds,  and if nothing else a good conversation starter! 

So far we have had the mildest and driest of winters in ages!

This mild winter has it's benefits and one is that quite possibly there is growth going on even as we speak; today being the 10th day of January 2012!

 Once this row was covered the sheeting was secured with rocks for weight and then soil over the edges of the sheeting to keep it from being blown away in the wind...My little babies are all tucked in and ready to grow!!!

Then I started tilling and prepping the second row for planting. The plan was to get potatoes and garlic in asap, but as the say "such are the plans of mice and gardeners" It didn't happen that way. The weather turned cold and windy, the sun began to set too early for my evening visits and so my plot remains until today in this state.

I  am hoping to make a trip down to see it this afternoon to get you all an update, as well as to satisfy my own curiosity!

In the meantime, I go on dreaming and planning, which is the gardeners main job in winter!

I have my next order placed with Territorial for seeds of vegetables that I will start indoors and plant out by mid to late February.

I picked up a 36 compartment planting tray with heating pad at Portland Nursery for right around $20, that I will use to get the seeds started. 

Things like Broccoli and Kale and Celery and Fennel and Fava Beans!

But more on that later; for now you are up to date on Plot #8!

I hope to hear from all of my fellow Portland Community Gardeners on how they began, how they maintain and what innovative and creative methods may have been employed to Keep Portland Green~Happy gardening!