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Gracii Guns

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I think the honey might have worked.  Usually I get a cold the start of every season but it's January and hasn't got me yet.  Of course, I retired so not around all those sick kids and coworkers but I've been at the shelter and garden events.  Daily spoonful of honey anytime I feel like I might be getting something until I don't feel like that any more.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Onions are up and going for it.  They poked through in 6 days except this one container of 9, nothing going on there.  I think somebody forgot to put seeds in there.

Pretty excited about the person I got to take over the natives beds, expert level and she gave me a 3 year commitment.  Convinced the steering committee this area should be our next big project and got it moved to larger funding for 2020.  Plus got her free rein over the project.  If you're doing the work and it's your vision, you get to have it your way.  So far overall garden lead hasn't been that bad, just a lot of meetings getting things organized.

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14 hours ago, cineater said:

Onions are up and going for it.  They poked through in 6 days except this one container of 9, nothing going on there.  I think somebody forgot to put seeds in there.

Pretty excited about the person I got to take over the natives beds, expert level and she gave me a 3 year commitment.  Convinced the steering committee this area should be our next big project and got it moved to larger funding for 2020.  Plus got her free rein over the project.  If you're doing the work and it's your vision, you get to have it your way.  So far overall garden lead hasn't been that bad, just a lot of meetings getting things organized.

Im glad things are coming together so well at your garden!

I was gonna try to start my own onions this season, but Im not sure how the lighting and spacing will work out since Ill also start other veg later on and will need all the lights. Last year I was more adventurous and had plants stacked in every window, rotating through the grow lights. This year my place needs to be more presentable and relaxing though. So I might try my luck and just seed some capolinnis (spl?) right to the soil. 

Seemed early when I saw your post about starting the onions, since the city is frozen solid here. But I did just get some paperwork in the mail for the land rentals. :dance:

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Im getting in the groove. Spent the morning cleaning my canning hoops and lids while I cooked down a Bolognese with herbs and spices from the garden. Because lots of jars are empty and the others are low. Time to grow some more!! Although I still need to process some of last harvest, yet. 

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^^ Thats some gardening porn right there! :lol:

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Is that sage?  Must be that kind of day, I'm spring cleaning the kitchen.  3 cabinets left.

Ever try Golden Milk?  It's not god awful.  The turmeric is different.  I mean it's okay, I'm getting use to it, probably not something I will drink next year.  Hold on, cut the amount of the spice I'm putting in the milk and upped the honey, this is pretty good.

Edited by cineater
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Yeah, good eye. Sage is one of my favs. Spring cleaning is perfect today, right?!

I wanna try Golden Milk. Even if it kinda sounded pretty much exactly like you describe it here, lol. I try to consume lots of Turmeric though. It's a really showy flowering plant too.

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It's pretty simple.  Here's the Golden Milk Latte recipe I tried.

Combine 1c whole milk, 1t honey and 1t Golden Milk spice mix.  Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly and serve hot.

Spice mix is 2T turmeric, 2t ginger, 1t cinnamon, 1/4t ground cloves and 1/4t ground black pepper.

That's it.  I used 2% milk is why it may have been strong.  I made it into a tea but there is a lot of the spice mix that gets through a coffee filter.

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

The greenhouse opens on the 20th.  We're in full blown production.  Right now people are growing at home.  I have all my lights and the surrounding area with seedlings.  The Swiss Chard popped up just from this morning.  Exciting stuff in my world, lol.

Overall garden lead is going well.  I'm fully staffed.  Got some advanced people on the important beds.  As long as we don't flood, we're spring ready.

My side project, converting my friend's front yard in all native plants, may be getting off to a rocky start.  The nursery bed has been hit by the groundhog.  I have all the seeds in rows so I know what's what.  He's done a little digging, probably won't hurt the seeds any but I'm going to be confused and may be planning some weeds.

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It's not garden season yet.  I think it's a little cost prohibited to be opening up the greenhouse so soon.  I would have waited until March 1.

We have new trays we are growing in this year.  They are flimsy plastic so when you move them the growing medium isn't supported and the medium cracks.  I'm wondering what that is doing to the roots.  I prefer the plastic shoe boxes.  I like making a mini greenhouse out of them.  Saves me having to water so much.

I'm trying growing hostas from seed this year.  They take 6 to 8 weeks to germinate and grow really slow. 

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I see. I was about fixing to pack my trowel and move south of the border, lol!

Im gonna stick with my open bottom tray pods. They worked well last year, but yeah flimsy bottoms and bottom watering is a pain since I have to move them to water.

Hostas sounds fun. A shade plant believe? On some types the tubular shoot up the middle is edible. I tried some long germinating flowers once. Hibiscus was one of them, I got it to shoot but it stalled at about an inch. Never figured out why. 

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My tables aren't exactly level so I have to move the trays to the floor for uniform watering.  I'm waiting for the day I drop a whole flat.  It happens to everybody, my day is coming, lol.  Had a minor cat mishap this morning.  She just wanted to help.

Yeah hostas are shade.  Don't know about human consumption but the deer love them.

I have plant school today, greenhouse propagation of native plants.  Natives do not like to get up in time for the plant sale.  I have a feeling class will start with "take your seeds out of the refrigerator".  Always tell a gardner by weird shit in the frig. :lol:

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I was all excited about that class and it was a basic propagation class, nothing really specific to natives.  I guess a seed is a seed.  They had the special long tubes you use for natives because they have a tendency to have a long root system but never even mentioned that.

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Yeah the seedling trays.  We have a lot of native prairie Wildflowers in Missouri.  Those roots go down by feets, so good for erosion and water run off but the plants don't take well to being transplanted a bunch of times.  Since they live here some of the seeds need periods of cold or heat before they will sprout.  I did learn a trick for the ones that normally need to shoot out an animal's butt, lol.  Put them in a coffee cup and pour boiling water over them.  Let them sit for 24 hours and then back in the frig for a few weeks.  Those are mostly your berry producing plants.

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Cool! I really should know my prairie flowers, but I can only think of the Wild Rose.

 I've done the cold thing before... stratification I think its called? Or is that when you need to score the seeds?

Love the animal butt trick!! Thats awesome! Im planning to do a lot more berries and was under the understanding that one "cannot" start from seed. I would love to start at least some myself!!

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When it's cold or moist to get the seed started, yeah that's the right word.  When you have to nic/score the seed or use hot water it's scarification.  Fucking science words, lol.  At least I can pronounce these.

Google how to germinate the seed, somebody has got it to grow.  I've pretty much tossed all my plant handouts/books because it is all online.  Of course they tell you to start several seeds so you get one.  I pretty much get all of them and rather then pitch them, I end up with more plants than I wanted.  You would think that wouldn't be a problem. :lol:

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:lol: fucking science words!

I might try some berries another year now that I think of it. Still need to focus most energy on the soil and weeds at the garden. Maybe I should just stick to Tomatoes and Peppers from seed again this year.

Oh, I know that problem too! So I end up carrying twice as many seedlings on the bus :facepalm::lol:

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I wonder if you can do anything with milk jugs to make mini cold frames.  Try seeding directly into a milk jug, set it outside in full sun.  I'd say on some gravel because the rocks provide extra heat but you won't have that at the garden.  I'd say leave the cap on loosely because you're cold up there but heat can escape if it gets too hot.  If they get to transplant stage, you could go in ground and put the jug over it to make a mini greenhouse.  Not sure what the timing would be on that with your weather.  Here's an articile you might read through:  http://www.bigblogofgardening.com/home-garden-tip-milk-jugs-protect-seedlings/  There has to be an easier way then you taking them on the bus.  Hope nobody comes by and thinks your jug is trash and throws it away. :facepalm:

Come to think of it milk jugs aren't clear plastic.  Maybe a 2 liter soda bottle would be better and they're taller but thinner.

Edited by cineater
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This is really thoughtful of you! Thanks!

Where I live, we dont have milk jugs - larger quantities come in bags! Serious!:lol:. So the 2 litre is great.

So the idea is that I could start the seedlings at the garden site, instead of at home? That could work for my 2nd and 3rd grows because I only get access on May 15th. But that said, using two litre bottles with seedlings would still travel better.

Hmm.... I might have to modify youre awesome suggestion a bit, but youre definitely on to something that would help me a lot!!! Thanks so much! :) 

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