cineater Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 1 hour ago, soon said: Not a bad idea to work at night! My nearest garden has zero work left to do, which bothers me as much as how much work there is at the large one, lol. Thats no good about the chamomile. Sorry to heat that. How long are you drying it for before consuming it? Harvesting chamomile early in the morning is one of my favourite things! Mines not back yet, but about 4 inches and growing fast! I only dry the flower parts so it's not taking that long. I have them spread out on cookie sheets in the back room. Once a day I turn them but I'm thinking it only takes a couple of days. I usually leave them setting out until I harvest again. I'm also using a french press and making the tea ahead of time. There's nothing relaxing to me about dipping a tea bag. One thing about gardening with the headlamp is you attract every bug in the neighbor right to your head, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soon Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 17 minutes ago, cineater said: I only dry the flower parts so it's not taking that long. I have them spread out on cookie sheets in the back room. Once a day I turn them but I'm thinking it only takes a couple of days. I usually leave them setting out until I harvest again. I'm also using a french press and making the tea ahead of time. There's nothing relaxing to me about dipping a tea bag. Yeah, i dry a few days too. 3 days for the most part. And Im with you on making batches. I was wondering if the length you dried them might help you respond t it better. I use a a hanging mesh herb drying shelf thingy near an opened window. Sounds similar enough to your system. Sucks that you are having a reaction! Tincture? Might skip the flora elements the could be allergenic. But it also might concentrate the element that is bothering you. But you can use such a little amount to make a small batch and see? 21 minutes ago, cineater said: One thing about gardening with the headlamp is you attract every bug in the neighbor right to your head, lol. Oh right! Now, off to the lab with a pen and a pad to invent a citronella candle version of the head lamp. With a catnip wig! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cineater Posted July 2, 2019 Share Posted July 2, 2019 Tincture is no substitute for coffee. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cineater Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 (edited) Score! I've located a North American Spicebush, a native, for my friend who is retiring. The one who is covering her yard into natives. Anybody got anything better than "retirement is the spice of life" I can write in her card? Ignore the bush part and keep it clean. Check out this book: The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs: Use Outdoor Clues to Find Your Way, Predict the Weather, Locate Water, Track Animals―and Other Forgotten Skills (Natural Navigation) Paperback – July 31, 2015 by Tristan Gooley (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Art-Reading-Natures-Signs/dp/1615192417/ref=sr_1_17_sspa?crid=2Y5XL0IMET667&keywords=native+plant+identification+book&qid=1562122744&s=gateway&sprefix=native+plant+identification+books%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-17-spons&psc=1 Edited July 3, 2019 by cineater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soon Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 On July 2, 2019 at 9:01 PM, cineater said: Ignore the bush part and keep it clean. ..yeah, Ive got nothing in that case That book is right up my ally, thanks for the tip!!! We've got a plant thief at the little garden. And Ive noticed their pattern, they steal from incomplete and unkept gardens. I suspect they use that as their justification. So theres a few beds like that, that they havent hit yet. "Stop right there and put down the hibiscus. Gently." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cineater Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 We had that too! It wasn't an animal either. The plant was dug up and the tag went with it. The library has that book. I was reading a little bit of it online. He takes the long way to get to the point. I'll grab it next week but I have a feeling it's going to be a rough read. May not be the reference book you want to keep around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soon Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 People stealing plants really bums me out. Just from every angle its sad. Thanks for the heads up, yeah I would want more like a reference book. Hope its good! My little gardening is really starting to pop!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cineater Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 (edited) Did I mention how much I like "There is no planet B"? I ordered a t-shirt with that on it. Edited July 4, 2019 by cineater 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soon Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 It’s so hot that after a day on the gardens showers just don’t ‘take.’ Five minutes later it’s back to square one! i just doused my bed with baking soda, I’ll vacuum it up before bed so it was nice at dawn today when I saw my gardening tiger-mother because she complimented my garden for the first time in theee years and then showered me with the hose as if to make sure the compliment didn’t go to my head . Was very refreshing!!! And I note the particular use of the word “shower.” She said “well I’ll give you a shower then.” I tell you, they just don’t ‘take!’ she still looked stern while surprising me with a hosing, but I know we were having fun!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cineater Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 Who's this gardening tiger mother? I need a mentor. I'm caught between 'be nice, they are volunteers' and fuck this shit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soon Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 Maybe start by hosing them all down to see if that method suits you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cineater Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 2 hours ago, soon said: Maybe start by hosing them all down to see if that method suits you? I'm more the flame thrower type. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soon Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 First basil harvest today, so I made some basil, oregano and thyme marinara. And the heat finally broke! Both gardens are now perfectly on track and happy... time to start meddling in other gardeners affairs j/k But it is a nice feeling to help someone out and then see their garden flourish thereafter. Still havent seen a single bee and no more than 3 butterflies at my little garden. So, I hand pollenated my tomatoes. They are fruiting now. I dont know how to hand pollenate my pattypan which has flowered a lot with no fruits yet - Ill assume its the same technique. My chamomile is on the verge of budding!!! Hopefully that'll bring the bees to my yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cineater Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 What happens to your bees up there? Do they migrate south for the winter or stay put? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soon Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 (edited) 20 hours ago, cineater said: What happens to your bees up there? Do they migrate south for the winter or stay put? They stay put for winter. They stock up on honey and form a "winter cluster" around the Queen in the very centre of the hive. They fluter their wings to produce body heat. They do it all winter long!!! Heres how a winter cluster looks if you open an apiarists hives: In Ontario where I live, 15% loss is common. But its been way higher as Colony Collapse Disorder continues in Canada where neonic's are still in use. Ontario lost 58% of its bees in the first documented Colony Collapse (winter 2013-14) which is way more than other provinces and territories. I suspect the reason that I havent seen any bees at the garden is that the planners made the mistake of completely levelling the entire area for the rebuild of the garden - therefore destroying the bees habitat. They should have left the perimeter flower gardens. So theres just no bees living here currently. And theres not many in general. Hand pollenating my out door plants was a very sad affair. Edited July 8, 2019 by soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cineater Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Wow that's bad. Is there any efforts going on to restore the bee population? You guys should jump on that. Start planting stuff to attract your pollinators. We have 3 hives on campus and dedicated pollinator gardens. Bee Balm works really well. Get that tiger lady on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soon Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 (edited) I saw a bee, cin! I saw a bee, I saw a bee!!!!!! Landed on my pattypan and tomatoes!!!!!!!!! There are efforts to fully ban neonics. Most developed countries banned them immediately when the science was in, but here in NA we are up against a less ethical govt's who are clearly in the pocket of the neonic people. Here they finally started phasing out sales to the public, but iirc their will remain licensed users for sometime to come. Its completely bonkers. Its in Roundup which is still for sale in small spray bottles for home gardens. The year of the colony collapse Ontario's main Agricultural Uni (Guelph) received a pledge from the neonics manufacturer Monsanto to fund work to save the monarch butterflies... who their product kills... 4 million is enough to have our govt turn a blind eye. Smh. https://theontarion.com/blog/2015/04/09/university-of-guelph-receives-a-portion-of-monsantos-grant-money/ Monsanto is the worst. They have a huge presence on that campus - as they have their own 'campus' right across the road. Poaching all the brightest minds for their evil... almost like in Stranger Things. We mused about getting some hives for the garden but theres so much street art and tagging with spray paint that theyd likely just die of that I planted borage which the bees also love, but it wont be blooming soon because the season is so bad. Yeah, bee balm is great too!! I know it as bergamot and its a staple in western herbalism too!! 3 hours ago, cineater said: Get that tiger lady on it. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Shed tell me not to blame the bees for my lousy garden. You take the lead on this one, cin! Edited July 8, 2019 by soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cineater Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 That doesn't sound like a place for bees. Our resident Roundup junkie gave me all kinds of crap when I brought up flame weeding. The rest of the group thought it was pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soon Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 (edited) Burn it down!! (the weeds, not the volunteers! ) Yeah, neonicotinoids is the full term. A Harvard study for your Roundup enthusiast https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/study-strengthens-link-between-neonicotinoids-and-collapse-of-honey-bee-colonies/ I guess the US first documented a colony collapse as early as 2012. If we cant keep bees Id like to start a carbon sequestering club at least. Not really related other then its all about the environment. Ever got into that? Taking twigs and branches from the grounds that would emit carbon if left to rot, but they are cooked in a sealed container over a fire and turned into a substance that wont release its carbon. The charcoal like briquets, called Bio-Char, help retain moisture and can help oxygen get deeper into the soil when buried in gardens. Edited July 8, 2019 by soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cineater Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 (edited) Never heard of that but that's weird science, lol. I kind of go with what would nature do. Nature would leave those twigs on the ground. I don't know why or the purpose. I'm more of nature doesn't need our help, we just need to quit fucking with it. Tim finally tried toothache. Said it fizzled in his mouth, started to go numb and then the salvia came on. Try that outside so you can spit, lol. He was numb about 15 minutes. Edited July 8, 2019 by cineater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soon Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 Ha, toothache is a fun one!!! Can you imagine some cuisines cook with it? I know it by the name "Spilanthes" and now that I think about it that sounds like someone trying to talk while under the effects of spilanthes Fair point about bio char. It agrees with you that we need to quit fucking with nature. I think carbon sequesters say if industry is going to create so much carbon emissions their philosophy would be to counter that by not allowing the natural process (which would also involved fires) to emit carbon. Who knows. Im cautiously optimistic that I may find some chamomile blooms today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soon Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) Hahaha, the theme of me needing a shower continues... a tweaked out sex worker just ran up behind me as I sip my coffee. Saying “you look like you can be kind when you want to be!” as she approached. as soon as we were face to face the first thing she says is “do you wanna go have a shower?” The way she said it, i swear I couldn’t tell if she meant have a sexy shower with her or that I needed to shower before availing myself of her services. I had to laugh! No thanks to the shower but some hand sanitizer would be nice... she held one of my fingers in each hand “because the bark!!” Before abruptly running away. God bless my new friend. .... and yes I showered. Like 20 minutes ago!! They don’t take I tell ya!!! Edited July 9, 2019 by soon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cineater Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 What are you wearing material wise in the garden? I'm normally all cotton but yesterday I had on polyester and I swear I was cooler. All the sweat stayed on the body instead of being soaked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soon Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Thats a good point, I hadnt really thought much about materials. Thats strange, isnt it - isnt polyester the one known for not breathing? Oh but right, that makes sense, the absorption. I wear cotton tank tops, jeans and either a baseball cap, a fishing hat or just shades. And yeah, those tanks get drenched. I dont know if I have any polyester shirts, a nice try to the thrift store may be in order! Cool tip!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soon Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Borage... flower already!!! Neighbour gifted some cosmos and they are blooming away! Come on Chamomile! And especially frustrating in this slow season is the new Echinacea which takes up 30 days to germinate and 2 years to reach its 2ft height. I just hope these little guys get strong enough to last through winter 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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