Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
The Hogarth Plantation
The Hogarth Plantation is a 44 hectare property used by the Faculty of Forestry and the Forest Environment for teaching and research.
Also using it for research is Connie, who is growing blueberries in a cleared section of the forest.
These pictures were taken last September, right around the same time I stumbled upon potatoes growing in the tilled rugby field.
I know that what attracts me most to the Hogarth forest is it's resemblance to the pine "plantation" that bordered the house I grew up in. The property was named 'Singing Pines', and for years there was a sign at the entrance tp the driveway. Over the years, each spring after winter, my father would replace or re-erect the sign which would get knocked down by the snowplows (sometimes driven by himself), until eventually the sign just never went up again.
The Pines always sang through the chickadees, and were beautiful - planted much like the Hogarth trees. I love the way they smell, and how the needles collect all over beneath them; even the way they eerily creek. The trees surrounded my playhouse, running from the road to the river west to east and north until they eventually thickened with the trees of Wishart.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Tomaat!
Red Brandywine,
Stupice,
Harbinger,
Moskovich,
Landry's Russian,
Mortgage Lifter,
Doublerich,
Baxter's Bush Cherry,
Superfantastic,
Old Brooks,
Connie's heirloom tomatoes were transplanted by Sara and Roy June 21st. The plants have endured a lot already, but most look alright now that they're in the garden. Sara was careful to plant them deeply, and sink any broken stems. Beneath the new three way mix is quite a heavy clay, which she has expressed concern about, a concern I share...but, the soil's properties are not unexpected, all things considered - so we just have to work with what we're given this year and hope for the best.
Some will require staking.
Before and after additions to the soil; the three piles delivered by LCR have now been distributed between Connie's tomato garden, and two 30x15 FSRN plots at the south end.
Many thanks to the help from the Physical Plant/Grounds for moving the soil from one end of the garden to the other!!!


Jeff is going to come rototill it all again - time permitting, hopefully on Friday. :)
planting map FSRN 2008
for reading in a bathtub:
Harborne, Jeffrey B., and Herbert Baxter. Chemical Dictionary of Economic Plants: Dictionary of Useful Plant Products. 2001
0471492264
Thursday, June 19, 2008
pollination bzzzz
Virtual Beekeeping Book
updated continuously
additions listed by crop and date
red fife wheat
bread from the history books Maclean's Magazine
Red Fife Wheat, soybeans, oats, quinoa can be planted through the NW of the garden. Yukon gold potatoes too.
more on red fife:
The Garnet Wheat Controversy, 1923-1938
by Jim Blanchard Winnipeg Manitoba History, Number 19, Spring 1990
Press Reports and Other Writings on Halychanka (Red Fife) Wheat
from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
From the Ministry of Agriculture Food & Rural Affairs, fact sheets on organic farming in Ontario, field crop fact sheets.
Sex and the Gardening
I've been wanting to go see the Sex and the City movie with Caroline, but of course haven't had time. I'm pulled toward seeing that on the small screen anyway, where I miss seeing it.
I thank Katie Malloch again tonight for keeping me company while I write. My back is sore, I'm having difficulty concentrating. Might be because I'm sitting at my piano that I can't quite play (but can produce some quick Beethoven thanks to my years with the wind instruments).
Weeks ago I wanted to write a post about 'pulling the hose'. I realized immediately that the title wasn't appropriate for my pretty little garden blog, ....I couldn't find the words, so I dropped it.
Today Sara toiled in the sun, with Roy - turning over beds, weeding, readying soil moving. I went to visit her during "lunch", her and Roy were making the best of the compacted soil, thanks to the heavy rains. The soil piles are heavy, and on the opposite side of the garden. Volunteers will be needed to help move soil, dig out rocks. But first, I agree with Sara that Jeff will be required to till again. Had it not been for the rains....
We had a 2 hour meeting in about ten minutes in my office at the end of the day, discussed plans, pondered questions - one of which being what to do about water for Connie's tomatoes, which need to be in the ground yesterday - among other things we want to plant asap. Rain barrels of some sort for this year, the RAM pump for next *crosses fingers*. I had a vision of Sara carrying pails of water from the McIntyre and want to put more effort into that pump. I will deal with the barrels.
All this talk of how to get water to the plant made me think of pulling the hose again. You see, the hose I speak of is the hose we drag across the parking lot to the 55 + Centre to get water to the greenhouse on River St.. "Pulling the hose" refers to pulling the long heavy hose across the parking lot and attaching it to the 55's spout. I don't particularly like pulling the hose, at all. It's the work of firemen, and I am not that. But one day it needed to be hauled back, Dennis was nowhere in sight - so I pulled the hose. When Dennis did arrive, he gave me a funny look and said: you pulled the hose, hmh. (with a sly smile) The next time the hose need to be pulled he "had a sore arm"; so guess who pulled the hose. Yeah.
What I enjoy most about pulling the hose are all the people who go by me while I do it and say things like: looks like hard work! or that must keep you in shape!. There was a time years ago when I was pulling the hose and a number of 55+ members joined in pulling parts of it. It was kinda like a scene from Cocoon. I don't know if it's wrong of me to say that.
While I was pulling the hose the morning of Dennis' sore arm, a white haired man rode my purple bicycle around the parking lot, squealing in delight of course grin.
and speaking of doing it:
Yale's doing it too.
I look at the pictures in that article and see so much of what I have envisioned for our space - and I have to admit to being somewhat green with envy. Yeah, green.
and the
University of Wisconsin-Madison also have a community-supported agriculture farm on campus.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
FSRN garden update
I started receiving Google alerts for "university sustainable garden" a while ago. The articles I'm exposed to are filling me with so many expectations for our project, I'm bursting. Students at Grand Valley State are doing it, students at Princeton are doing it, everyone's doing it. Dude.
I receive other alerts for similar searches; that one seems to offer some pretty good loot.
Sara sent me scans of her staking/measurements on the garden plan, with what the dimensions related to in actual terms, posted below. I knew it wouldn't be exact, but I do have to say I'm impressed at how well it translated.
She's also reported a boggy area near the LUCK garden. Options are being weighed.
A call for volunteers to help move the soil will go out shortly, as an on-call request in accordance with the weather.
Sara's edits in pink are the plots, the blue are walkways. She's been so dedicated in getting out there to mark the plots, and recording her experience. She's certainly the Garden Voice of the FSRN garden this soggy spring!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
greenhousing on Father's Day
“Why do the pansies all look so crappy this year?” she asked, in a tone I didn’t like. I stood there, staring into the brightest sun all the while being pummeled with raindrops from the cloud that was more above me than her at that particular time. I looked up, shrugged – and walked back into my little greenhouse and got back to my work.
I was standing at the counter at River St. one day last season with a line up of eager gardeners to tend to. I looked up to a voice asking “Do you recognize me? Do you know who I am?” I blinked in confusion, knowing the voice, not recognizing who it was coming from…It was Nick. Cancer had taken him. I knew him but didn’t, and it was heartbreaking. That huge line of gardeners were all silent - those who saw my reaction and heard; I couldn’t help but cry while I worked for a while after that. That moment with Nick was brief; it was my last.
My mother has been researching her family tree and it turns out my great grandfather was a Nick (story currently unfolding); an my great grandfather of my father’s side was a gardener for the city of Utrecht.
The influences and memories of many father’s, and family’s and stories and personal confessions made at the greenhouse – it’s in these experiences I absorb the most pleasure at this time of year. I love planting season for what it is, and selling season only (wellll, mostly) for these moments.
Math professor, bee keeper, chicken farmer, my Dad
Friday, June 13, 2008
Thanet Earth Greenhouse Project
Britain's biggest greenhouse complex - the size of 80 football pitches - is under construction in Kent. When it is complete it will include seven 140-metre long glasshouses covering a 220-acre site. ...
Using the latest technologies the computer-controlled Thanet Earth complex will have the capacity to grow salad produce such as tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers which will be picked continuously 52-weeks per year.
Operators Fresca Group Ltd., say it will increase by 15 per cent the UK's crop of salad vegetables most of which currently have to be imported.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE
By Paul Eccleston
Telegraph.co.uk
(thanks iDale! :D)
...down came the rains and washed the gardens out....
Matt's Boreal Edge Farm blog introduced me to the following titles:
You Can Farm
Joel Salatin
Polyface, Inc.. Swoop, VA. 1998.
0-9638109-2-8
Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management
M.G. Kains
Dover, Mineola, NY. 1973.
0-486-20974-1
many thanks to my mother, the best of book hunters, for locating, ordering, and making it so these books are now in my possession ... :D

Sara's report on staking the FSRN garden:
"The 30'x15' FSRN plots remain the same (except for the combining of 2 15^2 plots for Connie's tomatoes), but they took up all of the ~90' on the south edge. I figured that the compost area that was to be against the east side of the FSRN/15x15 plot block could be pushed into the triangular area beside it to the east.
The garden was not as long as indicated, so the biology plot length was cut from 90' to 85'. Even at this length, the compost area on the south side of the bio plot will also be pushed south into the open SE triangle (edible flowers, as it was marked) area. Seeing as two compost areas were pushed closer than planned into the SE corner, they might be combined into one? (The other two composting sites fit into their original locations.) Because the width at the widest point of the garden was significantly short of estimates, the bio plot also had to be taken down to 25' in width.
The layout changes to the SE corner led to a small diagonal entrance way being created for access to the raised bed area. I have only marked off the outer edges of this area, as I imagine there will be some construction of the beds going on in there. I made this area 10' wide, and very roughly 100' long (running against the north side of the FSRN/15'x15' plots).
Just north of the raised bed length, against the west edge of the garden, I marked off a 10'x30' area for the compost/flower block marked on the plan. Just inside of that is the LUSU plot, which lost some length due to the short width of the whole garden. It is about 90' long by its original 30'.
The LUCK plot remains 30' long, but was reduced to 15' wide. The 6 10'x20' plots, and 12 10'x10' remain the same. After the placing of the preceding, only ~33'x60' remained for the large study plot area, so I just split this in half along an E-W line, creating 2 30'x33' study plots. I suppose if we have a great need for more study plots, the areas to the north of them that didn't yet have designated purposes would be suitable.
We actually could not mark off 1 of the 20x10 and 1 of the 10x10 plots due to the soil pile in the middle of them. This can be done once the soil is moved. I didn't mark off anything further north in the garden than the pile, so they could be moved easily. As the staking through the middle of the garden is done, the soil will have to be moved off to the west side of the garden and along the sod edge. Two of the FSRN plots are open to the edge, as is the tomato plot, for easy wheelbarrow access. The one inner FSRN plot can be accessed by the open 15x15 plot to its south. I think moving the soil on the sod, though a little further in distance, will likely be easier anyway as it will be a firmer surface.
The remaining length along the west side (marked FSRN/wheat/oats and sunflower border) is likely about 40'. When I first noticed that we were lacking length, I thought to cut down the sunflower border to about 5'. Does that seem like a good width at this point? (Amy's note: Yes! 5' will be fine :) )
So the plots as currently marked are:
10 15'x15' plots30'x15' tomato plot3 FSRN 30'x15' plots10'x ~100' raised demonstration bed area10'x30' west edge compost area~ 90'x30' LUSU plot85'x25' Biology plot15'x30' LUCK6 10'x20' plots (1 unmarked due to soil)12 10'x10' plots (1 unmarked)2 30'x ~33' study plots
Still to be marked:1 10x20 and 1 10x10SE compost area(s)FSRN grain plotunassigned NE plotssunflowersNE compost areawalkways
I figure a walkway starting on the west edge between the compost/flower area and LUCK running along the edge of the LUSU plot to the southern study plot, and branching off up the middles of both the 20x10 and 10x10 plots will give appropriate access. As these are smaller plots, I think I will shift the stakes over towards the study plots to make room for narrow middle walks, so no area is lost from them. Now that I know what kind of room we are actually working with on the ground with the stakes in preliminary place, it will be easy to tweak things here and there.
I think that running a walkway from the east garden edge, along the north edge of the bio plot through to the FSRN grain plot will give both access to inner areas, as well as round out easier compost delivery to those upper areas. It looks to me like the whole garden would then have relatively close access to a compost area.
Those estimated walkway figures add up to 430', just in case we need that figure."
Sara has been out marking plots since Wednesday morning, which was the only time the weather cooperated. Yesterday Sara was joined by Roy, on loan from the Boreal Edge Farm, to help put in some more fence posts in some weaker areas of the deer fence. They continued the staking until the rains became to intolerable - at which point they came to see me, in the English office.
I could hear them sloshing up the hall long before I saw them, and the sight of them would have made any Good Pig envious. Mud from head to toe - Sara even pointed out the she was in her "clean clothes". Impressed with their cherrfulness in spite of what they had been through that morning, I wish I could have been with them.
I wish Matt and his family the best of luck in regaining composure of their farm after the heavy rains.
For present, past, and future weather information, see here:
Thunder Bay weather (June 12, 2008) and historical weather data from Environment Canada
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Vampire Garden
Dressed for the English department, I stopped at Wanson's Lumber this morning to pick up bundles of stakes for the garden.
As I drove Hannah to school we talked about the various uses of stakes in my line(s) of work: garden stakes, and other stakes. Unable to slay 100 vampires before 8:30am, I dropped the stakes off at the garden for Sara to use in marking the plots.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
garden notes
I would like to thank the hospital for providing us with a windsock.
After wheeling the measuring device around the garden a few times I feel confident with the previously posted plan. I've tried to accommodate larger academic uses ( I find all aspects of this project beg for academic uses), medium sized plots for groups, smaller plots for individuals - all of which can be divided within, or reserved with an adjacent plot for whatever need might arise.
Talking to Sara earlier this evening in the garden was wonderful - it's great to be out there visually planning and bouncing ideas off another creative gardenerd. We talked about how we might keep bears away, nutrients and food - why we eat what we eat, marigolds, decorative yet space-conscious planting. We're collecting stakes, and soon we (Sara) can be out there marking off some plots.
currently growing: some red clover and alfalfa
White Way of Delight
Jasmine S., student and eager volunteer to the FSRN garden project came to visit me today. Also a student of Scott's, fellow RB gardener, she came to collect her creative writing binder and to talk gardens.
And we did! I'm excited by her enthusiasm, even more excited because when we came to talk about the apple "orchard" I hope will be planted .....she spoke before me, when I mentioned a connection to literature there in 'the Avenue'...yelling out "White Way of Delight!" before I could finish. :D
I knew I wasn't alone in making these connections, these wonderful gardenerd connections between plants and literature. I see them all the time - but then I am somewhat surrounded in the both all day, every day. How lucky I am. Grin.
After speaking with Jasmine today, I'm convinced more than ever that those trees have to be planted. It will be delightful :)
possible garden plan 3
....if the weather holds up, Sara and I will be out there today using the measuring wheels from Geography. Trying to incorporate as many user uses as possible is a challenge (one I'm enjoying greatly) ...all is subject to change ;)
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Sara's notes on deer fencing
Sara M:
"We finished putting up the deer fencing - it took a bit longer towards the afternoon as the wind picked up and made the work fussier. After we finished, I went around and secured spots that the wind had made apparent needed reinforcing. I think the fencing should be checked a few times over the next little while to see how it's holding up against weather.
One thing that I think definitely needs to be done is to apply some flagging tape or such to the fence. I noticed a few birds flying into it yesterday, and the man mowing the lawn pointed it out too. None of the birds seemed hurt, but it's probably best to not stress them out too much, as I'm sure we want to keep them around the garden area. I will bring some tape with me and do that today." (editorial comment: I've thanked Sara immensely for taking notice of this. av)
"We constructed "gates" out of the bamboo poles, and closed them with wire. (We left the equipment gate open, as there isn't anything to protect from deer yet.) I'm not sure how well they will stand up to use, as the poles are secured to the fencing by being woven through them, plus a little wire, but tend to slide around a bit anyhow. There is also an issue with ease of use, in that people will have to untwist some heavy wire to release the gate, maneuver it out of the way as it flops around, and then to close it put it back in the right place, push it into the ground and re-twist the wire. I'm trying to think a better system that will be easier to use and more durable.
The fence is in contact with the ground everywhere; not tight against it, but rather slightly folded and pooled, so an animal could squeeze in if it was determined and not too dumb (....) I'm not sure if smaller animals such as rabbits would be able to figure out they could get under the fence; more information needed on that to know if it's worthwhile to secure the fencing to the ground. We did a bit of a test and threaded the heavier wire through the bottom of a few sections of the fence to see if it helped pull it against the ground better. It's another finicky task, and it takes a bit of effort to get it pulled taut and tied off. The wire does give the bottom of the fence more structure, but I think to really make a big difference it would have to then be pinned to the ground with some sort of long heavy duty wire staple type thing. I'll take another look at it today and give it some more thought." (as did I)
"As it stood yesterday, we didn't think there was much call to put wire in the top of the fence. The only reason I could see that being useful is if the fence really doesn't hold up to well to weather."
(....)
"Roy and I felt bad clogging up poor Connie's office with all the tools and leftover fencing at the end of the day!" (there's nothing like a little bit of leftover fencing and garden tools in an academic office, especially when annual reports are due and courses are pending...)
We're working on finding a -found shed- anything to serve the purpose for the season. We'll work on a better structure in the near future (aaahh, what winter is for..).
The department of Geography is kind enough to loan us a measuring wheel for marking the beds and more; I think we should invest in/find our own - this will be a useful tool. I'm also looking to find a reel mower. av
amysgarden June 2008
- amysgarden and Amy have been in negotiations since May 4th. The few who rose up in protest were promptly planted in front of the house along the walk & steps to the front porch. They may not remain forever, but needed to be saved.
There was once a garden bed in the location; found objects included some flagstone, a pair of old socks, more cigarette butts than I care to ever think of again, and lots of crabgrass. I transplanted a shrub of unknown identity (we'll know in a few weeks - he'll talk) to the other side of the overgrown-but-not-brown cedar. Around the cedar I planted: the southern elder, an astilbe, Annabelle, some hostas that were reaching their roots out of the pot they were moved in, clumps of forget-me-nots (blooming profusely) and ajuga (wow, that'll spread yes, but who's in control here? Me or them? ME.), John Davis, pig squeak and lamb's ear, oh and I planted the goat's beard - which ultimately will have to move...either he or the cedar (personally I'd rather lose the cedar and live with the elder, Annabelle, and the Goat's Beard...but, alas, 'tis not my tree). Some lungwort went in and is showing bloom buds today wow, coral bells, some fall color in veronica and rudbeckia, sedum fire, and also St. John's Wort and Sweet Woodruff to fill in and around. The pots are filled with a blood leaf plant and a hosta, the window box with varieties of coleus, lime potato vine, black potato vine, and vinca.
I do not know when I did this - it's all a blur now.
The back yard is an array of forget-me-nots, dandelions, thistle, ferns and lily-of-the-valley. I've offered up every valley lily to Karen of the Schmidt Sisters, the forget-me-nots are going to have to be donated elsewhere (Hannah's school? guerrilla gardening at LU?) I think I have enough for both *and* a smallvillagecontinent.
I've told it and the rest of amysgarden (waiting patiently - and well - in pots back there) to wait until July....when I might get a day off. ;)



UConn raises honey bees to supply dining hall ...so could we
BY GRACE E. MERRITT COURANT STAFF WRITER
June 1, 2008
The Hartford Courant
"In a great green meadow, behind a forgotten apple orchard, 100,000 bees got to work Saturday making honey for University of Connecticut dining halls.
Two university dining service employees gently shook the bees, shipped in from Georgia, into 10 new hives Saturday afternoon, making UConn probably the first college in the country to make its own honey for its dining halls.
By next year, UConn hopes to produce as much as 2,000 pounds of honey from the hives, more than half the 3,800 pounds the university kitchens use a year in marinades, sauces and baked goods.Starting an apiary seemed like a logical, if novel, step in UConn's efforts to serve more locally grown food, part of a national trend in college dining services to become more environmentally conscious." ....
READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Monday, June 2, 2008
deer deer go away....
Today:
Sara and Roy attached the netting to the fence posts using garden wire. :)
I sat in the Ryan Building with the heat on. :(
Jeff rototilled. :)