Pumpkin Seed Activity

Made a decision that this Spring I would clear out my box of seed. Some of the seed was either purchased or harvested as long ago as 1999, so quite old. They were not kept in the best of conditions, just a box in the garage where they were forced to endure all temperature changes.

Pumpkin Seeds

Are Pumpkin Seeds Harvested in 2011 Viable?
I popped the pumpkin seed in a tray on 3/21/18.

Pumpkin Seeds

This is what I found this morning, 4/4/18.
The small out of focus sprouts next to the pumpkins are carrots.

Loads can go wrong from planting to harvest. First comes seedlings, followed by vines, transplanting to garden, then pumpkins.

Since beans are usually quick to grow, pretty sure they are no longer viable. There isn’t a single sprout.

This is the first time using trays from Plantel Nurseries. I like that the trays are sturdy, less soil is used per cell, and the trays are a great space saver. When I rotate them, they are a tad heavier than they appear, but again very sturdy.

I became aware of the trays when I visited the Santa Maria fair last summer. Plantel Nurseries was giving away free vegetable plants and the plants were in their trays. The plants were easy to slip out of the cells. Still taking cuttings from the kale, chard, and celery plants I brought home from the fair.

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Seed Sprouts 4/4/18 Evening

Funny How Connections Happen

When I visited my family in SC, I spent time wandering around and taking photos of plants, interesting textures, possible art making materials and processes, and things that struck me as odd.

Moss

As soon as I saw the moss growing on the grate inside a free standing wood burning fireplace, Don McLean’s American Pie started looping through my mind. Especially the line: moss growing fat on a rolling stone.

And while writing this post, again the song is swirling though my mind.

Not being a sit around a fire person, I had to google the proper term for the fireplace. It is a chimenea. According to Wikipedia this is the definition for chimenea.

A chimenea /tʃɪmɪˈneɪ.ə/, also spelled chiminea (from Spanish: chimenea means chimney), is a freestanding front-loading fireplace or oven with a bulbous body and usually a vertical smoke vent or chimney.

So, a wood burning chimney. Odd that moss found its way to growing inside the chimenea. It is sitting on a concrete patio in daily full sun. The chimenea must offer enough shade and protection to prevent the death of the moss.

Moss

Sad that the moss will be destroyed the next time the chimenea is lit.

Don McLean’s American Pie was popular when I was in high school. So much so, my high school English teacher thought it would be cool to decipher its lyrics. The result, even today I remember the bulk of the lyrics for the 8 minute 36 second song.

More connections–I remember my best friend from high school who died suddenly five years ago. Not in a plane crash, but he was the director of my hometown airport. Connections of all sorts can be found when you least expect it. Certainly wasn’t thinking about him when I started this post, but it would have been something I would have shared with him. He would have understood my moss/song connection. We would have talked about the song. When we first heard it. And other reminiscing.

Thinking about my friend, reminded me of a Henning Mankell quote from one of his Kurt Wallander books, Firewall.

Who was left who connected him to his earlier life?

Washington Post article about American Pie written by Justin Wm. Moyer.

Keyboard Malfunction and Solution

I have a MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016). Since I took it out of the box I have had a difficult time using the keyboard, especially the spacebar.

Thisis anexample of what happens whenItypeon this keyboard.

A couple of weeks ago it was so bad that I scheduled an appointment at the Apple store. The Genius rep cleaned my keyboard and asked me to type something to see if the cleaning solved the problem. It didn’t. The charge to repair the keyboard is $475. We discussed using a bluetooth keyboard, a new one would be approximately $60.

The Genius rep explained that many people did not adjust to the new keyboard design. I used and still use my 2009 MacBook.

keyboard

A few nights ago I noticed that when I hit the keyboard exactly where the tape is, the spacebar worked. So, approximately .5″ of the 3.75″ of the spacebar works.

Spring Planting and Folded Paper Pots for Seed Starting

I recently read through all of the seed planting recommendations for plants that I plan to add to my gardens.

Most of the seed will be planted in Plantel Plant Trays from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply.

Plantel Plant Trays

It is recommended that some of the seed be planted in biodegradable pots, to prevent disturbing the roots of the seedlings.

Rather than purchasing peat or coconut fiber pots, I decided to use the Yellow Pages that have been piling up in my studio. Does anyone actually use printed paper phone books?

I viewed several, how to fold paper pot tutorials. DIY: Newspaper Pots for Seed Starting/Cuttings on Youtube is the best tutorial I found. The instructions are clear and easy peasy. Before beginning to fold a sheet from the Yellow Pages, I removed a strip from the side to alter the proportions.

Tadpole

The pages were torn to 4.25″ x 8.5″

The strips will saved for use when working in clay.

Folded Paper Pot

The finished folded pot is 1″x1″x1″.

Whenever I learn a new skill or technique, I always think about how it can be used in the studio.

I have made loads of boxes in the past, but rarely a square. This is a square box, roughly 3.5″, that I never quite completed. It is tree wrap with some dried plant bits and twine.

Not Quite Completed

Paper Pots

49 Paper Pots Ready to Use

Pleasant Surprise

Several years ago I purchased a Solandra maxima from a fellow at the Saturday Farmers’ Market.

Bloom

April 4, 2013 Bloom

It became a 12 foot long plant on a trellis. Numerous cuttings were taken to make more plants that are growing in a numerous locations in my gardens and gardens of friends.

Last year after the annual bloom, the plant lost all of its leaves. I meant to remove it, but just couldn’t find the time.

This evening I was photographing the Brugmansia growing in front of the Solandra maxima.

Brugmansia

To my surprise I found that the Solandra maxima is leafing out.
Solandra maxima

Don’t know why it was without leaves for nearly a year, but I am glad I didn’t remove the plant. Maybe it will even bloom this year.