Weekly Challenge Update

Independence Days Challenge Year 4, Week 16
Plant something-
In the greenhouse: Repotted most of the tomatoes. Potted a pepper plant (impulse buy) To leave in the green house

In the community garden plot: Some Chard, carrots, beets, leeks, broccoli, radishes, daikon, Kohl Rabi, deer tongue (mache), borage

At home: Kohl Rabi, radishes, chrysantimum greens, Artichoke, beans, peas


Harvest something: Thinnings, some garlic scapes
Preserve something:
Community: getting the first community garden work party planned with my colleagues on the board ; Planted my “row” for Fleecenik Farm’s Plant A Row Challenge
Preparation: Made some hanging baskets and topsy turvey planters
Eat the food/eat something new: garlic scapes and thinning in tuna salad,
Waste not: Junk lying around for topsy turvey and hanging planters. Old lumber to build up a bed in the front yard It is pressure treated so using for a ornamental bed. Figured out how to reuse the bottle on my Mr. Clean Automatic shower cleaner ( again, an impulse buy) and will try using a vinegar solution in it.
Want not: bought a case of vinegar for cleaning and garden use.



Okay got out of my soy corn dog rut, made a green tea soup with rice and kelp. Bought some chocolate eggs for easter, ate one.


Planted my Ed Hume Carrot seeds that the Ed Hume Seed company sent at the community garden



In the greenhouse: Repotted most of the tomatoes. Potted a pepper plant (impulse buy) To leave in the green house
In the community garden plot: Some Chard, beets, leeks, broccoli, radishes, daikon, Kohl Rabi, deer’s tongue (mache), borage
At home: Kohl Rabi, radishes, chrysantimum greens, Artichoke, beans, peas

Very excited- my first amaranth seeds have sprouted in the greenhouse. Very excited to try amaranth leaves!

Weekly Challenge Update- Get off my bench!!!

Now how do you start this damn thing?

Get off my bench! is a private (or not so private) joke between Martin and me- from Steel Magnolias When Clairee and Ouisa are making up after the funeral scene. Well not much doing this week as I am busy with work, getting ready for a family reunion and trying to stay hydrated- meaning cut down the caffeine son! And that don't mean drink ice tea. Well sort of- luckily there are herbal ice teas that i like very much... and I adore Peppermint Ice Tea- a tea that I can make myself from my own grown peppermint! Found a park bench(relevance) today- mom and I are going half on it for the community garden. It is a cement bench with natural stone inlay- very pretty. I think it will look great under the grape trellis at the B-patch.

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge Year 3, week 25
1. Plant something: Nope
2. Harvest something: Chard, Bok Choy, Chive flowers,
3. Preserve something: nope
4. Waste Not: Found an office chair missing a wheel at mom’s dumpster, and repaired
5: Want not: Bought 5 different kinds of tea to make ice tea drinks with
6. Preparation and Storage: nada
7. Build Community Food Systems: Went in half with mom on a park bench for the community garden
8. Eat the food (cook something new): steamed chard with pancetta; salad with chive flowers; made some cheddar cheese dressing for baked potatoes

Garden Challenge: "Extreme Evangelist Edition"- went I half with mom on a park bench for the community garden

BUSY BUSY BUSY Weekly Challenge Update

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge Year 3, week 13
1. Plant something: Peas, Beans, Bok Choy, Radishes, carrots,
2. Harvest something: Pea sprouts; Radish Sprouts

3. Preserve something: Bottled some Red Onion infused Vinegar; Bottled some Fennel Infused Vinegar

4. Reduce Waste (recycle, reuse, reduce, repair or compost something): Used the pickling juice from Pickled Red Onions and Fennel as Infused Vinegar; pizza boxes as weed block; Rescued two kids chairs from dumpster and reused as planters
5. Preparation and Storage: Got my kiddie pool planting beds ready
6. Build Community Food Systems: Nothing. What is it with these groups? I offer free seeds and I know they all have gardens and no one returns my calls/emails. I am starting to get a complex! Try the sustainable Burien meeting on Sunday.
7. Eat the Food (cook or eat something new): Clover top tea, thistle tea, lemon grass tea (I didn’t harvest these, but plan to plant clover as a cover crop and forage thistle for tea and wanted to see If I would like it; Pea and radish sprouts on a sandwich, “Infused” Vinegar and sprouts on a salad;

One Small Change- Well hell I failed on Wednesday- I bought a salad at Trader Joe’s, came in a plastic clamshell, had a plastic condiment container of corn salsa in it. I had been at the doctors and didn’t eat breakfast as I was having blood work done, was hungry, late for work and my blood sugar was getting low. So I panicked and bought a chicken bbq salad. Panicking is what I do in low blood sugar situations.
I did however save the clam shell for starting plants, and used the condiment container on a seed cup. I know however, that planning is crucial for days like this.

Garden Challenge Extreme Evangelist Edition- I have been trying to give seeds away to some groups that I know have gardens. But they don’t return my calls/emails. So I will try again at this Sunday’s Sustainable Burien meeting. It’s a shame- nice non- g.m.o. seeds. I got the kiddie pool gardens ready for planting, And I got some good news to share in tomorrow's post!

Mouse in the House- Sammy's first Kill of the year- Weekly Challenge Update

Sammy say In Your Face Mouse!

Well nice week this week... got into an email argument with my right wing cousin... sending me some Glenn Beck inspired propaganda about our president. And Sammy killed his first mouse of the year. Way to go, Sammy! Maybe I should wrap it up and send to my cousin! The UNION way!!!
On the home front, Got some more seeds started in the greenhouse. Trying to decide what to plant for Arbor Day.
On to the Challenges:|
Sharon's Independence Days Challenge Year 3, week 12
1. Plant something: Started some Chamomile starts so I can make tea. Don’t know how it will work out. Keeping my fingers crossed. Planted more seed starts more tomatoes, squash, artichokes. Planted some mesclun in one of my lettuce boxes

2. Harvest something: Foraged some Dandelion for greens and flowers.

3. Preserve something: NADA
4. Reduce Waste (recycle, reuse, reduce, repair or compost something): Used an old skate board deck to make a bench, composted some cooked veggies from St. Pat’s day;

5. Preparation and Storage: Ordered some more seeds;

6. Build Community Food Systems: Nada

7. Eat the Food (cook or eat something new): Mac and Cheese Pie (Something New); Dandelion Greens and flowers in a salad

Freeze Your Buns off challenge-Not freezing so much. Spring appeards to be here now.

One Small Change- Still no pop or water bottles thanks to the Soda Stream

Garden Challenge (Extreme Evangelist Edition)-Still trying to figure out this years garden. And I am on Information Overload. Yesterdays post finds a lot of different methods. Brain having a meltdown

More Vertical Garden Methods

Thanks to Beth at Fake Plastic Fish Blog- she pointed me to Sustainablog's 24 hour

blogathon, which has a vertical garden post as part of the festivities. Which of course led me down paths of experimental gardens and to this site on constructing a self watering vertical garden on the cheap

Picture: LowTech Magazine

And to this great raised bed garden system I am liking a lot! What a great way to get a big garden with little real estate.
Photo: Urban Garden

Looks like more work for Rob. But I am glad you all send me to great sites to find this stuff!

At least I am not going to try a pant leg garden!

Hope Springs Eternal- The Weekly Challenge Update

Well this was a pretty Okay week. Got some seeds planted and even had some starts decide to make a show!

Some of my tomato starts are up, as well as punpkin, cukes and zukes, and Butternut squash. Hopefully it will be a successful year gardenwise! Even mowed the yard a bit (yes with my Nueton Rechargable Mower!) Onto the Challenges:

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge Year 3, week 11
1. Plant something: More tomato starts, some pumpkin starts, starting some evil broccoli, planted Minnesota Midget Cantaloupe in the green house, planted some more lettuce and mesclun for salads in the green house; planted peas
2. Harvest something: Some pea sprouts; Radish sprouts
3. Preserve something: Nada
4. Reduce Waste (recycle, reuse, reduce, repair or compost something): Found an old kid’s wading pool in mom’s dumpster, decided to try a raised bed in it; Reused an old recycling bin for planter for cantaloupe;
5. Preparation and Storage: Nada
6. Build Community Food Systems: Nothing
7. Eat the Food (cook or eat something new): Pea and Radish sprouts in a Broccoli slaw

Freeze Your Buns off challenge-Have not raised the temp once this month. Or turned the heat on. Or taken off my sweater.

One Small Change- Decided on my final “one small change” challenge for April. I think it is a doozy, more on that later- For March, I have not bought one pop or seltzer water, using my Soda Stream faithfully

Garden Challenge"Extreme Evangelist Edition"- Found an old kid’s wading pool in mom’s dumpster, decided to try a raised bed in it.

Weekly Challenge Update

Can you believe it is the 11th week of 2010 already? Things are on track here to be a great year in the garden as long as I pay attention to the seeds I've started. Been very busy with that and diving into dumpsters to find shit to make furniture with, as well as artsy crap. Gave bot puppy and kitty their first flea treatments for the year, Romeo needs a haircut... I need to learn to shear my pup and save $80 a pop! Or $80 a pup! Any way life goes on and so does the challenges:

Sharon's Independence Days Challenge Year 3, week 9 & 10

1. Plant something: Started some sweet pepper, 5 varieties of tomatoes, Butternut squash, Cucumber and onion plants, planted some Chard and planted a lettuce box, planted some Minnesota Midget cantaloupe seeds- suspect they will be long term residents in the greenhouse

2. Harvest something: Some Khol Rabi that wintered over

3. Preserve something: Pickled some radishes I bought at the store- a stretch but it is short term preservation, Pickled some onions as well.

4. Reduce Waste (recycle, reuse, reduce, repair or compost something): Saved a bunch of boxes for gifts for the holidays, made a vase out of an old 300 watt light bulb- more on that Tuesday; obtaining large parcels of cardboard to use as weed block again in the garden

5. Preparation and Storage: Got the stuff to put some shelving up in the Kitchen l set out some Praying mantis egg sacks for the season; Got a book on Foraging in the NW - I am bound and determined to learn to forage for more than Blackberries and Dandelions.

6. Build Community Food Systems: Donated some seeds to New Futures garden; Trying to obtain screening rights to show a screening of Mad City Chickens the Movie (Thanks to Jenna for the idea!)

7. Eat the Food (cook or eat something new): Got off my Chazuke kick. Succumbed to pressure and bought a can of Batter Blaster pancake batter- and my suspicions as far as pancakes go are correct- CRAP! Not only bad packaging but worse pancakes! Give me Melinda’s Pan Crack pancakes any day- but waste not want not attitude tells me to try making churros out of them- maybe useful for something!
　　
Freeze Your Buns off challenge- No problems here, letting the programmable thermostats keep me honest!

One Small Change- I am so loving the soda stream. Found that stainless steel water bottles are excellent for taking pop to work for lunch

Garden Challenge- Starting seeds right and left! Sharing seeds I got from Hometown Seeds with New Futures Community Garden- otherwise I would do a giveaway with them.