tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66311336774973708122024-03-18T22:16:47.493-05:00on a little landmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-19025366340190144182012-06-08T06:05:00.000-05:002012-06-08T06:05:59.559-05:00Dragon's Tongue<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/7347042566/" title="dragon's tongue by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7228/7347042566_d42cc3af0f_c.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="dragon's tongue"></a><br><br>
Dragon's Tongue beans are a favorite at home and at work for their amazing purple patterns and sweet crunchiness. They're as easy to grow as any other bush bean, with a good steady yield.<br> I like to get ours from <a href="http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=340">Seeds Savers Exchange</a>, where you can order in bulk.<br><br>
-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-34493516638000657262012-05-08T06:11:00.001-05:002012-05-09T18:37:29.131-05:00Spring Crops<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/7155269798/" title="last of the summer broccoli by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8025/7155269798_96f33e2b29_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="last of the summer broccoli"></a><br><br>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/7155260274/" title="kohlrabi by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5324/7155260274_625402a07d_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="kohlrabi"></a><br><br>
The last of the spring crops will be harvested before the weekend--a little late, but the weather cooled last week and has allowed us one more broccoli cutting. Surprisingly, this has been one of our best broccoli years ever, even with the very high temps a few weeks ago. The kohlrabi always seems to do well. We'll probably grow quite a bit more this fall when we have more time to clear out the extra beds. We finally even found a few fava beans ready to pick. I'd never grown them before or had them fresh. They were so sweet and delicious! We'll definitely be growing loads of them next season, at work as well as home.<br><br>
-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-5835870386736562532012-04-07T06:51:00.003-05:002012-04-07T07:00:44.682-05:00Bee Day<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6907051022/" title="the queen by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6907051022_788ed61694_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="the queen"></a><br /><br />We're finally going to have a hive at work! We've been waiting all year for the right time to order bees and they finally arrived yesterday via our intern from last summer, Mike. He drove down from school, picked them up from a mildly disgruntled postal worker, and installed them in our newly reconditioned hive yesterday afternoon. It was a perfect day for it--partly sunny and around 70F. Mike is going to be coming out to help us learn all about bees and how to keep them happy this year. Fascinating creatures!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6906288360/" title="bee day by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/6906288360_5ec8dcd11b_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="bee day"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6907222712/" title="hive by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5112/6907222712_d4ee4f1c1c_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="hive"></a><br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-71214369961996974862012-03-18T15:25:00.003-05:002012-03-18T16:14:51.333-05:00Dwarf Tomato Update<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6994020431/" title="dwarf tomato update by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6994020431_954e2b6a20_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="dwarf tomato update"></a><br /><br />The dwarf tomato seedlings are doing really well. Most are a few inches high and starting to fill out now. The example above is a Beauty King F4, a line with a goal of red fruit with gold stripes. These are being grown in the same mix as all of our seedlings at work (and at home): 3 parts coconut coir, 1 part vermiculite, and 1 part worm castings. We'll be spraying with a weakened solution of Drammatic K (OMRI certified) fish emulsion with kelp next week. <br /><br />All of the tomatoes and peppers are loving the weather lately--bright, sunny days and temps in the greenhouse between 70-95 degrees last week. Though, it looks like we'll be getting some rain this week. <br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-40928301947606059712012-02-21T05:39:00.003-06:002012-02-21T06:07:43.824-06:002012 Dwarf Tomato Project<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6913822887/" title="starting dwarf tomatoes by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6913822887_bfa048129a_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="starting dwarf tomatoes"></a><br /><br />We'll be participating in the <a href="http://www.dwarftomatoproject.net/">Dwarf Tomato Project</a> again this season, hopefully with a bit more success than last year. Only 2 of 13 of our <a href="http://onalittleland.blogspot.com/2011/03/dwarf-tomato-project.html">2011 batch</a> of seeds germinated. One lost out to the giant flea beetle attack and I babied the other all through the hideous summer heat only to see it freeze less than a week after it finally began to flower. <br /><br />This year, we'll be growing them at work. There will be more room, more attention, more protection, and better irrigation, so I'm excited to see what will result. We started all 73 seeds (7 different vials from 4 different lines) yesterday and put them on the heated sand last night. I'm going to keep them at home until it's time to pot up, then I'll move them back to the greenhouse and, eventually, to a little roped off area outside. I think that it's a great way for our visitors to learn more about seed saving and breeding, as well as collaborative citizen science. <br /><br />You can read more about the project <a href="http://www.dwarftomatoproject.net/History.php">here</a>. <br /><br />By the way, I bought seven of the DTP releases to grow at home this year. You can get them from a few different sources now--I bought mine from <a href="http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/seed-catalog/html/">Tatiana's Seed Catalog</a> because she has a great selection and runs the incredibly useful <a href="http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Tatiana's_TOMATObase_-_Heritage_Tomatoes#Ordering_Seeds_Online">TOMATObase</a>, a wiki of heirloom and OP tomato information.meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-79133600401961654362012-02-15T05:21:00.007-06:002012-02-15T19:17:59.054-06:00Southern SAWG Conference<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6752467279/" title="SSAWG map by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7157/6752467279_994467ab18_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="SSAWG map"></a><br /><br />This year, Mason and I attended the <a href="http://www.ssawg.org/">Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Conference</a> for the first time. It was a relatively short trip to Little Rock, AR, but we'll absolutely be willing to drive as far as needed to make it in the future. <br /><br />We signed up for two pre-conference courses. The first was an intensive short course on hoop houses/high tunnels taught by Paul and Alison Wiediger from <a href="http://www.aunaturelfarm.com/">Au Naturel Farm</a> in Kentucky. It was an eight hour session the first day with a four hour session the second, and it was packed with information! We received a copy of their book, <u>Walking to Spring</u>, which I would highly recommend to anyone interested in setting up a high tunnel or learning more about high tunnel growing. They were excellent presenters who allowed plenty of time for questions and discussion while still covering everything I wanted to know and more. If you ever have the opportunity to attend one of their workshops or presentations, do it! <br /><br />The second was a mini-course in vermiculture taught by Will Allen of (obviously) <a href="http://www.growingpower.org/">Growing Power</a>. It was amazing to meet Will and be able to ask him questions about the specific methods they use for their vermicomposting operation, though I'd still love to see it in person. The course was off-site at Mabelvale Magnet Middle School, which has an impressive school garden program. <br /><br />For us, the rest of the conference consisted of sessions on large scale composting, soil health, community food systems, and educational gardening. We also met several amazing people, work-related and otherwise, that I hope to keep in touch with and see again next year. The weekend ended with an excellent Taste of Arkansas dinner that completely changed my opinion of sweet potato pie. I wish I'd thought to take more photos. We are already sincerely ecstatic about attending next year. Thanks, SAWG!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6754370815/" title="will allen by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7003/6754370815_a0ce18a442_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="will allen"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6754370515/" title="growing power by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7024/6754370515_d4bf6b53f5_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="growing power"></a><br /><br />Side note: While we were in Little Rock, we got a chance to eat at <a href="http://therootcafe.com/">The Root</a>, a cafe that offers (by far) the most local foods focused menu I've seen. Oh, and it was delicious--especially the shiitake burger. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6758122257/" title="shiitake mushroom burger by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7033/6758122257_0d62115b3d_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="shiitake mushroom burger"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6758122101/" title="sweet potato fries by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/6758122101_00b68ee19b_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="sweet potato fries"></a> <br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-45648178009575607652012-02-14T05:36:00.003-06:002012-02-15T12:47:01.099-06:00Six Months Later...Things have been going non-stop with both of us working full time. I feel as though we are just beginning to get into a rhythm that includes anything other than work, food, bed, work, food, bed. I'm hoping to keep up with posting here as we grow some fascinating new plants this spring, but good intentions, etc...<br /><br />Some recent (and not so recent) photos:<br /><br />Work and Gardens<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6752467533/" title="SSAWG 2012 by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6752467533_08902657cb_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="SSAWG 2012"></a><br />(Southern SAWG deserves a separate post!)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6844111491/" title="carrots by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/6844111491_c0c726d93a_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="carrots"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6193880938/" title="nicer weather by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6171/6193880938_04956c8bdd_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="nicer weather"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6676777979/" title="romaine by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7148/6676777979_fdde1dab29_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="romaine"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6676778133/" title="nasturtiums by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6676778133_a151416d4b_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="nasturtiums"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6292912772/" title="work by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6118/6292912772_e612f9f468_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="work"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6508659831/" title="taking photos by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7154/6508659831_8ddbb7d8c4_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="taking photos"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6508659913/" title="water hyacinth by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6508659913_b89f528c16_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="water hyacinth"></a><br /><br />Trips and Get-Togethers<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6430314727/" title="daniel by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7022/6430314727_3aa7705e28_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="daniel"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6692303451/" title="new years lunch by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7143/6692303451_a8ed5959e9_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="new years lunch"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6430314575/" title="terry by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6213/6430314575_e3a49fe527_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="terry"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6768391881/" title="glass slag by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7006/6768391881_059b78d755_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="glass slag"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6596349391/" title="gorilla by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6596349391_9c611e7bf9_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="gorilla"></a><br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-86252227101889303852011-08-26T19:47:00.003-05:002011-08-26T20:12:01.042-05:00Elephant Garlic<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/6083758177/" title="elephant garlic clove by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6083758177_3b394d0f32_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="elephant garlic clove"></a>
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<br />This has been our worst growing season ever. In addition to Mason taking a new position and me beginning work full time, the weather here has made it exhausting to work in the garden at home. Because we've both been working outside, it has been difficult to muster the energy to go back out in the 100+ degree heat to work in our own garden at night. Though we have kept up with the watering, it hasn't seemed to matter. Last year, we harvested over two hundred pounds of tomatoes--this year, around ten pounds.
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<br />Our only respectable harvest has been our garlic. This clove makes me feel a tiny bit better about the other issues we've had.
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<br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-35374067430469710542011-08-21T10:16:00.000-05:002011-08-21T14:05:29.579-05:00Toronto FilmFor posterity's sake, though they're nearly 4 months late...
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5696684783/" title="flower market by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2207/5696684783_dd7f119dbc_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="flower market"></a>
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5694673815/" title="honest ed's by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5142/5694673815_8e25892ea9_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="honest ed's"></a>
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5696854932/" title="ROM by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2601/5696854932_2f7de0fc61_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="ROM "></a>
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5681598178/" title="poutine by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5146/5681598178_78b72954c7_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="poutine"></a>
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5705322296/" title="station by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2304/5705322296_27e9697bf8_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="station"></a>
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5691833701/" title="on the streetcar by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5221/5691833701_cc8a3ed7ae_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="on the streetcar"></a>
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5714986304/" title="lily fruits by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2105/5714986304_de57170c5f_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="lily fruits"></a>
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5708499137/" title="downstairs by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2557/5708499137_89f1b398ef_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="downstairs"></a>
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<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5706734544/" title="waffles by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2066/5706734544_73489ae49c_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="waffles"></a>
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<br />meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-61212542967603081752011-05-04T09:59:00.004-05:002011-05-04T10:16:20.582-05:00Catching Up<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5619712901/" title="after naps by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5619712901_c1a25d25ea_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="after naps"></a><br /><br />So many things have happened since my last post that I'm not even going to attempt to accurately document them. I am typing this while listening to Prince Charles' speech streaming live from The Future of Food Conference at Georgetown, so I may be a little distracted by that as well. <br /><br />In my last post, I mentioned seeding buckwheat in one of the (supposedly) fallow beds. Unfortunately, I ran out of room in the tomato garden and needed a place for my Sub-Arctic Plenty plants, along with the tomatillos and ground cherries. So, the buckwheat is now sprouting up all around these plants. I haven't read anything about using buckwheat as a living mulch, so I'll have to do some research to see if they will be able to grow in harmony. <br /><br />We arrived home from our Toronto trip late Thursday evening and spent most of the weekend recovering. I waited for as long as possible before we left the Friday before to get the tomato plants into the ground. Mason was working with no time to spare, so I spent from sun up to sun down that day getting all 113 tomatoes, 6 ground cherries and 5 tomatillos into the garden. <br /><br />It was still quite cool during our trip and even for the last few days, but they seem to be handling the cold well enough. It is supposed to be nice and warm for the foreseeable future, so I'm officially declaring it "almost summer". We'll be planting seeds and warm weather transplants over the next week or so. <br /><br />I'm sure that I am forgetting many, many things, but I think that I'll leave it at that for now. I will try to make a post (with several photos) on our trip soon. We had an amazing time in Toronto and exhausted ourselves exploring the multiple neighborhoods that make up the city. <br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-68419619442232404102011-04-19T08:10:00.003-05:002011-04-19T08:29:59.347-05:00Cover Cropping<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5620122013/" title="buckwheat seed by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5227/5620122013_893335e4b2_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="buckwheat seed"></a><br /><br />I spent the Thursday before we left for Dallas digging Bermuda grass out of the beds that will be lying fallow this year. Those beds are a mixture of hardpan clay near the edges and almost pure sand in the center. The Bermuda has steadily crept back into the clay and is not so slowly making its way toward the sand. The garden is made up of 4 4x32' mounded beds. We dug it last year, added compost and attempted to grow our summer crops (other than tomatoes) in the beds, but the soil still leaves a lot to be desired. We're going to spend the summer, and possibly the fall, working to improve it by adding compost, mulching heavily and growing several rounds of cover crops. <br /><br />I spent 4 hours digging and finished one of the beds with the exception of the outer paths. I think we're going to try to sheet mulch the paths with cardboard and more wood chips because the clay is almost impossible to get a shovel through at the moment. After, I finished the bed, I forked it over gently and broadcast buckwheat seed to help break up the clay and give us some good organic matter to amend the sand. We used buckwheat in the other garden beds last year and it really did seem to improve the clay soil through just one planting. Hopefully, it can do the same for these more challenging beds. <br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-9380054512623488602011-04-15T07:42:00.003-05:002011-04-15T07:49:53.373-05:00Garlic<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5620710026/" title="garlic by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5183/5620710026_ebaf99573e_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="garlic"></a><br /><br />The garlic is the only thing that we have growing in the big garden right now. The stalks are getting thick--much thicker than they were this time last year. Some of this is elephant garlic, so that would explain why those are larger, but the rest I would guess is due to the unseasonably warm weather we've had for the last few months. We may have an earlier crop this year. <br /><br />We've been talking about what needs to be done this summer and putting in a large bed for garlic on the old land is at the top of the list. We haven't decided the best way to go about ridding that large of a space of bermuda grass. I'm thinking it will need to be some form of sheet mulching because that many raised beds would be cost prohibitive. The bermuda in the yard behind the old house is much worse than any that we've been battling here. Garlic hates competition and we won't be there every day to watch over it, so I'd like to do as much as possible to eradicate the grass beforehand. <br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-47414791484361193072011-04-12T12:14:00.003-05:002011-04-13T17:28:44.325-05:00Trails<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5615277862/" title="hiking yesterday by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5106/5615277862_77a40a0cf7_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="hiking yesterday"></a><br /><br />We headed out to the old land yesterday to work on cutting our trail back to the wild plums and blackberries. It's only 5 acres, but there are a lot of cedars that grow very closely together and require a lot of trimming to make even the narrowest of paths. We worked for about 3 hours and managed to make quite a bit of progress; I trimmed and Mason cleared branches until we made it back to the first stand of plums. Making a decent path through the berry brambles is going to be a lot more work, though, and slow work at that. There is a small clearing to the west of the brambles where I'm going plant some of the starts that we got on Saturday. We're hoping to get some more native edibles going out there. Unfortunately, most of that will have to wait until we get back from our trips and do all of the garden planting. <br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-5887432977783512762011-04-11T08:09:00.003-05:002011-04-13T17:28:34.199-05:00Foraging Walk<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5609792952/" title="harvesting buds by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/5609792952_417dcc4c9e_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="harvesting buds"></a><br><br><br /><br />Jackie Dill from <a href="http://www.okwildcrafting.com/">OK Wildcrafting</a> hosted a foraging walk on Saturday in Coyle. I had emailed her the second I saw a mention of it a few months ago to reserve our spots. I was disappointed to find out about the walk just a week too late last year. I'm so glad that we didn't miss it again because it really was fascinating. She taught us to identify a ton of the edibles that are all over the place here in central OK. We came home with several little potted up starts of dewberries, wild hardneck garlic, polk salet, walking onions, buffalo berries and a different variety of wild garlic than what we have here. We also harvested a small bunch of soapberries, a few pods from a Kentucky Coffee Tree and 6 passion flower vine seeds. <br /><br />After the walk, we had a delicious potluck lunch at a local church. Several people brought homemade food (we took a few jars of our salsa from last summer) and Jackie made a wild salad with chickweed, redbuds and a dressing made from her own vinegar. She also boiled a big pot of the polk that we found on the walk. It was my first time trying it and I actually liked it quite a bit. It's a little like a very mild asparagus in the form of small, tender greens. She also had vinegar mothers from her own pear wine, but we somehow ended up coming home without our bag. I have no idea what happened there, but it's disappointing because they looked great.<br><br> <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5607689988/" title="coyle, ok by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5607689988_6ae0344d8a_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="coyle, ok"></a><br><br><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5606510244/" title="new friend by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5224/5606510244_bfed55ea1e_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="new friend"></a><br><br><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5607105377/" title="sumac by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5149/5607105377_15d1e6b9ef_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="sumac"></a><br><br><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5607690168/" title="digging wild garlic by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5301/5607690168_974bbe6847_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="digging wild garlic"></a><br><br><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5607105537/" title="soapberries by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5026/5607105537_978bfebcc6_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="soapberries"></a><br><br><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5609792854/" title="house by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5108/5609792854_62a1078dba_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="house"></a><br><br><br /><br />All in all, we were both really glad that we went and it has encouraged us to try to get out and learn to identify more of the natives in our area. When Mason gets home from work today, we're going to go see what we can find as we work on the walking trail we've started cutting on the old land. The trail will eventually lead back to the tangle of blackberries and a small stand of wild plums, but who knows what else is out there.<br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-81345083326127519732011-04-07T19:53:00.002-05:002011-04-07T20:05:04.149-05:00More Austin PhotosHere are some of the film photos that I took during our Austin trip. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5595817160/" title="guard dog by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5065/5595817160_88d4ded93a_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="guard dog"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5595817082/" title="swsx=gentrification by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5310/5595817082_ea2869489d_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="swsx=gentrification"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5591214742/" title="drink cooler by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5301/5591214742_dd17f25ea9_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="drink cooler"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5592327834/" title="crowded by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5171/5592327834_5d415991bc_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="crowded"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5592328176/" title="vinyl by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5308/5592328176_644a78b4b6_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="vinyl"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5596183161/" title="cake in bed by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5596183161_6ac91f01e4_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="cake in bed"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5596183221/" title="hotel sleep by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5106/5596183221_d5f7431831_z.jpg" width="640" height="424" alt="hotel sleep"></a><br /><br />We've got more trips to Dallas and Toronto in the next coming weeks, so we'll have to get the tomatoes in the ground some time in between. I finished potting them all up today, though I haven't done a final count yet. I know that I lost a few to wind on the first day of hardening off (yesterday), but I think most of them will recover. <br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-54311692548355491172011-03-23T12:13:00.004-05:002011-03-28T12:36:53.371-05:00Spring Break<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5549062824/" title="kumquats by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5549062824_6a88d5eaea_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="kumquats" /></a><br /><br />We spent the weekend in Austin working at SXSW--selling ukes, snapping photos, window shopping and eating delicious food. We still need to get our film developed, but here are a few digital shots, mostly from The Natural Gardener. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5548479675/" title="flowers by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5222/5548479675_15aecd7021_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="flowers" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5548479539/" title="pottery by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5259/5548479539_002ac14f79_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="pottery" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5548479217/" title="naps by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5182/5548479217_7f633ec9d3_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="naps" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5548479341/" title="cacti by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5017/5548479341_fffa61629f_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="cacti" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5553030261/" title="vegan donuts by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5227/5553030261_f728e31fb7_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="vegan donuts " /></a><br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-50904599636138669702011-03-14T08:21:00.005-05:002011-03-16T17:03:40.857-05:00Leaves<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5496535603/" title="blue foliage by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5496535603_cbb0807327_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="blue foliage" /></a><br /><br />I'm seeing a lot of interesting foliage around here lately. <br /><br />Of the 5 Dancing with Smurfs seeds that germinated, 4 have blue leaves and stems. All of these have a light speckling of dark blue. That's one of them above. The other one is green with the same speckling of the darker blue. <br /><br />The OSU Blues have that speckling as well. All but one are mostly green; one has a bluish-gray tint to the leaves. <br /><br />The Churra Plum foliage is beautiful. I had 100% germination on the 6 that I seeded and each is covered with a thick fuzz like the one below. These are some of the prettiest seedlings I've seen. <br /><br />One last foliage note: It seems as though I have two potato leaf plants coming up from my Amish Paste seed. This is commercial seed from Baker Creek. I'm not sure if it was a seed mix up or cross or what, but I'm very curious to see what comes of them.<br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-46802819025144065502011-03-13T09:11:00.001-05:002011-03-16T17:03:57.778-05:00Cold Frame Crops<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5532542629/" title="sprout by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5300/5532542629_7b95183aa6_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="sprout" /></a><br /><br />The sprouts are really starting to come up in the <a href="http://onalittleland.blogspot.com/2011/02/makeshift-cold-frames.html">cold frames</a>. We seeded them on 2/20 and saw the first sprouts about a week ago. It looks like we now have some of every variety except for the old spinach seed that we weren't sure would germinate at all. <br /><br />Bed 1: Lettuce<br />Little Gem, Parris Island Cos Romaine, Oakleaf and Tom Thumb<br /><br />Bed 2: Spinach<br />Monstreaux Viroflay (old seed)<br /><br />Bed 3: Asian Greens<br />Extra Dwarf Pak Choy, Tatsoi, Ching Chang Bok Choy and He Shi Ko Bunching Onion<br /><br />Bed 4: Kale<br />Nero di Toscana, Red Russian (saved seed), Blue Curled Scotch and Red Russian (commercial seed)<br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-80806514096089433322011-03-12T14:13:00.002-06:002011-03-16T17:04:12.793-05:00The Dwarf Tomato ProjectI've signed up to participate in the <a href="http://dwarftomatoproject.net/index.php">Dwarf Tomato Project</a> through <a href="http://www.tomatoville.com/index.php">Tomatoville</a>. I only recently learned about this project. I wish I had known sooner as I think it is a very interesting and worthwhile endeavor. If you've never heard of them, there is a lot of information about dwarf tomato plants on the <a href="http://dwarftomatoproject.net/">project site</a>. I received my assignment this week. I'll be growing vials 3086 and 3089 from the Beauty breeding line. The seeds came in the mail on the 5th and I started them last Monday. So far, I only have two little purple striped sprouts, but I'm hoping for more in the next few days.<br /><br />Vial 3086: Purple Striped (6 seeds)<br />Vial 3089: Chocolate Striped (7 seeds)<br /><br />The project has been going on for a few years now and they've just released the first stable varieties, <a href="http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_dwarf-beryl-beauty.html">Dwarf Beryl Beauty</a>, <a href="http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_dwarf-emerald-giant.html">Dwarf Emerald Giant</a> and <a href="http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_dwarf-mr-snow.html">Dwarf Mr. Snow</a> commercially through <a href="http://www.victoryseeds.com/">Victory Seeds</a>. You can also get on the waiting list for <a href="http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_rosella-purple.html">Rosella Purple</a> and <a href="http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato_tasmanian-chocolate.html">Tasmanian Chocolate</a>, which should be released soon.<br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-73380413717362209582011-03-01T12:21:00.007-06:002011-03-02T14:52:35.343-06:00Potting Up<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5490352102/" title="true leaves by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5298/5490352102_677bbe6a29_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="true leaves" /></a><br /><br />I spent yesterday afternoon potting up tomatoes from the 392 cell trays to 72 cell trays. They'll stay here for quite a while before moving into the 4 in. pots. We've had pretty good germination considering some of the varieties are from swaps and others are older seed. I think we're right at about 85%--no varieties with zero germination this year, which is an improvement over last year. I've been updating the spreadsheet with all of the info <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Aj74rECPBU_bdFJ6aG1fdlljOHVxWWZFUGdwS3hlLUE&hl=en#gid=0">here</a>. The seedlings that have been potted up are also being taken out of the heat boxes and put on regular shelves. <br /> <br />I'm seeing quite a few more pepper sprouts and have just finished updating the pepper spreadsheet, which is <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Aj74rECPBU_bdG9PYzl5bUVZU1BCdDJFLUdlT3lvdUE&hl=en#gid=0">here</a>. The germination rate still isn't all that great. These will stay in the heat boxes for a while longer in hopes that we'll see more in the next few weeks. <br /><br />Despite the fact that I've already planted way too many of both the peppers and tomatoes, I've received the rest of my seed orders and can't resist planting a few other varieties. I will have plenty of extras to give to family and friends, to send with Mason to work, to give to the Kids Cafe gardens and probably others to force off onto strangers. This year, I was trying to be cautious by planning for only 50% germination. Next year, I'm going to plan for about 80% and plant accordingly. I figure that we start early enough to have plenty of time to reseed anything that may not work out the first time around. I wish I'd thought more about it and done that this year! <br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-51471016630367257532011-02-23T13:50:00.005-06:002011-02-23T14:14:47.416-06:00Germination Progress<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5471974102/" title="more sprouts by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5058/5471974102_55288a1189_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="more sprouts" /></a><br /><br />We went from 21 sprouts on Monday to 107 yesterday to 189 today. Now, we just have to get them through the next 9 weeks or so. Why did we plan our Toronto trip for late April? What was I thinking?<br /><br />I have a germination spreadsheet <a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Aj74rECPBU_bdFJ6aG1fdlljOHVxWWZFUGdwS3hlLUE&hl=en#gid=0">here</a>, for any other tomato nerds who may be interested. I'm working on one for the peppers that should be up in the next few days, not that there's much to report. I think we have 3-4 sprouts so far. <br /><br />Here is our tomato variety list for the year:<br /><br />Rutgers<br />Stupice<br />Bradley<br />Mer de Noms<br />Gardener's Delight<br />San Marzano 2<br />Fox Cherry<br />Sub Arctic Plenty<br />Principe Borghese <br />Amish Paste<br />Reisetomate<br />Mule Team<br />Silvery Fir Tree<br />Red Fig<br />Riesentraube<br />Tess's Landrace Currant<br />Green Grape<br />Mini Orange<br />Coyote<br />Lime Green Salad<br />Cream Sausage<br />Isis Candy<br />Jack White<br />Striped Roman<br />Violet Jasper<br />Green Zebra<br />Green Sausage<br />Arkansas Traveler<br />Absinthe<br />Black Russian<br />Orange Banana<br />Black Cherry<br />Wapsipinicon Peach<br />Sungold Select II<br />Black Plum<br />White Currant<br />OSU Blue<br />Black Mauri<br />Yellow Riesentraube<br />Dancing with Smurfs<br />Churra Plum<br />Pink Boar (not yet seeded)<br />Michael Pollan (not yet seeded)<br />Haley's Purple Comet (not yet seeded)<br />Sweet Carneros Pink (not yet seeded)<br />Banana Legs (not yet seeded)<br />Martino's Roma (not yet seeded)<br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-62689902142745652712011-02-22T11:16:00.003-06:002011-03-09T20:27:08.218-06:00Makeshift Cold Frames<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5466641111/" title="makeshift cold frames by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5180/5466641111_7b08f009e5_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="makeshift cold frames" /></a><br /><br />Last fall, my dad rescued all the original frames and windows from a remodel in their neighborhood. He installed two pretty complicated cold frames using the material in his own yard and set the rest aside for us. He's put together a complex A-frame system using 4 windows per box and used it to grow very nice greens all the way through winter. <br /><br />A few weeks ago we finally drove the truck over there and picked up the rest of what he had left. 4 good frames, 1 totally trashed one, 2 sets of windows, a giant glass door and some other window he scavenged. We flattened out last years potato mounds, set the frames at about a 25% angle with eastern exposure and filled them with all the material from last years tomato pottings, shredded leaves, bagged compost and other soil leftovers. While they don't look nice, they do work, as evidenced by the tiny sprouts coming up in them.<br /><br />We planted four varieties of lettuce, spinach, baby bok choy, dwarf pak choi, tatsoi, bunching onions and three kinds of kale (one of which we saved from seed). Megan also put in the same kale from Baker Creek seed, so we'll see which one grows better.<br /><br />-Masonmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-28756818883868312052011-02-22T08:36:00.002-06:002011-03-16T17:04:50.580-05:00Wild Boar Farms<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5471380869/" title="tomato seeds by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5218/5471380869_a33a20ea77_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="tomato seeds" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.wildboarfarms.com/index.html">Wild Boar Farms</a> is a seed company in California that has developed some of the most interesting, beautiful OP tomato lines I have ever seen. This is our first year ordering from them. The seeds came very quickly: ordered on 2/15 and received on 2/19. <br /><br />We are growing:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Pink Boar</span>: Looks like a port wine colored Green Zebra. Striking looks, outrageous flavor that is sweet, rich and juicy. Early to mid-season. 70-80 days. indet. regular leaf. 2-4 oz. with good to great production. Aggressive grower. Port wine color with metalic silver green stripes. Dark colored flesh is juicy and very good rich and sweet flavor. Originally from Black and Brown Boar.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Sweet Carneros Pink</span>: F-5 2-4 OZ. Rose pink with gold colored stripes. After 4 years this has proven to be very near 100% pure and of excellent quality. Huge producer for 2009. Great looking with a nice sweet tomato flavor.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Haley's Purple Comet</span>: Wonderful large cherry tomato. Sweet, productive with rich "dark tomato" flavor. Originally from Cherokee Purple.<br /><br />and<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Michael Pollan</span>: Odd shaped mutant from green zebra. Named after the awesome writer, journalist and teacher. (Please read one of his books) Taste is very different from the Green Zebra. Much less tartness, more mild with good sweetness. Very positive response at the Farmers Market. They stuck out and people really liked the flavor. As I ran out later in the season, customers kept asking about them.<br /><br />(descriptions from the <a href="http://www.wildboarfarms.com/wild-boar-farms-tomato.html">Wild Boar Farms site</a>)<br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-29144817108066928952011-02-21T08:45:00.007-06:002011-03-16T17:05:01.964-05:00First Sprouts<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/5464779791/" title="first tomato sprout by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5098/5464779791_caa9679d93_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="first tomato sprout" /></a><br /><br />When I checked the germination shelf this morning, I was happy to see several little tomato sprouts popping out of the ground! We've got quite a few varieties coming up: Amish Paste (4), Black Plum (1), Black Russian (2), Fox Cherry (3), Gardener's Delight (2), Green Sausage (1), Mer de Noms (1), Riesentraube (1), Sungold Select II (1), Tess's Landrace Currant (2), Violet Jasper (1), White Currant (1), Yellow Riesentraube (1) and one pepper, Korean Dark Green (1).<br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6631133677497370812.post-66345323954234777722011-02-16T16:00:00.003-06:002011-03-16T17:05:16.184-05:00Our Main Crops<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tofuttibreak/3362250453/" title="heirlooms from baker creek by tofutti break, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3575/3362250453_4f305984fc_z.jpg?zz=1" width="640" height="481" alt="heirlooms from baker creek" /></a><br /><br />We have decided to focus our gardening on mostly tomatoes and peppers this year. They are our two favorites and it is hard/expensive to buy the ones that we want at the market or the grocery store. They are also what we've had the most success with so far. We're going to plant lettuce, Asian greens, spinach, kale and a couple of other cool crops in a few small raised beds and we'll also probably devote one of the large garden beds to green beans, cucumbers, basil and sunflowers. We're not going to bother with melons or squash this year because of the space. They are easy to find at the market and not too expensive, so it makes more sense to use that space to grow other things. We may grow them again next year if we manage to eradicate some more Bermuda grass this summer. <br /><br />I've spent most of the day sorting seed and seeding trays. Like last year, I'm starting our seed with a <a href="http://onalittleland.blogspot.com/2010/02/seed-starting-class.html">3-2-1 mix</a> in 392 cell trays. This is probably unnecessary for most gardeners, but it allows me to have more seeds germinating in our <a href="http://onalittleland.blogspot.com/2010/02/rope-light-heat-boxes-for-propagation.html">heated sand boxes</a> at a time. It worked really well last year (especially for tomatoes), so I'm hoping for the same results this year.<br /><br />-Meganmeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10184332342313522390noreply@blogger.com0