Cultivate Simple 16: Ready, Set, Grow
An honest and unrehearsed discussion about trying to live a more simple life. This is episode 16 and today we are discussing starting seeds.
Quotes of the Week
Funny phrases heard around the house this week:
“I actually have worm cocoons in my fridge right now”
“I kind of excited to try the Water Buffalo Liver”
16 Things to Stop Doing in 2013
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Freezing – A quick way to store veggies at the height of their freshness. Cons – energy used, pros, tastes great and easy. I always store in glass, no plastic bags here. Start investing in glass containers. My favorite containers are wide mouth pint jars or these Pyrex Rectangular Clear-Glass Food-Storage Containers
Seed Starting
Why do I start my own seeds as opposed to buying them?
Seed Starting 101 Series on Chiot’s Run
Books of the Week:
Have you ever tried to start seeds? What has been your experience?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:52:16 — 77.8MB)
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Quote of the Day: David Culp
“I need to add that patience is truly a virtue, because time is one of a gardener’s greatest allies. With the passage of time, plants grow and our instincts and abilities as gardeners mature and improve. Nothing happens in an instant in the garden; beautiful moments always unfold on their own schedule, in their own sweet time. We may savor the sweetness and remember it for the rest of our lives. But for anyone who loves gardens, it also helps to love being a gardener, since it is only the continuum of the day-to-day work that makes those moments possible”
David Culp in The Layered Garden: Design Lessons for Year-Round Beauty from Brandywine Cottage
Lately, Mr Chiots and I have been talking a lot about patience when it comes to gardening. It’s especially important when you have a new and exciting space and lots of ideas. We know we want to put in a small orchard here, with pears, apples, plums and maybe a few other types of fruit. Eventually, there will be long hedgerows filled with native and beneficial species. There will be a pond for the ducks and a greenhouse for the winter.
Mr Chiots and I are, by nature, jump in with both feet kind of people. Hard work doesn’t scare us and neither does failure. While that is often a very good trait, it needs to be tempered with patience in some situations, this is one of those cases. Through much deliberation, we decided to wait at least a year to embark on any major garden plantings and changes.
We’ll spend this next year watching the gardens unfold, noting varieties of plants, the movement of the sun, the flow of the water. Care will be taken in improving and remineralizing the soil in the areas we think the orchard might fit. Being patient will benefit us in the long run, our trees will grow faster and stronger if we take time to choose the perfect spot, the right varieties and work diligently at improving the soil.
Have you learned patience through gardening?
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There We Went Wassailing
“Health to thee, good apple-tree,
Well to bear, pocket-fulls, hat-fulls,
Peck-fulls, bushel-bag-fulls.”
Last Saturday night, Mr Chiots and I went wassailing. It was the real wassailing, at a local orchard, with a big fire, lots of cider, both hard and sweet, musical instruments, candles, and toast soaked in cider.
We gathered around the oldest tree in the orchard and sang the wassailing song, cider soaked toast was hung in it’s branches, then cider was poured around the base of the tree to ensure a prosperous year filled with load of apples.
It was a fun event, something out of the ordinary. We were especially intrigued because we’d seen Hugh talk about it on The River Cottage Series shows we watched last month.
John Bunker, the Maine apple guy who’s orchard the celebration was at, will hopefully be a guest on the Cultivate Simple Podcast soon. We talked about our experience wassailing on this past week’s episode if you’d like to hear a little more about it.
After wassailing in the orchard, we all went inside for a potluck dinner and lots of conversation. Mr Chiots and I enjoy attending events like this. There’s nothing better than meeting new people and enjoying new experiences. No doubt there will be many more interesting community events in our future.
What’s the best event you attended last year?
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Friday Favorite: The Cold
It’s a bit frigid around here. Nighttime temps have been down to around -5, daytime temps in the single digits. The wind is fierce, making it feel 20 degrees colder than it is. I don’t mind the cold, I bundle up a few times a day to head out to feed the chickens, water the ducks and check on the garage cat. We also bundle up and walk down to get the mail. To me, living in a place where I can experience temperatures below zero and up in the 80’s is perfect, just what I want; I really enjoy the variety!
This cold weather will make the warmth of summer that much sweeter. And the heat of the summer makes this cold snap something to enjoy. I must admit, whenever the temperatures get so cold I think about the people that came long before us that didn’t have cars with heaters and all the warm mod cons we have. The Long Winter definitely comes to mind, perhaps I’ll curl up with that this weekend.
What’s the weather like outside your window?
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Happy Birthday Mr Chiots!
Join me in wishing Mr Chiots a happy birthday. We’re not big on celebrating birthdays around here, no presents are exchanged or anything like that. Generally I’ll cook a good meal and make Mr Chiots some cookies or cake (that’s enough present for him).
Mr Chiots is an unseen force on this blog. He doesn’t write, but he takes care of all of the behind the scenes stuff. He makes sure the server is up & running, the software is up to date, he makes changes when they are needed. He really does keep the blog rolling, without him I probably would have quit long ago when the first server crash happened.
He roasts our coffee and keeps my cup full and keeps our freezer stocked with venison to eat. He cut wood to keep us warm, changes the oil to keep the cars running, goes with me on long hikes, keeps me laughing and is always willing to lend a hand in the garden if I need him.
Join me in wishing Mr Chiots a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. He is a valuable part of this blog and I certainly appreciate all the hard work he puts in behind the scenes!
