Quote of the Day: Carol Deppe
“One of the most joyous things we can do is to find our place, the land we fit into, the land where we belong. Having found our place, we snuggle into it, learn about it, adapt to it, and accept it fully. We love and honor it. We rejoice in it. We cherish it. We become native to the land of our living.”
Carol Deppe (The Resilient Gardener)
I was thinking about the quote the other day as Mr Chiots and I were doing something outside. We have pretty much settled into this new place. It’s starting to feel like home, more of that will come with some painting and a few other projects.
We are firmly planting ourselves into this new landscape and community. Every Monday afternoon we head down to our neighbor’s for coffee. A New Year’s party was hosted at our home. Another neighbor came for Christmas dinner. We’ve been curling, gone to farm party’s, visited farms, talked to people and have made many new friends. Maine suits us perfectly, I certainly hope the feeling is mutual because we’re here to stay.
How many different places have you become native to?
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Shelf Life of Seeds
As I’ve been sorting through my seed stash, I’ve been pulling out seeds I know are no longer viable. While some seeds may last for a long time (like tomatoes), others start to lose their oomph very quickly. I have found that with onions it’s best to purchase new seeds every other year. In general, fresh seed will have better germination rates than older seed. Tomato seeds seem to be the exception, I have great germination with old tomato seed. Beets do better if they’re only one or two years old. Onions need to be fresh. Here’s a handy guide to download or pin. Here’s the large PDF download of this chart: Shelf Life of Seeds
If you’re new to gardening it’s especially important to start with fresh seed. You don’t want to start off on the wrong foot.
How do you store your seeds? shoebox? fridge? scattered around the house? in the garage?
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Friday Favorite: Das Boots
I’ve been needing a pair of winter boots for a long time. My favorite Keen rubber boots just don’t cut it when there’s snow on the ground or the a chill in the air. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve almost broken my neck when wearing them up the chicken coop or I come back in with frosty toes (even with thick wool socks on). After much research, I decided I to buy a pair of L.L.Bean shearling lined boots.
For one, they’ll last forever; for two, they’re lined with all natural shearling; for three, they’re leather. No thinsulate, nylon, or other stuff that’s going to wear out in a year or two. The shearling lining and the leather exterior on these beauties will last for a LONG time and it’s super warm.
The zip-up style was also a must, taking time to lace up boots several times a day was not something I wanted to do. These aren’t as convenient as my slip-on rubber boots, but they only take a few seconds to get on. The knee high version was also a must, the snow I have to wade to on the way to the compost pile is at times almost over the top of these.
They’re pretty pricey though, so I waited patiently for a sale. With the sale and some saved coupons I ended up getting them for almost 50% off. Low-and-behold, it happened back in mid-December. Somehow, they were accidentally shipped to Ohio; thank goodness for great neighbors who will package them up and forward them to you along with some wonderful homemade soap.
I couldn’t be happier with this purchase, they have been wonderful for all my outdoor chores (as you can see they’ve already lost their shine). The addition of ice stabilizers and I’m able to head outside without fear of falling on my face and dropping the eggs.
Have you found any new favorite garden tools recently?
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Making My List
It’s that time of the year to start ordering my seeds. Every year, I go through my seed stash and figure out what I need for the upcoming season. Since I start all my onions from seed, I do this in early January. Each year, I choose a different company to order from, I like trying seeds from different places. This year, I purchased a seed share from High Mowing Seeds in December (you get 10% off by doing it this way). Now it’s time to sit down and figure out what I need for the upcoming gardening season.
I have a lot more room than I have had in the past, but I’m not 100% positive on how much. Cover crops will be used in any areas that aren’t filled with veggies. There are a few new vegetables I’m excited about trying, celeriac is the one I’m most eager to grow. There’s something so great about this activity, so much hope and promise.
When do you typically order your seeds for the gardening season?
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It’s Puzzling
Mr Chiots and I love working on puzzles. Perhaps I should say that I love puzzles and Mr Chiots helps out. Usually I clear off the table and put out a puzzle at Christmas, this year we had guests so we waited until last Saturday.
This year, I found a nice puzzle at our local game store, it’s the White Mountain Puzzles Best of Maine. When it comes to puzzles, I find it’s rather difficult to find ones that aren’t cheesy or strange. I’m not sure why puzzles are like that. I have a few in my collection that we redo over and over again. Monet’s Waterlillies is one of my favorites. Last year I got the 2000 piece Springbok seed packet puzzle that was HUGE and loads of fun, I can’t wait to do this one again in a few years.
The Ravensburger Road Trip USA 1000 Piece Puzzle is also on of my favorites that we’ve completed a few different times. There are also a few others on my list of puzzles to add to our collection. While I love redoing puzzles we’ve done in the past, it’s still fun to get a new one every now and then!
There’s nothing better than having a puzzle spread out on the table to put a few pieces in when you walk by. It’s always a lovely way to spend an evening with your loved ones. Puzzles can be a great way to entertain yourselves while still allowing for good conversation! Mr Chiots and I really enjoy spending winter evenings working on them.
What’s your favorite way to spend an evening with family?
