First Seed Swap Of 2010 - How It Turned Out

Why do i swap seeds? Partly because i like to get something for relatively nothing - yes, i do a little work to prepare, but i'm still not handing anyone money for what i get. It's also partly for something to do during the "worst" time of the winter; that is - when it's STILL winter, but you want it to be Spring so badly that it's almost a physical pain.

But a day like today reminds me of why i really do it. It's certainly not wanting to crowd into a roomful of people and having to wait several minutes at times just to MOVE 3 feet! It's because of what kind of people they ARE - gardeners! Almost everyone had the same look in their eyes - here we all are(the day after a snowstorm), surrounded by seed packets, seedlings, plants, plant paraphernalia, and although we do know a new season is very near, an event like this reinforces that promise. Did anyone complain about being crowded? No. Everyone was pleasant, considerate and smiling. We were all given paper grocery bags, and as we collected packets, bags or cups of what we wanted and put them into our bags, several of us could be heard commenting that we felt like we were collecting goodies at Halloween!

Didn't take my camera, but this looks close to our swap - just add about 50 more people into this picture!

Because this, 20 days before the first day of Spring, was a happy day for all of us!

Some of my "take" today, laying in a large cast Tobacco leaf i just finished. That package of black radish seed touts, "Popular Snack With Beer and Dips" - although i got nothing against beer, radishes sure wouldn't be my first choice as an accompaniment! i now have seeds of Resurrection Lily, "Rose" and "Cherokee Purple" tomatoes, an "experimental" variety of snap bean, and "Rattlesnake Master" Eryngium. Plus quite a few red Canna rhizomes that i promised i would get for my friend Diana, who is still recovering from cancer treatment, and, as a result, probably hasn't got the best of immune systems and i'm sure wouldn't have wanted to get into a crowd like that!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like.....MARCH?!

i love my job! I'm wrong most of the time, and i'm still well paid. i can make errors weekly, even daily, and nobody cares! Oh, wait, that's not me - that's our weather forecasters! (Although it COULD describe my General Manager at work....but i digress..).

 i've been looking forward to the seed swap tomorrow, so three days ago they were telling us we would get about an inch of snow today and it would be partly sunny tomorrow. Well, it ain't working out QUITE the way they predicted - it has snowed 4-5 inches today alone, and it's showing no signs of stopping! Then the weather folks are getting sneaky lately - they won't say, "This storm may generate 6-8 inches of snow". No, NOW they tell us, "It should snow 1-2 inches.....today. THEN 2-3 inches.....overnight. THEN 1-2 inches.....tomorrow morning"! If you're not listening very closely you'll end up VERY surprised!

At least the days are longer - the landscape lights are starting to come on before it gets dark!

i was shoveling this evening with a Robin complaining to me from the crabapple tree - didn't i just mention Robins coming in just before a big storm? Don't worry - a little snowstorm won't stop ME from a seed swap! Maybe it will deter all but us diehard gardeners...

First Seed Swap Of 2010

As i've whined about before, our area does not host many seed/plant swaps. BUT, there are a few, and this one is a good one! Held in previous years (this is the 6th annual) at the Toledo Botanical Garden at their Conference Center, it has grown enough that it has outgrown the space, and we seed swappers would wait, packed in tight corridors like

livestock (mooooo?) just to have the chance to push and squeeze past other seed hungry citizens to glance at the varied packages of seeds or bulbs or baby Kalanchoes (those would be mine!) and possibly find a little treasure or two. So this year i was happy to find out that they

have expanded quite a bit, and moved the swap to a new location! The Ward Pavilion is very nice - i have been there in the past during their Xmas Craft Bazaar with my cement leaves. Maybe we'll have breathing room this time!

If you are in the Toledo area, stop by! i have copied the particulars below. But, as i have said before, you really should BRING SOMETHING TO SWAP! They will let you pick up some seeds if you don't, but i really think that's inappropriate and inconsiderate! We swappers collect our

own seeds, package them up, write or print up instructions, and transport them there - that's a lot of work! Plus the folks at the Gardens also collect and compile thousands of packets of seeds for our planting pleasure, and volunteers put in a lot of time to coordinate this swap. Even if you're a newbie, there's no reason you can't go to your local hardware or dollar store and grab a few packets of flower or veggie seeds to bring. It's only fair!

One small disclaimer - i am not speaking for the Botanical Gardens - my opinion (about bringing something to swap if you're going to participate) is mine alone. The Gardens advertise this as totally free, i just feel, as someone who has been in a lot of seed and plant swaps, that, really, if you go to a swap, it's not a giveaway - it's a swap!

So here's the poop:

(Please note, the Seed Swap will be held at the Ward Pavilion, Wildwood Metropark and the workshops will be held at Toledo Botanical Garden)

Seed Swap

Saturday, February 27, 2010

12:00 - 3:00 PM

Wildwood Metropark

Ward Pavilion

5100 W. Central Ave.

Toledo, OH 43615

Free and open to the public!

Diversify your garden by exchanging seeds and learning new skills! No

matter your gardening ability, you’ll enjoy the chance to interact with other gardeners, while swapping favorite seeds.

Live entertainment by the Root Cellar String Band and activities for kids!

Workshops

Saturday, February 27, 2010

at Toledo Botanical Garden

10:00 - 11:30AM From Plant to Plate: Easy, Tasty Vegetables to Grow

(TBG Conference Center)

10:00 - 11:30AM All About Gourds (Children’s Ed Building)

10:00 - 11:30AM Bugs & Birds in the Garden (TBG Conference Center)

1:30 - 3:00PM A Creative Approach to Herbal Gardening (Children’s Ed

Building)

1:30 - 3:00PM Troubleshooting Your Vegetable Garden (TBG Conference

Center)

1:30 - 3:00PM Container Gardening (TBG Conference Center)

3:30 - 5:00PM Preserving the Harvest (Children’s Ed Building)

3:30 - 5:00PM Gourmet Vegetables for Fun & Profit (TBG Conference

Center)

3:30 - 5:00PM Raising Chickens (TBG Conference Center)

***

First Robin Of 2010!

Was warm-ish today (for February - 35F - no wind), so i went out in the yard for awhile, even did a little gardening (well, pruning, at least). The day wasn't as gray as this picture looks, we even had some sun coming out. This was a little thicker cloud cover for the moment, so this is a very wintery looking picture, a bare tree with one lone bird sitting at the top.

But, wait a minute - that birdsong doesn't sound like a Crow or Starling.......could it be...?

Yes, it's the first Robin i've seen this year! Yay! We always take this as a sign that Spring is coming soon. Isn't always reliable, however - there have been many instances when the first of these birds show up a day before a huge snow or ice storm, poor things!

Still, it's great to see our Robins back again! :o)

***plAnt dAy!***(a running commentary on the most interesting collector's plants I own) *JEWEL ORCHID*

i initially ended up with a Jewel Orchid (Ludisia discolor) years ago when i was in the first Master Gardener class in my area. i may have traded someone at one of the plant swaps our Extension Service (that hosted the MG classes) had a couple of times a year - however, they didn't know what it was. i, of course, wanted it anyway - i love leaves with PINK stripes or spots on them, just because it's so unusual. It was planted in heavy potting soil at the time, definitely not great for Orchids, but since i couldn't find out what it was, that's where it stayed (again, this was long before many humans regularly went online to research things - actually, before anyone knew what "online" was!). It grew okay for a while, then it languished, and finally started to decline, no matter what i tried to do for it.

My Jewel orchid in my work office, just starting to bloom

My Master Gardener class visited the greenhouse at the Toledo Zoo during that time, and i took my plant to show the people who were giving a class for us that day. Well, they knew what it was, even repotted it for me in Orchid mix, but by that time it was too late for the poor thing....

A cutting off the same plant, showing the dark purplish green leaves with those remarkable pink stripes and unique texture.

BUT, about a year ago, i found another one, and, hey, once you know what the heck the plant is, it's real easy to grow! What a concept! There is one drawback- the flowers are numerous, but white, scentless and tiny - definitely not what one would picture an "Orchid" blossom would be. That's the way it goes sometimes in the plant world - beautiful plant; obscure flowers, or beautiful blossoms; ugly plant! Nonetheless, i'm happy with my "jewel"!

Another Winter Walk In The Garden

Soon to be turning into Spring walks, I hope! About 7 more inches a few days ago, but i (WE- Crickit had to go out, too!) had to get out in the sunshine for awhile.

Crickit hanging out in the garden by the coldframe

The elephant is nearly invisible (more about him later).

We've had a decent winter - this was the biggest amount of snow all winter, it's been consistantly cold, but not bitterly cold - still, we need a short thaw, at least - this has been the longest the pond's been frozen over for years! Hope the fish are surviving!

Crickit doesn't seem to want to come inside yet!

Oh, Paczki Day!

Being a Polish - American, with a strong Polish community in my city ( my own uncle Chet Zablocki actually had a radio show, "The Polka Party", for many years with his first wife, Helen [who died in 1968] and then with his second wife, Sharon. When he died in 2004, Sharon continued the show and it is still going on Sunday mornings, now in its 63rd year!), i can't help but be surrounded by the little puffy, filled powder sugar coated doughnuts that every grocery store, snack shop, and bakery seems to have tons of on this day!

 

 

Paczki Day precedes the beginning of Lent, and the baking of paczki is traditionally a way to use up all of the fat, sugar, and fruit in the house--things forbidden during the strict Polish Lenten season.

While i consider myself a poor stereotype of a Polish person (who prefers Italian food, doesn't like chicken, and can't Polka to save her life), no one has much trouble talking me into one or two of these edible Tribbles on Fat Tuesday! Guess i'll be giving up FOOD for Lent!

OOPS!

You may have noticed that my blog themes keep changing lately - of course i, not being extremely computer literate, keep trying to change backgrounds and stuff and then can't get back to my original theme! Arrgh! At least it's still legible, but I'm not happy. Bear with me a little while longer and i'll straighten it out (hopefully...)

Animal Abuse (With Love...)

Our two pet cats, Crickit and Skeeter, are indoor/outdoor cats, but they only are allowed out when one of us are also out. AND they have been trained to stay in the yard (Seriously!). We do have a 6 ft privacy fence around 80% of our backyard, so it wasn't as difficult as it sounds, but still, they are very good and don't try to climb the fence or get out. They DO chase bunnies, but stop when i yell at them, amazingly. So they don't wander, but they cannot be described as strictly housecats, either. Crickit's my garden buddy, she wants to be out as much as i do, but Skeeter- not so much! If it's cold or windy or wet, she's happy to sit in her window and look out at the weather. Of course, they do not go out at all in the winter months, but they(especially Crickit) don't understand why they can't go out, if it's sunny and they're warm INside, and commence to sit by the door, crying.So i remind them why they can't. Once a year, generally during one of our biggest snows, they get tossed into a snowdrift!

Crickit negotiating her way out

 It's also a reminder about how good they've got it, in case they've forgotten why these mean humans are holding them hostage in the house. It works - i don't hear any complaints from them for weeks! It's not total abuse - Crickit just sits there for a minute, gives me an "Are you nuts?!" look, then slowly (like it didn't bother her all that much) walks to the back door, shaking the snow off her paws.

All that's left of her ordeal

Another Snowfall...

                                  So we had a snowfall. 3- 4 inches, tops. Can i complain? Not hardly,considering this same weather system dumped about three FEET in the Washington DC area yesterday!                                     

 It was pretty windy, too, so the snow cover was very smooth and pristine. i took these pics of the garden this morning, before any of our snow shoveling, footprints, or the animals spoiled the surface.

It's hard to imagine this all leafed out and green......but here's a reminder!

Hogs Of The Ground

Here's the scoop about Groundhog Day (Not the movie!)

The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, USA, where crowds as high as 40,000 have gathered to celebrate the holiday since at least 1886. They have a resident groundhog by name of Punxsutawney Phil . On February 2, (Groundhog Day) of each year, the town of Punxsutawney celebrates the beloved groundhog with a festive atmosphere of music and food. During the ceremony, which begins well before the winter sunrise, Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler's Knob, located in a rural area about 2 mi (3.2 km) east of town. According to the tradition, if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, the United States will have six more weeks of winter. If Phil does not see his shadow, spring will arrive early.The date of Phil's prognostication is known as Groundhog Day in the United States and Canada. During the rest of the year, Phil lives in the town library with his "wife" Phyllis. A select group, called the Inner Circle, takes care of Phil year-round and also plan the annual ceremony. Members of the Inner Circle are recognizable by their top hats and tuxedos.

                                                                Courtesy Wikipedia              

We have our own groundhog for this area,Holland Huckleberry, known affectionately as "Hucky", owned by Charlie Hoag (Holland is one of our suburbs).

                                                                                        Courtesy Toledo Blade

Some 10 years ago a coyote killed a mother groundhog on the Hoags' property. A day later, Mr. Hoag found the young orphan, maybe 3 weeks old, tops. Nursed to health by the Hoags, the critter has been the couple's house pet ever since.

Anyway, Hucky DIDN'T see his shadow, indicating an early Spring! Woo Hoo! Hey, this time of year, we cling to anything that hints of winter's end. Trouble is, six weeks from now will be mid March, and it's usually still winter weather here regardless! "Early Spring" is just wishful thinking!

Anyway, I wish Hucky a good year; apparently 10 years of age is quite old for a hoggie!