Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

Come on, man.

The revolution will be supervised.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

So many bastards, so little time.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

In my day, never was longer.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

Also, are you sure you want people to rate your comments?

They don’t have outfits that big. nor codpieces that small.

With all due respect and assumptions of good faith, please fuck off into the sun.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

You are here: Home / Garden Chats / Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Snippets

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Snippets

by | 50 Comments

This post is in: 

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Snippets

(Signe Wilkinson via GoComics.com)

 
My bad; I had a Garden Chat submission queued up, only to discover that my ‘permission’ to view the photos from the new-to-me file sharing system had ‘expired’. So here’s an abject apology to JeffG166 — I hope I’ll be able to share his pics *next* week — and some random links I’ve been hoarding…


I may have shared this one already, but I suspect it will be broadly useful — “Gardening can be a physical challenge. These tips make it accessible”:[gift link]:

… [G]ardening can be made more accessible to those with physical challenges like arthritic knees, chronic pain or severe fatigue, said Jay Schulz, a disability and health researcher at the University of Vermont…

The Washington Post spoke to gardeners with disabilities and other experts for their best advice on making gardening more accessible. Here’s what they had to say.

– Limit kneeling and bending with raised beds or containers
For gardeners who use a wheelchair, a bed can be raised high enough that the wheelchair can be rolled directly up to the garden, she said. A U-shaped raised bed can be particularly useful, she said, because someone can sit in the middle and reach all 3 sides from the same location.

Instead of gardening on the ground, try container gardening, which involves growing plants in pots or bins. Put the container at a height that is easy to reach, and make sure you can move the container easily, said Phyllis Turner, 77, a Virginia Cooperative Extension master gardener with arthritis who teaches seminars on adaptive gardening…

– Use a garden stool or rolling gardening chair…
[The price range & utility of such aids keeps improving. But even a makeshift can improve your ability to keep gardening; I drag a cheap plastic patio chair around our mostly-hardscaped / raised bed yard, which looks tacky but works for me]

– Get extendible or long handle tools…

– Find ergonomic tools with easy grips…

– Reduce strain on joints with orthopedic aids
Hill wears prescription knee braces and notes that wearing orthopedic aids provide stability and reduces joint strain while gardening.

“Wear braces even when you don’t think you need them,” Hill said. “I’ll often put them on as a reminder to not squat so low because it’s painful. When I’m in the groove, I’m not thinking about the ramifications of what I’m doing.”…

– Utilize free public resources…

If you’ve been struggling, or have an older loved one who is, well worth reading the whole thing.

The potatoes that grow in the Andes of South America are far more than a starchy staple of the local diet. They are a rich part of the culture.

“There’s one really wonderfully beautiful potato, it looks almost like a rose. And the name of that one is ‘the-one-that-makes-the-daughter-in-law-cry’,” says Tammy Stenner, executive assistant at Asociación Andes, a non-profit organisation in Cusco, Peru, that works to protect biodiversity and indigenous rights in the region. “A potential mother-in-law would ask the young woman who wants to marry her son to peel this potato, but she has to peel it with care, so not wasting the flesh, not ruining the shape.”

It is just one of more than 1,300 varieties of potato to be found growing in the mountains of the Andes, somewhere between 3,200m and 5,000m (10,500ft-16,500ft) above sea level. These are not the smooth-skinned russets or pale Maris Pipers that can be found on supermarket shelves in Europe and the US. Instead, they come in shades of purple, pink, red, and black, as well as white and yellow. Some have so many lumps and bumps that peeling them is enough to bring tears to the eyes.

Others require special methods of preparation. There are some that have to be freeze-dried (using one of two different methods for doing so), some that should only be cooked whole, and those that can be peeled and cut up for cooking. Individual varieties often have wonderfully descriptive names that describe their shape: one name translates to “puma’s paw”, another to “llama’s nose”. Then there are the potatoes named according to the role they play in the field, like the wild relatives of the cultivated potatoes known as the “grandfathers”, or the role they play in local customs.

But now these beguiling vegetables have a new and vital role to play – helping to ensure potato crops can adapt to the challenges of climate change.

Potato Park, located near the Peruvian town of Pisac, was founded by six indigenous communities in 2002 to preserve the genetic diversity of potatoes grown in the region, as well as the cultural heritage of the people that grow them. Other native Andean crops grow here, too, from maize to quinoa. The agricultural methods used in the park have been developed over thousands of years, and resilience to extreme weather, such as that caused by El Niño, is built in. Farmers also vary planting locations within the almost 10,000-hectare (38 sq miles) reserve, and harvest at multiple times across the year.

As well as preserving many varieties of potatoes that might otherwise be lost – along with the agricultural knowledge and traditions involved in growing potatoes at high altitude – farmers are testing which of the existing varieties can best adapt to the kind of extreme conditions that are expected to become more common as the global climate changes…

In fact, you don’t need to be a farmer to save seeds and steward a diverse range of crops for the future. Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organisation based in Iowa, US, dedicated to the preservation of heirloom seeds. The organisation uses a combination of ex situ conservation (long-term storage of seeds in their gene bank) and in situ conservation (sharing their seeds with gardeners and farmers to grow). All of their seeds are open-pollinated, which means that growers can save their own seed year after year.

As well as holding information on the cultural heritage of their heirloom seeds – gathered by specialist seed historians – Seed Savers Exchange is working with a network of 700 gardeners across the US to help it learn which varieties might best adapt to different environments. Those gardeners grow seeds that the organisation would like more information on, then report back on aspects like germination rate, growth habit, and how the plants are doing in their climate. “These are people that are all across the country, so it allows us to be able to start to see what sort of environments some of these crops are thriving in,” says Mike Bollinger, executive director of Seed Savers Exchange…

… When water is captured by a rain garden, it infiltrates into the ground, evaporates, or is absorbed by plants and eventually returns to the atmosphere. The city is also installing permeable pavement.

The goal is to slowly absorb storm water to keep it out of the combined sewer, said Seth Charde, D.C. Water’s green infrastructure manager…

D.C. is promoting rain gardens in other ways. For $100, the city will design and install a rain garden through an incentive program for homeowners. The city is also helping private projects get federal money.

Less than half a mile from the White House, the streets of the Golden Triangle district are lined with restaurants, businesses, and lots of greenery. The wide sidewalks host tree boxes, pollinator plants, and enough rain gardens to capture 48,000 gallons of water…

Reader Interactions

50Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    I had a Garden Chat submission queued up, only to discover that my ‘permission’ to view the photos from the new-to-me file sharing system had ‘expired’.

    If this is Cole’s way of signaling a layoff, all I can say is, if you go, I go.

  2. 2.

    Anne Laurie

    @Baud: Thank you for the vote of confidence, but no:  It’s a ‘me’ problem, where I didn’t realize that if I hadn’t opened an attachment soon enough, the file-sharing program would refuse to recognize my ‘permission’ from Jeffrey.

    I’m hoping he will send me the photos again — and *this* time, I’ll put them into a draft post immediately!

  4. 4.

    eclare

    Wonderful news about Potato Park (I love potatoes) and about the rain gardens, thank you.  With all of the snow and rain we’ve had recently, my whole yard is a rain garden.  I hope the weather has helped the extreme low water levels on the MS river.

  6. 6.

    satby

    @eclare: After 8+ inches of snow, and the rain both before and after that fell including all last night, I woke up to an alert on my phone that my area is under a flood warning until Thursday. It’s still raining now. Flood stage expected from late tonight /early tomorrow morning and should start to subside Wednesday.  Unless the rain also predicted on Tuesday prolongs it.

    Edited to add: I’m on the high bluff side of the river, so no danger to me. And thanks to a previous really smart guy we used to have as mayor (wonder what happened to him 😉) the parks and a golf course were redesigned to handle flooding better, as were storm sewers.

  7. 7.

    OzarkHillbilly

    The big thaw is here and with it rain, rain, and more rain. I still have a hundred bulbs to get in the ground but it is way too sloppy/muddy to even think about it. Gonna dry up this week w/ plenty of sunshine and even 50+ degree days in the forecast, so they’ll get planted this week.

    Received my first batch of seeds this week and waiting on another. So if I get bored I can spend an hour or 2 perusing them and thinking about where I will plant them.

  8. 8.

    eclare

    @satby:

    Hahaha…another great job from Mayor Pete!  We are finally out of a flood watch here, but like you, Memphis is on really high bluffs, so no worries for me, thank goodness.  The Arkansas side of the river is another story, but I haven’t seen any reports of flooding.

  9. 9.

    NotMax

    and some random links I’ve been hoarding

    You can lead a horse to water but you can’t lead a hoard to culture.
    ;)

  10. 10.

    BenInNM

    Thanks for the articles. One of my projects this spring is to install some rain barrels. It’s still in the planning stage so I’ll see how far I get – these projects can drag on sometimes :).

    Otherwise this has been the first weekend in awhile where the weather has been pleasant and I’ve been able to get outside. I did a first pass at cleanup and will do some more today. Also finished off a little fountain I’ve been working on. It felt good to be back in the yard.

  11. 11.

    satby

    @eclare: He really is an infrastructure nerd! Glad you don’t have to worry about flooding either.

    @OzarkHillbilly: Our ground is still mostly frozen from the stretch of 5° days last week, but thawing If it continues to stay above freezing at night. I’m debating whether I want to start seeds next week to put out in April or if I should be more patient. I think our last average frost date got revised to earlier when they changed my zone from 5b to 6a. I never quite nail the timing right.

  12. 12.

    Geminid

    Digging forks seem to be less taxing to use than spades, so I guess they have an ergonomic advantage when it come to weeding and digging.

  14. 14.

    mrmoshpotato

    Most of the world’s #crop varieties are preserved by small holders who plant, harvest and carefully save their #seeds.

    In #Peru, a group of #Indigenous communities is protecting the more than 1,300 potatoes varieties of the country.

    I heartily applaud this.

  24. 24.

    Ken

    @BenInNM: One of my projects this spring is to install some rain barrels.

    Check your local laws. I know that in parts of the West (and I’m assuming your nym’s “NM” is New Mexico), rain barrels can run afoul of the water-rights laws.

  28. 28.

    BenInNM

    @Ken: Yeah – it’s a definite thing to be aware of. I’m in Albuquerque though and I can get a credit on my water bill for installing one. In fact, I did have one 50 gallon barrel but you can only take the credit once so I held off until I do this system. I’m planning on at least 500 gallons – 50 gallons isn’t much use here as it fills up pretty quickly when we do have rains and 50 gallons doesn’t last very long.

  29. 29.

    Geminid

    @mrmoshpotato: Aha! Now I wonder if it will raining. It’s a wet morning here.

    Maybe the sun will come out as Taylor Swift arrives at the stadium. There might be a rainbow!

  35. 35.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud:  Some people think Swift is a god. Other’s think she is the devil.

    eta: Myself, I think she is Delilah come to take Kelce’s strength.

  38. 38.

    Elizabelle

    WRT Taylor Swift:  the WaPost published her alleged latest favorite cocktail.  Expect a run on lemon bitters!  (I might try this with orange bitters which (A) I have and (B) seem to be way more available and less expensive.). Also fresh grapefruit.

    The French Blonde Cocktail

    • Ice
    • 2 ounces Lillet Blanc
    • 2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
    • 1 ounce dry gin, such as Monkey 47
    • 1/2 ounce elderflower liqueur, such as St-Germain
    • 3 dashes lemon bitters

    In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the Lillet Blanc, grapefruit juice, gin, elderflower liqueur and bitters. Seal the shaker and shake vigorously to chill and dilute, at least 30 seconds. Double strain into a Nick and Nora or coupe glass, and serve.

    Author Emily Heil’s take: This citrusy, complex-tasting cocktail is reportedly a favorite drink of pop icon Taylor Swift. But you don’t have to be a Swifty to enjoy its bright flavors — and relatively low ABV (alcohol by volume). You could use a larger glass and top it off with some sparkling water or wine to turn it into a spritz.

  39. 39.

    RevRick

    The key concept behind diverse efforts like the potato park and rain barrels is resilience. The reality of a climate made ever weirder and more stressful to the environment by global warming is that we will need to adapt to the threats of more flooding and prolonged droughts. Modern agricultural practices may need to revert to ancient ones.
    We Americans take for granted that the Midwest and California’s Central Valley will produce the bounty we are used to and that fruits and vegetables can be found in our supermarkets year round. But in this, the convenience of our motor vehicles and the pleasures of gallivanting around the world are our enemies. It’s all well and good to applaud the random efforts to build sustainable agriculture, but we all need to do a lot of hard assessment of our contribution to the challenges in the first place.

    This will be painful.

  40. 40.

    Kristine

    After two days of light rains on top of frozen ground, it’s kinda squishy here in NE Illinois by the Lake. I’ve been getting mostly rain when areas inland get snow, so the ground was already saturated. We’re in a prolonged mild stretch now so hopefully the defrosting and soaking up will continue.

    Daffodils 🌼 have resumed their activity—I spotted more green poking out of the ground here and there. NOAA predicts a good chance of above average temperatures for the next 90 days, but I’m guessing we’ll still see a frigid period or two.

  41. 41.

    RevRick

    @OzarkHillbilly: Most people don’t know that Delilah didn’t cut Samson’s hair. What she did is betray the source of his strength to the Philistines, who then ambushed him and cut his hair and took him captive. When you think about it, the story is another misogynist trope about duplicitous women.

  44. 44.

    Elizabelle

    @eclare:  It does.  Must acquire grapefruit.  (And have never broiled grapefruit with sugar; hear that’s delish.  Will lay in a few grapefruit …)

    No TV, so might have to head to a bar to see some football …

  46. 46.

    Salty Sam .

    @RevRick: The key concept behind diverse efforts like the potato park and rain barrels is resilience. The reality of a climate made ever weirder and more stressful to the environment by global warming is that we will need to adapt to the threats of more flooding and prolonged droughts.

    That adaptation must be continually updated as well.

    When I built my home in central Texas in the late 90’s, I opted for rainwater collection for my sole water source (rural, no city water available, and the water table had already dropped to the point that digging a well was prohibitively expensive).  I used the existing rainfall averages at the time for calculations of storage requirements (30K gallon concrete cistern).

    By the time I sold that place to move on, the “new reality” had set in-  we weren’t getting enough rain to keep the cistern full.  In 2009, a severe drought made having water delivered necessary.  I sold out in ‘12- don’t know what the new owners are doing for water now.

  47. 47.

    Trivia Man

    Long  time reader, first time seed starter. Last year i gad bad results planting seeds, this year i will attempt starting some indoors. Any broad tips to keep in mind? Ive looked at several EASY how to guides and it’s confusing me.

    South Wisconsin so my target last frost date seems to be May 1. No tomatoes (mrs cant eat them) so my main crops are jalapeño, sunflower, and pumpkin. Several others so if you have string feelings about what MUST start indoors id love to hear it.

    bonus difficulty: cat. Who has been known to dig up indoor plants

  49. 49.

    Glidwrith

    @BenInNM: I got as far as installing rain barrels and even transferring water from the collectors to storage, but I ran into how to actually use the water without dipping out by hand.

    I can’t elevate these things, too heavy and a serious hazard in an earthquake.

    Any suggestions from the hive mind?

  50. 50.

    Geminid

    @Glidwrith: A siphon could take most of the water out of a rain barrel. If you can elevate the barrel a foot a siphon can get almost all the water. Some hardware stores sell suitable clear plastic tubing by the foot.

    There are probably decent battery-powered pumps now too.

Comments are closed.