Handmade Heaven

We've been doing all kinds of craft shows and this weekend will be a really big one...over 60 crafters with their treasures at the 20th Annual Falls Church Holiday Craft Show.  We're busy making some extra special holiday creations--I'll post some if I get a change before we take them to the show.  http://tinyurl.com/holidaycraft

Archaeologists Find Rapunzel's Tower

The ruins of Rapunzel's tower were found this week during an excavation of celtic ruins in the northwest of France.  Rapunzel, the generously-locked character of fairy tale fame, was previously thought to be fictional, but archaeologists have in fact confirmed that she was a real woman living in a tower in the french countryside.  The artifacts retrieved thusfar in the ongoing excavation that has begun are pictured below.

For the full examination of the elegant and mysterious artifacts found visit the excavation treasury here.

Archaeologists and folklorists alike are marveling at the vivid inner life she created within her tower.  "She appears to have been quite enjoying herself in her tower, despite her unfortunate imprisonment" said Dr. Beatrice Cheveux who is heading the excavation.

We asked Snow White what she made of the findings and she commented, "Why yes, I'm really not surprised she was so creative.  Being in solitude deep in the woods, locked in a tower, or even a dungeon can be a very creative and meditative time indeed.  Of course, I'm really glad she managed to get out a bit too!"  

Those excavating the site say they expect that they have just scraped the surface, and they are eager to uncover more clues to her story.  We will continue our coverage of the excavation's findings in the coming weeks and share discussion with folklorists on what impact this will have on storytelling around the world. 

--Danielle

I went for a swim in some magic :)

...and I thought I'd share it here.  Artists & crafters are sharing so much good energy these days, and discovering their creations.  That is one of the most beautiful things about Etsy.  So much inspiration.

We're Back

We've been playing music and growing some vegetables and flowers while we created new hand painted, upcycled treasures.  And Kai is creating some magical and mystical wood carvings that we'll start sharing soon.

We didn't mean to be so long in time between posts, but we'll make up for it soon with something pretty exciting :)

More very soon!

~D

Now that spring is amidst,

Preparations for many plantings are in full motion. Soil is mixed, nutrient rich, earthworm rich, organic, with some red and green beet sprouts and Irish Moss growing here and there.

I have taken some pictures of the plants we're growing here, but have not had the opportunity to upload them (I myself do not yet own a camera) but plan to upload them after we do some more planting, so I can take pictures of those as well.

I helped make some brick and glass cold frames the other day on a nearby farm. The Kidney Bean plants are big, strong, and flowering.

We are excited about what will happen in the garden this spring, and plan to share it all with you. I will document the whole process as best I can :)

A few garden projects are calling me from outside. I will see you all again!

A Treasure in Plain Sight

When we first created this blog I had no idea that there were so many like-minded people around the internet (though it makes a lot of sense). I know that we are a fairly new blog with humble beginnings but the amount of support that we've had so far means a lot to me, and I want to say thank you to everyone. Like gardening, this is a very rewarding experience.

I took a long walk today and was amazed by how many plants have been blooming this early! It really is a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, I don't live in a very rural area like I used to, until we get land for our organic farm suburbia will have to do for us. It's really not bad at all it seems. Despite being in an area of countless corporate buildings (some pretty creepy ones too), monotone apartment complexes, and identical housing, nothing can seem to hold back the spontaneous diversity and beauty of nature.

During my walk I noticed a lot of lovely blooming and budding flowers and bushes lining people's front walkways, but what really intrigued me was the burst of life in all of the corners of this town that hasn't been developed--the wildflowers, the "weeds"--a greater source of inspiration to me.

You can see why this very beautiful 'weed' caught my eye
Henbit plants scatter a patch of grass with dots of purple.

I picked a particularly beautiful "weed" that I found by the nearby stream (a trash-ridden place next to a military weapons contractor unfortunately) to take it home and identify it after about 45 minutes of searching online I came to the hesitated conclusion that the weed is called "Henbit" though there seems to be very many variations of this plant, I am convinced that the one I found is one of them. To the right there is a picture of one of these delicate plants.

I've always had a particular fascination with the plants that most lawn-carers call weeds, since nearly every plant that is not toxic has beneficial properties that we can use. Even certain toxic ones have healthy benefits in small doses. From what I can tell, every species of plants (as well as every single plant) is very special, and for us to deem one of them a 'pest' potentially causes us to miss out on a healthy opportunity. Many of the invasive weeds people have so much trouble getting rid of treat many of the conditions and/or illnesses that the weed puller may have.

Apparently Henbit is eatable and very nutritious--the leaves are included in some of the less-than-common salad recipes. The various species of these plants can be made into teas to be used as a laxative, an astringent, to induce sweating, to relieve rheumatism, and as a stimulant--and to think that many people whose eyes pass over these "weeds", or even the people who pull them and throw them out, may really need some of these medicinal properties. It smells particularly beautiful as well.

Anyway, I really have been trying to get around to taking pictures of our plants (the ones that are doing well at least) that we plan to transplant in the next few weeks. Seeing as it is dark outside, but I will make a note to do this tomorrow!

All the best with your planting adventures! Enjoy this increasingly warm weather, and the blooming plants--and be sure to comment if you have the time :)

-Kai

A few tips on plant health for the springtime.

This spring we'll be using a garden bed or two in the yard that haven't been used for controlled gardening in a while. There are lots of wild grasses, weeds, and vines growing throughout them. One of the vines is huge (and very beautiful I might add, it pains me that I have to tear it from the ground/fence).

Anyway, after pulling out a lot of the weeds from one of the patches, and mixing the soil up, I saw that it was one of the most organism-rich soils I've ever seen. Nearly everywhere that I dug there would be a plethora of earthworms--certainly a nutrient rich soil. Of course, I found plenty of grubs as well, so I started to think about some of the earth-friendly ways to maintain a healthy environment for the plants we grow. 

These I guess are a few things to keep in mind while gardening this spring :) 

As you can see, the Nematode is indeed
a microscopic animal.

Parasitic Nematodes - Nematodes are a diverse animal--there are an estimated 1,000,000 different species of these fellows--28,000 which have been classified, 16,000 of them which are parasitic. Some of them are good for your garden, and some of them are pests. The predatory nematodes are our allies--they'll infect cutworms, grubs, pest nematodes, among others. You'll be able to find these types in a nursery (our local nursery is getting them at the end of the week) or online. 

Parasitic Nematodes are very good at getting a lot of the pests in hard-to-reach or hard to find places that Fiery Searchers, Ladybugs, Millipedes, and Firefly Larvae might have a bit of trouble getting at (see our post on helpful bugs). 

Nematodes can last for a very long time in your garden, but to ensure that there is a steady supply of them you may need to repopulate your soil with them once a year. Of course, it may be good only to use them when you are experiencing pest problems, otherwise they might cause imbalances (that I don't know of) in the various ecosystems happening in your soil. 

---

Ladybugs - Not only are they a beautiful addition to your garden, but they are very good pesticides--probably the most well-known organic pesticide. Introducing Ladybugs into your garden will significantly decrease sightings of those weird little bugs you see crawling all over your plant's leaves (and elsewhere) like mealy bugs, scales, leaf hoppers, mites, etc. 

While monstrous and terrifying to
some creatures, Ladybugs generally
appear as cute and colorful to humans.

Ladybug eat mostly soft-bodied insects, so they are definitely not a cure-all for pest problems, but they do prevent a huge number of pest problems, and they are very efficient at it. Single ladybugs have been known to eat over 5,000 aphids in one lifetime. A ferocious predator indeed. 

These guys have numerous natural enemies in the garden environment, and they work best in numbers. Don't overpopulate your garden with them, but don't cut costs (or time) by putting only a few in. Plenty of ladybugs means plenty of reproduction as well. 

Of course Ladybugs have needs just as all of us. In order to live a full and happy life they have to have a good source of pollen. For some reason they have a preference for bell-shaped flowers. A few good plants to attract and/or keep ladybugs are dill, celantro, fennel, caraway, angelica, tansy, wild carrot & yarrow--a few of which I'm sure you'd have no problem with growing in your garden (freshly picked yarrow flower is one of the most textured and beautiful smells I have ever had the pleasure of sensing--when some up between your fingers and taken a big wiff it's almost as if you are using parts of your lungs that you've never used before--it's also very good for you). 

---

BT (Bacillus Thuringiensis) is an oft-used alternative to chemical fertilizers, and it is certainly a better option since it is a natural occuring disease. If you're considering using this method be aware that BT will kill pests, but it will also kill most every other bug in your garden, including the helpful ones that act as pesticides (such as ladybugs, firefly larvae, etc.) and also important pollinators such as Bees and Butterflies. 

It is also important to consider that nutrients from the soil become available to plants from the activity of micro-organisms. I'm not sure whether or not BT is harmful to many of these micro-organisms (this would be a good thing to find out--anyone know?) but if it is it could significantly reduce the nutrient intake of plants, and thus reduce the nutrient content of your food/produce. 

Another naturally occurring disease used as a pesticide is Milky Disease which I think is generally used due to grub problems. I'm not very familiar with this disease or the side effects, but nevertheless it may be good to look into it. 

Of course, if you are having some very serious pest problems that parasites and other predatory bugs cannot solve, naturally occurring diseases are a much wiser choice than chemical pesticides which can really mess up your soil, not to mention infect the water tables and poison your food. 

---

There is nothing quite like the smell of spring rain. 

This being the springtime it is good to share various gardening techniques with one another, even if we are only reminding each other of things we already know :) 

The globalization of information is certainly a blessing to us gardeners and farmers--we do not have to depend on the local plant-person for all of our gardening knowledge but have access to gardeners all across the world, as well as thousands of years of plant knowledge. 

Until next time! 

-Kai

P.S. Does anyone have any tips on making clayey soil a bit more sandy and ventilated? The bed I'm preparing has very nutrient rich soil, but it is very clayey--hard for seedlings to sprout but I'm also worried about transplanting into the soil. I know that mixing in sand and humus helps (I plan to spread humus around each of the transplants to help air their roots) but was wondering if there are any other good techniques for doing this?


If you have no idea, you're welcome to comment anyways :D