Sunday morning - cigars and gardening.
7I was hoping to get the plants we got at Sage Garden in the raised beds at some point this weekend, but the night time lows are around 7°C for the next week, so looks like I’ll be holding off for now.
This afternoon we went down to the store and grabbed some wood to make another raised bed. With Lux’s help, we got the last one together in record time. There is still a giant pile of dirt on the front boulevard that I’ll have to deal with, but I think we’re calling the rest of the day rained out.
Our final raised bed tally is three 5’ x 2 1/2’ x 18” and one 10’ x1 1/4’ x 12”.
Can you eat Ornamental Black Pearl Pimiento Peppers?
For the most part, people online seem to be saying that they are food safe as long as they are grown organically. I googled images of the peppers and they look like those little berries that they warn you not to eat when you’re camping…so now I’m paranoid.
Does anyone know why they are labeled ‘ornamental’?
We booked it to Sage Garden Herbs after work to restock all the plants that we lost in what I now call ‘Gnat Attack (or Gnattack) 2013’. Sage Garden is an awesome organically run garden centre that specializes in culinary, medicinal, and sacred plants. This one is a Sweet Heat pepper - super high in vitamin C with a bit of a kick.
A rainy late evening dirt delivery leads to a muddy moonlit party of two.
The raised beds are filled with a 6” layer of river rock at the base then topped off with soil. We used up all the stone, but have at least a yard of soil left over. Kory claims no responsibility.
GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING - EARTHSHIPS
Earthships: Radically sustainable buildings made with recycled materials
There is one being built in Manitoba! Check out their site - https://sites.google.com/site/earthshipmanitoba/
It’s finally feeling like summer, so Kory and I built some raised beds for the front yard! We completely scrapped the plan we made last year and went with what felt manageable - three beds 1.5’ x 2.5’ x 5’.
Kalynn (my soonish to be sister-in-law) is doing something pretty cool for Manitobans. She’s creating a website that will connect sustainable farmers, chefs, and consumers. It will be a place where farmers can join together to learn, grow and link directly with consumers, where chefs can source local ingredients, and where consumers can access information about the food being produced in Manitoba.
She kicked off this project with a research phase…and it’s as authentic as you can get. She’s working on and visiting fifty farms in Manitoba this summer to get input directly from farmers.
This afternoon, Kory and I went for a visit to her first stop just outside of Gimli, MB - Interlake Meadows Farm.
__________
Check out Kalynn’s project blog - Freelance Farmer
This season starts with mixed feelings. My plan for starting all my plants from seed was kiboshed by a fungus gnat infestation, but it finally looks like the summer is on its way and I was able to save a few goodies.
Today, I went through the lot, groomed and purged. I ended up repotting most of the habaneros, a handful of tomatos, the chives, sage, thyme, ground cherries, and a few grand amaranth plants.
Ugh.
I definitely waited too long before before dealing with this fungus gnat situation. I lost all my basil and zinnia plants.
My heart aches.
Permaculture Media Blog
I just came across the Permaculture Media Blog through the Winnipeg Community Garden Network. Tons of great resources on sustainable living.
Fungus Gnats are the new Aphids…
… and neither are in style this season.
Thanks to Mr. Knittle’s Whimsies, Plants fear me, Childbearing Hipster, 8-bit Hippie, Erik P Kraft and Sam, the mystery has been solved - Fungus Gnats (hissing and booing at this point is appropriate).
Here are some of the remedy tips that I’ll be trying out tonight:
1- Placing a container filled with a water, soap, and vinegar mixture in the tank.
2- Spaying the leaves and soil with a soapy water mixture.
3- Spraying the leaves with a hot pepper water mixture.
4- Fly tape (which isn’t the prettiest, but has a dual purpose of killing the gnats and warning other gnats to stay away or I will string your bodies up for all to see).
