What's up with me:
I love my apartment, however I've never
been particularly good at space management. Part of this I think has
to do with the fact that shelving can be expensive, depending on what
stores and resources you have close to home. I especially needed a
shelving system for my plants. Last year I managed to find this
awesome mini greenhouse that was for sale at some stores nearby.
It's something like 7'x3'x2', with an opaque plastic cover. I
thought about getting it (and setting it up in the apartment due to
patio restrictions) and talked it over with my wife, and when we
decided to go for it, it was gone. When we were perusing Bi-Mart the
other day, I was happy to see that they just got a shipment in and we
just picked it up.
Though I might put it in a different
part of the apartment eventually, for now I will utilize it in it's
current spot. It's perfect for our tropicals. I think our
carnivores will all enjoy the new space quite a bit. I tossed (well,
set, I would never throw my babies) a couple orchids in there as
well. I'd love to let the vanilla join them, but I think one of them
has gotten just a little too big, and knowing that it's sibling will
do the same thing soon enough, I'm going to keep them out of it.
I honestly feel that if you have a
patio garden (especially if you're sure people would leave it alone,
and you don't have as many restrictions as we have) that this would
be a great addition, especially for orchids and tropicals if you
happen to have them. Likewise, it makes for good indoor plant
shelving, provided that you don't mind sacrificing some space and a
window for it. Which isn't to say that it wouldn't be good for a
normal sized garden, and as it was less than $50, it's hard to not
suggest it. I've also seen them at Fred Meyers, but Bi-Mart (which
is a local Northwest business) has it substantially cheaper.
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What's up with the Season:
The days are getting longer, though
it's still pretty cold outside. However, I already see new growth
outside. My tulips are starting to poke out (including one that I
missed last year), the gooseberry has new buds, and I'm seeing just a
little bit of new growth on one of my Sarracenias. I think that this
Spring and Summer will be a good one for Oregon.
On the inside, I have new wasabi
starts. All but one are doing beautifully (and I think the one that
isn't will recover, it's just having a difficult time rooting). Two
Daruma and two Mazuma. Here's to hoping that I can start dividing
rhizomes later this year. Hopefully I can make a new post about
wasabi when it happens. I should probably put them outside once the
temperature stabilizes a bit (and if I can find a shadecloth for them
that my apartment manager won't object to.
What's up in the world:
Sadly (in my opinion), Oregon has just
authorized the growing of Genetically Modified rapeseed (canola) in
the Willamette Valley. I strongly object to this based on the simple
fact that rapeseed is a brassica crop
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica).
Since we rely so heavily on these plants for food, it means that the
GM crops can easily cross pollinate with any other brassica crop
nearby, things such as cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, kohl rabi,
cauliflower, mustards, turnips, etc. This would mean that anyone
with these crops, those who save their seeds to replant the next
year, would have to turn their seed crops over to Monsanto at the end
of the year. This is especially horrendous when you think about
people who have custom breeds that they have worked on their whole
lives, only to lose their work now due to uncontrolled crossbreeding.
There are many ways to get involved if you choose, but I'd start by
contacting the Oregon Department of Agriculture
(http://www.oregon.gov/oda/Pages/index.aspx).
Next Week: Most likely another journal
entry, I'm planning on writing another article, this time chronicling
cherimoya, but it will be a couple weeks at least. Until then,
everyone, be excited! Spring is nearly here!
Gardening resources for February and
March:
