Archive for ‘Mindful Living’

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June 7, 2011

Water, water, water!

We’ve had record-breaking temps in the Twin Cities the past couple of days. This weather is tough.  It literally feels like a blast furnace to us and most of us aren’t outside all day and night.

This is the kind of weather that really tests Darwin’s theory or evolution and truly the strongest (healthiest and most fit) will survive.  Plants and trees have no respite right now, so they really need us.  We all need to do our part to keep our plants and trees well watered right now, not only to keep them moist, but on these really hot days, their roots need cooling too.  Container plants especially need their roots cooled.  Remember a few days ago I was mentioning that it’s great that the soil in containers heats faster than the soil in the ground because you can get a jump-start on seed germination and plant growth?  Well, here we are, less than a week later and I get to remind you that there’s a down side to containers as well.  The soil in containers heats faster than the soil in the ground… On days like today when temps are over 100 degrees the soil temperature in containers is soaring as well.  If your plants look limp, but the soil is still wet, please give your plants a drink anyway.  Just like us, they may not be thirsty so much as just too hot.  The cool water will help cool their roots and get them back to a comfortable temperature, lessening the stress on the plant.

As if these temps alone aren’t enough to torture plants and trees, add dry air and high wind and we’re asking a lot of our green friends.

And now for a little plant biology. 🙂  Much like human perspiration, plants lose water through openings on their leaves in a process called transpiration.  The rate of transpiration (loss of water) is affected by humidity in the air, wind, air temperature and light intensity. The drier the air, the higher the wind, the higher temperature and the more intense the light is will increase the rate of transpiration/loss of water.

So… on hot days, water.  On dry days, water.  On windy days, water. And on hot, dry, windy days… please, please water!

Kate

Posted in Container Gardening, Landscaping, Mindful Living, Organic Gardening, Ornamental Grasses, Perennials, Veggie Garden | 2 Comments »

June 3, 2011

To market, to market….

One of my favorite things to do on Saturday mornings in the summer is grab a cup of coffee and “hit the market”. And by this I mean the Farmers Market.

I grew up a market kid. For pretty much as far back as I can remember, Saturday mornings meant heading to the Farmers Market with my mom.  As a kid I didn’t get it.  It all seemed the same: rows and rows of tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, cukes, you name it.  My mom would check each of them out and move on, keeping tabs on the vendors who had produce she was interested in.  At the time I couldn’t figure out what on earth the difference was.  WHY did we have to go down EVERY row?  They all have the same stuff, or so I thought.  I swore she just brought me along to haul the bags for her and when you’re 6 or 7, carrying bags of carrots, beets, radishes, kohlrabi, etc. can get pretty heavy!  Not to mention it can be kind of scary when you lose your mom because she stopped to check out the 10th tomato vendor (because the others “didn’t look good” even though they all looked just fine to 7-year-old eyes) and you got distracted by the brilliantly colored flowers across the aisle and turned to find people are swarming everywhere.  Despite all these hurdles I had to overcome (wink, wink) I came to love the market.  I started to learn the difference between the fresh and not-so-fresh, the ripe and the “not quite” and why my said some things “didn’t look good”.  Then there were the brats hot of the grill.  Like Foot Longs at the State Fair, no matter what time we got to the market, a brat was our reward at the end.  Many brats were eaten before 7:30am!  Mom liked to go early, and she still does.  Get there early, get the freshest produce, get a hot brat and head out before it gets too crazy.

I grew up going to the Minneapolis Farmers Market, you know, the one that has the red roofs you can see from the freeway, but can’t figure out how the heck to get there?  Yeah, that one.  That market has changed a lot over the years, yet the core has remained the same.  Nice people, nice produce, nice vendors. Nice and busy, yet laid back.

Although I don’t get there often, only because it’s “on the other side of the river”, I’ve also like the St. Paul Farmers Market too.  For lack of a better way to describe it, this one feels a little more trendy to me.  The one thing I really like about this market is that 100% of the produce is locally grown.  I’ve heard that this year they’ve also added free horse-drawn wagon rides from the parking lot to the market.  My son will love this!

When I don’t have a lot of time or just want a more low-keyed market experience, I head to the Richfield Farmers Market. This market has yet to fail me.  They always have a little bit of everything, just enough selection, large bouquets of fresh-cut flowers on the cheap and crepes! Oh, and cheese and bread and jams and such just like their bigger relatives, what’s not to like?

Regardless of where you live, what you like in a market or farm stand, whether you’ve never been to one or go all the time, support them. Especially if the produce is local!  The market is an experience. Plus, there’s nothing like a fresh radish, fresh lettuce, fresh asparagus and oh…. the fresh sugar snap peas… I can’t wait until they’re ready!

My challenge to you is this:  Get to a market (or farm stand).  Buy something new to you.  While you’re there, talk to the vendor.  REALLY talk to them.  Find out where they’re from, how long they’ve been growing produce or how long they’ve been selling at the market, some of their stories can be amazing.  This does a few things… gets you out, exposes you to something that could become a new favorite food, and brings back our connection to people, our food and where it comes from. It helps bring us full circle.

So, tomorrow is Saturday. If you’re looking for me I’ll be “at the Market” bright and early with coffee in hand, my market bag on my shoulder and hauling my son along to help carry… flowers.

I hope you go.  I hope you love it as much as I do.   And I hope you jiggety-jog as you go home again.

Kate

Posted in Favorites, Mindful Living | Leave a Comment »

May 12, 2011

… showers bring May flowers…

Today is another cold and rainy day in the Twin Cities, but for some reason it didn’t get me down.  Okay, maybe a little, while I fought the urge to hang out under a blanket and read a book instead of going to my son’s baseball game tonight.  But since they didn’t cancel the game and he was so anxious to play, I went. My jeans wicked water from the bottom to mid-calf and my socks were more like damp sponges, but I got to see my son’s first hit of the season so I couldn’t be happier.  He even got the “game ball” tonight.  No blanket or book could have been better than seeing the smile on his face.  It was a great end to a wet, grey day.

There are many things about rainy days that I love.  I love hearing the cars splash through the puddles.  I love listening to birds sing while they use the rain as their own personal shower.  I love watching rain drops slide across leaves and drip down to the ground below.  I love how the filtered sunlight changes the colors of everything outside.  I love how intense the yellow is on goldfinches and orioles.  I love that rainy days slow everything down.  It takes everything back a couple of notches.  Especially in the spring. Ever since the weather has begun to warm up I’ve felt a surge of energy.  Energy in the plants, animals, water, everywhere.  It’s like everything and everyone has been running in high gear. The rain gives me a chance to pause, reflect and catch my breath.

Rain seems to have the opposite effect on plants though.  Have you ever looked out the window while it’s raining and just observed?  Rain is like an instant energy source for plants.  Give them water and I swear you can watch them grow before your very eyes.  In the past couple of days I’ve watched my raspberries leaf out, buds start to pop on the grape vines and the pear trees go into full blossom.  The asparagus is now ripe for picking, Monarda is popping up everywhere and peonies and lilies are growing taller by the minute.  Tulips, daffodils, rhododendrons, azaleas, hyacinths and Forsythias are all in full bloom, as are the magnolias and some of the flowering crabs.  The best part is… there are so many sweet smells to go with it!

The rain has also made my lawn bloom, literally.  Since I don’t use chemicals and haven’t focused much time on weed control, there is a nice crop of dandelions and creeping charlie in my yard.  We inherited these with the house when we bought it and I honestly haven’t devoted much time to getting rid of them. However, there’s a part of me that thinks of these “weeds” as a gift.  I know, you probably think I’m crazy but the most beautiful time of the year in my backyard is right now.  Resting within the lush green grass is a sea of purple creeping charlie blossoms combined with bright yellow dandelions and splashes of white and lavender violets. If everything is timed just right, in a few days the pink petals from the flowering crab will begin to fall and add yet another color to the mix.  It truly is beautiful.

I promise to provide pictures to prove it!

What have the spring showers brought you?

Kate

Posted in Flower Gardening, Mindful Living, Organic Gardening, Ornamental Grasses, Perennials | Leave a Comment »

May 6, 2011

Plant sales and Living Green!

Can you feel it?  It’s like a buzzing, fluttering, whooshing sort of feeling.  It’s everywhere!  Spring is FINALLY here in Minnesota and the energy is amazing.  The sun is shining and we’re supposed to have a near 70 degree day.  This week I got 3 new issues of gardening magazines, 3 plants and seeds for my Children’s Garden arrived and plant sales are everywhere!  I love it, I love it, I love it!

Much as I’d like to keep it a secret, I have to put a shout out to the HTC Plant Sale located at the Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park Campus. Although there are many plant sales out there, this one is close to my heart. Not only because I went to school there, but also because the plants being sold are grown and cared for by the Landscape and Horticulture students.  Deb Kvamme, one of the instructors, is one of the most passionate plant people I’ve ever met, so she makes the sale very fun.  They always have the standard bedding plants, veggies and herbs, but if you get there early enough, you’re guaranteed to find something unique as well.  There are 3 greenhouses bursting with plants and the sale is run like a well oiled machine.  It’s worth the drive.  The sale runs May 5th, 6th and 7th from 9am – 7pm.  Go!  You won’t be disappointed!

Another plant sale “must do” this weekend is the Friends School Plant Sale held at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds Grandstand.  If you’ve never been there, it’s GI-NOR-MOUS.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  They even produce their own catalog with plants that are available at the sale.  View it online, it’s an impressive list to say the least!  The Friends School sale runs Friday, May 7, from 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., Saturday, May 8, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 9, from 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm. Sunday is discount day.

While you’re at the fair grounds visit the Living Green Expo.  There you can learn about how to live a more mindful, sustainable life.  There are seminars and vendors with everything from gardening and composting, to cooking, to solar, wind and water, to energy savings, to rain gardens and permaculture and even organic lawn care just to name a few.  The Living Green Expo runs Saturday, May 7th from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Sunday May 8th from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Do you have a favorite sale I didn’t list?  Let everyone know!

Not in the Twin Cities?  Check your local paper or garden club for sales, grab a friend and go!

Enjoy all things green this weekend!

Kate

Posted in Cooking, Environment, Healthy Eating, Landscaping, Mindful Living, Organic Gardening | Leave a Comment »

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