probably premature planting

post from craftlog on 05 February 2012 08:34:49 PM. © craftlog

It’s been just gorgeous out this weekend, so I took advantage to pretend it’s spring and do some gardening. The big additions to the garden this year are going to be fruit and flowers. On the fruit side, I’m planning strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and a container tree of some variety (fig? meyer lemon?)

This weekend’s progress was planting 15 bare root everbearing Quinault strawberry plants in one of the raised beds, plus four blueberry bushes along the south side of the house. This area previously had some other kind of unhappy bushes that we ripped out, then became my pumpkin patch last year. The soil here is a terrible clay. I planted a cover crop mix there in the fall, so we turned that under to add a little organic matter. Then Mark dug a giant hole for each plant, which we filled in with peat to make it more acidic for the blueberries, plus mixed in compost to add organic material and drainage.

We must have looked pretty confused at the nursery because one of the employees stopped and offered advice. We had just grabbed one of each dwarf-ish variety, since they will be going along a row of low windows. With his help, we ended up putting back a couple of not-so-great varieties and coming home with two Sunshine Blue, one each Patriot and Legacy, plus some expert growing advice. The set will make for a nice range of ripening times, and nice year-round foliage. The Legacy and Patriot bushes are supposed to get up in the 5 foot range, so we tried to space them away from the windows. Planting different varieties together also makes for better fruit, apparently. It’s advice like this which makes going all the way out to Sky worth the trip.

I also planted another horseradish root in a big flowerpot on my deck. Last year it never did anything, but I have a feeling that’s because it dried out before I planted it. This one I planted right away so hopefully it will make it.

The seeds are all newly stocked in the stores now too. I find that Fred Meyer always has the best deals on Ed Hume packets. I took advantage of a 40% off sale and got dwarf jewel mix nasturtiums, Little Sweetheart dwarf sweet peas, snapdragons deluxe mix, a gourmet blend radish mix, rainbow blend carrots, and Parisian market carrots. Sky has better selection, though, so I picked up a few things I can’t get at the Fred Meyer: a beet mix from Renee’s Garden, Swiss Chard Rainbow from Baker Creek, and a lovely Frosted Salmon Poppy, also from Baker Creek. Then I had to run to the local Ace to get some compost while we were planting the blueberries, and they have an Irish Eyes seedrack. From that I got a Gourmet Bush Bean Blend. Can you see a trend here? I looked back over my planting records as I was entering them into Folia, and realized that I frequently end up mixing varieties in the same patch anyway. Might as well save myself a few bucks and buy the mixed seeds.

And can I just say that the Baker Creek seed envelopes are every bit as gorgeous as their catalog.

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How to Make a Crochet and Paper Valentine Card

post from How to of the Day on 05 February 2012 07:00:00 PM. © How to of the Day

You could spend five dollars on a Valentine's Day card for the person you love, or you could take the time to make something that is truly special. If you know a little basic crochet, the rest of this project is fairly easy. If you don't know how to crochet, this is a fairly easy project for learning, or you could make the center heart from paper (or any other medium you want) and follow just the paper steps in the second half.

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http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Crochet-and-Paper-Valentine-Card

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How to Decorate Your Graduation Cap

post from Do It Yourself Videos - Metacafe on 05 February 2012 07:00:00 PM. © Do It Yourself Videos - Metacafe

Decorate your graduation cap in a professional way that lasts forever. Check out these suggestions or visit our website www.tasseltoppers.com for more ideas.
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Submitted By: Marc Goldberg
Tags: Recreation DIY Instructional Tutorials Do It Yourself Tips Trends Markers Celebrations Decorate Your Mortar Board Decorate Your Graduation Cap Graduaction Cap Decorating Ideas
Categories: How To

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http://www.metacafe.com/watch/8063155/how_to_decorate_your_graduation_cap/

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Maskros Bling

post from IKEA Hackers on 05 February 2012 05:34:47 PM. © IKEA Hackers

Materials: Maskros light, liquid nails & mirrored disk

Description: I wanted to cover the little center of the "flowers" on the maskros light in my daughters room. The plastic is a little off white and doesn't match the white of the paper. So, I bought mirrored disk at a craft store and used liquid nails to glue them on to the plastic disk. It is a small change but looks so much more finished.

See more of the Maskros bling.

~ Laurie