After making a few seed orders I needed to remember what all I ordered, and why. The best way I could think of was to just cut out the descriptions from the catalog and save them. Makes a fine bulletin board, don’t you think?
My new favorite catalog this year is definitely the one from Territorial Seeds. Although I am not in love with one of their seed suppliers, Semenis (owned by Monsanto), I AM in love with the fact that they list, for each seed packet, whether the plant is OP (open pollinated) or an F1 Hybrid. They even offer an “organic seed” choice for some things.
My favorite thing about Territorial Seeds is their catalog. It’s almost like a free gardening guidebook. Even if you won’t order from them, it’s actually worth requesting a catalog just to see how much information they send along.
I’ll run down my new seed finds in another post, probably after I start my seedlings next month.
I am adding two new 4 ft x 8 ft garden beds this year, so I decided to let my kids each plant one. I’ll also let our wonderful friend and neighbor, M., plant one of my existing 4×8’s. These children are 8, 6 and 6 years old, so I made them up a planning guide that you see above (and in color below).
I helped them cut out the plant rectangles that are sized to cover 1, 2 or 4 square feet in the bed, and then let them arrange them any way they pleased. So far, two of the three are finished:
Kids' 4 x 8 foot garden plans
Feel free to take this idea and run with it, but make your own. Absolutely all of the pictures in mine were “lifted” gently from Google searches, so I have no permission to use them.
Seed Germination Trials
Last year I saved seeds from as many things as my waning fall motivation would allow. This week I need to determine if my efforts were successful. I am attempting to germinate a few samples from each type in a wet paper towel. In case the seeds require darkness, I also covered the paper towels with damp newspapers.
The radish seeds are germinating already. The black ones are chives.
No luck yet for these tomato seeds...
...or cantaloupe seeds...
...or watermelon seeds.
Wish them luck!!!
I have also been ordering seeds! Stay tuned!
Too many times I have been reminded by fellow bloggers that I should have an emergency 72-hour kit or bag ready for the members of my family. The idea is that in case of an emergency, both in or out of my house, I could grab these backpacks and survive with them for 3 days. I know it’s a smart piece of insurance. I get excited about it every time I read someone else telling me that I should get ready. Then I visit a few preparedness web sites, mentally add up how much it’s going to cost to get ready, and then I don’t.
There are “cheap” kits for $40 or $50 each that won’t have everything I need anyway. There are expensive kits that are–just that–expensive. The best way is to put everything together yourself, customized to your family. It may be the most expensive option of all if you scrutinize what you’ll be spending, but it will suit your family’s needs perfectly.
So today I had an idea! My 2010 New Year’s resolution! I am going to assemble 72-hour emergency backpack kits for the four members of my family by doing a little each month for a year. The expenses will be spread out and I will have a well-thought-out, high-quality product in the end. I found a checklist online and broke it down, month by month:
JANUARY
- Secure and tag four backpacks for this purpose. Two large adult packs and two small enough for the boys to carry.
- Determine a place in the house where these packs can be kept at the ready, but far enough away from curious children that things won’t go missing, and warm enough that any water packs won’t constantly freeze and thaw with the weather.
- Fill the packs with items from the checklist that are already available in my particular home without purchase and adjust the buy lists for the other 11 months accordingly.
- Attempt to duplicate most small items in each adult pack in case just one of us goes with the boys.
What I probably have already:
- The backpacks
- A complete outfit of warm clothing, bagged in a quality ziplock into each backpack. Include cheap gloves and winter hat.
- First aid kits
- Copies of important papers & documents.
- Spare key to each car and the house
- Extra pair of shoes for each adult. Kids grow too fast to do this.
- Handheld GPS
- Snake Bite Kit
FEBRUARY
- Add $20 cash to an adult kit. Three $5s and 20 quarters in a film canister or similar.
- Hand warmer packs
- Toilet paper
MARCH
- Add $20 cash to an adult kit. Three $5s and 20 quarters in a film canister or similar.
- Sun block
- Insect repellent
APRIL
- Add $20 cash to a child kit. Three $5s and 20 quarters in a film canister or similar.
- Pocket knife or multi-tool in each adult pack.
MAY
- Add $20 cash to a child kit. Three $5s and 20 quarters in a film canister or similar.
- Instant cold packs
- Sewing kit
JUNE
- Add emergency food to all 4 kits. Adult kits get “real” MRE food, child kits get high calorie energy bar meals (lighter to carry). Food will be shared together.
- Add bagged water to all 4 kits. Order everything from one place to save shipping.
- Probably the most expensive month, move to a place on the calendar that best fits your budget, such as tax return time.
JULY
- Get duplicate prescription meds, enough for a week.
- Other meds (Tylenol, Benadryl, Vitamin C, etc.)
- Water filter and purification supplies.
- Whistle/compass combo on lanyard
AUGUST
- Windproof and waterproof matches, flint block, tinder kit (dry, oily, candle)
- Emergency reflective blankets
- Disposable ponchos
SEPTEMBER
- LED headlamp/flashlight for each pack, extra set of batteries each. ($5 each on ebay)
- Chemical light sticks.
OCTOBER
- Personal comfort kits- toothbrushes, paste, small soap, razor, deordorant, sanitary napkins, handkerchiefs
- Hard candy, mints
- Pencil & pen, paper game book (sudoku, crossword)
NOVEMBER
- Camping propane and tiny stove with tin cup?
- 50 feet of nylon rope or 550 cord in adult packs, 20 feet in youth packs.
DECEMBER
- Small radio, preferably using same batteries as headlamp/flashlight.
- Folding shovel
Every 6 months, or as remembered-
Rotate prescription meds.
Check kid clothes for fit
Every 2 years-
Check first aid kit and replenish
Check expiration date on sunblock, repellent and all food
Rotate all batteries
Adjust this list to suit your family size and needs. Add and remove items, swap months, whatever…the point is that you’ll finally be doing it! Get started!
What did that title say?
I was reading the February/March 2010 issue of Organic Gardening magazine, in the Letters section, and came across a note signed by Betty Gambill of Winston-Salem, North Carolina: (Emphasis and color are mine.)
Canning Cautions
Please let your readers know that every state has a network of Cooperative Extension officers staffed by agents that they can contact for information about canning [Ask OG, November-January]. They have pamphlets on canning, freezing, and drying. Some even offer classes, and all will answer questions on any problems a person may encounter. The extension office is usually part of a state university.
Also, pressure canning is no longer recommended for safety reasons, and the canner that looks like a baby-bottle sterilizer is no longer recommended. Many online sites offer electric water-bath canners. I got mine more than 10 years ago when I took a canning class from the extension office in Salem, Oregon.
Is this serious? What? Pressure canning is no longer recommended? That’s the first I have heard of this, whether just in North Carolina, the whole USA or anywhere else.
I am guessing that the magazine’s editors either didn’t do their homework on this letter, or that they edited it for length and left out some crucial wording, possibly about new flat glass stovetops.
What do you think? Have you heard anything about this? Would you stop pressure canning just because someone decided to tell you to stop?
“Every time I went to the grocery store (actually at least 75% of the time) I picked up a little box of 1 dozen lids.”
How I did it: Every time I went to the grocery store (actually at least 75% of the time) I picked up a little box of 1 dozen lids. Over the course of a year I didn’t notice the expense because a dozen lids costs less than $2.00. I now have one year’s worth of lids (about 24 dozen) stocked away. Now if there is a single-year shortage of canning lids for any reason, I can feel impervious to the shortage.
Lessons & tips: There is only ONE FACTORY in the USA making canning lids. Am I the only one worried about this?
It took me 1 year.
It made me comfortable 
“I built my son a full size bed loft with a desk underneath”
How I did it: I built the whole thing out of lumber from a local store using a circular saw, a drill and a socket wrench. I made my own plans and measurements based on a picture I found online that I liked and the exact size of my son’s mattress.
Lessons & tips: Buy a few extra pieces of wood and more screws. You’ll need them.
Resources: Sorry about the blurry camera phone picture(s). It’s what I have available at the moment.
It took me 2 days.
It made me like an amateur 
Other pictures:
Henry sanding his loft bed for me:
Bed Loft In Progress, otherwise known as BLIP. I got a lot cut and put together yesterday between about 1:00 and 8:00 p.m. The loft is basically complete up in his room, but it still needs a few shelves, a ladder, several support diagonals and the whole things needs to be sanded. I’m not looking forward to cleaning up a carpeted room after sanding, but it has to be done. Pictures when I’m able to call it done.
The lumber is in a pile in my garage. I have been making, checking, triple checking measurements and plans for a couple hours now. I’m about to change my saw blade and make the first cuts. I haven’t ever notched boards before, especially without a router. Wish me luck.
