Cress
Cress:
There are several different kinds of watercress, three of which I mentioned in this article:
So far I have grown only two. The one I grew from seed is Nasturtium officinale, which is a lovely plant, but finicky and slow to get established from seeds. It does root beautifully from cuttings, however, and if it gets an alkaline environment and the weather is cool enough, it produces luscious leaves with a deep rich green color.
Nasturtium officinale just started from newly rooted stem cuttings.
The Barbarea verna we have been able to purchase from live-root plants at the supermarket, and that one seems to be reproducing itself by division.
Barbarea verna can be found as live plants in the produce section of the supermarket.
I have high hopes for Leopidium sativum working better for us because it is reportedly heat-tolerant but I am looking for the broad leafed cress and need to be sure that when I order seed it does not turn out to be cressida, the curly variety of this plant.
Komatsuna Kojisan
Like many brassicas, the outer leaves of the kojisan tend to spread out, so I take the plant out of the AeroGarden once it is off to a good start and grow it alongside in a passive hydroponic container. It is very easy to grow hydroponically.
Getting Started w/Booch
To make it I use cold brewed organic tea (made with zero filtered water), half black and half green, up to 1/2 cup starter from the SCOBY Hotel, and SUGAR (about 1/4 cup sugar to 1 cup of tea), plus 1 cup of water. I make it in a glass jar with a stainless steel spigot.
Wild Poppies in Keene, California
In addition to lovely weather, a great reason to take a trip in the springtime has to be the flowers one finds along the roadside. Here are some wild California Poppies we saw growing in a field:
Converted Marigold
Ieput the plant, dirt and all in a bowl of room temperature filtered water and let it soak for a few hours. Then I shook it gently, and lifted the roots right out of the soil and placed the whole plant in another bowl of water where I shook it again to get most of the soil out of the root. Again, I cut a grow sponge in half and then in half again, and used the pieces to cushion the roots, encased it in a basket, cut a slit halfway through the label and again, applied it with sticky-tacky and popped the already blossoming marigold into the seventh hole.
My view of Mt. Diablo
This is the view from my drawing table. Our gated community is home to around 9,000 people, but the layout makes it possible to still feel the wide open spaces.
There is a lot of green in Northern California. When we come here from our Arizona home every spring it is always rather shocking at first. What is even more shocking is the realization that a hundred thousand other people live in this area and look at "my" mountain. The view from my window makes it seem so remote and uninhabited.
Colored Pencil Apple
I drew this apple to test my first set of PrismaColor colored pencils around the turn of the century. Before that I had only used the cheepo ones from the 99 cent stores. There is a difference. The blender is the secret though and using the right base colors
