Green Living Thursday

Well the storms seem to be over for now, but we are left with a lot of snow piled up on the ground. With seed catalogs piling up in the mailbox, and spring planting time still far off, what is a gardener to do? Two words. Winter Sowing.

What is that you might ask? Well, according to the website www.wintersown.org, winter sowing is an easy germination method that allows you to start seeds during the winter. Seeds are sown into mini-greenhouses that you make yourself from recyclables. After sowing, the mini-greenhouse is placed outside to wait for the end of winter. The seeds will begin to germinate at their own right time when weather warms.

This may sound far fetched to some, but think about it. Have you ever had a tomato plant spring up out of no where or flowers come up across the yard from where you planted them? I know myself, I get rogue cherry tomato plants coming up all over my garden because the seeds winter sowed themselves from the year prior. Many vegetables and flowers can be winter sown with very little effort.

But I don't have a greenhouse you may be saying. Or I don't have the room to set up an indoor lighting system. Well, the good news is that you don't need any of that stuff. Winter sowing is great because it uses recycled containers of all kinds. Milk jugs, plastic produce containers, take out food containers, those disposable tin pans with the clear plastic lids from the supermarket, juice cartons, cool whip containers, 2 liter soda bottles and so on. Anything with a clear plastic lid or that can be put into a plastic bag will work. Re-using containers not only saves you money, but it is good for the environment as well. Here is how to get started.

To make a flat you take the container (after washing it in hot, soapy water) and a paring knife. Stab a few slits in the bottom of the pan, this is for drainage. Now fill the pan with soil to about a half inch from the top. Give it a real good drink and let it drain. I do this in my kitchen. You can use the sprayer on your kitchen sink or a watering can for this step. After the pan has drained, sow your seeds and pat them down. Cover the seeds with more soil to the correct depth, if necessary.

Next you need to put the lid on, but first...and this is the very most important step...take the knife and poke several slits in the clear plastic lid. This is for air transpiration. Think about it, you're making a little mini-greenhouse. If you don't vent the air that is heated by the sun, you'll cook your flat and the seeds won't germinate. Okay, now put the lid on or put the container into a plastic bag. The bag will need slits cut into it as well. If you used a gallon jug, simply let the top off.

Now it is time to label your containers, unless you like surprises. You will never remember what is in each container, so make sure you label them. Use something that will stand up to winter weather like duct tape or freezer tape.

All right, the flat is now sown and covered (with little slits in the top, yes? don't forget!!). Now take it outside to somewhere it will be safe for the winter. A protected area with a southern exposure is best.

Now you can just sit back, relax and wait it out. When the weather warms, the flats will freeze and thaw repeatedly as winter gives way to spring. This action of freezing and thawing out helps loosen the seed coat. You'll often see the term "nick or file seeds prior to sowing" in germination databases: this is to duplicate Mother Nature's work. (Now you won't have to do that anymore!)

Amazingly, just when winter is about to break, and you're still getting nightly freezes, the first of your flats will begin to germinate. At this point, you might think that the seedlings are goners, but they will thrive. The seeds know when it's safe to come up; it's part of their genetics. Now is the time to check the moisture in the flats. On an above-freezing day, open them up and if they look like they need a drink give them one. The excess water will drain away. Don't forget to replace the lids tightly.

As your seedlings grow, start widening the slits in the covers, once a week or so make the slits a little bit bigger, eventually you'll have more open areas than covered. Eventually, you will be opening the lids all the way each day and you'll be able to transplant the seedlings into the garden because they are completely hardened off.

After transplanting, care is typically the same as for indoor sown seedlings. They need a drink and just a little bit of food: 10% strength after their first week in the ground, then increase slowly as the season progresses. After about eight weeks and a few feedings your seedlings will be able to take a full strength feeding.

Proper seed selection is the most important part of winter sowing. When selecting the seeds you wish to winter sow look for the seed's germination requirements. This will help you pick up a few phrases that will clue you in as to the needs of the seed and if it is appropriate for winter sowing or not.

1. Look for these terms:

Needs Pre-chilling (freeze seeds, refrigerate seeds, stratify for x amount of days or weeks), Needs Strarification, Will Colonize, Self Sows, Sow outdoors in early autumn, Sow outdoors in early Spring while nights are still cool, sow outdoors in early spring while frosts may still occur, hardy Seeds, seedlings can withstand frost, can be direct sown early, wildflower, or weed (such as butterfly weed, joe pye weed, jewel weed.)

2. Look for Common Names indicating a natural environment:

Plains, Prairie, Desert, Mountain, Swamp, Field, River, etc.

3. Look for names that might indicate an origin in a temperate climate:

Siberian, Chinensis, Polar, Alpine, Orientale, Canadensis, Caucasian, Russian (indicating Soviet origin), etc.

Think about your own garden, and your neighbors' gardens too. Do you find plants that have volunteered each spring and showed up as seedlings that you didn't sow? These are very good choices. Let's say that your orange marigolds have returned in Spring as volunteer seedlings.......you can then be pretty well assured that gold, or lemon, African or French varieties will re-seed for you too. When it comes down to it, a marigold is a marigold is a marigold.

Some seed catalogues have a germination table or some sort of guide or other information about germination. Look at them, study them, and learn. This will help you decide which seeds to select for the best outcome.

Winter sowing is fun, easy and cheap. Forget expensive greenhouses or indoor lighting set ups. You won't need to line your windowsills with pots or make room for an indoor set up. With winter sowing, you are working with nature and letting things take their course naturally. By doing a little homework first, you can have a wonderful new crop of seedlings come spring, for very little money or effort. Give it a try and see what you think!

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Have you seen this?

This is the power pole on the corner of Hwy 243 and Point of Rocks Dr. We have contacted Edison about repairing this pole. If you are concerned, you might want to contact them as well. This pole is the main feed for electricty to Pine Cove, and holds the phone lines and the cable lines as well. If it breaks, then Pine Cove will have no phone, no electric and no cable service. We find this situation to be unacceptable and are hoping that Edison gets it repaired quickly. This pole has been leaning precariously for at least 5 years now and over the past week or so, it has moved substantially. The conduit on the ground is seperated and wires are exposed. The bottom of the pole is starting to splinter as well. A few years back, they installed a pole across HWY 243 to try to stabalize this pole, and it is now being pulled over and is in danger of falling across the highway. We think this is a very dangerous and serious situation and needs corrected as soon as possible. If you decide to contact Edison, tell them it is pole number 218901.

More snow?

They are calling for more snow tonight. I have heard everything from 1 inch to 10 inches. Guess we will find out who is right in the morning. After that it looks like we will get a break, which I consider to be a good thing so we can all get dug out. Then, hopefully, we will get more moisture. Since we are in need of a good wet winter, all of this moisture is most welcome and we hope it continues on for several months yet.

Squirrel Appreciation Day!

With all of this weather being formost in our thoughts, you might not have had the time to realize that today is Squirrel Appreciation Day. According to the National Wildlife Federation, it is time to tip our hats to one of North America's most ubiquitous mammals. If you want to read more about it, you can go to nwf.org and read all about it for yourself! Who knew these little guys had their own day?

Rain, rain, rain

I expected to wake up to a lot of snow this morning. Boy was I surprised to find it raining. And so it continues on through this morning. Hope you are all staying warm and dry. If you are planning to come up to Pine Cove, please be sure to check the weather reports as well as local road conditions prior to setting out.

You can go to http://dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi for current road conditions.

For current weather conditions you can go to http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Idyllwild&state=CA&site=SGX&textField1=33.7631&textField2=-116.736

If you don't need to travel, it would be best to stay home. Should this turn to ice at some point, driving would be very hazardous. If you do decided to go out on the roads, make sure you are prepared to drive in winter weather. Don't forget to check for chain requiments as well before you set out. After you get stuck, it is too late.

So stay indoors, keep warm, dry and safe.

So far so good!

Well here it is Tuesday and we have not been bombarded with snow just yet. The rain was great and much needed. They are still calling for snow, so stay prepared! At this point I have heard so many forescasts that I don't know which one is correct. I am just bracing for the worst. We definately need the moisture, so we are lucky to be getting these storms coming through. Just remember to stay warm and safe.

Snow coming?

Word has it that we are in for a big storm over the next week or so. Up to 4 feet of snow is being predicted to fall on us. If you remember last year's storms of around 3 feet of snow, you will remember what havoc that wrecked on us all. Many people were without power for days, trees were snapped off like twigs and it seemed impossible to keep a driveway clear of snow.

We would like to remind everyone to gas up their vehicles and get out your chains if necessary. Stock up on some emergency supplies and be prepared for a power outage. If you need medications, make sure you get them filled before Monday. Don't forget to check up on your neighbors as well. Especially if you know someone who is older or housebound. Don't try to drive in the storm. Keep a good supply of wood close to the house if that is what you use for heat. With a little prepartion and some common sense, we can make it through this storm.

Office closed

Just a reminder that the office will be closed on Monday, Jan. 18, 2010 due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As always, if you need to drop off a payment, you can slip it through the slot in the door. Normal hours will resume on Tuesday the 19th. Also a reminder that the new bills will be going out the first week in February, so if you haven't paid your bill from December yet, now would be a good time to take care of that.

Green Living Thursday

I have talked a lot here about gardening and composting, but haven't really touched on what to do with all the wonderful fruits and veggies you will be growing in your garden this summer. So it is time to discuss canning. You heard right. Canning. You may have heard your grandmother talk about this 2 centuries old technique of preserving food. Perhaps you helped her can or have eaten something canned, but do you can yourself? If not, it is time to start.

Canning is making a comeback in a big way. Mainstream publications like The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times have published articles about canning. Canning classes are springing up all across the country. Everyone, young and old wants to learn how to can. Since canning has pretty much gone by the wayside and was looked at as only something our grandmothers did, why the sudden interest in it?

Well, there are several reasons. Canning has found new appeal for those who want a healthier alternative to the chemical, preservative, salt and sugar laiden foods found in the grocery stores. By preserving their own fruits and vegetables, people can control and customize the amount of sugar or salt used as well as the quality of the foods preserved. If they are canning from their garden, they also have control over how the food they are canning is grown. Many people use organic gardening methods and by canning what they have grown, they know they are eating healthy, organicly grown produce.

Others may be turning to canning due to the weak economy, hoping it will save them money in food costs. A few seeds planted in the spring can yield enough canned produce to last a year. Initially, canning may not be cheaper than purchasing the same amount of these foods, but the quality is almost always better. Plus, once you get set up with the intial supplies, the cost then goes down each year as you are able to reuse jars, rings, pots and racks. Eventually you only have to purchase new lids for the jars and if you had a prolific garden, I personally think it is well worth the effort to can and you do indeed save money.

But what if you don't have a garden? Are you left out of the canning revolution? Not at all. There are many u-pick places, farmers markets or CSA's where you can purchase the fruits or vegetables you wish to can. Being an apartment dweller or a non-gardener in no way excludes you from joining the canning revolution. You can even watch the supermarkets for sales on your favorite items, buy in bulk and bring it home and can it.

If there isn't a class near you to learn about canning, there are many books available as well as websites which will give you details instructions on how to can many different foods. Once you have the first batch under your belt, you will see how incredibly easy it really is. It is also a great activity to bridge the gap between generations. Preserving traditional skills, such as canning, is a very important step in becoming self sufficient. It would do you no good to grow tons of wonderful fruits and vegetables and then not be able to preserve them for use through out the winter. In this day and age of genetically modified foods, factory farming, animal cruelty and tainted foods, it is becomeing vitally important that we learn some of the old ways and be ready and able to provide for ourselves and our families.

Canning nourishes your soul as well as your body. To me, there is nothing more satisfiying than looking at cupboard full of delicious, preserved food and knowing that I was able to provide for myself and my family in such a wonderful, nutritious and loving way.

Wet Wednesday

This morning brings some fog and rain. A welcome sight. Don't forget the board meeting starts at 10 am this morning. I know it is hard to pry yourself out of a cozy house on a morning like this, but this meeting has lots of information and a projection for the future. You won't want to miss it. The coffee is on so come on out and attend the first board meeting of 2010.

Board Meeting Reminder

Tomorrow, Jan. 13, 2010, is the first board meeting of the new year and of the new decade! Board meetings are held each month on the second Wednesday at 10:00 am. They are open to the public and we would welcome your attendance as well as your comments. You can check our website for agenda and minutes details. Our website is pcwd.org. Hope to see you there.

Green Living Thursday

Here are 25 tips to help you live a greener life style. While some of the tips we have all heard before, there are several you may not have thought of. These are from the Go Green NOLA website and I thought they were worth repeating.

Go Green Tips Go Green Tips

1. Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth - You'll conserve up to 5 gallons of water per day. Throughout the US, the daily savings could add up to more water than is consumed everyday in all of New York City.

2. Buy locally - Not only is it good for the local economy, it will save energy because products haven’t traveled across the globe to get to you.

3. Bring your own reusable water bottle filled with filtered water when you go to the gym/school/work - You could save an average of $200 per year as well as 14 pounds of plastic.

4. Use good ventilation and balanced humidity in your home - Ensure you have good ventilation and balanced humidity in your home to prevent the growth of mold and mildew which can be harmful to your health.

5. Arrange furniture to take advantage of natural light from windows - Place desks and reading chairs next to windows to cut down on the need and use of supplemental, artificial light during the day.

6. Dust your light bulbs and change them (switch to compact fluorescent)only when they burn out. You'll increase energy efficiency and light output.

7. Don't ask for ATM receipts - If everyone in the US refused their receipts, it would save a roll of paper more then two billion feet long or enough to circle the equator 15 times.

8. Trim down on the red meat - Since it takes more fossil fuels to produce red meat than fish, eggs and poultry, switching to these foods will slim your CO2 emissions by 950 pounds.

9. Check air conditioner filter - They should be cleaned and replaced monthly to help the unit run at peak efficiency. If you have an outdoor unit, make sure its coils are unobstructed by debris, plants or shrubs.

10. Buy products in concentrate when available - You'll use less, making your cost per use much lower than it would be with a non-concentrated brand, and you'll be consuming less packaging.

11. Avoid the use of polyvinyl chloride (also known as PVC or vinyl) in your home - The entire life cycle of products made from PVC pollutes the environment and your home. PVC items include shower curtains, flooring, even some children’s toys.

12. Washing your car in a commercial car wash is better for the environment than doing it yourself - Commercial car washes not only use significantly less water per wash - up to 100 gallons less - but they often recycle and reuse rinse water.

13. Keep your refrigerator full - Food retains cold better than air does, so a near-empty fridge is working much harder to cool its contents. Don't overstuff your fridge either. Air circulation is needed to cool and control humidity.

14. Are you shopping around for a new computer? Consider buying a laptop. Laptops use only 50% of the energy used by a typical desktop PC when plugged in and just 1% of the energy when running on batteries.

15. Caulk, weatherstrip and insulate your home - If you rely on natural gas heating, you'll stop 639 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere (472 pounds for electric heating). And this summer, you'll save 226 pounds from AC use.

16. Wash fruit in a bowl of water - Fill a bowl with cold water and wash fruit and vegetables this way, instead of letting water from a faucet run over them.

17. Do not throw out your toxic household wastes, such as paint, paint thinner and car fluids, in the garbage or down the drain. Check with your local facilities for proper disposal and avoid these products in the future.

18. Instead of using plastic, store your food in glass or porcelain containers - Fewer chemicals will likely leach from the container into the food. Chemicals that transfer from plastic to food and from food to body may cause health risks.

19. Unplug your TV when it's not in use - You'll save money and energy. Between 10% and 15% of a TV's energy is still used when it's powered 'Off."

20. Use a digital camera instead of one that needs film - Some 686 million rolls of film are processed each year, and the solutions used to make the prints often contain hazardous chemicals that require special treatment and disposal.

21. Use voice mail instead of answer machines - Answer machines guzzle energy 24/7. When they stop functioning, they become hazardous waste in the nation's landfills.

22. Turn off power strips when they are not in use - The average American household continuously leaks abut 50 watts of electricity.

23. Avoid using rubber bands if you can - About three-quarters of rubber bands are synthetic, made from crude oil. When these are incinerated at the dump, significant health effects can result.

24. Select paper towels with smaller-size sheets - Using paper towels with smaller-size sheets extends the life of the roll. A decrease in U.S. household consumption of just 3 rolls per year would save 120,000 tons of waste and $4.1 million in landfill dumping fees.

25. When buying deodorant, try to avoid antiperspirants - Antiperspirants use aluminum salts to seal up your pores. In addition to being a potential health risk, aluminum takes a tremendous amount of time to mine.

Lemon Lily Festival

This morning I had the opportunity to attend the planning meeting for The Lemon Lily Festival. As someone who has lived here for almost 15 years but has never heard of the Lemon Lily, I was very impressed to learn about this native flower. If you are like me and never heard of Lemon Lily's, you can visit the website www.lemonlilyfestival.com, to find out more. Basically the goal of the Lemon Lily Festival is to educate, celebrate and restore this beautiful flower that used to be plentiful here in Idyllwild. If you get a chance, take a look and perhaps you will want to be a volunteer, a sponsor or contriubte an idea to the festival. I think it is worth checking out.

Unusual things you can compost

The next time you are throwing an item in the trash, think about whether you can compost it instead. There are many things that can be added to your compost pile, and later used to grow some great tasting vegetables or herbs. Everyone that is familiar with composting knows that things like grass clippings, and dead tree limbs are great additions to a compost pile, but what about some ordinary items from around the house?

There are many things you can add to your compost pile that you may never think about, here are 30 such items:


1.Pet fur
2.Hair from a hairbrush
3.Fingernail/toenail clippings
4.Pet toe nail clippings
5.Dry pet food
6.Droppings and newspaper from bird cages
7.Fish food flakes
8.Alfalfa pellets or hay used to feed rabbits
9.Vacuum cleaner fluff
10.Dryer lint
11.Cotton balls(Use the 100% cotton balls; avoid using the synthetic types)
12.Coffee grounds
13.Coffee filters
14.Paper bags (shredded)
15.Egg shells (It is best to microwave or heat shells in the oven for 10 minutes prior to composting> This will kill any bacteria such as salmonella)
16.Used paper towels
17.Used paper plates (avoid using paper plates that are heavily stained from meats or dairy products)
18.Dust from dusting
19.Ashes from a fireplace or barbeque grill
20.Some leather items (avoid using leathers that have dyes or other colorings)
21.Old paper back books (just the pages with black & white print; remove glossy color-printed covers)
22.Newspaper
23.Toilet paper rolls
24.Small, thin cardboard boxes (like mac & cheese or Hamburger Helper boxes that are torn into small peices)
25.Tea bags
26.Cooked plain rice
27.Wine corks
28.Stale cereal
29.Old Christmas trees (shredded or chipped)
30.Old Jack-O-Lanterns

Are there any unusual things that you compost? If so, let us know!