Greenhouse Transplanting from Germination Trays to Cell Pack Flats April in Gray's Greenhouse 2015

A favorite and tasty early heirloom that did especially well in 2014 gardens is Matt's Wild Cherry. 

We had good germination and have up to 72 plants for the season this year. 

Zoe and Jamie Wellik came out to Grey's farm near Winsted in March to plant seed in the germination trays, that are heated for quick germination. Here in late April, they returned with me to support the transplantation stage into cell packs of 4 each, to make flats,trays of 48 plants to carry to the city to support late May family garden planters.

 

Jamie and Zoe working with me to transplant some 1300 seedings, of heirloom tomatoes, peppers,  eggplant, and leafy greens.  Note completed flats in front with 48 seedlings to be ready in May

 

Another view of the transplanted trays with Jamie and Zoe demonstrating the technique. 

 Larger view of the green house.

 Large orange marigold to support companion planting for gardens with a splash of color.

 Heirloom storage onion and slicing onion.

Heirloom Especially grown for container gardeners with a compact shape prolific 24" plants with deep red 3" fruits with fern like foliage.

 Source of tasty colorful greens for salads and juicing also the roots for eating.  Bulls Blood suggested planting with rainbow Chard , Russian Kale and basil for ongoing greens this summer.

Contact Tom Weaver, tomw@wopida.com, call or text my cell 612 281 5230 for spring tilling and source of seedlings. Flexible pricing for family nutrition!  

Visioning A backyard garden for 2015? Reserve your own heirloom organic seedlings. i

 Tom Weaver here. Happy Spring Season!  Thanks for stopping by this page to see the variety of vegies and flowers I have planted to share with friends and clients this year.  I have written I little under each photo, describing the plant, and how many I planted.  Please consider emailing me, at tomw@wopida.com, if you want to reserve plants that will be available in May in time for garden planting.  Enjoy scrolling down these fun organic heirloom seed varieties. 

 CHARD RAINBOW - Colorful leafy green for salads, steamed vegies. (60 Plants)
MARIGOLD - Large orange. 2.5" globe goldens, great for garden edges.  (48 Plants)

 PEPPER GOLDEN CAL - Medium Sized plants, start green mature to yellow orange, 80 days to maturity. (48 plants) 
PEPPER SWEET CHOCOLATE - Early 58 day green, 78 brown, mild flavor medium thick flesh. (36 Plants)     WILL ALSO have some traditional Green Peppers, non heirloom available upon request 

TOMATO - YELLOW PERFECTION - English sweet heirloom, very sweet, little to no acid - 2" size for salads and slicing. 70 days  (48 Plants)

BEET Colored leaves planted for colorful mixed salads. Early harvest roots 35-50 days.(60 plants)
KALE Hardy sweet flavored leaves. 50 day maturity  (60 plants)

 EGGPLANT - Early maturing Italian variety - 65 days maturity (36 plants)
ONION - Firm fleshed yellow skinned storage onion. 112 days to maturity (48 plants)

 TOMATO BLACK CHERRY - Round dark purple sweet full flavor.  (64 days to maturity)
TOMATO SILVERY FIR TREE - Compact 24" plant with heavy crops of 3 in, deep red fruit.  Does well in pots-hanging baskets on patios. (60 Plants) 

 

TOMATO BLONDKOEPFCHEN YELLOW CHERRY - East German Hierloom, sweet 1" fruits borne in clusters.  (60 Plants) 

TOMATO  FARGO YELLOW PEAR - 1 - 1 1/2" fruits 1932 cross made in Fargo ND. Good for container gardening.   (48 Plants)

 TOMATO GILBERTIE PASTE - Heirloom long sweet and meaty. (85 Days to Maturity)
TOMATO YELLOW PEAR CHERRY - Clusters of pear classic shaped fruits, mild flavor (70 days to maturity)
 ++++ TOMATO MATT's WILD CHERRY - Small deep red with exceptional flavor. (55 days days to maturity. (72 Plants)

 Please consider emailing me any plants you are interested in reserving, and I will acknowledge that with a return email.   Thanks again for interest in supporting back yard gardening. 

Tom
Tom Weaver
tomw@wopida.com

 Just posted on my Facebook page March 1  "Listening to the birds singing now, changing their tunes, as Mother Earth is warming, and the suns rays melt the ice and snow.......Stopped in a the Wedge Community Coop where I am an owner/member and picked up some seeds for the gardens I will support planting this year. Matt's Wild Cherry was a great early producer and favorite snack of Rob Senden's grandson last year. And plan to carry some flats to Chicago and the south in May. Consider local snacks without high fructose corn syrup."

Looking to support local friends and families, who want to raise veggies and flowers in their own yard, or community gardens this spring.    I will be germinating seeds at the end of March with my friend who has warm germination beds and a greenhouse in the country near Winsted again this year.  He is ordering a small yellow round cherry tomato that I will offer for planting in mid May, when the danger of frost is past.    Roto-tilling happens after the frost is gone, late April and early May.  Please let me know if you are interested in having support for your garden this year.   Below is the same flyer I sent out last spring.......

Celebrating the Garden Harvest - Heirloom Tomatos and More!

Each of the past few years, I have rototilled gardens, this year, some new, like the community garden plot by Hyland Park High School in St Paul.  Rob Senden and I again this year, put up a fence and planted flowers and vegetables in Crystal, about 5 miles north of my apartment in St Louis Park.
I harvested more of this platter of vegies, Friday AM Sept 5th .  Mmm, lots of fresh tomatoes to share.


 Pink (Purple) Prudens, lower left, green striped, then a green pepper and hot jalepeno, yellow bush beans and Kentucky Wonder beans,  brown berry, the red striped, yellow pear, and a yellow and Umberto Italian small paste tomato and a heart shaped heirloom.  So many flavors for snacks, sandwiches and stir fried!

Varieties of heirlooms, lower left, Pruden's pink-purple, red zebra striped, green grape cherry and brown cherry, Matt's wild grouped red cherry, green zebras on the right and lower Umberto small paste.  

Planting Gardens for Sustainability - Pollinators of Native Plants For Spring Planning and Planting

 Here is a book that I picked up yesterday from Kent Petterson at his independent bookstore in St Paul.   He has a treasure trove of natural history books in a residential area of St Paul near W  7th. 
I visited him yesterday and was amazed by how comprehensive this work is for ecological gardens.

To learn more about the author, who is local to the Twin Cities, check out. http://nativeplantwildlifegarden.com/heather-holm-and-pollinators-of-native-plants/

 

With all the concern about Honey Bees, it is important to know of the indigenous bee and other pollinators of our native plants.  

  
And of course the butterflies too.   

 

An example of how one plant, the Purple Cone Flower, Echinacea, has many pollinators and visitors here.   I invite folks to consider sustainable native species for your gardens.  If you want a site visit by me, I will bring along my copy of this beautiful book    Best regards for a wonder filled spring with garders galore....

Rosen Method Global Congress WHISTLER, B.C., CANADA August 5-9, 2014

  Here is Marion Rosen at the Berkeley Center still teaching at age 96 surrounded by students from Denmark at the Intensive I attended as my second in Dec 2010
In 2013, I attended my 7th Rosen Method Body Work intensive. Since beginning getting sessions from Dorothea Hrossowyc in Aug of 2009 for my own personal growth ,and have joined the Rosen Method Institute as an advance student.  FYI,  My MKP friend Andy M, referred me to the work, and I have found it to be a great adjunct practice and work to stay more centered in my body. and to share with others    For more information check out   http://www.rosenmethodmn.org/

 

Here are some of the crew at the 2010 Berkeley Intensive in Berkeley.  Bill Samsel the only male teacher available came to Minnesota to lead what I think is the first ever all men's Introduction to Rosen Method Body work, that Eric Wickiser and I sponsored in Aug of 2012. 

I am looking to attend the Aug 2014 World Congress as an Advanced Student interested in speading the word and work in our Heartland Community and around the world.

 "We, the Canadian Rosen Method community, are excited to be hosting this event, and we welcome you all to Canada! Once again we will connect deeply, laugh, and play together.

Marion Rosen is still so present in our hearts. This Global Congress is special, for this would have been Marion Rosen’s 100^th birthday in June 2014. We will embrace our roots by celebrating Marion and her legacy.

This is a unique opportunity as a community to bring our passion, to build on the strong legacy that Marion gave us. Together we honour our roots, recognize our growth to date, and collaborate to powerfully step forward with Marion’s vision of taking Rosen Method into our communities and the world.

To Learn more  go to   http://www.rosenmethod.ca/global-congress-registration/

Spring Gardening in between the rains and storms! Wopida Group services

 Carol Olson who lives in north Minneapolis and had tornado damage from last year, called me to get a later start this year in tilling her garden.  Here is my trailer with the Troy Bilt rear tined tiller after I tilled the garden with the support of my sister Jane and Carol herself.

 Jamie and Rebecca Wellik of Golden Valley have been expanding their garden over the past few years and I recall starting from just lawn a few years back.  This year, they graciously allowed me to plant my own garden here.  Notice the cherry blossoms to the right on their tree, as Jane and I were getting some of the plants in this year in June, after a late starting season.

 Another view of the garden in the Wellik back yard.

For the first time this year, I planted a lot of bok choy in the greenhouse at the Schmidt farm. Seeing the 4 petaled flower, it is easy to see it is a cabbage or Brassica family plant. Here it is flowering at the Richfield raised bed gardens organized by public school teacher Brian Wheat at District 287.

Recovazon Topical Gel for my Hand Burn yesterday! Caught Red Handed!

No longer Red Handed.  Heat and Pain relieved quickly with first aid and anti-inflammatory herbal gel.

Thanksgiving Day Gratitude and Story!   Here is a photo collage that reflects back on my Thanksgiving Day Nov 22, 2012.  Photo one day 24 hours after the event!   So here in my story and I stick by it!!

I made a commitment to my Mandarin Chinese tutors, "YY"  Yu Ye and "ZZ", Zijun Zhou to pick them up near the U of Minnesota for their airport trips very early Thursday AM, Thanksgiving morning.  So, to be a good host, I decided to model being thankful for my "Inner Julia Child" and make a French traditional breakfast to share in the van!  MMM, what a nice vision for me. :-) I had Chocolate and Almond Croissants from TJ's  Trader Joe's rising overnight.... and at 3:30 AM just as I was brewing coffee, I  put them in my apartment's electric oven.  All was well, with a wonderful smell wafting through my little nest as I was catching up on line with NEWS. NorthEastWestSouth....When I checked them to see if they were golden brown..they were...mmmm.....I took the dish towel to protect my hand from burning on the pan, and oops, the bottom of the towel must have hit the glowing element and burst into flames.  (See evidence below my healing well hand in the above photo!)

First things first - I had a flaming towel hanging below the hot pan of 8 tender croissants I envisioned sharing over Thanksgiving Breakfast and later in my day, "grazing the 3 Thanksgiving events, I was invited to. 

Step One  -  Reduce heat on hand

Feeling the pain and heat on my fingers of my right hand, I dropped the pan of Croissants on the floor under my eating table.....quick reaction.  

Step Two  - Put out the fire!

I opened the sliding door to my outside porch holding the flaming towel (no action photos here :-) and stomped on the towel and finally put a bucket on top of it to dowse the flames)

Step Three - Reduce pain and swelling 

Back inside, I went to the kitchen sink and ran cool water over my painful hand!  Then I took an ice pack and a towel to reduce any swelling and held it there, while I looked for my 2 oz green tube of Recovazon Gel I have for first aid. Voila!  I was able to spread the earth brown soothing plant medicine on the fingers and web of my thumb where I could see now, both reddening, 1st degree, and blistering, 2nd degree were happening.  I found immediate relief with the combination of cooling and Recovazon.

Step Four - Safety for the day

 I wrapped my hand, with loose gauze held by a 3" elastic bandage I secured with tape from my first aid stash of supplies.  I used some more Recovazon from the 2 oz Tube I carry in my car. 

When picking up Yu in Dinkytown by the U of M, I had very little pain and it was so sweet that she gave me a gift of beautiful Chinese Fan, with an image of a DragonFly, one of my spirit animals from my first hanblechia....and to keep down the heat!  Fun sense of humor spirit has for me.   

  

Here is the beautiful dragonfly fan with a lotus flower that penyou,Yu, so sweetly gave to me as she entered my van at 4:45 AM.   What a sweet time...and then at about 5 AM  Zijun handed me the gift of the 3 mask magnets, so colorful and perhaps how my face looked when my hand was burning just an hour or so before!     I think they might reflect Beijing Opera characters and I will have to ask Zijun when he returns from San Francisco next week.  Xie Xie ni Yu and Zijun for teaching me! 

Here is my first stop grazing for Thanksgiving at Molly Engler's beautiful home. Seated here are Judy Aaberg  ______? in blue, Kathy Aaberg Engler (end behind a hand), my tehanshi, brother, Gary Engler (we share the same Birthday :-) and Molly Engler.  Just amazing the transformation of this home, that Gary's dad John and the Betcher and Engler granddad make together beginning in 1949.  Gary was sharing the story of how he lived in St Louis Park near the City Hall now, and moved into the home on Lake Shore Blvd by Libbs Lake-Lake Minnetonka!  Such fun to be part of this expanding family Thanksgiving circle.  Molly has a dog walking and sitting service and has put up a fence in this latest transformation of the home for the Engler family.  John and Millie's spirits were surely smiling the whole time.  Evelyn and the local smiling dog Blueberry added much comic relief and even the Chocolate Croissants were appreciated.. Thanks Julia Child!

My Grazing adventure continued 

Molly Engler's in Minnetonka, to Manny Camilon's in Waconia and Steve Borden's in Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Minneapolis was cancelled due to illness.   Another living in process adventure day!

I remembered by "wilderness first aid training" and here is how things looked this morning. 

A couple of croissants left for me here with the middle finger R hand with a blister with no redness. (and no pain!)

Recovazon Gel sachet, with a small amount of gel that I spread over the finger. Also note where the hot pan hit the web of my thumb that is now without any redness. Only a blister that has no pain that I may drain later today after the inipi ceremony.