Update on Sweet Potato Growing Experiment

It's about time for an update on my sweet-potato-slip-growing experiment (see May 4 post). This is what my potato looked like on May 4th - about a month into my experiment. It sat there like that with no visible change for about two weeks. Maybe because a hard layer had formed over the bottom cut end.

So about two weeks ago I sliced a very thin layer off the flat cut bottom end and suddenly the sprouts started growing again and a long root came out the bottom.

A few days ago I sliced the potato in pieces so that there would be one sprout on each section.

I wonder how this is going to work, since only one section has a root? Maybe the others will sprout their own roots? It seems to me that it would be easier to cut some sweet potatoes into chunks and to bury those in soil and let them grow. Maybe you'd have to start them early in flower pots in the house and transplant them outdoors when the soil gets warm enough, because I don't think our growing season is long enough to start them outdoors from scratch and still hope to get some new full-grown potatoes in the end.

Assuming that the garden soil is now warm enough, I planted the slips with just the leaves showing above the soil. Now we'll wait to see what happens. I also buried a whole sweet potato to compare the results later. Maybe I should also try cutting one up in chunks and burying them.

As long as I get two potatoes out of the deal, I'll be even in the end because I only used two for this experiment so far. Hopefully we'll harvest more than that. I'll keep you posted.

Green Roof Enroute to the Opera

Here's my artsy friend, Jeannette, in the roof top garden at Nathan Philips Square with the old city hall in the background. We were on our way to the opera (ahem!) - my very first opera! Jeannette is the one who introduced me to ballet - we saw a live performance together once at Harbour Front. And now off to the opera! After picking up an icecream cone at the Eaton's Centre, we were crossing Nathan Philips Square where we ran across the grand opening of the City Hall Podium Green Roof. I always seem to run across pleasant surprises when I'm downtown! So this time it was the new green roof.

A volunteers there told me that it used to just be a gravel roof top. As part of the revitalization of the square, they have turned this whole area into a green roof and opened it up to the public. . Here's a closer look at some of the plants - " a mix of various species of sedum. "

They have used an innovative green roof tray system. Quote from brochure: "The pre-planted trays are assembled on the finished roof, with the plants already established, making for a "finished" looking roof from day one. The units are designed for rapid assembly, shortening installation time. Once in place, the top portion of the tray is removed exposing 2 to 4 inches of soil, allowing the plants to spread roots between trays, making a unified field of plants, and tying together the entire system. Over the life of the roof, if roof maintenance is required, individual trays can be lifted off the membrane, repairs completed, and the plants put back in place, with little disruption to the plants themselves." Wow! What a great idea!

Mascots for the opening of the green roof trying to mess up my hair - before the opera! :(

And then off to my very first opera! I loved the orchestra, the chorus, the building, spending time with my friend, and the whole new experience. The costumes were beautiful and the soloists were amazing (they could sing really high, very softly and very loud, and hold a note forever)! But I'm not very fond of the opera singing style. Maybe it grows on you?

Family Celebrations

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! to Steve & Jen, who got married yesterday! It was a beautiful wedding service and a very fun celebration! Unfortunately I only took a few pictures and most of them didn't turn out :(

And ... also CONGRATULATIONS!!! to parents of the groom, my brother and sister-in-law, Nick & Fanny, who are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary today!

Tulips in the Square

Last week I found these tulips in the local square on my way to the subway. I love the look of the three different shades of the same colour of tulips planted all through each other.

This Long Weekend I...

Well, the long weekend has come and gone. Now it's back to work. I was commenting to Gerard that it seems like a long time ago since I was at work. And he noted that I have an extra long weekend every weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon) so what's the difference? I don't know exactly, but last Thursday seems like a long time ago!

This weekend I...

- served as receptionist for our church photo directory picture-taking sessions
- hung out our Canadian flag (my tradition for all four long weekends of the summer)
- went lane swimming
- bought some annuals and some manure
- rode the subway
- sat and people-watched on Yonge Street
- saw Mark & Rosemary's new apartment for the first time
- unpacked kitchen stuff after Mark & Rosemary's move
- mailed a package to someone (not you, Alida )
- vacuumed twice
- bought an iced cappucino at Tim Hortons - and was hyper on it for the rest of the day
- bought five new jigsaw puzzles at Goodwill @$.99 each
- had tea and dinner with my parents
- cleaned a bathroom
- took pictures of my little dream house
- visited Tom & Helen in Kitchener
- baked granola
- walked to and from church
- had Sunday lunch with John & Beth
- enjoyed rhubarb-apple crisp there
- made a jigsaw puzzle
- picked up 185 slugs and three caterpillars in our front yard
- cleaned up three flower beds
- planted geraniums and ivies in three planters
- read outside in the shade of our huge maple tree
- checked e-mail, read blogs, posted in this blog
- booked a trip to Australia to visit our daughter in September
- turned over the compost heap
- tied up the peas
- heard and saw firecrackers and fireworks go off all around our neighbourhood

Our Russian Sage is in full bloom at the moment!

Gardening Weekend

This is our May Long Weekend - the unofficial beginning of the gardening season for us because as a general rule, there is no chance of frost after this weekend. So everyone is busy planting and seeding this weekend - including me. I had planned to put these plants into our front garden beds today, but the forecast for this week is very sunny and hot, so I'm going to wait for a few days, so they have a better chance at survival. Right now I'm only planting the back yard, which is shaded by a huge maple tree.

Here is my newest gardening book. It is written by a Torontonian and just came out last month.

I like this book because it has good pictures - that's always important for me! - and down the left page there is a summary column with the following headings: "degree of difficulty, needs, where, when, how, method, problems, harvest, store, and how much to grow". Then she has a general introduction to the item on that page, a section on "important things to remember", another on "recommended variety" and then a recipe using this ingredient.

Click on pictures to enlarge if you would like to read a sample from this book.

A great book for beginner gardeners - and for more experienced gardeners too!

My Little Dream House

This is the garden shed I'd like to build in a corner of our back yard some day. I can just picture it with a flag stone path leading up to it and surrounded by a little cottage garden. I will stain it a bit darker than this one and the window flower boxes will be filled with red flowers. There will be a comfortable chair or garden swing on the porch and I'll sit there when it's raining out, just enjoying the smell and the look of the garden around me.

My dream about this little house is renewed every time we drive by it on the way to Stratford. This time I stopped to take some pictures.

Here are a few other models on display, but the top one is my favourite - because of the porch.

Helping with our Church Photo Directory

Our Sunday School rooms have temporarily turned into a photo studio. We are working on a photo directory for our church and I've been having a great time helping out the last few weeks. It is so much fun! I've stood at the entrance to the fellowship hall and encouraged people to sign up for appointments. Then I phoned people who hadn't signed up yet. And for the last two evenings I've played receptionist at church to sign people in as they show up for their photo sessions.

There's something very fascinating about observing people as they come in to get their pictures taken. It seems to be able to bring out the best or the worst in people. It also tends to bring out interesting family dynamics - just like wall papering together. Every ten minutes someone new comes through the door, and you never know what to expect. Some people came really dressed up and others were super casual; some brought their dogs; and two actually said they'd rather be going to the dentist. The photographer says he's usually got people pegged the moment they walk in. He's even got it down to five basic personality types and enjoys all the different people in the same way that I do. It's been really fun!

Happy Birthday, Rosemary!

Happy Birthday, Rosemary! We love you and hope you have a great day!

As you can see, our two daughters-in-law get along just great!

Gardening for Relaxation

After four very busy days, I was ready for some down time at home. And in the spring time I naturally end up spending a good chunk of a day like that in the garden. Today I was faced with my annual dilemma of what to do with my barrel of pansies on the back patio. The pansies are at their peak now so it's a shame to disturb them. But they need to be replaced because they don't last through the whole summer. And right now is the perfect time for planting replacements... but... I don't want to disturb the pansies now...

So I compromised. I moved three of the pansies to the second barrel that's on the other end of the patio, along with some chives and cilantro (picture below).

And in this barrel right outside the kitchen door (picture below) I put multiplier onions, rosemary, stevia, and dark opal basil. Maybe you can see some tiny parsley plants starting to come up in the bottom left side and there is also some mint coming back from last year. Around the outside edge of both barrels I seeded nasturtium so that when they start growing they'll hopefully cascade over the sides of the barrels. I like having the herbs right outside the kitchen door, so I can just pop out with my scissors and cut some when I need them. I have oregano, sage, thyme, and lemon balm out behind the garage in the vegetable garden, but I'm thinking of moving them back to the flower boxes at the edge of the patio for easier access.

The other thing I did today was bring outside all the garden plants that I kept in the basement window sills over the winter. It's time to get them outside to harden off so that they can survive outdoors once I plant them in a week or two. They need a few weeks to adjust to the outside weather conditions. Here they are. They've come out of the basement onto the kitchen table.

Other years I usually drag them in and out of the garage, depending on the weather. Today I decided to try something different so I rigged up a plant shelf just inside the garage (we don't park the car in the garage in the summer). This way I can raise or lower the garage door depending on how bright the sun is. The geraniums that have been in sunny windows all winter are in the front and the impatients, shamrocks and ivies, etc. that have been in the north windows without direct sun, are in the back. This way I can adjust the height of the garage door and let the geraniums stay in the sun and keep the other plants in the shade if necessary.

We'll see how it goes. I'm in the mood for trying new things this year. Some of the experiments I have on the go or am looking into are: growing stevia (a natural sweetener much healthier than sugar), growing sweet potatoes in a different way, trying straw bale gardening and growing a three sisters garden. I'll fill you in on these ventures in some upcoming posts.

Three Mother's Day cards with lots of love tucked inside them, and they were all pink this year! (The middle one is solid pink inside.) I get kind of embarassed by all the praise, but I must say, it sure does feel good to be showered with love by our kids!

And I have to post some flowers today. Three whole posts without flowers! I tried to restrain myself because I had posted so many before that. These off-white tulips were here when we moved into this house 31 years ago and at that time I didn't really care for them, but now they're my favourites. It looks as if they've cross-pollinated with some of the red ones, because the one has some pink in it.

My First Korean BBQ

This evening was our last session with our English Conversation Circle. The group decided to take us leaders out for Korean BBQ to say, "Thank you!" for helping them with their English.

I enjoy trying new foods and doing things for the first time - so this evening was very interesting for me. The table was so full with so many little bowls that it was hard to know what to choose or where to put anything. We had fun and it was an interesting experience.

I would have preferred more vegetables and less meat, but that's all part of the experience. They thanked us for our "dedication" and we thanked them for a good time. I really enjoy this English Conversation Circle. It's fascinating to hear how people new to the English language use the words. It's correct, but different from what we're used to. And you also hear and learn about lots of interesting new things and customs.

Isn't this Fun?

Isn't this fun?! I saw it in someone's front yard as I was walking around downtown yesterday.

My First Visit to Sick Kids

Yesterday we went to visit our daughter-in-law, Melanie, at her work at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children - more commonly known as Sick Kids (Don't you love that name? As if you're going to have a hospital for children who aren't sick). Anyways, look at this place! These pictures are inside the hospital - the atrium I think. It looks like a mall or resort or fancy motel! So many levels, fountains, tables, elevators, sky lights! I was really amazed that they would build such an elaborate, luxurious, huge space in a hospital!

And they have colour and pictures everywhere. See the pictures of super heroes and story/movie characters in the windows (above)? There were pictures like these fish on the walls in the hallways between the hospital rooms. They brought a smile to my face. I hope it does the same for the kids.

Mother's Day

We are blessed to have both of our mothers still with us. My mother (above) at 87 years of age and my mother-in-law, below, who just celebrated her 98th birthday! They both raised large families (9 and 10 children), made sacrifices by leaving their home lands and families behind for a better future in Canada for their children, and both raised us in the ways of the Lord. They have servant hearts and we are thankful for both of them.

And as a mother myself, I am (we are) also blessed by our three children and two daughters-in-law. Saying "daughters-in-law" never feels quite right to me - it sounds kind of distant. I would rather say, by our five children. Anyways, today we spent time together - which for me is the best gift! Our daughter, Alida, joined in by phone from Australia for a while. And we went to see our daughter-in-law, Melanie, at her work at the hospital - just a 5-minute walk away. She joined us for dessert on her break. So we were more or less all together for a while today. I had chicken roti for my first time ever, and enjoyed my favourite dessert - tiramisu! And I was touched and blessed by our children praying over me.

And of course there were flowers! First of all, Mark had scanned a whole collection of flower photos from my blog and was running them as a slide show on their TV when we arrived. And I received this beautiful bouquet of flowers.

Quality family time - always a treat!

I Just Love Spring!

I just love spring! I love checking the garden to see if anything is coming up yet. And it's so exciting when it does. Every time I check around the flower beds and the vegetable garden, there is something new. Absolutely my favourite time of year! And I'm planning a trip to Australia to visit our daughter in September so then I'll get to experience spring all over again!

I spent most of the morning weeding, seeding and spreading around this rich beautiful compost. And now it's raining. Perfect!

Another One of My Favourites

Another Sweet Potato Experiment

I'm trying a new method of growing sweet potato "slips". Last year's method didn't work too well, so I did a little bit of research. The new directions I found suggested I cut a sweet potato in half, insert 3 or 4 toothpicks about 1/2 an inch from the cut edge, hang the half potato by the toothpicks on a container so that it just touches the water, keep it in a warm place and watch it sprout. So far so good. After about two weeks I started seeing some sprouts. This picture was taken almost four weeks after I started the experiment.

Once the sprouts are about 6 inches tall, you cut up the potato leaving one sprout per piece, and there you have your sweet potato slips! Plant them in the garden once the soil is warm. I'll keep you posted.