Paper pots and more

So, yesterday, after I finished blogging I went out to Mark and Meredith Heywood's - they were very generous to offer their home up for a weekly meeting place for me to pick up vegetables that Rick and Henrietta Cummings grow in their Edge of the World Farm. 

I met Mark and Meredith here at STARworks, when they were piecing their working lives back 

together after the fire. What great people! I have been following their blog with much interest, since Meredith often features local potters friends on her blog, and as a newcomer to the area it has been a great way to get in the loop of things.

Rick and Henrietta have been growing organically for over 20 years already, and I have been buying some great lettuces, cabbage and broccoli from them for a few months now. More info about them in the future!

After the veggies switched hands and my car was filled with that wonderful broccoli smell (you know the smell I'm talking about?!) I went to see my green/muddy-thumb friend Tom Gray, 

who runs the Seagrove Community Garden and is a great potter. Tom's blog is another one that I frequently read, he is one of those people who's energy radiates outward and touches everyone. He is a well of information also - always reading, always learning something new and sharing that knowledge. Yesterday, among other things  we talked about making newspaper starter pots, for starting seeds. I first heard about those thingies from Dianna Osmolski

who, together with her husband Bill runs the  Green Acres Ranch in Seagrove and raises grass few beef that is DELICIOUS!!!

Anyway, so we were talking about these pots, guessing how the little wooden tools, that you can buy from some seed catalogues, would work in reality...  and this morning when I was checking Tom's blog - he had already MADE a tool for this purpose (being a potter, of course) out of clay  A N D  put up a you tube video of how to make the pots. I'm telling you, this guy will get right on it and git'R'done.

Tom also surprised me with a gift of dozen eggs that were just busting out of the carton - they were so big - that I can't wait to taste. I love love love eggs. I think eggs are one of my favorite foodstuffs - right there with mushrooms and nuts. Thanks Tom!

So. When finally I got back to STARworks right before lunch (intoxicated by the aroma of fresh yummy broccoli!!!) I discovered that my better half Adam had already leveled the greenhouse posts AND poured the concrete around them to anchor the posts good and steady into the ground. WOW. Thanks Adam!!! He really is my anchor!

Now we have to fit the arches into the anchor posts, attach the center pole, build a wood frame around the base (oh, the posts on both ends of the greenhouse still need to be anchored first) then the two end frames need to be fit back in, then there is probably a long list of things we haven't even foreseen, and then we can put a sheet of plastic over the arches... and we're oh so close to starting our first seeds!!! I better get to making the newspaper pots!!!!

Today I will do an inventory of all the seeds I have left from last season. I know there are some purple Pak Choi seeds that I can't wait to grow! And several great salad mixes to start the spring right!