April is holding up its end of the bargain – rain, rain, and more rain. It’s needed to jump-start our gardens and the growing season. I’ve been outside whenever the weather permits, weeding, cleaning up leaves, and dividing/moving plants to new locations.
Normally I start my veggie seedlings in the Beach 91st Street Community Garden greenhouse. I’ve been a member for several years now. A greenhouse is typically 20 degrees warmer than the outside temperature. The average temperature this month in Rockaway has been about 55 degrees. So the greenhouse is cooking at a toasty 75 degrees! Perfect for germination. But alas, this year, the garden leadership committee has understandably delayed the opening as a safety measure because of… you know what.
Without the luxury of a greenhouse this year, I had to adapt. I was about to buy seed starter kits on Amazon when I thought better of it. Why spend money on that when I can use what I have at home? I took eggs out of their container and put them back in the fridge in a bowl. Egg cartons are perfect for planting seeds. With cardboard cartons, you can put the plant directly in the ground. If you’re using a plastic egg carton, just use a spoon to loosen up the roots and soil before planting. Small plastic or paper cups, eggshells, avocado skins, cardboard toilet paper rolls housed in a cardboard box, and plastic food containers all work very well.
I have a few pro tips for growing seedlings inside. If you follow these guidelines, I’m sure you’ll have success!
Moisture – Never, ever let the soil dry out! Check on them daily. Since seedlings are so delicate, a spray bottle is a great way to water as well as keeping the environment humid. Have some type of cover so the seeds are enclosed (like a mini greenhouse). A small plastic storage bin works great.
Lots of light – A sunny southeast-facing window is ideal for your seedlings to grow. Use a grow light for even better results or to supplement light if you don’t have good exposure in your home.
Soil – A light seed-starting mix works best. This always causes tiny growth to easily push through the soil to sunlight. But don’t stress this. I’ve used soil from my yard and I’ve never had a problem with that.
Plant appropriately – I plant three more seeds than the number of plants I want. Just in case some don’t germinate. It’s easy to forget and plant 10 tomato seeds and 10 cucumber seeds and so on. Then as they grow, you begin to realize you’ve over planted and you have no space for them! Most seeds can last a few years in a dry environment. So save what you don’t need.
Label everything – I’ve made this mistake so many times, thinking “I’ll remember what’s what”. And then of course, I forget. Ultimately you figure it out but I suggest labeling so you can be prepared and plan out your garden. Write on the container itself or use wooden cutlery.
Acclimate for strength. About 6-10 days after the seeds have sprouted, you should bring them outside from time to time, to acclimate and get stronger. Do this on sunny warmer days. My father always told me never plant your garden before Mother’s Day. After May 15, it’s time to put the baby plants in the ground and once you do, they’ll really take off.
For more on gardening follow mw on Instagram.
Since my column last week “Inspiration Online And Art At Home,” I’ve noticed even more creativity (and weirdness) on the web. We’ve adapted so quickly to our new social world and work lives, now held virtually… it’s pretty amazing.
One of the best examples of this is what my friend Ed McKenna is doing. He’s a Breezy guy. I met Ed through my husband. They’ve played in some great bands together over the years.
Ed, better known to his students as Mr. Ed, is a special education music teacher. A month ago, I stumbled upon his Youtube teaching lessons posted to Facebook. I couldn’t stop laughing and I learned a little something about music theory and intervals.
Mr. Ed, he’s a stand up guy
Ed creates unique online classes – sometimes they take place in Paris, other times on his living room couch. In some videos, the phone rings, and what do you know, it’s “Alanis Morissette, Denis Hopper or Billy Joel, who helps explain the material. In other videos, his dog Fiona (so popular with the kids) participates… and yet another, Ed teaches music through magic. “That’s right folks, move over Mr. Magic, It’s Mr. Ed here, to dazzle the eye and boggle the mind.”
I don’t know how he comes up with this stuff. It’s hilarious and a fun, creative way to learn. Some videos are 12 minutes! I asked Ed how long it takes to edit these, “A long time, but I got a lot of that, outside is canceled.” For clarification, he says, “About 6 hours.”
If you have children interested in music, they can learn and laugh along with Mr. Ed. Find Ed’s channel here. And if you’re an adult, watch them too, for the hilarity.
hen there’s DJ Paddy Tubz…
Uncle Tubz reading, Shark Kiss, Octopus Hug by Lynn Rowe Reed with beautiful ocean Illustrations by Kevin Cornell.
Correction, Uncle Tubz, of Uncle Tubz’ Teeny Tiny House Book Club. Yes, our favorite Rockaway DJ has started a Youtube channel where he reads bedtime stories to the Rockaway kiddies! Paddy is in full character as a leprechaun … of course. Also on camera are his animal friends like Jancie the macaw and Clucky the resident chicken. He reads the books using different voices for each character! At the end of the story, there are little morals that relate to our current quarantine circumstances. Whether that be, staying at home if you’re sick or give your family a kiss!
Find Uncle Tubz videos here.
Rob Bryn
Over the weekend my friend Rob Bryn, singer of the Wild Yaks performed for his Birthday. We couldn’t get together physically but we all embraced the music in the wild virtual realm. What a beautiful thing… to give a gift on your birthday rather than to receive one. I enjoyed several glasses of wine during the cosmic performance and also participated in the community Zoom, dancing along with my friends digital bodies on screen. If you’re into theatrics and stream of consciousness writings, follow Rob on Instagram – @rob_bryn.
We got some weird, wonderful misfits in our community and I’m so thankful for them and the online creativity they’re sharing with us – to cope, to laugh, and to get through this darn thing.
by Paula D.
on April 17, 2020 11:33 am in Instagram
Social media has a whole new meaning to us now. It’s our only source of socializing during this long moment of “PAUSE”. The silver lining for many of us during this crisis is more free time. As the weeks pass, I’m noticing more and more creativity on our social platforms. We’re adapting and communicating in new ways.
For me, with this freedom, I’ve started drawing again. I’ve been inspired by artwork on my friends’ Instagram feeds. My Saturday nights are now spent at the dining room table, drawing and painting, drinking a glass of wine. (As opposed to being somewhere else drinking wine and not drawing.) I’ll tune in to some live music played by my friends on Facebook. It’s been surprisingly fun!
I wanted to share some of the cool art I’ve come across lately. My friend Mary Ann has been posting art way before this whole virus thing hit. She’s an art teacher. Lately on her Instagram she’s been sharing collages with typography. When I told her I was writing an art column, I asked if she could take a high resolution photo of one of my recent favorites (pictured above). Instead, she left the original on my porch (thank you!) For inspiration, follow Mary Ann on Instagram – @maryannparedesart.
Beth Perkins is a professional photographer living in Rockaway Beach. We’ve been friends for several years now and we’re also “CROM buddies”. I’ve always admired her photography but never realized she can draw too! She posted on instagram, “Started drawing again after about 20 years, decided to start with my money cat.” Her second in the
series was shared a few days ago and her caption resonated with me, “Peaches” is my second drawing/watercolor. I struggled with the perspective and almost started completely over. However, I learned a lot from this one, and there are elements I really like about it. So, I figured I’d post it. Like life, sometimes things fall into place and feel easy and other times it’s a struggle. Usually those struggles are what make us better, stronger, and wiser. Plus the prizes obtained from the struggle seem more meaningful. This one was done on the back of a cereal box.”
For more from Beth’s cat series follow her on IG – @bethperkins70
I’ve been a long time fan of my friend Clare Hilger’s artwork. A Pratt grad like me and middle school teacher, Clare is always coming up with inventive projects for her students, which seems to spill over into her own work. Recently she posted a piece that caught my attention, it’s called “Spring in the City”. See what Clare creates next on IG – @swimmonstersandwich
There’s more online creatively I want to share with you. Next week I’ll focus on other art forms, like video and writing. In the meantime, I hope this has spurred the creativity within you.
by Paula D.
on April 16, 2020 11:47 am in Holiday
I normally host Easter Sunday for my family and friends, and right now, I’d be gearing up for the party – ordering the paper goods, getting all the soda, liquor and wine, buying the canned antipasto, olives, artichokes and roasted red peppers. Today and Saturday I would’ve been on my feet, cooking nonstop in preparation for Sunday. It feels strange to not be doing it this year.
To mitigate this feeling of “Easter is canceled”, I pulled out the bins of decorations from the basement and made the house look festive. I’ve attempted to watch church on my laptop too, since we Catholics know it’s not about the chocolate bunnies and colored eggs.
Speaking of eggs, I’ve always wanted to try DIY egg coloring. This was the perfect opportunity. I wasn’t about to risk my health going into scary CVS for an Easter egg coloring kit. And that would be very socially irresponsible! Instead I opened up my fridge and got creative. I had red cabbage and I knew turmeric stains, so I went for blue and yellow.
The process is simple. Here’s all the info for this project!
The bright color created from cabbage and turmeric
What you need:
White hard boiled eggs
Water
Vinegar
Tongs
Strainer
Foods that produce natural dye such as: beets, cranberries, raspberries, avocado pit (reds/pinks), white onions, tumeric, carrots (yellows), Blueberries, cabbage (blue), spinach, green tea (greens)
How to: For each color you want to create, boil 1 1/2 cups of water. In that pot add 1 of the above food items. The amount of food you add will be a factor in the brightness of the colored dye. I recommend using more than less. Boil, then let on low for 20 min. Let it cool. Next, add two tablespoons of vinegar. The acid also plays a role in the intensity of the color. You can experiment with the amounts of food and vinegar, after all this is an art project, so get creative!
Once you have your natural dyes ready to go, pour each one in a clear glass or jar. You can strain the liquid or leave some food pieces in. If you leave some food in the liquid, it can create cool markings and patterns.
Now you’re ready to dunk your hard boiled eggs. Like regular dye kits, the longer you keep the eggs in, the brighter the color will be. If you’re looking for pastels take them out of the dye sooner.
If your dyeing eggs with your kids, definitely go for more intensity in color. It will take less time to see the result and the kids could get restless otherwise. Take it a step further and bring out other craft items like sticker0 , sparkles and markers.
Follow Paula on instagram for the day today – @theglorifeidtomato
DIY colored Easter eggs!
