Giving away the compost

Beautiful picture!

Okay, I heard about the hannah banana belt as the rain shadow of the Olympics and it would be mighty nice to be in it in some ways..... Whidbey is somewhat I understand but they still have pretty gray wet winters.

So cool maybe we can meet up. I am not living in a place that I feel I can have guests so let me consider where we might go to hang out and set a spell. Or maybe you know of some place, heck, you are probably more familiar with this area than I am, with family here.

Starbucks don't mind people lingering, but they tend to play LOUD music.

My place is so filled with gardening and other junk that I would be hard pressed to find two uncovered chairs!

Corey

Yes I would value a espresso and or waterfront coffee desert. Downtown Edmonds is a wonderful place to partake in a libation of good conversation. Of course non-alcholic, and there are several places in Edmonds. This beach is a wonderful place near downtown (Tunis).

Sofer you take beautiful photos.

Thank you. Iiked this one when traveling on the Wrangell narrows last week. Clouds being birthed to lift and float down on Seattle as rain drops.

Beautiful!

Okey doke folks, just a little update and this seemed a good place for it, I have found a place to move! I will be moving to Whidbey Island (south Whidbey at that, the bestest part) and maybe even before December 1!

I am so excited I was not able to sleep much last night thinking about it. The homeowner with whom I will be sharing the house is making the downstairs self sufficient by means of adding kitchen facilities although I will also have some access to hers upstairs....... We looked at it together and it is very doable.

And the yard? is a blank canvas in which she is giving me pretty much free rein. There will be photos at some point, God willin and the crick don't rise.

Analog Dog! I am definitly going to be coming by at some point not to far in the future, if the offer is still open, to get some of your extra compost. I will be preparing a no-dig bed for next Spring and will need to pile stuff up tout suite! I'll dmail you when I think I can arrange for this, okay?

Sofadog, yes, Edmonds I have driven through a couple times and they do look to have some nice cafe type spots down that way...... we will have to be in touch closer to the time to make a plan but I am into it if it works! I am sure there are places closer by around here too , just have not had the chance to investigate yet.

Sounds good Kyla. My sister lived in Langley and I agree that the south end is wonderful. Well when the ferries are running. LOL

they are running fine so far, and I tend to hunker down when I get to a place I want to be and not be going around all that much anyways, so right this minute? don't care if they run long as they get me over there all right.

eventually we might run out of some stuff tho, LOL!

Kyla,

Have you looked up your climate info yet? I think Whidbey Island has zines 7b, 8a and 8b!

I thought that Whidbey Island NAS would have a NOAA station, but it seems not.

Is there a town name I can search for, to find a NOAA station?

Corey
P.S. This is my favorite zine-map, zoomable.
http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-washington-plant-maps-zone-hardiness-map.php

The nearest NOAA on Whidby is the Navy Base at Oak Harbor. I always got my Kayak weather from there.

I'm not finding it yet by "Oak Harbor" but I'll keep looking ...
Ok, searching from here, I see it:

OAK HARBOR , WA
UNITED STATES
COOP-WBAN ID: 456004-99999

data, 1894 to 1895, I hope that's a typo!

>> 04/1894 to 06/1895

Nope, they don;t seem to put data online.

Wauna 3 W
- Wauna, WA, United States
- Pierce County
has more recent info online

With "Wauna 3 W" in hand, I can go here:
http://www7.ncdc.noaa.gov/CDO/cdo

which took me here
http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/cdo/cdostnsearch.pl

Trying to get "mothly extremes", my IT dpeartement refused access. I might have looked at some rqacy isobars on company time.

Oh, well.

Oak Harbor is north island and I will be south, town name of Clinton.

Meanwhile, here is my vehicle-to-be! Check this out!

I mean, who could possibly resist?


http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/10/hot-dog-and-cook-any.html

(just kidding, but almost not!)

This message was edited Nov 10, 2010 7:46 PM

Nice wheels!

I just found out that I'm off by 30 days on my "first frost date", trying to read NOAA data.

So take anything I say with a peck of salt!

Corey

Do you have slaves to carry the front of the cart? What you need to add to the cart sales is the sugar baked banannas that they make in Mexico.

those must be those hannah bananas, right Sofer? LOL! Don't need slaves, it is a magic conveyance.

Corey.... I have the same problem with those first and last frost places, it is so dang hard to see where you actually are! And then, when you live in an area with squiggly differentials of mini climates weaving all over the place, well, hooey. Just have to wait and see I guess.

In Weed we did know one thing, not to plant the tomatoes out til all the snow was melted off of Black Butte. This was good to know because it could feel really quite warm enough to plant out and then, suddenly, doom da doom doom, FREEZE come and getcha. saw it happen.

Here we may have some kind of oldtimers' lore like that but no clear landmark like Black Butte to pin it on, sigh.

So I guess the thing to do is find someone who has been gardening real nearby to where you are gardening, and follow them around for a while.

Right now though i am focused on getting a bare lawn in shape for a garden come spring, was just cruising craigslist for manure and stuff like that. And I am going to need a truck or something, maybe borrow one...... my mind is busy with these plans.

>> cruising craigslist for manure and stuff like that. And I am going to need a truck or something, maybe borrow one.

Yeah! Right to the heart of the matter. You go!

(The give-away manufactured homes were given away long ago, I should have said long ago. And I'm guessing your yard is ten times bigger than these yards.)

Corey

:) probably, but you know what they say about size and mattering.

hahaha

I am actually getting in advance of myself, already looking for manure to spread, gotta get over there first. patience is not my favorite virtue.

"Lord, grant me patience ... RIGHT NOW!!"

Corey

Rick that is my prayer every day. I wonder why He doesn't provide when I pray. LOL

Kyla, I am happy to hear that you have found a place! We are looking forward to reports as the move progresses.

Sharon, thank you, me too! and I will be telling all no doubt.

Soferdig,

I recall an ancient joke where some preacher was ragging on some degenerate sex-crazed Hollywood super-star super-nymphomaniac, then eased up a bit and asked everyone to pray for her.

One guy in back shouts "I've been prayin' for her for YEARS but I ain't got 'er yet!"


I happen to have a refridgerator magnet that expresses most of our philosophical yearnings:

"I want it ALL.
I want it NOW!!
I want it BAD!!!"


Corey
(old-school NJ humor)

*snork*

I was going to recommend Craigslist and finding someone on the island with some composted bedding material, as right now my pile is about 50% leaves, 25% grass and odds and ends, and about 25% real compost, come spring, I hope the ratio is a bit better. I am wait for the leaf fall to finish and the pile to settle down then I will give it a good mixing and aerating, then wait till spring.

Well all I would do with it now anyway is spread it on the new beds and let it do its thing over the winter....... I will likely still want some but we'll see, right now I am in the throes of several other sets of arrangements to do with this move, such as getting the kitchen appliances installed, which has been a process undertaken by the new landlady/housemate and has had more switchbacks from one source to another over the past week it would make your head spin. Once that settles down I will have more brain area to devote to the garden, I hope!

I hear you about all the stuff going on, but I wanted to update you on what I had, and I used some partially finished composted horse bedding from a farm to get this going, and thought that a farm on the island may be easier and give you something better than I have. I figured if you were going to be in my neighborhood you could save a drive.

Yecch, is it nasty out today.

Thanks, and I honestly have no idea what is easy or not easy at this point, but partially composted horse bedding is wonderful stuff! On the island are alpaca and lama farms and somebody may let me come over with a shovel, who knows! ?

And yep about the weather today, I think I may just stay inside and put off doing things til tomorrow. Which even if it is as wet as today I will have had a day to get used to the idea. :)

I would check Craigslist.org and look under farm stuff or just query compost. But use the Skagit/Island/SJI link, not the Seattle one.

I am lazy I put 40# of pelleted chicken doo doo from the Big Box on my 4 yards of shredded compost and stirred it yesterday before the big Rain here tonight.
I was up in the mountains at dark and it was foggy with a white out snow. Big Flakes. I was hunting in a new area and had no map so had to turn around and head down hill the way I came in. I wanted to go over the pass some distance up the road but hey why die tonight.

AnalogDog, do you have a direct link for the craigslist you are referring to? I can't seem to find that one

Soferdig I am sure that will work just fine, and glad you decided to stick around for a bit. :)

PS (edit) AnalogDog, never mind, I found that list. :)

This message was edited Nov 15, 2010 10:10 PM

Don't count on South Whidbey being anything in a zone 8. I know they say that but we are definitely a 7. It will often dip below 10 here and it only takes once!

I have never been able to overwinter any zone 8 plants in the ground. I have a couple I keep in pots and put them by the hot tub for the winter where they stay toasty.

There may be some protected yards here and there that can get by with zone 8. Maybe being so close to the water, Kyla, you'll be one of them!

Tell me about it, Mountlake Terrace is rated as 8b, but I killed all sorts of plants that are supposed to be 9s a couple of winters ago. Most of my outdoor flock is sturdier than 8, so I really don't know what we are.

My Lake Stevens yard is for sure zone 7. I live very close to the lake and still a zone 7. Zone 8 plants never live without large amounts of protection or bring in during the cold blasts.

I've never paid attention to zones. I just assume whatever the local nurseries are offering are hardy for our region. Perhaps my ignorance has been a blessing in disguise, as I don't stew over will it/won't it make it through winter. If I do think about it, I think I'm a zone 8. Who knows. Not to say I haven't killed my share of plant life.

The best USDA Zone finder I trust: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html . There used to be one here on DG but I cannot find it.