Ahhh the results of a self imposed long wkd in the studio. Many 2.5 kg warm up bowls around 50 soup size bowl and 50 cups and mugs. Just allowing that amount of concentrated time with nothing else happening was brilliant and the results now are mostly bisqued with some still waiting for the next load which is tiles but before that I digress...
I recently acquired my new lil birdie screen so printing and firing has commenced with a batch about to be delivered to a new Gallery along with some shino wares on Monday, its a bit of a road trip but should be lovely…
and oops forgot their blue moon on the dishes so they are moonless!
Yes El Mexicano Quiz Night at Tea Tree Studio went off!! Loads of prep with catering etc and the chilli went down a treat with some lovely salsa by Anna and cup cakes to boot! it was a ton of fun and here's some of the winners….
So to the tiles they have been a while in the making and so wet I even lit the studio fire yesterday to warm the place up, so there you have it the mark making has progressed and just some more detailing and more drying to go.
and last sunday's opening at the gallery 1855 of "Shadows"
some lovely collage and print works by 3 artists
And of course the tiger himself, striding along into his 18yr with more visits to the vets of late and with a change of meds he has perked up a bit again and responding well. yes he has a nanna rug :) loves it…
and a shout out to Kim in Tassie Sunday Blog's up…head on over for a peruse around the pond
Healthy Vegetable Transplants from Stores: Check the Roots!
I do grow most of my own transplants but I can't resist browsing the vegetable transplants that are put and signal spring. They are out as of this week here in Maryland Zone 7. And if I am browsing, assuming it's a fair price, then I am buying. There are several tips you can follow to make sure you get a healthy transplant for your garden. Remember by the time they get to be displayed, they have already been growing 4-6 weeks. They really don't have but 2 weeks shelf life in my opinion.
Vegetable Transplants - The Rusted Garden 2014
The plants arrive healthy but they are at risk of great stress. Sitting in the sun, they easily and often dry completely out. This will stress the plant. The plants are usually large and because of that they will quickly use up the nutrients in the soil of the seed cell. Very few place feed their transplants.
You really want to get transplants that have only been out on display for 1-2 weeks. There shouldn't be any yellowed or dried leaves but for the leaves that first emerged. Yellow leaves typically mean poor watering. Sometimes you will notice tomatoes that have a purple coloration through them and that is a nutrient deficiency. The leaves and stems of transplants should look vibrant and healthy like in the picture and video.
Look over the leaves. I have bought kale before that had green cabbage loopers on the leaves. You can bring unwanted insects and disease into your garden if you aren't careful. There shouldn't be any signs of bug damage. No holes in the leaves. No marking or trails on the leaves. They really should look picture perfect. This holds true for looking for sings of fungus and bacteria spots. Clean leaves!
Finally, check the roots. It is not bad etiquette to pop the plant out of the cell and check the roots. The video shows you the best examples of how they should look. You basically don't want them overly coiled at the bottom of the cell or to have really massively covered the sides of the plug. Roots the have over grown the cell are signs of an older plant. An older plant might mean the plant is stunted and ready to turn to seed or start setting fruit. It tells you the transplants have been sitting a long time.
and oops forgot their blue moon on the dishes so they are moonless!
Yes El Mexicano Quiz Night at Tea Tree Studio went off!! Loads of prep with catering etc and the chilli went down a treat with some lovely salsa by Anna and cup cakes to boot! it was a ton of fun and here's some of the winners….
