When the Growing Gets Cold

Coming back to the Ecohouse after a brief winter hiatus I was anxious to see how the cold frame was holding up! So anxious, in fact, that while doing snow removal with the broom I shattered a window. Alas, the lettuce and radishes looked like they had quit some time ago but the spinach was chugging along and looked no worse than when I left. Today, the first sunny day in Syracuse in quite some time, I did a real inspection of the garden. It seems that what everything really wanted was a drink. So, now that everything is watered and should be getting a couple days of sun I'm hoping to see some perky plants out in the snow. We'll see.












Just in case the out door garden doesn't make it, we've got a constantly growing collection of plants inside. My favorites are my carnivorous plants that just may be the coolest things I've grown yet. My highland Nepenthes is the show stopper with its gorgeous pitchers but I've got a soft spot for the two Mexican Butterworts whose flowers I'm anxiously awaiting.

Also inside are rosemary and thyme plants, a burgundy ficus, aloe, a Christmas tree, an African violet, chamomile, and an aerogarden that I just planted with parsley, chives, catnip, nira chives, cress, and mitsuba.

I do believe we're having a meeting this Sunday evening, so I will hope to see everyone there!

Be well,
Elizabeth

Hydrofracting in NY?!? Rally in Thornden Park Water Tower 5:30pm 1/19/09

The first day of classes -- and there is already an opportunity to come together and raise our voices to protect the environment.   A rally to urge lawmakers to ban hydrofracting in CNY is being held at 5:30pm at the water tower in Thorden Park.  Some of us are meeting at 5pm at the ecohouse to go together.  Hope you will join us.  In Sunday's Post Standard 1/17 (front page section B) there is an good overview of the issue, which includes where different state representatives and senators stand on the issue.  Many are undecided. Many are calling for more information on the impact of natural gas drilling - on one hand the danger to watersheds and on the other hand the effectiveness of protection through regulation.  Do you have knowledge to share on the subject?  Please comment!

One idea we will discuss at our planning meeting on Sunday, January 24th is whether we want to plan a field trip to Pennsylvania to view a hydrofracting site.

Gail