Basket Fence

Two years ago I had tried to make a hanging strawberry basket after I'd seen a few articles about how you can get this really cute arrangement by putting the strawberry plants out the sides as well as the top.  My first attempted two years ago didn't do very well.  I suspect it was because the baskets either didn't get enough sun or because they simply didn't retain water very well.  Plants would get alternatively drowned and then die of thirst.  Never did get many berries off of them; and supposedly you ought to be able to get your basket to last a few years if you do it right.

I'm ready to try it again  since my local Daiso had very inexpensive wire half-rounds for sale and now I have a whole sunny fence to decorate.  Here I've used wool (scooped up from a seamstress friend who was giving away fabric) as the liner.  It actually works way better than those coconut fiber baskets.  There's gaps in the wool towards the bottom where the odd-shaped pieces I cut left gaps that lets the excess water drain out, but the outside of the fabric is almost never soggy; the wool is a pretty good insulation from excess evaporation from the sides of the basket.  This year, I went ahead and used the moisture control soil AND I put in little watering globe things (the mushroom in the pic) that will slowly release water as the soil dries out.


Basically I cut slits into the wool and gently put in the plants (trying not to damage the roots) BEFORE filling up the basket with dirt and the plants on the top.  I let it sit for a week or two to let the plants settle, then hung them up on the fence.  Here I've got 3 strawberry baskets and 2 pea baskets (in the coco fiber lined ones.  not sure They're doing ok..not that that great. Hohonestly I don't think you're supposed to grow peas this way.)  But I've got a few green berries to keep an eye on!  I'm crossing my fingers for some cheery red berries come June! Enough for a couple of shortcakes? :D

Backyard Progress #2

Garden boxes galore!  Last time I checked in it was about the planter boxes for where the trees will go.  After I got the tree boxes done we had a spate of rain/I got lazy about the yard.  Then one day last week I stopped off at Orchard Supply Hardware and saw they had a whole new selection of spring veggies out and no wonder - it's April!  So I really had to get my butt gear if I was going to be able to plant things on time!

I had planned for low boxes to fit in between the trees.  Ideally I would love for some vines to go up a trellis against the back wall, although the spot is not ideal - it's in open shade instead of full sun for most of the day, but I have an idea to fix that.  And, it would be OK I think for the cooler weather vegetables.  The fully full sun spots are too hot for the leafy greens to really flourish.

I built the boxes the same was as the previous ones, open on the bottom.  For one of the two boxes I made this weekend I had to build a little guard around an existing, painted column to minimize the contact it will have with dirt and water (as I intend to grow some food plants...ha...I'll be lucky if they produce significant fruit but hey, positive).  Then I put down some weed blocker material, then shoveled in a few inches of bark nuggets for drainage.  I really ought to be using river rocks, but bringing bags of that home turned out to be impractical (read: impossible as I can't lift them by myself) ,then topped up with a mix of dirt, compost, and perlite to help keep the soil aerated.

And BAM!  Instant-o garden box.  In the back there's butternut squash and cantaloupe, since they're bitty I have a bit of time before the trellis needs to go in.  I transplanted some chard from elsewhere into this box because I think they were getting a bit fried from the sun.  (The problem could also be the way I was watering them.  Oh plants!  Why do under and over watering lead to the same result?)

Whew, so the yard is getting there. These boxes are 12" high, verses the 24" of the tree boxes, and 2'x4" large.  It's a significant amount of dirt to haul.  I think perhaps just one more small box of about 2'x2' for an herb corner and that side of the yard will in business.

 I hope the vines will come in!  I think they'll look nice against that cream wall.  All the more funny if they produce any melons/squash.  I hope the trees will do well where they are too...they do look a bit spindly at the moment, don't they?  Sadly this last picture looks just about the same as my last one, but this time the boxes are out together and one has dirt in it.  And itty bitty plants.   Grow, grow!

Inque Photoshoot

Inque Photoshoot
Model and Stylist: AJ Wu
Photographer: Doris Cheung

Last month I had the chance to do a photo shoot with AJ, who had just completed a new costume.  Both of us are big fans of Batman Beyond, and she had cosplayed the character Inque for a "Spies and Mercenaries" themed party.  She wanted a few pics of her costume, although she told me it was not one she had spent serious time on.  (Um. Really?! You can't tell it's a "throwaway" costume.) 

I've been wanting to test out shooting on a reflective surface for awhile and figured this would be the perfect time for a little experimentation.  At the moment I didn't have the resources to rent out a studio, strobe lights, and a floor made of black plexiglass (gives a GREAT reflection), so we had to settle for ghetto-macgyvering something together in my bedroom.  We ended up using natural light with some borrowed Canon EX-500 flash, sheets for the background, and a 4'x4' piece of mylar.  It worked worked out pretty well to capture some of what makes Inque so cool as a villain - the ability to melt herself into a black inky killer/thief.

What do you think? Personally, I think AJ is maybe a little TOO good at costuming because I was getting seriously freaked out editing her photos.  Doesn't she look scary?!

Of course even villains have their mellow moments.  They can't be in a murderous rage all the time, you know.

Favorite photos from the shoot here.  We ended up having to do many poses lying down and curled up to get the best effect out of the mylar.  Since it is so soft, it doesn't give a perfect reflection, and I only had a small piece to work with.  If I'd had a full studio lighting set and done maybe 12' x 12' on the ground we could have done more dynamic action and full body poses.  However, for a shoot that was on the very ghetto side in terms of materials, I'm very happy with the results.  A little goes a long way!

Next up: A little bit about how I set up the shoot.