Earthquake near Sumatra - location map and seismic charts - [updated 28Mar05]

28Mar05 Added recent earthquake information:
1. updated area map showing location of both events
2. Seismic Plot from Sydney, BC - compare with 26Dec05
3. Seismic Plot from Olympic Penninsula - compare with 26Dec05
4. a second animation of the 26Dec05 Tidal Wave [pending]


14Feb05 Added article from Royal Navy [UK] with images of ocean floor
03Jan05 Added link to Sri Lanka Government Tsumani Page &
Tsunami Blog

30Dec04 Update: Satellite Imagery from UNO added.

How can you help? Donate cash to a registered NGO development organization of your choice. Cash allows relief workers to buy what is needed from suppliers near the disaster area and start rebuilding the local economy.

List of Vancouver based organizations that are involved with
International Development from The Red Book online.

Link to news on relief efforts from ReliefWeb

Link to Sri Lanka National Disaster Management Centre

Link to The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Blog

++++
Living on the West Coast, I am always interested in earthquakes occuring in the Pacific Rim, because there will be a Big One here someday.

BC Provincial Emergency Program

Cause....

The Eathquake

25 December 4:58 p.m. PST: A magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck just off the coast of Sumatra (at 06:58 a.m. Dec. 26 Sumatra time). This earthquake, the world's largest quake in nearly 40 years, was felt in Sumatra, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand. There are reports of significant damage in the epicentral area, and many people were reported killed in Sri Lanka by a tsunami generated by this earthquake. There is no tsunami threat to Canada's west coast.

Distance from epicenter:
255 km (160 miles) SSE of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
315 km (195 miles) W of Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia
1260 km (790 miles) SSW of BANGKOK, Thailand
1590 km (990 miles) NW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia

Detailed tectonic map of the area provided by USGS



Comparison Map 28 March 2005



Preliminary Earthquake Report
U.S. Geological Survey,
National Earthquake Information Center
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver

The devastating megathrust earthquake of December 26, 2004, occurred on the interface of the India and Burma plates and was caused by the release of stresses that develop as the India plate subducts beneath the overriding Burma plate. The India plate begins its descent into the mantle at the Sunda trench, which lies to the west of the earthquake's epicenter. The trench is the surface expression of the plate interface between the Australia and India plates, situated to the southwest of the trench, and the Burma and Sunda plates, situated to the northeast.

In the region of the earthquake, the India plate moves toward the northeast at a rate of about 6 cm/year relative to the Burma plate. This results in oblique convergence at the Sunda trench. The oblique motion is partitioned into thrust-faulting, which occurs on the plate-interface and which involves slip directed perpendicular to the trench, and strike-slip faulting, which occurs several hundred kilometers to the east of the trench and involves slip directed parallel to the trench. The December 26 earthquake occurred as the result of thrust-faulting.

Preliminary locations of larger aftershocks following the megathrust earthquake show that approximately 1200 km of the plate boundary slipped as a result of the earthquake. By comparison with other large megathrust earthquakes, the width of the causative fault-rupture was likely over one-hundred km. From the size of the earthquake, it is likely that the average displacement on the fault plane was about fifteen meters. The sea floor overlying the thrust fault would have been uplifted by several meters as a result of the earthquake. The above estimates of fault-dimensions and displacement will be refined in the near future as the result of detailed analyses of the earthquake waves.

The world's largest recorded earthquakes have all been megathrust events, occurring where one tectonic plate subducts beneath another. These include:

the magnitude 9.5 1960 Chile earthquake, the magnitude 9.2 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska, earthquake, the magnitude 9.1 1957 Andreanof Islands, Alaska, earthquake, and the magnitude 9.0 1952 Kamchatka earthquake. As with the recent event, megathrust earthquakes often generate large tsunamis that cause damage over a much wider area than is directly affected by ground shaking near the earthquake's rupture.
Source: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/usslav.htm

Seismic plot from Sidney, BC [30 minutes]

The plot below shows seismic data from the past 24 hours, as received at PGC and enhanced to show major earthquake events from all over the world. This special "Long Period" plot is optimized for displaying very low frequency vibrations that travel over long distances from earthquake sites. Each horizontal line shows 30 minutes of data. On the left side of a plot is the starting time for each line in Universal Time. On the right side is the starting time in PGC Local Time (PST or PDT).

Data in BLACK starts "On the Hour". Minutes past the hour are on the BLACK scale (00 to 30).
Data in BLUE starts "On the Half-hour". Minutes past the half-hour are the BLUE scale (30 to 60).

A different chart overlapping earthquake time and showing aftershocks:



Current status


http://www.pgc.nrcan.gc.ca/seismo/seismos/24hr-PGC.LHZ.shtml

Seismic plot from Port Angeles, WA [10 minutes]
this gives detail of seismic activity over a shorter timeframe



http://www.pnsn.org/WEBICORDER/BB/OPC_SHZ_UW.2004122600.html

Event: 2004/12/26 00:58:50.7
Description: OFF W COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATERA
Source: SPYDER®
http://www.iris.edu/quakes/quakes.htm
Click on the "Seismic Monitor" link

Station: PALK - Pallekele, Sri Lanka ~1650 km from epicenter
Network: II - Global Seismograph Network (GSN - IRIS/IDA)
Lat: 7.27 Lon: 80.70 Elev: 460.00
Event Name: 20041226_005850.7.spyder
Available Channels: BH1,BH2,BHE,BHN,BHZ,BLE,BLN,BLZ,LH1,LH2,LHZ
Available Locations: 00,10







primary (P-) wave - earthquake body wave that travels fastest and advances by push-pull mechanism. Also known as longitudinal, compressional, or P wave.

S -Wave - a transverse seismic wave produced by shearing motion. S-waves are so called because they are the second set of waves to arrive from an earthquake.

Interesting coincidence:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/uscvad.htm
Magnitude 6.6 - SOUTHEASTERN IRAN
2003 December 26 01:56:52 UTC
**1 year and 58 minutes to the day!!**

...and Effect

Tsunami



Image found at Digitalcatharsis apparently from the NOAA

Area affected [large image 1600 x 1100] opens in a new window

From UNOSAT - satellite imagery for all

More Satellite Images from DigitalGlobe

####

Navy survey ship scans tsunami earthquake zone
10.02.05 11:43



A Royal Navy survey ship has provided scientists with the first
detailed images of the sea bed which triggered the devastating
Boxing Day tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

Ocean survey vessel HMS Scott was in the western Indian Ocean
when a massive earthquake struck almost 100 miles off the coast
of Sumatra, sending a massive pulse of water which destroyed
waterside communities around the edge of the ocean.

She would have ridden over the wave at some point on that day,
but because of the depth of water in the region near Madagascar
her ship’s company of 42 would not have felt it – the wave only
poses a threat when it reaches shallow water and rears up into
the huge wall of water which terrified communities thousands
of miles apart.

With the co-operation of the Indonesian government, Scott is
spending almost three weeks above the epicentre of the quake,
obtaining three-dimensional images of the sea bed using
state-of-the-art sonar and computer equipment.

At depths of up to 5,000 metres, Scott found evidence of massive
disruption, with faults many kilometers long and several hundred
metres high associated with landslides as the Burma and Indian
tectonic plates collided, causing a huge release of energy which
was transferred by the ocean itself to the countries bordering the
Indian Ocean, with Indonesia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka being
particularly hard-hit.

Current estimates are that more than a quarter of a million people
died when the waves swept ashore. Scott was on site exactly a month
after the quake, allowing scientists to get a good look at the scene
before sediment and the action of the sea starts to mask the scars.

The images are low-resolution – they will be enhanced using powerful
analytical computers in the weeks to come – and the colour-coding
shows depths in the ocean.

The area is not one which has been well-charted in recent times – i
t is believed most surveys date back to the early quarter of the 20th
century, and some as far back as the 1880s.

Scott, which is part of the Devonport-based Hydrographic and
Surveying Squadron, carried with her experts from the British
Geological Survey and the Southampton Oceanography Centre.

It is hoped the information gleaned by Scott can be put to good
use in determining danger signs for future earthquakes and
tsunami, and will also figure in investigations into early-warning
systems.

More images:
2/4
3/4
4/4

28 March 2005 - Earthquake / Aftershock

Monday, March 28, 2005

A great earthquake occurred at 16:09:36 (UTC) on Monday, March 28, 2005. The magnitude 8.7 event has been located in NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA. (This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)

Magnitude8.7

Date-TimeMonday, March 28, 2005 at 16:09:36 (UTC)

Monday, March 28, 2005 at 11:09:36 PM

Location2.065°N, 97.010°E
Depth30 km (18.6 miles) set by location program
Region NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA

205 km (125 miles) WNW of Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia
250 km (155 miles) SW of Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia
535 km (330 miles) WSW of KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia
1410 km (880 miles) NW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia

Felt Reports

At least 290 people killed, 100 injured and 300 houses destroyed on Nias. Extensive damage on Simeulue. Felt in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and as far north as Bangkok, Thailand.




http://www.pnsn.org/WEBICORDER/BB/OPC_SHZ_UW.2005032812.html




*please contact me if images not visible
Thanks to ImageShack
for Free Image Hosting

Technorati Tags: sumatra, earthquake, tsunami, seismic, charts, map, aftershock

Edible Landscapes provides seed to UrbanWild...

http://www.ediblelandscapes.ca/

is a successful microbusiness on the Sunshine Coast of BC that provides Permaculture information. Much of the stock was taken from healthy, food bearing trees and shrubs of the lower mainland of BC, or as seed purchased from England, a close mirror to our own marine climate. All plants are raised using BC Organic Standards and Edible Landscapes provides ongoing assistance to the limits of my own knowledge for the lifetime of your plant.

The minute Robin Wheeler heard the term Permaculture, she realized she had found the niche she had been looking for. Breeding plants for Permaculture gardens offered her a practical application for her happy urge to propagate any vegetation she could get her hands on.

Link from Plants for a Future database

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) An annual, but self sow readily
http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Calendula+officinalis

Corn salad x 2 – (Valerianella locusta) low, small spring and fall salad green, spreads from seed so clear mulch away from base and let “mother” die down after seeding. Plant will reappear in fall.
http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Valerianella+locusta

Nodding Onion (A. cernuum) Native variety, low growing clumps, pink flowers
http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Allium+cernuum

Salad Burnet x 2 (Sanguisorba minor) "Occasionally cultivated in the herb garden, this is an evergreen herbaceous plant and it supplies fresh edible leaves all the year round, even in quite severe winters[K]. When grown as a salad, the plant should be prevented from flowering."
http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Sanguisorba+minor

Sea Kale (Crambe maritima) Used since antiquity. The Romans preserved it in barrels for sea travel. Cabbagy plant with thick, plastic looking leaves. Blanched and eaten raw or cooked. Another plant interesting for its own visual merits.
http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Crambe+maritima

Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata) A fern-like licorice flavored shade lover, all parts edible. (B)(S)
http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Myrrhis+odorata

Welsh (perennial green) onion (Allium fistulosum) plant these once and let them spread. When they reappear next spring, begin snipping the onion greens for salads. Spread about 3 fold a year. (S) (B)
http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Allium+fistulosum

Violets (Viola odorata) – leaves and flowers good in mixed salads. Research shows plant to have tumor reducing properties.
http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Viola+odorata

...in exchange for this announcement.

http://www.ediblelandscapes.ca/

Robin,

Thank you so much!

Al

Technorati Tags: ediblelandscapes, robin, wheeler, permaculture

New link added - Cucurbit Disorders - 28 October 2004

New link added - Cucurbit Disorders

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/cucurbit/intro.html

Does your pumpkin have a problem? To find out what's noshing on your squash, click through the images on this pest management "online problem solver" for cucurbits (plants of the gourd family).

Found on the 'net: A vegetable garden plan - October 26, 2004

Apparently this information comes from the U.S. Peace Corps but the link is dead. I have seen the same details in books. Remember those.:-)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/urbanwild/message/56


TABLE 1 Seeds per ounce and Germination Rates

Table 2 Spacings For Intensive Method Of Growing Plants In Beds Crop Spacings

Plating Centers Per 100 Sq. Feet

Table 3 A List Of Common Garden Vegetables With Their Companions And Antagonist

Table 4 Time Required To Raise Vegetable Seeds To Transplanting Size

Seeds To Start In Planting Beds

Seeds To Plant In Seed Beds And Transplant

Table 5 Cool Season And Warm Season Crops
[No Table - No info]

Table 6 Estimated Yields Per 25 Ft. Row

Table 7 Estimated Yields Per 100 Sq. Ft. Bed

Table 8 Row Crop Spacings

Table 9 Estimated Yields Per 1 Acre Of Intensely Planted Ground


Technorati Tags: garden, plan, seed, planting, produce, yield, urbanwild

Not posting but not unbusy - Monday, October 25, 2004

Not posting but not unbusy - Monday, October 25, 2004

Getting back online after an abscence is not esay. So much has
happened and yet nothing has changed.

I have borrowed a digital camera and that makes it easier to
document my projects, but it takes longer to process
an entry.

So in the next few days, I'll be posting updates on my garden
locations, including a new one added a few weeks ago.

A new location - October 25, 2004

Construction zones are intersting places to grow things.

In Vancouver, when a building is constructed the trees on the
boulevard must not be cut down, so they are protected







The site is guaranteed not to be disturbed for as long as
the construction is ongoing, allowing for long term growth and
observation. One of my hopes is that if it is attractive enough
when the barrier is removed, people may not disturb it

When I first saw this site it was one of four trees and it had the
most open ground before the leaves fell. I had a small prescription
vial that I had filled with White clover, red clover, crimson clover
and spread it out of the area.

This is a picture from about a week later






You can see the clover starting to sprout.

Here's a picture from yesterday - October 24, 2004







Here's another side, also from yesterday:

Road Island - Seedballs sprouting Sunday October 10, 2004 [Pics]

The seedballs that remained intact are starting to sprout!!



The difference between the seedballs sprouts and the ones that
fell apart after the first rainfall is striking. They are about four
times the size since they started inside the growing medium.

I'm convinced.



.
.

Walking beside winner of 2004 Nobel Peace Prize - October 9, 2004

Walking beside winner of 2004 Nobel Peace Prize - October 9, 2004

Sandy Gillians, writer of Pollenatrix, one of the sites on
my blogroll wrote an entry that mentioned an environmentalist
winning the Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize 2004

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the
Nobel Peace Prize for 2004 to Wangari Maathai for her
contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.

Then I started looking a bit more closely at what the Green Belt Movement does:

The Tree Planting Program (Phase 1)- Tree planting on private land (farms, schools, churches, etc)

In Phase 1 of the project (1977-1997), GBM focused on planting trees on farms with women groups as the main
implementing agency...By 1997, over 20 million trees had been
planted and survived.

The Tree Planting Program (Phase 2) - Tree planting on public
lands (parks, forests, road reserves, etc)

The stakes are much higher in Africa, but still it is a great
feeling 'cause I'm doing that too!!

My first seedballs ready - October 2, 2004 and updates [Pics]

Update: October 10, 2004 - New entry with pics. Seedballs sprouting!!

Update: October 6, 2004 - rained a few days ago. Many of the
smaller seedballs have disintegrated. I can see the clay debris
and the seeds open on the ground. The larger ones are intact.
Next time, I will make sure they are more compacted before
considering them done.

Update: October 3, 2004 - put the seed balls on the road island. Using the guideline of ten balls per meter I covered about three meters on each side. It is a long road island. So, I am probably going to need about 200 - 300 seedballs to cover it all.

===

I found a potter on Granville Island who sold me some red clay and a few days ago I made them. He said it was a brand/type called Redart

I used the instructions on the Path to Freedom page [that's their picture too - not direct linked!!], because they used measured quanities, 1 1/4 Cup clay 3/4 Cup compost, 1/4 Cup seeds.

There is a road island

that I found on my way to work and a few weeks ago, the city cut the weeds that were growing in the cracks. I figure if the "weeds" are pretty enough, they may not cut them as often.

I used the seeds I received from Cristina [see Wish List] and made a mixture of

Wildflowers [shade tolerant]
California Poppies
Mint
Red Clover
Crimson Clover

It all went very well. I made the mixture and sprayed it with water until it started sticking together. In the end, I had a ball about the size of a large apple - about 4-5 inches round.

The balls I made are a bit smaller than what was recommended, since I knew that they were going into a crack in the pavement. so while the recipe suggests I should get 40 - 50, I probably have around 70 - 80.

The smaller ones break under the pressure of my fingers giving them a tight squeeze. I'm not sure if it has to do with the size
or that I didn't compress them enough.

The weather outside is sunny so I put them outside to dry and
realized that I could do that just as easily on top of my 'fridge when the weather is not so good.

I'll "plant" them on Sunday.

See also Replanting Stanley Park with Seed Balls July 18, 2004

......

New blog added - Netivat Sofrut - a woman writing a Torah - September 24, 2004

Aviel Barclay

Soferet
http://soferet.blogspot.com

Not updated on a regular basis, but an impressive journey nonetheless.

"For the first time that anyone knows, a synagogue has commissioned a woman
to write a sefer Torah (Bible scroll). The synagogue is Kadima in Seattle,
Wash., and the woman is Vancouver resident Aviel Barclay. To the best of her
knowledge, Barclay will be the first woman to be certified in this ancient
Jewish vocation.

At this moment, Barclay has yet to start the actual writing of the sefer
Torah. In fact, she is in Israel now, completing her process of becoming a
certified soferet (female scribe). She began her training five years ago but
her interest in sofrut started long before that."

http://www.jewishbulletin.ca/archives/Aug03/archives03Aug22-01.html

On the dark side of the 'net [beheading in Iraq] - September 24, 2004

[Fair Notice - No image, but graphic description of Eugene Armstrong's death in Iraq below.]



I interupt this gardening blog with news from a different reality:

We all live on a very narrow bridge. But the main thing to recall is not to fear at all.
-Rabbi Nachman

I started reading the news that appears on my Blogroll again.
Big mistake.

I found access to the video [link at end of this entry] of Eugene Armstrong's beheading at the hands of Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi's Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad. I watched it.
Bigger mistake.

To see this man, who is someone's father, brother, son,
cousin, uncle, friend and colleague being killed, struggling to
his last breath is horrifying. [At its worst, he was squealing like
a pig; his final breath sounded as if a horse snorted - once]
Then, to see his head being separated from his body and
placed on top of it is beyond words.
I didn't sleep the rest of the night.

Later, I realized again why I started my gardening projects. It
gives me the opportunity to create beauty and provide
sustenance in a world that is, at times, inhospitable.

May TheOne, Who is everywhere, comfort his family amongst the other mourners of those everywhere who experience the
loss of a loved one.

The day is short, the task is great...It is not incumbent upon
you to finish the task. Yet, you are not free to desist from it.
-Pirkei Avot Ch 2, v20, 21

http://www.homelandsecurityus.com/Hostages.asp

I now return you to my regular blogging about gardening [maybe].

Again! Vandalism at Science World - September 21, 2004

Again! Vandalism at Science World

The ground was dug up, coffee bags were exposed, the tansy uprooted, the bamboo "fence" was torn down.

It was a mess. As always, I feel sad for people who can only destroy what is supposed to be beautiful. [3p]

Surprisingly, the Corn Salad is still sprouting almost undisturbed. They missed the main rows.
Cleaned it up as best I could.

No matter; I'm going to put clover seeds on it tomorrow [September 23] and hope for the best.

If they take hold, I'll plant my veggies among them in the spring.

[September 23: In the end I could not put the seeds on the plot. I went to another triangle
of land a few meters south and threw them [Red clover, white dutch clover and
crimson clover] over a 2m sq area. [p]

Getting rid of bindweed [Morning Glory] September 17, 2004

Getting rid of bindweed [Morning Glory]

Update: September 23, 2004

Well, I think it is working, slowly in some spots, faster in others.

I may have to play with the formula a bit.

To get rid of it,

http://www.bcbiodiversity.homestead.com/noxiousweeds.html
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/weedguid/bindweed.htm
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Convolvulus+arvensis

I'm trying this:

"You will get suggestions that involve a ton of work and you may have to
resort to that, but what I would suggest trying first is a "trick" with
roundup. Take a container like say a plastic milk jug, fill it half way with
a strong dilution of round up concentrate and dig a hole in the ground to
set the container (so it doesn't tip over and kill your pumpkins). Grab a
piece of bindweed, but don't rip it out of the ground, put the end into the
milk jug so part of it is submerged in the roundup. Secure the weed to the
jug so it can't get out and leave it sit until the weed is dead.

"The problem with bind weed is it's extensive root system and ability to
regrow from any root left alive. Using roundup via normal applications often
isn't sufficient to kill the entire root system which is why I recommend
soaking the plant in it until it dies completely.... one Garden Webber
reported doing this and seeing bindweed dying on several lots which would
indicate one weed with an incredibly massive root system."
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/weeds/msg0506291210419.html

I have four containers set up around the garden and will report on the
progress.

There is a bug that may solve the problem

http://www.ag.state.co.us/DPI/insectary/BOM-Am.html


Scientific Name: Aceria malherbae
Common Name: Bindweed gall mite
Type of Agent: Mite (Acari:Eriophyidae)

A website in BC refers to the same creature as

Aceria convolvuli

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/range/manual/ch11%2Dapp%2D06.htm

Current links list - September 11, 2004

Current links list - September 11, 2004

**For current links, see Blogrolling list in the right column or here**

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/urbanwild/links



BC Biodeversity

An excellent site explaining the plants, animals and their habitat in
British Columbia. Also includes uses.

http://www.bcbiodiversity.homestead.com/



BikeBox Trailers

A growing and innovative manufacturer located in Vancouver, British
Columbia, BikeBox began as the simple "stuff transportation" solution for
cyclists. Built around the philosophy that "small is beautiful", and a
commitment to "doing more with less" Andy Hunter started the company with
the desire to make off-the-shelf trailers that don't cost an arm and a leg.

http://bikebox.ca/index.html



Blog: AA UrbanWild's bloglines list

Mine, obviously

http://www.bloglines.com/public/urbanwild



Blog: ColdClimateGardening bloglines feed
Yet another

http://www.bloglines.com/public/ColdClimateGardening



Blog: ColdClimateGardening newsfeed list
Gardening Weblogs with XML/RSS feeds

http://server.com/WebApps/NewsApp/news-read.cgi?id=1172



Blog: List from ColdClimateGardening
"These are all the gardening blogs I know about that are being regularly
updated."

http://www.coldclimategardening.com/links/index.html#weblogs



Blog: List from The Providence Journal, RI I've been added [September 3,
2004]

http://www.projo.com/cgi-bin/include.pl/blogs/shenews/gardenblogs.htm



Center for Invasive Plant Management (CIPM) Noxious Weed List - June 2004

Under the British Columbia Weed Control Act, the following weeds are
classified as noxious within all regions of the province. The BC Weed
Control Act imposes a duty on all land-occupiers to control designated
noxious plan

Science World redo - Monday, September 6, 2004

Science World redo - Monday, September 6, 2004

I decided it was time to start from scratch at the
Science World location.

I loaded up my cart and went down to the site.
On the way, I picked up some cardboard in one
of the alleys.

[p] Once there, I shovelled the soil [p] onto one of
the pieces cardboard and used Roundup [ugh!]
along the edges of the bed to remove the wild clover.
I put cardboard on the ground and cut it to fit [p].
Where there were gaps, I used foil coffee bags from
Starbucks [p]. Slowly, I put the soil back on the
cardboard and filled the bed back in keeping the soil
evenly spread. Smaller pieces of cardboard were also
used to fill in any open spaces

While putting the soil back, I removed any weeds and
moss found in the soil and added 18L of topsoil to the
orginal mix [p].

After the soil was back on the bed, I took another piece
of cardboard and compacted the soil by kneeling on it.[p]
Finally, I put a bamboo stick at the small and ran some
green garden twine to a nail in the telephone poll and back,
so the strings were at different heights. To the string, I
added orange flagging tape.[p] With luck, this will deter
people from running over the garden. Of course on the
other side of the coin, it draws attention to the garden itself.

I decided that the winter garden would be vegetable,
so I planted Corn Salad again this time in three rows
instead of broadcasting them like I did at the Car Barn.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/urbanwild/message/32

The seeds in the north row [closest to the road] are
unevenly spaced in the row as the seeds spilled
and I had to collect them off the ground and mixed
them with some gravel.

Spoke with about ten people who stopped by -
refered them to the diary site where possible by
asking them to Google urbanwild

Watered it all with 8L of water and took lots of PICs [p].

The Zen of gardening - a nice dry day, not to hot, not in a rush.
Arrived at 930am - left at Noon.

Scavenging compostable materials - Friday, September 3, 2004

Starbucks gives away their coffee grounds.

People cut their grass and put in bags in the back lanes.

Smaller grocery stores will give you their produce that
they throw out. Some of it does go back into a compost

pile to nourish more plants.

In the fall people have to many apples and pears than
they can eat. They bag them and leave them to rot.
That is sad waste.

An alternative is the Fruit Tree Project: "The Fruit Tree Project connects people who have fruit trees, people who can help harvest fruit, and community groups that use fruit in their programs."

Seeds - Thank you!! - August 29, 2004

From: A. A. Pasternak
To: Cristina
Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2004 12:42 PM
Subject: Re: Seeds - Thank you!!

Cristina,

Wow! Thanks.

Getting the box of seeds was worth the wait. Really.

I left a bit later than I would have liked to, and the timing was perfect -
and as you probably know [or will soon enough] - Chris was already there.
Seeing the first Starbuck's near the Liquor Store was a bit of a surprise,
but a kid at the bus stop was able to tell me how to get to the London Drugs
side.

You have a public Thank You on my Wish List page - the second link.

Best wishes,

Al

P.S. - I will be interested in that second box when its ready.

----- Original Message -----
From: Cristina
To: A. A. Pasternak
Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2004 1:08 PM
Subject: Re: Seeds - Sunday

Hi Al,
Chris's cell phone # is 604-###-#### I would assume he will be drinking
coffee and possibly smoking, if he has a large box you will be able to spot
him. If not he has a silver Pathfinder and has dark hair (buzz cut) about
30 years old. If it helps I did take the Skytrain form his house to
downtown a while ago and it took me about 45 mins to get from Brentwood to
Granville Street, mind you it was mid day and fairly busy.
Cristina

A. A. Pasternak wrote:

Cristina,

When I'm on my bicycle, I can estimate the time it will take me to get
there.

8:45am at Starbucks is OK

Does Chris have a cell-phone number that I can call if I am delayed - I'll
only use it on Sunday

Or your number, so you can act as a message center, in the event of
disaster.:-)

Thanks,

Al

----- Original Message -----
From: Cristina
To: A. A. Pasternak
Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2004 8:14 PM
Subject: Re: Seeds - Burnaby

Hi Al,
Chris gets off work at 8 am and has to stay until about 8:15 (works in North
Van) so he says he can meet you at the Starbucks by London Drugs at the
upper level on Sunday, Aug. 29th at 8:45 am. Would this be ok with you?
Actually the Skytrain goes right to Brentwood Mall so you could take that if
you wanted instead of biking, it seems like such a long way!!!
Cristina

A. A. Pasternak wrote:

Cristina,

Thanks for letting me know the current situation

Now that it is all in one box, I think I would be able to fit it in the bike
trailer that I have. So, I can be in the Brtentwood Mall area on Sunday
morning - 8:00AM is okay - or whatever time works best for Chris.

Please call me or have him call me at 604.###-####

Thanks for this and Yours Truly,

Al

----- Original Message -----
From: Cristina
To: A. A. Pasternak
Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 1:46 PM
Subject: Re: Seeds - Burnaby

Hi Al,
Actually he still had the boxes in his truck so yesterday I sorted through,
organized everything and I got everything into one box, so that makes things
easier. I actually will have another box as soon as I plant some things as
figure out my extras so I will have another box extra next spring. The
problem with Chris is his schedule, he works all night and sleeps all day.
He basically goes to work then comes home so he doesn't go downtown. He
works 10 pm to 8 am. Sleeps until 5 pm. As I mentioned it makes things
really difficult. I actually was hoping to be out next week but I won't
know until the weekend. I'll let you know. In the meantime if you know
anyone who is going to Brentwood let me know.
Cristina

A. A. Pasternak wrote:

Cristina,

Thanks for letting me know the situation. Since your boyfriend is closer to
me in Burnaby, it can make things easier.

Your boyfriend has a car, right? [ - you were going to bring the boxes to my
[old] office in Gastown.] Maybe we [he and I] can arrange for delivery /
transfer of the boxes sooner and then I could meet up with both of you when
you are next in Vancouver.

I also have colleagues with cars [and some with pickup trucks] and a trip
out to Brentwood Mall is not a difficult task.

We can make this work.:-) How many boxes are there?

Yours Truly,

Al Pasternak
604.###-####

----- Original Message -----
From: Cristina
To: A. A. Pasternak
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2004 12:10 PM
Subject: Re: Seeds - Checking in

Hi Al,
Sorry I am slow to get back to you. Figuring out when he will be home, etc.
is difficult. He has been out here this week and is leaving for home
tomorrow. He lives not far from Brentwood Mall in Burnaby. The problem is
that he works graveyards from 10pm - 8 am and sleeps the majority of the
day. He lives on a busy street in a basement suite and can't just leave the
seeds outside as most likely someone would take them. He also finds out his
schedule on Fridays so I have no I idea what next weeks hold for him. So I
will get back to you as soon as I can figure out when I will be out in
Vancouver next or let me know if you will be around the Burnaby, Brentwood
Mall location.
Cristina

A. A. Pasternak wrote:

Hi Cristina,

I'm still interested in your flower seeds.

Planning a visit to the PNE between August 21 and Labour Day?:-)

I might be going out to Delta this coming Saturday morning. Once there
it isn't that much further to find my way to your boyfriend's house.

Yours Truly,

Al Pasternak
604.###-####

----- Original Message -----
From: Cristina
To: A. A. Pasternak
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 2:19 PM
Subject: Re: Seeds - delivery

Hello,
I was thinking I doubt there will be any volunteers for the pick up and
since my boyfriend is out here now I thought I should send the seeds home
with my boyfriend today and when I am next out we could meet you somewhere
convenient. I must say that I don't think the boxes could be carried by
yourself alone so we will have to figure something out. We as I mentioned
usually go downtown and so Gastown is on the way. Would it be a problem to
meet you somewhere in that area? If you take transit I would think you
could only carry 1 box at a time so could you leave the boxes at work?
Cristina

Solution - Thursday, August 26, 2004

That email yesterday from Mr. Laird was a bit harsh in its tone.

I remember that Mr. Laird is often cutting the Horsetail weed that grows in the garden bed, so today I went by and removed every single sprout I could find. Even when I thought I had found them all, I found more.

was a bit harsh in its tone.

I remember that Mr. Laird is often cutting the Horsetail weed that grows in the garden bed, so today I went by and removed every single sprout I could find. Even when I thought I had found them all, I found more.

Powered By Qumana

Well, I got a response. - August 25, 2004

Mr. Laird replied to my email of the other day

He was very clear and to the point:

"You will NOT touch the bachelor button (blue) plante! If you do I will remove ALL of your plantes!

I don't like Oregon Grapes so don't plante any."

My reply:

"Dear Mr. Laird,

Thank you for responding. If I didn't ask, I wouldn't know.

Okay, no Oregon Grape. So a Rosemary bush where the
dead tree is now?

See you on the weekend."

I think he has different ideas than I about what beautification means.

When I started he seemed ambivalent about me doing this.

Now that he sees what is happening/changing, he might be wanting to keep control.

That's understandable, so a fine balance needs to be maintained.

After a weekend of rain - Monday, August 23, 2004

After a weekend of rain - Monday, August 23, 2004

Everything at the Car Barn seemed to be doing well. Someone moved the
west J-choke closer to the center of the garden. I wrote an email to Dale
Laird to say hello, thanks, ask why and tell him of what might be happening
next:

"My other plans include removing the blue plant and replacing it with a Day Lily and replacing the dead tree with a Rosemary bush. Both these plants are hardy and drought tolerant. An Oregon Grape is another alternative plant that I am considering putting where the dead tree is.

"Please respond if you have any concerns about my activities."

I planted Corn Salad in the open space on the east side near the
Rock Rose. I broadcast the seeds, so I'll see what happens.

I also added some regular Chives along the front beside the Garlic Chives

The Science World site was trashed again with a tire track. I was so
frustrated I didn't even bother to fix it. I'm thinking its time to give up
and plant clover instead.

A perfect circle - Sunday, August 22, 2004

A perfect circle - Sunday, August 22, 2004

Stopping for a moment on my ride home I looked to my right and down. I saw a
hole that went below the ground in a stand of Oregon Grape. It was a
perfect hole, fresh and I thought it would be the perfect entrance for a
mouse. A few seconds after seeing this I see a wasp crawl up from inside the
hole, take off and fly away. Then another. Two wasps fly down and enter the
hole. More come out, go in in an endless cycle.

Looking more deeply, I see that the foliage along their flight path has
formed a circle around the hive entrance - not at ground level, but 10 -
15cm off the ground at an angle. It is so perfect I think they might have
cut it that way.

Vancouver Freecycle - wanted and offers completed - Sunday, August 22, 2004

Vancouver Freecycle - wanted and offers completed - Sunday, August 22, 2004


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vancouverfreecycle

Sharmeen picked up my double size futon, frame, couch bed frame and foam
mattress today. I still have the boxspring so I will put it out on the list
again in two weeks or so.

Cheri has some perennial plants that she wanted to be rid of so I went down
there and picked up a whole bunch of daylilies as well as
lavender mint ["put it in a container right away!"]
and marjoram.

She lives in New Westminster and I cycled down on the Skytrain Bikeway with
my kid cart. I left Cambie & 18th at 12:40pm and arrived around 2:00pm. On
my way back I discovered a 20 foot/7 meter!! patch of landscaped Rosemary bushes. Also on my way back I heard crickets in the city.

Non-garden adventure: Was sitting outside of Flying Wedge Pizza when a
confrontation began outside of Choices as the staff accused a young man of
stealing steaks. He denied it, said he put it back and refused to lift his
shirt. They wrestled him to the ground - that took a long time - and called
the police. He had 3 salmon filets in his waistband and three more in his
pockets.

Rain and West Coast Seeds - Saturday, August 21, 2004

Rain and West Coast Seeds - Saturday, August 21, 2004

Rain for the first time in weeks on Saturday. Starts at 11:00AM, continues all day - heavy at times.
All told 19.8 mm falls. Amazing and beautiful.

Went with Ann D. to West Coast Seeds' open house.
We arrive at Noon just as the tour is getting underway and the torrent of rain begins. We tour anyway.
Four people who started before we arrived, get to wet and mosquitoed and leave - we have the place
to ourselves with our tour guide John who takes us on the tour. Sampling of wondeful veggies.
They grow the seeds they plan to sell next year in a test garden this year.

I buy seeds of
Lovage

Anise Hyssop [Agastache, Licorice Blue]
http://hortiplex.gardenweb.com/plants/p1/gw1000804.html



Nasturtium, Tip Top Alaska


http://hortiplex.gardenweb.com/plants/p1/gw1041177.html
http://www.garden.org/articles/scripts/articles.taf?action=print&id=59


Partial Shade Wildflower Mix - 224g

Oats - Cover Crop


White Dutch Clover - Cover Crop

http://hortiplex.gardenweb.com/plants/p1/gw1040930.html


Companion Planting Chart

How to store fresh produce chart
[Room temperature or 'fridge]

It was a great day.

Car Barn - Adding more plants -Thursday, August 20, 2004

Car Barn - Adding more plants -Thursday, August 20, 2004

On Tuesday, August 17, I removed the wilting / dying Evening Primrose and
replaced it with a
Yellow Onion - Allium Flavum

acquired during Figaro's Garden 50% off sale on the weekend. In addition, I
added 3 Garlic Chives

[Thursday August 19 - 3 more added to the West]

along the front of the space and a Creeping Thyme

between the Anise Hyssop and the Garlic Chive.

[Thursday August 19 - another added in front of the Jerusalem Artichoke]

Nearest to the shelter and the other Jerusalem Artichoke I added a Salad Burnet

I'm trying to think ahead to the rest of the year and the fall winter
planting crops.

Corn Salad is next on my list, but I am also looking for some flowering plants too

The warm/hot dry weather is coming to an end and this weekend rain is
expected.

More missing plants Science World - Thursday, August 19, 2004

More missing plants Science World - Thursday, August 19, 2004

That beautiful purple flower on a stem 5cm high was removed from the garden
as well as one of the Purple Tansy. I need to make a sign that reads:

"Enjoy the plants while you roam. Please do not take them home."

Excerpt - Oklahoma urban permaculture - 2004 Forest Garden Diary-Blog - 8/15/04

Excerpt - Oklahoma urban permaculture -
2004 Forest Garden Diary-Blog, August 15, 2004

A long list of perennial plants grown for food.
Great link directory too added to links section.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/urbanwild/links


2004 Forest Garden Diary-Blog

http://www.bettertimesinfo.org/2004garden.htm

105 total, 3 biennials, 24 annuals, 72 perennials

1524 NW 21st, Oklahoma City, at
the southeast corner of North McKinley
and NW 21st Street,
an on-going experiment in urban permaculture

TREES 12 varieties
mature pecan tree
immature pecan tree
semi dwarf peach (Elberta semi dwarf, hansens)
semi dwarf Apricot
apple (dwarf Jonathan and Gala semi dwarf)
semi-dwarf plum (Superior and Toka,)
Manchurian apricot
black cherry
Oklahoma redbud

BUSHES 12 varieties, all perennial

bush cherries
sand plums
elderberries
Mature mulberries
Oregon grape bushes
Siberian pea tree
Nanking cherry
Sand cherry
Saskatoon juneberry
Sea buckthorn
Schubert chokeberry
Sand plum

GROUND COVERS 4 varieties (1 perennial, 3 annual)
strawberries
purple clover A
white clover A
hairy vetch A

VINES AND CANES 10 varieties , all perennial

fredonia grape
niagara grape
venus grape
concord grape
dewberries
blackberries
boysenberries
clove currants
scarlet runner beans A
Luffa (a)

GREENS AND SALADS 17 varieties (6 perennial, 7 annual, 4 biannual)

Salad burnet
daylilies
Turnips (a)
Collards (a)
Fordhook giant chard (b)
Bloomsday savoy spinach (b)
Rhubarb chard (b)
Lucullus chard (b)
New Zealand spinach (a)
Ruby orach (mountain spinach) (a)

Mustard (a)
lettuce polycultue bed (a) (Parisian cos, buttercrunch, red sails, bibb,
romaine)
Dandelions
Bloody sorrel
French sorrel
Rose of sharon (flowers)

VEGETABLES 10 varieties (2 perennial, 8 annual)
Asparagus
rhubarb
habenero peppers (a)
Caribbean peppers (a)
Cherokee and roma tomatoes (a)
English peas (a)
Purple hulled peas (a)
Black-eyed peas (a)
Jalapeno peppers (a)
Cayenne peppers (a)
ROOT CROPS 5 varieties (all annuals)
shallots (a)
walking onions (a)
potato onions (a)
Garlic A (a)
Turnips (a)

FLOWERS 12 varieties (8 perennial, 4 annual)

Rosa rugosa
Rosa erfult
Prairie rose
Purple echinacea
Pink ecinacea
Iris
Maximilien sunflowers
Russian mammoth sunflowers A
Mexican hat (a)
Wild geranium (a)
bee balm (monarda) (a)
Daffodils

HERBS 23 varieties (21 perennial, 1 annual, 1 biennial)
sage
creeping thyme
common oregano
greek oregano
tarragon
lovage
gotu kola
catnip
rue
garlic chives
spearmint
apple mint
lemon balm
spear mint (or some kind of common mint)
dill (A)
horehound
chocolate mint (the leaf tasted like one of those
chocolate mints you get at a restaurant checkout)
lemon mint
Roman chamomile
horseradish
rosemary
comfrey
parsley (b)

LIST OF PLANTS ORGANIZED BY LAYERS OF A FOREST GARDEN
Canopy trees
pecan
American plum
Manchurian apricot
black cherry
Understory trees
Oklahoma redbud
semi dwarf peach
semi dwarf Apricot
semi-dwarf apple
semi-dwarf plum

Bushes and canes
bush cherries
sand plums
elderberries
Mature mulberries
Oregon grape bushes
Siberian pea tree
Nanking cherry
Sand cherry
Saskatoon juneberry
Sea buckthorn
Schubert chokeberry
Sand plum
dewberries
blackberries
boysenberries
clove currants
Herbs and smaller plants
Salad burnet
daylilies
Turnips (a)
Collards (a)
Fordhook giant chard (b)
Rhubarb chard (b)
Mustard (a)
Self seeding lettuce bed (a)
Dandelions
Bloody sorrel
French sorrel
Rose of sharon (flowers)
Asparagus
rhubarb
habenero peppers (a)
Cherokee and roma tomatoes (a)
English peas (a)
Purple hulled peas (a)
Black-eyed peas (a)
Jalapeno peppers (a)
Cayenne peppers (a)
Rosa rugosa
Rosa erfult
Prairie rose
Purple echinacea
Pink ecinacea
Iris
Maximilien sunflowers
Russian mammoth sunflowers A
Mexican hat (a)
Wild geranium (a)
bee balm (monarda) (a)
sage
creeping thyme
common oregano
greek oregano
tarragon
lovage
gotu kola
catnip
rue
garlic chives
spearmint
apple mint
lemon balm
spear mint (or some kind of common mint)
dill (A)
horehound
chocolate mint (the leaf tasted like one of those
chocolate mints you get at a restaurant checkout)
lemon mint
Roman chamomile
horseradish
rosemary
comfrey
parsley (b)
Ground covers
strawberries
purple clover A
white clover A
hairy vetch A
Climbing vines
fredonia grape
niagara grape
venus grape
concord grape
scarlet runner beans A
Luffa (a)
Roots
shallots (a)
walking onions (a)
potato onions (a)
Garlic A (a)
Turnips (a)

Approaching a business for a garden site - August 13, 2004

Approaching a business for a garden site - August 13, 2004

Saw it a few weeks ago and decided to approach the manager.

Said I wanted to create a garden out front and that my criteria was that it would be low maintenance, perennial and edible.

I noticed that she underlined the word edible.

When she asked about the fees, I said it was negotiable. [I'll do it for the cost of materials and maybe a few tools]

Let us see what happens.

One of my work colleagues saw me in the area and asked what was happening. When I told her, she thought that was a great idea and if I get the deal, she will help with the design.

Should I put up a string fence? - August 11, 2004

A bike ran over the Science World site this afternoon.

I get the impression it was not deliberate but still, everytime it happens it is a setback to the growth of the plants.

Took pictures before and after.

A string fence maybe 30cm [12in] high marked with bright flagging might solve the problem or make it a higher target.

On the boulevard, I added another bag of coffee grounds last night and this morning watered it. After 20 minutes, the grass underneath was still dry, so turned it over and watered for another 15.

Car Barn & Science World - Monday, August 9, 2004

Car Barn & Science World - Monday, August 9, 2004

High: 33.9 °C
Low: 14.4 °C

Another record setting
hot sunny day.

Watered the Car Barn site with 8L of water at Noon and 930pm. Both times
people were around and I told them that the plants were edible and if they
saw anyone around to make sure no one used it as a urinal.
Agreement from folks.

The J-Choke on the West side is doing poorly but the one on the East is
starting to revive. The Evening Primose is has not fully recovered from the
move and the Anise Hyssop had light coloured leaves in the evening.

There are a few more wildflower seedlings growing [a beautiful purple flower
has bloomed on a plant about 5cm high] at the Science World site - watered
at Noon only - but it is not thriving as well as I expected for the amount
of time that the garden has established. Depending on how things progress,
in the fall, I may strip the site of the dirt and mix it with topsoil to
give it more body, do a better covering of the ground beneath and plant the
wildflowers in rows, so I can remove any plants that are not in the rows as
weeds.

I got some Starbucks coffee grounds and put them on my boulevard site. I am
going to need a lot.

Car Barn planting - Sunday, August 8, 2004

Car Barn planting - Sunday, August 8, 2004


Temperature report: August 1 - 7, 2004

Rain on Friday, steady and heavy at times cleared by afternoon
No indication from YVR, Abbotsford or PacketBob how much fell.

Spoke with Dale Laird of the Transit Museum Society last Sunday and said that doing some gardening in the area discussed with Terry Dixon on July 23 was okay.

Went down today with some Evening Primose and Jerusalem Artichoke from my garden, along with an Anise Hyssop from
Lowland Herb and a Purple Coneflower I bought on sale at
Figaro's Garden

Dale told me that before the cleanup last year, the street
people were using the Pampas Grass there before as an
outhouse and evidence of their activity remains. As I was
planting, I constantly smelled stale urine in the area.
Although I'm planting edibles, I'm not sure I'd want to eat
them unless they were cooked first.

Access to water is nearby and I watered everything with 16L
instead of my ususal 8.

I took 3 pics before planting and 3 after.

Filled up again and went to my wildflower site. Watered with 8L. 3 pics.

Stopped by the Garlic Chives site and took 2 pics - 1 with flash,
one without. It looks like my compost is providing other growth
near the chive - possibly tomatoes.

I can't remember if I took a pick of my fill bed, so I'll take another just to be sure.

email: Fw: Thanks for the fill - August 3-6, 2004

email: Fw: Thanks for the fill - August 3-6, 2004

Since sending this email [see below], I have spread the fill to a depth of 4
inches and 5ft wide along my boulevard. This morning, I added grass
clippings to one half and comfrey leaves to the other. The comfrey leaves
are big so I'm going to wait a day or two to let them break down before
turning them under.

Yesterday [August 5, 2004] I met a builder who said he would give me about
10meters of loam for the price of a six pack for one of his drivers. He was
supposed to call last night, but I haven't heard from him yet.


Urban Wilderness - A garden diary
http://urbanwild.diary-x.com/journal.cgi?action=archive

Seed/plant requests:
Edible, perrenial and drought tolerant
Any seed packets [vegetables/flowers/herbs] you have not planted.
Seeds you bought for sprouting and have not finished.
Spice seeds [whole]: Mustard, corriander, caraway, fennel etc.


----- Original Message -----
From: A. A. Pasternak
To: Jack Koscielski
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 7:52 AM
Subject: Thanks for the fill


Hello Jack,

Thanks for the fill that you dropped off yesterday on the
boulevard in front of my house. It is going to make an excellent
garden bed in the spring.

As mentioned, I am looking for more but only if a reasonable
assurance can be given that it has not been subject to pesticide
or herbicide use in its original location. There is a likelyhood that
some of the plants I use will be edible, so having a clean base is
important to me. Having it free of sod is also an asset.

Please call me @ ##### in the event you have more fill
or know others who have the same.

Again, thanks for your assistance.

Yours Truly,

Al Pasternak

Temperature Report for July, 2004

Temperature Report for July, 2004- July 31, 2004 Pic

Packet Bob has a weather reporting station connected to the internet. It is where I now get my weather data from as it is closer to my garden site than Abbotsford, BC

Temperature Report for July, 2004 - July 31, 2004 Pic

Temperature Report for July, 2004- July 31, 2004 Pic



Packet Bob has a weather reporting station connected to the internet. It is where I now get my weather data from as it is closer to my garden site than Abbotsford, BC

Pictures developed and being added to entries - Friday, July 30, 2004

[Note: Before Flickr - Al]

Pictures developed and being added to entries - Friday, July 30, 2004

Take a look: Garlic Chives/Ontario-False Creek - July 12, 2004 Pics

1) Rename them
2) Compress them - http://jpegwizard.com/
3) Download them
4) Upload them to host - http://www.imgspot.com/
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/6929/071204chives241tn5kr.jpg
5) Add code to entry
6) Edit entry name: "Pics" at end of date when added

Rebuilding the base - Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Rebuilding the base - Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Max temp: 28 °C
Min temp: 14 °C
Hazy, smoke & high cloud

8L water 12Noon

After yesterday's attack, I brought a beer carton to the site cut a part of
to fit and put a small section down where the newspaper was removed from. I
made sure that no corners were exposed, so it doesn't look as if there is
anything underneath the soil.

I also bought a bag of topsoil a few weeks ago and have been bringing it
with me in small container - about five cups. That fills in the gaps and
adds more body to the plot. Since I used potting soil it is very loose and
peaty. The soil retains more moisture, so maybe I can water less.

In the evening I didn't water. Instead, I cut away all the exposed paper and
coffee filters that were showing under the soil.

The purple tansy seems to have grown an inch in less than a day. Some of the
flowers are starting to emerge. I took a pic with flash to show progress.

More vandalism - Monday, July 26, 2004

More vandalism - Monday, July 26, 2004

Max Temp: 26 °C
Min Temp: 14 °C
Hazy

8L evening

The plot was disturbed before my evening visit. The dirt was
loose around the edges. In addition to footprints, people have
also ridden their bikes over it near the narrow end. This was
different. The uniform smoothness was gone. It looked like an
earthquake had occured.

I cleaned it up making it look normal and took a before and
after

pic.

Weeds/clover was growing where I had not seen it
before. I picked them out and as the dirt was displaced, I
didn't realize what had happened until a few hours later.



Someone removed the newspaper from *below* the dirt from
the south end and east side of the plot. [Thus the earthquake
look.] So now the soil where my plants are growing is exposed
to the weeds & grass underneath which will quickly grow through.

It is sad, pathetic and insane that people have such a need
to destroy. I'd like to meet them and ask them why.

The only real response I have is to replace the newspaper and
soil and plant again.

At 11:00PM, the waxing half moon was nearly at the 2/3 mark
of its journey through the evening sky and was a light
red/brown colour that would have looked more appropriate
as it was setting. This matches what I observed this morning.

As I was leaving the house today, in my first few minutes
outside it seemed that the light between the shadows of the
trees on the ground were sunset orange. Smoke from fires in
the interior of BC is causing this.

Weather Report [unable to visit/water] Thursday, July 22 - 24, 2004

Weather Report [unable to visit/water] Thursday, July 22 - 24, 2004

Thursday, July 22, 2004

Max Temp: 26.6 C
Min Temp: 18 C
Clear

Friday, July 23, 2004

Max Temp: 29.4 C
Min Temp: 18.7 C
Clear

Saturday, July 24, 2004

Max Temp: 26.5
Min Temp: 19.3
Clear

Environment Canada reports that the official Vancouver Temp
is recorded at the airport which is at sea level
by the ocean and suggests more accurate temperature
for Vancouver is the data for Abbotsford.

Weather forcast July 27 - 30

Vancouver, BC

Tuesday
High: 25 °C
Low: 17 °C
Sunny

Wednesday
High: 27°C
Low: 18 °C
Sunny

Thursday
High: 26°C
Low: 18°C
Sunny

Friday
High: 25°C
Low: 18°C
Sunny

Abbottsford:

Tuesday
High: 31 °C
Low: 15 °C
Sunny

Wednesday
High: 32°C
Low: 15 °C
Sunny

Thursday
High: 30°C
Low: 16°C
Sunny

Friday
High: 29°C
Low: 16°C
Sunny

Plant pick-up from Farmer's Market - Saturday, July 24, 2004

Plant pick-up from Farmer's Market - Saturday, July 24, 2004

Max Temp. 27.6°C
Min Temp. 18.8°C
No visit, no water - Molson Indy Race on in area.

Bonnie Townsend from Lowland Herb Farm brought for
me from her farm two Creeping Thyme
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Thymus+serpyllum
plants and a
Salad Burnett
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Sanguisorba+minor
In addition, I bought two
Anise Hyssop
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Agastache+foeniculum and an
Echinecea
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Echinacea+purpurea .

Total cost: $10

After went to Figrao's Garden and bought 3 more packet of seeds from their
West Coast Seeds www.westcoastseeds.com 2 Corn Salad [MS478A] and Mega
Edible Pea Pod (Snap Pea) [PE619A]
Their buy two get one free offer was still in effect

Total cost: $4.81

Finally went to Dig This to pick up my Red Clover order
[They called Friday]. Since the response was so
good/fast, I think I will use them to order from West Coast too.

email: Re: Ontario/1st planting area - Friday, July 23, 2004

email: Re: Ontario/1st planting area - Friday, July 23, 2004

From: Al Pasternak
To: Dixon, Terry
Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2004 11:20 PM
Subject: Re: Ontario/1st planting area


Hi Terry,

Thank you for your assistance.

Yes, I would like to garden in that space and I would be happy
to talk with the Transit Museum Society people if that would
help. They might be able to supply me with water or a space
for a rain barrel kept on the other side of the fence.

I checked the ground and it is very sandy. A few cubic yards of
Vancouver's finest landfill compost would be an excellent
ammendment. I will attempt to co-ordinate that with Ron
Borger when I discuss the False Creek bed [to the north of
Ontario & 1st Ave] with him.

Do you know what plants were there before and why they did
not thrive besides lack of water?

What is the large bush in the north east corner?

Yours Truly,

Al Pasternak

From: "Dixon, Terry"
To: "'aap@greatday.ca'"
Subject: Ontario/1st planting area
Date sent: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 13:13:33 -0700

> Hello Al,
> I took a look at the planting bed at the street car station which is
> the location my boss, Doug Smith, suggested. I've attached a photo of
> it. This is City property but it's operated by the Transit Museum
> Society. There were plants there a couple of years ago and the soil
> was prepared to accommodate them. Doug said that if you are
> interested in gardening this space, please let us know and he'll let
> the Transit Museum people know.
>
> Terry


Theresa (Terry) Dixon, Green Streets Program Coordinator
> City of Vancouver
> Engineering Services
> Greenways Branch
> 604 873-7204

Molson Indy Lockout - Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Molson Indy Lockout - Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Max Temp: 24 C
Min Temp: 16 C
Mainly Clear

Daytime: Lee Hodgson says everything is open until Thursday. A
security guard stops me at Ontario & 1st. I bluff my way through
and another security guard tries to stop me past Science World.

Night visit: Even more locked up. Again, I insist I need to water
my plants and they let through to do it. Upon my return, they say
I'm not allowed to ride on the race course.

Replanting Stanley Park with Seed Balls - 18July04

This email was sent to Ivy Busters as an example of how seed balls can
be used to re-forest devastated areas.

It includes information on how seed balls are made and two
practical examples of how they can be used.

I'll bet if I had a lawyer he'd make me write this:

The seeds are for my own use and distribution and your help
would be appreciated if you have extra or unused seeds to
send me. This journal entry is not a solicitation on behalf of the
The Stanley Park Ecology Society nor an endorsement by them
of my activities.


Al


Heather Barnes
Ivy Busters Coordinator
The Stanley Park Ecology Society

Hello Heather,

I saw the news items from a month ago about your Ivy Busters project
http://www.vcn.bc.ca/spes/ivybust.htm and at the end of the story it
mentioned that you will need funding to replant the desert created by
the ivy after it has been removed.

My back prevents me from offering direct physical help with removing
the ivy itself, but I would love to assist your restoration work. I
discovered a method that could involve school children and other
community members in your efforts:

Seed balls

1 Part : Dry Mixed Seeds with all kinds of desired plants.
3 Parts : Dry Compost with fungi and soil microbes, (plant compost,
not animal manure). 5 Parts : Dry Red or Brown Clay, finely powdered
and sifted, not gray or white clay, if possible. * Mix ingredients
DRY, turning and sifting to coat seeds with soil, then clay, then add:
* 1 to 2 Parts : Water added a little at a time until the clay mix is
easily workable.

Once they are dry, seed balls may be stored in a cool dry place, where
they can breathe until they are spread abroad. Or they may be
broadcast immediately after drying, and allowed to lay dormant in
place until released by timely rains.....The seed balls, however, are
perfectly content to simply lay about "sleeping" until the right
amount of rain falls to insure their success. When rains come, no
matter where a seed ball has landed, something from the mix inside
will be at home on the spot, so all possible habitat bases are covered
in one broadcast application, and plant successions are accelerated by
generations. A minimum application seeks a scatter density of at least
10 seed balls per square meter. Adequate coverage requires at least
.20 grams of seeds per seed ball, or 2 grams of seeds per square meter
minimum! Rehabilitation requires at least 3 grams of seeds per square
meter. These are only general recommendations. One acre contains 43,
560 square feet, or 4, 050 square meters. Between 8 and 12 kilograms,
or 20 to 30 pounds of mixed seeds are required per acre. One hectare
contains 2.471 acres. http://www.seedballs.com/

How it can be used:

1) PPWP's seed ball project will re-vegetate 40 acres of the Cerro
Grande burn area with native grasses and wildflowers.
Volunteers made 125,000 seed balls this winter, and to spread
them on the ground in the spring and summer.
http://www.volunteertaskforce.org/ppwatershed/Seed%20Ball%20Project.htm

2)
The balls have sprouted!

* Posted by: Eric_Burke z9 Japan (My Page) on Wed, Jun 16, 04 at
9:57

"One week later, the seedballs have sprouted! I went up to the mountain
on my break, just like last week, and I found that my seedballs have
dozens of different seeds sprouting from them! It is so amazing! In
some of them, the force of the sprouting broke the ball in half, and I
found the other half a centimeter away! Now was that natural, or did
something distub [sic] it? But it is really neat. I could tell that quite a
few of the sprouts are radish/daikon, and there is at least one oat
growing from each ball. Now for the natural thinning. Survival of the
fittest (for each microclime, at least)! I will keep records of which
plant won the battle in each location, that way I will know where the
best places are to plant (purposely) each veggie in the future."

Again, I would be happy to assist you in this work.

Yours Truly,

Overwatering? - Thursday, July 15, 2004

Overwatering? - Thursday, July 15, 2004

Max Temp. 22.7C
Min Temp. 15.3C
Sunny

4L at 930pm

Uh...maybe I am overwatering.

I found a website Wednesday morning
http://jessstryker.com/irrsch.htm
that talks about plant/garden irrigation
and he says this first:

"The first basic irrigation scheduling rule for drought-tolerant plants is never water if the soil is still wet."

Now, I believe my wildflowers are drought tolerant, but I
planted them in June, not April, so they need water to thrive
and succeed throughout the summer but I am going ease
off on soaking them every day. It was very strange
to stop by and not get the watering can off the bike.

I've been talking with Terry Dixon of the City of Vancouver
Green Streets
program about that boxed off area just north of 1st Ave
where Ontario ends. She says it is on city property but
could not be part of the Green Streets program because
it is not a traffic circle or corner bulge, so if I
wanted to do something about it would have to be a
"guerrilla type of garden project."

That's fine, except it was weed-whacked a few weeks
ago, so I would be concerned that whoever was in
charge of working in that area would come by after
it was planted and weed-whack it again.

Terry also told me about an area just to the west
where the Vancouver Historic Streetcar
has a shelter for passengers that is unplanted.
I took a look at it and it is about 20 ft long
and about 5ft wide. There were some trees stumps
and a few bushes. The soil is sandy, but it
has potential.

I will contact Vancouver Engineering to see what
they say about making a garden in those areas.
There is a telephone poll and a light standard
within the boxed area. I memorized the number
of the light standard and wrote it down when I got
home.

Ordered Red Clover from Richters @ Dig This - Wednesday, July 14, 2004

Ordered Red Clover from Richters @ Dig This - Wednesday, July 14, 2004

Max Temp: 21.8
Min Temp: 15.5
Cloudy then Clear
8L in afternoon only

Dig This! [UW - now sold & operating under new name]
is a garden supply store on Granville Island that I
found on Canada Day. I knew they had seeds by Richter's
so I ordered a kilo of Red Clover through them.
They said it may be a few weeks and I had to pay
for it in advance. [$20.00] $21.40 w/tax.

Grass & Weeds - Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Grass & Weeds - Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Max Temp. 28.2°C
Min Temp. 15.5°C
Sunny/Humid
1PIC QP

8L [2 gallons] water 12:30pm / 6L 9:30pm

The grass/weeds are breaking through to the other side of
the newspaper barrier, finding opportunities to come into
the light. I don't blame them, but I reach and tear them
out as soon as I see them. I have to start bringing soil
with me to fill the hole I have made.

At the evening visit, two fellows with bikes standing
nearby chatting came over and took a look. One said,
"I come by here everyday, I've never noticed this
before." Well, the bike path actually moves off the
path a few meters south of my plot, so if you don't
know its there, it is hard to see. Today I will take pics
of the surrrounding area.

I saved some water from my evening visit and
stopped by Ontario & 8th and watered the garlic chives.

Garlic Chives/Ontario-False Creek - July 12, 2004 Pics

Garlic Chives/Ontario-False Creek - July 12, 2004 Pics

Max Temp: 24°C
Min Temp: 13.3°C
Sun
Water @ BPQ 4L 930pm

4 Garlic Chives pots planted on Ontario & 8th St [between
parking lot & sidewalk] - O8S I dug up the sandy soil, put in a
handfull of compost underneath and around side, cover back
up with sand and tamped down with foot. Lightly watered.



Another view


and another:




More weeds growing in same area of plot as July 4.
Again, scraped soil away and put down a ziplock bag that was
nearby and replaced soil and amended with compost from my
garden. Hoping that it isn't filled with Morning Glory.

Red bungee cord removed from bike over weekend - at
Strathcona? I'm sure I noticed it present on Sunday AM.

1 Portulaca removed/stolen - Sunday July 11, 2004 - Pics

1 Portulaca removed/stolen - Sunday July 11, 2004 - Pics

Max Temp: 22.4°C
Min Temp: 14°C
Overcast/Light cloud
No watering
PIC 12:00Noon & 9pm with flash

Came by on way to work and took pic of plot.
Right portluca was bright red almost purple.
Stunning colour


On ride home noticed ground disturbed and saw same
plant now gone. Took pic with flash.


I am saddened that people have so little regard for
the efforts of others and believe must take something if they
wish to enjoy it.

Pattern: Plants removed on weekends.

There is a patch of ground that is filled with cedar chips
just inside the main entrance of False Creek where
Ontario St ends. Whatever was growing there
was cut down in preparation of the Molson Indy.
I'm going to call Green Streets office at City Hall
tomorrow to see who is responsible for what goes
on there. Maybe they can fill it up with topsoil and
I can plant something there.
North view:


South view

Farmer's Market & Figaro's Garden - July 10, 2004

Farmer's Market & Figaro's Garden - July 10, 2004

Max Temp. 20.5°C
Min Temp. 12.9°C
Precip. Total 5.2 mm
Overcast/Cloudy/Rain

Met my friend Sharon at the East Vancouver Farmer's Market
http://www.eatlocal.org/and bought some 4 Galic Chive plants
from Bonnie Townsend of Lowland Herb Farm

My plan is to plant them underneath the trees on Ontario St between the
sidewalk and the parking lot. I rode by there later and dug up the soil a
bit. Very sandy. Will plant with compost added to amend soil make it
stronger. The area is also walked on as people go to their cars, so I will
have to mark it off with string, sticks and flagging tape.

After Farmer's Market went to Figaro's Garden and after a look around went
inside. They had a West Coast Seed rack and items were on sale. Buy two get
one free!

So I built up my wildflower collection and bought two Cottage Perrenial
Mixes [FL3447A] and one Butterfly Wildflower Mix [FL3448A]

I also took a look at the vegetable section and may have found the perrenial
green vegetable I have been seeking: Corn Salad [MS478A]
aka Corn Salad = mache = lamb's lettuce = lamb's
tongue = field lettuce = field salad = fetticus. West Coast's description
says that is a self-sower, easy to grow, and winter hardy on the Coast.

In addition, I bought Swiss Chard - Bright Lights [SW753A] and a Lettuce
Blend [LT455B].

Near the trees outside of Figaro's there was a white clover flower head, but
the leaves were brown edged in green. According to Google it is TRIFOLIUM
repens 'Purpurascens'. I'm trying to locate seed for this plant. The owner of the Figaro's is back on Thursday.

On my way home, a rain deluge started. Underneath a tree, I put on my gear
and was getting wet. It was raining harder in the open. I was dryer but
still getting wet underneath the tree. I suppose I could have waited on a
house porch, but I decided to move on. Seconds later I was soaking wet. By
the time I had travelled the six blocks from Ontario St to Cambie, the worst
of it was over.

No Visit/Thundershower - Friday, July 9, 2004

No Visit/Thundershower - Friday, July 9, 2004

No climate info available from Enviroment Canada

Thundershower in downtown core around 4:30pm.

Thursday, July 8, 2004 - Bald spots

Thursday, July 8, 2004 - Bald spots

Max Temp. 20.4°C
Min Temp. 13.6°C
Mainly Cloudy / Overcast

Did not water at Noon.
Only 4L at 9:30PM.

Concerned about bald spots in soil where no seed are
germinating. Since I will be adding more seeds in the fall it is
not a big deal, but I have this asthetic desire to make it look
full. The Purple Tansy by the telephone poll is doing great. May
have to thin it.

Molson Indy racecourse preparations are getting in the way of my
bike route past the garden site. It is not completely blocked
but access is becoming more circuitous as they install concrete
barriers that determine the track.

I've been exploring other possiblities for guerilla gardening
space. City of Vancouver says if it doesn't block traffic its ok.

Working on creating a Link list for this blog.