Blistered cup fungi in the raised beds, common in Europe but new to me. They are toxic if eaten raw but do not hurt other plants--except how they crowd them out. I read that yanking them out will release clouds of spoors, but baking soda is effective. And I remind myself that this was always going to be a year of learning: new country, new climate, new beds, new seed companies, new tools, everything. Why not a new fungus too.
#garden #gardening #raisedbed #fungus #horta #jardim #porto

When I am this old and worn, let it be because I worked well. Today I am finally putting up winter thermal curtains, now that soon I won't need them. So it goes. This is the first time I have edited a photo here but it is so much more poetic in black & white. #porto

A kilo of strawberries makes a fine start on brunch. If I could figure out how to close the greenhouse windows without everything getting nasty, I could grow my own this early. Projects for the future. For now, at long last there's proof of life from the carrot seeds. Hello there!
#garden #gardening #estufa #jardim #spring #food

Today in the #greenhouse: strawberries are bouncing back from my neglect. For both the snapdragons and the carnations, I must have dropped some of the tiny seeds outside the grow bags, as well as some potting mix, so I have some volunteers to prick out. #estufa #jardim #porto #gardening #garden #growityourself

Brunch with friends #succulents #bloomscrolling #porto

Today's buds, tomorrow's #bloomscrolling

Balcony #solar is brilliant. It's like a UPS for a subset of the house, via PV panels, grid-tied. It will help smooth out our demand. We're not going for full energy independence here, and #portugal's energy basket is actually very good. But transmission is loss, about 50% in the US (Edit to add: INCORRECT! See thread for updated stats.) So we got something small enough to move, without waiting to get the roof replaced in a few years. I just hope I got the right mounting kits. #diy #solarpunk

#Pilates #reformer moved, assembled, and used for more than a quick test today. Observations: Vevor offers a solid product for the price point but it's awkward for both home use (big boi) or commercial (slow and annoying to adjust for different users.) The documentation is laughably bad but assembly is obvious enough to get through it. Ok, fine. The carriage is smooth and quiet enough, which is very important to me. Clinical looking; it reads as medical rehab equipment which is apropos. I miss having a headrest so I will need to make myself a pillow. Worst issue: everything that can be adjusted is annoying. Yet I'm happy with it. Solid. I feel secure working on it. With a little care this should last for decades.

The bird of paradise blooms nearly year long, and I stood on tiptoe to get an overhead shot. Sunflower seeds are ready to be planted as soon as I feel they're hardened off; this is the step I reliably fumble. But they are too tall to keep in the greenhouse. The sixth replacement seed has sprouted; no doubt it will catch up. These will be tall fellahs. The garlic is doing wonderfully! I've never grown it before. I gave it a month in the fridge before popping it into the beds, and I have a 3.2 meter stretch of garlic across three beds. Vampires beware! Good to see lettuce and rocket make an appearance. Still unsure about the archways so today I planted spinach while I wait. Worst case I harvest it small. I also put a few lavender seeds into the herb bed; late but we'll see. Speaking of late, let's hope I didn't kill too many strawberries. I finally potted them up today. This is why I shouldn't impulse buy living things without knowing where they will go... I spritzed bare roots with water and left them in a dark garage, but everything is always wet in Porto. Poor little guys started to rot. But strawberries are fierce. I doubt I will lose many. Now to make hangers to keep them from snails. #bloomscrolling #garden #gardening #horta #jardim #porto