The ($) value of a Small Garden

March 18th, 2010 by Tom Alphin No comments »

In learning about growing potatoes (since our potatoes should arrive in the next couple days),  I stumbled into an article about the dollar  value of produce a small home garden can produce.  Link: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Square-Foot-Gardening-Food.aspx

That article was based on an assumption of 100 square feet of growing space.  We have almost 160 square feet, all with a perfect southern exposure.  Their analysis led to a figure of 700$ in produce from just a small garden.  There are several techniques one can employ to increase the value from their garden: grow small, high value crops. start plants indoors and plant several crops in the same location every season.  Radishes and greens can come out in time to make room for Tomatoes.  As always, grow what you like to eat to minimize waste.

I doubt we will weigh and log our food production to know for sure, but a 700$ figure gives me a little more wiggle room to justify the myriad 0f costs this year in Seeds, Seed propagation equipment, Wire Shelving,  Lighting,  Compost, Wood, Water and Electricity.  Thankfully, this year’s purchases were largely one-time investments which we will enjoy for years to come.  Next year we should be able to get by with some compost, a couple fun new seed varieties and the usual mix of water/electricity/my time.

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Finally, the perfect game for my Phone.

March 3rd, 2010 by Tom Alphin 1 comment »

Everybody seems to be getting a touch-screen phone these days.  They are generally able to make calls, browse the web, play games and more.  In my case, I have an iPhone, and I primarily use it to read my email, check my calendar, read facebook or browse the web.  I have lots of free games, but hadn’t found any games that really engaged me.

Rush Hour is a simple puzzle game that I have seen for years in toy stores and game shops.  It has a simple premise, you need to solve challenges where you arrange the plastic cars on a grid as indicated on the challenge card.  Then, by only moving the cars forward and back, you need to free a path for the red car to slide out of the traffic jam.  It’s basically a 2d mashup of  a Rubik’s cube and Tangrams.  It’s deceptively simple to learn, but the trickiest challenges take some time.

I realized this would be a great iPhone game right when I got the phone and tried an assortment of free games.  Many were fun, but very few kept me engaged for more than a few minutes.  Rush Hour seemed an obvious game for the touchscreen device, but when I looked, it wasn’t available.

Thankfully, they have realized the opportunity and made this time killer available for the Phone.  A free version offers a couple hours of enjoyment, and the pay version promises many more challenges.  I like how the game tracks your movements and you can try to solve the puzzle with the fewest movements if you like.  

Phone adaptations of more complicated games I enjoy such as Settlers of Catan enver made any sense to me, I don’t play board games to have a private experience on a small screen, I play to have a fun time with friends.  Games for the phone should be easy to pick up, easy to stop anytime and fun.  Rush Hour has met all of these goals.   It makes bathroom time and time spent waiting around much more fun!

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The three habits of highly effective tomatoes.

March 1st, 2010 by Tom Alphin 1 comment »

I didn’t really know this until recently, but it turns out Tomatoes come in one of three “Habits”. Those three habits are: determinate, indeterminate, and semi-determinate (less common.) 

A seething mass of indeterminate tomato plants overwhelming their cages. (September 28, 2008)

Determinate plants produce all of their fruit pretty much at once, and are generally shorter and bushier than their indeterminate relatives.

Indeterminate plants grow as long as the season will allow, and can reach many feet high with the right conditions. They can be grown in cages, but will overwhelm the cage when they get a particulary good growing season. They can also be grown vertically on a trellis, which will allow them to reach for the sky and receive plenty of light.

I did some research to better understand the habits of my young plants. It turns out all the plants I worked with last year except the Roma Tomatoes are of the Indeterminate variety. This certainly explains why my Roma plants were relatively small and many of the other varieties outgrew their cages.  One new variety for this year, Siberian, is also of the determinate variety.

This year, I plan to build trellises for the four new fully raised beds that aren’t already earmarked for Potato Production. I will probably use one of these to grow additional beans, and the others to grow tomatoes. This is also a good way to begin a crop rotation to minimize pests. I can train some of my indeterminate tomatoes to grow vertically in the back rows of my beds one year, and plant beans in the same location the next year.  Much of this learning and the idea to grow tomatoes on trellises instead of in cages come from a couple great articles on Judy’s Square foot garden blog. 

Ofcourse, we may also have to try a Topsy Turvy which grows tomatoes upside down this year.  They are all the rage, and Amy would like to try one for fun.  I’m not one to say no to garening projects and products.  (JK and Ingunn had good luck with their’s last year using extra tomato starts which I grew.)

Seed Year Source Habit
Tomatillo, Purple de Milpa 2010 Seed Savers effectively indeterminate
This is the smaller purple variety that grows in cornfields. Fruits are 1-1½” and have a sharper flavor than most other varieties. Typically does not burst through husk when ripe. 70-90 days from transplant.
Tomato, Better boy hybrid 2008 Ferry Morse indeterminate
abundance of extra large fruits, some weighing 1 1/2 pounds, praised for their delicious meaty flavor. Deep red, smooth, firm fruits.
Tomato, Black Krim 2010 Seed Savers indeterminate
Named for the Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea. Slightly flattened 4-5″ globes with dark greenish-black shoulders, turns almost black with enough heat and sun. Excellent full flavor. Indeterminate, 69-90 days from transplant.
Tomato, Blonkophchen 2010 Seed Savers indeterminate
(a.k.a. Little Blonde Girl) Small golden-yellow 1″ fruits with excellent sweet taste. Fruits are borne in giant clusters, enormous yields and never a cracked fruit. Bears until frost. Indeterminate, 75-80 days from transplant
Tomato, Gold Medal 2010 Seed Savers indeterminate
Listed in Ben Quisenberry’s 1976 seed list as, “Large, yellow, streaked red; firm and smooth. Very little acid. The sweetest tomato you ever tasted…..a gourmet’s joy when sliced.” Our finest bi-colored tomato and one of our all-time favorites. Winner of the 2008 tomato tasting. Indeterminate, 90 days from transplant.
Tomato, Green Zebra 2010 Seed Savers indeterminate
Green 1½ – 2½” fruits with various shades of yellow to yellowish-green stripes, sweet zingy flavor. Very productive plants, sure to be a best seller at market. Introduced in 1985 by Tater Mater Seeds. Indeterminate, 75-80 days from transplant.
±10,900 seeds/oz
Tomato, Jubilee (yellow) 2008 Ferry Morse indeterminate
An All-American Selection! Golden-orange fruits have a mild, non-acid flavor. They are large, globular and smooth with a meaty thick-walled interior.
Tomato, Mexico Midget 2010 Seed Savers indeterminate
Very prolific plants continue producing throughout the entire growing season. Hundreds of round ½” fruits give an incredible flash of rich tomato flavor, great for salads or selling in pints. One of the best. Indeterminate, 60-70 days from transplant.
Tomato, Red Cherry, Large Fruited 2006 Ferry Morse indeterminate
Deliciously sweet, bite-sized red tomatoes can be used in salads or served on toothpicks as appetizers.
Tomato, Roma VFN 2008 Ferry Morse determinate
A heavy-yielding variety used for preserves, solid-pack canning, tomato paste and puree. Very little juice and of mild flavor.
Tomato, Siberian 2010 Seed Savers determinate
Dwarf sprawling plants with very early sets of fruits. Introduced through SSE in 1984 by Will Bonsall, originally from the Lowden Collection. Egg-shaped 2-3″ fruits, good strong flavor. Not to be confused with Siberia, because Siberian is superior in all qualities. Determinate, 57-60 days.
Tomato, Stupice 2010 Seed Savers indeterminate
One of the four Czechoslovakian tomato varieties sent to the U.S. by Milan Sodomka. Potato-leaf 4′ plants loaded with 2½” by 2″ diameter fruits borne in clusters. Extremely early, great flavor. Heavy yields all season. Produces well in northern climates. Indeterminate, 55-70 days from transplant.
Tomatoes, Brandywine (Sudduth’s Strain) #427 2010 Seed Savers indeterminate
Large pink beefsteak fruits to 2 pounds. Incredibly rich, delightfully intense tomato flavor. Indeterminate, 90 days from transplant.

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Growing Potatoes, vertically!

February 26th, 2010 by Tom Alphin 4 comments »

Vertical Potato Bin, photo by Sinfonia

This year, we are trying something new in the garden, POTATOES.   Given that potatoes are cheap and readily available at the store, and they can be easily purchased from a local source year round, Why Potatoes?

  1. Amy loves potatoes, 
  2. It involves an interesting new growing technique where we will encourage growth all season by growing vertically, 
  3. Because we can.
  4. There is some concern that potatoes, since they are a root vegetable, have a greater risk of picking up nasty chemicals from overfertilized or polluted soil.

 

So, what’s this about growing potatoes vertically? 

It’s rather simple, really.  A potato plant will produce significantly more potatoes in the same Square Foot area if you add soil upwards as the season progresses and the plant grows taller.  Production can go up significantly; there are claims of up to 100 pounds of potatoes in 4 square feet of growing space.  (I suspect that the planty stem of a potato can send out roots when it comes into contact with additional soil, just like tomato plants.  Both potatoes and tomatoes are in the nightshade family.)

We are going to dedicate 16 square feet, and I would be thrilled to see 100 pounds of potatoes in that larger area, that’s just 1/4 of these enthusiastic claims.  (Important note: Early potato varieties set production once for the whole season, so you would only get one thin layer of potatoes underneath a deep pile of dirt.)

We will be dedicating one of our ten beds to this project.  The bed itself is 7″ deep, but I have already built one 7″ riser which will stack on top.  The riser and bed follow my Modular Raised Bed System for Square foot gardening.  I will have to build a few additional risers as the summer progresses, but I may build them with scrap lumber instead of buying fresh cedar decking to save money and resources.  (Since the soil will only be in contact with the wood for a few months, rather than year round, I expect even untreated pine would last several years in this method.)

I will be ordering “Yellow Finn” variety seed potatoes from Seed Savers Exchange.  A 2.5 pound bag of seed potatoes (10$ + S/H) is described as enough for a 25′ row, so I think it will be more than enough for 16 square feet.  I may be able to share if someone is interested.

Links:

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A living room jungle

February 24th, 2010 by Tom Alphin 2 comments »

These enthusiastic onions under supplemental light will get planted out in March. (This flat includes green onions, walla walla onions, shallots and leeks)

Our starts are doing well.  We now have two shelves filled with plants which just keep on growing.  I have begun to acclimate a few hardy plants such as lettuce and leeks.  They will spend part of the day outside under a plastic dome.  After about a week where the outdoor time is increased every day, they will be ready to plant outside.  This is called “hardening off” the plants.

Tomatoes and Basil plants nearing 6 inches tall.

As for the less than hardy plants such as tomatoes and peppers, they keep on growing indoors too.  My largest tomato plants are about 8 inches tall, as they approach two months old.  I think that they will need to be replanted in larger containers atleast once before they can go outside for good.  Although it pains me to admit a mistake, January 1 is clearly too early to start your tomatoes.  They will probably be fine if I transplant them into a larger container before they get root bound, but they will be extremely large by May.  I am curious to see how much more production I get with extremely established starts like this.

Sage develops it’s characteristic crinkly leaves within a month. (left)  Peppers germinate and grow slowly but surely.  They might benefit from supplemental heat. (right)

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Celebrating “Spring Fake” 2010

February 8th, 2010 by Tom Alphin 1 comment »

Just as the east coast has gotten pummeled with 30 inches of snow, a false spring has struck Seattle.  On our walk today I saw many signs of  spring including small tuliplike flowers, greener grasses and the smell of sweet jasmine flowers even though we couldn’t find the source.   

The warmer weather has confused the garden as well.  Today, I discovered that the hop plants had set new runners, just breaking the surface in the last day or two.   The winter garden has picked up a good deal too.   The reasonably tough Speckled Lettuce has set new leaves after losing some of it’s larger leaves to the colder weather in December and January.  The Onions and Garlic are still doing very well; if this keeps up we will see an early harvest.  The snow peas which I planted two weeks ago on a whim actually sprouted in the last few days.  (I am using shredded newspaper as a free, no-impact mulch to insulate and warm the soil.  It is a great way to extend the season.)

Snow Peas breaking ground level (left), Miner’s Lettuce (right) is doing very well as an unprotected winter crop.

Miners Lettuce is a new crop for us.  It is similar to lettuce, but grows in much colder weather.  It has flourished this winter with no protection, giving us small leafy greens to supplement our winter diet.  I have added it to store bought salads, added it to stirfry and pasta for a splash of green and used in place of lettuce when making a sandwich.  A northwest native plant, it was named Miners Lettuce as it was eaten by prospectors in this region to fend off scurvy.  The flavor is similar to lettuce, mild, if slightly nutty, and a little crisper.

Hops trying to grow a little too early.

 Shallots are a multiplier onion.  You plant one shallot in the ground, and up to 8 plants grow from a single bulb.

The indoor starts are also doing very well.  I had to put one light fixture on each schelf as it slightly increases the number of plants getting supplementary light.  I may have to get one more fixture when all the young tomato plants move into the 3″ squares.  I will have to give an update on the starts soon!

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Modular raised bed system for Square-Foot Gardening

January 31st, 2010 by Tom Alphin 1 comment »

I created a short post a few weeks ago with directions for building a Raised Bed.  I wanted to expand on that article by showing the three raised bed modules which I have designed and built, and show how they work together in our garden.   

Overview of the three module types.

The first 5 beds in the garden which I built several years ago were Partially Raised Beds.  To establish them, I dug down 12-20 inches to break up and enrich the existing soil.  To increase planting depth, I built a 3.5″ riser of inexpensive Cedar Decking.  This year, I have rebuilt / replaced them with 7″ risers made with two planks of the same Cedar Decking.  They now match the height and exact dimensions of my fully raised beds.  When all of the beds have the same dimensions, you can build accessories that work for all of your beds such as the 7″ riser described below. 

 

  

 Materials for one partially raised bed: 

  • 4- 2″x2″x16″ vertical posts.  Cedar. (5$)
  • 4 – 3’10″ sections Cedar decking. 
  • 4 – 4′ sections Cedar decking. (Decking is a nominal 4″ wide, actual dimension is 3.5″x1″) (4 boards @ 3.50 = 14$)
  • 32 – 2″ Wood Screws rated for outdoor use.  (1/4 of 8$ box)

Three Assembled "Partially Raised Beds" before installation.

I already detailed the Fully Raised Bed design, so you should refer to that article for more details about it’s design. 

  

Because both types of garden bed have the same dimensions and the same notched corners, I can create modules that sit on top of the standardized dimensions. The first modular component I built was a 7″ Riser which sits on top of a bed to increase it’s depth.  So far I have built only one, and I made it as an aid to preparing a bed for the new year.  By temporarily adding 7″ to the sides of the bed, it is buch easier to work the soil without spilling soil into the road.  This is especially useful when significantly rejuvinating a bed or estabilishing it for the first time since you can rake the soil vigorously without worrying about making a mess.  It has an obvious second use to raise the depth of a planter for a root crop.  We plan to use at least one riser to plant potatoes in one of our raised beds this summer. 

 

 A riser is easy to build with the following materials, or you can build it with scraps based on this design: 

 

  • 4- 2″x2″x6.5″ vertical posts.  Cedar. (Use scraps if you can… 5$)
  • 4 – 3’10″ sections Cedar decking. 
  • 4 – 4′ sections Cedar decking. (Decking is a nominal 4″ wide, actual dimension is 3.5″x1″) (4 boards @ 3.50 = 14$)
  • 32 – 2″ Wood Screws rated for outdoor use.  (1/4 of 8$ box)

 

  

Some tips in assembling raised beds:This year, I built two fully raised beds, rebuilt 2 partially raised beds and built 3 partially raised beds from scratch.  Along the way I picked up a few tips to assemble them quickly and efficently: 

  • The easiest way to assemble the raised bed is to assemble the short sides first by screwing the 3’10″ boards onto the 2″x2″ cedar vertical board.  When assembling, make sure you leave space for the riser fit in the corners.
  • It is useful to not only screw the boards onto the cedar 2″2″ but also use one screw on each corner connecting the edges.  This seems to make the whole bed more stable.
  • If you are committed to building many raised beds or other outdoor projects, just go ahead and buy the 5# box of screws.  8$ for a one pound box of screws is ridiculous.  I learned the hard way.
  • To slow deterioration, I applied a clear stain on the exterior facing sides of the box, and allowed several days for it to dry before installation.  I would have stained all surfaces, but I do not have a non-toxic stain and I do not want chemicals leaching into the garden.  (This soy-based stain claims to be non-toxic and is reasonably priced.  If it extends the usable life of your raised bed by a couple of years it would be worth the cost.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a local distributor easily.)

I hope these directions inspire you to create a first garden, or make your existing garden more efficient.  If you have a better or alternate design, or suggestions to make this design better, let me know.  If you find these instructions interesting or helpful, send me an e-mail or leave a comment!  (email: Tom (at) tomalphin (dot) com)  Thanks!

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Seeds are here…

January 30th, 2010 by Tom Alphin 1 comment »

After splitting a major seed purchase with Alicia, I have a lot of new varieties to grow this year! 

 I am most excited about the new Heirloom Tomato varieties, the Runner Beans which should have brighlty colored flowers and yummy beans, and I am excited to grow broccolli for the first time.  I’m also enthusiastic to grow Chard and Tomatillos for the first time, and find out what to make with them.  We are also talking about trying a potato variety in one of our raised beds, which will also be something new and interesting.

Just a few of the new seed varieties that we ordered.  I’m especially excitedto grow things which are new.

My approach this year is to start seeds in a 72-seed starter tray, then transplant them into 4″ square pots as they outgrow the starter tray.  The starter trays are placed on a heat mat to raise the temperature by about 10 degrees from the temperature of the room.  They are covered with a clear humidity dome, andI am watering them by filling the tray with water and allowing it to soak up from below.  This doesn’t displace the seeds as watering from the top often does.  Starting with the second starter tray, I used a blend of compost, peat moss and perlite as my planting medium (The mix was sifted through hardware cloth to ensure that it was well broken up and debris-free.

 

Planting seeds into 72-cell starter trays.

Thus far, I have started 3.5 trays.  I did the first  tray in Jiffy peat pods with lettuces, tomatoes, basil, peppers, a few leeks, and some eggplant.   The Second tray was filled with young onions (18 Leeks, 18 Shallots, 18 green onions and 18 Walla Walla onions).  the third tray was filled only half way, with 3×3 blocks dedicated to Carrots, spinach and more.  The last tray contains the newest additions from this large order from Seed Savers, including my Broccolli (which germinated in only 2 days), heirloom tomatoes, additional pepper varieties, rosemary and sage. 

I have found that Peppers and Eggplants germinate extremely slowly (3 weeks), tomatoes take about a week, and broccolli takes only a couple days.

Updated Seed Inventory (a few varieties haven’t arrived yet.)

Seed Year Source
Arugula, Rocket 2007 Lilly Miller
Arugula, Sylvetta 2010 Seed Savers
Basil, greek spicy globe 2008 Botanical Interests
Basil, Lettuce Leaf 2008 Ferry Morse
Basil, Sweet Green 2005 Renee’s Garden
Basil, Sweet, large leaved 2009 Hart’s Seeds
Beans, Dow Gauk, Yard long bean 2007 Lilly Miller
Beans, Garden, Royal Burgundy (bush) 2008 Ferry Morse
Beans, Garden, Stringless Blue Lake (pole) 2006 Ferry Morse
Beans, Pole, Kentucky Blue 2009 Territorial Seed
Beet, Chioggia 2010 Seed Savers
Beet, Early Wonder 2007 Lilly Miller
Bok Choy, Green Delight Baby Bok Choy 2006 New Dimension Seed
Broccoli, Deciccor 2010 Seed Savers
Broccoli, Romanesco 2010 Seed Savers
Cabbage, January King 2009 Territorial Seed
Carrot, Danvers 2010 Seed Savers
Carrot, Paris market 2010 Seed Savers
Carrot, Scarlet (nantes type) 2006 Ferry Morse
Chard, Five color silverbeet 2010 Seed Savers
Corn, Sweet Corn, Early Sunglow 2009 Lilly Miller
Cucumbers, Tasty Green Hybrid 2006 Territorial Seed
Eggplant, Black Beauty 2006 Ferry Morse
Greens, Miner’s Lettuce 2009 Territorial Seed
Leek,  2010 Botanical Interests
Leek, American Flag 2009 Ferry Morse
Leek, Blue Solaize, 2010 Seed Savers
Lettuce, Black Seeded Simpson 2006 Ferry Morse
Lettuce, Black Seeded Simpson 2005 Seeds of Change
Lettuce, Butterhead, Tom Thumb 2009 Lilly Miller
Lettuce, Continuity Red Crisphead 2005 Seeds of Change
Lettuce, Green Deer Tongue 2009 Territorial Seed
Lettuce, New Red Fire 2009 Territorial Seed
Lettuce, Reine des Glaces OG 2010 Seed Savers
Lettuce, Speckled 2009 Seed Savers
Lettuce, Winterwunder 2009 Territorial Seed
Micro Greens, Mild Mix 2010 Botanical Interests
Okra, Clemson Spineless #80 2008 Ferry Morse
Onion, Evergreen Bunching 2009 Lilly Miller
Onion, Walla Walla Sweet 2009 Ed Hume Seed
Peas, Snap Pea, Cascadia 2009 Territorial Seed
Pepper, Aurora 2010 Seed Savers
Pepper, Marconi, Red 2010 Seed Savers
Radish, Red Silk 2005 Ferry Morse
Rosemary, 2010 Seed Savers
Runner Bean, Sunset 2010 Seed Savers
Sage, Green culinary 2010 Seed Savers
Shallot, Bonilla Hybrid 2009 Territorial Seed
Spinach, Bloomsdale Long Standing 2006 Ferry Morse
Spinach, Ginat Winter 2009 Territorial Seed
Squash, Early Prolific Straightneck 2008 Ferry Morse
Squash, Early Prolific Straightneck 2007 Ferry Morse
Squash, Straightneck Early Yellow 2008 American Seed
Sunflower, Autumn beauty  (#601) 2010 Seed Savers
Sunflower, Irish Eyes  (1088) 2010 Seed Savers
Teddy Bear Sunflower (#326)  2010 Seed Savers
Tomatillo, Purple de Milpa 2010 Seed Savers
Tomato, Better boy hybrid 2008 Ferry Morse
Tomato, Black Krim 2010 Seed Savers
Tomato, Blonkophchen 2010 Seed Savers
Tomato, Gold Medal 2010 Seed Savers
Tomato, Green Zebra 2010 Seed Savers
Tomato, Jubilee (yellow) 2008 Ferry Morse
Tomato, Mexico Midget 2010 Seed Savers
Tomato, Red Cherry, Large Fruited 2006 Ferry Morse
Tomato, Roma VFN 2008 Ferry Morse
Tomato, Siberian 2010 Seed Savers
Tomato, Stupice 2010 Seed Savers
Tomatoes, Brandywine (Sudduth’s Strain) #427 2010 Seed Savers

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The secret life of a board game geek…

January 27th, 2010 by Tom Alphin 8 comments »

It’s true, I am famous on the internet!  To see how, you need to read further…

As noted in my recent article, I love board games!  One thing I didn’t have time to go into in that article are the many ”expansions” that have come out for many popular games.  Expansions breathe new life to a familiar game by adding new rules and generally add new game components such as advanced pieces, or a new map.  They generally increase the length and complexity of the game they expand, and they vary from a few dollars for a few cards and new rules, to nearly the same price as the game they expand.

As much as I love board games, I am addictied to expansions!  This is despite the fact that they rarely provide significantly more fun than the original game itself.  It’s worth calling out a few ppoular games to see how their expansions extend the gameplay experience:

  • The Settlers of Catan is the archetypal mainstream eurogame.  It has as many reissues, expansions, and spin-off games with similar rules as any other game.  The most famous expansion for this game is the Cities and Knights of Catan, which is on the higher end of the scale in terms of added complexity and cost.  It turns a game which can frequently be completed in around an hour into a game which frequently takes 2 hours or more.  I really enjoy this expansion, but it is practically a whole new, more complex game based on the idea of the original.  This is a good example of a large expansion which makes you really rethink your approach to the game.
  • Race for the Galaxy is a recent card game.  As I noted in my earlier article, it is complex to learn but fun to master.  It has two expansions so far, both adding relatively little new material and rules.  Unfortunately, the expansions are pretty pricey for what they add.  The first expansion, The Gathering Storm, simply built on the rules of the original, providing a little more options for growth, without changing the formula for success.  The second expansion,  Rebel vs. Imperium, added new attack mechanics which changed the tone of the game and increased the complexity a good bit.  Overall, both are examples of mid-sized expansions which evolve the game by adding new ways to win, without breaking old techniques.
  • Ticket to Ride is a fantastic game which has been recreated several times as a complete new game based on the original rules.  Spin-off games in the series include Ticket to Ride Europe which is the only edition we own.  Both the original game and the Europe edition have seen relatively small expansions (ex: Ticket to Ride: Europa 1912) which keep the original rules and map, but replace the destination cards used when playing the game to mix things up.  These small expansions often offer the least value despite their low cost since they only change the game in minor ways.  (That said, I don’t have Europa 1912, and I do look forward to getting it and being pleasently suprised.)

One of my favorite games, also turns out to be the king of expansions and spin-offs; Carcassonne.   It’s simple design and modular tile-based gameplay is easy to extend and reimagine. Carcassonne has seen 6 mid-sized expansions, 8 small expansions, 7 spin-off games (one is for children) and a card game only tied to the rest of the series by name.  I had collected every expansion and spin-off in the series until recently, when they released a poor game and a poor expansion in the series the same year.  The expansions alone are difficult to keep organized, since they all consist of square tiles which are difficult to distinguish from one another.

Tuckboxes?

This is why I am famous, if only amongst a small number of board game enthusiasts on the popular Boardgamegeek website.  To aid in my own organization, I designed a set of printable “tuck boxes” that store the tiles from one expansion so I can keep them separate from other expansions and the main game.  I designed boxes for a few of my favorite expansions quickly in PowerPoint, printed them on cardstock using a color laser printer and then folded and taped them into perfect little boxes.  Pleased with my work, I shared them with other Carcassonne players.

Assembling a Printable Tuckbox for Carcassonne which I designed.

What followed after sharing them on the web is a little strange.  I started getting emails from folks who found my tuckboxes on the web like the following:

I already have several your boxes (for the Cathars, River, the 3rd expansion, the 5th)
I would like you to ask for the others, do you have boxes for the 1st, the 2nd, the 4th

and…

I would like modify it so I can create my own tuck box for a different expansion.
When I updated the tuckboxes to include another expansion, I added a note indicating that I would like to locate a copy of the carcassonne expansion The Cathars, which was release several years earlier with the german gaming magazine Spielbox.  It wasn’t broadly available anymore, except on ebay for 40+ dollars a copy.
 
A short time later, I got an email from a generous gamer who loved my tuckboxes and offered me his extra copy of the Cathars and the Spielbox magazine for 10$ shipped.  I was amazed by his generosity, and the fact that someone appreciated my work enough to give me a special deal on a difficult to locate item:
I saw in your tuckboxes from boardgamegeek.com that you were wanting a copy of Cathars.  Are you still looking for one, or is this old information?
…
I have all of your tuckboxes, in fact, and use them to be able to store the entire game in the orignal box, which would be impossible otherwise.  …  I particularly like how you have put the expansion name on the top flap, since that is how I store the boxes in the main box.
If that wasn’t strange enough, there is a community of Carcassonne enthusiasts who are constantly producing fan-made expansions to the game.  I was contacted by one member of that community who wanted to use my templates to create tuckboxes for his fan-made expansions.

Tuckbox for a fan-made expansion made by someone else based on my design.
 
I have continued to get ideas, requests, thanks and general appreciation for my work via email and the boardgamegeek website.  It always makes me smile when I get another friendly message for my work. 
The latest addition to my Carcassonne tuckbox collection for the Tunnel expansion which came out in the fall.
 
So far, my collection of tuckboxes have been downloaded over 4700 times.  Yesterday, I released an update to the tuckboxes to include the latest expansion, The Tunnel, even though I don’t have a copy yet.  Only time will tell how the Carcassonne francise will grow, and  if I will be able to keep up with the never-ending expansions!
As always, if you found this interesting or have a question, please leave a comment on my blog or send me an email: tom (at) tomalphin (dot) com

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First round of Seedlings.

January 20th, 2010 by Tom Alphin 1 comment »

In addition to starting the new year with a frigid swim, I also planted my first round of seeds on January 1st. Here we are, 20 days later, and I have seedlings to show for my effort.

I am transplanting some of my seedlings to larger containers.

Because I am trying to increase our yields this year and the garden is doubling in size, I invested in a number of supplies to help establish stronger seedlings indoors for transplanting.   

  • To aid in Germination, I purchased a heated mat which sits beneath the nursery tray and heats the soil about 10 degrees above room temperature.  After the plant has sprouted, it does not need the warmer temperatures provided by the heat mat, so it can continue growing without the supplemental heat.
  • To make my transplantings go more smoothly this year, I purchased a large number of 4″ square plastic pots and standard nursery trays.  I will transplant my seedlings from the germination trays to these larger pots as they get too large for the starter trays.
  • To keep the plants from becoming spindly in their search for adequate sunlight, I invested in supplemental lighting.  I chose generic 4′ Fluorescent fixtures from Home Depot designed to hang from a chain.  I selected a fixture which uses the newer and thinner “T8″ bulbs as they are more energy efficient.  I did not buy specialty “grow bulbs”, as my cursory research online indicated that they weren’t significantly better, while almost 10 times as expensive.  As they are on a chain, I can adjust the light so it nearly touches the leaves of the seedlings.  From my investigations, it appears that seedlings need to be within 2-3 inches of the flourescent bulb to get adequate lighting and grow a thick, healthy  stem.
  • To  suspend the light fixtures and organize the plants, I purchased a Stainless Steel Wire Rack shelving unit.  It is 18 inches deep and 4 feet wide.  This allows 4 standard seedling flats per shelf, and easily accommodates the 4′ fluorescent fixtures. 

I will use this approach to raise many of the plants commonly started indoors like Tomatoes and Peppers.   They will grow indoors for months under supplemental light before they are ready to go outside.  The tomato plants I started earliest may need to be transplanted multiple times, from their 1″ starting pod, to a 4″ pot, and may need a 1/2 gallon pot before transplanting it outdoors.

  

I am also starting onions, leeks, green onions, shallots, carrots, cabbages, spinach and lettuces indoors to give them a head start.  I am planning to get them established indoors, then move them to the garden in late February under the protection of one of my three mini-greenhouses which fit over a square foot bed.  As the varieties I selected are all pretty hardy, I should be able to remove the protection provided by the Greenhouse after the last hard frost which is probably in April.

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