Springtime Garden Bounty: Have Worms, Mint, more. Need Bees, Planters, Grape Leaves

Hi there, WACCO :waccosun:

I have been hibernating but I'm back and ready to share Spring's delights!

WORMS
My composter is doing well so I can spare a couple of handfuls of fat worms - enough to start or re-start a family composter.

SPEARMINT
My spearmint over-wintered beautifully so I can offer some sprigs for you to eat or use to start your own spearmint bed.

PLANTS
I also have Christmas Cactus (a succulent, really) and Spider and possibly Geranium plants to spare.

You don't gotta have something to trade. What goes around will come around. But I am particularly looking for these garden-related items...

BEEHIVE
We want to be beekeepers! See more info below.

PLANTERS
I need some very large houseplant pots, plus some containers for my container garden --- half-barrels or something of that size would be great. I've been growing parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, tomatoes and more in rubbermaid containers -- definitely not ideal plus they are old and breaking up.

GRAPE LEAVES
When the leaves get to be about hand-sized I would love some young organic grape leaves. They freeze pretty well. I'll be happy to share my recipe for Lebanese stuffed grape leaves with lamb.
Now, about that BEEKEEPING DREAM... :dragonfly: :partyindahouse: :butterfly <--party in da hive with DJ QueenBee


My daughter and I are offering a nice location to someone who would like to place a hive in Rohnert Park and visit it from time to time for maintenance and honey retrieval.


We are shut-ins, living with a devastating neurological disease. On our meager disability income we can't afford to buy our own hive, and it's doubtful we could lift a full honey super, but we have long wished to become beekeepers. My kid has lots of nightmares but her happy dreams often feature bees! I attended a class with BeeKind and was saddened to have the reality brought home to me, that my daughter and I have neither the strength nor the initial financing it takes to be beekeepers on our own.

But!

We have not given up!

We would like to offer our perfect location, a sunny southwest facing wind-sheltered back deck looking out on the willow banks of a creekside trail and open fields beyond that. We're looking for someone who can do the heavy lifting both literally and in terms of paying for a hive and bees. We provide location and day-to-day maintenance, checking the hive, feeding the bees. The hive-owner would take most of the honey, and we would take some for our own use.

We're not really in it for the honey, or money, anyway.

We are in it for bee-therapy --- the soothing presence, and comings-and-goings, of honeybees.

Basically, bees as service animals for the disabled!

We are hoping maybe we can find someone willing to work out a bee-share with us.

Thanks!
~ Bee-brained Creekfeet

Wild grapes grow in our area, so you don't have to depend on wine grapes that have somehow managed not to be sprayed. The wild California grapes are, in fact, used as root stock for local wine grapes. The wild grape leaves are pretty easy to identify, since they look just like cultivated grape leaves. The plants grow as a vine, not as the sort of compact, shrubby plant we are used to seeing in the vineyards. They live in riparian habitats and can be found growing all over near the Russian River. Lots of them grow at Steelhead Beach. Look to your left just past the entrance. They border the gravel parking area past the kiosk. Wild grapes are also on the river side of the entrance road, before getting the asphalt parking lot. I picked grape leaves last fall and used them for pickles (they keep the cucumbers crisp). Your stuffed grape leaves sound really yummy! I do get out to Steelhead from time to time. I'll keep an eye on the grapes and collect leaves for you when they get to be the right size.

I hope someone comes through for you on the bee hive and equipment. They are fun to have.

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Posted in reply to the post by creekfeet:

Hi there, WACCO :waccosun:

I have been hibernating but I'm back and ready to share Spring's delights!

WORMS
My composter is doing well so I can spare a couple of handfuls of fat worms - enough to start or re-start a family composter.

SPEARMINT
My spearmint over-wintered beautifully so I can offer some sprigs for you to eat or use to start your own spearmint bed.

PLANTS
I also have Christmas Cactus (a succulent, really) and Spider and possibly Geranium plants to spare.

You don't gotta have something to trade. What goes around will come around. But I am particularly looking for these garden-related items...

BEEHIVE
We want to be beekeepers! See more info below.

PLANTERS
I need some very large houseplant pots, plus some containers for my container garden --- half-barrels or something of that size would be great. I've been growing parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, tomatoes and more in rubbermaid containers -- definitely not ideal plus they are old and breaking up.

GRAPE LEAVES
When the leaves get to be about hand-sized I would love some young organic grape leaves. They freeze pretty well. I'll be happy to share my recipe for Lebanese stuffed grape leaves with lamb.
Now, about that BEEKEEPING DREAM... ...

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Thank you, Carolyn! I didn't know the wild grapes were ok to eat. My ability to get out to where they're growing is limited these days so if you can keep me in mind when you're gathering, that would be great.

*rummages around computer*

I've got the stuffed grape leaves recipe around here somewhere! I'll send it along to you.