Blog Posts

Cord's Heart - DBG Restores Sanity and Going Home

10/5/2015

When I decide I am going to do something - I will put my head down and push through and do it. Well we love DBG (Denver Botanic Gardens), they have been our friends and supporters since Panayoti discovered us in the woods. Sarah Olson - our Program Director just called me and saved me from myself. During our conversation I realized that trying to pull off this presentation and workshop is too much. We rally because that's what you do - not because in this case - it is the best plan. I was also stuck on it because we need to work to make it through the next months. Well, as you know - the crowdfunding site has taken that worry away - and postponing won't mean we can't finish our house due to lack of funds. They rescheduled us for November 19-20 - the announcement will come soon for those of you planning to attend.
It is best that we focus on our house and getting Cord back into his own bed to rest. Max can stay on task much better this way. I needed Sarah to snap me out of my confusion and overload. I felt waves of relief flooding through me - what was I thinking? Sarah made it all seem possible - that moving this most excellent speaker series WAS totally doable.
THANK YOU Sarah - we really love you girl.
I asked greenhouse owners to start sending in their photos - as I could not go and do it myself. I will tell you - this presentation will blow your minds in November - it will be the best ever - the photos - the success - the beautiful greenhouses Cord and his crew built this year are just incredible. Stunning pictures are rolling in - I cannot wait to show you. We will knock it out of the park in November. I hope you can come - Cord will be much stronger by then too. For those of you who have to change your plans - we apologize. I told Sarah, "I guess we have a note from the doctor!"
As for going home, we are waiting - the nurses seem to be on it - someone came in from the pharmacy and went over the meds he will be taking, I've talked to the Life Vest guy, our doc is sending in the oxygen papers, Cord is sleeping, and I am pacing the halls.
Max is at home working on the house, Wulfgar and Beau are at school and I have a plan to get the chair home.
Whew! When we are truly out of here and truly on the mountain - I will write again - tonight.

Our friend Joe sent these words:
"Bad news decreases when you share it, good news increases when you share it."

Thanks for letting me share this - it has helped so much.
Be back soon with the news!
Love on the wind to all!
Penn

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Cord's Heart - The Incredible Deflating Man!

10/4/2015

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Hello again,

I am so late posting because twice now I have dumped the whole blog post. I am staying patient and I will write it a third time.

Okay - my favorite part about today was the conversation we had with the cardiologist. I got him a chair and greeted him with a big fat list. He was patient and kind. He continues to explain things in a non-defensive, calm and reasonable manner. He is not an alarmist even though his line of work is alarming. He and our doc seem to get along well and respect each other. Their approaches are similar.
Today I told him I needed to get behind him, believe in his abilities. I told him, "I will be your champion so you can be Cord's champion." I decided I liked him today. I decided he is smart and thoughtful. He has a lot of experience curing people with these meds, he sees it happen all the time. We also talked about greenhouses, beehives, mountain properties and even bears! It made us miss home.
Another thing I liked was the conversation about the Life Vest. The language they use when teaching about it is pretty intense but this doc helped us gain a better perspective on it today. He doesn't want us to live in fear - afraid of Cord going into cardiac arrest any minute. The chances of that happening are so slim yet it can happen. Wearing the vest in a remote area is definitely a good idea but we don't need to expect it to have to save him. He wants us to live our life. Cord can do things as he feels ready. (Except for chainsaws and jackhammers - they might set off a shock!) Cord was in terrible shape when he came in here and had been for some time and he didn't go into cardiac arrest - and he didn't have the vest then.

The doc even cleared him to go to Denver this Thursday and Friday for our presentation at DBG. He will be chilling - I wish I could take a Lazy-boy up there and let him watch the whole thing from the audience in style. He might answer a couple of questions but I will have the support of my boys - Max for sure. We will do all the heavy lifting. The first night is a lecture and the second day is a workshop. Max knows all the materials and will do demos for me. We will pull it together in time.
So last night - after I posted about the sleep test being easy and we went to bed - another cute girl from downstairs somewhere arrived, turned on the lights and said, "it's time to strap you into your sleep test." Uh Oh. We were almost in lala land. So there was much confusion and phone calls and trying to decide what to do until they finally decided he should wear BOTH tests to bed. We were wide awake by then. So when it came time to take them off - you guessed it - they came one at a time and woke him up twice to take off the devices.
Poor guy. He slept most of the morning away to make up for it. All he got today was a blood test.
He is the incredible deflating man. His legs have ankle bones again, his face is not round, but his middle still has a ways to go and is still tender and sore. The swelling and inflammation will take a while to calm down I'm sure. He is walking the floor and stretching and experiencing less pain.
There is a good possibility we go home Monday - after they check the blood tests, clear his oxygen and prescribe him his meds, we could be ready! The hospital has a pharmacy and they will deliver our meds to our room before we go so we don't have to stop on the way home. They are working on getting us a home nurse to check his vitals.

The staff here has truly been wonderful - true-blue hearts. Great care - really - we've made friends - we feel so well cared for. I know Cord is young and handsome and that doesn't hurt on this floor but across the board - they have great people working here. We will eternally be grateful for their concern and understanding. They have taken care of me as well.

Our good friend Lex and our wonderful boys put a new roof on our bedroom today. They only called for questions a few times. Cord would whip off a drawing, take a picture of it and send it off. He likes building and I know he was with them in spirit. They worked their butts off - I could hear it in Max's voice tonight. Beau went back to college - he has an exam Monday - what a guy - doing double duty.
My dynamo mother, and don't get mad Mom, is only 87 and yesterday she came to town to get stuff from me to send home, then went running around a furniture store helping me butt-test easy-chairs for Cord, then she went back home, loaded her car with piles of delicious yummy boy food and drove to Canon City to meet Max. They have been feasting ever since. Thanks mom - you are truly an amazing person. You said, "all I did was cook." WAY more than that - thank you so much for taking care of my family - we all admire you so much.
The only thing we will do on our way home is stop at the furniture store and have Cord butt-test a new chair. He doesn't want one he hasn't butt-tested. I have three in mind and we will be in and out of there in a minute. I will arrange for someone to pick it up and bring it home for us - I don't think it will fit in my car. He will have that chair when he gets home - that's a promise.
When I get home I might cry with relief and joy but I don't do that here. There will be time for that. We are so grateful and so blessed.
To all of you - you made us stronger and braver. You showed Cord how much he is loved. Thank you for that - we really need your help and I will continue to ask for it.
Many blessings to all of you,
Penn

Beau and Lex on the roof.

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Cord's Heart - October 3

10/3/2015

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Hi Everybody.
Cord and I spent another long day at the hospital. The sleep test last night was not very fun - he looked like he was all tied up in some freaky torture device. They came around 5am and took it off and then he finally slept. He was very tired this morning.
Our primary doc came early and answered questions again - and we started talking about when he can go home. My guess is the cardio doc will make the final call. They worked on getting oxygen ready to go for him today but then we were informed that they ordered the wrong sleep test last night and they have to do the right one tonight! Luckily this one is much simpler - a sensor taped to his finger - one line - much easier than last night. He's at the point where his IV itches, the electrodes poke, and rolling over is no fun at all. He got cleared to take some Melatonin to help him sleep tonight.
The cardio doc came and talked to us but I didn't have my super-long list ready - I will tomorrow morning. Questions always come right after he leaves. They're like unicorns - a sighting is rare and they disappear quickly. He is not sure when Cord will leave - he says we will see how he looks tomorrow.
The best thing he said for me though was about the pain Cord feels on the right side of his gut when he walks or moves too much. As I said last night - his gallbladder is perfectly healthy too - they just checked it again. So I asked about the liver again and he nonchalantly said, "Oh yes, the liver can swell up due to congestive heart failure!" THANK YOU! What does it mean? He said the liver is encased in a kind of sack and when it gets pissed off and swells up like it might due to the edema building up from the CHF, it pushes against that sack and can cause pain! So is it possible that as his heart improves this will settle down and stop happening? YES! So - maybe it isn't something else after all - everything else is suffering due to the CHF. Makes sense. Also - this would not show up in the blood or a liver test if it is conditional due to the CHF. As far as I am concerned, that pain and pressure he feels is going to fade away as the heart picks up speed and he will just get better and better - about everything. I also asked if the lungs would improve as his heart improves. Yes. It's all about that fluid backing up while his heart is down so low.
Which brings us to the Lasix again - the diuretic. He was only taking it in the morning and then it would wear off before bed and he would feel congested in his lungs and have a hard time sleeping - feels like he is drowning. Fluid in the lungs will do that so they shifted the dosages to twice a day - the second one around 1pm (so he doesn't have to pee all night), but it will let him go to bed with his lungs NOT full of fluid. Tonight is the first night to see if it will help - I have high hopes it will - even with the other sleep test. This is all to qualify him for oxygen which I am not leaving here without.
He walked 3 times around the floor today at a faster rate than before - multiple times. It seems like all we do is sleep and eat and get checked on so we stretch and walk.
Today Cord spent time on the phone with Max and Beau as they are attacking the remodeling project at home. He made a materials list and discussed options in real time as Max shopped. Our dear friend Mitch came for a visit at the perfect time I needed to run out to find Cord the perfect easy-chair. We will go home with a brand new chair for him to recline in and to be king of all things.
I actually left the hospital today - it was strange out in the world. Tomorrow it's a week and we are holding strong. Everyday people send us so much love and care - we are so blessed.
Cord will come back to health - all the way - I can't see it going any other way. Having our boys around us is heavenly - even when they are home and we are here - it makes us feel so good knowing they are taking care of us.
Our cup runneth over - we are sending love back on the wind.
Penn

A Heartful of Wendy's - one of the sweetest tomatoes I carry - thank you Alison for this joyful picture for Cord.

Gorgeous Cord!

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Cord's Heart - Continued

10/2/2015

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Hello
Thanks for all of the love and thoughts coming in to us here in the hospital via the sweet Colorado air. There is much to tell so I'll get right to it.

Update:
Another long day in the hospital but some progress happened again. We see our primary care doc every morning at the crack - he is very consistent. We asked a lot of questions. The first test of the day was an ultrasound to check the gallbladder. Of course the test came back normal. That's how he rolls - everything we check - comes back good.

The cardiologist returned today - he thought we'd gone home so we hadn't seen him for a couple of days. The cardiologist was good to talk to today, he was engaged and seemed more human.
The Life Vest either gets taken off in three months or you can have it renewed for another round if your heart is slow to recover. This doctor seems hopeful - like we do, that the medication approach is the way to go and that Cord will respond well. My guess is that he will kick butt and improve right on schedule or before just based on how otherwise healthy he is. This doctor is not the kind to recommend going from a Life Vest straight into an implanted defibrillator unless you have to. Instead we want him to use the vest until he doesn't need it anymore and then continue to get better until he doesn't need an implanted one either - that's the plan! Sometimes people get the implanted one too soon, they get better and then they don't need it and have to live with it. However, if that's what it takes - that's what we do.
One step at a time. Patience.

Max brought Wulfgar down to see us and we all had dinner together in our room - it was so nice. Beau was on his way to our house from college so they are all there together now. We had a great visit - and Max and Cord went over the materials list and the details about rebuilding the bedroom. It's so cool to hear them - our boys are young men and they were taught by Cord so they know what to do.

Late tonight he will get hooked up for a sleep test to check for Sleep Apnea. This might also qualify him for oxygen which we want to go home with. I told the cardiologist we were trying to get oxygen approved by the insurance and he assured me that when you have congestive heart failure - you can have oxygen when you go home to 8,000'. As if.

We also signed up for home visits by a nurse to come by and check his vitals. That will be awesome - makes me feel better. This is pretty intimidating stuff but we will rise to the challenge.

Cord is taking walks around the floor regularly to help his body clear of edema. He is deflating - which is better than inflating, he is on a drug called Lasix (s), a diuretic helping him to shed the swelling. They are working on his dosage to help him sleep better as each night his lungs get congested again and he struggles with his breathing. Sleep is the thing - the Holy Grail - what if it were easy?
I am not in a hurry to go home, the staff at Parkview is great - no doubt. Once we are home I will be watching him like an ever-lovin' hawk and will drive him crazy.
It could be tomorrow I guess but I'm not counting on it. We shall see.

Our friends are so wonderful and plans are underway at home. The Rally For Cord Website - (https://www.youcaring.com/penn-and-cord-parmenter-442947) - the one our friend Buffy set up is absolutely amazing. I also want to thank my dear friend Shelbel so much - it was her idea to find a way to raise funds for us - we never would have thought of such a thing - and Buffy was in a position to take care of the logistics - what a team! It all happened so fast and now it is already helping Cord's peace of mind greatly. Did I say thank you Shelbel?
Thanks to all - for listening - for caring and contributing and for being a part of this amazing collective consciousness. GO CORD!!

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Cord's Heart - Send Love On The Wind

10/1/2015

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Hello Friends,
I am using this long, neglected blog to write to you about Cord's Heart while he sleeps. This is not a book or a story, this is happening in real time. We need love on the wind. Please send your love, prayers, thoughts, strength, hope, joy and goodness on the wind to Parkview Hospital in Pueblo, Colorado. The in-pouring of love we can already feel is stunning. Thank you all many times over and please keep it coming - it is helping so much.
Please see how you can Rally For Cord at the bottom of this post...

Here's the report.
I am writing from the hospital where Cord is battling congestive heart failure. It's pretty bad friends, his heart is seriously in the danger zone. A healthy heart's Ejection Fraction, (it's ability to squeeze), is around 55-70 - I guess you say %. Cord's is 10. It has a long way to go to recover. We don't know why - yet. There seems to be other things happening at the same time which are confusing the issue. Lungs first - then heart or heart first and then lungs? Don't know. Difficulty breathing, pressure, and pain on his right side when he walks or moves too much are a few symptoms.
So - today they ordered up another check of the gallbladder - they cleared it once but it it is worth another look. They are also ordering him a sleep test to check for apnea. These are other complications we need to address - they are all related but also mysterious.
He needs to go home with oxygen because having it at night allows him to finally sleep for more than an hour or two at a time. He must have it at 8.000 ft. So we must have a reason and a test so he can go home with it. If they find a problem with the gall bladder - he's out of luck for a while as his heart is too weak for any surgery right now but knowing would help him deal with the pain when he walks.
They will treat him with gradually increasing heart medicine and they say it is highly successful and more times than not, brings the heart all the way back to awesome function.
It could be Cardiomyopathy, basically where alcohol is poison to the heart. If you stop drinking - your heart gets better. It could have been blockages but Cord's arteries are squeaky clean so they ruled that out. It could be a viral infection, in which case, it will run it's course and his heart will get better over time with medication.
We're talking about 6 months of heart medicine and each recovery process is unique.
Today they fitted him for a Life Vest. Holy Crap I love smart things. Cord's greenhouses are smart but this is just bad-ass. The Life Vest is a wearable defibrillator and will save his life on the mountain if he experiences cardiac arrest. He will wear it for months under his clothes and against his skin. It was 1 1/2 hours of instruction but the more we learned - the more impressed I was - I'm a big fan. The device can send all info to headquarters in PA in real time where someone is monitoring him all the time. If it goes off and gets ready to shock him back to life during cardiac arrest - they will know about it.
We are 20-30 minutes from town and getting an ambulance out where we live could take even longer. This thing is genius. It talks to him and tells him what to do if his heart starts to act up. It tells everyone around him to get back before it shocks. It warns him for plenty of time in case its a false alarm so he can turn it off. If he's passed out and doesn't respond - it gives warnings and then 'gives him a treatment'.
Whew, busy day today. Max stayed with him last night - he came home from school in Scotland to tend to his family. His brothers and friends will be rebuilding our bedroom which is under construction. We've been sleeping in our wall tent until the bedroom was ready but no more. We have a lovely guest room nearby from our dear neighbors where he can sleep and there are plans in the works for some new furniture as our house is partially gutted and furniture-less. So much is happening so fast now that we are in the hospital. Before so little was happening so slow it was maddening. There is progress. Oh and our wonderful primary care doc is all over this. We have been with him for 25 years - we started with him when he started his practice. He feels like family.
Note to self:
When your loved one swells up and bloats in front of your eyes - especially in the feet and legs, take them to the hospital - as soon as you can - this symptom ain't playin' around - it is serious.
Please send love on the wind.
Penn

Rally For Cord!!
Our dear friend Buffy has started a fund to help us with expenses while Cord can't work - we are so grateful!! Here is the link - she said I have to spread it around!
https://www.youcaring.com/penn-and-cord-parmenter-442947
Check him out!!

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Thermometer Tomato

3/22/2014

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Mother Russia Thermometer Tomato

What is a thermometer tomato? It is how I measure the temperature in my winter
greenhouse. It happened by accident the first time - now I do it on purpose. In the fall, I always have leftover tomato plants - even ones left gangly and sad in a 2 1/2" pot. In this case - the tomato is in the 2 1/2" and the volunteer Mache is in the bigger pot in the foreground. It is on a shelf on the middle of the north wall, in between the two groups of water barrels. This is a very stable place but since my greenhouse (The Little Greenhouse That Could), is not designed to grow warm weather vegetables in winter like Cord's is, I am always curious to see just how far I can push the limits. So a warm weather plant like a tomato is the perfect test subject.
I cannot throw away a plant, so the night of the first freeze, all remaining leftover plants come in to the greenhouses to see what I might do with them. Many die this way - due to my neglect and abuse, so the ones that remain, or rather, the one that remained, is golden.
Why? Because it has not only adapted to the rigors of the winter greenhouse, it is showing cold tolerance, adaptability, even determination. But best of all, it is showing what The Little Greenhouse That Could can do on a given year. Mother Russia stayed alive through every deep cold that came through, sometimes looking like it came close to freezing, but somehow, as the day wore on and the greenhouse heated up, the dreaded smell of frozen and now rotting plants, did not come and Mother Russia raised her little head and carried on.
And then it bloomed, and then in the spring I planted it in early in the same greenhouse but now in the front bed, near the glazing, a more unstable area. And she grabbed hold of the ground and started digging in deep showing me glorious dark green leaves, new growth and beautiful blossoms. She set large, beefsteaky tomatoes, as big as your hand.
I learned a long time ago to let the greenhouse show me what it can do - rather than expecting too little out of it. I guess I learned it with leftover tomato plants too - and then did it again.

Mother Russia

Black From Tula next to a sorrel.

This winter it is Black From Tula - just left sitting on the soil bed in a ridiculous tiny 2 1/2" pot, reaching almost a year in that pot. There is hardly ay soil left and the roots are exposed. And now it's blooming. It is time to plant it in - and then watch it take off and produce fabulous Black From Tula tomatoes in record time. This tomato is totally adapted to the winter greenhouse, and when I plant it in it is going to reach down deep, grab the earth and start spitting out delicious tomatoes.
I like it. I'm not getting tired of my miraculous thermometer tomatoes. Try it - leave a plant in your winter greenhouse that you know will be killed the first time the temps drop low - and watch and see what makes it. I'm thrilled to see Black From Tula survive this very cold winter and the seed I glean from this plant will hold memories of cool-weather adaption - very helpful in the mountain garden.
I will sink it in deeply when I plant it and give it a drink of kelp and then let nature take it's course. Glorious black tomatoes early, early, early. Oh - and by the way - I have very little seed as I grew it for the nursery last year and I sold most of the seed I did have to Seeds Trust - you can get limited quantities from me and more from them.
Check out what this plant will give me shortly - oooolalala!!!

Black From Tula Beauty

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Glass Gem Crop Failure

10/19/2013

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Penn and Cord about to plant the Glass Gem.

When Seeds Trust trusted us with 300 seeds of the famous Glass Gem Popcorn last spring we were excited to try it. It was a thrill - this is the corn the whole world wants and the waiting lists keep getting longer as the people wait for the seed.
We had first seen the corn at Seed School in 2010 and Cord wanted to grow it then. I recently wrote an article about the Glass Gem Corn Craze in the Colorado Gardner, (www.coloradogardener.com), giving even more shine on this wildly popular corn. (Pictures of the corn went viral before there was much seed available - people are waiting!)
We've been growing Seeds Trust's Candy Mountain Sweet Corn for over 20 years at 8,000 ft. in the Rockies so we felt confident we could grow this corn.
So beautiful - and diverse. There is nothing like it. The following is photographic documentation of our attempt in yet another wildly different and strange year in Colorado.

History in our hands.

Preparing the site - three - 5' X 20' Bio-intensive beds.

Young plants up and going in June.

Weeding once.

Seed to soil contact - firm the soil after planting seeds.

At 5" tall - a pole bean is planted to feed nitrogen to the corn.

Fertilizing the corn organically followed by heavy mulch.

We had perfect, vigorous germination and good early growth in the sunny warmth of June. The bean plants were all up at the foot of each corn plant and we were off to a good start.
When the rains came, the plants grew lush and deep green, absolutely beautiful, it looked like the happiest corn in the world. About the time it was 5- 6' tall, we were both wondering when it was going to tassle. It seemed to be taking it's sweet little time. Suddenly it was late August and I was getting worried. This is an ancestral corn from the Cherokee people and although I don't know a proper corn ceremony, I planned to dance naked as another form of stimulant I could give it - when the hail beat me to it! I'd like to take credit for the tassling, but it was probably the hail, just the right amount to stimulate the outer leaves but not kill the crowns. It started tassling shortly after.

Lush and green.

And then the hail came.

Tattered outer leaves with crowns intact.

Dancing naked in the corn to make it tassle.

The first tassle!

More to come.

When the corn finally started to tassle it shot up to over 7' tall and showed great promise. But by late August we knew it wasn't going to make it without help. On September first, the day before Max left for college - he was still packing, he and other boys, helped Cord erect the framework below.
By the time we got the cover over it - a pretty huge cover, a lot of the corn was 9' tall and some pushing 10'. Some of it touched the roof when they put the plastic on. It grew during the time they installed the frame and put on the cover. It was crazy tall and each, now, long, skinny stalk, had multiple silks setting ears. The pollen was amazing in there, falling and collecting on the leaves below, when you walked through it, you had the sensation of moving the pollen just with your body passing by. The corn had a stunning presence, I was very aware it was special, even though I can't explain it here. It was so relaxing and lovely to water - especially when I had a little music. I completely believed it would make it - especially because we had the big cover to get it through the first few frosts of September. We watered religiously and opened and closed the thing every day.

So we decide to cover it.

It's heavy.

Putting on the cover.

Sides roll open and doors open on each end.

When we first covered the corn it rained hard and long for a week. We didn't ventilate much until we discovered rust spreading through the plants at an alarming rate. We ran to look it up to learn what to do. Ventilation was our best tool so we opened up even during the cool rain and then when the sun came out it naturally reversed it and it eventually slowed down to a halt. After that it was too dry for it to make any progress but we were dealing with a disease we don't usually have to deal with - because we are usually so dry. The Candy Mountain Sweet Corn Seeds Trust carries is adapting happily to the high and dry. But the Glass Gem arrived on the coolest, wettest, cloudiest, slowest year we've maybe ever seen. The plants grew huge plant bodies and didn't set fruit until the end of the summer - we saw it with the squash and tomatoes too.
2012 and 2013 will be my Poster Children for "Every year is different in Colorado". I'm not messing around. There could not be two more different years. So - once again, Colorado, Earth, Mother Nature - is in charge of our crop and we are just little high-altitude gardeners trying to grow a precious corn. So maybe next year Colorado will grow the Glass Gem early and we will have a heavy crop of the world's most beautiful corn.

Even the tassles were beautiful and multi-colored. The following pictures were about 5 days too late - they were past their peak but you can still see the variation. I loved it.

Glass Gem Corn Tassles

After the first light frosts, the green stalks will continue the cobs - well - on a normal year - whatever that is.

This is when you know - that not even one cob has any development on it at all. It took a long time for me to have the courage to open a cob to find what I already knew. It was over. No Glass Gem for a waiting list of thousands. We would have to try again.
I called Julia Coffey of Seeds Trust the other day - and blurted out, "total and complete crop failure on the Glass Gem" and started to cry - even though I didn't want to or plan to. (Cord never cried, he'd faced reality long before and as this was primarily his baby - he is looking forward to trying again next year.)
Julia was awesome of course, she told me she had no doubt that we had done everything we could to make it happen. She knew it was a risk on a good year in the mountains. She understands that it requires time and patience to grow seed.
I don't regret the year that was, the cool rainy days were like heaven to me. Our land hasn't seen moisture like that in 20 years. But cool, rainy mountain weather doesn't grow a Cherokee corn in a hurry.
So, next year it is, it will fly - it will grow to fruition, we know what we are doing when it comes to corn, (naked dancing aside), and Julia is willing to let us try again. No matter what, it was beautiful in all stages and a great pleasure to grow.

This is where it stands today - (or not), we will take down the cover and make compost with the plants.

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Tomatoes and Tobacco

2/14/2013

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If you want to get succulent home-grown tomatoes like these - you need to keep tobacco far away from your plants, your greenhouse, your baby starts - all of it. Tobacco can give tomatoes the disease Tobacco Mosaic Virus (ToMV). If you chew or are a smoker of tobacco - commercial cig's or organic, do not smoke around your tomatoes and do not touch them without washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
When people come to tour I am very clear about smokers going in my greenhouses - I even threaten to tackle them if they think of touching the door jam. God forbid a smoker who hangs out around the farmer's market - strange huh - but I have no problem asking them to smoke elsewhere - only for the sake of the tomatoes.
One study I read about showed Tobacco Mosaic Virus present in 40% of commercial tobacco - and that was in the 80's.

The disease can also be spread by many common plants like marigold, petunia, hollyhock and zinnia. Also nightshades and mints - and a whole slew of others. 5 different kinds of aphids can carry the disease too.
Sometimes the disease can take them out slowly - sometimes quickly - spreading from plant to plant. Often people don't recognize the link or what is happening to their slowly degrading tomato plants. The disease can live in the soil and plant debris so if you think you've had it - clean up and remove debris instead of composting it. Grow tomatoes somewhere new and let that area rest.
Rodale's Encyclopedia of Natural Insect & Disease Control is an excellent resource for the home gardener. I learn so much every time I crack it open.
If you have no choice and the smoker in your life won't keep out of the greenhouse or garden - you may have better luck with a hybrid bred to resist this disease. When you look at hybrid tomatoes - you often see a bunch of letters after the name - like VFT or others. "T", or "TMV" is for Tobacco Mosaic Virus and it is your clue that that tomato is resistant. These would not be good choices for saving seeds of course.
TMV:
"Leaves may have light and dark green mottling, and at colder temperatures may become spindly. Fruit may ripen unevenly and develop brown spots."

Nicotiana alata

Growing Nicotiana - Tobacco

I have been growing, studying and teaching tomatoes for 20 years. I know this pretty well - and learned it early on from a friend whose husband wouldn't ask his friend to not smoke in their house - yes, this was 20 years ago - and it affected one tomato and then all the rest as well. She learned the hard way. I even had a guy come and buy tomato plants from me - a chain smoker to be sure and he did not believe me. So he set up my high-altitude, organically raised perfect tomato starts in the garage and smoked all over them - killing them one by one. He came back with a cheerful, yellow smile to exclaim - "Hell if you weren't right!" I have never sold him tomatoes again - and probably never will. AS IF!
BUT, after all of my protection and teaching I too, can be totally dumb. I also teach companion planting, integration of growing and also fill my large containers with food, herbs and flowers, always have, always will.
So - right next to the beautiful iron gate by the entrance to my garden sit two half whiskey barrels - perfect for deep planting. That year I started with a tumbling tomato, and lots of herbs and flowers to integrate with it. Oh yeah, I love to grow Nicotiana - (tobacco) for it's magnificently fragrant white flowers. They come in other colors but the white is the most ethereal. A perfect moonlight flower and the scent hits you like a ton of bricks at the gate - kapow!!! I love this plant. I think of it as Nicotiana - not tobacco. I think of it as a beautiful garden flower that the flying creatures love. And so - smart me - I planted them together - Nicotiana for beauty, fragrance and the moon and the tumbling tomatoes coming right over the side of the whiskey barrel for snacking and beauty. Sigh.
Not good. It took me a while too - wondering what was wrong with this poor tomato. Over time, leaf mottling began to occur, the plant was wilted and strange looking - it was trying so hard but it just couldn't do it.
And then I hit myself in the head - "Tobacco!" I yelled, "Cord, you will not believe what I did."
The moral of the story is - do not plant nicotine around your tomatoes - they don't like it. I know Nicotine was sometimes used as a powerful insecticide in the past, but it is not something I would ever mess around with. Besides, there are many better ways to deal with bugs and disease than a hard-core drug like Nicotine.
I grow it still - in it's own pot - away from the tomatoes and enjoy the white trumpets opening in the evening and blasting me and my last cup of tea for the day into heaven.

Here's a couple of hybrids - yes, me, heirloom grower, I had to look them up - for tobacco smokers. I don't have any experience with these varieties but hope they will work for you if you have been having trouble with tomatoes and tobacco. This is not a sure thing - but it could help. Please look them up yourself to see if they are appropriate for your climate and season length. These are all chosen quickly from a catalog - there are many more to choose from - this is just to get you started.
Bush Early Girl VFFNT Hybrid
Jetsetter VFFNTA Hybrid
Ball's Beefsteak VFFT Hybrid
Big Beef VFFNTA Hybrid
Celebrity VFFNTA Hybrid
Champion II VFNT Hybrid
Cobra VFT Hybrid
Super Marzano VFNT Hybrid
Sweet Treats FFT Hybrid
Sweet Million FNT Hybrid
Sunsugar FT Hybrid

Nicotiana in mixed planters - but not with tomatoes!

Healthy tomatoes in Cord's winter greenhouse.

Ahhhhhh......

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Our Hortie Trip North

2/9/2013

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Harlequin Gardens geo-thermal greenhouse.

Cord and I had a big weekend adventure north recently and it was fun, fun, fun. Our first stop was a consultation in Boulder with a nice couple trying to make their all-glazed little greenhouse work for them. We shared lots of information and left them excited to get started.
The next stop was a place we've wanted to go for a long time - Harlequin Gardens in Boulder. Mikl and Eve Brawner run this nursery using this subterranean - geo-thermal greenhouse - no fuel bill of course. And of course - we love any smart greenhouse - not just our design - but others that work fuel-less as well.
They grow lots of natives, lots of water-wise plants and are practicing sustainability everywhere you look. Worm compost is making under the benches - leaves are fed to worms - and everytime the flats above them are watered - it moistens the piles underneath. At the end of the season Mikl applies it to the gardens and then starts again. Cord and Mikl had a great time talking greenhouse talk. Cord is currently designing greenhouses so he likes to learn about other sustainable designs. They had a great time while Eve showed me around to all of the established gardens there. I loved the site - very real - with high-quality plants.

BBB Seed - Beauty Beyond Belief/Bounty Beyond Belief/Botanicals Beyond Belief

Cord and our friend Mike Wade at BBB.

Cord and Mike Wade at BBB Seed - woohoo! We love being around seeds - they throb with life! They are wildflower specialists but they also have a vegetable line - all heirloom and mostly organic.
We met Mike at Seed School and also know his daughter so we really like this company. BBB stands for Beauty Beyond Belief - an old Boulder wildflower seed company and the new vegetable line - Bounty Beyond Belief - and new - Botanicals Beyond Belief - very nice.
It was fun to hang out with the Head Honcho himself - check them out at: http://www.bbbseed.com/

On To Panayoti's

What a blast - a 'cheesball' picture to make us laugh!

Panayoti and Jan are our wonderful friends and hosts when we come to teach in Denver. They won't be stopped - they insist we come and we absolutely love that.
They are the most wonderful hosts - and we laugh and laugh.
We brought last-minute friend's so Panayoti put on some more chops - they are amazing and it is the most comfortable place to stay.
We arrived after our wild day in Boulder - and after a huge feast and lots of great conversation with the world travelers - we crashed - ready to teach in the morning.
Thank you - as always you two - we have a blast - hee hee.
We credit Panayoti for discovering us - and Jan was our first friend at DBG. What fun.

Teaching at Denver Botanic Gardens

My Big Ol' Man - teaching Sustainable Greenhouse Design.

Lots of students!

And For Added Fun...

In beautiful Gates Hall.

They had it loaded so fast - I could barely get a picture.

Our son Max to the rescue. "Max, hook up the flat bed, load the ramps, chains and tools and drive to Denver and rescue us." "Okay." As he hung up the phone Cord said, "It's great having a grown man for a son!" It's only a 44' rig all hooked up plus he had to hook it up - make sure the lights work, find a spare, amongst other things - like he's 18. Of course he did it all - no problem.

Chaining it down.

Loading the ramps while Cord chains the back.

I'd rather break down in the wilderness than in the city any day. At least then, I'd know what to do. The best option was Max bringing us the ability to get it home to our awesome mechanic - Paul Austin - of Austin Automotive.
We took Max out to dinner on the way home and then stopped in Canon City after dark and dropped the car and it's broken fuel pump - off at the mechanic. But still - the trip was great, the students were wonderful - and we made many great connections.
We are planning the next greenhouse class in Kittredge, Co - coming up next month. Until then, we are starting seeds like crazy and planning the 2013 season. Be back soon with more tomato talk.

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The Great Tomato Seed Project

1/19/2013

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Okay - I am going to lay this on you - right in mid-stream. I am finally on the other side of the great tomato seed project - although it's not really over yet. I am preparing to sell some, donate some and of course - sow some. I still have a few varieties rolling around the house. Principe Borghese is hanging in the coat rack, ripened and covered in coats. The cats bat them around the house - ripened or not. Its been an amazing experience.
So - I thought I'd show you some steps.
Right now I am in the process of sorting, combining and crumbling the hundreds of seed cakes waiting in their coffee filters.
Since I took many batches of tomatoes off the plants throughout the season, this makes for many small batches of seeds that need to be combined. I also took the over-ripe, rotten tomatoes from beneath neglected plants and saved their seed too. This stains the seed a little - leaving it slightly darker than seed saved from a perfectly ripened tomato. In nature, the seed goes through the rotting and fermenting of the decomposing tomato and is stained much darker than what you usually see in a seed packet. I kept it separate until I spoke to one of my seed mentor's - thank you Wes McDorman, and realized all was well - variation in color is just that - color and does not affect the seed itself.

Principe Borghese hanging in the coat rack and raining down on the couch below.

I love to pose them, meet Wendy, Ida Gold, Peacevine and Fox Cherry.

Meet The Golden King of Siberia, Nebraska Wedding, Rio Grande, Crimson Sprinter.

It all starts here - piles and piles and bucket and buckets. It's a daunting sight in the living room, and there was more - before...

Fermenting in jars.

Fill the jars with water and let settle very briefly before pouring off.

Seeds on the bottom, debris in the water.

Pour off the gooey water, leaving the seeds behind.

Refill and let settle - I used less water this time.

Rinse repeatedly until the water is clear and all the seeds are clean.

Pour it all quickly into a sieve.

Use a coffee filter or paper towel to dry the seeds in.

SMACK!

Ahhh. Glory.

Label and fold.

Making a dent, out of coffee filters, switched to paper towels.

Many, many seed cakes - ready to be packaged. The ones in front are all Seeds Trust varieties.

I began with Seeds Trust's seeds, grouping all the Sasha's to start crumbling.

Each batch is slightly different, like the tomato(es) it came from. Notice the size and color variation.

I grouped Ida Gold's together and lined up some more.

Sasha's - with notes on the year, where or how it was grown, even characteristics.

Different but the same.

Combine their strengths.

Pack them up!

Left two rows are the result of all the Seeds Trust seed - ready to be germ tested.

Germination Test

What? It's true - if I want to know how strong my seed is, and if I want to sell it, I need to know it's germination percentages. A germination test is simple stuff, you are simply germinating 10, 50, 100, 150 seeds to get an accurate percentage.
It is perfectly accurate to germ test 10 seeds and get an easy result. If only 8 germinate, you have 80%, 2, you only have 20% - not acceptable. To be acceptable, it needs to be 70% or above. Most tomato seed is much higher than that - and some of mine has been, a few have not. Even low germ seed can still give you thriving plants - the seeds are just not sellable, but you will learn what ever you did during the process that resulted in a low germ.

Here are some ideas of why low germination happens.
1.) Sometimes, in the bottom of a bucket, there would be a squished green tomato or two that spewed their seed all over the others. I took care to remove them as they might not be ripe. How do I know? If the seed is not viable, it floats. So during its water bath, the good seed, with a viable embryo inside, sinks quickly to the bottom while the other light, non-viable seed, is still swirling around in the water. Out it goes with all the other debris in the water. Repeating this many times assures the seed you save is viable.
2.) If the tomato (the fruit) was frozen or slightly frozen before the seed was saved, it may not be viable.
3.) If your seeds dried out during the fermenting process you can have non-viable seed, because they can try to sprout before they dry up and then it wastes the embryo. Re-hydrating them can work if you catch it in time.
4.) If the tomatoes are not fully ripened, they could produce non-viable seed.
5.) Dried seeds get overheated over a long period of time or fluctuating temperatures adversely affected them.

How To Perform A Germ Test:
Traditional Paper Method:
Use horticultural germination paper OR paper towels or other similar papers to germinate 10 - 100 seeds. Spread them out evenly - no touching so you can easily count them. Make a block of 10 X 10 of seeds to keep a group of 100 organized. Fold the ends and roll up the paper like a big cigar - it will be big for peas but smaller for tomatoes, wet it, and store it in an open plastic bag. (You can wet the paper first.)
Check it after a few days and then again regularly until germination occurs. Wait until you think they are all germinated. Unroll the paper and count how many seeds germinated. Do your math and you have your percentage.
Traditional Soil* Method:
Sow seed in a soil-less seed-starting medium, counting out 10-100 seeds and arranging them to not touch so it's easier to count. Write down how many seeds you sow for each variety - I do this right on the seed packet. Mark each group of seed carefully in the flat. Lightly cover with medium and press with the flat of your hand. Seed to soil contact is essential for good germination. Water and cover the flat with plastic - I use produce bags because they float but Wes recently instructed me to use newspaper and pull it off the minute they germinate - he's cured any damping off with this method. Covering the flat is important in our dry climate to keep the growing medium steadily moist.
When your seeds germinate, give them 3 - 10 days - and then count them and match them up to your notes - do your math and you will have your percentage. Many great minds agree that the soil method is the best and most accurate. It is my preferred method because I do not want to waste precious, high-altitude seed. With the soil method, you can continue to grow out the test seed and use the plants.

Wes also soaks the tomato and pepper seeds in warm water from a few hours to a day or two so they sprout faster when he plants them. I germinate on the propane stove, oven or heater - with the pilot light. Tomatoes like warmth to germinate. 75-80 degrees is just right.

*Note: - I use a soil-less medium to prevent damping off disease and other soil-borne diseases. Using an earth soil potting mix is appropriate for 'teenagers' - young transplants - they are stronger then and can handle it. Infants need to be in something clean.

My Soil-less Seed Starting Medium:
Coir
Perlite
Diluted Liquid Kelp
Soak the coir with Liquid Kelp solution - follow directions for amounts on the package. Cut it with perlite - more or less - I use 1/3.
That's it.

Ready to Germ Test! Many great minds agree soil is a more accurate way to test.

Germination! Warming on the propane heater.

I germinate my flats on anything that has a pilot light. In this case, it is on the heater in the living room - next to the couch. As you can see, they all come up a little differently and in their own time. Soon I will have my results.
I did use Wes's method of covering the flat with moist newspaper until germination, then removing it. I hope it helps with damping off - thanks to Wes of course.

There it is, my giant tomato seed story, I hope you enjoyed it.

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Penn Parmenter is a high altitude gardener, seedswoman and student of the earth. She is married to Cord Parmenter - an awesome gardener, gorgeous man and a master blacksmith. Together they own and run a sustainable greenhouse design company, Smart Greenhouses LLC and Penn grows seed for her seed business, Miss Penn's Mountain Seeds. She is a mother of three sons and an outdoorswoman. Penn forages wild food, hunts big game, fishes, preserves, maintains a huge organic forest garden and occasionally makes dinner. At home you can find her in her greenhouses as well as in the wilderness - nose to the ground, butt in the air, trying to identify Colorado natives.

Growing Nicotiana - Tobacco

BBB Seed - Beauty Beyond Belief/Bounty Beyond Belief/Botanicals Beyond Belief

On To Panayoti's

Teaching at Denver Botanic Gardens

And For Added Fun...

Germination Test

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