Relief

Seeds of Change will donate $1 to the American Red Cross for every packet of seeds purchased between now and November 15th.

We Go Out Walking

Photo by Karen Snider

This coming week is the last week that Genius Loci, my art show at Pellissippi, will be up. I'll be giving an artist talk on Monday, tomorrow!, from 3-5 pm at the Bagwell Center for Media & Art. I am grateful to the faculty at Pellissippi for inviting me into the space and for their help in promoting the events and happenings in the gallery.

I am looking forward to taking the show on the road and finding other spaces in the Southeast where I can install it and preach the good word of Land Scouting. Am especially looking forward to a final cataloging of the seed balls installation. Yes!

Earlier this week at Pellissippi I met with a group in the gallery to bind field books and go out walking around Pellissippi's campus.

Two observations about the combined bind-a-book and walk events: 1) People get really into making books. (To the point that we have to cut off our bookbinding in order to leave time for walking.) I believe bookbinding (like map drawing) can be a great way to engage so called non-artists or people who are not confident in making in an important creative process. Not only are we making something, but we're making an object that bears an expectation of further creative use. 2) Every time I go out on an Observation Walk with a group I learn something new-- often about familiar plants.

Divided and Multiplied

I live in a rented apartment. That hasn't stopped me from planting perennials that will outlive my tenure here, but it does make me mindful that the improvements I make in terms of soil quality, plant communities, etc. will not come with me. You can't take it with you, right? But you can bring it in for winter and or divide it up to share with friends. At least that's the case with lemongrass.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a large perennial grass native to areas more tropical than East Tennessee. It does well through our humid summers, especially if kept well watered, but it needs protection over the winter. This year is the first year I put the lemongrass directly in the ground as opposed to keeping it in a container. The plant thrived and grew to be several feet tall. Now that it's getting colder, I wanted to dig up the plant, divide it, repot it, and bring it in for the winter.

Here's a list of the steps I followed. Photos below.

0. Water the plant for several days before the uprooting. This will give it a good store of hydration and make the soil softer to dig.

1. Cut off 2/3 of the grass. Lemongrass has barbs that catch and stick if you touch it in the wrong direction, so wear gloves or handle with care. The blades of grass can be used fresh in cooking or dried or frozen for later use. Cutting the grass helps prevent the plant from drying out further once we've disturbed its roots.

Harvested lemongrass

2. Dig around the plant in a wide circle. The rule of thumb is that plants root out as far (if not further) as they extend their foliage. I know I severed small roots in the process, but preserved the main body of the roots.

Digging around the plant

3. Carefully pry the plant out of the ground. Go slowly and gently.

4. If you're going to divide the plant, do that once it's out of the ground. I used a sharp saw and divided the plant into rough quarters. Place the severed quarters (or pieces) in a waiting bucket of water while you pot up each one.

Lemongrass cut in half! This felt violent.

5. Immediately repot the segments into generous sized pots (i.e. several inches of extra space around the clump) and fill with good potting soil. Gently tamp it down as you work to eliminate air pockets. Water thoroughly to settle soil.

6. If the weather will be warm enough, leave newly potted lemongrass segments outdoors to adjust to their new settings. Once they seem established in the pots, you can move them inside to a sunny window.

7. Keep them carefully watered through the winter. Transplant back or move outside in spring!

Tour de Plants

We had great weather and an enthusiastic group come our for Tour de Plants yesterday. Special thanks go to Steve Killeffer, whose botanical knowledge was of great help and interest to all.

You can see photos from the walk here.

Scouting September and October

Fall makes my heart sing. It's a beautiful time to get outside in East Tennessee. If you're in the area in the coming weeks, please make plans to join me at one of the events below.

For those of you land scouting out and beyond these hills-- great work! Keep sending in your photos, questions, and discoveries. Let us all be good stewards of our land. Amen and happy fall. - KR

UPDATE: The date has changed for the Shoemaking Talk and Demonstration. It is now on Tuesday, October 9th, from 3-5 pm.


SEPTEMBER

Saturday, September 15th, 9 am - 12 pm
TOUR de PLANTS, 3rd Annual
Ijams Nature Center, 
Join us for the third annual Tour de Plants. We will be walking and mapping at Ijams Nature Center. Please wear closed-toe shoes and dress for the weather. Meet at the Visitors' Center, rain or shine. This event is free. Please pre-register with Katie via email (katie@urbanlandscouts.com) or by phone (865) 235-1730. 



OCTOBER

Monday, October 8th, 3-5 pm
Opening Reception for Genius loci
Art Gallery at Bagwell Center for Media & Art, Pellissippi State Community College
Please join me for the opening of my art show at the Bagwell Center for Media & Art at Pellissippi State Community College.

Tuesday, October 9th, 3-5 pm
Shoemaking Talk and Demonstration with Guest Daniel Scott
Art Gallery at Bagwell Center for Media & Art, Pellissippi State Community College
Artist and founder of the Urban Land Scouts, Katie Ries, will speak with Daniel Scott, cordwainer and force behind thegentlecraft.com, will talk about his experience learning and teaching do-it-yourself shoemaking.

Monday, October 22th, 3-5 pm
Introduction to Urban Land Scouting
Art Gallery at Bagwell Center for Media & Art, Pellissippi State Community College
We will be binding small books and taking a short walk. Please dress for the weather. This event is free. Please preregister by emailing katie@urbanlandscouts.com or calling (865) 235-1730. Well behaved children are welcome to join us.

Monday, October 29th, 3-5 pm
Artist Talk by Katie Ries
Art Gallery at Bagwell Center for Media & Art, Pellissippi State Community College
Katie Ries will speak about her work, studio practice, and the current show at the Bagwell Center for Media & Art.

heat and being busy

Woooo...August slides into 80 degree days and we remember the coming of fall in East Tennessee. This is a great time for land scouting as many fruit trees are loaded, annuals going to seed, and perennials ready to be divided and shared. Below is a set from an Egyptian Walking Onion. The onion forms the bulb-lets at the top of its stalk. The weight of the sets eventually causes the stalk to flop over and there the bulb roots and the onion "walks."

If you'd like a walking onion bulb to try where you live, please let me know. Now's the time to let these root and they are a welcome sight through multiple seasons.

Small Roots

It is warming up in East Tennessee and we are moving from the lush verdant beginning of summer to plants withering and drying. My plants in containers need daily waterings, our worm bins are almost entirely full, and the garden is buzzing with all manner of flying things.

Below are some photos from our team's work at the Bonnaroo Victory Garden. We held workshops and demonstrations related to small scale gardening and land stewardship. Many thanks and a warm hello to all the people who stopped by the garden. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as we did. Please keep in touch with any gardening, vermicomposting, seedballing, or foraging you get into in the coming months.

Matt teaching about medicinal herbs on Thursday.

Beebalm in the garden.

Chatham watering while yoga goes on.

The middle plant with the hot pink blossom is a Celosia from Stanley's Greenhouse.

Sam and Katie making seed balls. 

These three men were a great help setting up and installing. 

Wall piece on perimeter.