Did you know that this coming week May 17 – 21 is Bike to Work Week and May 21 is Bike to Work Day?

I had forgotten, but luckily Bicycling sent me a reminder email filled with some great resources.

Additionally I had the opportunity to speak with Bicycling.com editor Christine Mattheis about various biking topics, including the Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities which as you know Minneapolis ranked #1.

—-
Have you always been a biker? At what age did you begin?
I learned to bike when I was a kid, like most kids, but really got into it in college when I bought a road bike.

Are you still an avid biker?
Yeah, I bike commute year around. Probably not as much as I should. I try for three days a week.

I see you were involved with the “top 50 Bike Friendly Cities”? in which Minneapolis placed #1, What was were the main factors in ranking?
There were many studies we used in our research and we talked to leading bicycle advocates. I suggest you check out PeoplePoweredMovement.org and the book Bicycling and Walking in the U.S., 2010 Benchmarking Report is a great resource.

How many of the cities have you biked? Several including Minneapolis, between myself and the other editors that worked on the best biking feature we biked all of the 50 cities.

What is your favorite ride?
Currently I am riding my Specialized Ruby Expert most, but I also own an older Gary Fisher mountain bike and a Giant full suspension. I’m looking at buying a Orbea

Of the bikes you’ve tested in the last year what is been your favorite?

I really liked the Breezer. It’s a great commuter bike for a beginner and has everything someone needs to get started.

You may or may not be aware of this, but Minneapolis and Portland (top 50 #2) kind of have an ongoing competition about quality of life. What was the big separator that put Minneapolis as #1?

*laughs* I wasn’t aware of that… I must have missed something. One thing that really separated Minneapolis was it’s growth and it’s extensive network of trails. You can really get from one end of the city to the other without having to deal with much traffic. Also, Portland doesn’t really have the 4 months of extreme winter.

[In Your FACE Portland!]

Biking seems to be making a comeback, how do you see the future of biking unfolding over the next ten years?
I don’t think it’s a fad. It’s a growing trend. People are more concerned with health and when the price of gasoline spiked a few years ago it made a lot of people take notice. Also, city planners and politicians are taking note. It’s a chicken and egg thing, are they taking note because there are more bikers or are there more bikers because they are taking note and building more trails, either way, biking is definantly a growth market.

What is your take on women in biking?
It’s definantly a growing interest. Over the last 10 years women have been given more attention by the major bike manufacturers in everything from the bikes to the equipment. 10 years ago that just didn’t exist, also more women have been interested in triathalon which has exposed them to biking.

Did you hear about or participate in 30 days of biking?
I heard about it, but did not participate. I think it’s a great thing, anything that can get people on their bikes is a positive for their health and the environment.

If you could give any advice to a new biker what would it be?
Get a bike that fits your body, comfort is important and so is avoiding injury. You can go inexpensive as long as it fits you’ll enjoy riding it. Avoid the cheap used bikes as you’ll end up investing money in them on repairs or replacement and way. Go to your local bike shop and have them help.

—-

Thanks to Christine for the great conversation on biking a Bicycling.com for the reminder and resources. Remember people, get out there and bike!

.

.

Photo Uploaded on March 26, 2010 by Jack Splifr (who complains that Flickr deleted all his primo pics)

When I awoke this morning at about 6am my phone was already blinking with messages. The first message was from my brother “Happy 420 bro, no baby yet.”, I laughed, he and his special lady friend are expecting and today is the due date.

I could be wrong, but I think my brother may have sampled the green at some point in his life.

According to Citypages my bro wouldn’t be alone as Minneapolis ranked 13th most pot-loving community and with all the pro 4/20 news I’ve seen today I’m almost starting to believe that maybe smoking Mary Jane won’t turn a person into a devil worshipping founder of a healthcare deathpanel.

Almost.

It’s 4/20, raise your hand if you love weed and I’ll try to overlook your grandma killing deathpanel for just one day.

.

Last year the biggest trend in gardening & garden supplies was container gardening, specifically in specialty bags (see HGWMG post “Its In the Bag”) for everything from lettuce to potatoes. This year it is crop protection tools, everything involving row covers.  From pop-up insect screens to season extending hoop houses & cold frames, it seems the crop cover business is exploding.

Crop protection tools are exploding because they help gardeners achieve many goals. One of the most important in Minnesota is season-extension.  By using a cover to insulate your plants you can help to warm the soil & keep the plant protected from chillier temperatures, thereby allowing gardeners to plant earlier & get plants to their full potential without as much concern for the weather.

Too much sun & heat can also be an issue, causing delicate plants to wilt or bolt too early so a shade cover can be used to shield those plants from the elements.  For organic gardeners who would like to prevent insects (like the dreaded squash vine borer or cucumber beetle) from attacking plants, covers can be used to help prevent them from landing on your crop, but remember, the covers also prevent beneficial insects from landing, especially bees, so this tactic must be used judiciously.

In some areas birds are the biggest pest, in others rabbits or squirrels, with a crop protecting barrier these pests cannot penetrate to your plants, allowing them to thrive.

Some of the easiest row covers to install are floating row covers, basically specially made fabric you can lay over yourcrops to prevent insect damage or insulate the plants to protect them from extreme temperatures (hot or cold).

There are a few methods for using row covers, you can just float on top of plants & tack into the soil with landscape pins or you can build a structure to lay the fabric upon.  Hoops are the most common support structure, which can be made from several materials, everything from half hula-hoops to more sturdy conduit.  I purchased a hoop bender from Johnny’s Seeds to make tunnel hoops. Garden’s Alive sells different types of protective fabric that can be draped over the hoops from lightweight insect covers to frost protecting fabric.

Also available are numerous ready-made products like pop-up covers & tents that can work like greenhouses or can be kept up all season to prevent damage from insects or animals.  The pop ups work especially well on raised beds, especially smaller ones which can be very convenient for short season extension and seasonal insect prevention and allows for easy storage of the tents when not in use. These also come in different fabrics, the polyeurethane plastic for greenhouse effect and then the mesh fabrics for either insect or bird protection.

If you are really ambitious and have a large garden space you can construct a hoop house, which is basically a permanent structure like a greenhouse, but is made of polyethylene instead of glass. Crops like tomatoes, peppers and strawberries, which generally need hotter, extended growing seasons are grown in hoop houses or high tunnels. 

Commercial growers have been using the season extending row covers for years and now they have found their way to the home gardener.  With so many options for so many purposes you should be able to find one that suits your needs from container gardening to larger production gardens, so get out in your garden & Hoop it up!