August 3, 2009

Still working on getting the garden in shape for fall. Dug up two paths and laid down cardboard under the weedblock and mulch.
T/P: rosemary in Bed A, as a pollinator attractor.
Tomato, in Bed B
P: zinnia, sunflower and cosmos in back fence bed. Sunflowers in side fence bed. Bush beans and cowpeas in Bed A. Waiting on my Burpee's seed order for some plants. I have never tried growing annuals in the fall, and look forward to the results.

Turned compost heap, which is still heating up wonderfully. Every two-three days seems to work better than daily. I will 'un-sew' the leaf heap by the front gate from its wild morning glory vines and use them to replenish the paths and mulch. Any leaf mold will go onto the beds and the leftovers will go into the new heap.

Finished laying out the soaker hose system. Now to figure out a watering schedule for the beds in the evenings. Going in and out several times under the geckos lurking over the back door is not a pleasant vision. Maybe I can get it all done before it gets really dark and they come out.

I scavenged some nice rocks from a parkway and am looking for a place to sink my little plastic pond, so I can use them around the edges. It won't be a proper pond with water circulation, etc., but just a watering hole for, hopefully, frogs and toads.
Unless Evil White Cat gets them.

Journal May 18

Still WWW- though some things are beginning to produce. Beans, squash and nasturtiums, for example.
Took down the teepees- on second reading, I see that I planted all bush beans.

V. helped me move and turn the compost heap. We had to wait for a wind-less day. There's not much noticeable progress going on- too much brown, not enough green. I can remedy that with the addition of all the neighborhood's grass clippings. I'll probably set up another bin, halve the leaf/dried grass contents and mix well with fresh grass bags.

One problem is that I can't claim to be organic, since I don't know what people are putting on the lawns whose clippings I collect for mulch and compost. And I can't see myself knocking on doors at six in the morning: "Excuse me, but could you provide me with a list of the chemicals you or your yard guys use on your lawn? Oh, and if you could put the clippings in something other than those clear plastic bags, that would be swell. Thanks!"
But I'm not selling anything, so I guess it really doesn't matter.
I've mulched the paths to the point that it's like walking on sponge. But I plan to incorporate all the trodden on material in the beds later.

We've discovered where the bunnies are coming from. Not from down at the corner, where a family lives under the storage shed by the driveway, but from next door, where a family lives under the storage shed in the back yard.

I put up a toad house made of an old cachepot and a discarded pasta bowl, but no sign of an occupant yet. Both V. and Ro have seen one on the porch, so we'll keep waiting.

Everytime I look over my little homestead, it is a spirit-lifter.

Progress So Far...

Baby vegetables-

I haz dem.

Various garden views

The Garden Shrine
yes, that's a recycled squirrel feeder.

Inspired by the urban gardeners in the last post, I decided to make an experimental container garden area, using deck stair stringers from the Bob Store (Lowe's) and left-over and/or scavenged lumber. The shortest shelf is 24", the longer ones are 30". They're cut to fit the length of the planters, also recycled/scavenged.

The stringers with 2x2" braces in placed. I did not want to attach this to the fence, so we added some 2x4" uprights. A better view of the shelves in place. The three narrow shelves are placed in the middle of the steps to give the planters more room on the back. The shelves were attached with a single screw on each side. I'd like to put in a plug for the ratchet screwdriver, my new best friend. The kids got to help put the screws in. We drilled the holes before they arrived, b/c while I do allow them to mess around in Sedona Sunset deck stain, I do not allow them to actually use power tools.One of the purposes of this project is to play around with different types of DIY underground watering systems. I have ollas in one of the garden beds and am trying to find a less expensive substitute. This is an unglazed terra-cotta rose pot. Notice that it has no drainage hole in the base. I'm using one of these in both the pumpkin tub and the tomato container, sinking them so that their tops are a little above the soil level. They'll be covered with a terra-cotta saucer of the proper size.

Other candidates are plastic water bottles and large plastic drink cups from the BBQ.

The shelf unit in place:

And with some planters:

I'm wondering if the space underneath could be used for a small-scale composting bin, if you added ran some boards along the sides of the stringers. I think that with a wood frame and some plastic sheeting, this could also make a little greenhouse for seed starting.

The top shelf is herbs. The middle two will be salad greens, radishes, possibly carrots. The bottom shelf will have a tomato, a pepper and an eggplant in single containers.

Journal April 21-22

Tuesday
Beautiful weather. Lots of work.
Cut and attached brace to tool rack and re-stained it.
Bundled up rose trimmings, put old chair out for the curb pick-up.
Picked up porch in general. It looks lovely uncluttered.
Re-seeded zucchini, beans and lettuce.
Dilemma: tomatoes and peppers are struggling back and I do love persistence. BUT I already purchased a new batch of replacement plants that have to go somewhere. I think I'll knock together a bed for the NP and put them there, to use up the last of the dirt. It was going to be sunflowers, but I'll tuck them in elsewhere.
Weeded and watered. Put up rain gauge on side fence.
Okra is coming up.
Cut broccoli for dinner. And greed onions for black beans.

Wednesday
Washed back porch, and windows. Moved green rocker to garage to go to storage.
Pulled up sod in back corner, put down weedblock and mulch.
Mulched pumpkins, added mulch to paths.
Cut boards for new bed in NP. Moved tool rack into place, replaced trunk. Tool rack needs hooks for: kid's shovel, the fork/hoe, possible the pruner.
The only things I want to keep permanently on porch: tool rack, trunk, caddy, bird food can, galvanized bucket, white litter container with kid's tools. Everything else in garage!
Jasmine is blooming. Wondered why it smelled odd, then realized I'd just pruned the cilantro without gloves, so was smelling that on my hands.
A few peas have set.

Journal April 15

After the cold killed so many seedlings, I determined not to re-plant 'til after Easter.
It has gotten warm enough for various flower seeds, the pumpkins and the cowpeas to sprout.
Today is the first day in almost two weeks that there was anything really to do, or nice enough weather to work in.
Weeded beds, re-set pavers in Bird Area, which will be known as the Nature Preserve (NP) from now on, weeded in NP. Harvested lettuce.
V. has almost completed the tool rack- I assured him I could finish it while he was at the coast. I'm thinking of staining it a rust color, to blend in with the house brick.
Leaves are so compacted in the compost bins that it may be a good idea to turn them. A two-person job that might need a captive daughter.
To do:
Buy, TP peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, basil.
Re-plant squash, beans, cukes
Buy 1x2's to brace tool rack. Finish rack. Stain?
Mulch weeded areas in NP
Move dirt, plant sunflowers in NP.
Birdola, suet, seeds.

Journal March 26

A wrap -up of the week:

Monday- in pre-dawn raids, picked up boards, a landscape timber, a nice big piece of bead board plywood, three plastic planters and some leaf bags. Had a fellow scrounger- a fellow in a red pick-up. We kept passing each other, slowly trolling up and down the streets. I was at an advantage as I pick likely sites on Sunday evening, after Mass. But there are always new things out in the morning.

I briefly considered a shower door, for a cold frame, but our climate doesn't really make that necessary. And I don't want to start collecting items, since V. just worked so hard cleaning out the garage.In the afternoon, I planted cowpeas, okra and cukes, new radishes and new peas. Also, the African daisies, marigolds "Citrus Mix", and Liliput zinnias in Bed V.

Hung the herb baskets on the fence, and stapled trellies up for the morning glories and the peas.

V. hung up the shrine for me and I installed the statue.

Wednesday- I bought the boards for the new and last, garden bed. Now there will be a neat rectangle with mulched paths, so the mowing will be reduced/simplified. See how E-Z that is? or so I tell V. It was raining again, which was great, since we need every drop. Put together a new grid for the beds, and a teepee for the beans. Beans were up Monday.

Thursday- picked up three bags of leaves and a lovely big round hanging basket. It has to be hung from somewhere- I'm considering making it part of the Butterfly Barrow. Or putting up a brace on the fence and using it there. There are two or so in the garage.

To Do- depending on the weather: make cuke trellis, make another grid, make bean teepee, construct last bed.

Journal March 9

Overcast, windy. Hi: mid-'70's
Went out scavenging this morning and picked up some discarded plastic edging, bags of grass and a large plastic tub with rope handles. I'm thinking of using that as a planter for a pumpkin.
Moved Bed III into place and rather than digging it completely out, forked up the sod a bit and covered it with 3 copies of the Sunday Dallas Morning News. Then filled the bed with dirt and leveled it. It's been blessed and planted with 4 squares of corn. Okra takes up the rest of the bed. I can dig it up properly in the fall.
Also planted: nasturtiums (they came in a group pack with the morning glory and moonflowers), green beans and zucchini.
V. put a hook and eye on the gate, so we can lock it open.
New wheelbarrow is taking some getting used to- the load has to be balanced differently than in the old one.
First load of dirt is almost gone- must order more.
Found a volunteer vine growing behind the bird bath- I think it's a clematis. It will be fun to see what it turns out to be.
Absolutely MUST get a rain gauge, for watering. Also a pack of early corn seed, a pack of pickling cucumber, and a summer squash plant.
How can it be 6: oo in the evening? Darn that DST.