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Time Flies & Gardens Grow
Posted: 04 Jun 2006 Posted: 20 May 2006 Posted: 16 May 2006 Posted: 15 May 2006 Posted: 14 May 2006 All Entries |
contrareeone's Bloga daily check in; creating a new garden
Time Flies & Gardens Grow
Category: daily chores | Posted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:55 am Gads, it's been ages since I've made an entry. The garden is ahead in this contest between me and the planting, weeding & watering. It isn't helping that I'm not even here at my home 7 days a week right now. I'm spending between 2-3 days a week at my moms, helping in her gardens too........ I'd have to say, hers are looking much better, mine....only marginally so. I've got half the tomato plants in (both places) We're eating out of the lettuce beds as of this week, radishes, beans, snap peas, cucumbers and squash seeds are up. Many of my flower seeds have sprouted, although I'm not claiming to know what any of them are at this point. Maybe before I die, I'll get good at labeling or charting what I plant; but I wouldn't hold my breath on that. I received another van load of free plants and am still working on getting those in the ground. In the process of all this planting at my place, I've come to the conclusion NOT to put anything but native stuff in the front bed. There is no convenient way to get water to that bed. The closest hose bib is at the front door, and it would take 2 LONG hoses to reach.....making it weird at the front door. So, no real gardening out there. I'll continue to add ferns, under the handful of evergreen trees.......along with my favorite Sweet Woodruf as the ground cover. Still battling the nasty sticker vine stuff that was there when I moved in....... think it is ahead right now! Enjoying my new venture on a website, www.frugalgardening.com I'm learning tons and have noticed I'm WAY more aware of what I'm doing here in my gardens this season. When I need to take pictures of my ventures and write about them, I'm careful to do things a little bit closer to the 'right' way. :) Off to my moms again tomorrow for 3 days. The plan is to put in a small water feature of some sort in her gardens we have been putting in around her back entrance and patio area. She enjoys using the space as a place to entertain and I think something simple would be a nice addition. She hasn't ever done anything like this, so we should have a good time. Besides, her ground is a piece of cake to dig in.......mine is part concrete, I swear. Hope everyone is keeping up with their gardens..... I can almost see the weeds growing in mine; so I'd better get back outside! This blog entry has been viewed 738 times
rhodies in bloom everywhere
Category: daily chores | Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 3:33 am Going to try this posting a picture bit again. I've read the directions til I'm blue.....and yet again, I didn't get it to post. Drat. I can usually follow directions, but this is making me nuts here. I keep trying to use the program I have for everything else, and I think the bottom line is I have to learn something NEW!! Yikes. If (and that is a HUGE if) it comes through, these are the blossoms from the first rhododendron that bloomed here at the new place. It is about 18' high and at least that big around. Lovely bush actually. One of the 5 plants that was here on the 5 acres when I moved in. (previous owners definately allergic to plants.....or work.......or both!!) I planted my first batch of acorn squash seedlings into the newly tilled veggie garden. They look incredibly lonely out there! Hopefully, some nasty slugs won't come during the night and mow them down. Watered them in and gave them their directions ...to grow and produce wildly! Tons of room for them to just wander to their hearts content. Tomorrow I will get a row or two of other veggies in. I have beets, carrots and radishes seeds just waiting to get into the garden. First plantings of the leaf lettuce are taking a beating. I have a piece of screen over one area, but I found the cats have been using the other planter for a bed or litter area. If I could catch said kitty..........it would be a goner! Will keep trying on this picture posting bit. Giving up isn't in my nature!! This blog entry has been viewed 457 times
back home & progress!
Category: daily chores | Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 12:04 am I got back home yesterday after 3 days at my moms, helping in her gardens. Hers are oh, so much easier than mine. She has a tiny area.........mine is acres......she has all the hardscaping in.........mine is just in my head.........she had flats of plants as Mothers day gifts.........I have a few measley flats of seedlings....you get the picture!! Oh, and her soil is all loose & fluffy, amended for decades with their own compost..........mine has soil akin to concrete. Anyway, it was a fun couple of days. We got all her plants in and then had a nice gentle rain the next day. I took my back pack sprayer and sprayed where there should be no vegetation.....within a couple weeks it might start looking like someone is living there!!! Back home today, I got a call from my friend with the dozer/tiller. He was on his way over (wasn't supposed to be til next week), so.........out to the veggie patch I ran. The sheets of black plastic were not nearly as easy to remove, since they had pools of water in them and weighed a TON. Did get it all uncovered before my friend arrived. He made short work of all my little jobs. 1) leveled out the multiple piles of yard waste I've had a landscaping firm dump here since Oct. Then he ran the tiller through so it is a great surface for new grass seed or ??? 2) Tilled the veggie patch and I'm pleased to say, the stuff looks like pretty good garden soil now. Was the color of concrete when I moved in last fall. Now, it is rich, black soil. Can't wait to get out there this coming week and begin planting . (too many kids needing supervision to start this week end) 3) Took his dozer and pushed over the 2 "earth machines" they are called. The previous owners idea of compost bins I guess. I hated them. Black dome things, made from plastic. In my front yard no less. Gone now.........soon to be freecycled. And, he scooped up the crud that was in both of them and tilled it all in the front area. What a difference it makes in my yard to have these jobs done. We no longer look like a dump site!! I'm sure the others on the street are going to be as grateful as I am that this list got done today!! Now, my TO DO list is longer, but I can get going on it by myself. Can't wait til Monday!!! This blog entry has been viewed 443 times
switching to a 4 horse mower
Category: daily chores | Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 4:19 am I talked to the woman who boards her horses here on my property, she is willing to move the fencing, and take over the "mowing" of at least a third of the lawn. I can't think of how to fence in the other areas for the horses....... or I'd give over more to them to "mow". Will cut down my gas bill as well as the time to mow. Less to edge too....... I'll be left with plenty of lawn, and still have 7 garden beds that are already in place and the fenced veggie garden. I will have to move 4 tiny trees and a handful of things that are hoping to be shrubs someday in the distant future. I did get the yard mowed today, although not a fantastic job. I'll admit, it isn't much fun mowing something that doesn't look much better when you get finished than it did when you started. Depressing. The whole thing will look better with horses grazing in it. No need to water, as it rained this morning and all day yesterday. Made a mental list of the things I need to purchase this week to get a proper veggie garden in. Got my call from my friend with the tiller.........he can fit me in next week. Perfect. That means I can have most of everything in the ground by Memorial Day. Would have liked some things earlier, but I'm not in control of much, so will work with what I'm given. The cats knocked over the bird bath again....this time, when I pick it up, I pledge to move it to a more appropriate spot. One more rhodie has begun to show color, this one is a dark purple. Looks nice next to the cream one in full bloom. A couple more to go........hping to et some pink ones pretty soon. A few more seeds are up in my indoor nursery here. I'm down to just planting them and have no idea what they are. I ordered seeds online, and didn't make any notes. When they arrived, they are in foil pouches with abreviations galore. No idea what most of them are!!! Should be fun. Good thing I had no master plan set in concrete. The gardens will definately be pot luck! This blog entry has been viewed 462 times
new grass almost looking green
Category: daily chores | Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 3:47 pm Babying my new grass patches. Watering every day, sometimes twice. (although we're scheduled for a rain today, maybe I'll get some time off this chore?) The areas are starting to have a green cast to them ........if I stand back and sort of squint....maybe it's still just wishful thinking. I've had a hard time keeping kids off the patches, too big, too many to stake off & the kids are all developmentally disabled, so most normal systems won't work for us anyway. So, just praying to the garden gods here that the grass grows in a jiffy & the dirt disappears. The yard is looking so shaggy, as I'm not mowing til the new patches are established. I am hoping to pick up my dads first lawnmower (plain old walk behind, man powered variety) when I visit there this coming week. The plan will be to get it lubed and sharpened and then use it to mow the little pieces of lawn near the front door and walks. The big mower can be used for the large areas unless I decide to let them go to pasture. Not a bad plan with the increase in gas prices. I can harness the 4 horses and let them munch away for free.....heck, they are boarders, so they will be paying me to cut my grass. Much better plan. No other chores this week end.........full up with kids and I'll be really earning my paycheck for the next couple days here. So, I'll content myself with watering and counting the new things that are up in the garden. First planting of leaf lettuce is now up, just waiting for the first real leaves.....Cosmos are up..........the baby lupines are starting to look like plants and I've got masses of blossoms on the free strawberry plants. And, the first bud is out on one of the inherited rose bushes. The 2 rescued shrubs are looking like they are going to make it. I think they are looking perkier...but again, I'm an optimistic gardener........they would have to be totally crispy before I gave up on them. Off to the garden, I hope everyone gets outdoors for a bit at least today............ This blog entry has been viewed 528 times
garden putterings
Category: daily chores | Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 1:00 am Did a short stint in the yard today.......no energy so I quit. Watered all the new things. Frustrated with all my hose connections. All outdoor faucets leak.........horribly. Planted another couple flower seed packets directly outside. Hope I can remember where things are & remember to water. Haven't got many garden beds, I shouldn't be that far gone yet! Mixed up some weed killer (I can already hear the organic gardeners gasping....) and hit all the spots in the concrete walkways and around the foundations of the outbuildings. Cleaned the bird baths and put in fresh water. I need to move the one in the front, I like to see it, but no birds have used it as yet. Too close to the door & the 4 cats on sentry duty. Put another ad on our Freecycle list locally, asking for fill dirt. Would love to get another couple trucks worth prior to getting the tiller guy in here. Gorgeous day here in WA state. Only 66, off & on clouds.........grateful I live in such a pretty area. This blog entry has been viewed 357 times
cleaned up the country way
Category: daily chores | Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 1:00 am Lit the burn pile & cleaned up the front yard. This is the way we do it here..........no curb side service for yard debris here. Got a huge pile of branches burned up......looks pretty good out front now. Time to get the dozer in and grade the front, till in the compost that has been delivered and get ready to make a lawn. A real lawn. Not just weeds that from afar, look green like a lawn. :) Another flat of seeds are starting to poke their little selves up through the surfaces in my indoor nursery. How fun. The bigger plants are all out on the deck, soaking up fresh air and sunshine. Still bringing them in at night. Another couple weeks, they will be ready to set out in the garden. Enjoying a balmy 64 degree day here........delightful gardening weather in my opinion. Discovered my beautiful blue umbrella for the picnic table has bit the dust. The fabric is rotten, it will slide right off if I let it. I've never seen replacement fabric for the wood framed umbrellas..........anyone else know about this?? This blog entry has been viewed 376 times
dead heading & note to self
Category: daily chores | Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 4:12 pm I dead headed all the daffodils yesterday, which turned out to be a bucket full. (Note to self: Pick more daffodils next year & bring inside to enjoy.) I have been reading differing opinions re; daffodil folliage. I've always been one of the neat freaks, carefully bundling up their leaves, & wrapping with one of the leaves, to make the space tidy! Now, I'm thinking perhaps I need to go the other way & leave the greenery loose, to continue to soak up the sunshine and feed those bulbs. Any thoughts?? I am not one to dig up the bulbs and store them, so that is not on my list....... I will be sowing spinach seeds in the planters where the daffs were. Close to the house, just some morning sun and then shade for most of the day. Hopefully cool enough for the spinach to actually produce. (didn't do so well with my crop last year. ) Need to water today again........all the transplants, my new flower seeds and the patches of new grass seed. Can't wait til the grass fills in, it looks like heck. Sort of like an animal with a bad skin condition......that has been shaved! :) I found one cast away lupine coming up from a transplant from the old yard. It's only a couple inches high at this point..........will transplant it when it is a bit bigger. Hoping it is from the pink plants, but my guess it is blue. Not even sure if these things bloom the first year?? Can't remember squat these days. Off to talk to my rescued shrubs........I thought they looked like they were perking up a tad yesterday! This blog entry has been viewed 535 times
My day is too short
Category: daily chores | Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 3:26 pm Too little time today........too much on The List. Have a string of errands to do & probably won't get outside except to water the new seed beds and the transplants. Cloudy today........although supposed to be almost 60, it is really perfect for my rescued shrubs we got in Sunday. Laundry is already out on the line.....I'm feeling productive enough that I've got my coffee here for a bit of a read before getting back to The List. My indoor nursery is looking bigger........I've graduated from a TV tray set up to a full size table that now sits in front of the sliding glass doors. The first batch of squash seedlings are outdoors again today, busy adding real leaves to each little plant. I've got a hunch I'm supposed to pinch off these first real leaves..........anyone have a definitive answer for me??? My next job outside will be to clear more area for all the flower seeds I bought. What was I thinking?? I have one more area right by the house that would work, but the previous owners have the entire bed covered with river rock. (actually, they had every piece of bare dirt covered with river rock) The boys have this as a chore.........the ever present Pick Rocks.......... Not sure the bed will be uncovered this season at the rate their going??? Coffee's gone. Better get back to work. Love reading about everyone else's gardens.... This blog entry has been viewed 369 times
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Raising a Great Crop of Dandelions
Category: daily chores | Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 7:54 pm My yard is just full of lovely little yellow flowers!! It's the best crop I've ever seen.....and it's the only thing blooming here, other than the daffodils. We've come up with an odd weed control system... Years ago, when I had 4-6 teens at a time in my home, they all needed after school chores. A couple of the kids weren't able to do much, but one of my home schooling kiddos came up with the "yellow flower" chore. The less capable kids would be asked to provide a bouquet of 20 yellow flowers for the kitchen and the table.........every day! They soon stopped the dandelions in their tracks. There were still the existing plants, but no new ones going to seed. TA DA. (I would drag out the sprayer & tackle the plants) We ended up with a lawn free of weeds in just a couple seasons. The kids with this chore had to start HUNTING for the yellow flowers! I've got so many here, the boys can pick to their hearts content! I've got 3 bouquets on my windowsil now! Got the mowing done yesterday, but not the burn pile...too windy. Trying that chore again today maybe?? Spreading more grass seed on a couple of the repair areas in the lawn....anxious for it to all fill in. I'm setting up a temporary (who am I kidding, it will be here when I move) planting table next to the pump house. I'm too old & too tired to work on the ground.........it has moved further away these days. I've found an old picnic table that will suffice, along with an assortment of wooden boxes to hold supplies. Still no signs of the pampas grass clumps.....getting harder to keep fingers crossed. This blog entry has been viewed 467 times
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