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Beeker's Blog
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Category: Fishtank Gardening | Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 2:08 am These are the first tanks I live planted: The 10 gallon Betta tank. The handsome fellow showing off for the camera is my little guy Charlie. There are also about a hundred snails in there. The plants are Wisteria in the back, Java Fern front and center, Tiger Lotus on the left with its floaters in action, and Anubias Barteri in bloom on the right. 
10 Gallon tank (right angle) ( photo / image / picture from Beeker's Garden ) 
10 Gallon Freshwater Tank (from left angle) ( photo / image / picture from Beeker's Garden ) The 20 Gallon long tank It is a bit overgrown, but you can see the same plants in there that are in the 10 gallon tank and then an overgrown Amazon Sword plant along the back that I removed and planted in the goldfish tank. When I removed it from the 20 gallon, it practically took the whole bottom of the tank with it. It was a very strong plant, but it was no match for my goldfish. I must admit, it did last longer than any other plant in the goldfish tank. You might see some Platys in the pictures. There are also some Dwarf Cory Catfish, some Kerri Tetras and some German Blue Rams, but they are hiding. And, of course, about a thousand snails... 
20 Gallon Freshwater Tank (right angle) ( photo / image / picture from Beeker's Garden ) 
20 Gallon Freshwater Tank (left angle ( photo / image / picture from Beeker's Garden ) Once the fish were all gone from the 10 and 20, I took these tanks down and replaced them with a 30 gallon tank. This tank has Java Fern, Anubias Barteri, Anubias Nana, Wisteria, and Anacharis. I hope to get more Tiger Lotus bulbs soon. Those were great. The fish in there are Sparkling Gouramis, Cardinal Tetras, and Kuhli Loaches. Oh, and you might have guessed, about a million snails... Are you seeing a pattern??? 
( photo / image / picture from Beeker's Garden ) 
( photo / image / picture from Beeker's Garden ) See the little Kuhli Loach? Cute little guys. 
( photo / image / picture from Beeker's Garden ) Cardinal Tetras 
( photo / image / picture from Beeker's Garden ) Sparkling Gouramis 
( photo / image / picture from Beeker's Garden ) This blog entry has been viewed 270 times
I'm no expert, but I'm definitely better with indoor plants.
Category: Houseplants | Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 6:02 pm So, this is my expertise; why or how, I have no idea... I have had this gift of being able to bring certain plants from near death, back to life. It was only within the past few years, that I've been able to keep houseplants alive once they are healthy again. It was so strange. I'd bring a plant from near death, back to life and then have to give it away quickly before I killed it. Anyway, for the past few years, I've been improving. It started with a Jasmine plant, the love of my life. Unfortunately, I had to give it away because I was running out of room in my little apartment. I would prune the plant and root the clippings. I could not throw them away. See the problem? I had a very bad habit of loving plants that are so easy to propagate that I barely had any room to sit comfortably; Jasmine, Purple Heart, African Violets, and a cute little succulent that I couldn't figure out, but it wanted to spread. The point is that I really needed to train myself to research plants before buying, knowing I had a location for it to live before taking it home with me, and knowing how to control it, and myself, before accepting it into my life and home. Accepting the fact that I have this type of addiction, I finally gave away the Jasmine and only have a couple of African Violets left. I am keeping control of myself and am not propagating them. I do have to remove the suckers from my African Violet, but before I do that, I want to make sure I have homes for them first. Other than that, I have other plants that I am not so obsessed with propagating. I have an Aloe plant and a Peace Lily. I was given some Orchids to try to save from death, and now have to find a home for. I did get more pieces of the Purple Heart to root, but I am determined to keep it in check. If I can do that, I will reward myself with another Jasmine plant. This blog entry has been viewed 254 times
Just a little tidbit on the gardening I'm more familiar with
Category: Fishtank Gardening | Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 5:44 pm Fish tanks. Yes, I have been a fishkeeper for over 15 years. My pets are the goldies. My ornamentals are the freshwater tropicals. I don't bother with saltwater because, although they are beautiful, I don't have the time or the money for the purchase and maintenance of saltwater tanks. Freshwater, on the other hand, can be just as rewarding and pretty. My tropical tank is planted with a small variety of easy plants; Java Fern, Wisteria, Anubias Nana, Anubius Barteri, Anacharis, and a couple of Tiger Lotus bulbs. I will add pictures later. My goldfish tank is unplanted with only rock ornaments and some driftwood. I am not being neglectful by not decorating much, I am being realistic. They have destroyed every plant I have put in their tank; even an Amazon Sword plant... even Java Fern that was embedded and growing lushly from driftwood... even plastic plants! They either uproot and toss them so they float around, or they peck at them until there is nothing left but bare sticks. Trying to keep plants in that tank is an expensive insanity. Forget about it! They are perfectly content with the ornaments they have and the ability to watch tv with me, although I think they prefer my husband's taste in movies. This blog entry has been viewed 237 times
Pulled out most of the crabgrass. Thinking of leaving some.
Category: Vegetable Gardening | Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 2:10 pm I know, it is an odd thing to say, but I am thinking of leaving some crabgrass in the garden. I've got 75% of it out, and the last bit will be dug into soon. I want to get it away from the tomatoes, beans, and squash, but I am thinking of leaving it around the watermelon. Here's my idea about it: My garden bed is on a bit of a hill. Last year, I had the watermelon at the bottom of the hill. It grew well, but the melons were not sweet at all. I was told that they got too much water. They get sweeter from a little dryness. So, this year, I've moved the watermelon to the top of the garden and, with this crabgrass, I'm thinking that when it rains, the crabgrass will help absorb any extra water around the watermelon. With this tropical storm we just had, I'm thinking the crabgrass may have come in handy. I'm still irritated that it is crabgrass and not alfalfa, so I do still intend to call the company, but this will hold me over until I can get some better flowers or herbs to plant around the watermelon to absorb any excessive moisture. Any thoughts? This blog entry has been viewed 236 times
Any volunteers????? Too many!
Category: Vegetable Gardening | Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2014 12:36 pm I really have to start weeding! I guess the alfalfa pellets I raked in were full of crabgrass too. Cheap stuff. Now, I've got tons of crabgrass growing in my garden. I was trying to pull some of it yesterday, and counted 9 volunteer tomato seedlings! So much for being short tomato plants! I lost 3 and gained 9! Now I have to give some away! That is fine because I do have people who wanted some. I was afraid I'd have to give them bad news. What a delight to find so many volunteers! I also found a volunteer bean bush! I guess I pushed everything around when I raked so I really have to get these sprouts organized. Everything is growing everywhere! My organized layout is turning into chaos! I don't mind so much now, but I'm sure I will when they get bigger. This blog entry has been viewed 230 times
When one door closes, another opens...
Category: Vegetable Gardening | Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2014 8:09 pm Well, as I mentioned in my last entry, I lost half of my tomato seedlings. But... I just noticed a few days ago, that I somehow gained the same number back. I lost two beefsteak and one cherry tomato, leaving me with two plum and one beefsteak. I just found two, possibly three seedlings growing randomly in my garden. I am almost certain that they are cherry tomatoes, as they are growing in the general area I had my cherry tomatoes last year. I will still have to go out and buy some beefsteak tomato plants if I can find the ones I'm looking for, but I'm happy to find these little guys. Yes, I do use heirloom, so they will be just as wonderful as last year's. I am considering direct sowing in the autumn next year. I am not planning on it this year because I plan to till next spring. We'll see. This blog entry has been viewed 259 times
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Argh... Â Tomato redo... Â Again!
Category: Vegetable Gardening | Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:36 pm I'm not sure what happened this time. Something in the ground, too much water, too little water, something else? Two out of three of my beefsteaks flopped. I'm strongly considering going out and buying some seedlings, if I can still find any available. I planted the seedlings, they were a little over an inch tall. I put a cut toilet paper core around the little guys to avoid any issues with cutworms, I watered them when they needed it. They still died. I don't know why. When I was working on the fence in that area, I did find a couple of cutworms, but they didn't look cut. They looked like they either died from lack of water, or too much, or something with the underground environment. I don't know what happened. I still have one healthy one left. Just as a note - Adjustments for next year: I will plant the seeds, in seed starting soil, in my egg carton/chinese food container mini-greenhouses but next time, I will cut the bottoms of the egg cups to leave a hole for the roots to grow through more freely. At the same time, I will set small pots up with potting soil and a spot in the center where the egg cups will go once the sprouts are ready. Once the sprouts start to grow to about an inch tall, I will put the egg cups into the pots. I WILL NOT WAIT AT ALL. One inch. No procrastinating. This blog entry has been viewed 565 times
Almost finished planting... So close...
Category: Vegetable Gardening | Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 4:28 pm Saturday I was late arriving home. I had about a half-hour or so to try and get some planting done. I did as much as I could until it was dark and I couldn't see anymore and was being eaten by bugs. Most of it is done; just finished yesterday, but discovered that I have to plant more beans. I planted 4 in my shade bed about a month ago. Two are doing well, the third sprouted but appears to have been snipped somehow and died. The forth didn't sprout. I did plan to put more in the sun garden but I'm not sure I have the space for them anymore. I'll see what I can do about that. I figure I can plant my potted celery in the shade garden, in the spots where those beans were supposed to be. It is amazing that no matter how I draw it out, I can always fit much more in my drawing than I can in the actual garden. Why is that? Anyway, I hope to get the beans in either today or tomorrow, and then I can relax. The most difficult part is over. Last edited: Mon Jun 02, 2014 4:30 pm This blog entry has been viewed 299 times
Finally finished mending the fence... Closer...
Category: Vegetable Gardening | Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 2:51 pm We finally finished mending the fence for the sun garden. I turned the bed and threw in some alfalfa pellets and will probably rake in some Jobe's Organic today, if I can beat the storm. I was planning on planting yesterday, but ran out of time. I figured I'd do it today but we are expecting some hail storms in the area and I don't want to expose my little seedlings to that. I guess I'll have to do it tomorrow. Also, I wanted to rake some alfalfa pellets into the shade bed, but spotted a little chipmunk. I certainly don't want to give the little guy any ideas by spreading alfalfa over the bed, as there is no fence around it yet. I'll probably just use the Jobe's on it and water with fish emulsion. That should be sufficient until we can get the fence built. The little chipmunk was sooo cute. He came running out of my work area and stopped when he spotted me. He just sat there, about 3 feet away, watching me. I then heard a noise and, when I looked up, saw the neighbor's cat climbing over the fence to go back home. I guess my presence saved the little guy from certain death. It is funny that they know to run to a human when a cat is around. That is the second time it has happened to me. The first time was 20 years ago at a friend's house. What a fond memory. It is rewarding when an animal, especially a wild one, shows it's trust in you. I guess it considered me the lesser of two evils. Again, it was me or the cat. I saw the chipmunk about 20 feet away, and was keeping my distance as to not scare it, planning on quietly walking away when I spotted a cat stalking it. I yelled "hey!" at the cat, surprising it and getting it's attention on me. The chipmunk looked up, saw the cat, and started running towards me as I ran to it. I put my hands to the ground and he ran right into them, up my arm and onto my shoulder. I walked over to a tree, put my arm up, hand to the tree, and the little guy scampered up to safety. The cat, obviously disappointed, skulked away. Last edited: Tue May 27, 2014 4:23 pm This blog entry has been viewed 289 times
A beautiful weekend gone to waste!
Category: Vegetable Gardening | Posted: Tue May 20, 2014 6:49 pm My other half mowed the lawn and got ready to go to work. He worked all weekend. All I could do was clean the deer fence and put some wood where it is supposed to go, but no real fence mending happened. Maybe this coming weekend we'll get it done and I can get my impatient squash in the ground. So many blossoms going to waste! My little inch long squash is yellow now. I guess I'll pluck it and eat it. Should I share it with him? lol! I have been putting the veggie plants outside during the day for some sun and fresh air, hoping that the pollinators will show some interest. The spiders definitely are interested! The shade garden is doing very well. Half of my purple beans are sprouted, 75% of my peas are sprouted and growing quickly, all of my radishes are sprouted, the lettuce and carrots look like they are doing well. I think the swiss chard is sprouted, but I can't be sure if it is the chard or a weed yet since I only planted two seeds. I'll keep my eye on it. 
( photo / image / picture from Beeker's Garden ) Last edited: Fri Aug 22, 2014 1:11 am This blog entry has been viewed 252 times
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