How to Find Gold

I bet you didn't know it but your neighborhood is probably littered with gardeners gold! All you have to do is keep your eyes open and then be friendly enough to say HI! It will look like this:

In side these bags you can find one of the greatest compost materials and weed barrier products NOT on the market! I happened by a gentleman who was thatch raking and bagging in his front yard. I simply asked him if he had applied any chemical within the last three weeks and if I could haul away the bags for him! He was more than happy to let me have my share! Green bagged grass works well too. You just need to make sure that no chemical has been applied recently or that the lawn has been mowed three times since it was applied. I'm willing to bet that most of you have at least one neighbor that bags their clippings and would be more than willing to hand you the bags weekly. This weekend I used the grass to dress a garden bed after weeding.

In my opinion it looks better than anything you can buy and costs exactly a handshake! Use it around your garden rows and in your flower beds to keep the weeds down.

A 2-4 inch layer will go a long way keeping weeds at bay and moisture in the soil. Green grass clippings can be hot during decomposition so be sure not to pile to closely to tender vegetables. I also might suggest that you select a neighbor who's yard is pretty weed free so you are not introducing new problems. Be sure to recycle those trash bags too!

Sarah Spotted Something New

Check out what I spied in downtown Greeley! A new shop with lots of crafty promise: SEW DOWNTOWN. No indication in the window of when they plan to open but I will keep you posted!

And right across the street promise of a garden store! How perfect is that?

Once again, no info on opening but I will keep my beady little eyes on it!

MMmmmm Grape Jelly

Finally decided to dig the fall grape harvest from the freezer and try my hand at making grape jelly.

Of course your must have a friend to guide you through...

lots of boiling and smashing and straining....

But at last something awesome takes place......

URBAN FARMER EXCHANGE

I am starting a new venture so please join me at URBAN FARMER EXCHANGE! I would love it if you would join, ask questions or post a trade! And by all means please share the link because nothing can be built by one person alone!

Love your life and love your garden BECAUSE you love your family!

Working on Something New

Just stopping to wish you all a happy Friday! The weekend looks cold and rainy so I hope you have some indoor projects planned! I will be working on something NEW for Monday so be sure to check in and see what it is! Enjoy your weekend!

Transplanting Seedlings

Hopefully you planted your seeds into a very loose medium that will make it easy to tease out the new roots on your seedlings. The longer you wait, the more roots and the harder it is to separate everything. I use straight pearlite for its ability to hold water and that it is easy to shake from new roots with minimal damage. Use something to scoop beneath the roots and lift the seedlings out.

Once you have shaken free the medium, you should have a little bit of green and some nice white roots. Try to break as few as possible. It helps to let the medium dry out a little bit before you try to tease them apart from one another.

Fill your pots level to the top. I like to use plant trays from last years purchases. For a purchased plant medium , I like Miracle Grow potting mix. It seems to be the best suited to start new seedlings. Make a hole in the soil with your finger. If the hole fills in before you put in your seedling, you are starting with a medium that is too dry. Gently nudge all of the roots into the hole and fill in. For peppers and tomatoes you can plant deep. Most everything else needs to be planted at the same depth it was originally growing. For the most part if you get roots down and green up, you will do fine.

Label everything! Each pot or six pack will require its own label if you intend to accurately know what you have later! Gently water in with a can. You will need to make sure that everything stays evenly moist but not too wet until a good root system is established. One dry day will kill these tiny plants!

With care, you should have something like this in two to three weeks! Happy Gardening!

Pink Profusion

Most of my fruit trees are currently in full bloom. This crabapple is by far my favorite. It is one of the few original plants we were able to keep. Nothing makes me happier than looking out the back door and seeing this tree in all of its splendor!

These are apple blossoms. I hope this all means I am destined to have a fruit filled summer!
I would feel more comfortable about that prediction if I was finding a few more bees too. How are your fruit trees doing? Have you seen a lot of bees? I hope it has not been too cool for them!