Mulch in the Vegetable Garden

In an effort to make my life easier and to reduce my water consumption, I am going to work really hard at mulching the the vegetable garden. My mulch of choice is going to be grass clippings. They are typically readily available and break down nicely adding organic matter to the soil. You can use green or dried. I happen to have some dried that were the result of someone power raking their lawn. After the plants are up, I will be weeding and then dressing with a thick layer of mulch. You will need to keep it pulled back from the plant stems and make sure you have a good source. I would recommend someone you can rely on to tell you if they have applied chemical to their lawn. If they have, you will need to skip on the clippings for three complete mowing cycles before you can utilize that source again.

The Garden is in!

Late is better than never! I am happy to say the first round is planted! The irrigation is in place and the tomato cages are ready! I just need some growth now. Hopefully some growth of something besides weeds! You will see that I use soaker hoses to water the garden. I think they are pretty efficient at putting the water just where you need it-at the plant and not all over the garden. The hoses I have been using are a recycled tire rubber. While I love how they work, I am less than impressed with their longevity. If you roll one up with the slightest kink during winter you are destined to have a crack. Every spring I make several splices and put things back together. I am not sure its worth it since 50' of hose costs about $12.00 and the splices cost about $3 not to mention the pain of having to do it every spring! How do you water your garden? Have any suggestions?

Personal Responsibility

One of the things I really hate to do is get on my soap box. So get ready, I'm getting on a soap box. Last Friday I attended a lecture hosted by the City of Greeley's community garden group. We listened to a gentleman speak about permaculture. To sum it up the basic premise of permaculture lies in sustainable cultural practices. In other words our individual responsibility to live and exist sustainably. Don't worry I'm not talking patchouli, earth homes, love and peace. I'm talking basic personal responsibility to do right by our planet. There are other cultures in the world that do it much better than we do here in the U.S. For them its the norm and not considered "hippy" to do things like sort your trash daily and install grey water systems. It's just the way you do it. We all need to start somewhere. Every day choices might be a good place to start. For example take a look at Batter Blaster. It is indeed organic. That's good right? Organic in a propellant filled, non recyclable can. Watch the demo video. Personally I was a bit insulted. It takes me five minutes every Sunday to whip up homemade batter for pancakes or waffles. Yes, flour, milk, eggs etc. Five minutes flat. No waste and no chemicals. Well, maybe some waste but the chickens take care of it. Everyday we all need to consider the impact of what we do from how we throw away to what we choose to buy. I'd just like you to think a little bit about how you can make little improvements in your everyday. It all adds up.

Are you harvesting yet?

I've got rhubarb for some delicious rhubarb pie! Don't tell anyone I ate half o.k.?
There is great satisfaction in picking something from the garden and using it!

Have you harvested anything yet? Want to share some pie?

Home Maintenance

One should really not let the exterior of a building get this bad. But as it is with working on a home that is almost 100 years old- this was a two fold problem. This house did not have any gutters. And while that would not seem to be a be problem, it is. For instance on the deck directly under the eve of the house, the deck board was constantly rotting. Just one board, directly under the gutter. On the side entrance ice was constantly forming on the stoop making entry a hazard in the winter. And on the side of the garage, water splashed down onto the concrete and back onto the garage. That is what you see here. Well, last summer the gutter went in and the rain barrel was installed. Now it is time to paint. This is my process:
1) Wash the surface. I use a nozel sprayer. This knocks of dirt and some loose paint.
2) Scrape. My least favorite part but you need to get off the loose paint chips. If you have an old house be sure not to let it lie on the ground. It could have lead in it.
3) Prime all exposed wood. After some research I have decided to use an oil based primer. This will in essence soak into the wood and seal it. Water base tends to sit on the surface.
4) Paint. I used a latex outdoor paint. Be sure you finish the entire side. If you do not, you will have to come back and do the whole thing again because the paint will fade and your job will look less than professional.
5) If the task seems too daunting offer up some beer or food. I call this "Barn Raising" style. We don't help each other enough. I'd be willing to bet that if you offered some labor in exchange your friends will take you up on it!

Dandelions

Due to the delight of my daughter, I have a new found appreciation for these little yellow gems. O.k. so maybe its not an appreciation but watching her run around and pick handfuls of them brings me great pleasure. We make a game of it. She runs to show me where they are so that I can dig them! I have a buffalo grass lawn that cannot be sprayed for weeds so I resort to this method. I have heard about some new products out that can be used but I have not per sued this option yet. I try my best to be chemical free around here until something gets the best of me. Come to think of it, I didn't have this problem until the neighbor across the street let it become his SERIOUS problem. sigh. I'll bet you didn't know that dandelions are edible. They are actually high in potassium and one of the most nutritionally dense vegetables you can eat. They have quite a following in other countries. I haven't thrown them in a salad yet but we often feed them to our tortoise. Maybe I need to reconsider them as a food source since there are so many. I'm game to try something new.

Waiting for Summer

I cannot believe it is still rainy and cool here! It is Memorial weekend you know. It should be sunny and warm. I planned to spend this weekend painting the garage and getting the rest of the garden in. The weather has been less than supportive. At least the iris are blooming. That will have to keep a smile on my face for now!

I hope you are enjoying your Memorial Day. Many Thanks to those who have served our country and lost their lives so that we can spend this day doing just about anything we desire.