Seed Saving

Poppy Seeds
It hardly seems like fall but it is already time to think about next year! Many of your flowers are beginning to set seed already. A cheap and easy way to get a jump on next year is to begin collecting seeds. For a lot of plants it is really not that hard and you can let nature do a lot of the work. Just don't wait too long! Typically the key is to make sure you allow the seeds to become mature on the plant before you pick them. If you are too early they will not be viable, if you are too late they will blow away! Typically I judge this by touching them. If they crumble in your hand at the slightest pressure they are ready. Old herb jars work great for keeping them till next year. Don't forget to label with the date and variety. Seeds that I typically collect include:cosmos, marigold, poppies, cleome, bachelor button and morning glory. What seeds do you collect?

Meeting the Enemy

For the second time this year I have lost more chickens to a predator. It is with unbelievable disappointment that we no longer have hens laying eggs. Despite being an urban dweller, we must still deal with these seemingly uncivil things. I remember on numerous occasions my father waking up in the night to shoot stray dogs, coyotes or what ever it was that was preying in our yard. At least on the farm we had 20-30 hens. When you only have 5, the loss of the two that were laying is almost devastating. This spring it was a fox, now we have met a mink. Yes, a mink. I have never seen one myself but this unlikely urban dweller seems to have found me. They are the size and shape of a ferret leading me to wonder how on earth I am going to secure a coop that will keep out something that can squeeze through a two inch hole. He will undoubtedly be back as he didn't get to make off with his loot because my husband interrupted him. He would of met his demise then but alas it is a little against the law to discharge a weapon within city limits. So we will have to move on to more creative methods as we morn the loss of not only some beautiful hens, but out favorite treat of fresh eggs.

Finding Inspiration

Around this time of the year gardening can get to be a bit of a drag. The weeds seem to be winning, watering is constant, and yesterdays almost perfect zucchini is the size of your leg today. It all begins to cast doubt on your gardening prowess. Especially when you ponder Martha's perfectly manicured and bug free cabbage heads. Well friends, I am here to tell you that if we could hire staff and gardening was our full time job, we too could boast a weed free garden worthy of awards! Regardless I am going to guess that despite the weeds, bugs and unstaked tomato's you still have more squash than you can handle and the tomato's are to die for! So reward yourself. Spend the heat of the day looking through garden books for ideas and not a reason to criticize yourself. Another option: your local botanical garden. Look for ideas, plant combinations, artistic placement and something to remind you why you like to garden.

Rain

There is something really sublime about watching mother nature do your chores. A fabulous rain brings lots of nutrients and growth! Thank you, I needed a break from my chores! Maybe now I can spend some time on preservation of garden crops. I wish you all a very full rain barrel!

Plants on Sale

One of my favorite frugal outings is to scan the clearance rack at the big box stores for plants. This is really nothing to be afraid of if you know what you are doing. 1) Know your plant material. Never buy something that you are not sure will survive your climate in the first place. 2) Take a look at the roots.

Often the plant material can look pretty sad up on top due to irregular watering or just being past its seasonal prime. I always recommend you pop the plant out of its pot and take a look at the root ball. Healthy plants will show some white root growth and will never smell rotten. Today I picked up three sedum for $1.00 each and 1 basket geranium for $2.75. The sedum were a steal. The only reason they look bad is because they are just past their flowering season and look rangy as a result. The geranium just needs a little dead heading to replace one of my peat baskets that got too dry and died. The geranium will also over winter nicely in the greenhouse! Go forth and save!

Old School Cucumber Salad

Just like my mom made it.

Slice up about 6 lg cucumbers not too thick
Slice up a small onion real thin
Add some ground pepper
Approximately 3/4 to one cup sugar
White Vinegar to cover

Put in fridge to "cure" a day or two (that is of course if you can wait that long!)

Plumbing

I spent quite a bit of time at home last week with a sick little one. As a result I decided to tackle a few nagging projects. Often I put things off because I think I don't know what I am doing. Its a lot easier to just drown yourself in research and thought then actually tackle the project. My week of action resulted in the replacement of the outer door trim where it had rotted away. It took all of about 30 minutes to remove, replace and caulk. I probably spent more time painting it to look nice which then resulted in painting of the door to make it look nice too. Now the side entry is back to looking like something besides a ramshackle shack! I also replaced the faucet in the kitchen sink. Another item that had taken to dripping. If you have paid a plumber to do this you would be embarrassed at how easy it was. Turn off water. Remove everything in pretty much logical order and then replace. The new faucet comes with instructions in case you need them. I only had a little bit of mystery surrounding the plumbers putty. In the end. I probably didn't even need it. I'll have some for next time! Now I have no excuses for not tackling the bathroom faucet! I also spent quite a bit of time painting the trim from the window replacements that were done over two years ago. I don't think we realize how all these unfinished things cause stress in our lives. My door is beautiful. My faucet is awesome. My windows are worthy of opening the drapes. Life is good and I am empowered! What's the longest you have left something unfinished?