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08 Nov 2009
My lightbulb moment (re: compost/cover crops) 6 17 Tiny Farm garden
I’ve been reading Second Nature by Michael Pollan, and a book about composting, and I had a huge lightbulb moment — or, to be honest, more like a “no duh” moment about 3 days ago. I’ve read a lot about compost crops and cover crops before, but I’ve never quite ...
14°C / 58°F
12 Nov 2009
Herb Box Plans - Feedback Please!! 2 21 Deck Herb garden
I’d love to hear some feedback on 3 deck-hung herb boxes I’m planning for next year. Unless otherwise noted, I plan to start plants from seeds indoors. I’m in Chicago (Zone 5b). Each box will be about 48″ × 18″ and be arranged with a centerpiece plant and then...
11°C / 51°F
07 Nov 2009
Chooks: Fetch the incubator Igor. 7 15 Happy Chooks: starting with eggs Sown and The Chook's garden
So, which did come first? The chicken or the egg? In the absence of the real thing, I’m stuck with playing mum. Not being too well equipped for that task (no feathers for a start!) I’ve built an incubator that will give the eggs the best chance of starting off on the right foot. It c...
27°C / 81°F
01 Nov 2009
Captain Obvious whispers - 'turn them sideways dopey!' 9 12 Arbor garden
Sometimes the obvious takes a while. I’ve had these offcuts of 50mm mesh hanging around for a while, years in fact. They were leftovers reclaimed from some job that I can’t recall now, it was that long ago.. I’ve used them previously to cover seedlings from birds, cats and other...
27°C / 81°F
12 Nov 2009
Front yard 2 19 Front yard garden
This was started about 11 years ago when I first moved in. It was a bare canvas so pretty much could put anything in. I started with plantings along the front of the house and have added to them over time. The old tree stump was killed years ago as its roots were playing havoc with the sewage so ...
Overcast 16°C / 61°F
27 Oct 2009
55 gallon drum idea a good one? 20 Happy
It seems to be. This is the first year that I have tried to compost, and I don’t know how long it is supposed to take before you begin to see results. I was surprised at how little smell there is. I really don’t smell much of anything when I open the barrel. These barrels came from...
Cloudy 6°C / 43°F
02 Nov 2009
Nasturtium: harvesting and bud time 4 16 Very Happy Nasturtium (Jewel mix) Harvesting and Central East garden
I went to thin these out ready for the new arbor’s plantings and realized that they were full of fruit. Rather than waste them in the haste to plant, it was time to combine a cleanup with a harvest and do a batch of Pickled Nasturtium Buds , or mock capers. The crew were settling down for a...
Sunny 27°C / 81°F
25 Oct 2009
Neat & Tidy....for a week 6 13
Finally organised my seed boxes. They were a mess. All of my collected seeds were squashed into envelopes some with no labeling. Lucky that i have now got to a point where i can ident my seeds. Now they are in alphabetical order and in nice rows….. It’ll last a week!!! I emptied the s...
Rainy 12°C / 54°F
19 Nov 2009
And then there were...more! 6 12 Poultry garden
The peeper hatched overnight…in fact, it must have been in the last hour or so (I’m writing this at 8am) as it’s still wet. He’s small & cute & still not quite fluffy…& I’d say he’s going to be a cute wee wheaten or buff, judging by his colour...
27°C / 81°F
01 Nov 2009
Comfrey (Bocking14): flourishing 6 11 Very Happy Comfrey (Bocking 14) , Southern garden , and Central East garden
Morning SneIrish :) The comfreys are doing exceptionally well, so well in fact I may have to cut them back sooner rather than later. Squeals of delight, quickly dropping to a bassy, throaty “and so they should be anyway”. Yeah, and about time – huck, spit. The photos don’...
Sunny 24°C / 75°F
30 Oct 2009
Final Pic of Canning Closet 4 12 Very Happy
I will be canning more baked beans, but this is a pic of the closet after the final spaghetti sauce canning. I think we may have enough spaghetti sauce to make it through the beginning of the year!! :) For whatever reason, I can’t get the whole shelving unit in the picture on folia, so the...
Sunny 17°C / 63°F
26 Oct 2009
Guess what this entry is about...(go on, guess)... 6 10 Tall Bearded Iris
Yes…more irises! There are a few more still to flower but these ones came out today. Pic 1/2 has quite a strong purple-blue streak through the standards & falls. Pic 3/4 (which I think this is Queen of Elegance)…is in the shade, unfortunately (no flowers are open on the other side...
21°C / 70°F
19 Nov 2009
Chooks: Igor, fetch more lightning rods! 4 11 Neutral Chooks: starting with eggs and The Chook's garden
Bugger. Of the 12 eggs I’ll be lucky to get one, the rest are infertile. Igor has failed in his duties, he didn’t fetch enough lightning rods it seems. Being a new mom I was unsure what to expect and while I’ve been candling the eggs and had my suspicions, I’ve been led as...
Rainy 24°C / 75°F
07 Aug 2009
It's an ex-tank squire 11 4 Very Happy Frontyard garden
Gone to meet its maker, and now resurrected as 5 raised garden beds. The base had rotted out and yet the walls were still perfectly fine. What to do with it besides a garden ornament, a rustic replacement for the usual wagon wheel? Recycle it into rings approx 300mm (1’) high, fill them wi...
Sunny 13°C / 55°F
29 Oct 2009
Happy with my vineyard 3 11 Grape "Interlaken" , Grape "Glenora" , and Grape "4"
I feel bad reading my harsh comments about my grapes from last year after having such a good year this year. They must not have been mature enough last year and didn’t deserve the criticism. All my grape plants did very well this year with abundant yields of tasty grapes that were a pleas...
6°C / 43°F