Gardening ideas

Researching on the internet I ran across articles concerning container and raised bed gardening. Our yard is a thin layer of clay over rock so raised beds are a relatively simple option. Our house was built in 1978, so some flower beds were already prepared when we moved here. I have been able to grow herbs reasonably well. Lantana and a knock out rose are surviving the three weeks of 100+ temperature and no rain. I watered the plants. I have hopes of growing spinach and a variety of lettuces this fall and was looking for something easy to do and inexpensive. The UK leads the way in container gardening using growing bags on their patios and front porch steps. I almost bought a $9 growing bag but did a little more research and learned that you can use an ordinary plastic trash bag. Just fill a garbage bag with two feet of potting soil, level it on the ground, and then poke six holes near the bottom of the bag to allow water to drain out. Plant your seeds or plants, water, feed, etc. and it is works well, from what I've read. I hope to start our salad garden tomorrow in plastic garbage bags. We have an area behind the house that was used as a dog run years ago before we lived here and it is ideal for a practical vegetable garden. I already have the seeds from a company called Southern Exposure which have proved worthy of the $1.99 per packet cost plus shipping. So, I'll keep you posted.

I tried composting just tossing vegetable peelings on the ground, but that invited a raccoon to our house which greeted Tim when he got home from work. So I thought that I would have to give it up. But then Edgar Speer from our church, showed me his garden and composting bin. He uses a scrap metal duct work supported with bricks and covered with a metal sheet weighted down with more bricks. He even gets free used coffee grounds by the garbage bag load to add to his successful compost pile. I looked for something like the bin he uses, but it was to no avail. I want to use things that we have on hand not only for the cost savings but also for the impact on the environment. Then I learned that you can use a garbage can with a lid and have started composting again.

The other thing that I learned today, from John Dromgoole's youtube video on gardening, is that white flowers make a wonderful border along a walkway to give a little definition to the path by reflecting ambient light. Planting white and silver flowers and plants is known as a moonlight garden. In our case, we live in the city, but it is actually very dark here and we can see some of the major constellations, although the milky way eludes us. But what I learned is that white flowers or silver colored leaf plants make great border plants along the edge of a walkway to provide some natural light after dark.

He also suggests an organic way to get rid of fire ant mounds. You can take the vinegar and water solution that is left over from cleaning a coffee maker, while it is still warm, and pour it over a fire ant mound to kill the queen and the colony. So far it has worked beautifully. I wish that I had known that decades ago.

John Dromgoole developed a web site called www.naturalgardeneraustin.com which is a wonderful source for gardening tips especially for those of us who live in Texas and face the challenge of hot dry summers. I found googling youtube and his name an easy way to find gardening education lectures.

On another note, we have a wild animal intruder and he punctual. It is 6:36 pm and he is digging and chewing in the space between the kitchen ceiling and the second floor bedroom floor which houses the air conditioning duct work. Enviroserv came out yesterday afternoon after I called them that morning. The technician placed a trap in the attic near where I have heard the noise. He put an apple and some honey in the trap and said that he would come back over on Friday to check on it. He doesn't know if it will work. I tossed some brillo steel wool pads in the attic this afternoon. I plan to toss some ammonia dampened rags around the attic as well. Supposedly that makes it unpleasant for the animal and he will move out. I feel like I should alert the neighbors.

The animal intruder is making me jumpy and yesterday I gasped and screamed when I walked into my closet. It was only my shadow. How embarrassing. I am waiting to make dinner until Tim comes home from work because I don't like being in the kitchen with a squirrel or some other wild animal scratching and chewing something inches above me separated by possibly ever thinning sheet rock. Not good. I hear him right now and he seems to be exploring the area between the 1st and 2nd floor of our house.

Also, when Gail, Kyle and Dad were here visiting they went for a swim. Red wasps were bothering them and I told them not to worry that I swim with them all the time and they aren't aggressive. However, they noticed where the insects were coming from - under the diving board. Kyle opted not to dive, but they were able to swim okay. That encouraged me to seek a solution to the red wasp invasion. The Enviroserv technician helped me with the wasp problem too. He took off the diving board that was secured to a base with two bolts. Then he sprayed a large wasp's nest and then removed it along with two expired nests. Then he put the diving board back in place.

This needs editing but I need rest, so the editing will have to wait. Editing suggestions and feedback are invited.

Source: http://denisemartindale.blogspot.com/2010/08/gardening-ideas.html