Backyard Gardening with Kids

Birdhouse Recycling!

2010-08-25T21:37:00.000-04:00

Thanks to couponing I've had many extra diaper containers this month. Hey, I can't pass up free wipes! I also hate having these extra plastic containers hanging around the house because my county won't recycle them! I've avoided buying them as much as I can but when I can get one free whenever I buy a bag of Pampers Diapers...well, let's just say I have a hard time passing up a good deal!

I don't know about you, but this summer has been the Summer of the Bugs in my garden. Tiger Moth Caterpillars (I believe) have eaten my bush beans, huge Tomato Worms have (thankfully) not done too much damage but they have been plentiful, along with a slew of other creepy crawlies. I would love for more birds to visit my garden and eat the unwelcome pests. Eventually I want to put up a pole and hang bird feeders and nest boxes in the center of the garden to encourage the friendly fliers. That is where my two trains of thought collided. Why not make nest boxes and bird feeders out of empty wipe containers?!

Wipe containers (Huggies and Pampers are what I have) are not water tight. We have an average of 54.5" in my area so that's a must! So much for the easy pop-the-top-up-and-check-on-the-baby-birds idea! My hubby had some great suggestions which helped tremendously. We also replaced some 2"x6"s on our deck so we had spare wood lying around.

Here's what we did!

Materials:

1 (empty) baby wipes container
2" x 6" x 10.5" board (adjust to fit your needs)
Paint (I put a white primer on the board)
At least 4 nails (nail or glue to attach wipes container to the board)
Jute/Rope/String for hanging the bird house
Drill
Scissors
Metal File
2 Drill Bits

1 to drill the 4 holes for the jute
1 1/2" hole saw for creating the entry door

Paint (if you choose to paint the house-my favorite is Delta Ceramcoat Acrylic paints)
Paintbrushes

Assembly:

Permanently remove the lid off of the container

Optional: Paint the conainer

My 3-year-old's creation (it was his first time with a paintbrush)!

Cut board to size and paint it (which will extend its life).

Drill the entrance hole

I didn't have a big enough bit so I cut it a tiny bit bigger.

Use the metal file to smooth out any rough edges.

Drill 4 holes-one in each corner

Place container upside down on board line it up where you want it.

Nail the wipes container to the board-hopefully you'll have nails that aren't longer than the board is thick! I had to bend the ends over. :p I used about six nails per box depending on where the gaps were.

Run the jute through the holes, beginning by going down in one corner and up the opposite corner. Then I cut the jute and did the same on the other side. A small piece of tape wrapped around the end of the jute makes it easier to thread through the hole.

Notice the crossed jute. Then I held up the ends of the jute and made sure the box hung evenly before tying them in a simple knot.

Now, go find a tree or post!

Topsy Turvey

2010-05-24T17:30:00.000-04:00

My two Topsy Turveys are hung and my Silvery Fir Tomato plants seem to doing well (one plant in each). I do not have to water nearly as much as last year and I finally realized why. This year I found great deals on the Miracle-Gro Potting Mix and used it instead of the off brand Walmart stuff. Wow, what a difference! Granted, we haven't had our 95+ degree days yet but we've had plenty of hot ones and I have not had to water daily! I have more great news. Ace is going to have potting mix on sale during their Memorial Day Sale May 28-31! The Miracle Grow Moisture Control Potting Mix (1 cubic foot) will be $8.99 with a $5 mail-in rebate! There is a limit of two per household. Guess where I'll be!

Oops

2010-05-23T17:44:00.000-04:00

My darling 12-month old has a thing for Green Bean plants...and no, not for eating them. She likes to uproot and decapitate them. Too bad she doesn't do it to actual weeds! I was thankfully able to replant the uprooted one but I wasn't sure what to do with my decapitated one. I stuck it in the soil because I'm a softy and couldn't bare to through such a precious young plant into the compost bucket! I continued watering the pot and guess what, there is new growth! The "stump" hasn't done anything but the "top" is a whole new plant!

Last year a cutworm got to my Rainbow Beefsteak Tomato plant and I was able to save the top, dip in rooting powder and repot it. I kept it inside and moist. It survived and grew into a healthy producer. :) I also grew two other tomato plants off of clippings from another plant later in the year.

My Healthy Bell Pepper seedling broke off while transporting it to the garden for planting. Currently it is sitting in a vase of water, rooting itself. I didn't put it in a pot of soil due to lack of space. So far, so good!

Ace Hardware Rewards 4/1/10 - 4/30/10

2010-04-13T07:38:00.001-04:00

Ace Hardware Red Hot Buys
April 2010

Ace Reward Members Earn Double Points on These Items!! (Click here to become a member)

Note: Rebates can be submitted online at the end of the month (one-time submission). Your rewards card loads the purchase information to your online account which makes it so much easier and saves paper and a stamp!

Leather Palm Gloves (large) 2.99 limit 1

2.99 mail-in rebate = FREE!

Miracle Grow Potting Mix with Fertilizer (2 cu ft) 9.99 limit 2

4.00 mail-in rebate = 5.99

Miracle Grow Shake 'n Feed Plant Food (4 1/2 lb) 9.99 limit 2

5.00 mail-in rebate = 4.99

Jobe's Fertilizer Spike (15/pk) 6.99 limit 2 per type

5.00 mail-in rebate = 1.99

Jobe's Organics Plant Food (3.5-4lb) 8.99 limit 3

6.00 mail-in rebate 2.99

Scott's Plant Food (3lb) 3.99 limit 3

3.00 main-in rebate .99

Ace Green Turf St. Augustine Weed and Feed (5000 sq ft) 17.99 limit 2

4.00 mail-in rebate 13.99

Ace Green Turf St. Augustine Weed and Food (10,000 sq ft) 33.99 limit 1

8.00 mail-in rebate 25.99

Tomato Tower 29.99
Ace Green Turf Lawn Fertilizer (5000 sq ft) 11.99 limit 2

3.00 mail-in rebate 11.99

Ace Green Turf Lawn Fertilizer (15,000 sq ft) 32.99 limit 1

9.00 mail-in rebate 23.99

Ace Green Turf Weed and Feed (5000 sq ft) 15.99 limit 2

5.00 mail-in rebate 10.99

Ace Green Turf Weed and Feed (15,000 sq ft) 42.99 limit 1

12.00 mail-in rebate 30.99

Werner 6' Type I Fiberglass Stepladder (250 lb) 49.99
Werner 8' Type I Fiberglass Stepladder 79.99
Solar Walk Light 6/pk 24.99

Sale price 12.99

Siliconized Acrylic Caulk 4/pk ( 4-10.1 oz) 4.99
6 cu ft Wheelbarrow 39.99
RoundUp Weed and Grass Killer Concentrate (36.8 oz) 19.99 limit 2

5.00 mail-in rebate 14.99

Flexogen Garden Hose (5/8" x 50') 9.99 limit 1

6.00 mail-in rebate 9.99

Flexogen Garden Hose (5/8" x 100') 31.99 limit 1

12.00 mail-in rebate 19.99

3'x50' Weed Block Landscape Fabric 9.99 limit 2

6.00 mail-in rebate 3.99

Weed B Gon Max for Southern Lawns (1.33 gal) 15.99 limit 2

8.00 mail-in rebate 7.99

Weed and Grass Killer (1 gal) 6.99 limit 2

4.00 mail-in rebate 2.99

Weed Stop for Lawns (kills over 200 types) (32 oz) 7.49 limit 2

3.50 mail-in rebate 3.99

Weed Stop for Lawns (St Augustine and centipede grass) (32 oz) limit 2

3.50 mail-in rebate 4.99

Weed B Gon Max Pull 'n Spray (1.33 gal) 15.99 limit 2

8.00 mail-in rebate 7.99
(in Texas it's 11.99-6.99 after $5 mail-in rebate)

Example of Companion Planting

2010-03-05T16:58:00.000-05:00

I was dreaming through my The Vegetable Gardener's Bible today and saw how he seemingly crams various types of veggies into his raised garden beds. He uses companion planting, also, and it inspired me to think "outside the box" in garden planning. Here are two of my ideas!

Pallet Bed 1:

Fiskeby Soybeans
Listada de Gandia Eggplant
Corn (haven't finalized which type)

I will start by planting three eggplants in the front row (staggered a bit to allow some room). Then I will plant two rows of three corn stalks behind them. The soybeans will be interplanted among the corn. Beans fix nitrogen in the soil and corn is a heavy nitrogen feeder so they are a perfect combo. The corn also gives the beans something to climb up. Eggplants grow good with a variety of plants.

Pallet Bed 2:

Early Fortune Cucumber
Tiger's Eye Beans
Corn

The cucumber already has a trellis attached to the bed so they will be planted in the back underneath it. I will only plant two at a time (do succession planting) since we found out last summer that five plants was way too many! I will then plant three rows of three corn stalks each. The beans will be planted in amongst the corn. These beans are bush beans yet have a few tendrils that grow up and need something to attach to. The corn ought to be perfect! The corn stalks will also make a great trellis for those stubborn cucumber vines that refuse to attach to the wooden trellis. According to Carrots Love Tomatoes, cucumbers keep raccoons away from corn and the corn may keep Wilt away from the cucumbers. Sounds great to me so I'm going to give it a try!

Let me know what you think and if you have tried any of this before.

Companion Gardening

2010-03-04T11:33:00.002-05:00

Have you ever heard of companion gardening? I've been reading about it in my older copy of Carrots Love Tomatoes and it is very interesting! I am hoping to employ some of these gems in hopes of keeping those pesky insects away this year!

Some of the coolest ideas so far:

Bush green beans help cucumbers grow better
Basil helps keep pests off of tomatoes
Horseradish grown near potatoes helps them grow healthier (just dig horseradish up each fall since it is a prolific spreader)
Marigolds can repel nematodes for up to three years. The protection is there even if the marigolds haven't been there for a few years!
Corn makes a great trellis for cucumbers which also helps to keep away raccoons. It aids in anchoring corn during strong winds. Corn benefits cucumbers by seeming to keep wilt away.

I hope to compile a list once I'm done of the most relevant info (to me) in the next few days. I love the idea of doing natural pest control and no pesticides!

Have you done any companion planting? I'd love to hear what works and doesn't. Please comment and share your experiences!

Look what I found!!

2010-02-16T22:13:00.000-05:00

The other day, while digging in my pantry for cookie cutters, I was excited to find my baby Adirondack Blue Potatoes from last season! Best of all they are sprouting so I will have some to plant this spring! These are awesome potatoes for roasting and making lavender mashed potatoes, if you can stomach them!

I suppose this makes up for the fact that I still have not located my cookie cutters! I guess our biscuits will continue with their Christmas theme a while longer. :) Good thing my toddler likes 'no-men.

Comfort Food

2010-02-16T22:06:00.000-05:00

My favorite food right now is roasted red potatoes, sweet potatoes, baby bella mushrooms and onions. I have a Pampered Chef Large Bar pan on which I chunk the pealed sweet potatoes and unpeeled red potatoes. (Russets are too dry). I then add onion pieces (rings cut in half) and sliced mushrooms. (Garlic cloves make a good addition.) I use my hand to make sure the veggies are evenly coated with a liberal amount of olive oil. Fresh rosemary or dried basil and/or oregano is also good. Salt is not needed. I roast this at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or so. I stir the veggies every once in a while because the onions and mushrooms can burn.

This is delicious served hot or cold. I have been known to eat it straight out of the fridge. :) I cannot wait to have fresh potatoes to use from my garden!

Tomatoes are Planted!

2010-02-16T21:49:00.003-05:00

Yesterday my toddler and I planted tomato seeds. I recommend Jiffy Starter Greenhouses for their ease of use. The peat pellets are awesome (just remove the plastic before you plant the seedlings to help prevent root binding). Keeping the humidity high helps the seedlings start days earlier and they do not need to be watered until after the seedlings emerge. I have also used a black plastic high-sided container with Saran wrap on top. It worked but wasn't as convenient.

Last fall I used a plastic lidded container that was the perfect size for 12 peat pellets. My son and I planted two each of the tomato seeds I ordered with the exception of the Silvery Fir Tree Tomato (four of those). Each year I try a new marking system but I have yet to discover a fool-proof one. Do you have any suggestions?

I'm dreaming in seed catalogs...

2010-02-04T14:53:00.001-05:00

I received my favorite seed company's catalog (downloadable) in December. Since then I have been dreaming, scheming and changing my mind about which seeds to buy. I finally ordered the seeds yesterday and I can't wait to open the package and start my 2010 garden! My parents ordered me the Seed Savers Exchange Membership so now I really feel like a kid in a candy shop having access to the members only section!

Here is what I bought:

Moonglow Tomatoes - We enjoyed our orange and yellow tomatoes last year (less acidic tasting) and these looked interesting. They are marketed as having a true heirloom flavor.

True Lemon Tomatoes - More proof that I don't grow anything "normal"!

Silvery Fir Tree Tomatoes - These have a short transplant time-58 days! They are determinate (grow to a certain height, produce and then are done) but the upside is that they do well in containers. I am going to also try them in my Topsy Turveys. My plan is that these will begin producing in May and will finish about the time my others begin around the 4th of July.

Japanese Black Trifele Tomatoes - I saw these in another catalog a year-and-a-half ago and have been dreaming of them ever since! I absolutely cannot wait to grow these!

Eva Purple Ball Tomato - It says that it does well in humid areas so I hope that means it can handle the mildews humidity brings!

Waltham's Butternut Squash - We had a volunteer Butternut Squash last year and it produced six or so squash before the powdery mildew took it out. I froze them for winter eating.

Cherokee Trail of Tears Pole Beans - The Cherokee lived here and it is neat to grow some plants that used to be here. We also use many black beans.

Fiskerby Soybeans - These are high in vitamins and minerals and fresh soybeans (edamame) are good on salads!

Listada de Gandia Eggplant - I had a hard time deciding between these and the Rosa Biancas. I enjoyed the Rosa Biancas the last time I grew them but I decided to try something new.

Potato Sampler - I am splitting the 20 lbs of potatoes with three other ladies. I, once again, liked the idea of a variety pack. Surprised? I couldn't decide which variety to choose so the variety pack sounds like a great idea, right? I loved my Adirondack Blues last year.

This is what I already have and will be replanting:

Tiger's Eye Dry Bush Beans - These dry beans were very productive and easy to grow. I didn't use them as a fresh eating bean since I already had bush green beans. I picked the plants as soon as the pods began to yellow and hung them in my pantry. A few weeks later the pods were dry and my toddler and I had fun shelling them. They cook up beautifully and taste awesome! I don't like beans but I was eating these straight out of the pot after boiling! I've saved beans from last year's crop so that I can grow more!

Romanesco Broccoli - I have yet to have a successful fall garden. Either it's too dry (Fall '08) or too wet (Fall '09). My broccoli was growing but the three snows we've had (yes, in Tennessee!!) and the 10 days or so that we barely went above freezing did the plants in, I think. Not to mention my toddler's hoe. :) I'm going to try them again this spring. I've read that this is quite the delicacy so I'm eager to try it!

SSE Lettuce Mixture - Since I am incapable of doing choosing any normal vegetable plant, I bought the mix. I also could not decide which one or two types to buy so I thought the mix would help me find a couple of favorites. They did well through early summer last year. I just noticed that one survived the crazy winter we've had so far so I am going to go pick some for our next salad. If you live in a hot climate you may want to grow Slobolt which will grow all summer, even in the heat!

Healthy Peppers - I cannot praise this plant enough! It produced constantly all summer and fall. There were generally at least six fruits at any given time and they tasted awesome! I froze a lot for winter eating, too!

Napoleon Sweet Peppers - I was not as impressed with this pepper but it's hard to be unbiased when sharing the garden with Healthy Peppers. I did have an issue with curly top on most of my pepper plants. I cut off the damaged leaves and threw them away. This spring I am going to spray Neem Oil almost as soon as I plant to keep those pesky Leafhoppers away!

Early Fortune Cucumber - I bought these last fall and wasn't able to plant them. I'm looking forward to fresh cucumber!

Other suggested seeds:

Empress Bush Green Beans - They were delicious! My toddler would eat them raw in the garden and stuff them in his mouth first thing at dinner. They were also extremely productive. Forty to fifty plants supplied enough beans for dinner every other night plus extra to freeze for winter. I bought a huge bag of generic beans when I ran out of these so I'm going to use those first before I buy more.

Sutton's Harbinger Pea - These were very yummy! We would shell them and eat them raw in the garden or on the table! I bought a big bag of peas from a local nursery that I'm going to use up before I buy more of these.

Brown Berry Cherry (Chocolate Cherry) Tomatoes - I have grown these for the last two or three years. They are very productive and I am sure I will have some volunteers. They are sweet and fairly good sized. Once they begin to produce, they will continue until first frost!

Nyagous Tomato - This one was very tempting. I was so close to buying these but my garden space is limited.

What plants are you dreaming of planting this Spring? Any recommendations?

Fajitas!

2009-07-10T18:34:00.000-04:00

Tonight we're having fajitas! I picked two ripe Healthy sweet peppers, a few sprigs of cilantro, one of our many cucumbers, Chocolate Cherry tomatoes, and added in mushrooms, water-packed tofu and mango. Yum! I can't wait to dig in! I love fresh meals from the garden. The peppers were so crisp when I cut in to them! They were crisp like a fresh green bell pepper but sweet like a red one. :) I can't wait for my Blue Jade sweet corn to begin producing so I can add in that too!

Welcome

2009-07-10T07:09:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my blog on gardening in your very own backyard. I live in the South and have a yard full of red clay, rocks and no topsoil. My husband, N, built five 4'x4' raised beds for me plus we have a "tire patch" and various pots and tubs for growing. We also have a toddler, T, and an infant, S. T loves to help me water the garden and so far has only helped me pick one pepper way too early. :)

I like planting the odd and unusual varieties of "normal" vegetables. For example, I grew Adirondack Blue Potatoes this year and have Chocolate Cherry a.k.a. Brown Berry tomatoes. N isn't as fond of my wild tastes so last year I bought "good ole beefsteaks" with a fun twist for me - it was a pack of "rainbow" beefsteak tomato seeds. (A mix of pink, red, green, orange, yellow and purple beefsteak plants). I'd say it is a fun compromise! :) N just sighs and rolls his eyes. :)

We also grow some herbs with our emphasis on Sweet Basil. We devour Basil Pesto on anything and everything. As soon as T had his first taste of pesto last year he hasn't stopped eating it. He'll even eat it plain! :) I freeze raw leaves for pesto making in the winter because we eat so much of it.

I prefer growing my plants from seeds because I can pick exactly which variety I want and know what the seedlings have been exposed to (i.e. pests and pesticides) without paying the extra money or organic plants. I also love ordering heirlooms that have a fun history. What we may not realize is that many of these "odd" colored veggies are actually heirlooms. Potatoes are native to the Andes and there are many purple and blue potatoes which have been grown for centuries. The more colorful the potato, the higher the antioxidant level is and the health benefit. (I use that fact to help convince N that I am not too crazy for the wild colors).

N is my awesome composter. I am so blessed! I wouldn't have nearly the garden I have without him. You should see the size of the worms! I'm glad they are in my garden but I really don't like digging potatoes and discovering the worms!! Uck! They are the size of small snakes (my LEAST favorite animal in the world! I prefer Grizzlies!!). T laughs when he sees me jump! I try to be a good example and teach him to not be afraid of worms. :)

Gardening is relaxing for me. There's nothing like working with the soil when one is stressed. I love nurturing the plants I grew from seed. Weeding isn't so much fun but I have far fewer weeds thanks to raised beds. This year I did have a volunteer tomato (maybe a Chocolate Cherry) pop up by our mailbox. I can't wait for the fruit to ripen so I will know for sure. We also have a volunteer Butternut squash growing out of our strawberry patch. That is one giant squash plant! I don't thin seedlings...I know they don't have feelings but it is still hard. :)

My hope is that maybe some of my experiences will help you learn more about gardening and encourage young families to get out and garden together. It can be done with children around, just an extra dose of patience is sometimes needed for "helping". Gardening also also allows me to feed my family healthy and vine ripened produce. I also love saving money. :) Basil Pesto is so much more affordable when it is grown in your own yard!!