gardenpunks

On my coffee table

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:43:00 +0000

An assortment of some of my favorite books. [Click picture to go to Flickr and see my notes on the books + cool links!]

A quick shout out to Jenna Woginrich author of Made From Scratch, and blogger at Cold Antler Farm. I've spent weeks trying to get my hands on her book at a bookstore, but they never have a copy of it. I'd requested it from the library some weeks ago, and it just came in. I read it in a single night and loved every bit of it. My next Amazon order will be this book (affiliate linked from CAF to generate some funds to feed the critters, hopefully). My only disappointment is that it wasn't longer!

I found Jenna via an article in Mother Earth News when I was rereading old editions, and couldn't believe it took me so long to go back and check her blog.

I must have read back like 18 months of posts that evening. I guess that seems a little crazy, but I just appreciate someone who is driven and works tirelessly towards what they want. I am thoroughly impressed. And she's such a great writer. It's fun to see young people with an incredible amount of soul, and maybe a little old soul mixed in. Like-minded folks even.

Anyhow, that's the fun news for today!

A real live gardener lives here

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:21:00 +0000

Tonight I was watering some plants, when I turned and saw this view:

Sort of pretty if you ignore the BBQ pieces strewn about, right?

What if I told you that 3 years ago, to the week in fact, it looked like this:

My goal was to create a planter around the AC unit to soften it. Our raised bed adventures have completely transformed the side yard into usable space. The nasty black mulch is history. A walkway has been created from stepping stones found as we removed grass. (Yes, really. The grass grew over them. We find a new one about every 6 months still buried in the yard). The pathway has been marked by smaller stones we've dug up (aka. "Folsom potatoes"). The existing plants have grown in. We've added color which was sorely lacking in the backyard.

I couldn't help feel like my garden plan was sort of coming together, and I meant for it to be that way. It's weird to get to a place where you can look back and feel like something is working, and the hard work isn't all for nothing. That there is a garden growing here, not just an endless laundry list of projects, which is what I see when I gaze over the yard. Future plans, ideas, things we could do.

I felt accomplished for, like, a whole minute. And then I remembered I needed to finish watering.

Picture This - July's Photo Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:55:00 +0000

Gardening Gone Wild is a great blog - one where I would spend more time browsing links and ideas if I had some time. The contributors are a "who's who" of some of my favorite folks in the gardening/photography world. I usually read this blog is quickly - I liken it to visiting a town by zooming past it on the freeway.

Since I've been on vacation for the last week, my Google Reader (blog aggregator) has been empty, and I have been sad and bored! So when this post popped up, I actually had time to read it.

Each month there is a contest in which readers post a picture on the required topic, link back to the GGW post, and hope for the best.

July's contest is flowering trees, judged by Rob Cardillo! I am a huge fan of Rob Cardillo because he collaborates with Nan Ondra, who writes some of my favorite gardening books. Rob was the photographer on Fallscaping - which left me haunted by the plant combinations and pictures!

My submission is this picture of a Western Redbud in flower I took on my birthday (March 29th) this year. My good friends gave me a Carl Zeiss 50mm lens, and this was one of the first pictures I took with it. Western Redbuds are some of my favorite trees. Maybe it's because they're in full bloom around my birthday...

Getting Up Early

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:39:00 +0000

My puny watermelon vines in the early morning sun

FACT: I have never been a morning person.

FACT: Had you said I'd be getting up at 6am and liking it, I would have thought you were nuts.

FACT: Maybe I'm nuts.

I have been getting up at 6am for the last few days, in an attempt to change myself into a morning person. I was tired of getting up with nary seconds to spare in my morning routine before having to leave for work. It just sets an ugly tone for the whole day. I am not pleasant in the morning + coworkers = a bad mix.

I got up early this morning and took a picture of my watermelon vines in the sun. This shot represents hope in 2 ways:

One, I hope my damn watermelon (cantaloupe, squash) vines actually get large enough to produce this year. It's like they're a month behind. Chris blames the lack of automatic watering - which I can see because once we rigged up the sprinklers in the back, everything started growing. I tend to be a notorious underwaterer. Hey, we have water issues here in NorCal. Trying to do my part.

Two, I hope I can continue getting up early. I have only gotten up early for 5 days, and not consecutive. There was that whole bit about vacation and being in someone else's home where I allowed myself to sleep in... But I didn't get up early yesterday and I felt like I missed out. Like whoa. Missed out? Yes, this is still Katie talking here. I feel like I have 2 more hours in my day when I get up early, because I do. I've twittered about being frustrated and bored on my vacation, and perhaps it's because I've marked darn near everything off of my to-do list.

Rambling (how I'm setting myself up to get up earlier) below if interested

For each morning I get up early, I am making a tick mark in my moleskine. Every tick mark = $1. Big whoop, right? Well, those dollars will add up over time, and once I reach the specified amount, I am buying a watch. Oh yeah, another big whoop right? Well, if you know me, this is the longest I've ever gone without a watch, since my dumb Timex broke last year (I previously had a series of Ironmans forever). We were at a sports store recently, and I found it. The watch I want. $59.95 = 60 days of getting up early. I can do this.

Once I have the watch, I will set my sights on doing some sort of physical activity. Going to the gym? Running/walking with the dog? Not sure yet. Once that becomes a habit, I will start getting up at 5:30am.

Blink. Blink.

5:30am? Hell yes. If I can do 6am as part of a habit, I can do 5:30am.

What in the heck does this have to do with gardening?

Getting up early allow me to get out into the garden before it's a zillion degrees. Speaking of...off to go out and enjoy the cool air now.

Happy 4th of July!

Garden Tour: @Interleafer

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:49:00 +0000

On the way home from our road trip, Chris and I decided to make a small detour and come home through San Jose. My Twitter friend Laura (@Interleafer) has been telling me I should come visit her since we connected, and gosh darnit I wasn't going to miss out on meeting another cool person from Twitter!

Laura lives in San Jose, about 2.5 hours away from Folsom. She lives in USDA Zone 9 (Sunset zone 16), and has an amazing garden/landscape. Being a landscape designer, I'd expect no less!

Laura's front yard is VERY MUCH like what I have in mind for our front yard. We have a small slope, and she contained hers with concrete blocks harvested from the landscape previous to what you see here. It was the first time I saw this technique, and the concrete looked like beautiful stacked stone.

Captions above pictures

The short fence in front gives privacy and intrigue about the courtyard that lies beyond. The front yard is welcoming and we immediately knew when we'd reached our destination. I very much enjoyed all of the plants Laura chose, and it seems a good many of them came from cuttings or overstock. I especially like the walkway set in decomposed granite.

Walking up said path, the view that intrigues the visitor comes into view. We sat on her porch for much of the visit "talking shop" as she pointed out plants and told us the story of the landscape and how it came into being. The porch was added onto (behind large shrub in picture below), and you can't tell the difference between old and new - such attention to detail! It is amazing. A sit-in porch on a ranch style house in San Jose? Very rare indeed.

Once past the gate and truly in the courtyard, visitors are immediately drawn to two water features. First is the glazed urn with recirculating pump that breathes life into the front of the house. Laura said that when they had to shut it off for a few days, it was as if all the life in the front yard ceased and was silent. A landscape without water creates a vacuum! Water definitely plays a large role in her garden (and designs, I'd imagine!). Second is the rain chain which gives the idea of water without actually using any! Laura says this is her "winter garden" and loves to bask in the low winter sun on the front porch. She also uses these amazing drippers for her drip system, which I WISH I would have known about a week sooner.

The courtyard was a private place to visit and chat, and as the plants grow in, will become more private. It wasn't until I looked at these pictures that I even noticed the neighbor's houses! The courtyard serves as another room, visually expanding the living area of the home. I appreciated the limited use of hardscaping because I tend to feel that sometimes it is overused and harsh. I could have sat on this porch all day long, talking with Laura!

Moving into the backyard, visitors have to walk through an amazing little area complete with beautiful basketweave pavers, and a potted garden that would make even the best gardener jealous. (My pots do terribly. Must be the heat. Yes, the heat. That's it.) Although it was warm when we visited Laura's garden, the plants and greenery visually and physically turned down the thermostat and made the yard a joy to sit in.

The patio also contains an amazing fuchsia specimen! This patio opens into another garden room...

...under the red umbrella!

The rustling of the bamboo was so pleasant, and if there was any noise from the surrounding neighborhood I sure didn't notice any. We asked Laura about the bamboo (mainly because I would love to do something similar on the North side of our backyard), and she explain how she trains her bamboo. She chooses which shoots to keep (some are cut back), and then she uses heavy gauge wire to push them apart from one another into the umbrella shape she desires. Many bamboos are thick, but with a little work, Laura created an airy looking bamboo that still rustles in the wind.

The dappled shade of the bamboo on the red umbrella was a little magical.

To see pictures of this room before Laura worked her magic was interesting - it was a blank slate (she has a great post on her blog about the before shots). I especially loved the ground cover. She said it was blue star creeper but with white flowers. After starting as a single flat of plants placed between the pavers, it has reached its way across the pathway in both directions and creates a nice lush carpet in this part of the backyard. The mirror in the background gives the illusion that the yard is much larger than it is - this is the first time I've seen this done in person, and let me tell you, it TOTALLY works.

The ground cover reaches almost all the way to another urn fountain, and Buddhist statue. The blue of the stones and statue, the red of the pot, the green of the plants, and the gold of the star really set this particular area off, and is quite pleasing to the eye.

On our way out, I had to take a shot of this fence. Laura's father is a retired "putterer" - the porch expansion, fence, and other projects were all lovingly completed by him. This fence is such a work of art, and showcases craftsmanship that is hard to come by nowadays. You can see that each board was cut and routed to create the curve you see. While someday this will be covered with a vine, it is nice to enjoy the beauty of the gate while still uncovered.

I think 2009 will be the year of meeting other gardeners. I feel enriched by each person I meet, and love to talk shop as if we've been friends forever. I'd like to thank Laura for taking a couple hours out of her day to share a couple beers and the story of her garden, and life.

Thank you.

Road Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:56:00 +0000

Chris and I headed down to San Luis Obispo last weekend to visit his brother and his brother's girlfriend. They live in a beautifully landscaped condominium complex, and I was surprised with the gardens people were allowed to keep. I have never lived in anything but suburban houses, so the condo complex was a new experience. Plus they had a pool and spa, and like a six year olds staying in a hotel, we made good use of both during our time there. (Did you know that "adult sippy cups" can conceal rum + cokes?)

Anyhow.

I was insanely jealous of two things we found growing within a few yards of their place: bougainvillea and nasturtiums. (Aside: Is it wrong for me to pronounce them NAH STIR TEE UMS? Because I do. And it probably makes me sound silly.)

The coastal weather moderates daytime temperatures so SLO tends to stay on the cool side of warm year round (does that make sense?). I don't believe they get much in the way of frosts either. It was a welcome reprieve to be down there in the 86⁰ weather when it was 112⁰ at home.

And because we were on vacation, two more shots of what we enjoyed:

15 Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:20:00 +0000

I have mentioned probably a thousand times how much I've enjoyed Sunset Magazine over the years.

A few months back, they were looking for quotes about how us westerners feel about grass. I sent in my submission, and was contacted by a fact checker to verify some stuff, all the while having no real idea of how my quote would be used.

Chris and I took off to San Luis Obispo for the weekend, and as luck would have it, my Sunset arrived in the mailbox the day we left! I had to trek out to a Borders to see the first minute of my 15 minutes of fame.

I didn't know the article was going to be about synthetic lawn alternatives, but I think I got my point across.

I just hope my neighbors understand that someday, all that mulch will be a garden as beautiful as my friend Laura's!

Sprinkler Conversion

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:17:00 +0000

When we sheet mulched half of the back lawn last year, we did so with the intention that someday we would convert the sprinkler system (which hiss a couple gallons a minute per sprinkler all over the place) to a much more efficient drip system.

My advice for a project like this:

Take your time
Do it right
Plan it well
Buy the right parts the first time around

I made 7 trips to the hardware store last weekend. I even dared to enter Home Depot and Lowe's when my beloved Orchard Super Hardware (OSH) didn't have the part I needed. Talk about feeling completely overwhelmed! Now I remember why I don't like those places.

Like many of our projects, this one came to fruition kind of last minute. We decided last Friday that last weekend would be the weekend to convert the sprinklers. We also had a broken valve in the front that needed to be replaced, and given that our sprinklers were done when the house was built 10 years ago, the same replacement valve wasn't readily available.

First mistake
I went to cut the broken valve from the water supply and Chris came over and said, "That's not the broken valve." Strike one. Hey, at least I turned the water off! We ended up having such issues replacing the valves that we simply decided to cap them for now. We finally figured out on Sunday evening that they go to areas that are sheet mulched out front anyway, so we don't have any need for the sprinkler to be in working order (for now)! We fought with them all weekend, and the simple answer that could have saved us much time didn't occur until Sunday night? Tis life.

Second mistake
I did not plan this project well at all, and kept having to make trips to the hardware store to continue uninterrupted.

Third mistake
After digging up all of the sprinklers in the backyard, converting them to a drip system/capping them, I turned the water on to find that I had completely missed a sprinkler head in the corner! Drats. When I tried to dig the little booger up tonight, I realized there are tree roots wrapped around the entire thing. Sounds like a job for Chris!

Strike Four
The other mistake I made (duh! I can't believe this one folks) is that I didn't wrap the threads of the converted sprinklers in the back with teflon tape to prevent water leaks. Now I have to unscrew all of them and put on tape before screwing them back in. They leak! Arrgh.

Farmer Fred informed me that for our next irrigation project, we should find and solicit the help of a local irrigation store in the planning and parts areas in which I so incredibly lacked this weekend. Once it's all finally completed and I'm happy with the results, I'll post pictures to make me feel better. Right now, I'm living in sprinkler purgatory!

Why am I telling you about my sprinkler struggles? It illustrates everything I'm doing wrong.

I've only recently realized that I need to take my time with projects. For some reason, I always put some artificial deadline on myself (we need to finish THIS weekend!) and then rush to get stuff done and at the end I'm not 100% happy with the finished job. I've been inspired after meeting Mark and Linda from Each Little World in Chicago a few weeks ago and reading their adventures since then. They take their time with projects and the finished products are absolute works of art. Their tea house, their fence, oh wow! It makes me want to be a better gardener/project-er.

Tale of the Sun & the Wind

The sun and wind were chatting one day when the wind spotted a man walking down the street wearing a coat.

"Watch this! I betcha I can blow his jacket off of him!" said the wind.

And blow the wind did. He blew harder and harder, but the man was undeterred and continued walking while grasping at the edges of his jacket, holding ever tighter so it wouldn't blow off of him.

The sun said, "No wind, watch this. I can make his jacket come off."

The sun shone brightly, and the clouds began to clear. The air warmed, and after a few moments, the man simply took off his coat to enjoy the warmth of the sun on his skin.

Moral of the story:
Sometimes you have to go slow to go fast

Speaking of direction

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:38:00 +0000

Le Crueset, originally uploaded by gardenpunk.

I think food might be the focus in the next few months, just as gardening, environmental adventures, and projects have been for a few months in the past.

Direction

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:33:00 +0000

Ooh pretty, originally uploaded by gardenpunk.

Chris and I are headed off to a friend's house for a mini garden tour, organic homegrown lemonade, and garden talk with like minded folks.

Sounds like my idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon.

Restless

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 01:09:00 +0000

I've been pretty restless lately.

Folks who may have been following along for some time realize that we don't post here nearly as much as we used to. (I'm hoping that comes off as a quality vs. quantity thing. Ha!) Our adventures haven't waned, and unlike the Pioneer Woman, I am not nearly as good about making the ordinary seem interesting. Unless you want to hear about cat barf. God the stories I could tell you about cat barf as of late. (Will trade cats for houseplants.)

Warning: Rambling below

Weather
We have been having the craziest weather here this June. I cannot remember a June in which it has been so cool/overcast/showery. It's neat! But I guess we all know the inevitable is coming - the hot weather is right around the corner.

Victory Garden Workshop, aka. acronym soup
Today Chris and I went to a Victory Garden workshop at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center near us. We always enjoy ourselves when we visit this magical place. The FOHC is a cooperative project between the Sacramento University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), the Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District, and the Fair Oaks Water District. Master Gardeners are on hand during designated events like the one we attended today to answer questions gardeners may have, and put a personal touch on the interaction between local gardeners and the UCCE.

The sad news is that the entire UCCE slate of programs is on the chopping block due to budget issues in Sacramento County. Yesterday the programs under this umbrella pleaded their case to the County Board of Supervisors, with a decision to be made sometime in the near future that affects the fate of:

-Local 4-H
-Master Gardener training and other MG stuff (?)
-UCCE's participation in the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center
-Farmer Assistance (like asking a MG questions, but on steroids)

Apparently they felt like they made a pretty strong case about keeping the programs funded. I heard that all the money from Sac County ended up being approx. $225k/year. The University of California (not sure at what level) kicks in over $1M on top of this; this being the obvious benefit to keeping the programs going. Nevermind the tangible and non-tangible benefits of all of these wonderful programs. Let's just hope budget cuts aren't short-sited.
*I'm sure I botched the info above somehow. I apologize in advance.

I don't know if I announced it here yet, but I was (am) hoping to apply for the next round of Master Gardner training that becomes available. Word on the street says the application process will open this coming September for training January - April 2010, IF this budget mess doesn't affect the program entirely. Carri talked me into it. She also helped talk me into Facebook. I don't know if she's a good influence or just plain crazy :D

Lists
I recently posted a couple pictures of my to-do list(s) on Twitter, and got some great responses, including answers to some of the things on the list(s)! On a whim, I purchased a Moleskin notebook and plan to make this a semi-regular occurrence over on my Flickr page, to be linked here somehow, I hope. But I always have these weird, grandiose plans that seldom pan out. We'll see.

Beer in the Garden?
Chris has brewed quite a bit of beer in hopes that we could invite some folks over and have a showcase/party of sorts. I was thinking of a Beer in the Garden theme. He didn't say no, so perhaps sometime in July we will have a combined beer tasting/garden tour party. If things go well, maybe it could be an annual event (see info above regarding grandiose). Not that my garden is anything fancy, but I love seeing what other gardeners do, so why wouldn't they want to see my garden. God I sound like a narcissist sometimes. AND Chris has brewed some good beers, and we've been drinking almost exclusively out of the keezer lately. I am a proud wife!

That's it for now.

Make Hay While the Sun Shines

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:36:00 +0000

This is my new motto.

With June and the weather god smiling upon us, I have taken every opportunity possible to be outside in the garden. No TV and computer time at a minimum if the sun is up! The garden will not get away from me this year; I am more committed than ever.

This picture is for Layanee - this is what the raised beds look like right now. The picture I posted last time was from last August when the garden was in full bloom!

August 2008

Things are just starting to grow - but we did get our first sunflower bloom today.

Nothing says summertime like sunflowers.

After seeing all of the beautiful gardens while we were in Chicago last weekend, I was inspired to make a couple trips to the nursery to pick up some color for my yard. My red daylilies and selected Nasturtiums are blooming in the backyard, but I needed some other color - I planted zinnias (orange), cosmos (purple), daisies (white), sweet potato vine (black), moneywort (lime green), and verbena (pink). It's looking better already.

We planted Farmer Fred's pop corn when we got home where we just pulled out the garlic and greens that had bolted. Hopefully we can fend off the racoons! I know they sneak about the garden at night, without any damage right now.

The tomatoes and peppers are looking great this year! I am really looking forward to canning and preserving. The tomato cages are concrete reinforcing wire (huge thanks to my father-in-law for giving it to us), and typical tomato cages work very well for the peppers. I've been feeding them weekly with half-strength Peaceful Valley Farm Supply's OMEGA line of fertilizers - at first using the 6-6-6 and then moving to the 1-5-5 when flowers appeared. They seem to be liking the attention. I also bought some Sluggo Plus to take care of our roly poly problem (never mind the slugs that love to live in the mulch), only around plants I want to keep and not indiscriminately around the garden. Seems to have helped the peppers and tomatillos.

Tomatoes
Aunt Ruby's German Green
San Marzano
Abraham Lincoln
Amish Paste
Gardener's Delight
Old German
Garden Peach

Peppers
Habanero
Jalapeno
Serrano
Greek Golden Pepperoncini
Plain Golden Bell Pepper
Green Crimson Bell Pepper

After writing all this down, it doesn't feel like I do all that much in the garden. I know weeding, mulching, watering, fertilizing, and tending to plants takes much of the time I am outside, and I love every minute of it.

Waspinator - Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:19:00 +0000

Waspinator, originally uploaded by gardenpunk.

I recently posted a video review of the Waspinator product that keeps wasps out of your garden or BBQ naturally, without harm to them and mentioned that the one I used last year fell apart at the end of the season. It was one of the cons I listed actually.

I was contacted by Karen at Contech Enterprises, the maker of the Waspinator (and other products as the ScareCrow water sprinkler, amongst other animal training products), to let me know that they had a bad batch of Waspinators last year because typically they are UV-stabilized and shouldn't break down after a single season of use. She even offered a replacement!

I was happy to hear from Karen because I think reaching out to your audience to right situations is absolutely the hallmark of a good company. I was happy to hear from them, and if you read our policy on advertising in the Contact Us page of this website, we only post links to those companies we believe in (ie. we cannot be bought). I am happy to offer a link to their products and site because of their superior products and customer service.

If you're interested in the Waspinator or other well-designed products, please visit the Contech Enterprises website.

Thanks Karen!

Chicago Spring Fling 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:12:00 +0000

I could be totally long winded about how wonderfully awesome our trip was, but I'll keep it short.

It was an experience of a lifetime to meet the folks I've known online, and the trip and people exceeded my wildest expectations. So much I could say...

Thank you.

And a special thanks to the Spring Fling committee that made the trip well worth the while. I am glad to have met you and consider you among my friends.

Dirty Feet + 3 Trips to OSH (Sheet Mulch Project #3)

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:03:00 +0000

This post is about our most recent sheet mulch project. See earlier posts about projects #1 and #2.

"Tonight is an Aleve night." says the Tylenol girl.

After heading to Capital Nursery to pick up some worm poop for a different project, then to Sears and JC Penney (needed specific items only these two stores sell), picked up food at the farmer's market behind the mall, and finally headed to OSH (trip #1) to pick up edging, we headed home to work on the sheet mulch project.

Thank goodness it was only 80⁰ today! But it didn't prevent the backs of my legs from getting a little too much sun. Drats.

So, sheet mulch project #3 was similar to #2.

Ingredients for sheet mulching
Organic compost*
Mini bark mulch*
Edging material*
Half moon tool (So awesome. Glad I finally bought one!)
Lawnmower
String trimmer
Total materials cost*: About $350

(Captions above pictures)

Steps for sheet mulching

1. Cut lawn really short.

(At this point, we cut in the edge using a hose as a guide. Someday, this will be the edge of a walkway! )

And PS - Don't you love my goofy little Hoover outdoor push vacuum? It is wonderful - it was a gift a few years back. Chris hates it because he thinks it is the dorkiest thing ever, but hot damn does the thing work well!

2. Cover area with burlap (Trip #2 to OSH was because we ran out - buying in small quantities was way more expensive than Peaceful Valley...in which I was going to link to PV's burlap here and found out they no longer sell it until they find a new supplier! Bummer). We used one layer here because we're a little more sure of our sheet mulching abilities. We used two layers in project #2.

3. Wet area down thoroughly. This seems to help cut down on the dustiness of the project depending on your chosen compost/mulch fill.

4. Install edging. We did not use edging on one side of sheet mulch project #2, and let me tell you, it makes the edges look a ton more finished (we did however use pavers to separate our yard from the neighbor's on the other end). We purposely did not edge the bottom of either front yard project because edging would have caused the mulch to float over and flood away during heavy or steady rain because of the sloped nature of our front yard.

5. Pile on the compost. We calculated 1" of compost for the area to be covered. In project #2, two wheelbarrows were dumping while one person spread the compost. I recommend placing all compost before raking smooth - then you can see high and low spots more easily, and the compost will be even.

6. Rake the compost into a smooth and even layer.

7. Pile on the mulch. We again dumped about half the mulch before raking it smooth, and then did the same with the second half of the mulch. We calculated about 5-6" of mulch on top of the 1" of compost. (Notice in picture below, the driveway side has not been edged).

At this point, it was just a matter of spreading the mulch out evenly, but like any project in the Hobson household, the project evolves after beginning but before ending.

Trip #3 to OSH was to pick up another roll of edging to edge the side with the driveway, and up near the walkway to the front door. (In picture below, the driveway has been edged).

Ahh. That feels better.

Trip #3 to OSH also allowed us to pick up an additional roll of edging to clean up the edge on sheet mulch project #2 that we've been lazy about.

Ahh. This also feels better. Ignore the AWFUL lawn. It's a little crispy.

So here is what our front yard looks like. As you can see, we're not grass people. In fact, I'd say we pretty much suck at taking care of grass. And the grub damage is extensive. But I love the way the edging finishes the way both projects look. I'll focus on the good stuff today.

Ahh.

Stealing

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sat, 23 May 2009 02:50:00 +0000

Early Summer, originally uploaded by gardenpunk.

Thanks to my favorite Pancakemama - a quick post before the long weekend.

Looking forward to the Gold Driver in front of me (ala Farmer Fred), sheet mulch project, gardening, nursery visit, BBQ with friends, holding a baby I've never met, A's games in HD, enjoying the nice weather.

What are you doing this long weekend?

Advice to new gardeners

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 13 May 2009 02:57:00 +0000

As more people come into gardening, I have some advice.

Encourage a weedy spot in your garden. It will attract beneficial insects. (Bonus points for finding a way to not weed). Win-win.

Roly polies can damage plants. Make peace with them. (Case in point – I want diatomaceous earth, but perhaps chickens are a better alternative?)

Eat your greens. Before they bolt.

Take pictures to document your adventure. And preferably when it isn’t windy.
Alternate: Plant nasturtiums. Why? Because I love them.

Also, don’t let a messy backyard or garden deter you from taking pictures.

Related: Let your lawn turn into a meadow. (More points for laziness)

Let the aphids be. Soon enough the ladybugs and lacewings will move in for the kill.

Think of the birds when you find grubs.

Think about the other little creatures that need a place to live too. (Bonus points for laziness).

Reuse sticks from your garden in imaginative ways (dog-proofing the strawberry patch, for one).

Related: Help grandma by unstaking her mature trees and stealing the stakes for teepees. Bonus points if she has no idea you “helped”.

Use plants that others deem as ordinary, boring, and ubiquitous. There is a reason they got to be that way.

Sometimes seed packets lie. “Bush beans” may actually be vines.

Take cuttings of your favorite plants.

Graciously accept gifts from other gardeners.

Plant natives.

Eat what you grow.

Use covercrops, and slash for mulch.

Related: If you’re going to mulch, mulch heavily to prevent weeds.

Make peace with your enemies.

A final word on Ladybugs

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sat, 02 May 2009 03:42:00 +0000

In the last couple years I have posted about ladybugs – specifically buying them from your local hardware store to use in the garden. I received a lot of comments (and more criticism that I expected) for suggesting such a thing.

A smattering of arguments against the practice:

They’re invasive in my area.
They aren’t sustainably raised.
They're over harvested from their natural environment(s).

Do you ever feel like whenever you try to make the best decision possible, there is always information out there that you can point to in direct opposition of your decision or the information you've researched? For example:

I like meat. Mmm. Steak.
Steak tastes good.
Eating steak is bad for the environment.
Make sure that you eat beef finished on grass - it's better for the environment.
But beef finished on corn marbles better.
Beef is bad for you – think of the cholesterol and saturated fat!
But what about the French Paradox?
People need to eat more protein – meat being a chief source of it.
Corn prices are going up as corn is diverted to make biofuel
….I’ll leave it at that even though I could keep going

[Yes, these are all things I've heard or read RECENTLY about eating meat.]

Oh lordy. Just think about all the little decisions that you have to make! As someone who lives under the “Earth Day is everyday” umbrella, these little decisions quickly become overwhelming, and everyone has an opinion that they’re more than happy to share with you no matter what decision you come to. (I guess that's what pregnant women have to deal with to the n^th degree...)

I’ve used purchased ladybugs in my garden for the last couple years. However, how would you feel if I told you it was a stop-gap measure until my little property could support its own ladybug population? I never planned on buying ladybugs forever. I just wanted to get to a point where my yard sustained its own population - it only took 2.5 years.

My friends, we have ladybugs. EVERYWHERE. Larvae, eggs, and adults.

Quick edit: Pictured clockwise from left: Pupal stage, adult, mid-larva stage
Eggs not pictured - they had already hatched in the couple days between the mental birth of this post and the picture taking stage! For more pictures, info visit Wikipedia.

Plus they’re giving me an excuse not to mow my back lawn.

So folks, make the decisions that are best for you AND mindful for the environment simultaneously. Don't let the tsunami of available information on both sides of every decision/subject paralyze you from making necessary decisions. You’ll never please everyone all the time.

And buying ladybugs isn't the worst environmental decision one could make...

Masthead Archive

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sat, 02 May 2009 00:40:00 +0000

Starting new post so I can link it as a page...

2009

June

May

April

March

Waspinator Video Review

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:13:00 +0000

There's nothing like a post about being burned out to get the creative fires stoked again.

A quick video blog about the Waspinator - a pesticide/chemical-free way to rid your garden or BBQ/kegger of wasps. It'll just take a minute.

Waspinator Review from Katie Hobson on Vimeo.

Quick edit - The Waspinator works because wasps are territorial. When a wasp encounters the Waspinator, it thinks it is the nest of a neighboring crew and hightails it out of there ASAP!

This was the first take too! Yeah, that's how I roll. And see - I don't have a lisp!!

NorCal Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 04:55:00 +0000

NorCal Spring, originally uploaded by gardenpunk.

Right now, I am tired.
Right now, I have momentarily lost my focus.
Right now, I have a million thoughts but not enough bandwidth.
Right now, I feel unlike myself.
Right now, will become tomorrow will become next week in the blink of an eye.
Maybe then I will regain my focus.

And Right Now, I am thinking of a song by Van Halen.

Through Our Garden Gate

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 01:19:00 +0000

We have lived in our house for 2 years, 7 months, and 16 days. This is an important fact because I need you to realize this is how long we have been talking about putting a gate in our fence that leads from the backyard to our not-so-easily-accessible front yard.

Chris' Dad came over and helped us yesterday - and folks, we finally have a gate.

No more will we have to wheelbarrow all the way around our house if materials get delivered - just deliver 'em to the side of the house.

No longer will I have to walk all the way around the house to get to the front side yard. (or "Damn, I forgot the rake!")

I may have to institute a new exercise regimen to get the same amount of exercise as I used to.

Let me illustrate:

O = Where our existing gate is
Arrow = Where the new side gate is
X = Where we used to get materials delivered

(Our raised bed garden is through the NEW gate, to the left)

(This satellite image is from about 5 months before we bought our house, and does not show what we have sheet mulched, or the trees we've planted).

Captions BELOW photos.

3-2x4's
1-4x4 post
Hinges
Latch
2 bags concrete (140 lbs. total)

Chris' Dad did a really good job at making sure that we would be able to reuse all of the same posts and planks. We essentially added a new post and hung some 2x4's off of it, then used a Sawz-All to cut it open and add hinges.

Peek a boo!

Chris' Dad also wanted to preserve the 1x12 at the bottom of the fence, just to keep the same look as the rest of the fence. We still need to paint/stain the boards (and maybe the whole fence)... It is a little worn because this section has been hiding behind a photinia bush for a few years now.

Why, hello beautiful.
(Bucket is a relic from the days before we made a conscious effort to avoid big box stores).

Picture is taken from where watermelon will be planted shortly.

And because we're ambitious:

Our next project will be a pathway from the street to this gate. Stay tuned.

Let's Put Our Heads Together

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 05:49:00 +0000

NorCal Spring, originally uploaded by gardenpunk.

Got a really lovely email from Tavia today in which she had a question. Given my limited experience with turkeys, let's see if someone out there can help her!

I am in the process of clearing part of my front yard to plant an herbal lawn. Up until now, the local wild turkeys have only been a minor irritation when scratching up my yard and unearthing bulbs while looking for food. But, now I plan to scatter seeds for this new "lawn" and we are in prime turkey season. There are several of them around, all day long.

How do I keep the turkeys off my newly planted seeds (when I get to that point)? I don't want them to scratch around or make dirt bath holes and ruin all of my work. Any ideas? The only thing I have contemplated is laying down chicken wire on top of the seeds, but that would be a lot of wire and I would need to take it off before the plants get so big that they would be destroyed when I removed the wire...

I do appreciate any ideas you may have to pass along.

My thoughts were hay mulch over the seedlings, and staked off with the stakes tied together to form a barrier if possible. Chicken wire would be my first guess as well, but that can get costly.

Chime in if you can help!

National Safe Digging Month

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 04:49:00 +0000

I've worked in the electric utility industry since college, and perhaps that's why when I got an email asking if I would post about April being National Safe Digging Month, I said yes without hesitation.

If you live in a home built after 1975-ish, you most like have buried utility lines on your property somewhere. While the utility companies have requirements about how deep these lines must be, over time digging, grading, excavation, and other earth moving activities can bring them closer to the surface, risking damage to the lines if interfered with. Not only that, electricity lines in particular can be hazardous to the average gardener digging in their yard who hits a line with a shovel!

This is why I encourage everyone to call before they dig. There is now a national hotline (811) making it easier than ever to have the utility companies come out and mark locations of your utilities before you dig!

More information can be found at call811.com

My Earth Hour 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 05:18:00 +0000

Like many people, we participated in Earth Hour this evening.

We played Scrabble, and apparently I haven't been keeping score accurately all these years. Whoops!

Like last year, we lit a candle and placed it on the front windowsill to advertise our participation. Two candles this year to represent the second year of Earth Hour in our home.

What did you do for Earth Hour?