Archive for the ‘Garden’ Category
Sunflowers are getting bigger
My sunflowers are now nearly as tall as my husband.
The birds!
I have so little flourishing at the moment: it’s too hot for radishes, my limas aren’t growing, I’ve had bad luck with cucumbers. I can’t afford to lose the few precious veggies I have to birds! Note the carnage I found this morning:
I’ve covered with some old burlap. Hopefully it does the trick.
Shopping Etsy: Garden decor
The Diamondbacks are playing the Toronto Blue Jays on May 22nd.
I’ve heard that they are a horrible team, but I chose to go to the game, mostly (as in 100% why) because they are giving away a D-backs garden gnome figurine.
I recounted this to a friend and he asked, “What exactly does a garden gnome do?”
Um, um, um. Good question.
According to Wikipedia:
A garden gnome is a figurine of a small humanoid creature, usually wearing a pointy hat, produced for the purpose of ornamentation, typically of gardens or on lawns. These figurines originate in 19th century Germany, where they became known as Gartenzwerg (literally “garden dwarf”). The application of the term gnome in English is first attested in the 1930s.
So basically, they are garden statues. Period.
What a disappointment. I was hoping they’d been placed in gardens to ward away bad garden mojo, for a good yield, etc. But in actuality, their sole purpose is to be cute.
So in the spirit of well-appointed gardens, here are a few things that might add a little magic to yours:
1.) Happy Buddha, $54
2.) A Trio of Gnomes, $20
3.) Ceramic Mushroom Garden Ornament, $14.50
4.) Garden Herb, $9
5.) Vintage Fawn Outdoor Statue, $30
6.) Allium Garden Ornament, $39
7.) Mosaic Ladybug Stepping Stone, $75
Sprout time
I planted some brussels sprouts awhile ago — and have been eyeing the mini-cabbage balls for awhile now.
But I was afraid to eat them.
“I remember when I grew brussels sprouts in Oregon, ” my mom said, “but when I saw the bugs, I wouldn’t eat them.”
The bugs aren’t really my problem. I just worried that they wouldn’t really be that good.
So I plucked a few, doused them in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper…and you know what?
They weren’t that good.
The death of a salad table
90+ degree weather equals dead lettuce (see below).
While my transplants are showing slight wilt, my mixed lettuce blend has definitely seen better days.
Mark your garden
I feel like I need to make my own garden markers, but I really want these:
Corn flake
I’m feeling like a bona fide farmer at the moment.
Why? Because I’m growing corn!
The line of 12 below is just a test to see if it proves to be a decent barrier between us and the neighbors (sorry neighbors).
Thank you, Easter Bunny
My parents and in-laws were coming over for Easter brunch. It seemed as good an occasion as any to unearth my carrots. After all, I planted them in October.
So after 5 1/2 months I pulled them up from their more substantial greenery, and…
real-sized carrots!
Downloadable compost list
As a newbie gardener, I recently started my very own compost.
I got a tumbler and began saving scraps with the bit of info, “Combine roughly 50% green and 50% brown” and “keep it moist.” That’s pretty much it.
There’s a bit of apprehension when it comes to tossing trash into a bin outside with the understanding it’s going to STAY there for a long, long time. What if it smells? What if it attracts cockroaches? What if I do it wrong?!
As a novice, I’m always wondering what exactly IS compostable.
So I created a fairly attractive, downloadable list of items that are generally compostable, with most notated whether they are “green” items or “brown” items.
