Thriifty Decor Chick: gardening

Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts

Me: 1 Weeds: 0

<div style="text-align: center;"><div align="left">I removed a dead snake, dodged several (live) large spiders, and unearthed hundreds of worms. There's still dirt under my nails, and my jeans are ruined. If I were a 12 year old boy, I'd be in heaven. </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVLqUqs9_6wIHA9q6PGdsI-v3dOVIYcjqo_46BXOn6_67qYJpmcVSGZbn8BUfENRQ48IrjrY0v28pv94Phn0ghTatYx2ZQ4fObE94V9YaJQ50FVnky0Hqfj60LLTxxC52gYBAzqlHESY/s1600/memorial+day+13+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVLqUqs9_6wIHA9q6PGdsI-v3dOVIYcjqo_46BXOn6_67qYJpmcVSGZbn8BUfENRQ48IrjrY0v28pv94Phn0ghTatYx2ZQ4fObE94V9YaJQ50FVnky0Hqfj60LLTxxC52gYBAzqlHESY/s320/memorial+day+13+002.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />However, I'm not a boy or 12 years old. And, I'm not a happy gardener. I love the garden when it's all pretty and finished, but I complain and whine through the process of getting there. That being said, the storms finally subsided, and I managed to finish weeding and mulching my foundation garden - I'm <em>DONE</em>! But because I dislike gardening, I make sure I don't have to do it twice in one summer. Once is truly enough.<br /><br />Weeding and mulching are the answer to a hassle-free garden for an entire summer. The mulch conserves moisture in the soil, which means you ultimately water less. It keeps down weeds, by eliminating sun light to the soil, and keeps the soil cool for your plant roots. <em>PLUS</em>, it makes your yard prettier in general. Mulching around trees simplifies mowing - and it keeps string trimmers (that's so formal, let's say "weed whackers"!) and lawn mowers away from tree trunks. This makes my husband, Big A, happy. <br /><br />The first step with the garden is to weed. Weeding is my Room 101. As you may have guessed, I'm not into worms, spiders, or rotten leaves. I'm not very fond of getting dirty. But weeding each year is a necessary evil. I don't have any tips or tricks for weeding - it takes a lot of back breaking effort, plus a lot of time, and you get super dirty. Sorry. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Here's how to weed (a tutorial): </div><div style="text-align: center;">PULL. OUT. EVERY. SINGLE. WEED. BY. THE. ROOT.</div><br />When you have a 5 year old to entertain while you weed, take heed: <em>If you give him the hose to play with, he will soak the garden, and you will not only be weeding, you will be weeding on a mud slick. </em><br /><br />Assuming you survive the weeding, the next step is to prevent future weeds. Spread your plant-free areas with newspaper, about 4 sheets thick. If it's windy, as you lay the paper down, wet it with the hose, or get some more exercise chasing it around the yard. <br /><br />Once the newspaper is down it's time to mulch. The chart shows how much you will need. <br /><br />            <img alt="How much garden soil or mulch do I need?" border="0" src="http://www.homedepot.com/hdus/en_US/DTCCOM/HomePage/Know_How/Buying_Guides/Outdoors_Buying_Guide/Garden_Center_Buying_Guides/Mulch_Amendments/Images/mulch-chart.gif" />         <br /><div class="clear"> </div><div><div class="promo-copy-noimage">Mulches should be applied at a 3" depth. Therefore, six 1 cubic foot bags will cover 24 square feet. This may be a little confusing, so, just ask at the store. I ended up needing 30 bags of mulch for my garden. You can do that math if you wish  - I prefer to save what little brain activity I have for trying not to get hurt while handling tools and such.</div><div class="promo-copy-noimage"> </div><div class="promo-copy-noimage"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Chart courtesy of </span><a href="http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/ContentView?pn=Mulch_Amendments&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Home Depot</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></div></div><br />Once I had the mulch that I needed, I laid each bag along the edge of the garden, where I thought I would need it. (Just to save hauling it bag by bag from the truck while I was spreading.)<br /><br />Spreading the mulch is easy. Just pour each bag where you think you're going to need it. Spread with the back side of the garden rake (not with the tines). Once it is spread out fairly well, it's easiest to finish spreading it up to the plants with your hands. Don't get the mulch near the base of the plant, leave a little room. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXR4zFtw5yiJoVcenfxGGQB8GGzIXDxcLD_KKqctqpaJh22nOyI0wgxIb7wo5dd_Pe6DTJ6Vh2OX0j4KzhQmwJkyjT_pRlKOTOqrXwzFKOnmJKvgEQX3parfgvOamR5Ri2jVPY3Waj5_0/s1600/memorial+day+13+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXR4zFtw5yiJoVcenfxGGQB8GGzIXDxcLD_KKqctqpaJh22nOyI0wgxIb7wo5dd_Pe6DTJ6Vh2OX0j4KzhQmwJkyjT_pRlKOTOqrXwzFKOnmJKvgEQX3parfgvOamR5Ri2jVPY3Waj5_0/s320/memorial+day+13+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Now a couple of notes: <br /><br /><ul><li>Putting untreated mulch up against your home’s foundation can lead to termite infestation. They are nasty. Make sure the untreated mulch is at least 12" away from your foundation. (We bought the treated mulch). </li></ul><br /><ul><li>Don't pile mulch right up to tree trunks or plant bases.The mulch holds moisture against the trunk, and that makes a breeding ground for fungus (or is it fungi?), which can eat right through the bark and cause the tree to die. Mulch should <em>never</em> be closer than six inches to a trunk.</li></ul><br /><ul><li>Mulch will last a summer or two, but isn't a permanent solution. All mulched areas should be renewed every couple of years by raking out the old material, re-spreading it thinly, and then covering it with fresh mulch.</li></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVLqUqs9_6wIHA9q6PGdsI-v3dOVIYcjqo_46BXOn6_67qYJpmcVSGZbn8BUfENRQ48IrjrY0v28pv94Phn0ghTatYx2ZQ4fObE94V9YaJQ50FVnky0Hqfj60LLTxxC52gYBAzqlHESY/s1600/memorial+day+13+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VurXq3i6G3mPO1JXtPpVLKckLu0vijaHMvBLBLZG1ari6qMLwn-shTvDJNSYn53ZqSK8ld-PZOVj1oLYsDG9bMpGc466EWLnRDM2PSqUHuuC-gQAmFnMPjZUu1wvp4KqudTSVIXg1hs/s1600/memorial+day+13+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VurXq3i6G3mPO1JXtPpVLKckLu0vijaHMvBLBLZG1ari6qMLwn-shTvDJNSYn53ZqSK8ld-PZOVj1oLYsDG9bMpGc466EWLnRDM2PSqUHuuC-gQAmFnMPjZUu1wvp4KqudTSVIXg1hs/s320/memorial+day+13+008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>With the garden done for this summer, I am so relieved. Now I can go back to painting things, and planting in containers! Phew! <br /><br />PARTY TIME: <br /><span style="color: #45818e;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Mop It Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.alderberryhill.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Make the Scene Monday at  Alderberry Hill</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.asortafairytale.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Monday No Rules Blog Hop at  A Sorta Fairytale</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://thegirlcreative.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Just  Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://betweennapsontheporch.net/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Metamorphasis Monday at  Between Naps on the Porch</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://makingtheworldcuter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Making the World Cuter Monday</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Before and After at  Thrifty Decor Chick</span></a><span style="color: blue;"> (first Monday of the month)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://thegunnysack.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">What's in the Gunny Sack at the  Gunny Sack</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Make It Pretty  Monday at The Dedicated House</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.modvintagelife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Mod Mix Monday at  Mod Vintage Life</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.creativecaincabin.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Budget Decorating Party at Creative Cain Cabin</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.skiptomylou.org/2013/04/29/made-by-you-monday-150/"><span style="color: blue;">Made By You Monday at Skip to my Lou</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://diyshowoff.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">That DIY Party at DIY  Showoff</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The  DIY'ers Link Party at Home Coming</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.creativelylivingblog.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Monday Funday at Creatively Living</span></a><br /><a href="http://jembellish.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-round-tuit-151.html"><span style="color: blue;">A Round Tuit at Creating My Way to Success</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></div><br />

Me: 1 Weeds: 0

I removed a dead snake, dodged several (live) large spiders, and unearthed hundreds of worms. There's still dirt under my nails, and my ...

11:17 AM

Sometimes You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do...

Some days, even with the best intentions, loads of ambition (and lots of caffeine), Mother Nature has other ideas for what I'm going to do with my day.<br /><br />This week I've been working on my front porch, and on my foundation garden.  I've been painting pots and furniture. I've been planting and weeding, and mulching. My back is sore and my nails are all broken, but it's all in a weeks work. Finally, today being Friday, this was the day the porch and the garden were all gonna come together. My hubby, Big A is home, the kids are at school, and we were gonna tie it all together. <br /><br />And then we had storms. Severe thunderstorms with hail and wicked winds. We woke up this morning and it's 42 F, windy and rainy, and there's a giant tree down in our yard. So, what's <em>Plan B </em>you ask? <br /><br />Well, I thought, have the following items out on my kitchen island: <br /><br />scissors, glue gun, ribbon, pliers, hammer, 18x24 canvas, paint, glass beads, a wall decal... Perhaps I could make something, and then I came up with<em> a plan</em>, in fact, the perfect <em>Plan B.</em><br /><br />Here it is:<br /><br />I'm gonna look out the window at my hunky hubby wielding a chainsaw, while I put the on the fire, cuddle on the sofa with my cat, and wait til the kids get home. That's not a bad start to the Memorial Day weekend. And, after all, tomorrow is another day!

Sometimes You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do...

Some days, even with the best intentions, loads of ambition (and lots of caffeine), Mother Nature has other ideas for what I'm going to ...

9:59 AM

Cowboy Style

Cowboy Style

[caption id="attachment_546" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Wellington Garden Boots[/caption] For those of ...

9:26 AM

Garden phobia

Staying with the garden "theme" that I have going at the moment, I was thinking about why, no matter how hard I try to like it, I dislike gardening.  I dislike yard work.  And it's not because I'm lazy. (I swear!)<br/><br/>When I was growing up, we had a few decent sized gardens, for both flowers and vegetables.  Strike that, my <em>PARENTS</em> had gardens.  We were encouraged to help in the gardens - pull a few weeds, eat a few peas...  You would think that those memories would evoke a certain amount of appreciation for gardening.  But I all I can remember are these few incidents:<br/><br/>1.  The tomato plants.  I loooove tomatoes.  They're delicious right out of the garden.  My mom used to slice them for us, and we'd eat them with a little sprinkle of salt.  However, one morning, someone else took a liking to fresh tomato, this guy:<br/><br/><img alt="" data-height="183" data-width="275" height="183" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSOd46-SI778aqWOv-uqnUuHTL5qkWDNcCEiwNBm7QmXZCRtULnaQ" width="275" /><br/><br/>A tomato horn worm!  And all of his brothers and sisters.  Nothing turns you off tomatoes faster than having to de-horn-worm tomato plants!<br/><br/>2.  Digging in the garden with a hand trowel.  There's no getting around having to dig around the plants in the garden (either to weed, or dig up potatoes, etc.).  I don't have a problem with that, I guess.  What I do have a problem with is this:  no matter how careful you are, you will cut a worm in half.  And both halves still move.  If that's not disturbing to a 10 year old girl, I don't know what is.  And, it's scarred me for life.<br/><br/>3.  Mowing/raking grass.  Now this story is fuzzy.  Either I blacked out right then and there and lost some of the details, <em><strong>or</strong> </em>I later blanked some of the details from my mind, so that I could live a fairly normal life.  I was working in the front yard, and I'm pretty sure I was raking the grass cuttings, and I think I was in bare feet.  Either way, here's what I'm getting at:  <em>I. STEPPED. ON. A. BABY. BIRD.  And it "popped".</em>  Horrifying!<br/><br/>And, that's why I don't believe I'm lazy.  I believe that I was traumatized in the garden as a child, and now it takes sheer determination for me to garden at all!<br/><br/>Today, in an effort to feel better about myself, and my obvious gardening phobia, I looked up "gardening horror stories" and "stupid gardening mistakes"...  This story from another sight made me laugh, and cheered me up, so I thought I'd share it with you!<br/><br/>A tale of turnips, from <a href="http://www.gardenweb.com">www.gardenweb.com</a> (IE. this is not my story):<br/><br/><em>My MIL had a big, beautiful garden on the side of a hill, and as her family was getting smaller, she offered me all the space I wanted. I planted a lot of vegetables, but the mistake I made was that I planted the whole packet of turnip (rutabaga) seeds. I had a row of turnip 50 feet long. I had the nicest crop of turnip you could imagine. There was only my husband and myself to eat them, but I know lots of people that like them, I could give some away.</em><br/><br/><em>When it came time to harvest them, I worked my heart out. I'd cut off the root and leaves, and fill the wheelbarrow, trot the wheelbarrow down the row and pile the turnips on the grass. I worked for hours!</em><br/><br/><em>Finally, I was done, I took the knife into the house and washed it off, and went back out to the garden to admire my turnips. I had a pile of turnips as tall as I am. I was almost up to this great pile when a few turnips at the bottom of the pile moved, the whole lot of them started rolling down the hill. I was chasing after them, I'd gather a few in my arms and when I'd reach for another the ones in my arms would get away and continue down the hill. I must have made quite a sight, because my brother-in-law was laughing at me. "You'd better catch them," he</em> called,<em> "They're going to wipe out the neighbor's house"!</em><br/><br/><em> </em>Now, that's funny!<em>  </em><br/><br/>Got any gardening horror stories?<em> </em>

Garden phobia

Staying with the garden "theme" that I have going at the moment, I was thinking about why, no matter how hard I try to like it, I ...

10:03 AM

Shoulda Used Mulch

<blockquote><br/><div align="center"><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>So, as I mentioned in my last post, I kinda dropped the ball, and left my new garden nekkid, while I took off for two weeks.  I came home to a garden filled with full grown weeds, some larger than my actual plants.  So without further ado, I'm off to finally buy some mulch!  Apparently the number one way to keep the weeds at bay, is to use mulch! </em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>Not to mention, mulching flower and vegetable gardens will not only greatly reduce the amount of time spent on your knees weeding, it also helps with watering and fighting pests. Mulch also looks nice, and it keeps dirt from splashing up on your flowers and vegetables when it rains.</em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>I am going for the wood chip type mulch, but there are all kinds of things you can choose.  Oyster shells, stone, newspaper, leaves....  The organic mulches are made out of a material that used to be living, such as bark, straw, leaves, grass clippings and pine needles. These mulches add nutrients to the soil as they decompose and also encourage earthworm activity.  (He he.  "Earthworm activity".  What is that, like, do worms have summer camps where they have "activity day", making little potholders for their moms?)</em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em></em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>Anyway, if your buying wood mulch it can be pretty overwhelming trying to figure out how much to buy!  Mulch is usually sold by the cubic yard, and if you're anything like me, you'll stand there, starting at the pile of mulch bags, <del>lost and confused</del> deep in thought... </em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em> </em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>Save yourself the stress, because here’s the easiest way to figure it out:</em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em> </em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>1. First, find out the area you want to cover in square feet. In other words, multiply the length of your garden by the width.</em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em> </em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>2. Next, decide how deep you want your mulch to be, in inches. A couple of inches is usually sufficient.  More is not necessarily better.</em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em> </em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>3. Now multiply the size of your garden in square feet (#1) by the depth of your mulch in inches (#2).</em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em> </em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>4. Divide the number you get in #3 by 324. This is the number of cubic yards of mulch you will need to cover your garden.</em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">So, there you have it.  Mulch 101.  </span></p><br/><br/></div></blockquote><br/>

Shoulda Used Mulch

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I kinda dropped the ball, and left my new garden nekkid, while I took off for two weeks. I came home to...

4:31 AM

Me: 1 Weeds: 0

Sometimes You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do...

Cowboy Style

Garden phobia

Shoulda Used Mulch

Popular Posts

Blog Archive