Agave in Vacation House Garden

Agave at Vacation House

May 19, 2010

There is a large cactus with a few baby cacti in the front garden of our vacation home.  It is an Agave that I think is Agave guiengola from the descriptions I found.  The leaves are thick, broad and triangular forming a rossette.  They have a bluish powder that gives the leaves a pale greenish grey colour.  The leaves have marginal spines that are quite small. 

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Vacation Gnomes

Vacation Gnomes

May 22, 2010

As the happy keeper of Gnome Empire in Ontario, Canada I was anxious to have a few gnomes volunteer to help establish a Gnome Empire Outpost at the vacation home.  I looked high and low to no avail.  I was becoming quite discouraged ready to put out an SOS for any gnomes willing to join the Gnome Empire Outpost.  Just when I was giving up hope these 2 friendly gnomes popped out of the woodwork to volunteer their services.  I was ecstatic at their generosity so took them up on their very kind offer.  Now what many don't realize is a gardener does not choose what gnomes come into their lives.  Rather the gnome chooses the gardener.  Gnomes are very helpful creatures but only to those who love the little ones.  They bring a mystical magic to the garden that's hard to capture through any other means.  I'm so glad these gnomes decided to join the Outpost!
Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Vacation Home Gardens

I mentioned here a few times in the past couple of months about learning to garden in a different zone.  Our permanent Canadian residence is in Zone 6A that should remain the same if we move although we would have less of the direct warming effects of the water.  Our vacation home is located in US Hardiness Zone 9A so that will present quite a difference in what I can grow.

Pictured is the front garden of our vacation home.  There is a magnolia that was just starting to bloom, a large unknown cactus with a few baby cacti, and some Azalea.  There are also two window boxes on the front porch and a couple of planted containers.

We own the house but not the land so that does present a few restrictions.  Additional garden beds and plantings are encouraged though providing they are kept neat and tidy.  I am planning on planting a couple of citrus trees during our next trip.  Grass cutting and edging is done through the park so we don't have to worry about that. 

The gardens are mulched with wood chips.  We added more mulch to the front bed but not the sides as we ran out of time so our next trip we will mulch the rest.  Mulch becomes even more important in this area to help conserve water.  We have a programmable, automated watering system that we are allowed to use on Mondays (county restriction).  Ideally this is not the set-up I would like but I'm not growing organic vegetables there.  I will be considering installing a gravity fed watering system using collected rainwater.  The rainy season is just about ready to start so that will give me a couple of months to work on how best to water.

From what I've seen all of the gardens are planted in low maintenance vegetation.  This will fit in with our needs in a vacation home nicely.  The main garden bed wraps around the house.  Pictured are the shrubs along the side of the shed.  The side and back beds are about 2 feet wide planted in a low growing shrub that I thought initially was Azalea but looking at the photos in a bit more detail perhaps it isn't.  I will have to do a bit of plant identification.  They too are dressed in wood mulch that as you can see needs a bit of topping up. 

I will be doing a bit of research and talking to the neighbours to see how to maintain all of the vegetation in the gardens.  There are several knowledgeable gardeners in the community so I'm looking forward to getting to know them.  I also plan on participating in the community Garden Club when we are there.  Garden Clubs are a great way to meet other gardeners, share knowledge and trade plants or seeds. 

The whispy shrubs follow nicely along the back edge of the shed, side of the house and just to the upper left side where the bed wraps around the back of the house.  The central AC unit We did a bit of clean-up mainly weeding along all of the beds.  The bed on the right hand side when facing the front of the house will need the most work although it really isn't too bad.  We cleared it of weeds so once we get the mulch topped up we will have a better idea of what's needed.  To the lower edge of this picture right near the corner there is a good amount of what looks like cable cord we have to tidy up but other than that the beds look rather good given the house was empty for so long.

We have had amazing luck with neighbours at our current home.  They really are some of the best neighbours you will ever find.  We have however had one experience of having rather nasty neighbours but for the most part neighbours have been on the good side.  Imagine our surprise arriving at our vacation home to find one of the neighbours had planted all of our planters!  They chose a two tone purple petunia and I was just elated when I saw them.  Petunias are almost an over used landscaping plant here so pulling into the driveway to see petunias waving in the wind was like a little wave from home as well a a big wave from neighbours we will get to know.  

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

New Gardens

We have been enjoying the new to us vacation home complete with gardens.  The gardens wrap around the house with a wider section to the front.  This is the first time we have ever dealt with an HOA but in this case I really don't mind.  Vacation homes are significantly different from your permanent home in that the vacation home may or may not be rented out or it may be empty for a good portion of the year so having someone keep an eye on the place for us is an asset.

We bought wood mulch to refreshen what was already there.  I'm going a bit low keyed until I identify all the plants although they are fairly common landscaping plants here.  There is an automated watering system that took us a few days to figure out.  We water once a week according to the county schedule.  I'm not sure yet what new beds we will be putting in.  For now that will be left to our next trip here.  This trip we focused on cleaning up the beds, revamping the mulch and enjoying the company of a couple of friendly little geckos.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Vacation Home Gardening

My gosh, I was so excited when I got the news that the vacation home was finalized!  In terms of gardening it meant I would be learning how to garden in a totally different zone from our permanent home of Zone 6A.  When we arrived here to finally check out what we bought almost a month and a half after signing the final papers I was overwhelmed at the work involved.  It wasn't the work as in the house needed major work but more the work of shopping to stock the house.  Goodness, I hate shopping at the best of times so shopping to stock a house that was basically empty was just a bit too much for me.  So I'm on to learning all about gardening here.  We actually have a programmable watering system!

I know I won't be planting much in the way of fruits or vegetables although I do want an orange tree.  The gardens are planted to surround the house along the perimeter by about 2 feet with low maintenance shrubs and a larger garden to the front.  A couple of geckos flit in and about the garden with the smaller one getting into the lanai.  We've been told that a gecko in the lanai is good luck and he [actually I think a she] is rather friendly so I don't mind.  A couple of gnomes have arrived to expand the Gnome Empire here.  I will be posting more about my new gardens along with pictures shortly.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Stump Removal

A Couple of Stumps

May 10, 2010

A couple of weeks ago we did a massive ripout which is rather on par for this property.  We have definitely been doing more ripping out than planting since the property was so over planted and poor planted with inappropriate plants.  This time we got smart and hired out the work.  The guys came in with a small backhoe.  Within 2 hours the two gardens being ripped out were no more.  All the stumps were gone!  Had we done this by hand it would have taken us several days.  We were left with a blank slate to replant as we want.  As soon as it dries enough they will delivering 8 cubic metres of top soil so things will really start happening then!  It's funny because I was concerned over the local predictions that we were going to have a dry spring but it hasn't turned out that way.  I'm anxious to get the new beds going along with landscaping.

Happy Gardening!  
Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Transplanting Raspberry Canes

Raspberries are one of my favourite fruits so I feel quite lucky to live quite close to a U-pick raspberry farm.  Raspberries even at the U-pick are likely the most expensive local fruit at $2.25 per pint.  The reason for this is raspberries deteriorate rapidly after picking with a refrigeration life of about 2 days.  I usually buy the amount of raspberries I will use that day.  I have never grown raspberries but have decided to put in a raspberry patch this year either here if we stay or at the new house if we move.  Things are still up in the air so I'm moving forward as planned.

Raspberries are either spring or fall bearing from what I have found.  Not only is the fruit delicious but the leaves can be dried for raspberry tea.  According to the research I've done the canes should be planted a foot apart and the roots kept moist after transplanting.  Here is a video I found that explains how to transplant raspberry canes.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

In the Garden And How I Plant Tomatoes

Our ADLF has past so thought have turned to planting the garden beds.  Ideally cold loving plants such as chards and lettuces are planted 2 weeks before ADLF but my beds will be planted a bit late this year but well within the time frame for a good harvest.  I will be planting tomatoes on the May 24 weekend.  According to gardening legend here gardens need to be planted by May 24 for corn to be knee high by July 1.  So as long as my garden is planted by May 24 I'm a happy gardener.

In the meantime this is a good time to work compost and other soil amendments into the soil and prep the beds for planting.  It is also a good time for me to prep the beds with the square foot grid.  This year rather than using yarn I'm using gardening twine.

I plant a lot of tomatoes as well as grow tomatoes year round indoors.  Since most of a tomato plant's root are in the top six inches of soil I like to plant in a trench at an angle rather than a deep hole.  This keeps the roots growing near the surface warm and creates a stronger root system for the plant.  I add 2 - 3 tbsp epsom salts to the trench when planting the tomatoes then sprinkle 1 tbsp per foot of height around the base of the tomato plants every two weeks.  Epsoms salts provide magnesium and calcium for the plant resulting in better growth, fruit set, and less blossom end rot (BER). 

I use the square foot gardening method in raised beds for planting tomatoes outdoors so one plant per square foot.  I put the supports in when planting as they are easier to do when the plants are small.  Since my tomatoes are trained to grow up the supports slugs are not a problem.  I also protect my raised beds with a trim of copper tape around the perimeter of the beds to control slugs.

Happy Gardening!  

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Geraniums

Geraniums 

May 13, 2010

The common garden geranium is likely one of the most popular of gardening plants perhaps tying in popularity with petunias.  I think every home gardener has at least one geranium growing in their garden.   They do nicely in pot, hanging baskets and in garden beds.  The reason for their popularity aside of their showy blooms is for the most part geraniums are rather low maintenance, problem free plants.  They can even stand a bit of abuse like drying out and they overwinter well.  Propagation is through rooting clippings.  My experience has been that geraniums benefit from dead heading spent blooms if only to keep the plant looking nice.

The neighbour kids were selling geraniums for a local school fund raiser.   They were $3 per 4 - inch potted geranium.  Now I know I could have bought them cheaper at likely one of the box stores (eg. Canadian Tire) but this was for a good cause as well as fostering good neighbour relation so I bought 10 at that price.  The adorable kids delivered my plants on the 12^th. They are nice healthy looking plants that I will be using in window boxes.  Aren't they cheery?

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Three Plant Purchases

Strawberries, Grapes & Tomato

May 8, 2010

I love plant shopping anytime but in the spring it is even more exciting!  I seriously will shop for plants wherever I can find them ranging from the big box stores like Canadian Tire to specialized plant nurseries to farm stands.  I stopped at Canadian Tire to see what they had in stock knowing full well it is really to early to get much in the ground as far as plants.  I bought a grape vine (Valiant) so that should be interesting.  It has been years since I've had a grape vine and if I recall correctly the grapes were white and sour but the birds loved them.  I bought June bearing strawberries (Veestar).  There are some strawberries here that have somewhat naturalized but I'm not sure what the variety and there are a few volunteer strawberry plants from last year's everbearing hanging basket.  I plant a bed with the new strawberries so I'm sure what I have while enjoying the volunteers.  Despite having a lot of tomatoe plants in various stages from seedlings to ready to fruit, I could not resist another tomato plant so bought a Beefsteak.  When it comes to tomatoes I focus on beefsteak, cherry and heirloom varieties because I have all the canning tomatoes (paste) I can use for free so I save the garden space for those tomatoes I don't get free.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Unknown Has Been Identified as Columbine

Columbine

(Aquilegia)

May 10, 2010

I recently posted about 2 clumps of unknown plants coming up in the gardens.  I knew I had identified them previously.  They are Columbine (Agilegua) and thanks to a recent rip-out (more to come on that) it looks like I am now down to one clump.  It is quite pretty so hopefully will spread in the current location.  I may pick up a few more to plant along with this one just to help fill the bed.  I am glad this pretty little plant has been re-identified!
 
Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Gnome Bath

Gnome Bath

May 11, 2010

The Gnome Empire now has a population of twenty and growing.  What many don't realize is gnomes enjoy having a nice bath at least one a year whether they need it or not.  In between baths they also enjoy a shower much the same as humans do.  They also enjoy a liberal spraying of Krylon® clear coat that acts as a sunscreen to keep their colours bright and cheery. 

Pictured are three of the gnome residents with their friends after their bath.  A gnome bath is quite dependent on the gnome's personality (size, composition).  Some larger gnomes will need a sponge bath while mid-sized and smaller will can have a regular bath.  They enjoy a mild soap using an exfoliate brush to get rid of any grime after a hard season of helping in the garden.  Some gnomes may need a refreshing coat of paint or even just a change of clothes.  I find my gnomes like wearing traditional colours for their clothing as do most gnomes although I'm told some city gnomes wear a bit more non-traditional colours but we are so rural that city gnomes find our way of life a bit too unexciting and quiet.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Mother's Day Herbal Gifts

There is no such thing as too many herbs!  The beauty of herbs is they can be grown indoors and outdoors without much effort.  If growing indoors the main requirement is light followed by proper watering.  Herbs tend to like to be on the dry side.  Many will grow nicely on a window sill or on the balcony.  A couple of our kids gifted me with two potted herbs for Mother's Day. 

The first potted herb planter consisted of five herbs planted in a cute planter suitable for indoors.  As the herbs get larger they can easily be transplanted outdoors.  The herbs in this pot are parsley, sage, oregano, thyme and rosemary from Freeman Herbs in Beamsville, Ontario.  Aren't they gorgeous?  The tag includes suggested ways of using the herbs.  Once the herbs outgrow this pot they can easily be repotted outdoors in the garden where they will flourish as perennial herbs or they can be repotted in larger containers for indoor growing.  Not only do they smell heavenly they are just so lovely to behold!

The second potted herb is a variety of basil called pesto Perptuo.  According to the tag this is the sweetest tasting basil of all basils.  It provides a good fall harvest and can overwinter indoors.  When it comes to basil there is no such thing as too much.  I love basil!  It's one of those herbs that even in the garden I'm constantly pinching to make the plant bushier while popping the pinchings in my mouth savouring the wonderful flavour.

There are several varieties of basil and quite honestly I would have one plant of every one of then given my druthers.  This herb when used fresh really adds that extra and in my opinion fresh is far better than dried so is well worth cutivating indoors during the winter.  Basil is an annual in our area so basil plants in the garden are brought in to overwinter indoors.  Clippings will root in water which is quite handy if you don't want to dig up plants in the fall.  Basil is best if you don't let it come to bloom so harvest leaves often.  Pinching will result in a bushier plant.  It does grow well indoor and outdoor plants overwinter well indoors as well.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Volunteer Violets

Volunteer Violets

April 29, 2010

I love finding volunteer plants in my garden even if some of them are more in the weed category than plants.  Even some weeds are beneficial though as some act as companion plants, others are edible and others still are both.  On one of the paths between the garden beds I discovered several violets.  Now this doesn't surprise me as the new beds and paths on on part of a rip out we did.  The Irish moss I planted in 2008 has not done as well as expected so what I'm considering is reworking that bed then transfer the violets to it.  I think they may be a bit harder for that bed but I want to wait long enough to see if the Irish moss rejuvenates itself so won't be doing any transplanting until the end of the month.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Gnome Empire Has New Residents

New Gnomes & Sprite

May 8, 2010

I am pleased to announce that the Gnome Empire has new residents!  Four new Gnomes and one Sprite have become inhabitants of the Gnome Empire bringing the population to 20.  Rumour has it that other Gnomes are considering moving to the Gnome Empire.  Construction is planned for the Gnome Empire as well that will see the smaller Gnomes with their own entrance door so they can visit with the house Gnomes.  As you wander through my gardens this year be sure to keep a look-out for Gnomes and their companions.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Finding Frugal Garden Supplies

Garden Netting and Twine

Gardening can be as expensive or as frugal as you want to make it.  Most serious home gardeners turn to starting their own seeds which is considerably less expensive than buying plant plugs and potted plants.  At the same time there is a wide range of gardening supplies needed to help get the best yield possible.  There are several sources for getting gardening supplies and equipment without breaking the bank.  Here are a few resources I use:

• dollar stores - Pictured are a few of my recent dollar store purchases, garden netting and twine that cost me $3.75.  Dollar stores stock a lot of decorative gardening items but at the same time they also stock a lot of very useful gardening items such as pots, bird netting, hand tools, ties, twists, plant stakes, and so much more.  It is surprising at what supplies you can get for as little as a couple of dollars.
• yard sales - Yard sales are ideal for picking up inexpensive used pots, planters, garden decor and occasionally potted plants.
• restaurants/doughnut shops - These are great resources for getting 5 gallon pails for your container garden.  Some will give away the pails free while others charge a small fee of about $1. 
• farm auctions - Quite often smaller garden tools can be found inexpensively at farm auctions.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Automatic Watering Globe

A couple of days ago I was pondering the problem of container plants drying out and wanted an inexpensive solution to ensuring houseplants were adequately watered when we are away.  Houseplants are as problematic if we are gone for 2 or 3 days but outdoor container plants can easily become too dry in the period of a few hours.  I recently wrote about a gravity fed watering system that I am planning on setting up for this year's garden experiment.  While this system has a lot of potential for containers grouped together as in patio or balcony gardening it would be a bit more difficult to expand to using with containers spread a distance from each other and modifications would need to be made for indoor usage.  So I've been looking at other options while tweaking the gravity fed watering system design for indoor usage as well.

I know watering globes and clay watering spikes have been available for quite some time.  I didn't use them mainly because there wasn't a lot of need.  Usually the kids check our house and water plants when we are away.  I found watering globes at the dollar store for $2 each and decided they would be a good idea especially in the sunporch where plants tend to dry out quicker than those in the house.  I bought 2 of them to try.  The dollar store watering globes came in at just under half the price of those sold at Canadian tire.

A watering globe is made of hand-blown glass.  It provides a bit of a decorative element to potted plants while ensuring they do not dry out.  They are quite easy to use buy simply filling then inverting and inserting the stem into the soil where the water will be released into the soil via gravity and osmosis.  The size I bought will keep a plant watered for up to 2 weeks.  I think these watering globes will be wonderful for use indoors and in the sunporch.  I'm a bit concerned over direct sun exposure for outdoor potted plants where the water could heat in the reservoir to the point of being too hot for the plant.  Since the watering globe is made of glass it is a bit more fragile than other watering methods as well so this won't be an option I use much outdoors other than protected areas. 

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Happenings in My Gardens

This spring has been rather an interesting one with above average temperature and below average rainfall followed by cooler temperatures, frost threatening and a fair amount of rain.  I'm glad to see the rain after a rather dry winter but soon it will be interfering with local farmers' planting.  In many ways it seems we are heading back to the old adage here to plant the corn by May 24 to have it knee high for July 1.

I admit to being a bit envious of my neighbours as I watch them plant their gardens but I know frost is still just waiting to pop up and zap those plants so I'm holding off aiming for the May 24 timing of old.  I've planted as late as mid-June and still had a descent harvest so this year with the unpredictable weather waiting seems rather prudent.  I have however bought a few plants and have been planting in containers indoors where I know my plants won't suffer a frost.  Some of these plants will remain as part of my continuous harvest indoor  garden where really the only things I have to worry about is lighting and spacing.  Oh sure there are the occasional problems but for the most part most of the headaches of growing outdoors are eliminated.

A couple of days ago we did a major rip-out.  Well actually it was started in the fall then the weather turned nasty so there were all the stumps, lava rock, a couple of shrubs, one tree and a bit of miscellaneous stuff to remove.  We got smart and hired this job out.  I will post more on this but I will say hiring it out was one of the best things we did.  The rip-out looked amazing when they were finished about 2 hours later!  We are still waiting on the 8 cubic yards of top soil to be delivered which likely won't happen until next week as they are calling for rain the rest of this week. 

We are planning on putting in a couple of new raised beds depending on whether we are moving or not.  That whole thing is still up in the air with us actually now considering taking our house off the market.  In the meantime garden plans are moving forward.  At this late date anything we plant as far as vegetables we will see some type of harvest if we move.  I did buy another strawberry plant and a grape plant (more on that) and will be buying raspberry canes this year so they will remain in pots until we make a final decision on moving.  The gnomes have had their biannual bath so the garden is in full swing, ready for the season!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Frost Warnings

Our average day of last frost (ADLF) is May 11 this year for our area. Saturday (May 8, 2010) I decided to treat myself to a bit of plant shopping. Like many gardeners I'm anxious to get out in the garden. There were a lot of hanging planter and potted plant selections in time for Mother's Day (May 9, 2010) but not much more. Despite the gorgeous weather we had been having the weather turned rather nasty on Thursday then proceeded to get nastier so by Saturday's shopping trip Environment Canada had issued high wind warnings for our area. The winds were bad enough but then there was the drizzle making it a lousy day for wandering through nurseries. I picked out 3 potted plants (more on that to come) then managed to get them into the car without being blown away. They salesgirl warned me the of a frost warning for that night so I put the plants indoors then checked the weather channel. Sure enough there was a frost warning for that night (May 8) and according to the weather report the threat of frost will remain until later in the week as late as May 15^th.

At this point there is no choice but to play the waiting game on the weather while getting things ready for gardening behind the scenes indoors.  I've been restocking gardening supplies, planting/caring for seedlings, purchasing plants and cleaning pots for replanting along with making plans for expanding this garden or the possible move.  This year I will be expanding the container gardening portion of my garden just in case we do follow through with the move so that will be exciting.  Here's hoping I can be out working in the garden and setting up containers shortly!

Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome ©2006-2010

Calla Lily (Zantedischia)

Calla Lily 

(Zantedeschia)

May 7, 2010

My husband surprised me with a Calla Lily on the weekend.   Calla lilies are not actual lilies but rather are comprise of 28 herbaceous flowing plant species in the Zantedschia genus originating in the marshlands of South Africa.   They are actually considered weeds there!  They grow from bulbs (rhizomes) that spread by producing more bulbs.  The new bulbs can be dug up an replanted in another location.  Calla lilies are quite hardy and will grow in most soil conditions as long as the climate is humid enough.  They can reach a height of 1 to 2.5 m tall with large leaves.  The inflorescence ranges in colours including white, yellow or pink funnel shaped spathe with a central yellow spa.  My calla lily have a yellow with reddish streaked spathe.  Calla lilies should be kept out of reach of children and pets as all parts of the plant contain calcium oxalate that will cause irritaion and swelling of the mouth and throat, acute vomiting and diarrhea.

The Calla lily is rather a low maintenance plant requiring little care.   The soil should be kept damp at all times but not too wet to cause the bulb to rot.  The nursery suggested repotting this calla lily into a larger pot.  It can spend the nicer weather outdoors if desired.  While the calla lily will survive a minor frost I will be bringing mine indoors before the threat of any frost in the fall.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

An Early Evening Garden Visitor

We are very fortunate to live in a rural area with an abundance of wildlife.  Our house backs onto the water so there is an amazing variety of waterfowl throughout the year.  There are two pairs of Mallard ducks nesting on our property this year and Mute Swans visit daily.  Although some of the wildlife we encounter such as mice are not quite welcomed for the most part the wildlife tends to be mainly an enjoyment mixed with a little pest behaviour at times.

A couple of nights ago just after dinner as dusk was falling my husband spotted a garden visitor.  This friendly little fellow was on the stairwell landing looking straight into our patio doors.  Obviously the smells from dinner had attracted him as he was about 10 feet diagonally from the patio door.   The picture was taken through the patio door.

We knew that there were raccoons (Procyon lotor) in our area.  We've heard their chatter and had seen tracks in our yards.  What surprised me is until this little guy appeared we had not actually seen them.  Isn't he just adorable?  To the right there is Lily of the Valley is now in bloom.

We have a fair amount of experience with raccoons being seasoned campers.  Raccoons can be problematic because they love to raid garbage pails.  It is surprising how they can get into picnic coolers and garbage pails with little effort.  A few days before the raccoon visit I had set a bag of garbage on the patio with the intentions of asking my husband to put it in the garage when he got home.  I forgot so was greeted to the bag being ripped open and a mess to clean up.  I wasn't sure what had got into the bag but from experience even grackles and crows will peck open a bag of garbage.  Now I think it might have been the raccoon and since raccoons are smart little critters he likely came back to see if I forgot again.  Raccoons, skunks, ermines and possums are a bit more problematic for us given the design of our house.

Our house is tucked into a sloped bank with the water edge considerably lower than the street edge.  It is a two level house but in reality three level with upper level above ground, entrance level almost on the ground and lower level mainly below ground.  The kitchen is on the lower level.  Pictured is the kitchen looking in from the great room.  The window is about 4 - inches from the ground.  To the right is the start of the patio door entrance that leads to a covered patio with screen-in sunporch above it.  This presents a problem.

Garden visitors especially larger ones like raccoons can easily get through the window or patio door if determined enough.  There is no way we can get to either window or patio door to shut the glass panes if the visitor is a skunk as I found out last summer.  A skunk was sniffing around the patio screen door.  It was a beautiful night so I was enjoying the fresh air while watching tv when the skunk appeared.  I used an old camping trick of shining a flashlight into his eyes then held my breath as he mosied on without spraying.  We take the precautions of not leaving food out on the counters and cleaning up immediately after meals so as to not encourage the possibility of attracting critters to the window and door.  We also pull the glass panes to where they are open by about 4 inches to let air in but not critters.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

New Lawn Mower

YardMachines by MTD

May 3, 2010

Five years ago we moved away from cutting our own lawn to a yard service.  This resulted in our lawn being neat and tidy looking even when we were away.  Now if you have been following this blog you will know a lovely green carpet is not my idea of being eco-friendly.  The problem is while gradually reducing the grass it still has to be maintained until it can be eliminated.  So the lawn service fit the bill nicely.  This spring as I was going through my normal 'where can we be a bit more frugal' spring cleaning, the lawn service became one of my targets.

The lawn service was costing us $650 per year but they did all the cutting, trimming and bagging.  Several times they cut the lawn when we were away even though it didn't need it and shorter than it should have been especially in the summer.  The real problem was the bottom line was the lawn service was adding to our carbon footprint not decreasing it.  Most times there were 3 people during a cutting session with 2 mowing and one trimming.  They drove to get to our house then drove to the dump's compost pile to unload clippings then drove home.  That's a lot of carbon going into the atmosphere!  At the same time one of our kids volunteered to cut the lawn while we were away so our house will be watched on a regular basis with lawn cut all for a bit of food from the pantry and freezers plus the use of our outdoor grill.

We bought a YardMachines by MTD from Home Hardware at a total cost of $316.37 that will give us a net savings this year of $339.68 followed by $650 each year after that.  The mower has a 139cc MTD PowerMore OHV engine designed to run more efficiently and produce fewer emissions than the standard L-head engines.  It has a 21" deck with 8" wheels and 9 position individual height adjustment.  It is also a mulcher or we can bag the clippings and is front wheel drive self propelled.

My husband is looking at the new mower as his new get into shape equipment so that was a rather pleasant turn of events! We really are looking forward to keeping our lawn the way we want it, not too short.  It's surprising how much both of us missed doing our own lawn care too but that could be due to a lot of the ripping out here finally being done.  Now we can start focusing on lawn reduction strategies!


Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Lily of the Valley

The Lily of the Valley is up but not in bloom yet.  There are several patches in one garden area that I'm hoping will naturalize.  The garden bed sits in front of the kitchen window (lower ground level) and wraps around under the sunporch stairs ending at the lower ground level covered patio.  This bed was covered with a decorative rock by the former owner then planted with hostas and Lily of the Valley.  Last year there were only a few Lily of the Valley poking through so I'm quite pleased to see the patches of them getting larger.  If the bed fills in as I would like the whole house will be filled with the gorgeous smell of Lily of the Valley!


Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Crabapple Tree in Bloom

Crabapple Tree in Bloom

April 29, 2010

The crabapple tree is looking so pretty in full bloom!  A lot of urban homeowners have crabapple trees simply for their beautiful showy display in the spring.  They do nothing with the fruit though.  I look forward to the tart little crabapples that make a wonderful jelly!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Strawberry Growing Tips

Over the past three days I've posted various aspects of growing strawberries.  In general strawberries can be planted in the ground, in raised beds, and in containers (eg. expandable tower, hanging, patio).  They really are rather problem free for the most part.  Simply plant and occasionally feed with an organic fertilizer along with a little epsom salts and forget them.  Quite honestly 4 strawberry plants will be enough to give you plenty of strawberries in their second year.  Here's a few things you need to know.

There are two types of strawberries, June bearers and ever bearing.  June bearers fruit in June hence their name.  Ever bearers bear fruit year round so are the better choice if you want to use them for an indoor continuous harvest.  The second thing to keep in mind is your winter climate.  In cold winter climates that dip below freezing potted strawberries should be brought indoors in the fall then returned outdoors after the danger of frost has past in the spring.  The third think to consider is moisture.  Keep your strawberry plants moist, not too wet but don't let them dry out. 

There are at least 3 pests that are destructive to strawberries, mainly the fruit although in dry weather birds have been known to attack berries for their juice:

• slugs - Slugs will eat a lovely trail across your strawberries.  Place a strip of copper wiring around the perimeter of raised beds and container sitting on the ground about 4 - inches from the top of the bed.  Copper effectively electrocutes snails and slugs.  Take about 20 pennies and scatter them throughout the strawberry patch or place copper wiring in a grid fashion throughout the strawberry patch.  If you don't want to use copper place a board on the soil surface at night then manually remove the snails the following morning.  Do not use snail bait as that can harm toads and frogs. 
• strawberry sap beetle - These small black beetles with yellow spots are about as annoying as they can be.  They invade when fruit is ripe or overripe and will make holes and tunnels in the berries.  A daily clean pick will prevent the strawberry sap beetle from invading.  After picking check the bed for any over ripe berries that may have fallen into the bed and remove them as well.  Beetle traps can be used to curb the attack as well but my experience has been the clean pick is most effective because it prevents attracting the strawberry sap beetle in the first place.
• deer - We have deer in the area but have not had them bother the gardens at our last house or this one but that is more due to the overall location.  Deer actually ran through our last garden!  Deer will strip down strawberry plants.  Short of fencing with at least 6 - foot high fencing there is little you can do to keep deer out of a traditional in ground style garden in the open where they can get to it.  There are a few deterrents such as the motion activated sprayer (Scarecrow)  that may help.  Growing strawberries in vertical containers or hanging baskets  close to the house will put them out of harms way from deer.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

How to Grow Strawberries Indoors

Strawberries can be grown year round indoors.  If you live in a cold winter climate area simply bring in any potted strawberry plants then place them in a sunny location where you will be able to enjoy fresh strawberries throughout the winter.  If your strawberries are in the ground either in traditional row gardening or raised beds, plant a few up in pots to grow on a sunny windowsill during the winter months.  This short video shows the basics of planting strawberry plants for indoor use during the winter.  Note that the soil should be kept moist when growing strawberries indoors.  Do not let it dry out.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

How to Plant Strawberries in a Raised Bed Garden

I grow strawberries in hanging and vertical containers as well as in raised beds.  We also have a few rogue strawberries growing on our property.  Planting strawberries is as easy as planting any other vegetable plant in your edible garden.  Here is a short video showing the technique.  Following the video are my comments on the video. 

In general I prefer to not use peat pots in my garden beds because they are not as eco-friendly as once thought.  Strawberries actually prefer to be a bit on the crowded side so when planting space them a bit closer together.  My last strawberry bed was 4' x 8' crammed one end to the other with strawberry plants and then overflowing onto the garden paths.  It started with 4 strawberry plants I brought from the last house then planted in that bed taking less than 2 years to fill the bed.  Strawberries are sun not shade loving plants but I still got a fairly decent yield in partially shaded conditions. 

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

How to Plant Strawberries in Expandable Strawberry Tower

Strawberries are one of the easiest garden fruits to grow.  They are relatively problem free plants although they can be a bit invasive due to the runners.  Strawberries are ideal for growing in strawberry pots or towers taking advantage of vertical space.  This makes them ideal patio and balcony plants.  The next few posts will give strawberry growing ideas for small space and container gardening.  The following short video shows how easy it is to plant strawberries in an expandable strawberry tower.  

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Neighbour Complaints Over Urban Gardening

Recently a Vancouver, Canada homeowner, Ken Dyck has done a fair amount of complaining about his neighbour Sara St. Vincent's urban garden.  He has filed complaints with the City of Vancouver because he feels Sara's garden is reducing his property value.  However, Sara and her housemates view their gardens as a way to live ecologically ethical lives.  The goal of their tiny bungalow named The Farmhouse is to feed their house of five and maybe others too if their crops are successful.  The city did issue work orders but Sara and her housmates complied so the work orders have been withdrawn with the restriction the property be kept neat and tidy.  The City of Vancouver is quite clear that it encourages these gardening initiatives and hopes the two neighbours work out their dispute

There are actually two problems going on with this urban garden but it pays to be aware of problems you can encounter with urban gardening and likely moreso if you turn your front yard into an edible garden.  A front yard urban garden can look out of place in a neighbourhood with  tidy, manicured lawns, many framed by a row of spring perennials.  It is imparitive thaat front yard gardens be kept neat and tidy at all times to prevent neighbour complaints.  This really only shows respect for your fellow neighbours something that goes a long way towards neighbour relations.

The second problem here is Mr. Dyke does not understand why urban gardening is so important or if he does he has an axe to grind with Sara and her housemates.  Urban gardens are here to stay and their popularity is growing as more people struggle with finding a low cost way of provinding organic fruits and vegetables for their table.  Neighbour disputes are never any fun and they can esculate so it's best to use prevention tactics first.  If you are wanting to turn both your front and backyards into edible gardens here are a few tips for you:

• talk to your neighbours -  Letting your neighbours know what you are planning is just a nice way of keeping good neighbour relations.  Sure you can go ahead and do what you want as long as it complies with municiple bylaws but that little bit of communication goes a long way toward preventing complaints later.  Educating your neighbours as to how edible gardening is considerably more eco-friendly than a well manicured green outdoor carpet is key to living harmoniously and a few freebies from your garden never hurts. 
• consider the aesthetics of your neighbourhood - It is amazing how much food you can grow in your front yard without it looking like a sore thumb in your neighbourhood.  Low growing herbs, vining vegetables (squashes, cucumbers, beans and peas) and container gardening can all be worked into your front yard without being an in your face thing.
• fencing -  Good fences make for good neighbours.  Install privacy fencing around the perimeter of the backyard.  That way any gardening eyesights neighbours don't want to look at will be shieled from them.  In Key West most of the homes have gorgeous front yard fencing and this is not an uncommon thing especially in older neighbourhoods.  Plant flower vines (eg. Trumpet, Clematis, Morning Glory, or climbing roses on the house side of front yard fences.  This creates a friendly growing barrier that looks lovely while hiding the bare basics of front yard gardening from street view.
• know your rights - Always work within the municiple bylaws.  Providing you are doing so other than creating a rukus there is nothing your neighbour can do as far as complaints go.  If your neighbour continues to be unreasonable or esculates as long as you are on the legal side of the law there are other options available to you.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010