Neighbours talking over the garden gate has long been a tradition. They share gardening tips, complain about the weather and pests yet are ever eager to discuss their gardens. That is what I had in mind when creating this blog. So stop by my garden gate to find out the latest happenings in my garden.
Happy Gardening!
Garden Gnome
"All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child." ~ Madame Marie Curie"
Showing posts with label garden solutions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden solutions. Show all posts
While many in our area are seeing visions of their gardens dance in the seed magazines we spent a good portion of May in Las Vegas for the first leg of our spring vacation. Our house is still for sale so I really don't want to get too attached to starting up the garden beds although I will be focusing on movable containers this year. At any rate May for us is always spring vacation month that sets my garden beds back a bit but not so much so that I can't have a very successful gardening season. When we first started going to Las Vegas I noticed two startling contrasts.
There were the xeroscaping landscapes that while taking advantage of rock and low maintenance plants looked rather barren. Then there were the lush, green landscapes certainly not adaptable to desert conditions. This year I noticed a change especially with the new, high end casinos. In place of the xeroscaping was astroturf giving the appearance of the expected green carpet of grass without the environmental impact. In fact from what I read the astroturf is made from recycled plastic making it an environmentally friendly choice. It is pleasing to the eye, has a much lower carbon footprint over its lifespan and eliminates a lot of maintenance.
I'm still not 100% sold on astroturf although I do know it has been used successfully for years in sports stadiums and recently for the purpose I described. I won't cut any corners in saying I really don't like grass as in the pristine green natural carpets. Lawns are high maintenance and in most cases chemically addicted. However, I can see where astroturf would be a solution to smaller areas where you want the appearance of grass without the upkeep. It could be one gardening solution for those types of areas.
There really is very little to do in my gardens right now other than a bit of spring clean-up on the nicer days. I arranged to have several stumps and a couple of old beds completely ripped out yesterday morning. This is being hired out so will be ready for top soil is less than half a day! I may be able to do a bit of grass seeding but really it is too early yet. At any rate I'm doing a few behind the scenes garden prep like getting containers ready.
When it comes to container garden especially edible container gardening many home gardeners are a bit skeptical as to whether it will be productive. After all, why do all the work to end up with nothing? By default container gardening eliminates some problems seen in other gardening methods but there are other problems associated with container gardening that need to be addressed. Once any of the unique problems of container gardening are dealt with then a container can be just as productive as any other gardening method. Here's a good video showing how one home gardener solved a problem by growing in 5 gallon buckets. At the end of the video I will tell you where to find these buckets.
I prefer using food grade 5 gallon buckets for growing any edible plants in. That way I am ensured harmful chemicals are not going to leach into the soil getting into the fruits and vegetables. Food grade 5 gallon pails are available by ordering online, wine brewing/supplies facilities and some restaurant supply stores sell them. However, I prefer recycling 5 gallon pails by getting mine through a couple of local donut shops and restaurants. These pails with lids cost me as much as $1 each to cover the charge of cleaning them while others just give them to me free of charge. I have found it is as simple as asking. I can also get 1 gallon glass pickle jars for dry food storage and making terrariums for new charge. Both these items are things the restaurants were going to put into the recycle bin anyway so I just save them the effort by picking them up. A 5 gallon pail will last several years if looked after so unless I'm expanding the container garden portion of my gardens there's no need to pick-up a lot of the pails every year. A couple here and there is enough to keep me in a steady supply.
Every gardener regardless of garden location experiences some type of loss due to pilfering. In most cases the culprits are of the four legged or winged variety. In some locations more so urban than rural the home gardener may also encounter pilfering by the two legged thief. Yesterday's post discussed turning the front yard of a residential home in an urban setting into a edible garden. The problem with pilfering from the two legged thief becomes more of an issue in this particular location. Greater exposure through proximity to the street and foot traffic increase the chance of pilfering. Security night lighting and street light also draws attention to the front yard garden.
The first thing as a gardener that you have to accept that there is always going to be some loss due to pilfering. You can take the necessary steps to minimize loss but you can't protect your garden twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Front yard gardens grown in raised beds over 2 feet high will curb any problems from rabbits, possibly slugs and snails but not squirrels, raccoons and starlings. Front yard gardens present a bit more of a challenge in that some of the methods you could use as control in backyard or rural settings such as a motion activated water repellent or low level electrical fencing. A dog may not be a feasible choice as well. Bird netting can still be an effective pest barrier as can a large plastic owl. The owl is effective against some birds and small rodents but may also scare off beneficial birds and song birds.
A short little aside: I have 2 motion activated sprayers that have proven somewhat effective but not always as in the case of the bunnies frequenting my last garden. The garden before that was right in a subdivision. I had an outdoor camera to watch the garden and ponds indoors to get pictures of the wildlife that visited the ponds. A neighbourhood cat decided the ponds was it's own personal sushi bar so I bought my first motion activated sprayer (Scarecrow). This device gives a quick, noisy spray of about a cup of water when it detects motion effectively scaring away the intruder. One day I switch the camera on just in time to see the hydro meter reader head back towards my tomatoes but not in time for me to get outside to warn him of the spray. Oh my now his reaction was priceless! I love to hear his explanation for being wet and tomatoless.
Fencing with a lockable gate is one solution to prevent pilfering in front yard edible gardens. If the gate is kept locked when you aren't in the front yard then you will have to make alternative arrangements for mail delivery which can be as simple as a locking mailbox on the inside of the fence with mail slot on the outside. Many of the homes in the down town Key West area use this method and even design the fence and gate to blend in with their garden design. They add to the overall characteristic of the house. Front yard fencing is common in many municipalities whether it is for edible gardening or just a regular grass patch. It is usually in the form of low picket fencing (3 feet tall), wroth iron (4 - 5 feet tall) or chain link (4 feet tall) often softened by flowering vines or climbing roses. Climbing roses on fences are particularly effective at discouraging anyone from climbing over the fence. Before installing any fence be sure you know where the property lines are and your municipal bylaws as to what you can install.
I am a wife, mother and grandma who enjoys the many aspects of homemaking. A variety of interests and hobbies combined with travel keep me active. They reflect the importance of family, friends, home and good food.
or low level electrical fencing. A dog may not be a feasible choice as well. Bird netting can still be an effective pest barrier as can a large plastic owl. The owl is effective against some birds and small rodents but may also scare off beneficial birds and song birds.
